The time has come. It’s time to go. Again. Tomorrow (1/11/11 at 1pm—yes!) I fly one-way to Jordan, then to Syria and Lebanon, and then somewhere warmer. This has the looks of another big around-the-world trip. I’m not sure how many times I have been around the world (7 or 8?), but in the beginning I think less about where I’m going than about what I am leaving behind until I am plopped down somewhere exotic, in this case, Amman, Jordan.

     I am making the same preparations as if I am going to The Other Side. I put some thought into my last meal, the last exotic foods I will enjoy before I go into the great unknown, I say goodbye to loved ones, tell them how to handle my mail and business affairs, and assure them everything will be OK.
     I sold some things. I sold a vintage amplifier and guitar pedal to buy my plane ticket, but in a perfect world I’d like to eliminate the middleman and just exchange them directly to CheapOair.com for a ticket (and is there a less-inspiring website name than CheapOair.com?)
     I will blog regularly. I won’t be held back by slow connections and banned websites in places like Syria, and I will post updates on Facebook and Twitter if you prefer to follow that way.
     What do I have to do to get a lot of readers other than offering free ice cream? My promise is that my blog won’t be boring, today’s post notwithstanding, so please tell everyone you have ever met to check it out, too. If you have opinions about what I should or shouldn’t write about, I am all ears, and as always, I like getting emails or comments about anything at all.
     If I am not successful in getting bumped from my flight, catch you next time in the Middle East!