I Missed Halloween

I have been absent from blogging circles again. That is because I am once more in Sunny Scotland. Since I have been here this time I have started a new charity. It is called "Let the Children See the Sky." I started this charity after asking 100 Scottish children what color is the sky. Ninety-nine responded gray while the other kid punched me in the groin and ran away.

Of course this is all a joke, but truly can we do something to get these kids some sunshine.

This trip is nearly over, but I do have one big regret from this time away. I missed Braden's first Halloween. Arica said he got into the spirit pretty quickly. He held out his pumpkin for everyone to fill.

Below is one picture from Braden's trip to our church's Trunk or Treat. Also included are a few pics that we took of Braden before I left so I could see him in his costume.

Airports Can Be Fun

I have been around the world several times by now. I have spent what must be weeks or even months waiting in airports. I have been in JFK, La Guardia, and Newark. I have been to LAX. I have been to O’hare dozens of times. I have been in the airports in Miami, Rome, Paris, Tokyo, and many, many others. Still with all this time spent in the wonders that are modern airports, I have never seen a famous person. I haven’t even seen a relatively well known person. I only see the other weary eyed travelers struggling through their ordinary lives.

Monday night I was sitting at an airport bar in Detroit, drinking a beer, watching Monday Night Football, and reading the menu. Someone approached me on my right so I turned to see this would be bar friend of mine. I looked up at this mountain of a man and all I could muster to say was….Dave…..Winfield?

He looked down on my awestruck person and said, “Yeah, how are you?”

I am sure there are many of you who think I have still never met anyone famous. Who is this Dave Winfield you ask. I also know that I have some readers who are baseball fans and know exactly who sat by me the other night. Dave Winfield is a Major League Baseball Hall of Famer. He currently works for ESPN and is on TV quite often. I watched him play as a kid. While he was never one of my favorites any baseball fan can admire the exploits of a Hall of Famer.

While we ate our dinners Mr. Winfield and I talked. We talked about how terrible the Redskins are this year. We talked about our travel plans. He remarked to me during a commercial about lawn care that he wouldn’t want a yard that required that much work. I think he probably has a big yard, but pays someone else to care for it. Maybe he doesn’t. What do I know?

So I sat there at the bar carrying on a friendly conversation with a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. I was like a kid on Christmas morning. Then he left and said, “Have safe travels my man.” That was it. My brush with greatness was over.

Before Mr. Winfield sat down by me Monday night airports only meant delays, waiting, more waiting, and time away from home. At least now when I walk through an airport I know there is at least a small chance that something fun will happen.

A Less Than Happy Birthday

Today is my 32nd birthday. It is without question one of my worst two birthdays ever and probably the worst. The top two bad birthdays on my list were both spent alone in another country. This one is harder from that perspective because I have a wife and child. This is my first birthday as a father, and I won't get to spend it with Braden. Since I have been married Arica has been more excited about my birthdays than me. I will miss her a lot on this birthday as well.

The other bad birthday in case you were wondering was September 13, 2001. Yes I had a birthday 2 days after the darkest day in American history. On top of all the bad feelings permeating my world those days, I was also by myself in Bangkok, Thailand. Far from home was not where anyone wanted to be at that time. It was a time to be close to friends and loved ones. That birthday was terrible too, but at least I wasn't missing out on time with my wife and son. I hadn't met Arica yet, and before Arica there was certainly no Braden.

I found a picture in my archives that pretty much sums up my feelings on the matter. Too bad that picture was taken in the Virgin Islands, and I am currently in Scotland. On the plus side the sun shines in Scotland an unbelievable 27 days a year.

People Watching in Amsterdam

I found out on Friday that I had to leave again for Scotland on Tuesday. Giving me only four days notice was pretty crappy on my boss’s part. Unfortunately as the only non family member of this family owned business this is my lot in life. I had no choice but to go.

So here I am typing this post from the Amsterdam international Airport. The official name of this place s is Schi-something, but I can’t remember. Give me a break on that one. I am working on about two hours sleep.

As I am sitting here drinking an espresso and watching the unbelievably diverse mass of humanity pass me by, I am reminded of a Cheers episode. Yes I am reminded of TV at all times, even in Amsterdam, the Netherlands...er…Holland…er…the Dutch. These people need to make up their mind.

In this particular episode Woody leaves the bar for a week’s vacation. When he returns everyone in the bar asks him about his exotic destination. Woody replies that he didn’t go. He missed his flight. Of course everyone then asked where he had been for the past week. Woody spent the week at the airport and had the greatest vacation of his life. He met people from all around the world. It was amazing.

Of course nobody I have ever met is quite as simple as Woody. I don’t think anyone would actually do what Woody did in this instance anymore than they would repeat any of his other shenanigans. There is, however, some truth to Woody’s view of the airport. There is really no other place that you can see people from so many walks of life all in one place.

