It's been a bit hasn't it.

Well, maybe it is time to start writing again. It has been quite an interesting couple months for us as a family. We have seen some very unique things happen and have quite enjoyed the time together. My wife and I have spent every Monday together (no kids) as a date day and it has been wonderful. Although, I have to say that the date ending with two wild boys tearing around the house doesn't seem to be the right ending but who's counting.
This blog is going to shift focus a bit. I created it to allow my family and friends to track my travels around the world and show them things as I saw them. I thought it was a good idea but the concept never really took off. I wrote but according to the stats... only a couple people ever read it. At first I was disappointed but then I realized that this blog is really for me anyway and if anyone reads it- good enough.
Remember the Byrd's Song "Turn, Turn, Turn"? It got be thinking about the season's we all go through in our family, our love life, our career, our spiritual journey.... So, each day that I write (I don't think it will be everyday but who knows) I will be exploring part of my own journey as I realize the wisdom of those lyrics- which are directly quoted from the Bible and King Solomon (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven - A time to give birth and a time to die ; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.A time to kill and a time to heal ; A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh ; A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones ; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.A time to search and a time to give up as lost ; A time to keep and a time to throw away.A time to tear apart and a time to sew together ; A time to be silent and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate ; A time for war and a time for peace. (The Message)

If you want to follow along my journey with me- great. However, I am fine to walk alone as well. Feel free to comment if you do follow along with me.

Godspeed,
Scott

Expedition Updates

As many of you know, on September 8 I started an expedition here in New Hampshire. I can't tell you where I will be expediting to (is that right?) or even my target arrival date but I can tell you, with all sincerity that this is the most beautiful Autumn I have ever seen! This summer I conquered a couple mountains and "hills" in Maine and New Hampshire. I have spent a lot of time in cemeteries reading cool headstones. The most interesting headstone I have come across was extremely old (1700's) and had the family name…born… died…. And then this:

"I was once standing where you now stand."

That could be a little creepy but I have to tell you that I look at it more as a lineage and heritage thing. Anyway, I have a tender spot in my heart for Scots and there are a lot of them that settled New Hampshire in the early 1700 (since the English were too scared they sent the Scots).

My beautiful wife and my boys and I are settling in nicely to our new community. WE LOVE IT. Finally a place that feels like home. We will be traveling back to Indiana for Christmas (dates to come).

Let me hear from you: scott "dot" w "dot" whitten "at" gmail "dot" com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/scottwhitten

Disappointment

How can we deal with disappointment? You know the kind that kicks you in the gut and takes your breath away. Ever have the sense that things are good and on track only to realize that you are like the cartoon coyote that ran off the cliff?
It is one of those surreal moments when you think something different than you feel. Today I know everything will be ok but I feel disappointed and discouraged.

Ever Wonder

If I write something... and no one reads it..... does it have any redeemable value?

I think I will have to rename my blog...

I have had an absolutely crazy week. I worked 12-16 hour days Tuesday-Sunday. I had a workshop all day every day this week. It was to start a 9 this morning. I got there are my normal time of 6:45 and started prepping for the meeting. My attendees started arriving and my boss walks in about 8 and asks me for a couple minutes.
That is really as long as it takes to say you are terminated effective immediately.



I was (am) in shock. I asked for the courtesy of an explanation. He refused and the HR lady (nice as she is) was quick to remind me my employment was at will.


Now I face the tough task... How do you tell your wife something like that? How do I tell my kids that I no longer have a job. I did not see this coming at all. My reviews were good. My colleagues that I work with on a daily basis seemed complimentary. Several contacted me today to offer their thoughts. Perhaps the most meaningful was a call from the other side of the world that said: God is in control and has something in store for you.

I am stunned. I am numb. I would cry but I can't quite focus.

Based on the reader feedback (virtually none) it is unlikely that these heart wrenching thoughts will even be read. None the less there is something therapudic about it. I guess this is where I can say if you have seen me recently I could stand to be down sized.

