On His Way

Just taking a minute for a quick post here. Yup...Leo's on his way! He called me last night from Germany and we got to talk for almost 20 minutes. That was so very nice! When he calls me from Escravos there is a huge delay in the transmission so it's almost painful to try and hold a real conversation. We usually end up with one of us talking non-stop while the other listens, then trade off for a bit. Generally, our conversations last less than 5 minutes, most of them more like 2-3 minutes. So listening to his voice in "real time" last night was quite the luxury.

He should be in Chicago about 1pm, then will begin the final leg at nearly 4pm arriving here a little before 7pm. After that, we still have a 3 hour drive home, but we always enjoy that part, so it's no big deal.

After the phone call last night I had a hard time sleeping, so I ended up back here [at work] at 3am. Needless to say, today is going to be a VERY LONG DAY. But hey, no big deal. Leo's ALMOST HOME!! :-)

Almost Home

I got to talk to Leo on the phone last night for a couple of minutes. It was the first time in a long time, and it had taken him about 20 minutes of dialing and dropped connections before it actually worked. The harmattan is wreaking havoc on them and interrupting a lot more than communications. But it is not something that comes, stays, then leaves but rather a weather condition that is always lurking and tends to pop up randomly, usually when you least expect it.

Leo seems to be doing fine, but like me, is ready for this rotation to come to an end. He will leave early on Wednesday but has a different travel schedule than usual and will not be home until Thursday night. He will also be flying in to a different terminal since he will take care of the international arrival process in Chicago instead of Houston. No matter. I will be waiting whenever/wherever his arrangers decide to give him back to me.

My Saturday classes (Project Management Professional Exam Preparation) are taking more of a toll than I expected. Although I've been involved in project management for years, learning the official lingo, structure and framework is a bit like learning a new language. I mean, when learning a new language you know that there is a word for "apple" in there somewhere, but you have to learn it when you hear or see it, learn that it is the word used for the object of an apple, and remember all that even when you are talking about "pencils", "faith", "ideas", and all the other words in the language. Whew! What a task!

I also had to work on Sunday morning this week. The report was due this morning and we couldn't find another opening in the schedule to prepare for it, so Sunday morning was the answer. It meant that I missed going to church 2 weeks in a row, a trend I really do not want to continue. (Have I told you how much we LOVE our little church here? Well, we do.) I am positive that even though I have to go back to Houston at least twice before Sunday, I will be able to be home in time to attend services with Leo next week. I know that he is looking forward to it as well.

Well, now that I've gotten my morning chit-chat out of the way, I guess I'm ready to go to work. I have a full day ahead, so other than getting some laundry done while I work, I probably won't have time for anything else (housecleaning, fishing, reading, sleeping, etc.) Sigh. I'm really thinking I need a vacation soon. It's just that there's still this nagging little problem of needing money to survive. If I could just find a way around that one...

What am I Doing Up?

It's 1:30am as I sit here in my Houston apartment thinking "What am I still doing up at this hour?"

The first problem is I have an awful lot on my mind, and on my plate, these days. The second is that I have gotten my days and nights swapped around again and can't seem to go back the other way. Because I really like working alone, and find that I can generally get so much more accomplished that way, I often choose to work nights and sleep days. It causes a few problems for me, however, like the fact that I can't get clarifications or questions answered when I need them, or the fact that I can never find a decent parking spot at the apartment complex if I come in after 7pm, etc. This morning I will try to go to bed before 3am and be at work by 7am (don't worry...I slept a LOT earlier this evening).

I have more schedule craziness to come over the next few weeks. I have tried to become more active in some of the associations that I belong to, like the PMI and the AITP, so I attend meetings each month and special presentations that come up. Also, I have been attending some other events that are for personal enhancement, education and enjoyment. This includes an upcoming (Jan 31) event to hear Maya Angelou speak, a "Project Management Best Practices" conference, and the birthday part of a long-time friend (typically an event I would avoid, but something I'm going to attend because I think it will do me some good.) And finally, I am trying to get ready to take an extensive exam for my PMP (Project Management Professional) certification, so I'm spending Saturdays in an all-day class and try to study between 1 and 3 hours each day on the topic.

But the biggest upcoming event, and the one I am most looking forward to, is Leo coming home on the 29th. It seems like he's been gone SO LONG this time, and I am so thrilled that he will be home in less than a week!