While Woody’s adventure took place at Boston Logan I am going to advise a few other places that might be better for people watching. I think a two of the best might be Paris Charles de Gaulle and where I am sitting right now. I am not sure I have ever seen such diversity as I am seeing here in Holland. This airport in Amsterdam is the gateway to Europe, Asia, and Africa. There are people from all corners of the globe.

I am not typically a people watcher, but when you have two hours to kill without a book to read you resort to other tactics. If you add in the sleep deprivation this becomes quite a fun game. You can imagine all sorts of adventures for your fellow travelers when your mind isn’t functioning properly.

I guess my point is that if you are ever really bored and broke, go down to your local airport and meet some interesting people. Otherwise try not to ever get stuck in a sleep deprived layover in some foreign land. If you do then you might post something as insane as this.

Coming to America

If you didn't stop by the site yesterday please go see my guest post at Building Camelot. It is my first guest post ever. I am used to being the unwanted guest so this is a nice change. Now on to today's Fatherhood Friday post.

There is no place like home – Dorothy
Mama I’m coming home – Ozzy Osbourne
E.T. phone home – E.T.
Home is where you make it – crazy guy in Joe Dirt
Honey I’m Home – Jack Nicholson in the Shining

There are so many ways to say it, but today I am going to use my very own vernacular rather than quote anyone else.

I have been gone now for three weeks. Braden has started eating solid foods since I left. He is getting bigger every day. He is walking around along the furniture more and more every day. He is learning to make new sounds as he creeps on towards talking. He has learned to clap. And no doubt he has forgotten a little about me.

Arica has been raising a kid all by herself. She has handled all the things that come along with a baby without my help. She is tired. She is worn down. She needs a break.

While you are reading this on Fatherhood Friday I will be on my way. I will either be in the sky above or waiting in some horrid line on the ground below. Three flights and 6000 miles is all that separates me from a happy homecoming. It will be the end of a tough journey for us all. So to wrap it up here is a quote from yours truly.

“No matter if I am in Scotland, Malaysia, or Wal Mart my heart always longs to be home. The love and warmth that is shared within our four walls between us three people is the thing that gets me out of bed in the morning, and tomorrow it is going to get me up early and keep me going all day. Arica and Braden, Daddy's coming home” – Robert

I Feel Like a Gray Donkey

Before we get to today's post I have exciting news. I have now just done my first guest post ever. You can see it today over at Building Camelot by clicking here. I feel like such a big shot.

I have a short post of my own today so here it is as well.

The people here in Scotland are among the nicest I have ever encountered on my travels. They are very friendly and easy to talk to. I have had strangers at the hotel chat me up just to be nice. One of them even bought me a beer. One of my favorite things is that they actually wave at each other when driving. Many of the streets are narrow two lane roads that have one lane blocked by parked cars. This is practically every side street I have seen. When you go down them you have to be alert and get out of the way of oncoming traffic. You must duck into openings until others pass. When you let a car go by the driver waves thanks every time. This is the only place out of small town Arkansas that I have ever seen the friendly wave. I love it.

Even with the friendly folks I am down in the dumps a bit lately. The whole situation is reminding me of a certain cartoon donkey. Do you remember Winnie the Pooh’s buddy Eeyore the donkey. He was a gloomy old chap. In his little world it was dark and rainy every day. He was tired. He was sad, and he ate thistles.

Well I feel like that gray donkey myself these days. It does physically rain every day in the West of Scotland. The only difference each day is whether it will rain hard or mist. Some days if you are lucky the sun comes out long enough to dry your clothes out before it starts raining again. In another Eeyore related note the thistle is big here in Scotland too. The flower is featured on every historic Scotland sign. It is the symbol or trademark for the national monuments or something. So here I am nearing the end of this trip thinking about a fictional donkey. If some people claim to see Nessie I don’t know why I can’t believe that Eeyore must be from this grand old place as well.

Hope is a Good Thing

I am continuing my effort today to write about something other than Scotland. My trip has inspired many different topics of thought like uses for haggis, proper kilt etiquette, and does the sun truly shine in Scotland. Another idea that is going through my head and keeping me moving is hope. I mark off a day on my calendar every night before bed. The declining number of days left gives me hope. Arica does not see the numbers as hopeful so I don’t share them with her, but there is something reassuring about a decreasing number of days remaining. It gives me hope.

One of my favorite movies of all time is “The Shawshank Redemption.” In it Andy Dufresne says a line that I absolutely love that really sums up his feelings on his imprisonment. He states, “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

I may not be serving time in a Maine prison, but I am biding time in a less than favorable situation. The same type of hope empowers me every day. Granted I may not need to “crawl through a mile of s&#t smelling foulness the likes of which I can’t imagine,” but my escape will be no less celebrated.