Godspeed,
Thank you,
And Good Night ~ Scott

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Mommy, I cut Nathan's fan cord with scissors

Yes friends, you heard it right. At first we thought it was the pull string he cut. But nope... it was bonified 100% (+/-) copper that was plugged in. Yes there was smoke. Yes there was "sparklers". Yes even a little fire and black marks on the scissors. More impressive than anything to me was the fact that he needed to come clean and did. Since I want him to listen and be sensitive to his conscience.... no punishment. But oh what the consequences could have been. Jolie and I think that he might be the one eating live goldfish in college.

This is carved in a boulder on the top of Douglas Mountain, Sebago, Maine. It means "Not for one, but for all"
I am so proud of Crosby (and Nathan too). This weekend, Crosby climbed his first mountain. It was Douglas Mountain in Sebago, Maine. It was over 2 miles round trip and the "summit is just over 1100ft. Nathan did the same mountain (different trail) in July of 2005. When they got to the top they were both rewarded with a awesome view and a pewter hiking boot. They both climbed with their own packs (three bottles of water in each pack)

Nathan in 2005Crosby in 2008

Proud Uncle

It was on this date in 2001, that Jolie told me I was going to be a father for the first time. What pressure. What expectations. What joy. It was on the back of DeMillo's in Portland, ME and my family was all together.
See some photos from this weekend.....

We had a great time this weekend up at the lake. It was great to finally see little Isabella. I had to pass on some photos. She is doing great and seems to be pretty relaxed- Must come from Jeff's side.

Isabella Grace Messer

What up Cuz? Crosby was the first in our family to see his new cousin. Congrats to Jeff and Alissa on their new package! I have had to hide the car keys to keep Jolie from driving up there last night (not really but you know Jolie). We will head up there Wednesday evening.

~scott

Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs. ~ Henry Ford

Most of you know that about a year a go we moved. Well…. Guess what…. We're moving again! Stay tuned for our new address!

It's not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required. - Winston Churchill

Well, my latest adventure is over. I am arrived safe and sound on Saturday evening. The whole trip was long but relatively uneventful. I really enjoyed my trip to South Africa. I brought my boys home South African Rugby jersey's. They love them!

Godspeed,

Scott

No matter how calmly you try to referee, parenting will eventually produce bizarre behavior, and I'm not talking about the kids. Their behavior is always normal. - Bill Cosby

Today is the day I leave South Africa. I have had a wonderful time although I would have liked to have more time to see everything. We went to a street market and looked at all the crafts from stone and wood carvings to tin containers to metal sculptures. They were very nice and quite amazing. The craftsman were very nice as well.

After that we went to a restaurant called Carnivores. As you may guess it is a meat restaurant where you can get lots of interesting meats. I had the following meats:

Blesbock

Kudu

Warthog

Ostrich

And Croc

The weather has been beautiful and we have had a productive time. I look forward to seeing my family again.

Godspeed,

Scott

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. - Mark Twain

We've spent the last two days at "The Campus" (Dimension Data Headquarters). It is really a self contained city with its own barber shop, helipad, golf course and cricket pitch. It is quite a sight to see. They rent out several office buildings on site to Dell, Microsoft and the likes. It has a wonderful view at over 5500 ft above sea level.

We went back to the guest house and ordered delivery food. We were all tired. The guest house is a beautiful Tuscan Villa and is run by a family and 4 dogs (yellow lab, two golden retrievers and a wiener dog). It is a very beautiful place to be and they have incredible food.

Tonight, we are going to a restaurant called Carnivores. They have 15 different animal meats to try. Our schedule and the current state of hieghtened concerns have not really made it possible to venture out much beyond our guest house and the office. I leave here tomorrow about 3PM and should arrive back in Boston around 4:30PM on Saturday.

Godspeed,

Scott

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. ~ J. R. R. Tolkien

I woke up this morning at 4AM and could not get back to sleep. I got up and tried to watch the sun rise but there was too much fog. In fact All day there was fog and it was breezy and I am not sure it got above 55F. The group of people I work with is a highly productive and highly competent group of people who work hard and play hard. A few of them managed to go to a lion and rhino petting zoo of sorts and also go on safari where they saw lions, hippos, giraffes and were charged by a rhino. The place we are staying is nice, clean and quiet. Tomorrow we venture out into Jo'burg to go to our corporate headquarts (campus).

