With more and more people coming in and fewer places to put them, it's a continuous turf battle. The situation was getting pretty sketchy on my cat & mouse game with the housing office and the existence of my "roommate". I held them off for about 2 weeks after the phone calls started and then finally I had to take drastic measures. I whined and got my boss involved. One of the Iraqis that works in our office likes to joke that he has a "Clint Eastwood style presence." He walked with me down to the housing office and calmly but assuredly told the manager that I should not have a roommate because my job demands difficult hours and to be on call 24/7. The short but very wide woman tried to protest. There was a few moments of uncomfortable silence and my boss finally cut through it like a hot slug from a .45. His eyes went sharp and he said "Look, it's just not an option."
The woman begrudgingly relented and said I needed to submit a letter of justification. Nothing happens in government without some kind of paperwork. So I got that in ASAP and was sure to mention the important people I work with (wink, wink) and 2 days later my single room request was approved! It's mine all mine! Every inch of the 7' x 18' just screams freedom! I had the 2nd bed removed and hoped to have it replaced with a computer desk and pleather executive chair like my neighbor has. Guess I was a little late to the game on that. Unfortunately all they had was a dusty green plastic patio table and a dinky, well-worn fabric office chair. I told them to bring it anyway. Here in the IZ, you have to take what you can get.Please be sure to add my blog to your favorites and check back often for updates. Feel free to post comments. You can click on the photos for larger versions of my pictures.
Still to come... No more rounds at The Baghdad Country Club
Tinman
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