Drinking the Tigris: Final Reminder :: 03. 9.09
If I needed any reminders of why I'm leaving Iraq this Sunday, I got them this week. Two nights ago our area was hit with a rocket; big one that landed somewhere just outside the base parameter. It's been more than six months since we had incoming. Took me a second to register it, then bail for the shelter. It was only one shot, but a thumper.
Tonight is a bad dust storm. Kind of a mix really. A tiny bit of rain mixed with fog and loads of dust. With these storms comes gooey eyeballs, allergies, headaches, and massive delays and cancellations of flights, so the whole rhythm of the air port goes to pot. It's a great time to get out.
Drinking the Tigris: What I Couldn't Say 7 :: 03. 8.09
(These are posts I wrote last year, but wasn't comfortable posting for various reasons (didn't want to get canned!))
From June, 2007
Got some news from reggae musician Fitzgerald in Malawi today:
"Hello cy
Fine
thanks for the cash you sent it reach me and helped to pay hospital bills
for my son.
my silence is b coz l went out now am back but my son condition has improved
lhave restarted my album kadundulu 3
6 english songs 3 chichewa 1 tumbuka songs lwill be in studio from first week of
august you will haer more soon how isit there. fitz and edo
tisanganenge."
Thanks to those who kicked down and bought Kandandulu 2. I'm going to help Fitz out a little more to get him through the rest of the record. If you haven't seen it yet, the video I made with Fitz is in the April 07 archive.
Also, a big enthusiastic thank you to everyone who bought a copy of The Troubles in Zolokere. To date the DVD has raised $1300 dollars, most of which Jake has already put into the school project (see the Malawi Jake link). The story behind the DVD is pretty good. One of Jake's closest friends funded me to make the DVDs and he's been selling copies out of his family business: an auto body shop in Newark, New Jersey. Damn I love that. An artsy advocacy film about women's issues in Africa and a Peace Corps volunteer being hustled out of a body shop in New Jersey and out of a closet in Imperial Beach toward the same end. Tony, I love you man. Thanks for helping me help out. Jake, I'm going through the footage and there's lots of the school in there, be proud man, be really proud.
So around here things get weirder and weirder. As I got ready for work yesterday there were three explosions.
Continue reading "Drinking the Tigris: What I Couldn't Say 7" »
Drinking the Tigris: What I Couldn't Say 6 :: 03. 7.09
(These are posts I wrote last year, but wasn't comfortable posting for various reasons (didn't want to get canned!))
From July 4, 2007
In the cafeteria last night, they had a huge Statue of Liberty cake for the Fourth of July, thing was about five feet long and I got served the left armpit. Pretty fresh. They had the wrong arm up in the air. I think the cooks, who are almost all from India, are being subversive. Very, very subversive.
I hate all the "I love what your doing over there" commercials for the "troops", they seem patronizing, but I have to say I'm pretty blown away by the sacrifice "the troops" are making, the Army people in particular. They're rolling around in 110 degree heat, in full battle rattle, they're getting shot at, blown up, don't make much dough and they have incredibly long deployments. These Air Force people have it made. They're mainly working in support, have a deployment around 4 months long and they're out of here. The regular Army is doing 12 months plus and loads of them are on their third round. If the bad guys every come over the wall (or even get close enough that I can see them on the horizon) I'll be voting with my feet as I haul balls out of here for the Army base where the guys with the working guns are.
Continue reading "Drinking the Tigris: What I Couldn't Say 6" »
June 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
July 2005
June 2005
April 2005
March 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
Afrigadget
Alder Films
Alpha Diaries
Andrew Miksys Photography
Ape Entertainment
Ben Ferencz
Bruno Films
Cal Arts
Chiperoni.org
Docs in Progress
Doculink
The Documentary Blog
IDA
Jake Wilson
Librivox
Monochrome
Painted Land
A Silent Monsoon
Stephen Hawkins
Trona
US Peace Corps
Wood Movie
