Bakersfield smells like dung

No kidding. It really smells in that town.

Traveling is for the birds

Because they have wings. I don't. I think there are going to be about 5 people on this plane to Kansas City.

necessity

"If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him" - Voltaire (1770)

Wedding Update - Setting the Date

We met with Deacon Cortez last night and took our FOCCUS test. It asks about 150 questions related to family, religion, finances, lifestyle, etc., and for each statement, it asks whether your position is Agreement, Disagreement or Uncertainty. We'll meet again on March 9th to analyze the results.

More importantly, the deacon told us that the "dispensation" has been processed and the wedding has been approved. We drove down to the church again today to set the date, and the church lady said that she thought our date is available, but of course their computer system is down. You would think that they could ask Jesus to fix that.

Anyway, so it is very likely that our wedding will be at St. Mary's on September 10 at 7:30.

The rehearsal would be at 5:00 on the 9th.

Lunch with Jachin

Jachin was in town today and dropped by the office. We had lunch at the old @hand standby Tan Tan for some good Vietnamese grub. Jachin was told that he should really order the #20, because it is the best soup they have now. The rest of us received no special recommendations, and we were left to make the kind of ordering mistakes that they surely expect of us round eyes. Nevertheless, I was comfortable in my selection of the rice with pork chop, fried egg, and veggies.

Maybe Leo would have received more attention at Antonio's or Johnny would have gotten extra noodles at the Olive Garden. At the very least, I would expect some special attention at Jason's Deli.

Afterwards, Jachin joined me in my office for a lengthy discussion related to his religious journey and his Christian study program in California. At first, I held on to my typical cynicism and sarcasm that surfaces anytime someone begins to tell me how close they feel to Jesus and the holy spirit, yada, yada, yada.

But, at some point, I decided it would be easier, and perhaps more benefiical to me, to hear him out. Ever since I "wiped the slate clean" with respect to my religious beliefs, I've probably trended towards a more critical and patronizing view of those that accept traditional religious concepts. I realize now that my own ability to learn and grow, in a spiritual sense, will be inhibited if I grasp too firmly to this approach.

I still believe that most, if not, all people would benefit from this cleaning of the religious slate in their adolescent or young adult life. While it may be comfortable to embrace beliefs solely because they are held by your family, friends, and church, you can learn more about yourself if you attempt to derive your belief system after an honest and open self-discovery process.

Back from Mississippi

the trip to MS went well. From the AWPS team we had Jeremy (Arrowpoint), Johnny, and I. we started the meetings in a hotel in Hattiesburg, where i presented to site managers from all 5 Army National Guard Readiness Sustainment Maintenance Sites as well as the bureau leadership, who we've come to know through previous meetings in CA and DC. i think it was well received, all things considered. these guys have been teased with new technology so many times that they are jaded and very skeptical, so it is an uphill battle to win their support until we show them the money, so to speak.

in the afternoon, we were taken to Camp Shelby, which is about 20 miles south of Hattiesburg, and home to one of the 5 maintenance sites that we're targeting first. it was great for me to finally tour a facility and walk through the job processes of these workers. for me to do the system design right, i have to talk to people on the ground doing the work and survey their environment. i typically interview supervisors and front-line personnel as an operations manager leads me through the entire process.

the folks at the USDA and NASA were actually very helpful in providing feedback, but these Army guys and gals take the cake. they actually stand alert and listen to every word i say, and provide a direct and thorough response. (it's probably because of the officers and bureau personnel that are standing next to me). it is a nice change from the commercial environment, where workers can be a little stand-offish to us technology consultant types at first.

Camp Shelby is an extremely large site. in some ways it reminds me of Redstone (where Marshall is located). i hear that the base is changing and growing, and is now a mobilization area. you can almost feel the tension of a war-time environment as just about everyone has either been, or is going at some point, to Iraq. as you drive around the site, you can easily find fresh-faced and bald headed kids running around in white T-shirts and following some sergeant or equivalent. I found this link which gives a synopsis of the base activities.
http://www.theadp.com/newcomer/visiting/campshelby.html

the amount of equipment that the site attempts to manage is staggering. football fields of tanks and armed vehicles and helicopters. i've never seen so much metal. we toured a couple of work centers where they were overhauling some very large trucks, called 936's or something.

after the site visit, we had a fish fry at this major's house. he lives in the middle of absolutely nowhere, surrounded by pine trees and gently rolling hills. he had a team of cooks (a.k.a. guys that report to him that know how to cook) busy working on catfish, beans, potatoes, hush puppies, and an interesting mixture of fried crawfish and fried jalapenos. they were exceedingly tasty, although i was sure to supplement my plate with several Prelief tablets.

these are good men and i wouldn't mind starting the project with this site in MS. of course, that will be a political decision and completely out of my hands. Johnny (who is from Houston) and myself felt right at home. the other contractor from Arrowpoint is from New Jersey, and I think he could not wait to get back on the airplane to D.C.

we had a mid-day flight out of Gulfport today, so we went to Biloxi last night and hit one of the casinos. we played blackjack for several hours and had a good time. a couple of guys at the table were from 3 Doors Down. i guess they use to play with Vallejo several years ago, so they were excited that we were from Austin. mainly they were drunk. surprisingly, we had a couple of seasoned AND fun players at our table. a middle-aged lady that tossed around $25 chips like they were nickels and a funny young black kid named Quent from a small town in Alabama. they actually taught me some strategy that i wasn't familiar with. of course, i don't play ever blackjack, hold'em poker being my game of choice, so any strategy was better than what i came to the table with. when it was all said and done, i came away about $50 ahead. i'll take that any day.

Christine and I will put my humble winnings to good use this weekend for a dinner at Gumbo's, which is probably my 2nd favorite restaurant in Austin these days. number one is obvious, and i must arrange a gathering with my favorite former second psuedo girlfriend and partner in sushi crime.

Christine has been sick this week with an allergy attack of some sort. we think it's cedar. if it was mold or pollen, i would be having problems too. i've been teaching her home remedies to clear her head and nasal passages and she's getting a little better.

in other adkins family news, mc and kaitlyn got in a wreck tonight after leaving a vietnamese restaurant near C's house. they were there to do a baby exchange (mc had an appt) and i was just getting home from the airport so i met them there. they are okay. they were blindsided by someone who ran a stop sign and they plowed right into the driver's side. mc has a bump on her head and her leg, but the paramedics said she's going to be fine. kaitlyn shows no injuries or signs of damage. i'm glad they have a nice SUV with the side-curtain airbags. i will want c to have a similarly-equipped vehicle when the time comes.

in compressed carbon news, the big Ring is being set by the shop in california, and should arrive soon. christine is getting antsy in a playful, "i want a new toy" kind of a way. she actually saw natasa (my ring contact) at the pharmacy, today but natasa was smart enough to keep christine guessing as to the status of the ring.

i need to go to sleep. this valerian tea is no match for my insomnia. i would like to find a replacement for hydroxyzine someday. it is effective and safe (as far as we know), so i reckon i'll keep using it.

LASIK Tune-up

Christine had lasik tune-up today. Very exciting. I thought it would be tough to watch, but it wasn't too bad.