T-minus 11 hours and counting, until I am in the air and on my way to Amsterdam, the first leg of my trip taking me to Manama, Bahrain. For now, I won't bother with writing much of anything, as there really isn't much to say until I get over there and start sightseeing, and working with my students. Except - I am PSYCHED!!! And now that I have taken care of all sorts of personal issues, and landlording matters, I am finally getting mentally ready. (Just in time!)

And, amazingly, a co-worker emailed me a CNN story about flooding in Yemen (dozens, dead, sadly) - I guess disasters AREN'T irrelevant in the Arabian Gulf!