We've been working on several projects on the house that I am almost ready to share, but I'm saving the updates as a surprise for Leo, so I guess you guys will have to wait to find out more as well. [Be sure and check back at the end of the month. Once Leo's home and has seen everything, I'll be posting updates, photos, and more.]

The family all seems to be doing well, although I haven't seen any of them in a while. Still, the girls call on a regular basis, I get the occasionally email from my 8-year-old granddaughter (do you know how COOL that is!?!), and I see Jess [my bil] and Grace a couple of times each week.

I am in for a change soon as we've decided to give up the Houston apartment for a while. I have been trying to work more from home and less from Houston (with only minor success) and I have less need for the apartment than I have in a while. I'm going to alternate between staying at my sis' house and taking advantage of some of the cheaper hotels in the city. I'm not particularly demanding when it comes to hotels; if they are clean, have a bed and have a shower, I'm good. At this point it's hard to say whether giving up the apartment will save or cost me money in the long run...we'll just have to wait and see.

Ah...I see that it's now 2am and I have a little more studying to do before hitting the hay. I'm currently focusing on Project Management Processes, something I understand pretty well in general, but need to get the specifics down a little better in my mind in preparation for the exam. I would like to be working on something a little more entertaining, like learning more about Photoshop, programming a little in XML, or playing around a bit more in the newest version of Visual Studio. But...all that will have to wait. First things first. And right now that means one more chapter in my book, a quick shower, and a couple of hours of sleep before it all starts again. Nightey night all!

New Grandchild on the Way!!!

Yup...big announcement, right? Rachael (our youngest) and Lee have four lovely, lively children now. At 8, Madison is a real sweetie and often runs herd over the others. Red-headed Mason is 5, a sweet-natured boy and tons of fun to be around. Kaya is 4, stepdaughter to Rachael but definitely part of the family. She is petite and sweet and we adore her as well. Zoe is the newest at 8 months. She'll only be 16 months old when she has to make way for the new baby, but I'm sure they'll handle it all just fine.

The family held off making the announcement until they got settled into their new place--they didn't want everyone to worry. You see, they lost their home in the hurricane, and have been living in a travel trailer in her dad's yard ever since. Last week they got moved into a very nice brand new 5-bedroom/3-bath double-wide, and the kids are just going crazy over all the room. So, new home, new baby, new adventures ahead for the entire family.

Madison is going to take a little trip soon and go live with her Aunt Becca and Uncle Shannon for the rest of the school year. She views it as a big adventure, Rebecca and Shannon are so looking forward to it all, and it will give Rachael and Lee a bit of a break as they get through the next few months and all the changes that are in store.

Everyone is healthy and happy, and life is good for our clan. Can't wait to see what other excitement occurs in 2009!

Leo Keeping in Touch

Every day between 1¹and 12pm, I watch my mailbox closely. That's usually when Leo gets a minute free and drops me a line. I sometimes find out about the weather, sometimes about the work progress, and occasionally about some mischief that he's been involved in. But I ALWAYS find out how much he misses me and how he longs to be home again. So, I stay up a little late and wait on his message. It's important to me.

Happy New Year!

As the US prepares for the ball to drop in a couple of hours, other parts of the world have already been-there-done-that. Weird, don't you think?

I am celebrating New Year's alone in Houston. Splurged by going out to Whataburger and eating the first burger I've had in more than 3 months. It was SO good! I thought I would be lonely/sappy tonight, but that's not really the case. Leo has been in touch every day since he's been gone, and that makes all the difference. [Note: He sends everyone a big New Year's hug today!]

I've read so many messages and articles about people ready for this year to be over, but I have to say that for Leo and I, 2008 has been a very good year. We accomplished several things this year, and had some good luck as well:

• I earned my Master of Science degree from the University of Texas at Austin
• We added another grandchild (Zoe) to our growing collection
• The girls all seem to be healthy and happy
• Leo got a job that is helping us finish the house
• Gas prices are down, our savings are holding steady, and we are not losing ground financially
• I had a goal of losing 50 lbs by the end of the year and I lost 55

What more could we ask? As I said, 2008 has been a very good year for us and we are looking forward to more fun in 2009.

