My Inspiration

I have been so busy this last week. I have basically twice the workload now. I have only been to the gym twice this week. My poor bike has been hanging up in my room untouched. When I did go to the gym, I only had time for cardio. I felt really guilty when I dropped my clothes at the laundry today and I had a weeks worth but only two sets of PTs instead of the usual 5 or 6. I haven’t given up hope, though. My wife just walked a 5K on Saturday with my son, Reilly. She would have run it, but he is too young for a jogging stroller and she didn't have anybody who could watch Reilly. He needs to be 6 months. She has been working out like a champ in addition to studying and taking care of my boy. She is truly my inspiration. If she can do it, I can pull myself up from my bootstraps and still hit the gym. I can't wait till we are back together and we can work out together. I have been on craigslist looking for jogging strollers and bicycle trailers for Reilly.

I did something really cool today. The Iraqi unit that I am working with delivered much needed school supplies to an all girls primary school today in our area. It was very nice. The little girls all were all formed up and they sang songs and then the National Police Commander I work with handed out backpacks with school supplies in them to orphans and low income students. It was a great mission. My team helped them plan the mission and we resourced it, but then they executed it. I would much rather do these missions then the search missions we do all the time. My Iraqi unit looked really good today and they had the Iraqi TV reporters there. That is what my team is there for; to help the Iraqi security forces become capable units.

It made me miss Lexi and Maddi today. It didn't help that there was this little girl that looked just like Maddi kept coming up and flirting with me this morning. She came up to me, waved, and said "Hello, mister" I had my sunglasses on and my full kit, so I probably looked really intimidating. I replied back to her "Sabah al hahr, habeebtee" Arabic for “good morning, sweetheart”, and then she ran off. She would keep looking back at me and would smile and wave. With all the crappy missions we have been doing lately, today really made up for it. I wrote previously about my experience here being a year in empathy. Well today, if I could have adopted all these girls I would have.

Biker Build-off Baghdad Style

I can't believe an Iraqi would throw this away! This is great stuff!

Ok, next year, Katie and I are moving to Fort Carson, Colorado in Colorado Springs. Maybe it's not the mountain bike capital of the world, but could be. So Katie and I want to do some serious mountain biking when we get there. A serious mountain bike is serious cash. To get a good mountain bike with all the quality bells and whistles you are going to spend about $3500 at the local bicycle shop. You could get the same quality bike at a fraction of the cost if you had countless hours to comb the internet and look at bargain deals on components and looked for second hand frames and wheels that still have some life in them. Of course you'd have to spend hours doing research on what components are the right ones to get and to get them cheap, you'd have to spend countless hours hoping to win them in an eBay auction or find a steal on craigslist. Most people don't have the time to build a $3500, full-suspension, disk-brake, Shimano XTR derailers, and carbon fibered seat posted all-mountain, mountain bike, BUT I DO! HELP ME JOHN KERRY, I'M STUCK IN IRAQ!!!

So there you have it, I've thrown my hat in the ring of the first "build a $3500 mountain bike for almost nothing" (I'm thinking for around $800-$1000) biker build-off. I invite anybody else to rise to the challenge and build a bike. I warn you, though, today on my cordon and knock mission with the Iraqis I found this awesome full suspension frame while searching for weapons in a trash pile. It cost me nothing so I've already saved $900 for what I'd have spent on a good frame. Watch out! I'm on a roll.