Street(side)s of Gold

Driving to Wewahitcka, Florida to have Sunday lunch with my brother, Larry, I passed by a scene that made me smile and feel happy for the day.  It reminded me of one afternoon in Boston when someone set up a bubble machine in a second-story window and filled the sidewalk on which I was walking with thousands of bubbles.  It's amazing how sometimes it doesn't take much to make one's day.  Sometimes, it's just planting your roadside field with peanuts that will bloom at the end of summer and will put a smile on the face of someone traveling to Wewahitchka, Florida to have lunch with his brother.

Doesn't it kind of remind you of the poppy field scene (although the flowers are not poppies nor are they red) from the Wizard of Oz?  Poppies will put them to sleep...

Heifers

I was googling some random topic yesterday, actually I think I was trying to figure out how to convert dvds to a format I could put on my new iPod, and this is the picture I found on the Google search page—you know how they are quirky and like to decorate on special occasions.



Ok, maybe I’m reading too much into this and making a big deal of an insignificant situation (like the whole McDonald’s fiasco, which, by the way, is still on; they called me again today), but I cannot help but think they are implying that the young women who do rhythmic gymnastics are cows. Gymnastics is a brutal sport full of criticism and insecurities (Have you noticed all the girls crying after executing beautiful routines?). How are those already delicate artistic athletes going to take the awkward beast in a leotard?

On a sweeter note, it’s my mom’s husband’s birthday is today. The last time I went to visit my mother and attempted to enter their home, I was blocked in the laundry room by her man. Well, when my sister invited me to go over to visit my mother and her husband, I declined, not wanting any awkwardness. However, I am a giver, so I made him cupcakes. I love cupcakes, and I’ve not made them in a while. Plus, I thought it would be good practice for the Black Pussy.


I mixed different icing colors to create the final products, a blue and a neon orange. I think the color choice was perfect for chocolate cupcakes. However, I need to improve the icing flavor. For the average taster, the icing would be ok, but I’m very picky with flavors, and it didn’t satisfy me today.

On the Green

The things that go through one’s head while he is riding public transportation + the things that go through his friend’s head while she is riding beside him during the evening transit from library to supermarket to house = Black Pussy, a children’s bookstore with a cupcake bakery attached. 

Just wait.

B's-Town

I’ve had a fantastic trip to Boston.  Since mid-July I’ve been out of Uganda and in the States visiting family and friends.  The first three weeks were spent in Florida:  enjoying the heat, visiting my family, catching up with old friends, eating too much mouth-watering Southern cookin’ and loving the beach.  Too much of a good thing!  I needed a holiday from my holiday, so on an impulsive Sunday evening, I booked a ticket to Boston. 

I’d not seen my friend Beth (BMac) since our Peace Corps days… 4 years ago!  She’s a librarian and she’s killed a goat with her bare hands, so yeah, she’s hardcore.  I <3 her, and we had an amazing 3 days together.  I’d never been to Boston before, and being the patriotic American that I am (and often accused of not being), I was excited to walk the Freedom Trail.  It’s amazing how many Starbuck’s Coffee shops there are along that red path. 

Other highlights of my holiday within a holiday included:

• meeting Timothy Chlamydia Hatcher, my almost namesake;
  

• seeing Mamma Mia with the person I’d most want to see it with in the whole-wide world;
  

• and replacing my dead iBook (RIP) with a new MacBook, plus getting a free iPod Touch…  Yay teachers!
  

I was also introduced to the website:  go fug yourself (http://gofugyourself.celebuzz.com).  It’s fabulously written by Alexis Carrington (aka Heather) and Brenda Walsh (aka Jessica). 

 

On the down side, Beth and I had burritos yesterday before going to see Mamma Mia at a place called Fajitas & ’Ritas.

The Margaritas were quite nice, but, come on, what kind of glass is this? 

