Help Chief Wiggles “fill the plane”. Lots of help is still needed for Tsunami victims. And this is a way to ensure that the aid you contribute gets to the people in need (instead of Kofi’s son’s pocket, for example). If you want to know more about operation “fill the plane” you can find it here.

Well, they sent out a notice at work yesterday announcing my imminent departure. I have been getting some very nice emails from people I have worked with over these past four years. It is always gratifying to know that your work has been respected and appreciated. This particular email to my boss from a manager in our Philadelphia Regional Office was really touching:

I feel ambivalent. I’ll miss John’s wisdom and his commitment to his Customers. The C in customer is capitalized because that’s the attitude he exhibited to me, one of his Customers. He practiced a Standard of Excellence in dealing with his Customers. On the other hand, so few times in our lives do we really listen to our hearts and do what we truly believe that we are called to do, despite hardships, known and unknown. Stepping out there on faith is empowering and humbling.

My prayer is that may he know and have God’s Grace and may he be at Peace.

If appropriate pls feel free to share w/ him.

Thank you for the kind words Wendella. And thank you for understanding why I believe this is important. It has been a privilege to work with dedicated managers like you.

Dinner tonight with friends from Baltimore. Ate at a Moroccan restaurant in DC, very traditional…community plates, no forks, belly dancing. Nice evening. I was gifted a great travel guide to Korea and a very nice journal. Cindy and Eric were excited for me and they are planning to come visit in 2006.

Anyway, the goodbyes are starting in earnest. This is the hard part I suppose.

It’s late and I have an early day tomorrow. Goodnight.

Visited the Korean consulate today. They wouldn’t do the A-3 visa without the DoD ID, but they are giving me an A-2, which is good for 90 days. I should have my official passport and the correct visa by the time that my A-2 visa expires.

So, it looks my fears of playing the role of Tom Hanks in “The Terminal” are alleviated.

Now it is just counting down the days.

Sorry, but until I can get this disgusting comment spam under control, I have to use comment moderation. I will not edit or delete reader comments, but it may cause a few hours delay before they appear.

Thanks for understanding.

UPDATE: No, I changed my mind. I might have found a different short term fix. Comments are subject to moderation without notice if that fix does not hold….

I apologize. I got spammed with some pretty disgusting porn sites in my comments. I have deleted them and will seek ways to block future attacks.

Sorry if anyone was offended.

Apparently my last name makes “cream cry”. I could be worse I suppose. Check your name here.

hat tip: Ann Althouse.

Powerline has an interesting report concerning the Tsunami relief efforts. Read it here.

Here’s the money quote, from a Dutch diplomat:

The US military has arrived and is clearly establishing its presence everywhere in Banda Aceh. They completely have taken over the military hospital, which was a mess until yesterday but is now completely up and running. They brought big stocks of medicines, materials for the operation room, teams of doctors, water and food. Most of the patients who were lying in the hospital untreated for a week have undergone medical treatment by the US teams by this afternoon. US military have unloaded lots of heavy vehicles and organize the logistics with Indonesian military near the airport. A big camp is being set up at a major square in the town. Huge generators are ready to provide electricity. US helicopters fly to places which haven’t been reached for the whole week and drop food. The impression it makes on the people is also highly positive; finally something happens in the city of Banda Aceh and finally it seems some people are in control and are doing something. No talking but action. European countries are until now invisible on the ground. IOM staff (note: this is a USAID-funded organization) is very busy briefing the incoming Americans and Australians about the situation.

As if we needed yet one more reason to be proud of our men and women in the military….

UPDATE: Just in case anyone thought I was unduly harsh in my criticism of the French, here is their take on the US relief efforts (as expressed in Le Monde)

hat tip: belgravia dispatch

Pretty busy day at work today as I try and finish out some projects before closing the door on my career with the Department of Education.

