DiploJournal
TV Shows
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I spend a fair bit of my copious free time exploring Ottawa, making photographs, using Skype to talk to the family, and studying Urdu for the next post. The fact is, however, I’ve got a lot of free time these days. Even with volunteering for non-consular duties, my work days are pretty much limited to eight hours. This will certainly change in Lahore, but until March, I’ve got a lot hours during the evening and week-ends with no pressing responsibilities. I read some, but I also watch TV.
I’ve got just about as many channels to watch in Ottawa as I had back home, including both East Coast and West Coast US network feeds. I find myself, however, spending most of my TV time catching up on old series that I completely missed when they were first broadcast. This appears to be a common pastime for foreign service folks living abroad, particularly those living without the plethora of other options. For me, it’s a way to turn the brain on neutral after the day’s stress (yes, doing visa interviews can be very stressful). It also provides a welcome distraction from missing the family.
Watching a series has been much more fun than a movie. I’m particularly drawn to a series if: (a) there’s a running plot, (b) it’s character driven, and (c) I haven’t seen it before. I’ve also found that it’s actually better if the show ended up being canceled after a couple of seasons. It’s far better to be left wanting more than to experience the “Jumping the Shark” moment which forever spoils the positive impression (I was 12 years old when the Fonz donned water skis to signal the beginning of the end for “Happy Days,” a TV moment forever responsible for the now ubiquitous phrase).
The key to determining whether the show works is that moment when an episode ends and I find myself doing the math to figure out if I can watch one more and still get enough sleep to be cogent the next morning. There is also the engrossing factor. I am a compulsive multi-tasker, particularly living alone for the first time in 25 years. It is not uncommon to find me with the TV on, the Giants game on (either a small window on the computer, streaming radio, or the GameCast silently updating), editing photographs, surfing the Internet, and playing Words With Friends on the iPad. A good show precludes most of that activity and requires me to watch (ok, maybe with the iPad on the couch).
Netflix provides a seemingly endless number of these shows. As a long-time TV addict, there were a number of shows that I followed when they first ran, but if you haven’t seen them, must see candidates in my book include The Wire, The Sopranos, and Friday Night Lights. That’s over a year’s worth of TV right there. The following list are those nuggets I’ve found and enjoyed since last October:
Jericho. Two seasons. Skeet Ulrich and Gerald McRaney provide strong characters and an unfolding plot that is far from predictable. Starting with the nuclear detonation of 23 U.S. cities, the show is focused on the fictional town of Jericho, Kansas, one of the few places far enough from the blast radius to still function. Definitely a show that made me want to watch just one more before ending the day.
Kings. One season. I’ll now watch anything with Ian McShane (Deadwood is on the short list for the future). He’s amazing in this short-lived but well-written one-season wonder. The production costs must have been too high for the low ratings as each episode looks like a well-done movie. The premise centers on the internal machinations of a modern-day absolute monarchy, the Kingdom of Gelboa. Using a long series of clever modern parallels, the unfolding plot is very loosely based on the biblical story of King David. The central character, David, for example, gains initial notoriety in the opening episode by single-handedly facing down the enemy’s indestructible “Goliath” tank. When this one ended, I couldn’t believe they didn’t make a second season.
Veronica Mars. Three Seasons. Very stylized father/daughter detective show set in the fictional upscale town of Neptune, California. Each season has a big plot (e.g., who killed Veronica’s best friend or who’s responsible for the bus-load of students flying off a cliff) and many smaller complex cases that resolve each episode. Once again, the common themes of good writing and solid acting make for an easy-to-watch distraction. Not sure why we haven’t seen more of Kristin Bell. Unlike most shows, they make the transition from high school to college without completely losing the show’s focus (as they did in two of my favorite guilty pleasure shows, the original Beverly Hills 90210 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer). They were smart to pull the plug after Season 3.
Prison Break. Four Seasons. Watching the first episode, I was thinking this would not be a keeper. It really sucks you in, however, to a core story involving two brothers: one on death row and the other a structural engineer. The engineer spends six months creating an intricate plan to break his innocent brother out, tattoos the encoded plan over his entire upper body, and holds up a bank to get get thrown into the same prison. It’s not quite Oz, but the mix of sadistic inmates and guards throws wrench after wrench into the well-oiled escape plan. I’m currently on Season 4 which I’m still watching mostly because of the strength of the characters, but this one might have been better served by shutting down after the third season.
