Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

This post is a complete sidetrack from the usual posts. If you haven't noticed, Kris and I have been keeping track of the books we have read this year on the right hand side of the blog. There doesn't seem to be much diversity and one pair of authors seems to take up a bunch of our time. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have co-authored many books as well as written several of their own.

Let me mention that my parents and I inhale books. My Grandparents on both sides always have a book going as do my father's sister and brother. I don't know whether my mom's sister reads much (do you Aunt Julee?). We all have been known to have several books going at once, and of course those of us who would otherwise feel guilty always make room for the scriptures in that pile of books just so we can enjoy hours of reading guilt free.

My Aunt Teresa (Dad's sister) came to visit from San Francisco and drove with my mother up from Williamsburg to visit us in Fredericksburg. Late one night, the 3 of us were discussing books. At the time I was fully engulfed in several horticulture textbooks that I was reading for pleasure (hey, when you don't watch much TV there is lots of time to read!). One in particular Teaming with Microbes happened to be the one I was staying up late to read. My mom and Teresa were giving me a semi-bad time about it and thought I should take a break from non-fiction and give a fiction book a try. I told them both that I don't like mindless reading, I read because I want to learn something and to me that is enjoyable. They both highly recommended a book called Thunderhead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. They said if I enjoyed history especially Native American History (one of my faves) I would really enjoy this book and also learn at the same time because the authors do so much research (they are kind enough to let you know when they have taken literary liberties with a subject which is especially nice since they rely on facts most of the time). So I told Mom and Teresa I would read it but if it stunk I'd be ticked for them making me waste time on it.

My mom got the book for me the next day. I started reading it that night...into the morning. I read until 3am and did the same the next night finishing it at 4am. It was an incredible book and I was addicted. I got another book of theirs and read that (although I didn't read it in 2 sittings like I did with Thunderhead). I then gave Kris one of their books to read and he flew through them too. I told my mom she wasn't allowed to recommend any more books (which she did anyway and next thing I knew I was staying up until the wee hours again reading those darn Twilight series books...talk about really good mindless reading!)

So why do I bring up these authors? Well right now a funny thing is happening here at my parent's home, we have all turned into Pendergast junkies. Kris made the 'mistake' of reading one of Lincoln and Childs' Agent Pendergast books before we left for Venezuela. He gave it to my mom to read. My mom and dad were smart and went back and started at the begining (sort of, they skipped #1 and #2). The authors say you don't have to read them in order but I'm thinking it's better if you do.

When I got back from Venezuela there was a stack of Agent Pendergast books by my parents' bed. The one book Kris passed along to my mom started a reading frenzy. After reading #7 I thought I had better do what my parents were doing and start with #3 (#1 is Relic yes, the one that stupid movie was based on but of course, the book is supposed to be better, and and #2 is Reliquary but I'll go back later and read those since they are kind of seperate...it's hard to explain how these guys wrote them).

I waited 'patiently' for my dad to finish #3 then grabbed it before he had a chance to close it. I finished #3 and waited for dad to finish #4 ("Dad, are you done yet? are you done yet? are you done yet? HURRY!). He's now on #5, mom is on #6 and I just sent Kris #3 to start while he's in Caracas. I forced myself to take a break before starting #4 so I wasn't right on my dad's heels waiting for him to finish. If you like mystery/thrillers that aren't too gory and bloody then you will love these! There are 8 total and probably more to come. I have really enjoyed all of their books but this Agent Pendergast series kind of got a lot of the family involved and more than once we have all been quietly sitting in the same room with our noses stuck in an Agent Pendergast book...spending quality quiet time together.

Why Mexico City You Ask?

Let me just say that in January 2007 when Kris and I were choosing possible overseas posts, Mexico was the first to be discarded right off the bat at the same time Pakistan, India, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and several others made the "no way José" list (pun intended). Each 'rejected' post had its own reasons, Mexico was rejected because

1. It is Mexico
2. Not exotic enough
3. We've already lived in Mexico Lite (that would be Denver)
4. We had the same reaction you all are having "wow, Mexico, really? Yea, well, ummm, so did you hear Kellogg is coming out with a new cereal?"
5. It doesn’t really count as living overseas in our humble opinion (they have Costco & Wal-mart...need I say more?)