Extravagant Living

In case any of you were wondering, I have exactly 22 pairs of underwear. I didn’t know that until today when I had to wash every single pair. Yes, folks, the bottom drawer was completely empty… Well, it was empty last week, but instead of washing my delicates, I went out and bought some new ones. I almost did it again yesterday, but as I approached the store and thought about how extravagant (not to mention lazy) I was being, I forwent the boxer-briefs for airtime.

“You have enough underwear to last you two months?”

“No!”

Outta Focus

That’s what I am lately. So much is going on around, so random and disconnected, that I don’t have the chance to give anything the attention that it deserves. For this, I am so off-balance these days. Not just these days. It’s been going on for quite a while now.

Speaking of being outta focus, I bought a new pair of glasses last week. I really like them. They are sleeker than the last pair. Let’s see if they can draw the positive attention I’m needing from a special somebody… I’m afraid it might take more than a new pair of spectacles to make me the spectacle I’d like to be.

Maybe I should sit down and make a list.

I most relate to Sex & the City’s Miranda, and making a list at a time like this sounds like something that she’d do to try and sort herself out. By the way, I went to see the Sex & the City movie on Sunday evening with four utterly fabulous friends. So worth the 11k. I’ll probably end up in the cinema a second time for this one. However, I didn’t like the way it ended. I’m not that forgiving. Plus, I really wish we didn’t need someone else to make us complete.

…Back to the list. I need priorities. Walking aimlessly is tiresome and I never end up anywhere, not knowing if I’m making progress, regressing or just stuck in the same ol’ same ol’.

Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?
The Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.
Alice: I don't much care where.
The Cat: Then it doesn't much matter which way you go.
Alice: …so long as I get somewhere.
The Cat: Oh, you're sure to do that, if only you walk long enough.

My friend Erin always made lists. I guess it helped her out. Me, I always lose my lists when I make them. However, last Friday, I made a very detailed list, and I ticked off each item as I made my trek all over town. Yes, I felt productive. It was kind of fun. I even made it to the gym! I need to get there more often. I was out a couple of weeks ago, and someone commented on the gut I’m forming. Not what I wanted to hear.

No Honeymoon

One of the luxuries of staying in a some-what nice hotel is MTV all night long to keep me company while I fail to sleep. Not owning a television=no music videos for me. Being a self-diagnosed tv addict I thought that cold-turkey was the best way to break the habit, so when as asshole lifted my set in February 2007, I decided to not replace it. I'm good... Thanks.

Ok, so I knew that Fall Out Boy were in Uganda several months ago because word got around that Ashlee Simpson was in Kampala with her boyfriend, Peter Wentz. Coincidentally, Natalie Portman was also in Uganda the same time doing something with some micro-finance something... Anyway, FOB were going to Gulu to film a music video. I finally saw that video today. It's a pretty little love story with a tragic ending. The children who play the two lead characters are beautiful.

The plot of the video was very innocent and sweet, if not quite unrealistic. Issue? Let me tell you a personal experience from my time working at a primary school in Hoima. I was in the headteacher's office at the school when several young girls rushed into his office. One of the girls was in tears and the others were outraged. The problem: a boy had written her a love letter. The result was the boy was chased away from the school and his parents were called in for a meeting. Serious stuff...

Ok, let me stop. The video did make me smile and miss being in Uganda.

Break the Ice
It's been a while.
I know I shouldn't have kept you waiting.
But I'm here now.

Quite a while has gone by.


Change of venue... I'm in Bangkok. I spent an amazing four days in Nairobi (aka: my new favorite city in the world) with some truly FABULOUS people and had the most fantastic Easter weekend of my life. THANKS GUYS!!!


Now I'm off to see Barbarah: Goddess of Gorgeous in Hanoi. I'm stopping over in Bangkok to wait on my visa.


Randomly, on this trip I've run into friends I'd not seen in a while: Nancy at the Nairobi airport and Sheila at a shopping mall in Nairobi.


Some random thoughts:

• The beautiful people of Ethiopia do not hand out at the airport... Woof!

• I never want to be burned alive.

• Kidneys really don't taste that bad.