As a parent I feel one of my biggest jobs is to provide hope for my son. I am often saddened when I see children that appear to be in a difficult situation. Their hope seems to be dashed before their life even starts. I want Braden to hope for everything as he is growing up. If he wants to go to the moon I want him to believe that he can do that. I want to help him grow up in a nurturing environment that will help his hopes and dreams grow.

I think I can keep his hopes high by showing him that anything is possible. If you work hard there is nothing to stop you from reaching any of your goals. I can reinforce that by showing him all the opportunities in the world. I can show him what many people from difficult beginnings have achieved. Most of all I can always encourage him in all his efforts. In that way he will always have hope for whatever it is he wants in life. He will never feel downtrodden. The sky will always be the limit.

I think this is a great gift to give your children, the gift of hope. Thank you Mr. Dufresne for your well crafted words. No matter if you are hoping for a return home, a new job, or even a nice big cheese burger, hope is indeed a good thing.

Point of Diminishing Returns

To the best of my knowledge the title phrase for today's post is an accounting term. I might first add that I am in no way qualified to talk about accounting. I am an engineer whose work is governed by the irrefutable laws of physics. Accounting is governed by man made tax codes that change all the time. I understand gravity. If I throw a rock into the air I better move before it comes down on my noggin. I don't understand much of anything about accounting, yet I am using accounting as the basis of this post. Hang on for this one.

My understanding is that this term refers to a point at which the more you spend or allocate to something the less you receive in return. In other words the harder you try once you reach this point the worse things get. You add what would seem like a positive of work or money and you get diminishing returns. I know this is not a suitable explanation for you accountants out there so please bear with me. This post is about fatherhood not fixing books.

I talk about this term today as it relates to my job. I have put in a good deal of work on my job over the past eight years. Our company owns a proprietary waste to energy technology. I have been putting in my time and giving all my efforts to make this company grow. With the current energy climate it seems like the time is now. For this reason I am currently in Scotland thousands of miles away from home.

I never thought of myself as a particularly career oriented person. I thought family was the most important thing to me. I always viewed my efforts at work as a way to provide for my family. Those were my thoughts before this trip. As I sit here typing tonight I have no way at all of helping Arica if she needs me. There is no way possible for me to change a diaper or feed Braden a bottle. My family is home without me. With a baby it is certainly not the ideal situation for any of us.

So I am asking myself have I reached the point of diminishing returns? Are all my efforts to provide for my family only pushing them farther and farther away? Is the hope for more money as empty as my side of the bed. It seems that the answer to those questions is yes. At some point I subconsciously chose my job over my family. I excused it by saying that I was working to provide for them. That is not necessarily true. I am qualified for any number of jobs that would keep my right here in the good ole US of A.

The factor is that I put in all this work and never really advance. I am still the low man on a family owned totem pole of which I share no blood or last names. I could possibly wait forever and be left out to dry. Meanwhile my family is taking all the abuse during my long travelling spells. Different things are important to different people. Some take travel in stride. I never thought I would be one of those people, but I came very close to making that a reality. Now I see what has happened. I see clearly what I am doing to those I care about.

Those of you who happily travel for a living have my blessing. It is a difficult thing to do, but we need some people to do it so I am glad we have you. I myself would like to find a way to excuse myself from your ranks. I know it is not the best climate for jobs, but in time I hope to become more firmly planted at home.

Finally with a lot of help from my family I have realized that I am at the point of diminishing returns. Things will only get worse from here. Don't bother trying to talk me out of it with any promises of fame or fortune. Talk about accounts receivable and tax brackets mean nothing to me. The only terminology that speaks to me now is the language of love.

Arica and Braden, I love you and miss you so much. I can't wait to see you again.

Random Tuesday Thoughts: Scotland

This was once a new dad blog. I am away from home now so I can't say much about my job as a father. Rather than go on without blogging I thought I would post a few random thoughts about my first few days in Scotland.

• I visited my first castle Sunday in Scotland. It was the Dumbarton Castle which is the place where William Wallace was lured and then captured before being killed. Needless to say I had to fight pretty hard not to rehearse my freedom line. I only said it to myself in my head.
• I had steak pie for dinner. I was disappointed to find that it contained no steak and no pie. It was actually what I would call a roast. Even with the misleading name it was quite good.
• Talking to Arica and Braden on Skype is more enjoyable than anything Scotland has to offer. It makes a huge difference being able to see them. On our first talk Braden laughed and smiled at me on the computer. Then he tried to attack the keys and he had to take a break so he didn't destroy Arica's laptop.
• Every Scotsman first asks how you like their lovely weather when you meet them. Apparently they have a complex about this. I told one Monday that we had really nice weather the day before. He replied, "That was summer. I hope you enjoyed it."
• Jetlag is not my friend.
• Scotland is the home of golf. Having now been to Scotland and seen the weather I think that makes about as much sense as Minnesota being the home of pineapples. Yet it is true.
• The bosses on sight wear very nice suits, then they tuck their suit pants into brown rubber boots. It kind of defeats the purpose. They may as well be wearing clown suits.

