Friday, January 06, 2006

BLINK INTO FOCUS - Intro


I'm sitting in my favorite place in the world tonight thinking about leaving for my least favorite place next week. I'm surrounding by family watching the lights reflect off the water here in Murrells Inlet, SC but by late February, I'll be surrounded by guys with guns, miles of sand, and looking to where the next threat may come.
This will be my web log for my upcoming trip to Iraq where I'll accompany Gina Cavallaro, for Army Times in hopes of telling the stories of the US soldier and the Iraqi people. This will be my second trip to the "sandbox." On my first, I thought I might gain an understanding of the people and our role there but I have to admit, I failed in that endeavor. I didn't even come close. Now I realize that the best I can offer are little slices, bits and pieces, tenious impressions that will be shaped and changed with experience. My camera's shutter fires at up to 1/8000 of a sec. It's just a blink but it's my primary tool to tell these stories. Maybe I can bring life in Iraq into focus for you at home in some small way. But, if not, well, maybe this will at least be a bit of entertainment as I log my random thoughts. Thanks for checking in. You can view my web page at www.jamesjlee.com.