23 September 2003

PART I - RECONNAISSANCE

Minneapolis. Gosh and golly,

Weird Event Notice: I leave for Iraq in a couple of weeks. I should be back in half a year.

The Company is doing its share of war profiteering and I'm pleased to be a part of it. I will go with a score of other Companymen to Virginia for a few days of briefing, then on to Baghdad. The job is part of the $87,000,000,000.00 nation-building effort. My office will likely be in the fortified basement of Saddam's palace in the capital and I'll live on the palace grounds. I will wear my Civil hat for the site development aspects of the work, but I imagine that I'll wear my Construction Management and Project Management hats most all of the time.

I am well aware of the dangers involved and yes, I'll be careful.

The hours will be quite long. The work quite tough. The setting quite surreal. It should be an adventure to be sure, but I sort of like those. Besides, this will help me afford the new cycle that I need for my mid-life crisis.

Please call the wife at all hours, or drop her a note, or buy her lunch, or mail her a turnip (at your own risk), or stop by for a few days, or meet her for coffee, or take her fishing, or send her a snow blower, or.... whatever. It would be most appreciated.

I have no clear notion as to how international communications will be handled during this period, although I hear that internet access is swift. Presumable, either the Company address or the Yahoo! address will do the trick. I'll send a note when I discover the answer. Regardless, I'll tell you all about it when I return, or through various posts during the assignment.

Disclaimer: A wise old white guy once said, "No international assignment is assured until you land there." So don't count on any souvenirs just yet.