We do have some goals/expectations for 2009 that I will share here. I don't believe that sharing them is going to "jinx" them in any way...they are real, honest expectations:

• We expect Leo to retire [again] before the end of the year and become a real home-body
• I expect to lose another 75 lbs.
• We expect to finish the house and have a big family get-together there next Christmas
• I expect to get into a postgraduate (PhD) program somewhere
• I expect to be an active participant in a new start-up venture
• We expect the year to be fun, family-oriented, comfortable, challenging, and even better than this year

Hmm...I think that about covers it for us.

So here's hoping 2009 turns out to be everything you want it to, and that your efforts are a big part of why that turns out to be true! Stay in touch, keep dropping by here when you are bored, stay faithful and true to yourselves and to the things that you value. All our love...Leo and Bea

New Tech Tool

For those of you who have seen my laptop, you might be tempted to think it's no laptop at all. First, one of the fans in it is broken, so I have to use an external fan pad for cooling. Second, it's got a monster 17" monitor on it along with a full (numeric and all) keyboard, so it is really huge. Third, it weighs a ton. Fourth, I generally set it up with a second monitor running. Fifth, because it is such a huge machine, it has no battery life, so it must always be plugged in. Yes, it is more a portable computer than a laptop.

This week when my sister and I were at Office Depot, I was telling her about how I've been thinking of getting a mini-laptop. When we swung by the display, I saw one that I loved ($1,100) right beside one that really piqued my interest ($349). Interesting. She encouraged me to buy it right then, but I have this "rule" about impulse purchases, so I walked away from it. When I got back to the office, I put in some time researching the machine, finding out what it can and can't do, then I went back and made a purchase.

Yes, I have a brand new $349 computer now, smaller than a standard piece of paper, less than 2.5 lbs., with a minimum of programs loaded on it, but definitely a cool little machine. I am calling it my "meeting machine". It will be the one I grab out of my purse when I'm in a meeting and need to look something up on the internet, fire off a quick email, or take notes. Oh, and after the iPhone incident I definitely worry about cool gadgets, no matter how inexpensive they are; I am learning to walk around with my purse zipped closed!

I'm posting a photo here of my two laptops. The cute little guy on top is a pretty blue color, doesn't have much to it (not even a cd-rom!) but is just the right thing for my "meeting machine". The big boy in back is still my "main man".

Harmattan Has Arrived

As we make last minute preparations for Leo's leaving today, a note from a coworker indicated his trip back into Nigeria may not be as straightforward as before. The harmattan has arrived.

"For a few weeks each year, the shifting winds roil southward out of the Sahara Desert, drying out West Africa's air and darkening its skies with sandy grit. The dusty wind grounds planes, coats palm trees in yellow dust and sends inhabitants accustomed to blustery equatorial weather huddling together against an uncommon nighttime chill." (link to full article).

Leo's friend Barry sent him a note this morning warning that flights have been grounded the last few days as this annual weather phenomenon has begun in earnest. The season for the harmattan to blow lasts about 3 months, according to Leo. Although he has yet to actually experience them, even this man that grew up along the hurricane coast has heard enough to make him wary of what awaits him there.

"The harmattan, which is caused by shifting weather patterns, derives its name from the word for 'tears your breath apart' in the West African language Twi..."

Yikes! A wind called tears your breath apart? I'm guessing that's quite a wind! I'll be sure and post an update from Leo if/when I get one after he arrives.

I'm posting a few additional links here to articles I found interesting or engaging while researching the harmattan:

• The Long Harmattan Season - an often interesting blog from a Nigerian national journalist
• Scenes of Africa and Arabia - some absolutely beautiful photography from the other side of the globe
• Harmattan Haze - an article about stranded flights on Christmas Day at the airport where Leo is headed

Well, our packing continues and we are both doing a good job of keeping the tears back. I'll cry after I drop him off at the airport, I'm sure. I mean...that's now a part of my regular routine!

The Best and the Worst

It's been an incredible week, full of incredibly good times. Today, however, I'm in a poopy sad mood as we prepare for Leo's imminent departure. He leaves on Saturday.

Last Friday, Leo and I drove the 190 miles to Liberty to pick up 3 of the grandkids. We left there and drove 225 miles to Jarrell so the kids could go spend some time with their Aunt Becca and Uncle Shannon. When we discussed it later, Leo and I both agreed that the extra mileage was well worth it...we had an absolute BLAST spending time with the 3 oldest grandchildren!

