I’m flying at about 33,000 feet above Newfoundland and the only thing I want to do right now is write.
As I sit in Etihad Airline Airbus 330 (Seat 22G) non-stop to Abu Dhabi, well on my way to my new job at a newspaper in Abu Dhabi, I find that I cannot focus on my magazine or the in-flight entertainment at all. No, I want to write.

I haven’t written anything in a few weeks, save for a few good-bye e-mails to friends, colleagues and acquaintances. I doubt it’s news to some, but I was dealt a rather cruel and sharp cyber-slap-heard-round-the-world last month. It was an untimely incident, one which I will not elaborate on but will admit had a rather neutering effect on me.

Regardless of what happened, I found that I missed writing. A lot. So as I embark on this new, unknown adventure to the heart of the Middle East, let me take a few moments to scribble some words and get this blog rolling again.

I’ve taken a new job helping out on the production side of The National, a daily newspaper based in Abu Dhabi, one of the city-states that make up the United Arab Emirates. It is a fantastic opportunity, one that I couldn’t pass up no matter how much I loved working at my old position, technology and telecom reporter for the Financial Post. I intend to fully embrace my exotic and dynamic environment and look forward to working with a great, highly professional newsroom.