"If you build it, he will come." This was the famous quote broadcast into Ray Kinsella's head (Kevin Costner) in the movie Field of Dreams. The voice urged Ray to butcher up a section of his farm in Iowa to build a baseball field.

I'm happy to say that "review" season for the LCLS Ultrafast Science Instruments (LUSI)project is winding down. Over the past few months the LUSI project has gone through numerous external reviews.

I took a trip to Lexington Kentucky last month. While I was there I had a few conversations with the local residents. Inevitably the conversation turned to what I did for a living. I explained that I was a scientist working on the X-ray laser project at SLAC.

Let me say this right off the bat to avoid any inkling of confusion: I really like my job. I enjoy coming to work everyday. It's probably a safe assumption to say the majority of people in the world can’t make that claim. However, as exciting as this project is to work on it's been difficult adjusting to the time scales of such a large project.

A few weeks ago I was invited to share my life as a scientist working on the LCLS project. I was surprised and honored that this opportunity was offered to me. I quickly accepted. However, I started to get a bit worried after a few days of pondering.