The first 36 hours

My office is a desk located on the 4th floor of a building built in the 1940's. In order to get me going, we had to sort through some boxes of stuff and make some calls, but we finally found a phone that I could use (without swiping a phone from another office that wasn't currently being used by someone). There are no voicemail systems - these are k-mart type phones with built-in answering machines. Our 7-year-old home phone in the kitchen is similar.

I still don't have computer access, you have to get the CAC card (a special card with an embedded chipe) to access the computer and then the card has to have the proper access certificates to access the network. They still have to set up a network account and I have to authorize that account by logging on 3 times and changing my password (a 10-digit strong password) twice before I can get on to the Army network. Of course, I can't access that network with my George Group laptop and the Army network doesn't allow non-army internet access. I will probably get an AT&T air card so I can still get George Group access during the day.

There is a back room that has been designated for our use as a coaching/conference room. It has doubled as a storage room for months (years?). There are little brown specks everywhere (looks like miniature coffee grains). I was warned that these were termite droppings and not to touch them. The paint is peeling, though it is newer than the walls - maybe only 40 years old. Every other window has an air conditioner in it. The hallways and common areas are literally breezeways and the doors stay open for ventilation.

About 50 feet away is "Palm Circle". It is a location famous in several movies - chief among them is "Pearl Harbor" (a 1960's era film). The pacific command is attached to my building. Our windows look out away from Palm Circle onto a football field. Everywhere you look are palm trees.

I went to see another George Group consultant at Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC). I got up there at 3:00pm and we met with the Lt.Col who runs the Lean Six Sigma program for the Medical Command for a solid 4 hours. I got a lot of great insight into what's happening.

It has been a frenetic day. Fortunately, I brought my Tom Tom (GPS). It has been a life-saver. I never would have found my way around some of the streets without it. All the roads are jammed between the mountains and the ocean. Their version of interstate (H-1, H-2 and H-3) reminds me of inter-city beltways. Technically, it is an interstate and technically, there are times when you may get up to interstate speeds, but there is a lot of traffic all the time.

All of this might sound like complaints or worries, but I am really enjoying the work.. and it is WORK! I spoke with a Major today about his project.I was looking for something interesting, challenging and important. I want to make a difference somewhere. I want to take the risks and this is an awesome assignment! And to top it off, I AM IN HAWAII! Now I just need to get some rest, communicate with everyone on CONUS (Continental United States) and start establishing some routines!