And so it begins

Today, in less time than a man works a daily shift, I shall board a winged steed on a mission to the Old Country. I am to venture into thte land of the Pope's protectors and to lock hands with those who fight for the least among us. A high honor for me personally, but an opportunity to be of greater assistance to those who help millions.

Thus begins my journey to Geneva, Switzerland. Today, there will be one stop in Amsterdam and a two hour lay over before ascending the final leg to Geneva. There is a 6 hour time difference and with the nearly 11 hours of flight, I am scheduled to arrive Monday morning around 8:00 AM local time.

The nature of my visit with this client, is the same as it has been for the last 20 years or so. Assist people in finding out what they do and help them do it better. This particular mission is as much about engaging in diplomacy and the associated give and take that negotiations bring to continued prosperity. To that end, and it is considered good advice, I am to listen twice as much as I am to speak, and to write down all that pertains to the subject at hand.

The next 6 days will see meeting schedules full of back to back meetings, working lunches and coffees. Representatives from all over the world will be participating in this share of information and I am one of two hand-picked to represent the creative team, due to my command of the technological situation.

Though I will not be able to speak of my discussions with this client, I will be able to relay my off hours time. I intend to use my new IPad 2 to both capture the beauty of Geneva and to tell you all about it as time permits. I am sorry to say that Kathy will not be able to attend as it would have been a nice vacation for her after the trials she has recently endured.

I will try and post an update from Amsterdam, but I think we are going to be forced to run Through a foreign terminal ala O.J. Simpson. Although it will be morning when we arrive at our terminal destination, it will feel like 2 AM in Atlanta. I expect a brief respite from the waking world will be necessary as we adjust to our new home.

Until then, I bid you all, adieu