Road Trip to DC, Days 1-3

We are now officially on Day 3 of our road trip! We had a rough start after realizing our grave error: we had WAY too much stuff (why didn't we pack more of it in HHE for the movers to bring to DC? sigh). It barely fit into our car. Eva spent hours engineering a way to squeeze it all in. In fact, the car is now so full that our suitcases, clothes, vases, video games, computers, kitchen supplies, cds, toiletries, etc., block the back view entirely, leaving an enormous blind spot, and weighing the car down so heavily that our normally gas-efficient Prius is burning about a gallon about every 10 miles.

To add to the stress, I am extremely paranoid that our car is going to get broken into given the siren call of valuables that are clearly visible from the car windows. We've been trying to put this out of our minds and to just enjoy the trip, since there's not much we can do at this point.

Day 1: Eva's birthday! We leisurely drove to Lake Tahoe, stopping to have lunch in Sacramento with my old friends from law school, Chris and Natalie. I picked up the new iPhone before we started the trip so we could chronicle our adventures better using its digital cam and video cam, and was able to get a goot shot of Sand Harbor beach in Lake Tahoe, which occupied our afternoon.  It was breathtaking: 

As you can see, the water was pristine. We sunbathed and waded around but it was a bit too cold for swimming!
We scored a Hotwire deal for 4.5 star penthouse suite in Reno at a cool $47.00.  The hotel was one of those insane mega-casinos replete with a bowling alley, clubs, multiple restaurants, a movie theater, a driving range, and boutiques -- not usually our thing, but it was a fun hiatus from reality.

Day 2: Salt Lake City. This was a pit-stop on our way to Yellowstone/the Grand Tetons. I admittedly felt some trepidation about being queer and/or showing any affection towards Eva in this largely Mormon city.   When we were pleasantly surprised upon checking in to the hotel, I felt guilty about my earlier assumptions.  I presented my i.d. and the receptionist immediately offered us free Sheryl Crow tickets valued at $71 each.  Unfortunately, my feeling of gratitude was quickly negated when the receptionist then stated:

You can feel free to take care of me however you wish. 

Her comment was followed by a creepy look, silence, and a blink. We felt a bit uncomfortable/creeped out.  Eva saved the day by saying she suddenly felt tired and not up for a concert after all.  We spent the evening swimming in the heated outdoor pool instead.  We also ate at the hotel's restaurant, where this glorious discovery was made:

Yep, Polygamy Porter. This made us giggle through the first 10 minutes of dinner.

Day 3: Jackson Hole/Teton Village.  This is our favorite stop so far.  The drive from Salt Lake City was gorgeous, with a backdrop of mountains, and much of the road paralleled the scenic Snake River.  Pretty magical.  Our hotel is gorgeous and extraordinarily eco-friendly.  The friendliness to the environment does not, however, match that of its staff.   It feels like we're visiting old friends.  We are excited to hike around Jenny Lake tomorrow and to spend at least one more evening here.  Eva's stepdad worked here last summer and gave us some great recommendations to check out too.  This is a pic I found online of the surrounding area:

Flood Relief for Pakistan

U.S. citizens can also still text "SWAT" to 50555 to donate $10 for flood relief in Pakistan.

As the State Department's official blog notes, 2010 has seen natural disasters strike around the world, from the devastating earthquake in Haiti at the start of the year, to recent mudslides in China, wildfires in Russia, and flooding in Pakistan.

I am proud that our government has joined with the governments, NGOs, and citizens around the world in rushing humanitarian relief and assistance to where it is needed most.

Pack-out and Aloha

We had our first official State Department pack-out on August 10th.  To prepare, we went through our storage unit, our sublet, and my parents' garage and segregated and demarcated all items as UAB (unaccompanied air baggage, which will arrive at our DC apartment just weeks after our arrival) or HHE (household effects, which will go into storage in Maryland to be seen again only when we leave for post).  It was a hectic few days.  By the time the movers arrived at 7 am, we had everything in neat piles. 

