1. La Paz, Bolivia
2. Damascus, Syria
3. San Salvador, El Salvador
4. Asuncion, Paraguay
5. Shenyang, China
6. Athens, Greece
7. Montevideo, Uruguay
8. Quito, Ecuador
9. Caracas, Venezuela
10. Kuwait City, Kuwait
11. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
12. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
13. Panama City, Panama
14. Managua, Nicaragua
15. Windhoek, Namibia
16. San Jose, Costa Rica
17. Belize City, Belize
18. Sydney, Australia
19. Hamilton, Bermuda
20. Bogota, Colombia

This list is quite different from our initial draft bid list, because some of the most attractive assignments in places such as Beijing, Hong Kong, and London were already assigned to other individuals.  Frankly speaking, we were only left with about 35 possible assignments to bid on based on the jobs available and our own preferences.  I monitored the assignments list today and noted which places are most popular with bidders.  Among the 20 bids I submitted today, 17 are competitive, and 14 are highly competitive.  As expected, Sydney, Damascus, Athens, and Montevideo are wildly popular.  (Note to Tortmaster:  Dude, I am not going to Windhoek.  I would be very lucky to be assigned there.)  While I left them on my list, I deliberately ranked them lower, acknowledging the fact that I have virtually no chance of being assigned to these places.  These assignments will be long gone before my bids are considered.

Only three of the 20 assignments are realistic options for me:  Shenyang, Kuwait, and Managua.  La Paz, San Salvador, and Asuncion are also possible but not likely, because they are much more attractive to bidders.  I don’t mean to spoil the fun, but barring any unforeseen anomalies, we are likely headed to Shenyang, China in 2007.  While not our first choice, we will make the most of the opportunity we are given.  Shenyang is a place with a negative reputation and a reality that is apparently far better than perception.  But we will need to buy some thick parkas for wintertime.  We will know our final assignment in the next couple of weeks.  In the meantime, the agony of trying to put together our bid list is over, and the antipathy of second-guessing the outcome lies ahead.