Yesterday, my new employer advised that I would need to get an “Official Passport” and a special visa. I knew about the visa, but thought my tourist passport would be sufficient. I called the Korean embassy and they said I needed the official passport and DoD ID to get the visa I need. Well, I won’t have the ID until I report for duty in Korea. A nice catch-22. So, today I find out how to apply for the official passport and learn they will also process my visa application. Which pleased me much.

Anyway, I completed the paperwork and took the metro to the office that handles the passports. Of course, security said I needed an escort to go upstairs to the passport office (a Dept. of ED ID just doesn’t have much cache I guess). So, I call upstairs for the escort and am told someone would be right down. After 15 minutes of standing there, I called again. “Someone will be down in a minute” I was advised. 10 minutes later the phone rings at security and the guard says “yeah, he’s down here.” Apparently, the passport office thought I was waiting in the 8th floor lobby. Never figured out why they would think that since you can’t move in that building without an escort or an official DoD ID. Anyway, I am not ragging on the need for security of course, but I was pretty frustrated by the point. Finally, a young female GI appeared to take me upstairs. She was apologetic for the mix-up and I was not about to hassle a soldier, even unarmed. I said this was my first taste of “hurry up and wait” my daughter had told me was a staple of Army life. The soldier just smiled.

So, they take me to this conference room, told me to sign in and said someone would be with me soon. There are two other people in the room, one with her head down on the table trying to nap. It is now a quarter to 12 and the person on the list ahead of me had signed in at 10. Oh no, I figured this is going to be a nightmare. But 5 minutes later a nice woman appeared and took me away to process my paperwork. Only took about 10 minutes and I was out of there.

Took the Metro back to my office and there is a message on my voice mail from the woman who had processed my application. “Didn’t you leave your tourist passport? I need that to submit with your application.” I call her back and said “no, I didn’t leave my passport. I am going to need it if the official passport is not back by my January 22 departure date.” So, we agreed that I would drop my birth certificate off in the morning and she would submit that in lieu of the passport.

So, I am almost back to square one. The Korean embassy website says you can enter the country as a tourist for 30 days without a visa. Provided you have a return ticket. Which, since I am going to be in country for 2 years I don’t have. Anyway, it will work out. I will call the embassy tomorrow and see what can be done in my circumstances.

The other thing I did at work was go through my word documents and archived email to see what needed to be saved. I came across some email from my dear friend Linda, who died last year from breast cancer. Of course, I am saving all those to keep with me, but I did get pretty choked up reading them again.

She was something special, and I am going to find a way to honor her memory once I get my emotions under control.

So that was my day. How about yours?

David Price nails Sean Penn in this post over at espresso roast. Go have a read, you won’t be disappointed…..

A couple of interesting editorials in today’s NY Times. John Miller succinctly demonstrates why France is not even worthy of our contempt.

France is a third-rate has been. And like any spoiled child should be ignored. It was a laugh to hear John Kerry talk about soliciting France’s support in Iraq. What do they have to offer, a broken down aircraft carrier with a few obsolete Mirage fighters? Hell, they have got more than they can handle with their unilateral, non-UN approved, intervention in Ivory Coast. France has nothing left these days but delusions of grandeur.

The other editorial was submitted by a French expat living in New York. He can’t understand why France is considered such a joke to most Americans. I guess my short answer to him would be “um, perhaps because France IS a joke.” A sad joke indeed.

Anyway, I recommend you read both editorials (and it is not often I can recommend anything in the NYT).

Sister Toldjah links to this column from the Nashville Tennessean that tells, as Paul Harvey might say, the rest of the story.

The sad thing is this shouldn’t be NEWS, but if all I read was the Washington Post I might be inclined to think nothing good was happening in Iraq these days. (From Arthur Chernkoff via Roger L. Simon)

We are about to turn the corner folks, and the next milestone will come on January 30.

UPDATE: Nice post on this topic over at Dean’s World. Go and see.

ANOTHER UPDATE: If you are REALLY interested in what’s happening in Iraq you won’t find anything more definitive than this.

