Tired, feeling sick, overwhelmed... and I haven't even left the U.S.

I flew into DC last night and got into my hotel near midnight. Today was just as tiring.

I visited the McClatchy DC bureau for the first time today and met some of the editors. While I was there, I found myself shopping in Macy's and Radioshack (the only stores around the downtown DC area I was in) at the last second to try and find items I didn't know until today that I needed. Didn't have much luck... In the end, I spent much of the day going up and down the 10 stories to the office and walking around the blocks trying to buy things for my own trip and also items that the Baghdad folks had requested from the DC folks . Tiring. Also, I feel like I'm coming down with something.

Despite the craziness, I'm feeling OK. I'm still excited about the trip. In the last few weeks, I feel like I've come to know the Iraqi people in a small way just by paying more attention to news stories and, I guess, dwelling on the fact that I'll be in their country soon. I wish I had been there yesterday when they won the Asian Cup. What an amazing feat. And it shows just how desperately the people want to have a united country and a sense of pride in being Iraqi.

As a side note, I happened to switch on CNN's Wolf Blitzer (who if you ever meet him you will know stands about two feet shorter than he appears on TV), and he had a scholar from the left-leaning Brookings Institute on talking about his recent trip to Iraq and his article in today's NYT that says that "things look much better than before" in Iraq than late 2005, when the op-ed writer took his last tour of the country. That analysis is sure to be controversial, coming from someone and an organization that hasn't always set an upbeat tone about the war.

I want to go in there with an open mind. I feel I'm somewhat aware of the reality (without having been there yet), but obviously hope for the best.

Tomorrow, I will fly to Detroit, wait an hour, then haul it 12 hours to Amman. Because I will be flying forward in time, I will arrive in Amman in the morning the next day, even though I'll have left DC in the morning. So tomorrow will be the longest day of my life. Literally.

In Amman, I will chill out for a day, and then fly into Baghdad. Pray for me.