I've been removed from the 6th Branch project (if you want to put it kindly). I'm the only one on this thing! If they'd of killed it, I could've taken it somewhere else. Bastards put it in a coma...I can't touch it.
I've still got Myanmar. Don't feel much like talking.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Early Meeting
Jess called and woke us this morning. Meeting with the Board of Directors @ 8 am. Maybe they're going to up the staff working on 6th Branch after yesterday's success? Not sure what direction they'll take this.
9's not a charm
Bust, once again.
It's funny. The S. review board gets angry every time I rewrite my proposal. But, when they shred it, they offer some of the best peer review feedback with which I ever had the privilege of working. How do they not expect me to take their advise and rewrite according to their terms?
By the end of the day, I had 22 ticked Senators and 16 Congressmen. It was a good day.
I'm taking Tan-tan and the kids for a celebration dinner. With any luck, Miss May won't scream for IHOP again.
I need to catch up with the kids; I've been neglecting them, more than I've been neglecting this blog. Tan-tan said Tom and May have been quiet and Derrick asked if I went away again.
It's funny. The S. review board gets angry every time I rewrite my proposal. But, when they shred it, they offer some of the best peer review feedback with which I ever had the privilege of working. How do they not expect me to take their advise and rewrite according to their terms?
By the end of the day, I had 22 ticked Senators and 16 Congressmen. It was a good day.
I'm taking Tan-tan and the kids for a celebration dinner. With any luck, Miss May won't scream for IHOP again.
I need to catch up with the kids; I've been neglecting them, more than I've been neglecting this blog. Tan-tan said Tom and May have been quiet and Derrick asked if I went away again.
A Busy Morning
Tan-Tan was in story mode this morning. It always makes everything flow so much more easily. She talked, I cooked, kids dressed. Everything was great, but Miss May loves to make faces when she has to eat my cooking. Builds character.
Senate review is a couple of days off. Last minute touches and in-house reviews are driving me mad. I may not write until this is over, I may. We'll see.
I'm not sure how this is going to ride. The directors have been under a lot of pressure for me to drop this project and just have me work on the Myanmar mediation. Again, we'll see.
Senate review is a couple of days off. Last minute touches and in-house reviews are driving me mad. I may not write until this is over, I may. We'll see.
I'm not sure how this is going to ride. The directors have been under a lot of pressure for me to drop this project and just have me work on the Myanmar mediation. Again, we'll see.
Didn't finish the way it began
Holt shit was today a flip-flop!!
Why is it, the folks with the biggest guns, always feel the most threatened by new ideas?
It's not a complex thought! Rather than turning post battle zone reconstruction over to the private sector, simply take the same tax payer's money and redirect it to another branch of the military, whose sole intention is rebuilding and environmental rehab. Every projection indicates a 15-22% undercut of private sector costs while training today's military youth positive life skills. Not to mention, shit loads of great PR which this country so desperately needs! And all they think is that I'm trying to take money from the military...
Enough rants for today. I missed Tom's soccer game. I'm a dick. So, once again, I'm projecting (not that my projection was wrong).
He seems fine. Everyone was finishing chores when I arrived. No smiles around the house and a few complaints from Derrick, so things are normal. After dinner, I got to hear about Miss May yelling in the crowd when Tom was slide tackled. I think she's more protective of her big brothers, than they are of her. I feel sorry for their future girlfriends.
Jess said the next Myanmar conference is three weeks off. Gives me a little more time to prepare than the last trip.
Why is it, the folks with the biggest guns, always feel the most threatened by new ideas?
It's not a complex thought! Rather than turning post battle zone reconstruction over to the private sector, simply take the same tax payer's money and redirect it to another branch of the military, whose sole intention is rebuilding and environmental rehab. Every projection indicates a 15-22% undercut of private sector costs while training today's military youth positive life skills. Not to mention, shit loads of great PR which this country so desperately needs! And all they think is that I'm trying to take money from the military...
Enough rants for today. I missed Tom's soccer game. I'm a dick. So, once again, I'm projecting (not that my projection was wrong).
He seems fine. Everyone was finishing chores when I arrived. No smiles around the house and a few complaints from Derrick, so things are normal. After dinner, I got to hear about Miss May yelling in the crowd when Tom was slide tackled. I think she's more protective of her big brothers, than they are of her. I feel sorry for their future girlfriends.
Jess said the next Myanmar conference is three weeks off. Gives me a little more time to prepare than the last trip.
Wow, I'm me again
Feeling normal, what ever that's worth.
Rainy morning, none of us wanted to move. Love waking to the sound of rain on a tin roof. Slow, quiet morning. All is well.
No messages when I arrived. Maybe everyone's tired this morning. I've had Jimmy Buffet's, Love in the Library running through my head all morning. I think it's the line, "seems like the whole world's in forced retreat." that's getting me. Either way, it's peaceful.
Write and plan, write and plan.
Rainy morning, none of us wanted to move. Love waking to the sound of rain on a tin roof. Slow, quiet morning. All is well.
No messages when I arrived. Maybe everyone's tired this morning. I've had Jimmy Buffet's, Love in the Library running through my head all morning. I think it's the line, "seems like the whole world's in forced retreat." that's getting me. Either way, it's peaceful.
Write and plan, write and plan.
Head should be straight by morning
Today was a daze. Get to bed early; should be functional by morning.