Powerline has a new survey up showing where Iraqis stand on the upcoming election. Bottom line is that the so-called insurgents are failing miserably in their effort to dissuade the people of Iraq from exercising their newly won right to vote in free elections. Score one for the good guys.

Although I remain virtually clueless about what I might expect during my upcoming Korean adventure, I imagine my attempts to communicate with the locals will be rife with peril. Still, this example is really funny. Let’s hope I can demonstrate a similar sense of humor about what had to be an embarassing circumstance. And no, I do not expect I will EVER be having this kind of conversation…..

Over at Captain’s Quarters is a post concerning the apparent growing enthusiasm of Iraqis for this months elections, notwithstanding the violence intended to intimidate voters from exercising their right to choose who will lead their government.

This election will be the turning point in the long road to establishing a democratic foothold in the middle east and will represent a key victory in the war on terror.

It is rare to hear good news reported in the MSM about our efforts in Iraq. Just as the naysayers were proven wrong in Afghanistan, the Iraqi people will show the world that given the option and opportunity, they will choose freedom over tyranny.

UPDATE: The link is fixed. Sorry ’bout that.

Cao has a very impressive post on her blog talking about groups like the ACLU who have gone beyond mere opposition to U.S. policy to actual support of the enemies who would see us dead. I have long held the view that a frightening number of the mainstream left in America have crossed the line from healthy dissent to advocating on behalf of terrorists. The blame America first crowd is sad; those cheering on the “freedom fighters” as they kill our soldiers and pro-democracy Iraqis are dangerous. Whether these people are mere dupes as portrayed in “Team America” or just full of hate for what America stands for seems to me to be a distinction without meaning. Blatant attempts to undermine the will of the American people to fight those sworn to destroy us is tantamount to providing comfort and support to the enemy in a time of war. Recognizing the enemy among us and exposing their agenda is a critical front in the war on terror.

Safe and sound. Memphis to Stafford in 14 hours……

I’ll be back with more next year!

Made it to Memphis on the long drive home. Gonna try and make it the rest of the way back to Stafford, VA tomorrow. If all goes well I can do it in less than 15 hours. When I was younger I could (and did) drive all night long—now I can feel it in my body after 8 hours or so….well, I am just gonna suck it up and put the cruise control on 74 mph and roll down I-40…..

It was a little melancholy leaving Oklahoma today. Had a great but too brief visit with the parents. When I get back from Korea my folks should be all settled into their new South Carolina homestead. Don’t know that I will have any call to spend much time in good ol’ OK. Lots of nice memories and good friends from my days there. Well, the world keeps on spinning and the only constant is that things change. We move on, but I guess we also leave a little bit of ourselves behind.

It’s late, I’m tired, and have been true to my desire to post some words here each day. I’m at a hotel with wireless Internet, and it took me a while to figure out how to get my new laptop to find the network. I have no clue when it comes to these technical niceties…but I did persevere. And this post is YOUR reward. Yeah, I’m generous to a fault. I know.

You know, spending time with the parents is nice. Relaxing. Slow pace. We took a drive through downtown Eufaula (which is nice in a quaint kind of way). Had lunch on the lake. Went to Wal-Mart to purchase a couple of DVDs. Then I hooked up the DVD player we gave them for Christmas and we watched Fried Green Tomatoes. I have seen it several times, but I still enjoy it. First time for the folks and they got a kick out of it too. I have also been going through picture boxes and selecting some photos from the distant days of my youth to bring home. Oh, and had a great pork roast for dinner.

So, not much blog material in there, but sometimes real life is like that (which is something to be thankful for). Like everyone else we are just blown away by the devastation and loss of life from the Tsunamis. The horror these people are experiencing is simply beyond comprehension. And the carping about whether the US is stingy or whether the President should have had a press conference sooner is so dispicable in the face of this tragedy that it does not dignify refutation. It just sickens me that such small minds are even given a forum in the midst of worldwide grief.

Goodnight.