Back at the blog, albeit a little late. I was out of the office on marketing calls on Friday and came back to the requisite paperwork and oddball things that come up when you are in absentia. I spent the day on Friday up in Chico, California visiting agents and simply recharging my batteries. I have been hard at this job since starting in November and a day out doing marketing calls was just what the doctor ordered. I brought back seven applications, so it was a very fruitful day out.

The job is going great, in fact, I am leading the charge here in the office as far as written premium. My bonus program, which is at the heart of my income, is on track for a great first year. I blew through my quota for January and I'm on track for the production goals for February, but my income numbers are well ahead of the goals developed. Unfortunately, the office as a whole is not producing as it should and my boss is on the hot seat. He is actually going to take on some brokerage responsibilities, which he has not done in the past. I don't think that it is his choice to go into production, but a dictate from home office. Our personal lines is very low and the other underwriters in the office don't put in enough hours to write enough business.

I talked to Jennifer last night. They had another attack on her base last night (her Sunday night...she talked to me on her Monday morning). It is pretty tense and the sound of explosions and the smell of the explosions in the air are omnipresent. She doesn't know if there were any casualties or injuries, but the explosions were loud and scary. The insurgents are really increasing their opposition bombings and attacks mostly on civilian population in Iraq. Our military may need to step up counter attacks and begin to once again go door to door and weed out the trouble makers. In the meantime, Jennifer continues her mission at the palace and is working daily pulling fibre optics cable and wiring.

Jennifer had some discussions with her General Manager at Fort Gordon. There is scuttlebutt (and we've already discussed how accurate that can be) that Jennifer's PDS (Permanent Duty Station) will be changed in September and that she will be deployed to Korea. She has volunteered to work at Camp Doha in Kuwait City. She enjoyed her brief visit there and her thinking is that she would spend too much money in Korea. Clothes are cheap and perfume, jewelry, etc., not to mention the nightlife and bars, etc in the cities. In Kuwait, the soldiers are confined to base only and cannot leave. Her thinking is that she would be able to bank most of her paycheck for the last year of service and get out with a significant nest egg when she transitions back into civilian life. Even that discussion with Jennifer shows how much she has grown and matured in the Army. She no longer looks at the future as next weekend, but longer term. I'm not thrilled about seeing her spend a year in Kuwait, but it is in a large city and she would be relatively safe on base.

I've talked to several of you and know that some are planning to send care packages to Jennifer. For those of you in Canada, the address must include USA as the package will go to Iraq via military transport out of the United States. For those in the states, just fill out the address as shown in an earlier post and the zip code will get the package or letter to a military base for shipment. I appreciate everyone who is supporting Jennifer through cards and letters. It is a HUGE deal to actually get something at mail call for a soldier in the field.

I played golf yesterday in an on again/off again rainstorm. The course was muddy and the wind was blowing. I had a good round at Mather Golf Course. It is a former Air Force Golf course and plays long, but has wide, inviting fairways. I drove the ball well and was crisp all day. Unfortuantely I had one BAD hole, a 9 on a par 5. It was the ninth hole and I was two over par going into the hole. I drove the ball well, but put my second shot in the water hazard and then played trees all the way in. I threw a little sand trap play in for good measure. And how did I manage a nine? I one-putted. I shot 42-42= 84 and had to post the score as an 82 due to the equitable score control procedure. I was very encouraged by my day on the links and the new clubs are beginning to show their value on the score card. I'm hitting some great drives and some really pin point iron shots. Golf is getting exciting again.

Darla is off to another crafts show on the weekend and will once again share a booth and sell her jewelry. I am in charge of the boys this weekend and pray both for me and for them if they fail to behave. I hope all is well in your little neck of the woods. Be well and keep Jennifer in your thoughts and prayers.

Ciao.