All's Well Again

Sitting here in the warmth and peace of my very own living room it is hard now to connect with the events of the past several weeks. It is a typical pattern for me to shut the doors behind me as I make my way down the hallway of life. I suppose it is that way for us all, but I can't help but wonder if it is normal. Guam - and Hawaii, about which I have mentioned nothing yet - are already fading into dreams and unreality. All I really know for sure anymore is what I am feeling at this moment. Even yesterday, with all its Thanksgiving Day joys of family, food and friends, is already becoming a questionable memory. So I guess I have truly learned to "live in the moment". Either that or its early onset of Alheimer's. What was your name again?

The last thing I recall telling you about was the critters on the island of Guam (and even then I had to go check my last post to make sure). Before that I also told you a little about the proposal work I was doing and the companies I was working with. Here's a little more detail. To say now that it was an intense experience would be somewhat of an understatement. I haven't ever done anything quite like that before.

For three solid weeks in Guam and one in Honolulu I was cloistered in an office cubicle each day for a minimum of 10 hours, and usually more like 12, attempting to create on paper a supply chain for the delivery of construction materials from the U.S. and foreign origins to Guam and Hawaii. It was just me and 30 of my close friends. The goal was to write a concise proposal to the Navy on how we would go about constructing the wharfs, airstrips, housing, offices and other facilities needed to serve as a new home for 8,000 marines and their families who will be moving to Guam in 2015 or so. The military has been working on this plan for easily 5 years or more and the Territorial Government of Guam (aka GovGuam) has also begun work to improve their infrastructure in advance of the construction work. Around 7 large teams of prime contractors and their subcontractors are expected to turn in proposals just to win the right to compete with two other winners for future task orders. The RFP is worth $4 billion dollars and task orders - whichi will be doled out over 5 years or more - will average between $15 million and $300 million. My team mates estimated our joint venture team would spend a combined total of more than $500,000 just to create the proposal. Needless to say, it was a pretty big deal.

I worked every day from my arrival on October 17th until November 19th, when I was finally cut loose and allowed to leave for home. My client had extended my initial two week stay to a total of four weeks. By that time I had been sick twice, and been disrupted with two major crises at home (bedbugs in my daughter's apartment and the death of a sick friend). In the final days I put in as many as 16 hours of work a day and my eyesight had grown blurry. Everyone (in spite of otherwise remarkably good attitudes) had become deeply weary and were looking for the end to arrive. The rest of the team still had a week to go of final changes to the document when I left. It was a sweet day, nevertheless, to say my final goodbyes and point the car toward the airport. I heard only yesterday that they had successfully finished and turned in the proposal on November 25th.

After two exceptionally pleasant days spent recouperating on the Big Island, walking around the Volcano National Park and seeing my good friends David and Leilani Reyes and their keiki (kids) I made the long flight home to Alaska, arriving at 5 am Sunday morning. I had been looking forward to getting back to cold weather again (yes, I had!) and for that reason had planned ahead and packed my jacket in the bottom of my suitcase. Not a bad plan, assuming the suitcase would show up as expected. It didn't, so I had to make my way home via taxi in just my short-sleeve Aloha shirt. Still, it was cold weather at last. Ahhhhh!

However, that is, as I said earlier, all fading into the past. It is wonderful to be home again and that is all I have to say 'bout that.

Love,
Jed