Outed

J.K. Rowling opened the closet door and outed one of the most popular characters from her Harry Potter series in New York City recently:

The question was: Did Dumbledore, who believed in the prevailing power of love, ever fall in love himself?

JKR: "My truthful answer to you ... I always thought of Dumbledore as gay [ovation]. Dumbledore fell in love with Grindelwald and that added to his horror when Grindelwald showed himself to be what he was ... [D]o we say it excused Dumbledore a little more because falling in love can blind us to an extent but he met someone as brilliant as he was and, rather like Bellatrix he was very drawn to this brilliant person, and horribly, terribly let down by him. Yeah, that's how I always saw Dumbledore. In fact, recently I was in a script read through for the sixth film and they had Dumbledore saying a line to Harry early in the script saying I knew a girl once, whose hair ... [laughter]. I had to write a little note in the margin and slide it along to the scriptwriter, 'Dumbledore's gay!' [laughter]. If I'd known it would make you so happy, I would have announced it years ago!"

Jo also said after revelation: "I had to give you something to talk about for the next 10 years ... Just imagine the fan fiction now."

True, it really doesn't make a difference because we were not reading the books to get our rocks off. I guess that's the point...his sexuality was/is an non-issue. However, I cannot wait for an absurb response from kooky conservative (Christian) groups.


In other sexuality-related news: The Boys Scouts of America in Philly just got it stuck to them.

The city has decided that the Boy Scouts chapter here must pay fair-market rent of $200,000 a year for its city-owned headquarters because it refuses to permit gay Scouts.

Apparently, they had a sweet agreement with the city of Philadelphia where they only had to pay a nominal $1 a month for rent. Well, for years the Boy Scouts have exercised their right as a private organisation to discriminate against those whose sexuality they do not approve of. Fair enough, but they have also depended on donated or subsidised space for meetings and management, much of which was in public buildings funded by tax payers--even they gay ones.

City officials say they cannot legally rent taxpayer-owned property for a nominal sum to a private organization that discriminates.

Also, fair enough.

I dreamed of Paris

Apparently, she's on her way to the Great Lakes Region. Are we ready for that? I can assure you she is not. Is that harsh? Am I being too judgemental? I've been accused of that before. To quote the heiress, herself, "There's so much need in that area, and I feel like if I go, it will bring more attention to what people can do to help." What? Is she going to milk a cow?...again? Roadtrip!!! Or she could come to Uganda, have local boys in a rural area make out with each other on camera (Simple Life, Season 1) in order draw attention to homosexuals and how small a threat they pose.

Just some thoughts.

Come one.

Come all.

Than we bargained for...

With a Purpose?

On Friday night, I was invited to attend a fashion show at one of Kampala's hotels that was being held to benefit and bring awareness to Aidchild, an organisation that provides care, support and education to orphans living with AIDS who do not have the support of extended families.

It was an event put together by Africa Tumefika whose motto is to Touch a Life Thru Fashion n' Design.

If I had to give the show a title, I'd call it

An Evening of Really Bad Shoes.
Too big. To shiny. Too much. Too thick. Too bad.


They really ought to fix that before taking the show on the road.

Oh, it was a really classy night.
What does one wear that's aprapos for a party that's sponsored by a fortified wine?

If I were to give the show a subtitle, I'd have to also call it a night of really bad photography because I didn't get any good shots. However, I got enough to give you the gist of what went on.

African Astronaut Urban Space Wear

Remember how cute/sexy Britney Spears was before she went bat-shit crazy? Let me take you back to a more innocent time when she was dancing on Mars, encountering astronauts and Oops!...She did it again:

Astronaut: Britney, before you go, there's something I want you to have.

Britney: Oh, it's beautiful! But wait a minute...isn't this?

Astronaut: Yeah. Yes it is.

Britney: But I thought the old lady dropped it into the ocean in the end.

Astronaut: Well, baby, I went down and got it for you.

Britney: Ah! You shouldn't have.