To eat today I had eggs and toast for breakfast. Vegtable soup (2nd best ever) Carrots, zucchini, and potatoes for lunch and for dinner I had beef fillet and sausage. It was good.

I have tried to touch base at home but as usual they are probably busy playing and having fun. If you talk to them tell them hello for me as I doubt they have time to read this!

Godspeed,

Scott

OX TALES

I struggled with finding a witty way to start this entry. I ate ox tale last night for dinner. It tasted ok but there was not too much meat and a lot of bones. I got up this morning and sat on the porch as the sun was trying to cut through the fog. The sounds of South African birds were in the air. More to come.

 
 

Godspeed,

Scott

Landed!

Well I am here in the Republic of South Africa and the trip was relatively uneventful. If you have spend any time in a sardine can you can probably related to me being in the middle of the big row on an airbus 340. … NO Leg room. It is 9:15 AM here (3:15PM at home) and I need a nap. The time is only 5 hours difference but I did not sleep on the plane or in the airport. Nighty Nite!

Godspeed,

Scott

ZA Itinerary

Bus: June 6: 4:15PM

 
 

Flight To ZA:

UNITED FLIGHT 8858 (operated by Lufthansa) (7H 5M)

Departs BOS 10:05 PM June 6

Arrives FRA 11:10AM June 7

 
 

UNITED FLIGHT 4593 (operated by South African Airways) (10H-40M)

Departs FRA 8:45 PM June 7

Arrives JNB 7:25 AM June 8

 
 

Hotel: Little Tuscany Guest House

Tel: 011-27-11706-8206

Web: http://www.littletuscany.co.za

 
 

Flight To US:

UNITED FLIGHT 9139 (operated by South African Airways) (10H 30M)

Departs JNB 6:55 PM June 13

Arrives FRA 5:25 AM June 14

 
 

UNITED FLIGHT 8853 (operated by Lufthansa) (8H-5M)

Departs FRA 12:25 PM June 14

Arrives BOS 2:30 PM June 14

 
 

Bus: June 14: 3:40PM (next is 5:10PM)

Lat: 26° 2.625'S Lon: 28° 1.424'E: ZAGTJNB

Well friends, I am headed on the road again. This time headed to Johannesburg, South Africa (June 6-13). It will be winter there at that time. Coming from a place where single digits is winter, I am already beginning to stick my head in the freezer for a couple minutes each day to prepare for the average high of only 60F and Low of 42F.

More information as it becomes available.

No Shoes, No Shirt.... No Problem

I was mowing my lawn today and listening to this song. It was one of those special moments when you "tunnel" back through the years and you end up at a very special moment in time in a very special place with very special people. I am grateful for these memories although they seem way to far away.

As I recall, it was a saturday on a holiday weekend. The temperature was a steamy 95+. We were floating on a river and needed a drink, restroom and AC. The dock was so hot it was burning our feet. We had shirts but no shoes (ok those who used the restroom had shoes - I hope. I did not on both counts). We walked in and this song was playing on the jukebox. It was a happy moment in my life being married (but with one child in someone elses care), being carefree with friends. We were here: 40° 55.937'N 90° 56.899'W look it up. I am thankful for these two people in our lives. Interestingly enough, we went to a Jeff Foxworthy concert the night after one of the darkest days in our marriage. We needed it- they were there. It has been a very long time since we spent time with them, but they still hold a special place in our family.

Are you focused on soaking up these times and building these kind of friendships? Do you recognize them?

Godspeed,

Scott

"Ken Lee…"

I know the title seems odd today… Stick with me. I returned home on Saturday evening at around 9PM. It is so good to be home. I am anxious for my family to return from Spring Break- I have missed them. On the way out my trip was a disaster as I had to fly around a typhoon. On the way back I had to dodge a cyclone. It is so interesting to me how God knows just what I need. I left the hotel at about 4AM on Saturday Singapore time and flew to Tokyo (6 hours). I then quickly got on a plane headed to Washington DC (20 hours). I was concerned because I only had 40 minutes to get through immigration, collect my bags, go through customs, re check my back, re go through security and then run down the concourse to the regional jet gates. Long story short… I made it to the gate just as it was about to board. I was tired. I had to go to the bathroom. And I really just wanted to sit still for a bit. Anyway I boarded and we pushed back and the engines died and the batteries died and we were stranded on the runway without AC or any power (it was 88 degrees). They fetched us and drug us back to the gate. We unloaded and it turned out to be a nice 60 min delay. I enjoyed it really.