Once we arrived in Jarrell, the girls were all hyped up about promises to go ice skating. [Mason kept insisting that he was going to stay home and drink hot chocolate with Uncle Shannon!] When we finally got to the right place, got the skates all laced up and the girls ready to get out on the ice (Leo and I decided to sit this little adventure out!) we had so much fun watching them try to get their bearings. Kaya is such a petite little thing, she started off without much trouble at all. Madison had a bit more trouble getting started, but was not intimidated by the ice at all. We were only there a short while before the guys showed up [long story that one] and Uncle Shannon and Mason joined the girls on the ice. By the end of the evening all the kids were whizzing about with confidence. Oh, we had so much fun! I hope this is going to be an annual tradition!

After we got back to Jarrell, Rachael, Lee and Zoe showed up. We had a lot of fun playing around a bit, but the kids were worn out enough to get to bed at a reasonable time. When morning came, after a big breakfast and some more fun and games, the kids were ready to open presents. Mom made them pick out a present and open them one at a time while the others watched. I wasn't so sure this was a good idea until about the 3rd present. Then I noticed that the kids were working together, making nice comments about each others' gifts, and taking the time to participate fully in the festivities. That's when I realized Rachael had picked the perfect method for the morning.

Later in the afternoon we all packed up and drove a few miles down the road to Dean and Andrea's place in Walburg. Andrea did a WONDERFUL job preparing for our annual Christmas gathering. We were missing our oldest, Michelle, as well as my youngest brother and his family, but had a great time anyway. Next year the celebration is going to be at my house, and I am REALLY looking forward to it!

The rest of the week was spent working on the house. I worked [from home] while the other work was going on, but it was really nice to see Leo EVERY DAY for a week. That just NEVER happens any more! The guys finished up a good portion of the ceiling before I had to order extra materials. The ceiling is a wood product from Armstrong. It was a bit of a risk since I have never actually seen the material installed in a home, but we have decided we LOVE it. Now if we can just make it "work" with all the other elements.

The absolute biggest change, however, is the flooring going in. We have it installed in the guest bedroom now and in over half of the library. When the guys come back on January 5th, they will be installing it in the master bedroom, will finish the ceilings and the library. I am hoping that by the time Leo gets home in February, there will be a LOT of good changes to the house.

I am so NOT ready for him to go this time. I thought it would get better, that it would be easier as time went by, but I was wrong. The more fun times we spend together, the harder it is to let him go. I just don't know how long we are going to be able to keep this up. Right now our goal is to have it all come to an end before next Christmas.

I hope everyone had as much Christmas fun as we did today. We just hung out with Jess, Grace, and Jess' sister Barbara. We put puzzles together, ate a lot of really good food, and spent a wonderful day enjoying each others' company. Next year will be my turn to host the festivities and I am sure we are going to have a blast, but we are going to do it in MY kitchen in 2009. Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, and best wishes to you and yours for a happy and prosperous 2009!

Finished Pouting...Moving On

In case you are wondering why I've been "silent" on the blog for a while I will admit now that it is [mainly] because I've been POUTING. My beloved iPhone was stolen from me while attending a conference in Houston. Man, I really LOVED that thing! While I was not that surprised when Leo's phone was stolen from him in the wilds of Nigeria (yes, I know that is a remark dripping with prejudice and American ignorance), I just could not believe mine was taken on an evening when we were in a "controlled" environment, celebrating the holidays, and enjoying watching the snowfall outside the window. I mean, it was a perfect Christmas time outing and it was spoiled by the fact that someone wanted to take something of mine for their very own.

And here's the oddest thing of all...the value of the phone to the thief is less than $200, while the impact to me is well over $500. You see, if you buy a new phone at ATT it costs $199. To activate all the fancy features on it costs $20/month. But to replace a stolen one is impossible...ATT is not at all interested in helping with that. They will not sell me a $199 phone, they will not sell me an "unsubsidized" phone ($599) to replace it. I can start all over, I think, by canceling my old contract ($175) and starting all over with a new iPhone ($199) but am not quite ready for that yet. So you see, the value to the thief was very little compared to the cost to me. THAT'S the part that angers me most.

