My flights are confirmed with United from Dulles to Sao Paolo and then to Rio. I stil have training to do with one of the telelvision techs from my agency before I go. That's not going to happen until Thursday - my last day in the office before the trip - because Wednesday is a holiday and people are off.

Things have come together at the last minute. The line for a visa at the Brazilian embassy was about 20 people long when I got there on Monday. They are very particular about dropping off and picking up passports. They only allow you to drop off your passport between 8:00 am and 12:30 pm and they only allow you to pick them up from 2pm - 4pm.

There was this one guy in line when I was there - they have one of those pull-tab ticket dispensers like in a deli you know "now serving number 65" and he had come to drop off his stuff. Unfortunately, he came at the time to pick up visas, so he had to come back the next day. Sucks if you're in a hurry.

But The visa is good for 90 days and that part of it at least is handled. No one ever said I would have to be my own travel agent, accountant, diplomat, and driver. But that's the level of it now in my job. You're the one-man band and they expect you to go and do it.

The level of training is kind of like Antonio Banderas in The Mask of Zorro where Anthony Hopkins asks him if he knows how to use a sword. His answer "the pointy end goes in the other fellow." That's about how trained I feel for this trip, but I will give it my best shot and we'll see. I am going to miss my wife, though. Coming home will be so much nicer than leaving.