So what’s next after Prison Break? I haven’t decided yet. Let me know if you have any suggestions.
Graffiti
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When I first arrived here, my first reaction as I navigated through a snowy downtown Ottawa was how clean the city appeared. Over the past six months, my initial impress has not changed. Part of it is the weather and the way the city deals with it. Snow gets plowed almost immediately after hitting the ground and there’s enough of it that the fresh white top-cover gets a regular renewal. The city also invests in services that keep streets and sidewalks swept, steam cleaned, and cleared of debris. As the nation’s capitol, Ottawa serves as huge tourist destination for Canadians so there also seems to be a strong interest in keeping the monument areas pristine.
Mostly, however, I believe it’s a Canadian thing. Forbes Magazine in 2007 published a list of the world’s top 25 cleanest cities. Canada ended up with an impressive five cities on the list, including the top spot (Calgary) and four in the top ten. Ottawa was a respectable No. 4. There doesn’t seem to have been much change in the last three years.
Although there are exceptions, there doesn’t seem to be nearly the degree of miscellaneous graffiti tagging in the downtown area as I’ve come to expect in urban centers. The City has designated a few spots, urban walls and a skate parks, as exempt from the anti-graffiti laws. I took a road trip out to one of these sites and found a series of “Jersey barriers” set up predominantly as open graffiti canvases. Some are detailed works of art while others provide a spot for taggers to mark their spot.
There’s quite the debate about whether the legal graffiti zones curb or incite more illegal graffiti in the surrounding areas. Compared to San Francisco and Boston (forget about New York or Chicago), however, Ottawa seems to be way ahead of the game.
Pakistan
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Lately, I’ve been having this recurring feeling that we are in the first reel of a global disaster movie. Maybe it’s my imagination, but it sure seems like the frequency of natural disasters seems to be increasing. Major earthquakes in Chile, China, and Haiti claimed hundreds of thousands. Tsunami hitting Chile. Historic flooding in Brazil. Record heat and fires burning out of control in Russia. Volcanic ash blanketing Europe and shutting down flights for a week. And that’s with two full months left to the hurricane season.
With all this suffering, it’s easy to overlook the latest tragedy in Pakistan. The relentless rains continue to expand the flooding damage. A quick summary to date:
- 20,000,000 people directly impacted (10% of the population)
- Over 1,600 dead
- 4,000,000 people homeless
- 8,000,000 people requiring urgent assistance and medical care
- 3,500,000 children in danger of contracting water and insect borne disease
- Over 1,600,00 acres of crops destroyed
- Over 200,000 livestock dead
Here’s a good map from the Guardian that shows how widespread the flooding has become (click to see it larger):
Photographs at the New York Times and the BBC underscore the suffering. With the rains continuing to come down in Sindh Province, this is not going to be a short-term fix. We’re talking years to recover and the aid has been coming up short.
As I just begin the preparations to spend a year in Lahore (already feeling very pessimistic about the prospects for picking up even rudimentary Urdu), I’m feeling particularly drawn to try to help. There are a number of organizations that will ensure donations get to the people in need: UNICEF, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, CARE, Doctors Without Borders, and OXFAM, among others.
Although these are all great organizations, I was particularly happy to see Secretary Clinton launch a new State Department program to raise funds for our relief effort. This is where we’re sending our money. If you want a quick way to give just a small amount, they’ve made it incredibly easy. For a quick way to give $10, simply TEXT “FLOOD” to 27722 from your mobile phone. If you’re interested in giving more via credit card, just click the button below and fill out the online form (it took 5 minutes, max). 
Hope you can help.
American Citizen Services
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A few weeks ago, I took on a new portfolio. That’s State-speak for a new set of responsibilities. For the remaining six months of my tour in Ottawa, I am the ACS officer. In some posts, American Citizen Services is a full-time job, dealing with every conceivable issue relevant to Americans living permanently or temporarily abroad. Here, because we have such an unbelievable local staff, the ACS work load can be managed in addition to my regular consular duties.
The portfolio includes passports, births, deaths, arrests, domestic disputes, abducted children, taxes, social security, voting, and scores of other issues. We deal with urgent matters whenever they come up and schedule appointments for more routine issues.
