Update from Iraq

It's been awhile since I've written. Quite a bit has happened but I'm never sure how much to actually post on a blog. In April I went down to Baghdad for 2 1/2 weeks, rotating out with another anesthesiologist who came up here to Mosul. I was significantly busier down there and got to participate in some very interesting (I won't describe them because they'd probably more rightly be categorized as gorey) cases. The hospital is in what's called the Green Zone, or International Zone. The area is fairly large and also houses the US Embassy. I again got to ride in a C-130 from Mosul to the Baghdad airport and then flew by helicopter over to a landing zone near the hospital. I'll get some pictures of the view from the helicopter for later posting. Near the end of my stay I took a tour of the Green Zone with a couple of the surgeons. I don't think that the driver (a vascular surgeon) knew exactly where he was going because we saw signs that read "Load Weapons, Entering Red Zone" a couple times and made quick U-turns. While I was there I got to know another anesthesiologist who may have convinced me to move to Colorado Springs and work with him when my commitment is up. Definitely something to think about. Here are a couple of pictures and there will be more to follow. On top is a picture of the remains of the Ba'ath party house located in the Green Zone. The bottom picture is me in front of the crossed sabres.