Now…. Ken Lee….. So during my excursion to Asia, it was pretty common to have a guy and girl singing classic 80-90 music in restaurants, hotels, lobbies etc. One of them sang the a song by Mariah Carey called I can't live. The chorus should be:

I can't live

If living is without you

I can't live

I can't give any more

Can't live

If living is without you

Can't give

I can't give any more

What we heard was:

I Ken Lee

If lee is without you

I Ken Lee

I ken gib any more

Ken Lee

If lee is without you

Ken gib

Ken gib any more

Some of the people asked her about the words and she insisted it was Ken Lee instead of Can't live. At any rate, it is good to be home!

Godspeed,

Scott

Hello?

Does anyone read these?

Send me a comment if you do by clicking on the envelope below

Regards,
Scott

Nearly all marriages, even happy ones, are mistakes: in the sense that almost certainly (in a more perfect world, or even with a little more care in this very imperfect one) both partners might be found more suitable mates. But the real soul-mate is the one you are actually married to. - J. R. Tolkien

Well my friends… what a blur the last couple days (I think it has only been a couple) have been. We departed on Friday afternoon for Club Med Ria Bintan in Indonesia. It was an hour long boat trip and it was so hot. I had never stayed at a Club Med before…. I tell you the truth…. If I could afford it I would go every year! It is one price for almost everything included in your room cost.
It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen… Ok the most beautiful tropical paradise I have ever seen. It was so hot and humid but we had an absolutely grand time for Friday evening- Monday morning. They control the quantity of guests and I never had to wait for anything and there was always enough chairs or whatever to go around. This trip was a very special treat but there was one big gapping thing missing: My Wife. Then it would have been perfect! It gets 5 stars from me! I realized I must be a loser husband because my wife deserved this treat much more than I did. I was really dreading her being at home for two weeks and three weekends without a break- that is not fair for anyone! My inlaws flew her and the boys our for spring break this week- I am so grateful! I know the time with them and all their friends is much needed and over due. Poor Crosby has only one friend that he place with maybe once every other week. Anyway- the boys are "in heaven" getting to see Carly and Noah and uncle Chris and Aunt Joy and Owen in Isabel and Andrew and Emily. You know… we are really rich!
Singapore is a beautiful city and is most enjoyable. It is a tad on the hot side heating up to almost 107F heat index. It does not feel crowded at all. I am very anxious to get home though. I miss my Peeps (people)!
I will sign off for now but hopefully get back on the daily updates until Friday. I am scheduled to leave at 7:15AM Saturday and arrive in Manchester at 6:30PM on Saturday (I think…. Time wise it will be Sunday for me I think… who knows!).

Here are some photos from my hotel, the office and Club Med:

Love you all!
Scott

Ria Bintan: http://www.clubmed.com.sg/cgi-bin/clubmed55/SP/villagesHeading.do?PAYS=362&LANG=AE&CODLSC=RBIC

Google Map Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=1.18292,104.335871&spn=0.038101,0.058022&t=h&z=14

XTreme Update 2.0...

Just got back to my hotel after being in Indonesia for the weekend. I will tell you more about it but have to run to some meetings now. If you see my family tell them I am good and would like to chat.

Regards,

Scott Whitten
By working on knowledge, skill, and desire, we can break through to new levels of personal effectiveness as we break with old paradigms. All three components must be present. ~Stephen R. Covey

www.myspace.com/witbits
www.linkedin.com/in/scottwhitten

Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won't work.- Thomas Edison

I cannot get over how humid it is here. It is absolutely amazing - and uncomfortable. We had another extremely productive day of work here yesterday. In some sense we are really redefining how our companies global teams work and deliver.