I also need to mention that even though Mexico was on the ‘reject’ list Kris and I have an overall fondness for decent Mexican people, both those in Mexico and those that are in the US legally. They are warm, humble, and some of the greatest people to be around for the most part. Kris and I also love Mexican history (specifically Meso-American/pre-Columbian), the culture and need I mention the FOOD? Mexico just didn’t excite us the way Thailand, China, Uruguay, Argentina, Russia, Denmark, Spain, Brazil, (and even) Venezuela did.

When Venezuela turned out to be such a bust we were faced with some tough choices. Back to ground zero. What were our choices for overseas countries and what were our main goals for wanting to be overseas? We decided to focus on the countries that were available with Spanish as the language…that left Ecuador, Panama, and Mexico. Ecuador got the boot because we wouldn’t be able to get there soon enough (the office wouldn’t be available until the Fall and we wanted the kids to be able to start school already semi-established after their whirlwind experience at the end of the previous school year).

Panama was a consideration but we had to weigh whether we would consider a $15,000 a year pay cut. Yes it would be cheaper to live there but still, not really worth $15,000 we’d lose because of the change in differential.

So Mexico, while originally rejected, all of a sudden started looking pretty good. Overall, it met our financial goals in that we could still save money (going towards that 40+ acre alpaca farm and deluxe 2000 sqft Hogwarts style green house in Idaho!), and Kris could remain working in the Office of International Affairs rather than going back to Office of Investigations (those would be stateside positions). We also had the option of Kris going back to OI and moving stateside but we’d be in limbo again until mid-Fall if not later waiting for a stateside office that may never materialize which would then force us to move back to Fredericksburg and wait all over again.

Mexico has its downsides but none even compare to Caracas and we were more than willing to move there in spite of the Country’s issues. What we weren’t prepared for was the lack of support from the embassy as you know from previous posts. Thankfully, the embassy in Mexico City is very supportive and relations between the US and Mexico are much better than between the US and the BRV.

Some of you have voiced concerns about the crime in Mexico City. Trust me; Mexico City looks tame after what we found out about Caracas once we got there. We will have an armored vehicle to drive around in, common sense prevails overall and you have to expect to be the victim of some crime when you are willing to be an American living in a foreign country…bad enough to be an American living in America and dealing with the crime here. Just today at 2pm, a man robbed a woman at gunpoint in the elementary school parking lot where my parents’ neighbor teaches here in Williamsburg. Chances are slimmer here in the States but that’s a risk that is part of the Foreign Service. We aren’t really ready for it but we accept the probability that it will happen at least once…just petty crime I hope.

The worst thing we have heard about Mexico City is the pollution. It is definitely a concern of ours above any crime concerns. Kris has been grilling several people at the embassy who have lived there. Crime has not been mentioned as a concern (then again they are dealing with Caracas crime which is worse) but pollution is often the first thing mentioned.

Other than that, he has heard over and over: it is a great place for families, the food is fantastic, and they would move back if they had the chance. We’ll take their views with a grain of salt (after all, it was State Dept people who were less than forthcoming about Caracas) but we know it will be better than Caracas and for this we are grateful.

Poll Results are IN!

The five who voted for Mexico City were correct. Boise will have to wait for a few more years. We should be down there by August. Anyone care to visit?

More on the airport trip

Just a couple more details. We left at 7:00 a.m. because our driver said traffic can be pretty unpredictable. Fortunately, things went in our favor on the way. The problem with going to the airport is the road has frequent car-jackings, kidnappings, and murders. There are usually 5-10 kidnappings a week. Car-jackings are more frequent. When kidnapping, the criminals will usually crash into you, then kidnap the occupants. Robberies and car jackings are a little less discreet, they will just brandish a firearm, and if you don't pull over, they start shooting, then rob you anyway.

Yes, I did chew out the security guard. I speak pretty decent Spanish, but it gets even better when I am mad. I was really mad. I called the embassy , unfortunately, I was told that they would not do anything to help my wife and kids. So I said a fervent effectual prayer - very quickly, then called Gert back. Fortunately she was on her way. I was glad for the foresight to make sure she had a cell phone "just in case." More importantly, the whole experience reminded me of what a wonderful wife I have. I feel very sorry for the moron who decides to try to get between Garity and our boys.

While I was feeling somewhat disappointed for having to solve this problem by getting away from it, the airport incident was a solid testimony to me that this was the right decision (I like the cake analogy Gert used). I know it sounds more noble to suck it up and work through a problem, and that is generally how we handle things. However, when things are overwhelmingly stacked against you, and you didn't cause the situation, running away is a very good solution (believe me, Garity and I tried EVERYTHING we could before it came to this). Joseph solved the problem with Potiphar's wife by running away. Lehi and his family ran away from Jerusalem. The early Saints ran away from their homes to Utah. Occasionally, the best solution to a problem is to just flush the toilet.