While I’m on the line adjudicating visa cases in the morning, I usually need to step out every half-hour or so to deal with an ACS case. Most of the routine cases involve passport applications and certificates of birth abroad. There are a series of complex rules to determine citizenship and they all come in to play over the course of a month or two. We get newborns, but also parents who want to get a birth certificate and passport for their 17-year-olds. The process often requires a review of stacks of old papers to establish birthdates, marriage dates, military service dates, employment dates, school attendance dates, etc. Sometimes the puzzle gets very complicated.
When Americans find themselves under arrest, it falls on the ACS officer to ensure they are getting fair treatment. I made my first prison visit a couple weeks ago, meeting with three inmates back-to-back. Although this is Canada, prison is still prison. I’ve been to a few in the U.S. visiting pro bono clients. I had the same visceral reaction to hearing the metal doors clang shut behind me after entering. There’s no such thing as easy time. Even in Canada.
Sad Day for Giants Fans
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With parts of my family in town for the last 6 weeks, I’ve been neglecting my blog posting duties. I’ll be back to Canada and foreign service topics this week, but I wanted to note the passing of Bobby Thompson, the legendary member of the New York (baseball) Giants. Thompson will be forever linked to the greatest comeback in sports history.
In August 1951, the Brooklyn Dodgers held a seemingly insurmountable 13-1/2 game lead over the second-place cross-town rival Giants. The Dodgers mailed it in down the stretch winning 26 and losing 22 over the last 48 games. The Giants did what they had to do. They closed stronger than any team. Ever. Starting with 16 wins in a row, the Giants won 37 of their last 44 games, including the last seven in a row to force a best of three playoff with the Dodgers.
Willie Mays and the Giants prevailed 3-1 in game 1. Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers rebounded 10-0 in game 2. Despite the miraculous comeback, the Giants once again faced elimination as the Dodgers looked to close out a 4-1 victory in the bottom of the 9th in the decisive game 3. The Giants pushed across one run, making it 4-2. After a couple of base hits, Thompson came to the plate with one out. Legendary Giants broadcaster Russ Hodges describes the last confrontation:
I’ve heard Hodges’ call more times than I can count and it still gives me a chill. We’ll miss you, Bobby.
Tags: baseball, bobby thompson, giants, san francisco giants, shot heard round the world
Spoiled by Good Health Care
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I’m well aware how lucky I’ve been to be very healthy most of my life and, in those rare times when I’ve needed a doctor, I’ve had easy access to high quality care. To date, the biggest injury I’ve suffered was a crushed hand bowling in college (yeah, weird story, but the important part is that I finished the game before heading off to the campus medical center). I’ve had the odd occasion to visit a physician over the past 15 years, but mostly just for regular check-ups and the obligatory lecture to exercise more, eat less bread and pasta, and monitor my genetic predisposition for high cholesterol and diabetes.
Last month, as most people have experienced at one time or another, I woke up with a stiff neck. I didn’t think too much about it, but the pain got progressively worse over the course of two days such that I could not lift my head. Over-the-counter pain relievers did absolutely nothing — even the combination muscle relaxant/asprin pills they sell OTC here in Canada did zip. I figured it’d resolve after a few days like such issues always have in the past. It didn’t.
With E and G here for the summer, I had a lot of help and support, as well as a push to actually get help. I tried to get in to see a doctor here. For residents, health care is free — you just swipe your Health Card at any clinic or hospital and wait for your name to be called. I would be paying out-of-pocket and then submit to Blue Cross for reimbursement. No problem.
Well, the wait was the problem. My experience is obviously anecdotal, but I tried a couple of clinics. The 3-hour wait times weren’t going to work given the level of discomfort standing or sitting on a hard chair. Many here travel to Ogdensburg, NY, about an hour away, for health care because you can make appointments and billing is handled directly with Blue Cross. That turned out to be no better. First available appointment would be August 18th. The alternative would be to wait in the emergency room — probably 5+ hrs.
Thus, I’m not making any judgment on socialized medicine in Canada vs. US pay-for-play health care. Both failed me when I needed help. I knew if I were back in Palo Alto, I’d be able to see a doctor, have an MRI, and get a definitive explanation and prognosis within a couple hours of making a call. Spoiled, no doubt, and not typical just about anywhere, including the United States.