The Best Thing About Travelling

Some of you are probably sick of me talking about my impending trip to Scotland. This will be the last post until their is a real life on location update. I am leaving tomorrow morning. The next time you hear from me I will be typing amid the fog with the eerie cry of bagpipes as my soundtrack.

You all know that I am not looking forward to this trip. Leaving Arica and Braden behind for three weeks is going to be the toughest thing in the world. On top of that I am going to get my first stab at driving on the wrong side of the road. I am sure the car will be a stick shift as well. So there I will be driving on the wrong side of the blacktop trying to shift with my useless left hand. If anyone reading this lives anywhere near Glasgow consider this your warning.

Hopefully I can manage well enough to avoid any Griswolds stuck on the roundabout type moments. If I am lucky I won't run over any of the cast from Monty Python either. All these difficulties will pay off handsomely in the end. There is one truly great thing about travel. It is a constant. No matter where you go or how long you stay. The best part about travel is always coming home.

Before coming home I will be able to see my family at least. Using Skype and the web cams will allow us to have video chats every day. Technology really is an amazing thing. I am so thankful for the Internet, computers, and all the other whizzing little thingamajigs that make it possible for a regular Joe like myself to own what is technically a video phone. I feel like George Jetson.

While I will endure pain that many of you would be perfectly happy to avoid, I will also enjoy one of life's truly great pleasures. There is no way I can describe the feeling if you have never experienced it yourself. To see Arica's smiling face after weeks away is a truly amazing moment. This time I will get to add Braden's little smiling face as well.

My return will go something like this:

The embracer regional jet comes in low and fast just skirting the edge of the muddy Arkansas River. We touch down with a slight bounce then make contact with the runway again. The flight attendant pipes in with her welcome to Little Rock spiel, but I am too excited to even listen. Soon my tired aching body will be bursting forth into the terminal to see my family. The plane eases to the gate as all the passengers begin to shift in their seats. The familiar ding of the seat belt sign going off is followed by the hurried bustle of passengers retrieving their luggage from the overhead bins. Nearly everyone stands with hunched backs in the small cabin as we await the signal to exit.

The door finally swings open and we file out like good little soldiers. I have a hard time walking in the single file line up the jetway. I want to elbow everyone out of the way and run. I resist and enter the terminal in an orderly manner. Those awaiting their planes always give you a smug look. I can't tell if they are angry with us for reaching our destination or if they are looking down on us because we live in Arkansas. Either way I don't care.

The walk through the airport is only a few hundred yards, but it feels like ten miles. I hurry past all the sparsely populated gates and a few restaurants. Then I make my way past the security checkpoint and head towards the escalator. This is the big moment. I step on the stairs for my ride down one level. As we start down I scan the crowd. Where are they?Frantically my eyes dart from side to side checking each bench. Just as I began to panic they come around the corner. There smiling and beautiful is Arica. Perched in her arms like a giant teddy bear is our son Braden. This is the greatest feeling in the world.

There is no place like home.

Scotland: To Do List

It's official. I am going to Scotland. I made my flight reservations on Tuesday. While this is not undoable it pretty well sets everything in concrete. It makes what we have all been avoiding a reality. My plane leaves August 1st, and I won't be back for three weeks. I have spent plenty of time crying about leaving home before. I am not going to do that today. Maybe later we can revisit the whole travelling with a family angle. Today I am keeping it fun. Below is my list of things that I want to do while in Scotland. I am sure I will come up with some others, but for now here is my top ten list.

1. Drink a beer in a local pub. You could call this a dream of mine.
2. Eat Haggis.
3. Get a picture of that damn Loch Ness Monster.
4. See a castle.
5. Laugh at a guy wearing a kilt.
6. Find the perfect place and time to recite the line, "They may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!!!!"
7. Find out why it is called Scotch tape rather than Scottish tape.
8. Listen in on some live bagpipe music.
9. Use the term lassie properly in a sentence not referring to a television collie.
10. Talk up a local about his feelings on William Wallace.

Tips for Traveling with Wife and Baby

We are back from our trip to the Crescent city. Some things on our adventure were great. Others were not so great. Cajun cuisine is one of my all time favorites. I love shrimp, oysters, crab meat, etouffee, gumbo, and just about everything else they cook down on the bayous of Louisiana. That part of the trip was amazing. We got to visit the French Quarter. We got to do some shopping as well. It was just a bit more difficult to mix business and pleasure than I imagined.