If you saw anyone walking around in this, wouldn't you think he was homeless? It's an omukeeka with a hole in it. Now, if I saw a homeless man walking around in this, I'd think he was quite clever, creatively finding a way to cover his nakedness.

I think the woven bag makes a great environmental statement: We don't need buveera sacks. A sack like that is great for market days; they are quite inexpensive and reusable.

A look for the modern man in Uganda... The announcer suggested this look for 'ushers'. He kept making reference to usher during this model's trip on the runway. The only ushers that came to my mind were the one's at the Cineplex. I guess it would be cool to have movie theater ushers take my ticket and help me find my seat dressed as a primary school pupil dancing at a music festival.

Did they have a fitting before the show? (Not to mention a hair stylist... but I guess I just did.) How many sizes too large is the skirt for this woman's waist? 3? 4? Simply put: This outfit does not fit a woman's body. It seems an overt attempt by the designer to sell sex, but she missed the mark. Too much is on display--shoulders, midriff, and legs. The woman's natural curves are not accentuated by the cut of the design; it's very sloppy...so not sexy.

This was described as 'African Urban Wear'. So I guess anything baggy can be givin the tag urban wear. But to be honest with you, this reminds me so much of what people where I'm from (an oh, so very rural area) would wear to go duck hunting. With all the excess space, one could store his game and easily transport it out of the swamp.





The fashion show turned into a lil' miss beauty pageant when this model stepped out. Come on! This design is straight out of the 'creative wear' category of a Miss Jinja, Miss KIU, or (as it appears) Miss Kawempe pageant. It is so unworthy of a designer with the talent of Latif. How 'uncreative wear'!

By far, the stand out designer of the show was Xenson, a young designer from Kamapala. Despite going on and on about all the awards the man has won, his portion of the show was the most creative, most interesting and best choreographed. I don't have any photos of his designs because I was on my way out (the show was soooooo long and just a lot of the same over and over) when he was announced. My friends and I headed back because one of my friends is a friend of his friend and really wanted to see his creations. It was worth the return. He made a a good show and outshone his colleagues.

Giving more meaning to the phrase:
fashion conscious.


Derek Zoolander School For Kids Who Can't Read Good

Traffic, Boobs and Caterpillars
I've been having much more traffic than normal on my blog these days, so I check on the referrals to see where everyone was coming from. I have two fellow bloggers to thank for referring to and linking to my blog in recent posts:

Dave from blogography.com, one of my all-time favorite blogs. I can often be seen around town sporting a Bad Monkey t-shirt; it's a Dave creation.

and

Baz from bazanye.wordpress.com, one of my new favorite blogs. I've been a fan of Baz's writing for years. If you aren't already a regular reader, check out his blog.

I also noticed that others have found my blog in search of boobs, both Ugandan and bridesmaids'.



(Speaking of nudity--been doing that a lot lately...frustration--a friend introduced me to a blog written by this porn star. It's truly, truly interesting. The writer began the blog before breaking into the adult film biz and has chronicled the journey. Earlier entries gave more insight on personal life and thoughts, but now it's all films, calendars and meet and greets. Occasional words are wisdom are offered up...plus there is no shortage of photos. Not for everyone.)

Oh, and a couple wanted to know about caterpillars in swimming pool.

Just so you know, they are not allowed.



On a more personal note (It was brought to my attention yesterday by a friend that I rarely make reference to my personal life on my blog), I started back to work today. I know this might sound sick, but I really enjoyed it. I've been on break for almost two months. I'm well-rested (mentally and phyically) and ready to get back to being a productive contributor to society. It was great seeing most of my colleagues again and meeting the new ones. Right now I'm really excited about starting up again.

Then Again…

“[I]t's not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers.” — Judy Blume

You can measure the greatness of an author of children’s fiction by how frequently her/his books are banned. Heaven forbid we challenge young readers! I just finished reading one of my favorite books from when I was, like, 13: Then Again, Maybe I Won’t. This book demystified wet dreams for me when no one would. Apparently, it’s openness about body changes during puberty is one of the reasons it is a frequently-banned book:

“Some parents fear their children reading about the things young adults think about--sex, mastrubation, periods, etc.”

