A little bit of everything

I have so many different topics I want to write about I don't know where to start.  I could write an entire post on each of them.  Instead, since I have limited time, let me just hit on the key items:

1)  I'm ecstatic that Congress is focusing on the elimination of earmarks.  I really hope it sticks.  Earmarks are how we get 5-lane highways in rural Alabama that have never seen a traffic jam while Los Angeles and Phoenix suffer gridlock.  Earmarks are the result of backroom handshakes on how to spend federal dollars - and it needs to stop.  A better approach:  appropriate funds to broad categories - transportation, energy, medical research, military, etc.  Define a set of objective criteria with which to judge projects.  The projects that have the highest match are the projects that get done.  If it works for corporate America, it can work for our government.

2)  I'm very curious to see the downstream effects of repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell.  The implications are far broader than many realize.  For example, spousal benefits, marriage ceremonies.  With military bases in nearly every state, I wonder how quickly federal law will begin to supersede state law and how quickly this will cause problems.  With 70% of America supporting gays in the military, I think it's the right thing to do and the right time to do it.  I'm interested to see how it plays out.

3)  Jakarta is absolutely empty at Christmastime.  I showed up for rugby on Thursday and I was the only one there.  My normal 45 minute commute has been a mere 20 minutes.  Except for the day Indonesia played Malaysia for the soccer championship.  That took me over two hours.  Inopportune time for traffic, too.  We were supposed to pay a visit to what we hope will be our new house.

4)  Did I mention we're moving?  Since we will be in Jakarta for another 18 months, we want to move to a location more amenable to our lifestyle.  Climbing up and down four flights of stairs with two children, and a third on the way, is not ideal.  We found a one storey house that we like a lot.  It's very similar to our home in Arizona (though about 50% larger).  It also has a backyard, a nice long driveway, and a private pool.  Next step is to negotiate rent and furnishings.  We hope to move in sometime in February.

5)  2010 was an excellent year for us - and full of travels.  We went to Yogyakarta, Paris, Barcelona, Austria, Florence, Rome, Singapore several times and even back to the US.  I don't expect as much travel in 2011, however.  2011 promises to start with a bang.  We bought a franchise in 2010 and, as soon as we can find a location that can sign a lease without a bankruptcy judge, we'll be opening our doors to business.  Hopefully in April.  Before that, we should be launching my game for the iPod/Phone/Pad.  Quality Assurance is complete and we just need to finalize the graphics.  We're targeting a mid-January release.  In July, we'll welcome another addition to our family (again in Singapore).  Who knows?  Maybe I'll even get one of my books published.  2011 is looking like it will be a great year.

6)  My team at work has had a tremendous year, and I'm not the only one who noticed.  Our management team in Phoenix has recognized the value our team in Indonesia provides and is doling out assignments accordingly.  I am incredibly proud of the effort my team has put in the last 18 months to achieve our success.  I expect more of the same in 2011.

7)  The rain here has been relentless.  It's rained nearly everyday, and rained hard.  I've lost track of what should or should not be the wet season.  No one here seems to know.  What I do know, it is raining a lot now.  Three floods in my neighborhood since October.  I'm glad we're on high ground.

8)  I am having far too much fun with two of my Christmas gifts: Madden NFL and Mario Kart for the Wii.  I spent much of my childhood conquering games on the Atari 2600 and Nintendo, and then far too much of my college days conquering worlds on the PC (Civilization and SimCity).  The Wii tops them all.  I wish I had invented it.

9)  It's fascinating watching our two kids develop.  They are such different people already.  For example, they both play with my daughter's dollhouse.  But they play with it in different ways.  Our daughter creates stories - mostly involving Peter Pan - and uses her characters to play out her stories.  Our son likes putting things in order - the kitchen pieces must be in the same room as all the other kitchen pieces.  They've developed different skills at different rates.  By the age of one, our daughter was already communicating her needs quite clearly, but struggled with dexterity.  Our son can throw a ball, climb stairs (up and down), and use a magnet on a string to pick up objects, but is still learning to communicate.  It will be fun to see how they both are in elementary school.

10)  Children say the darndest things.  Our daughter's dollhouse came with a catalog of all the other accessories you can buy.  She's flipping through it and sees an African American family.  The dad is sitting in the office and the mom is playing with the kids.  She remarks:  "Look!  You can get them a nanny!"  When friends of ours returned to New Zealand for the holidays, the wife drove.  Their 4 year old son remarked:  "Why are you driving?  Women don't drive."  It's amazing how much kids assume based on the world around them.  Our son has never really known anything other than Jakarta.  I'm curious to hear his comments when return to our normal life in Arizona.