Yesterday afforded a little time to do something nice for our OR staff, so we planned ahead to have our Critical Care Air Transport Team (CCATT) bring us some bratwurst from Germany, where the wurst is significantly better than at the Exchange here on base. We boiled them in near-beer and then grilled them for a little while. The "party" was on the hospital roof, around OR 5, and was a good time.

Speaking of near-beer, the quantity and variety of nonalcoholic beers really boggles the mind. General Order #1 for the AOR specifies, among other things, that no alcohol will be consumed or brought into the country. So, the DFACs and BXs carry a variety of nonalcoholic malted beverages: Beck's, Holstein, Bitburger, St. Pauli Girl N.A., and others are readily available. It's a little bizarre, I admit.

For all the non-medical (or really non-surgical) people out there, you may not really get this, but would someone please stop shooting out the popliteal artery....please? Last night I did my third popliteal vascular reconstruction (two of them combined artery-vein injuries), not to mention the one or two others the other guys have done. It's really getting crazy...I'd like to just fix a simple, say, SFA or something, but no, it always has to be right behind the freakin' knee.

OK, that's the medical jargon moment. I've attached some pictures of base life, like the cardio part of the gym, and Rob and Darren getting crazy in a dust-storm. The sky really is that color when the wind whips the dust into the air. It's eerie. Then, if it rains, the dust comes out of the air as mud, splattering you all over.

So long, and thanks for all the letters, emails, and packages!