Cajin Food in Baghdad

I walked up to the main line in the dining facility last night and looked over the selections. Tuna casserole...no thanks, not sure how long they had been trying to get the troops to eat that. Next to that was a tray of steaming white rice. Sounds great. I enjoy eating rice with anything. The tray next to the rice was labeled CAJIN LINKS. It appeared to be full of thin, dark, hot dog looking things covered in sliced peppers.

I had never seen a cajin link let alone eaten one. I even spent a few weeks in Louisiana assisting with the Hurricane Katrina/Rita cleanup. Why not? The worst that could come of it would be a night in the port-a-john. I took my chances and had the server put one on top of the rice in my tray.

It wasn't too bad. Actually complimented the rice, though is was much more spicy hot than I was expecting. I think I might eat another one if my other option is tuna casserole. Most of the contractors that serve the food are from India/Nepal/Bangladesh. I am not sure who makes the signs, but I am sure he meant Cajun.

Pair of Boots

I finally tossed out my first pair of boots. They have served me well the past 10 months. I had been wearing them ever since I started wearing the Army Combat Uniform. I think I bought my first set in the summer of 2005. I would only wear them for about 20 hours a month. Starting with the mobilization, I was wearing them about 18 hours a day. I didn't really see any wear and tear until we got out this way. The dust is everywhere and it does a number on the boots, as well as the everything else. I joked around that this pair was headed straight to my presidential library. I think that joke gave one of the ambitious guys I work with an idea for a display at his presidential library (he is serious).

One of the most annoying things about army life was the whole idea of polishing your boots. That just drove me nuts. Again, as a part timer, I didn't have to wear the uniform every day, but when I would, I really didn't enjoy the whole part of shining the black boots. You show up to drill, go out in the field, and the next thing you know, those boots you just polished are dirty again. Never made sense to me. Didn't like doing it. I planned to have a couple of kids so that I could make them polish my boots as one of their chores. The Army changed that plan with the adoption of the desert boot full time. I really enjoy wearing the desert boot. I am still going to have kids. They can mow the lawn or take out the trash.

Reading

I have read three fiction novels in the past 3 weeks. I didn't think I was going to read any more fiction. I used to read a ton as a kid and then less as an older kid. I got married and found out I really enjoy watching television. The internet is not bad too. If I have read anything lately, it always seemed to be non-fiction.

I was lying in bed trying to go to sleep. I was changing the channels on the television and stopped at The View. Rosie and the cute one (Elizabeth, i think) were yelling at each other. I put down the remote and was mezmerized for a few minutes watching this fight. It was unreal. When it was over, i thought to myself, "I just wasted about 15 minutes of my life." I don't think I can afford to do that again.

So I looked at my desk and saw that I had four books, all fiction. I picked up one and read it in three days. The second one took a bit longer and the third one I finished in six days. Good thing I was into this reading binge or I would have probably been watching the police car take Paris back to the courthouse.