Just a quick post to let you all know i'm fine and correct the impression I may have given that I was in the ER for an extended period of time. Nope, I was in and out -- just a quick check that all my bits and pieces were in the right place. My neck feels fine now.
Strange timing, because today I had lunch with one of Iraq's top wrestlers. Gaz is only 23, but has trained for 16 years, both here and in Iran, and hopes to train in the US as well. I met him through the provincial reconstruction team leader for the Diwaniya province, who met him through the nephew of a local sheyk who is a wrestling enthusiast. He didn't speak English, but we chatted through an interpreter and he said that he really was interested in learning some brazilian jiujitsu. The PRT team leader is trying to set up a wrestling tournament just to increase interaction with the locals. No, Sarah, I won't go near it...
I'm on 3 week trip outside the wire this time, covering 5 provinces. Started in Baghdad with a couple of conferences and am making my way down to the units I haven't met with yet. Coordination has been kind of painful, since there's so many parties involved.
This morning, I used the phone of an empty office and when the PRT civilian came in, my greetings and self-introduction was met with a "Who are you and what are you doing in my office?" (no smile). Yup, definitely a culture gap between the military and the civilians, but I thought that usually the guys wearing the green suits were supposed to lack social skills??
Whoa, visual proof that you're up on your feet with a good neck. But, no good to see you with a top Iraq wrestler... Just remember it takes a 5-lb force to cause brain damage and the density/wt ratio of the brain mass and the water around it is NOT meant for high impact sports.
ReplyDeleteYou take good care of yourself, sir.
Dad