It's about time I left the states

My first trip is to Baku Azerbaijan. You can google maps, see my really high level map in an earlier blog, or read this for a little background. http://www.answers.com/topic/baku

Today: DFW overnight to London; 3 hr layover and then non-stop to Baku. Flight is 9 1/2 hours to London; 5 1/2 to Baku. Actually arrive at 10:30 pm Monday in Baku - they are 10 hours ahead of us - and will get to the hotel after midnight with morning meetings Tuesday starting with breakfast at 8:00. God only knows what my body clock will be. One good thing - flying Business Class though with the way American Airlines is these days I'll probably have to pay for a drink and a pillow.

Remember the 10 hours if you want to get in touch with me or wonder why you haven't heard from me. When you're going to work I'll be getting off. When you come back from lunch, I"m going to bed. When I get up the next morning, you'll be getting ready for bed. We'll figure something out.

My audit is for 3 weeks and am looking forward to doing something fun and Russian over the weekends - like go look at rugs and probably some mosques.

My return trip is Thursday Sept 3, but have to spend the night in London and catch flight to DFW arriving at 2:30 pm Friday - JUST IN TIME FOR THE BEGINNING OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON. Who would have thought that I will actually be looking forward to seeing an OU game! Rick's been instructed to pour my jello-like body in the back seat of his car and take me to the game Saturday.

Another more eventful thing that's happening today is that Laura Jean has moved to Austin meaning that Cindy along with Kristin and Nathan will be holding down the fort. Everyone should make a point to call Cindy every couple of hours to check on her well being...JUST KIDDING. She's just fine.

After I'm home for Labor Day Weekend and THE BEGINNING OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON I will be home that week and then take Trip #2.

Monday, Sept 14, I have a noon flight from Houston that is 15 hours non-stop to Luanda, Angola. With the 6 hour time difference we arrive there at 9 a.m. Once again I'll have a 3-week job but will not be out/about too much on the weekends, though sounds like a trip to the "beach" is something that might happen. Still a ways off.

I return on Thursday Night October 1 and get to Houston at 8 a.m. on Friday. Just in time for UT OFF-WEEK IN FOOTBALL. Damn. Oh well.

Anywho, that's it. I"ll post things here as I can and hope to hear from all of you. In Baku I'm staying at the nicest hotel - a Hyatt Hotel (The Park)- and will be working downtown so it looks like I"ll be in the middle of a metropolitan scene. Population is over 1.8 million. Sorta like Plano and Collin County.

Adios and Boy Voyage!