Oh, the horror!!! It’s not the hormones that make them think about these things…It’s the Judy Blume books.

Infact, Judy Blume was the #2 most challenged author in the United States between 1990 and 2004. Yes, the author of such children’s classics as Super Fudge and Blubber is being banned where the freedom to have access to such books should be embraced. Blubber was one of my 5th Grade favorites. Not sure why it makes the list of The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books; however, we loved it because the kids in the book use the work bitch. Five of Judy Blume’s books are on the list of The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: Forever (8), Blubber (32), Deenie (46), Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret (62), and Tiger Eyes (78).

What was Judy thinking when she wrote a book where teenagers have sex, and nothing bad happens to them?



Get your egg timers ready!

Delaying washing the uncircumcised penis for at least 10 minutes after sex significantly lowers the risk of HIV infection.

“Finished!”

“I’ll set the time.”

10 minutes.

“Ready.

Set.

Go!”


On the verge of absurd...

[W]hat Pastor Martin Ssempa described as "a well-orchestrated effort by homosexuals to intimidate the government"

Define intimidation.

I must say that I find it ironic, that the group so hatefully and vehemently persecuting homosexuals in Uganda includes the term rainbow in its name. Do they know what the rainbow symbolizes to the gay community?

Maybe Pastor Ssempa should find Dorothy on the yellow-brick road, accompany her to the Emerald City and ask the wizard for a brain, a heart and some courage.

Playin' Safe

I just don't get it. Apparently, Mukono district has more resources than they know what to do with, so they are coming up with bull-shit tasks for the criminal investigation chief to do to keep him occupied. A school teacher goes to a "beauty contest" that turns into something similar to burlesque theater... So? He's photographed "standing next to a scantily-dressed" girl... And? "His fingers were close to the girl’s groin..." Your point is?

The RDC of Mukono asserts that the teacher "dented the district’s image." Did he? Did he dent the district's image? It is also said that he sent a wrong message to his pupils. Were they in the audience to see him do this? Should they have been? Who was responsible for them?

Can't a man live a private life? If anything, I think he was sending a positive message of safe sex. Come on. In this time of HIV and other STDs, isn't it safer to have a man just dancing with a woman than having unprotected sex with her?

In other, more entertaining news:


Variety.com is reporting that Kristen Bell will be joining Heroes during Season 2: NBC is adding former "Veronica Mars" star Kristen Bell to the cast of "Heroes." Peacock has snagged Bell for a key multiepisode arc of its sophomore sensation. Casting is a major coup for NBC since Bell -- who plays the title character in Judd Apatow's upcoming "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" -- was reportedly being sought for several TV gigs, including a part on ABC's "Lost." Bell will make her first "Heroes" appearance in October. She'll play Elle, a character described as a sexy, mysterious young lady who has ties to the supposed death of Peter, H.R.G.'s past and the future of Claire. Elle will kick off her arc by committing a serious crime, though it's unclear whether she's good or bad. "This was not easy to pull off," said "Heroes" creator-exec producer Tim Kring. "But since we're an ensemble show, with many arcs playing out through the year, we found a way to jump into a small window in (Bell's) schedule." Universal Media Studios prexy Katherine Pope also hinted that landing Bell wasn't easy, noting that "many studios (were) chasing her in both film and TV" and that she was happy that Bell "chose to star in our show." In addition to her gig in the Apatow pic, Bell co-stars in the Weinstein Co.'s upcoming "Fanboys" and supplies one of the voices in the 2008 animated Fox feature "Sheepish." She also has another regular role on a network skein, voicing the narrator in CW's new drama "Gossip Girl."

How excited am I? I LOVE Kristen Bell. How many times do I make Veronica Mars references per week? How many people have I trapped and persuaded to watch Reefer Madness. OMG: and Heroes is my new favorite show. What a perfect marriage!!! Apparently, Ms. B is quite hot these days in Hollywood, with both film and television offers coming at her left and right. She's also great on stage, able to sing and dance.

