Groundhog Day

It's Groundhog Day here at FOB Enormo, which seemed like an appropriate reason to re-energize this neglected blog.

The saying in Iraq is that "every day is Groundhog Day," an idea we lifted from the movie of the same name--where Bill Murray wakes up each day and re-lives the same series of events. The movie is also a favorite around here since many folks in the unit are from western Pennsylvania and more than a few have enjoyed Punxsutawney, PA's Groundhog Day celebrations.

We have passed the halfway mark for our deployment and gotten through the holidays and have now settled in to a relatively mind-numbing routine. As a headquarters-type unit that is confined to FOB Enormo, our days pass with the same series of meetings and briefings. Occasional crises help break up the monotony, but those are (blessedly) rare. Most of us are now beginning to count the weeks until we redeploy; I am counting the days until I return back to the US for two weeks of leave. I'm not sure I've ever been this physically tired or mentally weary in my life!