THE WEATHER
Name: America's 1st Sgt.
Posting date: 6/1/09
Stationed in: Iraq
Milblog: Castra Praetoria
Email: castrapraetoria1@gmail.com
The weather is here. I wish it were beautiful...
The end of May is the time of year out here when it is starting to get warm. Well, hot really; but considering what the temperature is going to be like in July and August I like to think that what we have right now is merely warm.
Soon enough the oppressive heat will make a mere walk to the chow hall seem downright volcanic. If you want to know how hot it is here, turn on your oven all the way and stick your head in. To experience Iraqi summer temperatures there at home, simply climb into an asbestos sleeping bag, have someone ram a flamethrower in one end and let her rip.
There are other interesting weather phenomena occurring at this time as well. On any given day dust devils and high winds are capable of blasting nearly a pound of sand right up your colon. Whirling dust storms lend the area a Mars-like atmosphere. This is usually followed by a short rain shower that comes down as a sprinkling of mud.
Last night we had the privilege of experiencing multiple phenomena at the same time. Thunder boomed as lightning lit up the sky like day. Wind gusts sandblasted buildings, stripping the paint clean off. Rain sounded like marbles hammering the roof, coloring everything in a light muddy brown. Remarkably, the temperature remained constant,and going out the door that morning felt like stepping right into a blowing hair dryer.
Even more remarkable is that despite the fact I am in a combat zone, the most interesting thing I have to talk about is the weather.
What’s up with that?
The heat alone would kill me. Weather and sex are the two common topics in many a long distance conversation, I have learned. Interesting, eh?
Posted by: Aprillini | June 07, 2009 at 11:43 AM