I haven't had time to put together a deep thoughtful post for this week. I just got through driving all day long. My only thoughts were to avoid all the crazy drivers and to find my exits. Much of my day was spent thinking things like...exit171...US65N...exit 171...did you see that new Camaro...I love the return of the American muscle car...What was that exit again?

With all that excitement going on my only choice is to share something about our trip. I decided to share a list of things that can help other's who dare to take their wife and baby on a business trip. Some of these things I learned by screwing up. Others I learned by making good choices. I won't tell you which are which. That is up to your imagination. Here is my list of tips for mixing business with pleasure and with your wife and with your baby.

1. Make sure you get a large hotel room. Your family does not want to feel like they are waiting in a prison cell while you are at work.
2. Plan some activities for them. Again they don't want to feel like prisoners while you are working.
3. Don't come back to the hotel talking about work. If every minute is going to be about your job then you might as well stay home and invite them to your office.
4. Try not to invite them to a job when you will have to start really early. If you come home tired and grumpy everyone loses. Especially if you have failed on any of the first three items.
5. Give serious consideration to the sleeping arrangements. If the baby doesn't sleep then nobody in the hotel room sleeps. Neither does the guy next door.
6. If you are driving be sure to have a flexible time schedule to allow for stopping to feed, change, or just play with the baby.
7. Bring plenty of drinks and snacks for the car ride so you don't have to stop and wake the baby if they are sleeping. On a long car ride a sleeping baby is the ultimate goal.

Those are just some ideas. Spending time with family is always a great thing. Taking a little time to get things just right makes it even better.

Mixing Business with Pleasure

Last week my boss returned from an extended trip to Europe. He called me from Chicago O'hare and asked me what I was doing next week. I knew this was not an invitation to play a round of golf. This was the let's send our engineer somewhere next week conversation.

Of course as any good employee would do I replied that I was doing nothing. Boss man said he wanted me to go to Louisiana and supervise the loading of our equipment into a container for shipment overseas. This basically means I watch and make sure everything goes into the container. My only other job is to make sure the crane operator doesn't kill me with any wildly swinging steel members.

The surprise was that I was offered the option to either fly or drive and take my family. It took me all of a milisecond to make that decision. Here are several reasons why I chose to take the family with me.

1. I am going away for some time this summer already, so I don't want to be away from Arica and Braden any more than necessary.
2. The plant is just outside New Orleans so it would be an opportunity to let Arica see the Big Easy.
3. I always believed that you should expose your children to Bourbon Street before they reached one year of age. Any later is just bad parenting.
4. I finally had the opportunity to mix business with pleasure.

So we are off to New Orleans in a couple of hours. We are throwing caution to the wind. Nightmares about a 7 hour car ride with a baby are nowhere in our thoughts. Plans of stopping 20 times to feed, entertain, and change our little boy are no worry to us. This trip will be as simple as putting on your pants.

I probably won't be posting until later this week. All my free time will be spent enjoying a mini vacation with my family. We are taking advantage of the opportunity to take a break. I hope this opportunity doesn't in turn break us.

Travelling the Globe: Ipoh Malaysia

It's time once again to travel the globe with me. This time our travels take us to the far off land of Malaysia. Our company has a fabricator in the big city of Ipoh, Malaysia that we use for some of our overseas installations. I have been there twice. The last time was in 2005. These are my memories mostly from that trip.

Before we get to Ipoh I must mention that I have spent one night in Kuala, Lumpur or KL to travellers. We had to spend a night there before catching a short flight to Ipoh on our last trip. Our hotel was at the foot of the Petronas Twin Towers. They are the largest twin towers in the world and can be seen in the movie Entrapment. They are very impressive. Now on to Ipoh.

PRO: The population of Ipoh is at least 75% Chinese. The Chinese food here is amazing, and certainly was the best I have ever had. I had some type of fried chicken once that I still remember fondly. My search through the US has never revealed anything like it.

CON: It is HOT! You may not be aware but Arkansas is very humid in the summer. It is dreadful, but humidity in Southeast Asia gives new meaning to the word.

PRO: Dim Sum breakfast at an outdoor market complete with dozens of dumplings and other treats washed down with hot Chinese tea. I know many of my PRO's are in the food category. Leave me alone. I like to eat.

CON: Eating a dumpling with chopsticks is very hard. Our host finally told me to just stab the dumpling. I tried and failed. My dumpling jumped off my plate and across the table. You gotta love us Americans.

PRO: We got to visit a Buddhist cave temple that was very cool. It had an elaborate entrance and several huge buddha statues inside what was simply a limestone cave.

