Notes from New Mexico

Made it to BWI in time for my eight o'clock flight, did the layover in Atlanta, took the three hour flight from Atlanta to Albuquerque, watched Hitch again and desperately tried to get into Edwidge Dandicat's The Farming of Bones, and took the two hour bus ride from Albuquerque to Montezuma. I'm staying in a castle that doubles as a prep school during the school year.

I'm exhausted and have to stay in a dorm room with two other guys, but otherwise things are good. The place is beautiful, and it looks like my days will be pretty full of training, plus some opportunities for afternoon trips to Santa Fe and Taos.

Things seem to different here, so far. The landing in Albuquerque, with its miles of brown desert broken up by random splotches of green foliage, was pretty amazing. The rocky, brown terrain is unlike any I've seen before. This is my first trip west of Chicago and I'm disappointed I didn't do one of those post-college road trips around the country that I've heard others enjoy.

Getting away and being less stressed than I was going to a wedding is good. I hope the trainers are good and that this trip will be a good use of your tax dollars. (Actually, I think the money for this training comes from some sort of special grant, but I'm not sure. I've already shelled out a couple hundred for the trip anyway.)