Agent 003 (I chose that number cuz I have 3 kids, that's why)

On Tuesday, June 3rd, we were scheduled to fly out of Venezuela and head back to the States...Williamsburg was our final destination where the kids and I will be hanging out at my parent's home until Kris joins us.

Our flight was scheduled to leave at 11:15am. We left Caracas at 7am, got to the airport just after 8am. Kris said goodbye to the boys and I before we went through the security checkpoints. He told me to be sure and call him if there were any problems. We made it through security and immigration by 9:30 with enough time to relax for a bit.

The boys and I stopped at a little snack spot, ordered 3 empanadas (they call them something else in Venezuela but I can't remember what...but they are just like empanadas), some juice and sat there until it got closer to our boarding time. At 10:15 we made our way to the gate and waited for the boarding announcement. Once it came, the kids and I made our way down this hallway that would then take us to the jet way. Halfway through this hallway, a security guard walked up beside me and said in English "You must be Mrs. Line! Hi, we have run into a little problem with your luggage. The National Guard would like you to come onto the tarmac while they inspect your luggage" I replied with "OK, well, how I get onto the tarmac? Do you want us to just follow you or do we need to wait somewhere?" He said "well that's another problem, your children are not allowed on the tarmac. They will have to wait up here"

I looked out the window and saw that every piece of my luggage (we had 13 suitcases) was spread out next to the plane with National Guardsmen standing next to it. No one else’s luggage was there. I got this very sick feeling at the pit of my stomach, like something was very wrong. I looked at Weston and Braedon who were also looking out the window and they had looks on their faces I couldn't quite read. I turned to the man and asked "how long is this going to take?" He said "oh probably about 45 minutes or a little over an hour".

I am sorry, I have to admit, something finally snapped, I looked at all of the people standing in line waiting to board and they were listening to the exchange. I asked him "So this is going to delay this whole flight a possible hour and a half?" I looked at my kids as he answered "yes". I looked around as a woman approached me and said "I know you don't know me and I'm a stranger but I will sit here with your kids if you need to go do this". I looked at her and thanked her but told her it wouldn't be necessary. I wasn't going to be leaving my kids alone with strangers. She walked down the jet way and I saw her speaking to one of the flight attendants.

Another security guard came up to talk to me. I told her "you can go through my luggage; I don't want to leave my kids alone." She said that BRV regulations said that I had to be there while they went through it. I told her that she could have them bring all of the luggage up to me then if I couldn't bring the kids with me down to the tarmac. She said that would not be possible.

Maybe I have been watching too many Hollywood movies or maybe my patience was completely gone but all of a sudden I felt a huge pair of Brass Ones appear...I turned to the male security guard and said very matter of factly, "you know, I'm not going to leave my kids up here alone with strangers. My two older boys are already getting upset. If this was American Airlines requesting this security check then I would gladly comply but since it is the BRV National Guard you can tell them I'm not going down onto the tarmac for them to do this and delay all of these passengers, in fact...." dramatic pause for necessary narration--I noticed several of the passengers paying close attention to what was going on. Here is where the Hollywood movie watching comes in. I thought I'd try and pull the Diplomat card as much as I never wanted to "be that kind of person" who would pull the Diplomat card. Hey, if a Diplomat in Virginia can kill an American by drinking and driving and claim diplomatic immunity AND GET IT (this happened while I was in college there back in the mid '90s) I could certainly try it in this situation. So I looked at him and said "I am a Diplomat, here are our passports to prove it, and I do not want to leave my children with strangers up here while I am on the tarmac for an hour while the National Guard goes through my luggage."

I called Kris, told him what was going on. Some of the passengers got out of the line to come over and stand near me and the kids. I heard a man mention "harassment" to another. I handed my cell phone to the security guard and told him my husband was at the embassy and wanted to speak to him. I guess Kris really chewed him out and told him that the security guard would abide by the diplomatic agreements and leave us alone. As I was standing there with the kids, Braedon was clenching onto my hand, I told him I wasn't going to be going anywhere. By this time two stewardesses came out into the hallway.

