Flew in Tuesday night to deliver 46-slide brief to several hundred Industrial College of the Armed Forces students at National Defense U in my annual, begin-the-school-year address. Feel like that was number 6 or 7. They've given me all the usual trinkets you get, including the biggest frickin command coin I have ever seen. This time I'm down to a leather, engraved, note-taking folder. It's too bad they don't have a wider variety of coins, because I like those best, but I'm impressed that they keep track of what they've given me over the years in order to avoid repeats.

Big usual bank of integrated flat screens not working (one panel out), so gigantic screen lower and my favorite AV guys in the world fire up the biggest projector I've ever seen (small car size, about 15 years old). Best part: since not rear-projected, I must stay off stage to avoid being painted by light, so I roam the aisles of the big Eisenhower theater for the first time ever--and I loved it.

I think I'll do it that way from here on out. Loads more fun, and the more room I have to roam, the better and more energetic--and funny--the delivery.

Went 85 mins and did 25 mins questions. Then another hour in the reception room with students and faculty.

Then driven back to Mandarin for lunch with medical heavyweight working H1N1 with the Pentagon and White House. His words struck as much fear as the Indian curry. Interesting days indeed.

Then catch driver with DeAngelis and we head to E-ring at Pentagon for meet with a Deputy Under regarding a range of topics.

Then driver takes us back across Potomac for meet with Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization at State. That meet yields Monday's WPR column. We naturally shared Enterra experience. Impressive shop, really. My head was turned some, to the PAO's delight.

Then drop Steve at DCA and get my own rental, a Punch Buggy no less. Drive south on 95 to Potomac Mills, an old favorite of my family when we lived in NVA, and I catch "Inglorious Basterds." And I loved it like I love and worship all Tarantino.

Then I drive to Quantico and get lost as I always do when arriving late on bases and finding gates closed. To my hotel on base around 2300 and asleep at 0100.

Up early and revise brief a bit. Then brief about 30 Marine senior officers at Marine Corps U. Go 115 mins with 58 slides and then 35 Q&A. Actually fielded a bunch of questions during brief, especially from a very engaging Pakistani officer.

Got the usual push-back on resource depletion (will have to write a column on that soon) and the Powell Doctrine (what's wrong with coming in every X years and shooting up the place?).

My problem with the Powell Doctrine is that it's underlying morality is, "We're rich, you're poor, so fuck off--except when we need to drop in and kill somebody."

Check out, print out boarding pass, and then head to National Museum of the Marine Corps. Very cool. Could have spent day. A lot more interactive than I expected. I will go back when I get the chance.

Flew home Thursday night, catching up on reading en route and eating a 5 Guys burger. It was good, but I have to admit, I am losing all interest in eating as I get older. I just feel like I've eaten everything and it's just so boring. I find myself more interested in yoga than eating. Pleasantly enough, I have the exact opposite reaction to sex as I age. It's so weird, because you start out caring only about food (and candy!) and nothing about sex, but, it seems for me at least, you reverse that process completely as you age.

If I have to choose, I accept this path gladly.

I guess that makes me more of what my Chinese friends consider to be a true American, based on my story about the toast once proposed at a dinner for me in Beijing: Gov official on far side of table stands up during meal for toast and says, "Dr. Barnett, I propose to you that Chinese culture is based on food, while American culture is based on sex." My equally snarky comeback was, "Really? How come we're so fat and you've got a billion people?"