I'm really excited about Season 2 of Heroes!!!

Veronica Mars


is a marshmallow.

Let Me…

Entertain You!

You know how I’m into strippers, right?

• The first profession I ever wanted was that of a stripper.
• I think Flashdance is one of the best inspirational films ever made. In fact, I had a quote from the film engraved on the back of my iPod.
• The book I’m currently highly recommending (see sidebar) is Strip Tease by Carl Hiassen (still have to see the Demi Moore film).
• I used to reenact scenes from Gypsy for my mother (strangely, being an otherwise very conservative woman, she encouraged this) in the living room.
• I’m still a huge Britney Spears fan.

My latest stripper crush/infatuation is Ali Larter as Las Vegas-internet stripper, Niki Sanders, in the great new television series, Heroes.



To me, Ali is best known for her role as Brooke Taylor Windham in the motion picture, Legally Blonde, but you might also remember her from the films Final Destination or Varsity Blues. During the commentary reel on the Legally Blonde dvd, Reese Witherspoon refers to Ali as “phenomenal” and “gorgeous”. Reese also comments, “It wasn’t hard, like, having to, you know, moon over her, you know, be all starry-eyed ‘cause she’s so beautiful… She smiles and it’s just like a tooth paste commercial. I was,like, stunned. I couldn’t stop looking at her.”

I just finished watching the first half of season one of Heroes, and Ali’s character is my favorite. I love how she is able to switch back and for between the concerned-mother stripper, and the hard, super-strong psycho bitch, Jessica. Both of the personalities are flawed, but there is a strength in both that is intriguing. Yeah, Ali’s also beautiful, but her character is so complex and she plays her so well. I sometimes lose interest in the other story lines and anticipate a return to Niki & co.

Stripper poles… There are just not enough stripper poles.

I wonder how my landlady would react if I had one installed my bedroom?


Pick up your apples girls and back to the trees!
Bon soir, monsieur et monsieur!
Je m'appelle Gypsy Rose Lee.
And that concludes my entire performance in French...
I've been too busy learning Greek!
Where were you last night?
Some men accused me of being an ecdysiast.
Do you know what that means? Do you?
Do you? Oh, you do!
Aha! He's embarrassed!
Don't be embarrassed... I like a man without hair!
An ecdysiast is one who or that which
sheds its skin... in vulgar paroles: a stripper
But I'm not a stripper!
At these prices I'm an ecdysiast!
And if you're real good,
I'll make you feel good.
I want you spirit to climb...
Let me entertain you
and well have a real good time, yes, sir!
We'll have...
A real good time!

What a feeling!

Not Cool.
Yes, I’m one of those people described as concerning [himself] with worthless diversionary crap such as Lindsay Lohan's latest bust or one of [Britney Spears] marriages, pregnancies or fashion blunders. It’s pretty obvious. I cannot deny it.

On the local front: Yesterday morning, while out for a run, I was passed by Bebe Cool and Bafudde, cell phone to his hear with one hand, and the other hand was gesturing wildly, like he was in an argument with someone. Who was steering the vehicle? Good question. Unless Mr. Cool has a very talented penis and lil’ Bebe was at the wheel, I guess no one was. Jackass.


All those in favor of not being knocked by a car driven by someone’s penis... get the hell outta his way.

Ever heard of Lance Garrison?

No one should be left alone to dress and to accessorize.
I’ve been MIA for a while, and there is so much I feel like I need to express. While I cannot sum up my ideas concisely through a monologue from a made-for-television movie, I can use a few photos, graphics and links accompanied by random spewings from my mind—nothing really different from my usual post. Here goes:

• What get’s me going:

It’s no secret that I’m training for November’s MTN marathon. I really want to go the distance, but it’s no simple task to get out the door and get the necessary training done. A great soundtrack is a must. No, Eye of the Tiger is not on my ipod, but the sound track to three hit Broadway musicals are:


Who knew that one could find athletic motivation to go the extra mile from songs of a Nubian princess slave falling for an Egyptian army captain, a blonde from Malibu fighting for love and finding confidence in herself, and the evolution of a little green girl? This combination gets a big thumbs-up from me. It’s like books-on-tape…only FUNNER!