Gifts went over well, but I think I may stop buying gifts. They're nice, but no one really cares for more then a couple of moments. Then, it's all about the sweets and stories again. I think Tom likes that I have stories about his homeland (you can only hold him off a couple of more years, then you'll have to take him with you one of these times). Little Derrick listens intently, but just gets sad when I talk about Laos. Sometimes I wonder if her still remembers glimpses of his real folks, he's got a hell of a memory, that one.
The kids love my stories, I think because they're fresh. But they'll sit in awe for hours when Tan-tan begins to tell stories about when she was their age. Who am I kidding, I sit wide-eyed like the rest of them.
Before I left to office, I had some rather positive feedback on 6th Branch (still need to come up with a better title than that). Apparently, I had calls from two senators and one congressman, all rather ticked. I'm striking a nerve; must be getting warmer. Wonder how many lobbiests I'll have to listen to tomorrow. If folks are getting ticked before I submit, well, I love the attention.
Oh, there's the light. Kids are asleep. Quality couch snuggling time.
Gifts went over well, but I think I may stop buying gifts. They're nice, but no one really cares for more then a couple of moments. Then, it's all about the sweets and stories again. I think Tom likes that I have stories about his homeland (you can only hold him off a couple of more years, then you'll have to take him with you one of these times). Little Derrick listens intently, but just gets sad when I talk about Laos. Sometimes I wonder if her still remembers glimpses of his real folks, he's got a hell of a memory, that one.
The kids love my stories, I think because they're fresh. But they'll sit in awe for hours when Tan-tan begins to tell stories about when she was their age. Who am I kidding, I sit wide-eyed like the rest of them.
Before I left to office, I had some rather positive feedback on 6th Branch (still need to come up with a better title than that). Apparently, I had calls from two senators and one congressman, all rather ticked. I'm striking a nerve; must be getting warmer. Wonder how many lobbiests I'll have to listen to tomorrow. If folks are getting ticked before I submit, well, I love the attention.
Oh, there's the light. Kids are asleep. Quality couch snuggling time.
Awake, but not quite
Ahh, back in the office. It's good to be surrounded by the stability of concrete, again. I once thrived on the excitement of what may lie around the next corner; gunshots ringing, heart racing, will I make it home to see my family again. Now, it's gunshots ringing, stomach sinking, who will I find that'll never make it home to see their kids again. Something stable about concrete.
I remember my father coming home from business trips. We were excited to see him, we'd say our hello's, he'd give gifts, then off to school with us. My kids never seem to have received the same memo. We say our hello's, they ask for stories, I give gifts, they ask for more stories, we'd eat breakfast, they'd ask for more stories. I need to get to work, they ask me to drive them to school while I tell more stories. Then, they're late for school, I'm late for work, and we've all have a great time. Damn, when did kids get to be so much fun?
Trip came in under budget. Don't play as much as I once did, and the other mediators in the office don't like it when I undercut their trips. Know I'm going to catch a ration of shit for this one.
Finished the sections for chapter 4 last night. Should be submitted for senate review by next week. Jess likes the theory, but doesn't like my approach. She'd rather I run it under another profile, like the Peace Corps. But, I'm holding out for another branch of the military.
Meetings, meetings. I'll get back later.
I remember my father coming home from business trips. We were excited to see him, we'd say our hello's, he'd give gifts, then off to school with us. My kids never seem to have received the same memo. We say our hello's, they ask for stories, I give gifts, they ask for more stories, we'd eat breakfast, they'd ask for more stories. I need to get to work, they ask me to drive them to school while I tell more stories. Then, they're late for school, I'm late for work, and we've all have a great time. Damn, when did kids get to be so much fun?
Trip came in under budget. Don't play as much as I once did, and the other mediators in the office don't like it when I undercut their trips. Know I'm going to catch a ration of shit for this one.
Finished the sections for chapter 4 last night. Should be submitted for senate review by next week. Jess likes the theory, but doesn't like my approach. She'd rather I run it under another profile, like the Peace Corps. But, I'm holding out for another branch of the military.
Meetings, meetings. I'll get back later.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Too Long in the Air
Home again, jet lag looming, but never too tired for a moment with Tan-Tan. Love coming home to her warm, welcoming smile; lets me know I can relax.
The boys were already asleep before I arrived home, but damn if I can manage to get in the house without waking little Miss May. Always following her nose for some exotic sweets from countries she is yet still unable to pronounce. 1 piece: banana, sticky rice & red bean, can't remember for the life of me what it's called, and it was back to be for her. We'll take time for gifts in the morning.
OK. Head straight; what do I need to do? Need to stay off the couch, stay awake.
Still need to revise sections 4.2 - 4.5 before I try to get some sleep. John's run interference down at the office the entire time I was in Myanmar. I know I can turn this project over to someone else, as Tan-Tan has asked many times, but I've put in too many hours to have another's tag on my work. I hear 9 times is a charm. Hopefully, this will stick sometime before I retire.
Need to finish the trip budget report.
That should be enough.
The boys were already asleep before I arrived home, but damn if I can manage to get in the house without waking little Miss May. Always following her nose for some exotic sweets from countries she is yet still unable to pronounce. 1 piece: banana, sticky rice & red bean, can't remember for the life of me what it's called, and it was back to be for her. We'll take time for gifts in the morning.
OK. Head straight; what do I need to do? Need to stay off the couch, stay awake.
Still need to revise sections 4.2 - 4.5 before I try to get some sleep. John's run interference down at the office the entire time I was in Myanmar. I know I can turn this project over to someone else, as Tan-Tan has asked many times, but I've put in too many hours to have another's tag on my work. I hear 9 times is a charm. Hopefully, this will stick sometime before I retire.
Need to finish the trip budget report.
That should be enough.
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