But, I'm over it now. It's done. It's over. I'm ready to move on. Perhaps I'll have another phone of some kind activated by next week and will once again be "available" by phone. Off the record, however, I'm actually enjoying the phone-free world for these few interim weeks. :-)

Home Safe and Sound

Yes, Leo made it home safe and sound and I couldn't be happier! I have 3 days off with him before I go back to work, but I'm guessing we're just going to lounge around a bit and relax. If it's not too windy out, we might even get a chance to put a couple of lines in the water and try for some delicious trout or flounder.

While he was gone, I ordered some materials for a friend of his who pastors a large congregation there in Nigeria. In return for my helping out, I got a very nice "package" as a gift. I am absolutely thrilled to get a traditional African dress! I couldn't wait to try it on! I fear that the gift far outweighed the favor, but I love it so much, there is just no way I'm going to turn a gift like this down. Leo got a beautiful outfit as well and tried it on. We were both so very pleased. Hopefully I'll get a photo of the two of us together posted soon. Until then, hope you enjoy this one of me. Headed to bed now, but will sleep peacefully and have sweet dreams I know!

Leo's Flight Map - 10:09 AM

Garage Full of Flooring

My flooring arrived today, and there is a LOT of it. I just HAD to break open a box and take a look. You know how it is. You buy something after seeing photos on the internet, and a 4x4 panel of it in the store. I mean, how does that let you know what you are buying? So, Jess and I took one carton and laid some pieces out on the floor for a look-see. All I can say is "Wow!"

The floor we chose is NOT for everyone. As a matter of fact, I'm guessing that only a handful of people are even interested in the product we bought. It is engineered wood, but has enough surface thickness to allow for several sandings if necessary. It is VERY dark and has a lot of graining in it. It is a product that I would not have been interested in even a few years ago, although I would have conceded the fact that it is beautiful. But for our quirky, wacky, crazy home here on the water (I think the experts call our style "eclectic"), I think it is PERFECT! Here is a shot of the flooring we laid out from my iPhone. Remember to click on the image to see it in a larger version. Yippee! I'm guessing by late February I'll actually have floors down in my house!

BPV is Back...ARGGGHH!

I'm so excited that Leo will be home in little more than 24 hours! What I'm NOT excited about is that a mild case of my BPV returned in the night. Yuk! For those who don't know, BPV is Benign Positional Vertigo and is a lot more annoying than it is painful or dangerous. My first bout with it some 4 or 5 years ago was really bad. I experienced nausea, nystagmus (a weird sensation that Leo likes to call "evil eyes"), and it lasted more than 2 weeks. Since then, the bouts have been much less severe, lasting only a few days, and not accompanied by the "strange" symptoms.

In my case, when it flares up it generally means that when I lay down wrong (usually with my right ear on the pillow), things begin to spin. This often happens in my sleep and is a very rude awakening! When I am standing, a swift turn of my head can set it off, but I generally move a lot more carefully and have learned to minimize this. And in general, I just feel a little "off" for a few days. Then...magically [or sometimes after a lot of silly head exercises] it goes away and stays away for another year or so. Not really a big deal anymore, but still quite ANNOYING!

The good news is that I am at home in Port Lavaca today. Crazy spinning symptoms are a lot more easily managed at home than when I am on the road. I'm home today because (note: I have kept this a secret from Leo, but since he does not have internet access...again...there is no problem here) I am expecting delivery of our new wood floors! Yippee! On the down side, our contractors did not make NEARLY the progress I was expecting, so we are still WEEKS away from being ready to start laying floors. Still...it is VERY EXCITING.

Work is crazy-busy for me right now, just like I expected. I have a TON of projects needing my attention in various stages of completion. I'll try to list some of them here to give you an idea:

• Job Safety Analysis (JSA) tool - 4 to 8 hours more
• Brookhollow Preventive Maintenance (PM) database rollover - 16 to 24 hours more
• Friendswood PM database rollover - 6 to 8 hours more
• URC PM database rollover - 24 to 48 hours more
• Interim Data Warehouse (IDW) database rollover - >40 hours more
• URC Campus Improvement documentation - 40 hours more
• GREF Measures spreadsheet updates - 36 to 48 hours more

If you are keeping up with the hours you can see that I've run out of time since all but two of these (IDW and GREF Measures) need to be finished by the end of the year. The two outstanding items need to be finished by January 15. Hmm...looks like my plans to spend most of December with Leo have been derailed a bit. Oh well. C'est la vie!

Happy Birthday (Nov. 26) Leo!!!

