Dateline: above the garage in Portsmouth RI, 13 March 2005
Good talk with Mark on the phone today. He sent me Chapter 1 edited. We synched our schedules. Pretty scary between now and mid-late April. I realize I have flights already scheduled for one trip between now and then and need to schedule five more on my own later today, anticipating probably two more for an Esquire project.
I am back off the normal stories blog and back into hyper-drive mode on the book. Just gonna have to be that way for about a month.
Today I write the essay for April issue of Rule-Set Reset and get my personal finances in order on Quicken, plus help Vonne engage in a load of packing in anticipation of the painter coming on Thursday. Tense to be having so much going on, but feel these are all sensible decisions, unavoidable deadlines, and opportunities not to be passed up. For example, I have executives from various companies/organizations flying up to Newport in the next two weeks to take me out to lunch and discuss possibilities. If that's happening, I need to be planning very aggressively for opportunities, making sure we take all necessary plunges as early as possible, thus the rationale for the move this year. Hard, yes, but next year much harder.
Plus, the huge reason for move to IN is being closer to family in general, and to wife's especially. That'll give us possibilities on kid-watching that we've long denied ourselves. I can even imagine taking Vonne to a football game this year.
Just noting some headlines from today's Post
■ "Egypt Frees An Aspiring Candidate: Presidential Hopeful Is Released on Bail," By Daniel Williams, Washington Post, March 13, 2005; Page A16.
■ "Syria Vows Phased Lebanon Exit: Some Personnel to Depart by March 31; U.S. Wants Prompt Final Pullout," By Robin Wright, Washington Post, March 13, 2005; Page A01.
■ "Give the Arabs Credit," Op-ed by Mona Eltahawy, Washington Post, March 13, 2005; Page B07.
Mubarek's government makes the rushed multiparty elections look a little less unreasonable in its timing by letting a possible candidate out of jail. Bit much by our standards, but remember, this is Egypt.
Syria is promising to remove one-third of its troops from Lebanon by the end of March. Enough? No, but still pretty amazing given past responses.
The op-ed by Eltahawy is something else:
The invasion of Iraq was the equivalent of a bucket of freezing water thrown in the face of an Arab world in deep slumber.
There, I've said it. Can we move on now?
There is a way to talk about the effect of the Iraq war on the rest of the Arab world without actually supporting that war. This time last year and the year before, I marched in demonstrations in New York against the war on Iraq, which I did not believe was launched in the name of democracy and freedom. But we would be lying to ourselves if we didn't acknowledge that the U.S. occupation of Iraq is a major catalyst for what has been happening lately, be it in Egypt, Lebanon or Saudi Arabia.
Pretty much says it all, huh? The Big Bang is having its desired effects. Bitch about the employment, stick to your story about the administration's worst motivations, and deny all credit to Bush, but there it is.
Mubarek doing the unthinktable--until Iraq. Syria doing the unthinkable--until Iraq. Questions being asked that were unthinkable--until Iraq. It all reminds us that Iraq was never the end, always the means.
Got a nice email today from Greg Jaffe of the WSJ: in it he said that when I spoke of the Marines being SysAdmin a year ago, he thought I was pipe-dreaming somewhat. He no longer thinks that, given what he sees in the Marines and what he hears from them. It has been an amazing year all around, reminding us that occupations tend to change the occupiers more than the occupied.
So it was never Iraq as end, always the means, both here and in the Middle East. Pretty amazing, when you think about the unthinkable. Even more amazing when you publish it in a bestselling book.
Last week PNM was dropping to between 1-2k on Amazon, but pulls back up to 800s now, which is good for a Sunday.
Here's the list of "statistically improbable phrases" that Amazon now cites in PNM:
future worth creating, economic rule sets, security rule sets, slim connectivity, exporting security, rule sets that define, strategic security environment, vertical scenario, horizontal scenarios, legal rule sets, global rule sets, economic connectivity, growing connectivity, internal rule sets, killer brief
A good reminder as Mark and I collaborate on BFA:AFWC's editing process. The jargon is the jargon, but it cannot dominate the ideas. Mark is very excited about the A-to-Z Rule Set on Processing Politically-Bankrupt States in Chapter 1. It's a huge section, and he says my first draft is a bit too much legalistic in its tone, losing me as a voice in the process. So we'll adjust, but we'll also preserve a bit, because it's a big concept, a big proposal, and a big part of the book. No one is proposing something like this, and no one could right now except for me and except for BFA:AFWC. That groundwork was laid in PNM. The next steps are logical, and that is what vol. II will be all about.
The density and jumpiness of this post indicate my sense of pressure right now. I feel like I'm entering a black hole of creativity: nothing will escape.
Gotta go and make this day happen.
Here's the cover as promised:
What do I see? I see continuity, which I like. I see boldness in the main title--almost presumption. Like my Critter says, "Ain't bragging if you can do it!" I see the promise of the PNM fulfilled in the subtitle. I dig NYTBSL tag, cause I f--kin' earned every bit of it--as did my family in all my absences. I love the color, very dignified but very hopeful. I like the color because it evokes a solemnity of purpose, a sense of importance. This book itself is a big deal, because what it says about the future is a big deal. I love the shine. I love that the globe is seen in whole--this is a comprehensive view for the planet as a whole. I like it because it just totally pysches me to edit this book with real passion, now that this marker is up and out there in cyberspace--the gauntlet thrown down. I just plain like it, and so do Mark and Neil.
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