I have been taking a taxi to the office rather than walking the 5-10 min walk due to my back and the humidity. I decided to brave the walk last night on the way home. The back was very sore after but more importantly… I was soaked from head to toe!

There is nothing else of any interest to note I guess. I have only been able to speak with Jolie once since I have been here and have not talked with my boys at all. I try in the morning (there evening) and in the evening (their morning) but it just has not workout I guess.

What's Next? For my family, they leave for Spring Break in Kokomo:

...Theres a place called kokomo. Thats where you wanna go to get away from it all…

Oh… Kokomo Indiana I mean. And I am headed to Club Med Indonesia.

Tune in next time for- Where in the world!- Who know's what adventures lie in wait!

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. ~Sun Tzu

Today we traveled across town to the headquarters of our Asian Company (DataCraft Asia). Singapore reminds me of any major American city except it is ultimately clean and green! We had a Green moment today where all of the lights in the office were turned off from 1-2:20PM today.

Singapore is an island (actually 63 islands) that is almost 300 square miles in area ( it was only 224 in 1960 and is forecasted to grow by another 40 by 2030). This area is slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC and is one of the only city-states in the world. The population is roughly 4.6 million but it does not cramped or crowded. Many of you know my passion for FREEDOM so of course I need to understand the context here. They do have a representative democracy even though they are recognized as being a parliamentary republic. The People's Action Party (PAP) has won control of parliament in every election since they became self governing in 1959. I wonder…. When someone creates rumors about this party… is that a PAP smear campaign? Anyway… they finally achieved their own sovereignty on August 9, 1965.
It is hot and humid. Normal temperatures all year long are between 72-93F. Average humidity however is 90% in the morning and 60% in the afternoon.

We had productive meetings but I have tried to get horizontal as soon as the work day is over to allow my back to relax. Everyday gets a bit better.

I did have a special treat this morning- I got to talk to Jolie for the first time since I left on Friday. She shared with me that Nathan climbed a tree and got up so high that she almost had to call the fire dept to get him down! He was stuck. Fortunately our neighbor is an arborist and had all the ladders and buckets necessary to get him down. He could not figure out why his mom could just not catch him. I needed that story today. That is all for now. Check in tomorrow for more.

If anything can go wrong…. It undoubtedly will

Wow. I left my home on Friday morning @ 7:00AM. I received a call from United letting me know that my flight was on schedule and everything was good on the way to the airport. When I arrived I was informed that my flight was cancelled. That meant that the seats I had selected for legroom were also gone. The flight they booked me on actually was leaving before my original. Instead of flying to Chicago then to Tokyo, I had to fly to San Francisco. When I arrived (Friday 3PM) I was informed that my flight would not leave until the next day. After we dropped the flight crew off at a Hilton Double Tree, the shuttle took us to a red roof hotel. On Saturday I left the hotel at 7:30 AM and arrived at the airport only to find that there was no one at the ticket counter. Instead of flying to Tokyo I was flying to Hong Kong but my flight was delayed. Finally we departed for Hong Kong where I anticipated having a two hour layover. This was not too bad because I figured it would give be plenty of time to get through customs etc. We guess what… rather than departing Hong Kong for Singapore @ 8PM on Sunday… my flight was delayed take off until after 1AM on Monday. This put me into Singapore at 3:30AM Monday. Upon leaving the gate I had to walk down a path between guards armed with machine guns.
I was greatly relieved to finally be there. Now all I had to do was make it to the hotel and maybe I could get a nap before having to be coherent- Monday is the start of my meetings and I have not had any sleep since my red roof experience and my back was spasm ing like crazy after standing for hours at a time in line and sitting for hours flying. Never the less I got to the hotel with out a problem and swiped my credit card for the toll. I tried to check in only to realize that sometime in the past 3 min my credit card company had deactivated my card due to Fraud/Security alert. Now picture this…. I stink… I am sweaty (it is hot and humid and I am tired and in pain)…. All I want is a shower and a bed … it is early in the morning I have no way to get a hold of anyone and my credit card company is not cooperating. The amount of cash I had in my pocket was not enough for even one night! Finally @ 6 AM they had mercy on me and took all the money I did have and let me check in…. I have yet to talk to my wonderful bride! But she knows I am here in Room 1239... can you see me?

