A few days ago we were told some things which I'm not sure if I can say on the blog about our future conditions here. I will not say them for fear of jeopardizing our position, safety and strategy...but I will tell you this: I have started to hoard food. Don't judge me. If you thought emergency rations might be in your future, you would to.
I will also tell you that we are losing our APO. This is a tragedy. It means that our mail service just got a lot slower and less reliable. We're hoping to get a DPO, but that is not confirmed. If we don't, it means...no boxes. And that means, goodbye aveda. Farewell j.crew. Adios netgrocer. nooooooooooo.....
A huge shout out to Gina Valenti of Hilton and Hampton and general friendship fame. Today, James and I got a box in the mail that we didn't order and weren't planning on getting. It was from popcornopolis and it was bursting with individual packages of flavored popcorn(s). I can only assume she took pity on us after reading about how our popcorn popper broke. We HEART Gina!!!! There is NOTHING like a care package and nothing like popcorn, and nothing like a friend who remembers you!
Back to Baghdad. I left the compound for the first time this week. James and our friend Stewart and I walked across the street (basically) and up the road about 1/2 a mile to a place aptly named "FOB Union 3." OK, I have no idea what that means, but I'm sure if I did that it would be apt.
It's a military base and a little Arabic shopping mini-mall all in one. Got yer rugs, got yer Genie lamps, your mini-grocer, your awesome sexy lingerie and got yer popeye's chicken. Yup, they got it all.
James and I went in search of flour because the PX has been out for over two weeks and I wanted to make Swedish bread.
We were very excited to find a store that had 3 bags full. (yes sir, yes sir, three bags full!) Being kind-hearted Christians (that's right, Dr. Robert Jeffress) we gave away one bag to a friend of James' who entered the store after us and was very sad-faced to find an empty shelf. That left two.
Until I opened one after we left to make sure it was white (the bag said wheat, but the picture was white.) It was white. White flour COVERED in weevils.
iiiiiccccccckkkkk.
i almost threw up. the man was kind enough to give us our money back and we found 4 more bags in a second store bringing our total up to five (remember: hoarding) but I am terrified to open each of them. I am saddened to have to depend on flour that says wheat, is white and could have sat on a shelf for years.
but.
I'm grateful for flour. And the swedish bread it made. Now I must go and eat 12 bags of popcorn.
I will also tell you that we are losing our APO. This is a tragedy. It means that our mail service just got a lot slower and less reliable. We're hoping to get a DPO, but that is not confirmed. If we don't, it means...no boxes. And that means, goodbye aveda. Farewell j.crew. Adios netgrocer. nooooooooooo.....
A huge shout out to Gina Valenti of Hilton and Hampton and general friendship fame. Today, James and I got a box in the mail that we didn't order and weren't planning on getting. It was from popcornopolis and it was bursting with individual packages of flavored popcorn(s). I can only assume she took pity on us after reading about how our popcorn popper broke. We HEART Gina!!!! There is NOTHING like a care package and nothing like popcorn, and nothing like a friend who remembers you!
Back to Baghdad. I left the compound for the first time this week. James and our friend Stewart and I walked across the street (basically) and up the road about 1/2 a mile to a place aptly named "FOB Union 3." OK, I have no idea what that means, but I'm sure if I did that it would be apt.
It's a military base and a little Arabic shopping mini-mall all in one. Got yer rugs, got yer Genie lamps, your mini-grocer, your awesome sexy lingerie and got yer popeye's chicken. Yup, they got it all.
James and I went in search of flour because the PX has been out for over two weeks and I wanted to make Swedish bread.
We were very excited to find a store that had 3 bags full. (yes sir, yes sir, three bags full!) Being kind-hearted Christians (that's right, Dr. Robert Jeffress) we gave away one bag to a friend of James' who entered the store after us and was very sad-faced to find an empty shelf. That left two.
Until I opened one after we left to make sure it was white (the bag said wheat, but the picture was white.) It was white. White flour COVERED in weevils.
iiiiiccccccckkkkk.
i almost threw up. the man was kind enough to give us our money back and we found 4 more bags in a second store bringing our total up to five (remember: hoarding) but I am terrified to open each of them. I am saddened to have to depend on flour that says wheat, is white and could have sat on a shelf for years.
but.
I'm grateful for flour. And the swedish bread it made. Now I must go and eat 12 bags of popcorn.
Wow. That was quite kind of Gina! Good thing that package arrived before the loss of the APO. :(
ReplyDeleteFOB = Forward Operating Base. Sorry to hear about the flour gone infected! And thanks to James for carrying my pictures on the walk back.
ReplyDelete-Stewart
Weevils...that's what you get for being a hoarder.
ReplyDeleteExodus 16:17-20
Why are you eating all of that popcorn now if you are hoarding? Where's your discipline?
ReplyDelete