15 days left

First, here is the obligatory picture: These are my friends Rebecca and Ed, taken a few weeks ago.

Well, it's Saturday and the newsroom is empty save for one other broadcaster working dilligently on her tape. I just came in to send some emails and make a post.

There are three days of school left, and I leave two weeks from tomorrow. To be honest, I'm pretty much done with school. I'm so wildly excited to get this trip underway it's become next to impossible to concentrate on the relatively mundane day-to-day work here.

Two significant stories should come out by the time this is all over, though. First, the PETA story about the group's use of religious imagery in its advertising should go out on the RNS wire on Monday. It could run in a variety of places - newspapers, websites and such - and when it does I'll post a link to it.

Also, the Crimes of War article needs to be in by Wednesday (ugh, I've put that one off for too long), and it should run soon thereafter.

That will give me ten days to do some travel research and get my personal affairs in order before I leave. I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday to get a Typhoid innoculation and malaria pills.

So, people have asked me if I'm nervous about leaving on Sep. 11. Not really. In reality I'm more nervous about the possibility of stepping on a landmine in rural Cambodia (roughly 4 to 6 million still out there) or being abducted by crazed separatists somewhere.

I know my family is going to read that last line and start fretting - Don't worry, I'll be safe. Besides, that's all part of the fun, eh?

Alright, I have to go run some errands. More to come.