I am thrilled to edit the Army’s history of the Iraq War. Would love to tell you more (WOW) but can’t. I am so absorbed with the project that I am in the middle of a protracted (3-4 month) sleepless period.

So why not work on it on a Saturday afternoon yelling “NO guys! Bad move!”

Coffee is key. Not caffeine, but high-grade coffee (not code for high grade heroine. But …)

So I buy one of those Keurigs for my desk. Did a lot of research to get the right one. Some advice — if you know coffee, do NOT buy a Keurig. The key to a great cup of coffee is water temp. PERIOD.  You want it around 210 degrees, just short of boiling. I get that every time with my $5.00 1940s stove-top percolator. I even went for the high wattage on the Keurig. It’s dreadful. I switched to my own Lavazza grounds. Gack.

I am in my vault at 5:30 am – not unlike the schedule I kept with “Panthers” and “Blood Stripe.” The difference (aside from the mania and sleep deprivation) is the coffee. It looks like I am back to using a thermos and toting my special beverage across states lines.

Coffee. It is all about water temperature.

Coffee, the staple of many a writer and editor.

Back to my boys. It’s 2010 in Iraq. What will they do next?