Vapor Trail

2011-12-11: Blood

In an effort to save sea turtles in Tuvalu I’ve started biking to work.  Yes, I’m that naïve to bolster my self-importance to the level of controller of all things on this planet despite the fact that there is no reliable and unflappable proof of such a fact.  Regardless, the point is I’ve begun a route of a 20-mile round trip commute to work two days a week.  I’ve read it is good to have emergency medical information on you in an easy to find spot in case left incapacitated from an unfortunate incident.  Thus began my search for my blood type and the purpose of this entry.

I’m an O+.  I remembered learning the donor types in baby preparation classes at the hospital and decided to do a quick refresher on which types I could give and receive to.  Here are the results courtesy of the American Red Cross.



O is the universal giver and AB is the universal receiver.  The next figure slapped me in the face and I digested the statistics.

The average of all O’s is 48% and all ABs is 4%.  The balance is 46%.  In summary, an overwhelming majority of all people are universal givers and not takers. God decided that a majority of His creation would be hard wired to give rather than receive.  The hard wiring of our hearts was not so fortunate with the fall of man and now sin separates us God and his original design.  Despite this our core DNA still shows evidence of His creation.  All of this is a good reminder to me to be a giver this season rather than a taker.  More importantly, my focus of this season has been redirected to the birth of my Creator who ultimately gave all so I wouldn’t have to.

2011-12-11: Facebook

Despite its amazing connectivity ability I’m leery of giving an organization mounds of data to make money on.  Here’s an excerpt from a recent USA Today Article on the topic:

To meet rising expectations, Facebook must increase its annual revenue, now estimated at about $4 billion, by double-digit percentage points for years to come, Gluck says. The company is striving to keep its options open to do this. In doing so, it is bumping into pressure from critics who are concerned that leaving online privacy standards entirely in the hands of corporations might not be the best idea.

I still believe FB is useful and a wonderful example of American innovation, but I prefer not to give all my personal web viewing history to an overtly liberal organization hoping they will only use it for benign purposes.

Before the Federal Government decides to waste money on protecting me from myself I decided to take matters into my own hands with the following recommendations to preventing my data from being sold to the highest bidder. 

Now if they would just let me do this with Social Security!

2011-12-11: Blogging

The December issue of the Foreign Service Journal has a good article on blogging in the Foreign Service.  I’ve recently experienced some of the conflicting messages discussed in the piece and it resonates strongly to my beliefs in an open Republic balanced with a clear and uniform message. There is no simple solution and investment in lively discussion is a worthwhile endeavor.  Sounds like a topic for another blog!  In the end my libertarian streak won’t let me pull the plug despite several temptations to do so.  Thankfully there are others who feel the same way.

2011-11-14: Markets, Church, and Africa

Searching for a church home in DC led us to the Eastern Market area this weekend.  We visited National Theatre Church's campus located in an old single screen theater. The music was great and vibe definitely young and urban. There wasn't childcare or a place to sit with a stroller so we had to squeeze into a row with half the bob sticking out into an aisle. Malosi decided to give a loud call-back during the tithe prayer so we decided it best to find a more toddler friendly location. Times like this make me really appreciate all the folks that volunteer in nurseries each Sunday, especially the amazing volunteers at Fellowship Church Fort Worth. 

We've also visited DC metro but despite it's name it isn't really that accessible from public transportation, at least with a stroller. Buses are pretty much out of question with strollers and any walk over a mile with Malosi is too dependent on weather. 

After church we walked through Eastern Market. It was a combo of fruit, vegetables, handcrafts, fish, boutique restaurants and various other items. The prices were higher than the Alexandria market and space was much more congested. 

We had visited Alexandria's market on Saturday picking up West Virginia Sweet Crisp Apples, quite possibly the best apples I've ever eaten!  We also grabbed other local produce, bacon, homemade yogurt, and bread. This market is much more open and the selection of fruits and vegetables, meats, etc is greater than the Eastern Market. Plus we can walk to it!

On other fronts work is going well. Building State Department structures overseas is a complicated game and it will take me a few years to figure out. There are many players involved due to the technical requirements, and frankly how the US Government does business.  No surprise there!

My projects so far are in Africa and I've enjoyed learning more about the dynamic history of this region of the world.  The challenges involved in just living in some parts of Africa, much less building complicated world-class facilities, are immense and complicated.  One of the cool things I’ve learned about African projects is the capacity building for the local work force that takes place on an embassy project.  The State Department requires contractor’s to provide hot lunches, showers, clean changing facilities, and tradecraft skill programs that give locals basic technical skills from bending rebar to wiring light fixtures.  As a former Peace Corps volunteer this definitely resonates with me and is one of the reasons I choose this career.  My taxpayer dollars, yes I still pay taxes on my taxpayer income, are being used to give sustainable aid direct to the people rather than through a sticky fingered regime. Whether or not I get posted to Africa is still to be seen. Despite being a being a large cumbersome animal, I've heard and seen first hand that things change quickly around here and to never carve expectations in stone. 

With the newness being chiseled away daily I still feel extremely blessed to be able to use my gifts in a way that promotes the greatest Republic that has ever existed.