Tune in tomorrow to discover how Monday went. I am going to bed!

Tomorrow will be the start of a new mindset and intestinal fortitude!

Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.

Well my friends... tis time for the next adverture of Where in the world!
Not alot has happened since we last spoke but let me highlight any critical developments. I went to Maine to help get my parents place opened for the summer last saturday. They still had knee deep snow in places. In fact it was a nice father and son adventure. I took nathan with me and we could not even get into the drive way. So... being prepared for that we started shoveling. Have way through the 2 foot deep snow and POW! then !^&*^%#$@#@!* By back something in my back gave out...popped... and put me on my knees. Here is where it gets frustrating for people who know me.... I was only half done... you guessed it...i gutted out the rest of the entry to the drive and then hiked up the drive and got into the house. I layed down on the floor (BAD VERY VERY BAD idea) to gain some relief. Nathan was afraid. I made some phone calls and then tried to get up... it took me 30 minutes of breathing and gutting it out before I could stand. I knew it was not good. I drove back to NH and went to the ER. They gave me steroids (so I will not be able to play baseball), a muscle relaxant and a pain killer. I have been working from home this week and every day gets a little better.
So, 6 days later, I will board a plan in Boston due for Singapore some 20+ hours later.... did I mention it will be economy? Did I mention that I saved some pain meds?
So long for now. I try my best to track daily with my trip.

Regards,

Scott Whitten
By working on knowledge, skill, and desire, we can break through to new levels of personal effectiveness as we break with old paradigms. All three components must be present. ~Stephen R. Covey

www.myspace.com/witbits
www.linkedin.com/in/scottwhitten

Singapore Trip

Here is my itinerary (high level) for my trip to Singapore.
I leave on Friday morning out of BOS @10:37 AM
I arrive in Chicago at about 1:30PM
I leave Chicago @ 2PM
I arrive in Tokyo @ 3:10 AM
I leave Tokyo @ 4:50AM
I arrive in Singapore @ 11:55 AM

I will be at the Charlton Hotel in Singapore during the week and at a ClubMed resort on the weekend.

I will post retrun after I arrive.

Regards,

Scott Whitten
By working on knowledge, skill, and desire, we can break through to new levels of personal effectiveness as we break with old paradigms. All three components must be present. ~Stephen R. Covey

www.myspace.com/witbits
www.linkedin.com/in/scottwhitten

Timing is everything!

Well, it seems to be a common trend in my life; I try to do something for someone else and I get hurt or burned in the process. Nathan and I went up to Maine to start opening my folks house for their return. There a 2 foot tall snow pile (on top of 6 inches of solid ice) at the opening of the driveway. We started shoveling it snow off so the air and sun could melt the ice. Well... long story short, I shovelled and twisted and my back went out and sent me to my knees. Keep in mind I am supposed to leave for Singapore on Friday morning. So... I went to the ER and got some meds to try ot help with spasms, pain, and inflamation. I am in bed trying to allow it to get better.

Regards,

Scott Whitten
By working on knowledge, skill, and desire, we can break through to new levels of personal effectiveness as we break with old paradigms. All three components must be present. ~Stephen R. Covey

www.myspace.com/witbits
www.linkedin.com/in/scottwhitten

Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.

I'll tell you right off the top that this is a quote from George Burns.

Today I completed my pilgrimage from "sea to shining sea'. It was cloudy. I wore my Crocs today and waded out into the water. The cool thing was my LL Bean Khaki's are water resistant and never got wet! Anyway the water was about 63F (compared to Hampton Beach, NH 40F).

 
 

Tomorrow I leave the hotel at 3:50 AM to catch a 6:20AM flight. Wow, an airport that has free wireless. I got up @2AM and headed to the airport only to have to wait for the ticket counters to open. It was the latest timeslot the shuttle had open. Last night I got on the elevator and smelled something very familiar but I could not place it…. I got off and looked on the street and it was musclecar heaven. Turns out there was a Good Guys Car show just up the street and what I smelled was the rich exhaust of a 1969 camaro with a blown 350 that had just unloaded. I saw Woodies, camaros, rat rods…. Had I known they were here this weekend I might have tried to stay…. No not really. I miss my wife and boys. I am headed home!