When the security guard got off the phone, one of the older women in line yelled over to him in Spanish that they were targeting me and my family and they need to leave us alone. The security guard told me he was going to go speak to his supervisor and handed the phone back to me. I couldn't believe how calm I was. I knew that if I made a scene where I got neurotic or loud they could have reason to pull me off. I kept the kids close to me just so they knew everything was ok. I asked the stewardesses if the kids could get on the plane without me if these guys insisted that I go out on the tarmac. They said they wouldn't be able to and unfortunately they wouldn't be able to stay with the kids out in the hallway.

I spoke to Kris, he was furious. He asked if there was anyone else going through this. I told him I was the only one. He said they were targeting me and knew I was a Diplomat after seeing my passport back at the security checkpoint and I told him some of the other passengers said the same thing. He had the RSO (Regional Security Officer) on the other line who was telling him "don't worry; it's just a random search". Kris was convinced they were targeting me specifically and I agreed.

I told him I'd call him back. As we waited for the security guard to return I apologized to the other passengers who were waiting there with me. They said they just wanted to make sure I was ok. When the security guard came back that older woman started yelling at him in Spanish "Can't you see she's alone with 3 kids? Are you so stupid that you have to pick on her? You are going to delay all of us because the National Guard wants to harass this woman and her children? She's a Diplomat; you have to leave her alone!" The security guard waited for another security guard to come up and this new guard told me that I could go ahead and get on the plane.

The stewardesses helped me with the boys, they were so good at trying to calm the boys down and get their minds on other things. I asked them how often that happens and they told me they will target one person and delay the whole flight just to go through their luggage. They told me they couldn't believe how well I handled that. I told them it was just the rancid icing on the stale cake that was our experience in Caracas already, but I'm not surprised, if they wanted to go through my luggage then fine but don't make my kids sit with strangers.

Ok, so this isn't over. We get to Williamsburg at midnight. We are so tired and just collapse in bed. The next morning I start unpacking the suitcases. I notice one suitcase is unlocked...I could have sworn I locked every single suitcase....I open it up and the lock is there, it has been cut. I notice a huge hole has been left in the middle of where I had packed things. They took every single one of my data CDs and my thumb drives, but they left all of the blank CDs that were still sealed...hmmmm, yea I thought this was strange too.... At first I was sick to my stomach because those 50+ CDs contained scanned and archived family slides that I had been working on, digitally restoring those that were even older than I am. I was sick because I was an idiot for putting them in my luggage rather than mailing them (but then again, I was afraid to mail them in the event they got lost...).

I just finally shrugged my shoulders and called Kris with the news.
He got off the phone with me and e-mailed the RSO with the news that they seized all of the computer media. The RSO called him back first thing...all of a sudden he was interested and it was no longer a random search in his eyes either. Not that I will ever get any of those disks back but it meant something to be taken seriously rather than just being blown off by embassy people.

All day I was sick to my stomach about all of those disks and the hours of work I put in on them. I woke up at 2am nearly screaming with joy! I have Carbonite on my computer!!!!! Everything that was on my hard drive was backed up on Carbonite before I transferred them to disk! I had removed those 632 scanned slides to make room on the hard drive for a couple of computer programs since the original scanned slides were saved in .tiff format (meaning huge files) until I restored them and saved them to .jpeg format (smaller files). Carbonite is an online backup service my favorite radio talk show host, Glenn Beck, always talks about and before we left the States I had installed it on my laptop. It works very discreetly which is why I completely forgot I had it! I went online right then and checked and sure enough....everything on those disks was on the backup database! Carbonite is the best $50 I have ever spent!

So now I'm laughing and hoping those idiots are really enjoying all of those pictures. I wish I was there with them so I could narrate over their shoulders and make sure they look at EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM! I'd give them the supper-long-senile-old-woman-extended-version of each slide's story. So maybe they thought I was a spy…or smuggling out top secret Arepas and Cachapas recipes…too bad they didn’t check Jamison’s diaper, they would have found “the” flash drive…The name’s Line, Garity Line…

I remember another quotable quote from Caracas:
As we were talking about going to another overseas post after Caracas
Kris: "I just don't want to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire"
Garity: "Honey, we are in the fire...it's time to jump into the frying pan"

I am so bored

Just that. I am so bored. I miss my family. I truly enjoy being with my family. Especially at home (which we kind of lack at the moment). You could be in a crummy apartment in Venezuela without your family right now, be thankful you aren't. My advice - grab your kids, go to Costco and get the $1.50 hot dog and soda for everyone, then thank Heavenly Father for your family in your prayers tonight.

I love you Garity - and the boys - but I love you more.