2011-10-11: Flag Day

Today was the day we all found out where we would be posted on our first assignment. It was somewhat anticlimactic for the Construction Engineers as we know where we are going, Virginia, but most exciting for the other folks who had options ranging from the Congo to London.  Not going through the bidding process really takes away from the training experience as negotiating and strategizing with your counterparts is part of the bonding process.

Some of the folks in training get assigned domestically, like me, but to different areas.  Thus, the first flag shown in the ceremony was the Texas flag.  I found this quite fitting as it was the best looking of the bunch.  The next best looking flag was the Virginia State flag which has a bloke bearing a single breast in a tunic standing on the chest of a tyrant with his crown fallen off to the side.  The phrase “Sic semper tyrannis” is written on the flag meaning:  thus always to tyrants.  Cool.  One of the flags had an AK-47 on it.  That must be a fun country!  Welcome to the Foreign Service.

2011-10-09: Museum

Yesterday I committed to conquering a few museums on my list but not on Kelly's. First up was the National Building Museum. The massive columns and shear magnitude of the center core was worth the trip. The exhibits however were not.

I then tackled a quarter of the first floor of the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery.  For lunch I brown bagged it in the enclosed courtyard. A parabolic skylight system covers the classically stone clad surroundings making for a unique and memorable feeling of space. This is becoming a trend. I tend to like the buildings more than the exhibits.  By this time the t.u. Oklahoma game had started so I found Capitol City Brewery a few blocks away. The brews here are very tasty. I highly recommend a stop here. Unfortunately, an obnoxious t.u. fan and Oklahoma’s lopsided walloping caused my interest to fade quickly. 

I headed back to the Smithsonian to complete the first floor. Afterwards I made my way back home enjoying the beautiful fall weather. 

Looking back on the day revealed how I reflect much more on my faith and others when in the urban environment. Going through the day forces interactions with others without the veil of windshields and steel car doors. The five senses are engaged in the context of others forcing you to engage them in small but important ways. This doesn't happen in the commuter environment. It is easy to bubble myself and sanitize my environment. I like being forced to engage in the environment often against my will. It is easy to represent a false self in a managed and controlled environment.

2011-09-25: Life in the Capitol City

I’m on Eastern time now, and Eastern TV.  Being without TV since 2004 I was truly stoked to get checked in to my apartment with two flat screen TV’s to watch the Oklahoma State vs A&M game.  Needless to say I was very disappointed to learn that due to my new locale, this game was not showing.  Instead it was Ohio St vs somebody else.  Booo!  I tried to log in to ESPN3 but the internet provider here is not an approved provider so no luck.  So, I decided to get finished with unpacking and headed to the grocery store.

It was a short walk to the Safeway, haven’t see those in Texas in years, and it was very safe.  Just in case I packed my bodyguard 380 (remember VA is a reciprocal state, DC is not, 2^nd boo!).  The Safeway was perhaps the cleanest store I’ve seen in years.  Even the parking lot was impeccably clean.  It seemed odd. 

Another oddity was overhearing two gents discussing Iraq whilst grabbing a bag of Cheerios.  That doesn’t happen in Texas.  I was also shocked how few 300lb behemoths there were.  Every time I go to Wal-Mart or Target in Texas I see at least two or three folks who can only maneuver via scooter because of their whale like condition.  Not the case here.  Maybe it is the lack of good Mexican food?  By the way, what is Hispanic food?  There was a sign over the aisle with salsa that said ‘Hispanic’ food.  Are Mexicans from Hispano? 

My last task of the day was figuring out how to get a full cart of groceries back to my apartment without a car.  I called Yellow Taxi and 20 minutes later the cab showed up.  The driver was very friendly and from Sudan.  I asked him if he was from South or North Sudan and he said the middle.  We talked a little foreign politics and he complained how corruption was ruining his country.  After we arrived, he helped me take my groceries to the elevator, except the wine.  He looked at the wine, boxed of course -- cheap for me and eco-friendly for my wife, and asked me what it was.  I told him and he said he couldn’t grab it and asked me if I wanted to know why.  I said it was because he was Muslim and he said yes.  I felt bad because I didn’t confess I was a Baptist and as well couldn’t touch alcohol either, at least when no one is looking.  Who knew Baptists and Muslims had so much in common!?

The day ended with unpacking groceries and eating microwave pizza.  Ah, how quickly the college diet returns without the better half.  I’m due a few extra hours of sleep in the AM and will try and make the 50^th Peace Corps ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery tomorrow.

2011-09-24: Leaving

It was really hard to say goodbye today to Malosi and Kelly. 

Check in at the airport involved a new process for me as I checked two handguns. I thought I had the bases covered but failed to empty the magazines into the original ammo box. The attendant was very patient and liked my .45. She had a concealed carry permit as well. After the gun case and ammo case were inspected we went to the TSA oversized bag check in area where the guy was a complete tool. Most of my limited experience with these chaps is fairly good but not this turkey. He kept asking me the same questions and then asked if I was a LEO. I had to ask him to repeat the question three times and finally he decoded his acronym and said Law Enforcement Officer. I explained I was a normal citizen and joked that I thought he was asking for my sign. He didn’t think that was funny.

