Update
Well, I made it back to the internet cafe. Sorry it's been awhile; I'm working seven days a week right now. I just got up early today to come to the internet cafe. I do have to work tonight.
I spoke briefly with a Qatari military police trooper last week, carrying an FNC. He let me look at his weapon. Seemed pretty nice. That's now four different rifles I've seen the Qataris carrying.
Things are pretty dull here, really. I don't get out as much as I'd like, but on my next day off I'm going to go to one of the western nightclubs and chase women for an evening. Perhaps I'll have better luck in this hemisphere than in the other one? We'll see.
Still no recall notice from the Army. I dunno what to think about that. On one hand, the Stars and Stripes said they were calling Engineers. On the other hand, another Stars and Stripes said they Army has such a gluttony of 21B (formerly 12B) Combat Engineers they're taking ten guys and changing their MOS to something else, involuntarily.
Honestly, I ETSed a month ago. I don't think the Army has even begun out-processing me yet. I probably won't get my discharge papers for another six months. In any case, there's nothing I can do about it, so no sense fretting, hey?
This job is sort of like the military, with a few major differences. The big one is that when you get off of work, you're DONE. There is no having the sergeant come snag you for a detail or something.
I"ve made a few friends here, and there are also some people I dislike, just like anywhere. The MPs and SPs I work with are mostly pretty cool.
I got tore up by mosquitos the other night, and it gets humid as hell here this time of the year. I thought this desert, with scarcaely any lakes or swamps to be had, would be the one place in the world I"d be safe from mosquitos, but they're as bad here as they are in Upper Michigan.
Yes, I can be sent packages. PM me if you really want. It might be awhile before I can get online again, though.
Thanks everybody.