The neck thing was so bad I went to see a local chiropractor (for those who know me, I have little faith in that particular discipline). After a few weeks of what I’d call very painful massage, I have a better range of movement. I can life my head and turn to both sides. I honestly have no opinion whether the 15-minute sessions twice a week helped or if I’d be in the same situation with the regular icing and resting I’ve been doing without the chiro. I still have a lot of pain most of the time that radiates down my left arm and causes spasms sporadically to my thumb.
After a lot of reading, it has all the symptoms of a badly pinched nerve that will eventually resolve. I reached the self-described limits of the chiro’s capability and will start physio therapy next week. My hope and expectation is that it will resolve in the next month or two while I try to not let it impact daily life.
I had a chance to do a temporary month-long consular assignment in Shanghai but figured the long flights back and forth would probably be a bad idea so I opted out. Next time, for sure, though.
If anyone has prior experience with these prolonged pinched nerve in the neck/upper back and found an exercise or treatment that helps speed up the healing process, let me know!
Surviving the G8 and Canada Day
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Tom McEvoy describes the game of poker as “Hours of boredom followed by moments of sheer terror.” While that description could well apply to any number of activities, it fit quite well for those of us working on the G8 advance team. There was actually a fair bit going on behind the scenes in and around Huntsville, Ontario, leading up to the G8 meeting. I had the honor/privilege/burden of wearing several different hats for the Embassy’s support team: site officer, thank you officer, gifts officer, and control officer for two Under Secretaries.
It was a kick to spend a couple of weeks in new surroundings. For two weeks, we lived out of rustic cabins just down the road from Algonquin Park, 7500 square kilometers of amazing hiking and canoeing, about 4 hours west of Ottawa and 3 hours north of Toronto. We shared the environment with chipmunks, fish, ducks, lots of bugs, moose, and a bear. During my daily commute from our cabin to the control room, I came perilously close to hitting a deer. Twice.
Without going into any detail, however, supporting a POTUS visit was a great assignment. The Embassy Ottawa team is a very experienced crew so I learned a lot from people who had been through the drill dozens of times around the world. Some days were pretty quiet, interacting with the White House advance teams and getting things set up. Other days had more than their share of sheer terror moments, juggling resources and making sure everything was covered.
In the end, everything went off as planned. The President arrived. The meetings took place. Many bilateral meetings took place. The President left. My Under Secretaries arrived, met their counterparts, received seamless support, and left.
Upon return to Ottawa, we (E and G are joining me for the summer) had the pleasure of seeing our first Canada Day up close. July 1st was the 143rd anniversary of Canadian Confederation. Nationalism here seems to be at an all-time high after the Vancouver Olympics. In addition, Queen Elizaveth and Prince Philip were in town. There were free concerts and activities set up all over town and hundreds of thousands descended on downtown Ottawa. Where else can you find a free double-bill of Bare Naked Ladies and the Queen?
After dark, we headed over to the Embassy and staked out a great spot on the roof to catch the fireworks. Promptly at 10:00pm, they started. We were so close, we could feel the explosions and feel the ash falling from the sky. I took advantage of the great spot by trying my hand at some fireworks photography. Here are a few:
For those who can’t get enough of fireworks pics, you can find the full set here: Happy Birthday, Canada!
Special Relationship on Hold for Two Hours
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On March 5, 1946, during his Sinews of Peace address, Winston Churchill referred to the special relationship between the British Commonwealth and the United States. Through triumph and challenge, the relationship has continued to be close ever since, underscored by diplomatic and military cooperation. Today, replaying a hiccup in 1950, we took a time out.
That was the last time the United States and England played each other in a World Cup finals match. As the dominant favorite (or as they’d say, favourite), our British counterparts graciously invited the U.S. diplomatic corps in Ottawa to raise a few pints and watch the match at the High Commission. Shared language and geopolitical goals, for 90 minutes, gave way to revisiting a 60-year-old bitter rivalry. At least, it was bitter from their point of view.
The United States and England have played in World Cup group play only once before. In what has since been dubbed the Miracle on Grass, a plucky group of American amateurs upset the dominant team in the world, 1-0, after having lost its prior 7 international matches by a combined score of 45-2. So sure were the English newspapers that the wire report contained a typo, they published the score as a 10-1 England victory. Apparently, nobody in the United States knows about it because it happened over 20 years ago and because Disney never made a movie about it. Most everyone in England, however, remembers it like it was yesterday.