Other than that and a guy cutting in line at the security check-point it was a pretty uneventful first leg of the trip to DC. 

I'm now in the air typing out this entry on an iPhone. As a long term BlackBerry user I have to admit the typing on the screen isn't really that bad (at least in landscape mode).  It is frustrating at times when my fat thumbs can't get between words or at corners of the screen. The story is they 'learn' your typing habits so I'll keep pounding away about nothing in an attempt to better school my loaner iPhone. 

Coming up next is orientation at main state and then three weeks of training at FSI. Our class is the 123rd specialist class. It appears there are three or four construction engineers in the group and hopefully there will be a good showing at tomorrow's happy hour to make informal introductions. 

Construction engineers have the shortest training of all the specialist which may be a blessing and a curse. The good thing is I get to start doing the actual work I was hired for earlier but the bad news is I have to find housing ASAP as we are on our own (in terms of no per diem and furnished apt) by the end of October. 

Since we've rented our house I'm not too stressed but renting with reasonable commutes from the Hill will probably push the limits of my new gov't salary. Plus we have to take possession of all our goods being transferred to storage 90 days after training. We only have about 6000 lbs of HHE (compared to the 18k) allowance, which will make squeezing all that, two adults, and a seven month old into 500 sf much easier. 

2011-09-16: One Week

There were a few unknowns I was worried about with the decision to join the Foreign Service in 30 days.  Most of them revolved around the large assets (or liabilities if you’re a Dave Ramsey fan) related to the vehicles/house and where to live affordably in D.C.  God reminded us of his plan and basically took care of each in a way that can only honor him.

Tangible examples of God’s blessings:

Truck sold for cash in one week. 

 House rented after first showing at offer price.

The other small things like gap health insurance, work transitions, and State Department paper work have been unfolding smoothly (other than my travel orders, where are they!?!) as smaller reminders that I’m really not steering this ship and my feeble attempts at control are quite humorous to the mastermind behind all this.

We are excited, honored, nervous, joyful, fearful, and humbled by the opportunity to serve the greatest country on earth and be a constant witness to many of his unyielding grace in a fallen world. 

Thanks to all for the prayer support.

2011-09-08: 16 Days

I’ve got 16 days, 15 of those are nights.  Training starts 9/26 and I arrive in DC as early as 9/24 (still waiting on travel orders).  My boss sent out a great message today of my departure.  I’m really going to miss him and the crew at JLL: 

Matt's last day with JLL will be September 23rd. Matt has accepted a position with the Department of State as a Foreign Service Construction Engineer (FSCE). The following are some "fun facts" about Matt's new position and responsibilities:

Foreign Service Construction Engineer (FSCE) is an engineer, architect or construction manager in the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations working specifically in the Office of Construction Management, responsible for monitoring contractor work on Department of State construction projects overseas. The FSCE is a member of a U.S. Government team which ensures that construction work is professionally performed according to applicable plans, specifications, schedules and standards.  Here’s a link to more details on what a FSCE does on a daily basis:  http://careers.state.gov/specialist/vacancy-announcements/ce  

Here are some interesting facts on the Department of State and OBO.  The Department of State was the first Federal agency to be created under the US Constitution ratified in 1788. The Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) directs the worldwide overseas building program for the Department of State’s 265 posts worldwide and the U.S. Government community serving abroad under the authority of the chiefs of mission. In concert with other State Department bureaus, foreign affairs agencies, and Congress, OBO sets worldwide priorities for the design, construction, acquisition, maintenance, use, and sale of real properties and the use of sales proceeds.  OBO’s mission is to provide more secure, safer, more functional and well-maintained facilities for the conduct of U.S. diplomacy and the promotion of U.S. interests worldwide.  Here’s a link to properties under construction:  http://www.state.gov/obo/diplomaticproperties/dc/index.htm

I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with Matt at two different companies over the last ten years. The best way to sum up my experience with him is to quote the comments made by the FBI agent that interviewed me a couple of weeks ago as he was getting processed for his Top Secret security clearance, "candidates like Matt are extremely rare, his integrity, character, work ethic, educational and work experience is one in a million. You should be very proud to have a young man of this caliber serving us in the Department of State".

On a personal level, I'm sad that Matt is leaving JLL, he will be missed by not only by this office but his clients as well. However, I'm very excited about the incredible opportunity and adventure that lay in store for Matt and his wonderful family. Please join me in wishing Matt the very best on his departure from JLL. I will send out a time/location in the near future for us to have a drink with Matt and give him a proper JLL send off. 

We are in the process of learning how to be landlords and met with a property manager today.  We really love this house and plan to return to Texas one day. 

I’ve packed and sorted my UAB (unaccompanied air baggage) and bought enough suits to get me through training.  Did you know suits are only supposed to be cleaned four times a year!

I also got my boots shined today and was chastised by Theo for my lack of attention to the custom boots Pappy had made for Marshall and me last Christmas.  He ordered me to buy a ‘boot tree’ and bring the boots back for a touch up prior to leaving.