 
 

Godspeed,

Scott

Always acknowledge a fault. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you an opportunity to commit more.

Hey all,

It rained overnight. I woke up at 2AM and had the worst dream I can remember. I don't dream often but this one I dreamed I was in a car wreck and the car t-boned me hard. I remember the air bags deploying and I could not feel my left arm. I thought sure it was gone. I woke up in a sweat and realized my arm was asleep.

It was cloudy this morning but today is nearly cloud free and the waves are quite surf able. We walked down to the beach and it was a wonderful view.

We finished our day at 5:30PM and went to the California Pizza Kitchen for dinner. It will be the last dinner together until Singapore.

Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way.

Today was by far the most productive day. It was a day that was to be solid rain and yet there was barely a cloud in the sky. We walk about a half mile to the office each day. The office is great! I had a great burger from the HideAway Café today. It is literally a shed! But it was clean and tasted great! I had a nice Cobb Salad from the California Pizza Kitchen for supper. Got to get some sleep!

 
 

Godspeed,

Scott

"A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval. "

For those who did not catch yesterdays' quote source… it was Sir Winston Churchill

 
 

My colleagues are from France, South Africa, and Australia. Today was another good day of work. We had breakfast in the morning and walked down the street to the office. We pretty much "sprinted" all day and finished about 7:30PM tonight. We are moving in the right direction. We had dinner tonight at a Thai restaurant next to the hotel and I had a honey roasted duck on fresh spinach with broccoli and carrot decorations.

 
 

It was cloudy this morning and looked like it was threatening rain but during the mid afternoon it cleared and we has a beautiful sunset. Tomorrow is supposed to be rain all day. Thursday is supposed to be a good surfing day with 4-5' seas.

 
 

Good day for now,

Scott

I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.

Hey gang! BTW that quote is from one of my favorite historical figures. Can you guess who it is?

We started our work with the vendor this morning and ended at 8PM local time. It was a very productive but long day. The hardest part of the day was the horrible view from the conference room at our vendor. I hope I will be able to tolerate the rest of the week.

~Scott

Landed

Well friends,

I managed to get myself out of bed at 4AM this morning and drag my family ( I know I know) at 5AM to the airport. Since that time I have flown from Manchester, NH to Chicago, IL and from there to San Diego. It is kind of funny… the locals all have their knit hats and hoods on. It is very cold… almost 50!

BTW.... the first person to comment on what is at 32degrees 58min N and 117degrees 16 min W at an elevation of 68ft gets 5 bonus points!

Anyway, the boys were very cute while they teetered between asleep and awake. They both said at different times something to the tune of I hope you have a good time. Give Jolie and the boys a call to check on them when you think of it. This new traveling game has us all trying to figure out what is what. Well, I am headed for a nap. We'll see what adventures await tomorrow!

Godspeed,

Scott

What does Scott have in common with Matt Lauer and Carmen?

Well gang,
The big news is I will be traveling 7-10 days a month (mostly international) for the next year - 18 months. Jolie and I have really struggled with it but it is a good opportunity and well... I really did not have a say (call me if you want more info) and so we are trying to make the best of it. I leave on Sunday morning to be in San Diego for a week or so. Then I am back for a week or so... then it is off to Singapore and Indonesia- two places new for me.
I know it could be worse and harder etc... the reality is though.... that I really love my wife and my boys. The boys are really into dad and I hate the fact that my job has placed jolie in the role of a single parent and that I am not here for her to have breaks etc. People have said- you'll get used to it.... to be honest- I DON'T WANT TO. I love my family. Anyway, my plan to to keep this updated while I travel so my kids and others who care can observe the world through my eyes. I would love to hear from you and I know Jolie would love to hear from you for sanities sake. So... here I go!!!
Regards,

Scott Whitten
By working on knowledge, skill, and desire, we can break through to new levels of personal effectiveness as we break with old paradigms. All three components must be present. ~Stephen R. Covey

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