Five movers arrived and brought along two huge trucks.  The guys began by opening all our pre-packed boxes and repacking everything.  That was a relief, as we'd done everything pretty haphazardly the first time around.  ;)   The HHE crew then followed us to our storage unit in a nearby city and did the same thing there. We were done by 2 pm -- the easiest move Eva or I have ever done!  Then again, we've never moved with the assistance of five people and two enormous moving vans before.  These professionals moved like the wind and were very good-humored and nice folks.  We just PRAYED we would not exceed our authorized UAB limit of 450 lbs -- which, of course, we did.  We will just have to take the Wii, Rock Band 2 drums, Eva's KitchenAid, and all our clothes n the car with us.

After the movers left, we spent the next two days moving out of our San Francisco sublet and into my parents home.  All we had there were our remaining kitchen items and clothes, but it somehow took forever.  We both feel like we've spent the last few months of our lives moving.  I guess I have to get used to this process as an FSO.

let freedom ring

Fantastic news of the day: PROP 8 WAS OVERTURNED! While this matter will surely be appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (and then likely to the SCOTUS), Judge Walker's 136-page decision thoroughly and effectively memorializes the weaknesses of the arguments set forth by the Prop. 8 proponents. The constitutional right to marry, Judge Walker said, "protects an individual's choice of marital partner regardless of gender." He also said domestic partnerships in California are a "substitute and inferior institution" that lack the social meaning and cultural status of marriage. Additional choice quotes from the holding:

That the majority of California voters supported Proposition 8 is irrelevant, as ‘fundamental rights may not be submitted to [a] vote; they depend on the outcome of no elections.


Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples. Because California has no interest in discriminating against gay men and lesbians, and because Proposition 8 prevents California from fulfilling its constitutional obligation to provide marriages on an equal basis, the court concludes that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.


The sexual orientation of an individual does not determine whether that individual can be a good parent.


Gender no longer forms an essential part of marriage; marriage under law is a union of equals.

Haters, see you in the Ninth Circuit.  Justice prevailed today!

As my lovely wife Eva said, "THE CASTRO IS GOING TO BE OFF THE MID-CENTURY MODERN BENCHES TONIGHT!"  (she's so cute.) She was right. This is what took place outside of our window in San Francisco's Castro District:

(Photo Credit:

Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The SF Chronicle)

hump day

Ahhh yes, moving right along. "Work" is still trudging along; I'm trying not to micromanage the new owner too much (nearly impossible), saying sometimes tearful goodbyes to patients, packing out all my stuff, and mostly just sitting around during treatments, interjecting questions, making silly jokes, and being generally useless. It's oddly nice and less awkward than I thought it would be.

I, in total Eva form, bought a bunch of prepaid discount packages for various exercise related activities and saved them all for the last minute. This means that in order to get my 'deal' I have to work out two and sometimes even three times a day. This also means that my effing abs hurt like a mutha, I'm sleeping like a baby, and really have no time nor energy for anxiety or stress. This also means that I should be in great shape for Hawaii! Did we tell you that we're going to Hawaii? Well, as embarrassing as it is since we went no less than four times last year, we're still not sick of it and we're going on the 16th. We are, however, going to a new island if that makes you feel any better (not newly discovered, mind you, but Kona). Also, now that we moved to the Castro I walk like three miles a day since I have to commute back and forth to the Mission to "work" and take advantage of all my exercise deals. All I can say is that I hope this all pays off.

The packing thing is going to be crazy. My Virgo side is in full effect: making lists, reorganizing lists and updating them, creating calendars, bossing Cyn around, etc. Cyn's bff Andrea is coming up this weekend to help us with the madness (so thoughtful! this is the same person who sent us hot breakfast in bed last week for no good reason except that she is an exceptional person). Cross your fingers for us and the good people moving our stuff...

another lovely weekend

After returning from a most relaxing weekend in Russian River, it's back to the grind. Well, actually it's not. I never thought that I could possibly feel anxious about a lack of responsibilities but apparently I can (bossy, Type A anyone?). Am I just becoming a more anxious person? Is that what happens as we get older? Is this part of the peculiar phenomenon: Saturn Returning? Seems a bit harsh and unnecessary - definitely something to keep one's eye on.

