Journal : OpenRoadWorks

After midnight, I was finally able to see the floor to my new kitchen - and what a great feeling that was to get the pots, pans, plates, and silverware put away in their new drawers and cupboards. As you might have guessed, I am in the middle of moving from the apartment in which I had stayed for the past year into a new townhouse that Wendy and I bought together just outside of Washington DC. Sitting at a tidy kitchen table with little more than the purring whir of my laptop computer, I am taking in the moment. Not so long ago, I was sprinting to the end of a whirlwind experience at IMD in Switzerland; now, I am savoring the fruits of my initiative back in the United States. Perhaps this senstation comes from the fact that I have cleared through a bit under half of the boxes that came over in the move. Maybe it is the result of a surprise card that finally came delivered from the post office (thanks grandma for the sweet words!). But I think it is more fundamental than this. I am enjo...

It's nice to find a solitary moment to sit back, relax, and stare at a computer screen blankly like I am wont to do from time to time. Recently, such activity has been difficult due to a seemingly overwhelming barrage of time-consuming activities. Such as moving. For those that have done it enough to be able to call themselves "veterans", I salute you - moving is not much fun. And this is from someone that has moved over 10 times in the last 5 years! Anyhow. I'm just about done now, except for those mind-numbing "odds and ends" from my old apartment. Oh yeah, and the cleaning of the old place before getting all the way into the new place. Hopefully, by the end of today I will officially moved in, which sets me up for the next wonderful task on the list - unpacking! Ah yes, moving on is easy to do...

It was an incredibly beautiful afternoon in DC, so it was only fitting - and absolutely vital - to go into the city and enjoy the day. Poignant, as it was, to visit on this day - Veteran's Day, a holiday which remembers the brave servicepeople that have given their time to the US Army, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard. In these turbulent times when the US finds itself planted in many different theaters (as the military calls them) in many different operations, it is worthwhile to remember the sacrifices that some people make on behalf of others. It is the servicepeople who bear the brunt of decisions made by patricians of another color - be it blue or red - that pay the price for the virtues (and sins) of our country. I took this picture-perfect afternoon to remember those people caught in the shuffle and found it to be an afternoon well spent (pictures at this link ). [In honoring the US serviceperson, I also offer this blog entry , which has a first-hand take of what "the aver...

Here I go In light speed Just like taxicabs Blur in yellow Down Broadway Towards the only way We can go Downtown Uptown Midtown we are Quickly I stop For love in a pinch Here I go again Hello New York Afternoon delight With my hunny bunny :)

Some places have a mythology all their own. Say a name - Paris, Hong Kong, Casablanca - and instantly images conjure that lyrically describe a location. New York fits into that mold, a place of myth and legend much bigger than I could describe - but not for lack of trying. If you scan back through some of the earlier entries that I have made back in 2003 and 2004, you would see the paltry attempts at capturing this modern city's essence and pulse. Oh bother - I will keep trying. Again, this week I return to the city for work, incidentally at the same time as Wendy. We will be sure to take advantage of the city, if even for a walk through the neighborhoods and boroughs that loom larger than life in film, television, and literature - SoHo, TriBeca, Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Gramercy Park, Murray Hill, Downtown, Wall Street, Battery Park, Central Park, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Queens, Hell's Kitchen (ne' Clinton), Chelsea (ne' whatever you would like to call...

Email is the bane of my existence. Of all the various items that come at me during the day, it is that impervious pile of email that seems to be the last thing remaining by the time that I am ready to go home from work or log off my personal computer. Newsletters, flyers, announcements, e-cards, and junk mail to sift through, it is enough to send me batty. And that is before you get to friend emails, those wonderful gems with actual substance that lurk in the mix. Before you know it, you get caught up just cleaning out the junk in the inbox and don't have time to polish the gems, a pitiful state, indeed! Oh bother - I hope my friends understand that I will get back to them as soon I can clear a path to wander into my inbox. If you are waiting for a reply for me, I'm sorry! I'll get back once I get that email avalanche under control.