The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I'm now a wee bit beyond the halfway point of my tour of Iraq. I've already lamented some of what I miss of my real life, so maybe the next question to address is: what's changed or not changed in six months?

I'll start with what hasn't changed. The government. The elections were in the beginning of March this year and now, almost seven months later, it has yet to result in a new government. That, for you trivia buffs, is a world record gap between voting and government formation.

What has changed for the better, in fact way better, is the weather. Highs still bump up against 100, but the lows are reaching low 70s, high 60s. It is downright pleasant. We used to sit out and smoke cigars on Saturday nights because almost everyone changes out uniforms on Sunday, and by the time you sat around outside for about two hours smoking and telling each other outrageous lies you were totally soaked with sweat.

Now we go light up twice a week just because it is nice to be able to be comfortable outside again.

There are some interesting phenomenon associated with the cooler weather.

Pretty much all of the water used on the compound is stored in giant above-ground plastic water tanks. During July and August the thermometer rarely dipped below 100 degrees and typically topped out between 118 and124. The water in these tanks is always warmer than body temperature, so even with the faucet cranked full cold it is always very warm.

It's no big deal for hand-washing -- you just always turn to cold. It makes for unsatisfying mouth rinse after tooth-brushing. You can make the logical leap to what this means for the commodes. I have absolutely no previous experience with such a butt-sauna sensation and it amused me.

But cooler weather means cooler water and things are approaching what I consider normal.

Another unchanging scenario is work. Most of the folks around here, me included, have no real need to move about the countryside. If you have no need, you have no justification for transport. So work is a weekly grind of charts, slides, e-mail, and meetings as we work through our seven-day battle rhythm. You can walk around the compound, about two miles if you take the longest route. Occasionally you can walk across the street to a different compound, but you must buddy-up to move between the two locations.

I suspect this is a lot like being sent off to some minimum securityconfinement facility, except you have to do a lot more work here.

Another positive change, though always a tenuous one, is the security situation across Iraq. The Iraqi Army and Police have become very busy and pretty good at what they are doing. It allows a lot more people to move around the country, go to markets, and generally work toward some sense of normalcy in their daily existence.

The best change is in my countdown to R&R. Less than two months to go! Home for Christmas, count on me, snow, mistletoe, yada yada. Can't wait.

Halloween is one week away. We're planning a party in CHUville, where we can get in costume without violating any regulations. Pictures to follow in a future blog.