Regardless, the river valley was delightful; we spent lots of time eating, reading and relaxing with our friends Palav and Sanjay. Palav is an adventurous soul and brings out the best in me. She swam to a neighboring beach with me and enjoyed the rope swing as well (although she decided not to take the plunge which was probably smart. the boys sitting on the shore ribbed us and said they had been watching previous jumpers fall short into shallow water due to not being able to hang on long enough to fall into deeper areas. I of course took this as a personal challenge, held on for dear life, landed deep and have the rope burns to prove it).

We got our friends hooked on True Blood, I got to wear my new super cute bathing suit and we visited a winery that Cynthia and I have somehow missed on our bazillion trips to the region, Hook and Ladder, which I highly recommend. We ate an enormous picnic lunch in the sun, did a ton of giggling and a little bit of dreaming (we like to talk about the "commune"/farm we are going to have with a few other couples in our future).

We also managed to talk about the Bohemian Grove transaction nearly every day with different folks. While at the second winery we saw no less than four private jets fly over the vineyard. I won't say much except that cronyism is alive and well and adult white men in severely powerful positions need to feel like fertile blossoms just as much as the next little girl.

apologies (and parentheses)

So I've always found it a bit annoying when bloggers say "it's been a while since I posted last" or "sorry for such a long delay between posts" and things of the like. Why don't you just post? Boy was I a jerk. I totally get it now, folks. It's an odd sense of regret and dismissal that makes you feel lousy. Like failing to feed a neighbor's cat - not that I would ever do that (sheesh).

I will start by apologizing for my rude thoughts and follow with sorry it's been so long since I posted (not that anyone can read this blog except family at this point) and I will try to be better in the future. But, A LOT has been going on! As Cyn probably already wrote about (I am worse than most and haven't even kept up with what she's been saying - for shame!) WE (and by we of course I mean Cynthia) WERE INVITED TO THE SEPTEMBER A-100 CLASS!!!!!! We sold the condo, I've sold my business (more about that later), we moved into a sub-let (in a new 'hood!), Cyn put in her notice at work, and all those publications we downloaded before are now relevant and current! At this point we finally have a little time to chill out in the evenings, catch dinner and drinks with friends, go on mini-vacations (last weekend to Raging Waters and this weekend to Russian River), and overall enjoy a much-needed sense of relief that this is all happening and we will be moving forward.

We are looking forward to a trip to Hawaii next month followed immediately by a week with my family in Washington State. Upon returning to SF we will have a little going away party and pack up the remaining things before beginning our sure to be awesome road trip to DC.  All of which we will totally keep you updated on.

As if that isn't enough, I will also be turning dirty thirty.

Digital Diplomacy and Jam of the Week

The New York Times published an article re: digital diplomacy, aka "21st century statecraft" today featuring two State Dept reps.  A telling quote from the article:

A series of events last year helped [their] work gain traction by showing that connection technologies have become inextricably entwined with the challenges of foreign policy. In April 2009, there was the so-called Twitter revolution in Moldova. In July 2009, there was China’s regional-information blockade, including a total shutdown of the Internet, following the Uighur uprisings (“full” Internet usage was restored to Xinjiang 10 months later). And then, of course, Iran, beginning in June 2009, when the organizing power of cellphones and social media — and their ability to capture and disseminate images like the death of a young Iranian woman, Neda Agha-Soltan — arrested the world’s attention.

IMHO, utilizing social networking and web 2.0 to open communication/expand the marketplace of ideas is a powerful way to support values that the American government espouses. As the SCOTUS has recognized, open debate, through which there is an exchange or competition of ideas, is the best way for society to progress and for people to discern the truth. I'm glad the State Dept is so eager to include digital diplomacy in its toolbox.

On another note, I had to share my weekly jam.  This Bat For Lashes song takes a while to pick up, but once it does, it's magical.

