More travel, CNN follies

I now have three different business trips within Europe scheduled between 19 Sept and 3 Oct... four, if one counts Madrid and the Seville area as two different destinations. I'm used to flitting about domestically like this, but not abroad. My best guess now is 19 Sept to Madrid (Astrobiology Institute), 23 Sept to Brussels (brief a joint FAA-Eurocontrol meeting, I just found out about this one), 25 Sept to Rio Tinto/Seville (get muddy whilst drilling), 28 Sept to Bremen (IAF conference), 4 Oct home to California.

Sigh... and all I have time for now is to wrap up three projects here before I head to Devon Island on Friday. After calling me Friday, CNN is sending a team to Devon Island on 20-23 July, and may do some live broadcasts on the 20th. So I definitely need to get a haircut this week...

done, so far today

Time to head home from the office... patgreene dropped off a burrito here an hour ago. I've finished setting up a fileserver for the new air traffic data management project, sent Northrop an official technical directive on letterhead, sent a copy to NASA-Marshall, done my travel voucher for the May trip to Japan, picked up James at his youth group (an hour late, after patgreene spaced and called me at work in a panic), met with SD and discussed automation design and sensor choices for the MUM mole, nagged hopeforyou about her scheduling, reconciled my monthly Government credit card purchases, called FedEx and First Air Cargo repeatedly to track down my shipment for Devon Island, ordered a bunch of thermocouple probes for borehole temperature profiles, agreed on terms to rent a gravity meter from its manufacturer and FAXed them a signed contract, consulted with management over liability if I break the instrument in the field, sent a letter with kitchen pictures to our architect, and went to a group-therapy initial consultation for my son David. And got Blue Cross to agree to resolve and pay for a couple of $K in unpaid medical claims, called geekchick, talked with Nancy, and worked out in the NASA gym.

I don't usually do the "expired to-do list" kind of entry, but that was what this rather long day contained... time to go home.