Once again, the United States found itself as a dominant underdog to a powerhouse English team. After exchanging pleasantries, thanking our hosts, and finishing my first pint of Speckled Hen, the match began. From the start, England dictated the pace and it seemed as if we were always on defense. After four minutes, the Three Lions’ captain, Steven Girrard, found the back of the net and our hosts went wild. The American section fell silent, imagining a long afternoon of polite smiles and embarrassed congratulations.
Although the Englishmen continued to attack, American goalkeeper Tim Howard made a series of miraculous saves. In the 40th minute, what looked to be an easy save slipped past Robert Green’s grasp and trickled into the English goal. It wasn’t pretty, but it gave the Americans an excuse to stand up and cheer. Our hosts couldn’t believe it.
The rest of the match, although a tense exercise of repelling repeated English attacks, reminded us why soccer will never become as popular in America. Lots of tension, but no scoring. It ended in a tie.
Although we could hold our heads high and claim the moral victory with a draw, it still felt unsatisfying. Just like the players in South Africa, we all shook hands and headed for the exit. At least the special relationship remains intact.
Doors Open
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I’ve had this huge project hanging over my head for over a month and today was the first post-completion day. I thought I’d finally be able to sleep late, but I was still up at 5:30 running through my mental check-list of what needed to get finished. Today, at least, it was just some mop up items.
The project sounds pretty straight-forward: coordinate the Embassy’s participation in Doors Open Ottawa. Public and private buildings all over town open up to the public over one week-end for tours. Sounds like fun.
I received the assignment in late April, right after returning from the High Arctic trip. The Deputy Chief of Mission (aka the DCM) called out of the blue and asked if I’d be willing to jump in and run the effort. Sure. No problem. Happy to help. I’m sure it won’t be too much to add on top of my regular day job in the consular section.
It wasn’t until the next day that I realized what had just fallen on my head. First, there were over a dozen moving parts to the project. Second, the Embassy had never participated in such a program and we haven’t actually confirmed that any United States Embassy has opened its doors for public tours. Third, the project was a very high priority for both the DCM and the Ambassador. Oh, and we needed to produce an introductory video that would kick-off the tours. In a month.
Although there was a lot of stress involved in putting all the pieces together, it was actually a great project. It forced me to learn very quickly who does what within the Embassy. At times it felt a lot like an elongated version of the foreign service oral examination. Here’s a problem. Options 1 through 3 are now off the table. Figure out a solution. Now. And don’t spend much money. But it still better work.
Thankfully, there are a lot of free resources out there if you are willing to figure out how to use them. I was also very happy to learn that I am surrounded by a lot of very smart, dedicated folks, willing to lend a hand even though it isn’t their regular job. There was already a team in place but lots still left to figure out and, of course, to execute.
The video was my biggest headache up front. I just didn’t think it was realistic to put it together in a month given that we had a limited budget and no source material. My initial effort to push back on the one item met with clear marching orders. There will be a video. It will look professional and will cover the history of the United States mission in Canada, the building of the current Embassy, and the importance of the United States-Canadian relationship.
We put together a sub-committee, found some source material from the Canadian archives and connections through our public diplomacy group, slashed the outside production company’s proposed budget, and pressed on. We saw the rough cut last week and, surprise surprise, they did an amazing job.
Looking at the schedule from 10:00am to 4:00pm, we initially were aiming to get 480 people through the building. Security always has to be one of the key concerns for such a project so we needed to keep the tours small enough to be manageable. With 480 people over six hours, that’s 80 people per hour, or 10 tours of 8. Each tour would thus have to get started every six minutes. No problem. With enough volunteers, we could do that.
OK, so now how do we decide who get’s to go on the tours? Opening the doors and letting everyone and anyone wander in — like just about every other participant — was not going to work. We thus put together an online pre-registration system. If people wanted to take a tour, they would need to sign up online, providing name, nationality, birthdate, and email address. We would then send email invitations to the first 480. The proposal for creating such a system came in at over $5,000. Our budget? $0. Uh oh.
Google to the rescue. Our folks put together a free alternative system that collected the data just as we’d designed, using GoogleDocs. When the City of Ottawa announced the lineup, the United States Embassy was the big story. Television news covered it the night before the Ottawa Citizen reported it. By the time the newspapers hit everyone’s breakfast table, we had over 3,000 registrations and the system was crashing. I guess I need not have worried about people being interested enough to fill out a form to get in.