Bat For Lashes - Daniel (HD)

FAQ re: Foreign Service (for friends and fam)

Since receiving an invite to join the 156th A-100 class, we have received many questions from family members and friends. I realized everyone had pretty similar inquiries, so below you'll find a short FAQ:

What is the Foreign Service?

The Foreign Service is a branch of the U.S. Department of State that represents the United States’ interests abroad. A Foreign Service Officer (FSO) is a diplomat.  There are five career tracks that an applicant must choose from before becoming an FSO:

•   Consular: Consular Officers protect Americans abroad and strengthen U.S. border security
•   Economic: Economic Officers promote economic partnerships, development, and fair trade
•   Management: Management Officers run our embassies and make American diplomacy work
•   Political: Political Officers analyze political events
•   Public Diplomacy: Public Diplomacy Officers explain American values and policies

I am on the Political track.  More info on Political officers from the State Department:

As a Political Officer, you’ll keep a trained eye on the political climate at your foreign post and decipher events as they relate to U.S. interests, negotiations and policies. As you learn new skills and enjoy outstanding benefits, you’ll communicate with foreign governments to seek support for shared goals, including votes in multilateral fora, in addition to:

• Developing foreign contacts in and out of politics and government to advance U.S. political interests
• Assessing the impact of political developments on the U.S. and making recommendations on action by our government
• Supporting high level visits and advising policymakers on how to communicate with foreign governments

Note, however, that each FSO is obligated to doing consular work for one year (and often 2-3 years). Because I passed the Mandarin exam and accepted bonus points for doing so, I also committed to serving in a Mandarin-speaking country at least once before being tenured (e.g., in one of my first two posts), and once after being tenured.

Where will you be posted?

Entering FSOs sign contracts for "worldwide availability."  We all start with a five-week "bootcamp" of courses/orientation colloquially called the A-100. These courses are taught in the Foreign Service Institute at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center in Arlington, Virginia.

At the beginning of training, each A-100 class is provided with a bid list, which lists all the countries available with open posts. We will have a couple weeks of bidding, where we will rank the posts as High, Medium and Low.  While the Dept of State may take your ranking into consideration, “the needs of the Department are paramount.”  We will go where we're needed.  During the last day of training, each class has a Flag Day. Each class member gets a flag  representing the location of our first assignment.

The nature of our first assignments will govern the type of specialized training that follows. That training may include public diplomacy training, consular training, political-economic tradecraft, or management training. Required language training can last for an additional six to nine months. Overall, newly hired FSOs can expect to spend from three months to one year in training before departure for their first overseas assignment.

What will Eva be doing?

The Obama Administration recently made policies and regulations as applicable to same-sex partners and spouses more inclusive.  See my earlier posts on this topic and Secretary Clinton's remarks.  Eva will be traveling with me as a "trailing spouse."  Unfortunately, because of DOMA, Eva will not receive the health insurance or pension benefits  that opposite-sex spouses of Foreign Service Officers receive.  We are hoping that the legislature will soon pass the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act (DBOA), which would allow us to enjoy the same family benefits already provided to employees with different-sex spouses.

Eva will, however, be eligible for the following (from the State Dept website): diplomatic passports, inclusion on employee travel orders to and from posts abroad, shipment of household effects, inclusion in family size calculations for the purpose of making housing allocations, family member preference for employment at posts abroad, use of medical facilities at posts abroad, medical evacuation from posts abroad, emergency travel for partners to visit gravely ill or injured employees and relatives, inclusion as family members for emergency evacuation from posts abroad, subsistence payments related to emergency evacuation from posts abroad, inclusion in calculations of payments of overseas allowances (e.g., payment for quarters, cost of living, and other allowances), representation expenses, and training at the Foreign Service Institute.

I'll let Eva answer the question as to what else she'll be doing while we're on assignment. Those of you who know my extraordinary wife are well aware that she's an ambitious, intelligent woman who will make her own opportunities!

Invited to the September A-100 class!

An hour ago, I accepted an email invitation to join the September A-100 class in D.C.!

Eva and I are ecstatic. We are going to realize a dream we didn't even know we had until last year.