Camp Cupcake

The second time was a charm with my flight, although I had to stay up all night for the early check-in and then short flight. The aircraft I rode is a C-23 Sherpa, a boxy little aircraft that makes you wonder how it can fly. But it does have a nice accelleration rate... annoying when you're sitting sideways in a cargo seat with nothing to support you. I am now at a base called Al Asad. It's in the western portion of the country (Anbar Province) and the U.S. Marines are in charge of this area, so I'm seeing a lot more marines around the base here. I'm told the marines nickname this base "Camp Cupcake" because the conditions are so "posh" compared to other bases. That may be true, but it's still a step down from Balad. Then again, Balad was Air Force territory. Living conditions are similar to how they were at Balad, with 1/3 of a trailer to call my own. Except this time I have two bunk beds in my room (that I occupy alone). Lots of horizontal surfaces, I guess, but I miss the headroom when I'm sitting on the edge of my bed putting on my boots. The DFAC is bigger, and with a slightly wider selection (and I'll be able to get stir fry every day instead of just once a week) and I can walk pretty much anywhere I need to go. I still don't have my official email accounts set up, and the network blocks lots of sites such as updating my blog (24 hours) and my google mail account (during working hours) so I'm forced to use the MWR machines, where I endure a long line and 30 minute time limit. Blog updates might not be as frequent in the future as they were in the past. I'll spend the next day or two resting up and hopefully getting my email set up, and then it'll be back to work.