Once I had the master list of interested people, it was a surprisingly complex task of identifying groups, organizing them into desired time slots, and sending out customized email invitations. I won’t bore you (more) with the details, but it was several late nights working with Outlook, Word, Excel, and Gmail. Suffice to say, I got the email invitations out, as well as a couple thousand regret emails to those we could not accommodate. Given the overwhelming response, we decided to include another 120 guests. I was getting good at saying, “Sure, No Problem.” And then panicking later.
Although putting together the tour itself was not trivial, the building really is beautiful. As the Ambassador noted in one of the interviews, it looks a bit like a fortress on the outside, but the interior is all light wood, glass, and lots of exterior light. We put together a four-stop tour through two floors of the building, including the Ambassador’s office. We ended up recruiting 50 volunteers willing to dedicate all or part of their Saturday to work the event.
Yesterday, despite scattered thunderstorms all day, the event went off just about exactly as planned. Everyone needed to be screened through security like at the airport, but our security staff was very friendly and efficient. The line started early, but we quickly caught up such that nobody with an invitation remained outside for more than five minutes. The video worked. The tours departed on time all morning and all afternoon (granted, I spent the entire six hours making sure everything moved on time). The tour guides were well-prepared and performed extremely well. The Ambassador surprised the first dozen tours by welcoming them in person and showing them around the executive office.
Most importantly, just about everyone left impressed by the Embassy and the openness of the staff. I put together a quick online survey and sent it to everyone who attended the event to gauge their candid impressions and to get some ideas on what we could have done better. The survey received a huge response within hours. Over 90% found the tour to be very good or excellent. 98% would recommend it to friends or family if we do it again next year.
After a quick clean up, I headed off to the bar for a scotch. Tomorrow, I get to do visa adjudications without constantly following up on a million details while the applicant walks to my window. Tuesday night I have a presentation to give. Wednesday, I’ll start focusing on what my role will be for the G8 and POTUS visit coming in two weeks.
Celebration
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Mea culpa. It’s been awhile since I’ve written anything. I could say I’ve been busy, but that hasn’t really delayed prior posts. Fact is, I’ve just been kinda lazy about the blog. I will endeavor to get back on the horse. Until I get lazy again.
One of the nice perks of life in the foreign service is a few extra holidays. We continue to celebrate U.S. holidays, but we also observe local holidays. Thus, I have back-to-back 4-day weeks: last Monday was Victoria Day while this Monday is Memorial Day. It happens again with Canada Day and Independence Day both coming in early July.
Last week-end, I was able to take advantage of the Queen’s birthday to catch up with family and friends in Washington for a double celebration. E and I marked 25 years together (I find myself staring at that after typing it) with a nice hotel, a great bottle of champagne, and a couple of excellent meals. We had a really fun evening catching up with some A-100 friends over a few pitchers of margaritas at Lauriol Plaza, one of our favs.
We were in town principally, however, to attend M’s graduation from the University of Maryland. He chose to forgo the pomp and circumstance (and long boring speeches) at the Comcast Center in favor of a much smaller, more casual Lavender Graduation ceremony. While I was initially disappointed not to get to see him in robes walking down the aisle in a big ceremony, this was undoubtedly a better experience for all of us. The speeches and awards were moving, and M will remember graduation as a celebration with some of his closest friends.
I got a little choked up watching Dr. Cordell Black react with a huge smile and a bigger hug when M walked up to receive his diploma. As an activist leader on campus over the last three years, M has taken a lot of fire from the administration, some of his fellow students, and even a state senator. As a result, the formality of a big ceremony would not have fit. This was a much more appropriate send-off. Needless to say, I couldn’t be prouder of his accomplishments there (not to mention two degrees, both with honors, completed in three years).
At the end of the week-end, M came up to Ottawa with me for a few days to decompress and to catch up. It was great having him here, although for not nearly enough time. While I worked, he explored Ottawa, read a couple of books, and got back on the writing horse himself. We met up for lunch and dinner each day and mostly just hung out. It was a good week.
Work-wise, it has been incredibly busy. In addition to the regular consular duties, I am coordinating a huge Embassy-wide project, putting together an outreach presentation for prospective H1B temporary workers, and preparing for a role as a site officer for the upcoming G8 summit. Things should calm down by the next double 4-day week.