CON: The first time I visited Ipoh we sat down to eat and everyone was given chopsticks. At this point in my life I had no idea how to use them. Thankfully I have since learned. When I got my chopsticks I said, "I am going to starve to death if I have to use these." Such manners. I was rewarded with a plate, fork, and spoon.

PRO: Food is served family style. It is like a Chinese buffet right at your own table. One of the restaurants even had a table where the middle spun around to help you serve yourself.

CON: I was stuck there during the 2005 National League Championship series. The Cardinals were playing the Houston Astros for a chance to get to the World Series. I did get to see bits and pieces of the broadcast in the mornings, but it was terrible for me to miss the big games. By the way the Cardinals lost.

PRO: At the cave temple there were about 20 monkeys hanging out in this little garden. They were very close. It is always cool to see monkeys just hanging around like squirrels do here in the US.

CON: The Ipoh international airport is the smallest I have ever been to in all my travels. The pilot actually warned us the landing might be bumpy becasue the runway is not long enough for a 737 and he would have to get down and stop fast. It wasn't bad, but when we got on the ground there were 20 or 30 people lined up watching us through the fence. I am not real comfortable with my landings being the top entertainment in town.

Travelling the Globe: St. Leonard de Noblat, France

Two Monday's ago I posted about experiencing new things. The main topic of this post was my travels to foreign countries. I received a lot of comments about that post, especially for a Monday. It was apparent to me that everyone either liked to travel or would like to travel. Based on that information I decided to post from time to time about some cities and countries I have visited.

My plan is for these posts to offer a few pros and cons from the places I've been. The pros and cons will be random things based on my experience. You won't read pros like the Eiffel Tower was cool or the Louvre had a lot of artwork. It will be much smaller off the wall things that I feel the rest of the world must know. The Travel channel will not tell you this stuff people. Somebody has to do it, and that somebody might as well be me.

Our first installment of travelling the globe will be about France. Specifically this post is about St. Leonard de Noblat, France. It is a small town located in the center of France near Limoges in case you need to look it up for visualization purposes. Without further ado here are my notes from France.

PRO: The best thing about the entire visit to France was ordering a Royale with Cheese from McDonald's.

CON: Every meal was a formal affair. The food was good but who wants to eat off fine china and drink from the crystal stemware every night. You may not know this but champagne, fine china, waiters with tuxes, bread crumb sweepers, and artistic looking food every night can have an adverse affect on your sanity. My boss and I had to skip out and go to a local pizza joint or McDonald's once or twice a week to get a break.

PRO: There was a grocery store across the street from the hotel. They sold tall boy cans of German beer for about 30 cents a can. I always kept a few in my room.

CON: There was no refrigerator for the German beer in my room.

PRO: It was really cold outside so I sat my beers on the window ledge to keep them cool. After work a cold one was always waiting.

CON: One of my trips required me to get off the plane in Paris after an overnight flight and about an hour of sleep and drive to the plant. That is a five hour drive on no sleep through Paris traffic in a stick shift. I drive a stick shift about once every two or three years whether I need to or not. This is not a recommended travel procedure.

PRO: I bought some french lip balm for the extremely chapped lips I inherited from working outside in the cold twelve hours a day. I used it for a few days before I left. Arica claimed it when I got home and said it was the best lip moisturizing product ever. She lost it and found it again not to long ago. She finally used it all, but it was definitely the chapstick that kept on giving.

CON: The crappy exchange rate of dollars to euros caused me to pay $6 for the aforementioned lip balm. The exchange rate made buying everything from cheeseburgers to gasoline painful.

PRO: I got paid to visit France. That may not be the best pro, but I am running out of things that you might find interesting. Let's just say I put this in here to keep things fair and balanced. I don't want any angry Frenchmen after me.

CON: French people have a certain reputation around the world. Although I made several friends while I was there I found that for the most part the reputation had been earned.

Trying New Things

Growing up in a small town in southeast Arkansas life was pretty simple. There were no malls, no fancy restaurants, or any restaurants for that matter. We didn't even have a McDonalds or Sonic. There was a theater for a brief time, twice, but it never lasted long. There were no water parks, city parks, dog parks, or even Cherokee Parks. As kids we played outside and used our imagination. As older kids we still played outside, but we used Chevy's and Fords instead. There were no places to party other than maybe a muddy bean field. On Friday nights we drove in circles around the town square. What I am trying to say is I led a sheltered life.

Going to college changes a few things. I went to school in a town much larger than my home town, but it was still relatively small. There were some fun things to do. Our world revolved around the fraternity house. Of course any discussion of trying new things in college is destined for out of bounds. That is not where I am heading with this post.

I am talking about experiencing the world and what it has to offer. In 2001 I started my current job. My first assignment was to go and help with the start up of a power plant in Rossano, Italy. On my first visit I stayed there for six weeks straight. This little village on the Mediterranean was far from the tourist centers of Italy. Maybe five people in the entire town spoke English. I only met two that I can remember. One was a police officer who greeted us with "Why are you here?" The other was a bank employee that spoke English well enough to say "We don't take travellers checks."


