Irony?

Merriam Webster defines irony as, an incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result. So yesterday, more than five years after my final date of discharge, I was watching Kathryn Bigelow's powerful film Hurt Locker. The film portrays snapshots into the life of a explosive ordinance disposal team serving in Iraq. Well-crafted characters and vividly realistic sets really brought me back to my year in the desert. The movie earned six well-deserved Oscars (including Bigelow for Best Director).

So strangely enough buried in my usually nondescript mail today is a letter from guess who? My crazy old Uncle Sam was just writing to let me know that he felt bad about all that time I had to spend in the desert as well. Your uncle appreciates how challenging it was to readjust and the perseverance necessary to fit back in with normal folk (after working 70 hours a week staring at three computers in a room with no windows). Your Uncle Sam feels particularly badly for all of those months he made you serve after your contract ended...and he wants to pay me $500 for each of those months.

Now your crazy old uncle has been known for questionable integrity from time to time but I am optimistic. Not enough to buy a kayak mind you, just you know, window shop a little. ; )