rodeo, VBIEDs, and other life in the grinder

"Wow, it's been a long time since I posted. My regrets.... Here's what has been going on here.
The Rodeo
The first annual Balad Rodeo went down a couple of weeks ago. My buddy Andy was the mastermind behind this event, which ballooned from a little hospital get-together to a big freakin' deal! Donated prizes poured in from back home, to the consternation of those concerned about the appearance of solicitation of gifts from civilian enterprises. The planning got pretty intense as the Rodeo neared, and Andy bent but didn't break under the stress of the monster he had created! The day of the rodeo was beautiful, and hundreds of people came out for burgers and 'dogs, (plastic) calf-
roping, bull-riding, Guitar-Hero-ing, and two-stepping. There was a float parade, a hot-dog eating contest, lots of country music, visits by the general and some medal of honor winners, and a rodeo clown contest. The Mustache March competition concluded; unfortunately, the closest I got to a trophy was as runner-up for "Most Robust." The 'stache got shaved on the last day of March, never to return (at least until next March...). I got to stop by the Rodeo a few times, although as the surgeon of the day on call, I was in and out of the hospital, seeing a few injured troops or Iraqis, then making the surreal journey outside to clowns and barrel-racing. Only in Balad..."
the alley