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Imagine a small town farm boy out of the United States for the first time. I had never been farther than Florida. Otherwise my travels usually were to either Dallas or St. Louis. I didn't know much about anything. I truly believe that this trip changed my life.

Before going to Italy I thought the way I did things was the only way. Any other way must be wrong. The people of Italy did things so differently that it was a complete culture shock. In a daring manner I decided to jump right in especially in the cuisine department. If my little book of translations didn't cover a menu item, then I just ordered it to find out what it was. This led me to eating an entire dinner of only mussels, grilled cuttlefish, and other delights. Eventually I made friends with the restaurant owner and he served me a special of his choosing every night. It was the best food I have ever eaten.

From this I learned that I love mussels, clams, calamari, any type of fish in general, and so many other things. I absolutely loved the assortments of antipasta. This trying new things should not be all about food. It should be about life in general.

I started travelling more to see the U.S. Since then I have been to New York, Chicago, and Boston on personal vacations. Seeing the big cities and how you city folk live is quite a thrill. Of course on business trips I have seen many other countries as well. The true joy of travelling on business, other than it being free, is seeing how the locals live on a day to day basis. If you get away from the tourist traps you can really get a picture of what life is like for regular people in the places you visit. It can be such a learning experience.

This is where my son comes in to the picture. I want Braden to be able to enjoy as many different things as possible. His life will be much different than mine right from the beginning. We live in a town with hundreds of restaurants. We have several parks. We even have a two Wal-Marts which you know I love. The opportunities for him here are abundant.

I don't want him to think the rest of the world is like our little home. He should learn about other places and other cultures. I hope he has the opportunity to see the world. I hope he will experience life with open eyes and an open mind. There is so much to experience and learn if you are ready and willing to try.

The World Waits on No One

I am happy to report that I am not in Kansas anymore. Unfortunately I have no more to write about fatherhood today than Toto. Unquestionably the worst thing about travelling, other than being away from home, is returning to work to find that the entire world kept on going without you. I have about 5 million things to do today. It would be nice if people were considerate enough to refrain from needing me when I am out of the office. I guess the plus side of being needed is job security.

I came home yesterday to a very happy household. I think both Arica and Braden were happy to see me. I took my turn on night watch last night. Braden was pretty nice to his dad only waking me up around 4:30. I rocked him back to sleep pretty quick.

He has a new fun way of waking us up in the morning. He calls out to us via karate kicks to the side of his crib. He kicks directly at the soother on the side of his crib. I think it is called a soother. It combines a series of lights, jungle sounds, and moving monkeys to help put Braden to sleep. He actually turns in on by kicking it with his feet. We may have a soccer player on our hands since he is operating toys with his feet already. I hope not. I don't like soccer. Soccer broke my nose.

I turned on the baby projector that I posted about here to try and get him to stop kicking for 30 minutes or so. It was 6 in the morning which is way too early for karate. The next thing I knew I woke up and it was 8:30. Now I am late for work on a day that I have a million things to do. So that is my situation. Actually this post is a pretty good assessment of fatherhood for working dad. Happy Fatherhood Friday.

There's No Place Like Home

Posting deep in the heart of Kansas I felt this was a perfect opportunity to slide in a Wizard of Oz reference. Even as a corny line it rings very true to me today. I am currently experiencing my longest time away from Arica and Braden since Braden entered our lives. There is so much about them that I miss. The Best Western Hotel in Wichita does their best to replace them, but they fall miserably short.

Instead of the warmth of Arica's beautiful blue eyes I have the warmth of a microwave perched atop the college boy beer fridge in my room. Instead of the fuzzy feeling I get every time I look at Braden I have the slightly abrasive feeling of my legs against the sweet yard sale couch from which I watch the TV. Instead of the comfort of spending the evening holding Arica tight I am blessed to have the comfort of sleeping alone in a bed that has no doubt served more people than the local Wal-Mart. Instead of the sheer joy of seeing Braden's toothless grin I can hear the annoying joy of someone laughing down the hall.

The hotel is not bad, but it is not home. At home I have a nice comfy chair where I wallow around. I sit in this chair and use the laptop via the wireless Internet. Here I am sitting at a poor excuse for a desk using the local network via a hub nailed to the side of my desk. At home I have a beautiful wife and a adorable son. At the hotel I have a school full of kids playing ping pong, playing pool, and playing in the pool.

I tried clicking the heels of my brown Steve Madden shoes together today to no avail. Apparently you need shiny red shoes for this to work. Since I own no such shoes I will drive back to Kansas City tomorrow and travel home via traditional means. Before long I will be telling Arica and Braden that I am not in Kansas anymore. It will probably be the only time that I can actually get away with such a cheesy line. I am excited already.

