From DC to Gaw-ja

I'm in Georgia. After sitting for an (extra) hour-and-a-half on the runway (we were heavy so had to burn off some fuel sitting there -- yes, it's true! and then a front moved in), we flew out of Washington's Reagan airport and into Atlanta two hours later.

Thankfully, we were able to take the 2-hour shuttle to Columbus right away, and we arrived at Fort Benning around 6:30 p.m. We checked in, ate at the chow hall, got a bit settled in our rooms, and came on over to the rec center to use the free computer.

The guy at the desk had warned that some Web sites would be blocked on these computers. However, the good news is that I'm able to access my blog. I'm hoping this means I'll have access to it in Iraq as well.

That's all for now. I just wanted to check in.

Woo hoo! It worked!

I sent the last post via email, so I now know it works.

This one I'm posting the traditional way. I really wanted to show the Bhutanese monk who was working on a sand painting (my terminology, not necessarily correct). As you can see, the work was intricate and beautiful.

The monk said through a translator that it would take him several days to finish this -- he started it yesterday. Normally there would be four monks working on a painting, one on each side, so the work goes much more quickly. All he used was colored sand and his fingers. I don't think he had any tools at all. Phew.

Testing

This is a test. This is only a test. . . of mmeandering's ability to blog from an email.
 
I just adjusted my blog settings so that I may do this. I've been told I may not be able to access my blog in Iraq, so this is the next best thing.
 
I've just finished the three days of briefings in DC with my team mates and members of other deploying teams. I've been lucky enough to hang out with jk and Ana again (Sushi-Ko last night with jk and Austin Grill tonight with both).
 
I also went to the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival on the mall this afternoon. The featured cultures were Bhutan, Texas and NASA. This is NASA's 50th anniversary, which I guess justified the inclusion. I visited some of the Bhutanese booths -- way cool to see the monks and their art -- and heard some good music by Texas Johnny Brown and Los Texmaniacs.
 
It was a great last night of freedom! (I'll be able to go out to eat a time or two down in small-town Georgia, but it won't be in this wonderful city with friends.)

now in D.C.

I went to mandatory happy hour and met the people I'll be deploying with, as well as the people on teams going to other locations. I think my team will be a really good one. We're off to a good start.

the journey continues

I just spent four days and nights in New Mexico with family. I wish I could say it was wonderful and relaxing. Unfortunately, things felt their most dysfunctional. . . or maybe it's just normal chaos, given the circumstances.

My elderly aunt and her daughter, my cousin (mentally and physically handicapped) have been put in two different rest homes (they require two different levels of care, and it's actually better this way) and are mad at a variety of people for a variety of reasons. The aunt is also in the early stages of Alzheimer's.

The sister-in-law has been given a tentatively clean bill of health. Dad's fine and his wife is, too. I got to have a nice conversation with an old friend of my mother's at one of the rest homes, and she had some good perspective and insight on life that I appreciated.

Now I'm in Silver Spring staying with friends K&P. I got to hang out with jk the last two nights, and Brazilian friend Ana joined us last night. It's the weekend now, and K will take me shopping for some last-minute things I need and we'll go see "Sex in the City." Other than that, no plans but to lay low.

Monday I head into DC, and friend Terri will come hang out with me for the afternoon. Then my first official job function there is to go to a cocktail party with co-workers (people I'll be deploying with) Monday evening.

And so it goes.

Out mmeandering

I'm finally on my journey!

I had a final dinner at the Goldenen Lamm with friends Priscilla, Brandi, Judy and Nan on Wednesday. Elfriede and Ewald were perfect hosts, as usual, and the trout was superb. Elfriede treated me to the meal (plus chocolate mousse after -- divine). She also gave me a bottle of Eiswein (a very special, sweet dessert wine) and a little vase that has Schmidmuehlen on it (this is the town where they live and where the restaurant is). I'm taking the eiswein home to share with the family.

I left Hohenfels Thursday afternoon, and my boss and a colleague's wife drove me to Thalham to a hotel I'd booked for the night. It could not have been more perfect. . . a peaceful setting out in the country on a lake, very friendly proprietors, slightly cool weather, nice room. A perfect last night in Bavaria.

The hotel had a Greek restaurant. As I usually go to the Stammtisch at the Greek restaurant on Thursdays, this, too, was perfect. I sat out in the garden overlooking the lake, had my last two German beers (Helles), and ate lammkoteletts and pita and tsatziki. Friend Gymmy called, and we were able to have a long conversation.

I needed the total relaxation after a crazy few weeks. Yesterday I flew into DC, then on to Atlanta and Dallas. (Because of government ticket and orders issues, I couldn't fly straight into Dallas.) I spent last night with friends in Dallas and am now sitting at the airport waiting on my flight to Lubbock.

Dad and his wife will pick me up in Lubbock. I'll spend four nights with them, see friends and family, then fly back to DC where I'll spend several days with friends Kathy & Peter in Silver Spring and see other friends.

I have to be back in DC Monday evening for a little cocktail party, then the briefings start Tuesday. We'll go to Fort Benning next Friday, be there for about 7-8 days then head on to the desert.

The adventure has begun.

big relief and future prospects

I'm leaving here in two days' time and still have preparations to make. Things are crazy.

I'm trying to bring two office volunteers up to speed as they'll be covering the office part-time until my employer brings in someone to backfill. I still have to do laundry and pack. I have errands to run. Arrangements to make. A fridge to clean out. ETC.

In the middle of this, I got an email from my dad yesterday saying that my sister-in-law had a biopsy done on a small lump from her breast. He said it would most likely be malignant. As you may know, Dad's a doctor (but he's retired and he's not an oncologist). Whoever took the initial look at the slides said the cells looked abnormal, but the main pathologist would't be back in town for a couple of days so they'd have to wait.

Also, unbeknownst to me, my sister-in-law's mother just finished chemo for her own breast cancer. Dad said that when the mother has it then the daughter, it tends to be bad.

But good news! The pathologist came back with the report that it's not malignant. However, just to be safe, he's sending the slides to another lab to be checked again. So things are definitely looking very positive.

These issues have been on my own mind recently. A friend told me about a mutual friend who recently had an elective mastectomy because she's tested positive for the breast cancer gene. Apparently the odds of getting cancer eventually are extremely high if you have the gene -- like 90-95 percent.

The surgery is a new procedure that's been developed where the woman maintains her original outer skin (yes, with nipples) and all the tissue inside is removed, then she gets an implant. Doesn't this sound a lot more humane than just having them "chopped off"? Sorry, but that's what a mastectomy has always seemed like to me.

Since I'll be home by the weekend, I'll find out more about my sister-in-law's situation and see if she's been or will be tested for the gene. Given her mom's situation, it just might be worth it.