Leo and I have been married for almost 20 years now, and although we generally don't make a big deal about birthdays or other holidays, this is the FIRST TIME we've been apart for one of our birthdays. I don't like it. I don't like it at all. In retribution (although it is not Leo's fault) I am going to share some things that I know about Leo with you all. :-)

Leo was born on November 26, 1948 in the hospital in Harlingen, Texas. His mother was 42 at the time, and his father was 53. He was the 2nd surviving child in a LONG line of pregnancies and his arrival (and survival) was much hoped for by his parents. Leo's mother had a condition known [back in the day] as an "Rh negative factor". The first child survived (typical for the condition) but a dozen or more during the intervening years were carried almost full-term then lost to complications caused by the condition. By the time Leo was born, doctors had begun giving blood transfusions to save the newborns. Today, the condition is handled by simple medication given to the mother. At Leo's much anticipated birth, he was given his father's first name, but also a middle name (so he is not a "Junior") and was born Leonardo Enrique Amaya.

With a sister some 13 years older than he was, Leo was "mothered" by the two women in his family as he grew up. While he loved these women fiercely, it is when he talks about his father that he speaks with deep love and admiration. Leo adored his papa.

Leo grew up in a small frame house in San Benito, just across the street from the church his family attended. His family spoke Spanish at home and Leo did not learn to speak English until he began attending school in 1954. This is actually surprising since he has only a slight accent and many people do not even recognize his Mexican heritage in his speech or looks. Leo's father was a barber in the town, easily remembered still by many of Leo's age because of his nature and the fact that he had lost a leg as a child. According to Leo, his father and an older brother had taken some sheep to town to be sold when they were young, living in northern Mexico. The boys heard what they thought were firecrackers and went to investigate. It turned out to be a fire-fight between Pancho Villa's rebel forces and the local authorities, and young Leonardo was hit in the leg. A local doctor amputated the leg and Leo claims that his father always told the story pointing out how worried he was that his parents would be angry that the boys took so long in returning home.

Leo attended parochial school until High School, then attended San Benito High School, graduating in 1966. (Note: It was just a few months after his graduation that I started the first grade in Pasadena, Texas.) After graduation, he took some college courses at Texas Southmost College in Brownsville, but found that he was not really interested in attending any more school and chose to go to work instead.

I didn't become part of Leo's story until he was nearly 40, but boy have we made up for all we missed together. He is the love of my life, my soul-mate, and the man that I depend on and adore. With little more than a week left before he comes home to me, I am nearly beside myself with anticipation. We are not always the loving couple it sounds like here as we are both opinionated and stubborn enough to fuss and fight on a regular basis. But we are firmly attached at the heart and have shared so much together that even a few days apart gets us "off-kilter". I can't wait for my sweetheart to get home to me!

Happy Birthday Leo!!!

50 Down, 3000 to Go

Rebecca came to work for me this weekend, and we really had a good time. We actually tackled 2 projects, 1) cleaning/organizing the pantry, and 2) finishing the guest bath. Okay, I know it's only 50 square feet of work down and 3,000 more to go, but hey...it's a start!

Check out the finished product on the guest bath. Remember, when you come to visit, this will be your bath! :-) Anyway, we also accomplished some planning and scheming, decided on some furniture choices (guest room) for down the road, and looked into LOTS of options for different parts of the house. I'm not getting ahead of myself here; I definitely expect the house to take another full year to complete. But it does feel good to start chipping away at the piles of rubble and make some parts of the house actually complete. So much fun ahead! Next weekend's plans? Boxing, labeling, and stacking. Ooohh. What fun!

Prayers Requested

Like Leo, I hesitate to even post this information, but I think it is important to share with friends and family. Besides, I am hoping your prayers will work to keep Leo and his co-workers safe.

Yesterday, Leo's facility was under attack. No one on his side of the battle was hurt, although it is believed there were casualties on the other side since two of the 10 attack boats were sunk. Leo loves his work, feels very safe there, and worries much more about my safety in Houston than his in Nigeria (to put some perspective on it all). Still, it will be nice to know that you are all praying for his safety and for peace in the area.

Instead of trying to describe the events to you, I'm going to post some links below so you can read about them yourselves.