First Time Business Travel

Tuesday I am going on a short business trip. This post is part warning to my readers and part lamentation. The trip will only last two nights, and I will only be venturing as far as Wichita. I probably won't be blogging on such a short trip because each day will have a full agenda. Most of my readers probably weren't with me when I posted about business travel before. You can see that post along with some pictures of Italy, Malaysia, Thailand and other places here. My job has taken me to several different countries for various lengths of time. I used to love travelling for my job. After getting married I didn't enjoy it nearly as much. Now as a dad, not only will I not enjoy it, but I will despise it. How could you not be miserable leaving this guy at home.


This trip to Wichita is no big deal. I will miss Braden and Arica, but I know that I will be home in a couple of days. The real pain is that this trip is making me think about my upcoming travels. I am scheduled to visit France in May and Scotland in July. I have already been to France three times, and I find most of the stereotypes to be true. I really have no interest in going back. I far prefer Italy, but that is another story for another time. Scotland will be a new adventure for me so it is at least a bit intriguing. These trips usually last two weeks. Sometimes they drag along into a third week. The trip to France should be shorter than that, but therein lies the real difficulty with this type of work. You never know when you are coming home. Just because you have a ticket for a plane that leaves in two weeks does not mean you will be on it.

I don't know how anyone can make a living travelling when they have children. Some people do it every day and probably live very happy lives. Often times I am sure people have no choice. They must travel in order to make a living. I could never do it full time. These infrequent trips are quite enough for me. Luckily today's technology makes it easier to stay in touch. Skype makes it possible to use your computer as a phone. Calls from one computer to another are totally free. We have one web cam and are set to get another so we can see each other from across the pond as well. Being able to see my family will be a huge boost while I am away. Knowing that they can see me will make me feel better too. I would hate for Braden to forget what I look like.

I should probably leave those worries for a later date. At the moment I am only off to Kansas. I know nothing of the place and will know nothing more when I return. I will do a little engineering and a little sleeping. If I am lucky I might find a good meal somewhere in between. I am sure Kansas will be fine with me. After all I grew up in a very small farming town in Arkansas. There may be more wheat and Jayhawks in Kansas, but it surely will have a familiar feeling.

With that I am off on Tuesday to Wichita. As I am always alert for humor and/or blogging topics, I hope to come back with a great travel story. Instead I will probably return only armed with a renewed hatred for the pain that is travelling in general.

Business Travel as a New Dad

My job has taken me many places. I mean this in the literal not figurative sense. When I first took the job I went immediately to a little place called Rossano Italy for 6 weeks. I have since been back there 6 or 8 times with the longest stay being 7 weeks. When I got the job I was single. I felt like some sort of adventurous traveller. I was seeing the world not in a dirty, touristy, tour bus kind of way but in a much more sophisticated manner. I was interacting with the locals like someone from the travel channel or someone from an exciting adventure movie. At times it even felt like I was living abroad. It was all very exciting for someone in their early twenties. Since I have been with the company I have visit Italy, France, Germany, Hungary, Thailand, Malaysia, and Costa Rica.

Check out some of the pictures from my travels. I know I am not in any of these pictures but I took everyone of them myself. I guess I was always scared if I asked someone to take my picture they would run off with my camera like that guy did to Clark W. Griswold in European vacation.

Church remains after WWII bombing (Hamburg, Germany)

Buddhist Cave Temple (Ipoh, Malaysia)


Petronas Twin Towers (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

Pattaya Beach, Thailand

Trevi Fountain (Rome, Italy)

The Colosseum (Rome, Italy)

St. Leonard Cathedral (St. Leonard de Noblat, France)

Playa del Coco, Costa Rica

Hotel balcony view of the Gulf of Taranto in the Ionian Sea (Rossono, Italy)

Everything changed when I got married. Travelling as a newlywed is extremely difficult. Instead of viewing myself like Indiana Jones in the streets of an exotic land I was now viewing myself like a dead beat husband. My wife was at home very upset and I was helplessly unable to do anything about it.

Now things have changed again. I have a son that I can't imagine being away from for a day much less 2-3 weeks which is my typical travel time. We have just sold a project in Scotland so I will be visiting there in the summer. I have alwasy wanted to visit Scotland. I have never visited any of the UK unless you count a bus ride from London Gatwick to London Heathrow as a visit to England. This trip to a fascinating English speaking country is great for my career as well . Yet all I can think about is the misery of leaving my family at home. I know plenty of people make a living travelling every day and they have happy families but that is just not me. Business travel as a dad will be a daunting task. I am going to Scotland but they might as well be sending me to the gallows because I will feel dead anyway.