JTF Repels Attack on Chevron's Escravos Facility

Nigerian army repel gunmen at Escravos oil terminal (reuters)

Nigerian Army Repel Gunmen at Escravos Oil Terminal (rigzone.com)

P.S. Leo's Birthday

Just wanted to remind everyone that Leo's 60th birthday is coming up. On November 26, he will celebrate in Nigeria with his friends. When he gets home on December 5, he and I will have another celebration as well. In our emails, we both agree that missing Thanksgiving together will be harder than the birthday thing, but at least we have Christmas.

There is one caveat, however. Things have gotten a little rough in his neck of the woods and plans to leave the country are never a sure thing but more of a chancy attempt. We are hoping for the best as I miss him so very much.

Anyway, to wish Leo a happy birthday, feel free to send him an email at the following: leo dot h dot amaya at gmail dot com. (Sorry for spelling it out that way, but putting an actual email link in a blog is like handing out your address to every spam-bot on the internet. We're trying to fool the bots here!)

Thorough House Cleaning Coming Up

Two weeks until my sweetheart comes home and the house is an absolute wreck. Well, that's really to be expected considering all the construction that's been going on there. I had hoped to have wood floors in before he got home, but the delivery has been postponed (back order) until mid-December. They wanted to know if I wanted to pick a different one. "Are you crazy? It took us WEEKS to settle on that one! No way we're going to start over!!"

So, my daughter Rebecca is going to head my direction on Friday and give me a hand trying to get the place in order. We had so much fun visiting last Saturday that I am GREATLY looking forward to her visit, even if it is so we can get a lot of work done. I expect that it will take several weekends to get the job accomplished, but that's okay...we can handle it.

I hear from Leo every couple of days, via email, although I haven't heard his voice in WEEKS. He claims that the phone reception over there is poor but I think he is often too worn out at the end of the day to spend time trying to get a phone call in. It's okay though. As long as I get news from him SOME way or another, I'm good.

We are at the "hump" now with a few more days behind than in front of us. It seems like such a long time since he left, so much has been going on. I believe that our original game plan of doing this for 3 years in order to REALLY get ahead may be squashed after the first term (1 year) is over. He likes the work, I like the money, but neither of us likes the separation. Six visits to Nigeria and I'll be ready for him to give it up. I can make enough of a living for us after that!

My New iPhone

Believe it or not, I have had very little interest in the iPhone since it came out. Although I do like tech toys, I generally don't like to get them just because everyone else is. The iPhone is loved by many people because of the fact that they can enjoy tunes and videos on it as well as making phone calls. Well, I have no desire to listen to music or watch videos on my telephone, so I've been skipping over the iPhone.

Last week I went to the ATT store to look at the Blackberry Bold. I have loved Blackberrys for a long time, and I really wanted this sleek new phone. I was startled to learn the price for it is currently $349. Yikes! That's a lot more than I was hoping to pay. So, I looked around. When I took a look at the iPhone and tried out a few of the commands, it didn't take me long to decide to take this "second place" offering for $199. Well, it turns out that the things I can do on my iPhone other than listen to music and watch videos makes this machine really cool. The best thing of all for me is getting my email and being able to read it on my screen. Although my Blackberry was [admittedly] an old machine, I was still surprised at the clarity of the iPhone screen. Anyway, I won't bore you with further details (unless you ask) but I will admit that I was wrong to shy away from the iPhone. This is definitely a nice addition to my geeky product arsenal.

Thought I'd share a couple of photos I took on the phone:

This is the first image I took. It looks quite grainy when viewed in a large image but on my iPhone screen, it looks really decent. I took this from the parking lot that I use when I'm working downtown.

I took this photo of the moon rising over the water from my back porch when I got home that night. Again, it is not a perfect shot, but it is not bad for something I just whip out of my pocket, and point and shoot.

I took this one on Saturday when my daughter Rebecca and I spent some time looking at good ideas at Ikea. Since Leo couldn't be there with us, I snapped off a few pictures of things I am interested in for the house. This photo shows a computer work station positioned right up against a storage unit which makes a lot of sense to me. This is the kind of setup I would find really workable in my office. I hope Leo likes it as well since the more I think about it, the more I like it.

This last shot shows a set of bookcases that I'm thinking of as well. The nice thing about these is that they have glass doors on the front of them which keeps things a bit "tucked away". I also like the way that the units are lit from the front and am seriously thinking of mounting a light source over the door on each of them.

Anyway, just thought I would share how my new little addition to my tech-toy family is already contributing to my play time!