• Librarian love:

I finally got around to reading the latest and final Harry Potter novel. J.K. created an amazing world and spun a great tale that captivated much of the world. I admit to being in tears for the most part of the last 120 pages of The Deathly Hallows. I’m happy I finished the book before anyone could spoil it for me. I don’t like to find out about endings ahead of time; I like to discover them for myself.

Librarians… One of the women in my life that I adore is now a full-fledged librarian working in a children’s library in Boston. She and her colleagues got some special praise for a special project they did in conjunction with the latest HP release. Go Beth!

Beth in her own words: I'm a librarian, and I've killed a goat with my bare hands.

• More on the Chicks:

My girl, Nicole, lives in no-Chicks-land: Abilene, Texas. I blogged recently about the Dixie Chicks documentary, Shut Up and Sing. The girls are still struggling in Texas, home of the Chicks and the one they don’t adore, George W. Bush. Well, it seems that the powers that be in Abilene feel they should determine what people are allowed to watch and what they are not. You cannot rent or purchase Shut Up and Sing in this conservative, freedom-loving corner of the great state of Texas.

• Groovin:

There is a new night club in the new shopping center in Ntinda. The signpost by the road doesn’t do the club justice. I thought it would be just another hole-in-the-wall place, fun but nothing exciting. When I’m wrong, I say I’m wrong. I was wrong. I had so much fun at Club Le Lui. If you’re on that side of town and feel the need to dance, don’t hesitate to make your way inside.


The look: hash chic.

I'm it

A first: I was tagged. It made me feel so popular.

1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Ok, let’s begin:

1. I don’t like foods made with bananas, but I like bananas…by themselves.

2. I fell out of a tree when I was like 8 or 9 and landed on my head. I had briefly suffered from amnesia. My mother also thought that the fall caused me to demonstrate symptoms of Tourette’s syndrome because I developed what she considered a tic: I’d rapidly shake my head back and forth at any given time. I think I outgrew it.

3. Both my grandmother and one of my mother’s good friends told me on separate occasions that they are so happy, yet surprise, that I didn’t grow up to be too-bad-looking because I was a very ugly baby/infant and they were worried.

4. As a child, the first thing I ever wanted to be ‘when I grew up’ was a stripper. I think I was five or six when I saw Chippendales perform on the Donahue show, and I thought it was the greatest thing ever: dancing and taking one’s clothes off. Then I wanted to be a baker for several years. Then a popstar. Next a director—stage first, later film (even got a scholarship based on my aspirations to become a documentary filmmaker). After that it was an ethno-botanist, hence a degree in biological science. Then I wandered into education.

5. For my mother’s birthday in 1999, I took her to see Ragtime. If you’ve never read the 1975 novel, seen the play (1998 Tony Award nominee for best musical) or listened to the play’s soundtrack, I recommend you do so. There was also a movie made in 1981 based on the book. I never saw it, so I cannot recommend it.

6. The first magazine that I ever subscribed to was Rollingstone, back when Madonna was with Warren Beatty, Spin Doctors (who?) were considered to be the future of rock music, MC Hammer was big and Naomi Campbell was doing GAP ads. I was 13.

7. I believe the best way to enjoy warm, tropical water is to go skinny-dipping.

8. A perfect evening to me is good friends, great food, even better conversation and lots of laughing.

Who can I tag? I’ve never tagged before. Do I know 8 people who blog who’ve not already been tagged? Ok, I tag Nicole, Celeste (does she still have a blog?), hmmm…

Rent

is once again due.

Yes, four months have come and gone since the last time I sat down with my landlady and handed over rent for the next four months. I signed a rent agreement for one year, and that was one year ago. I’ll have to do that once again. My fear is that the landlady will want to increase my rent. Anyway, I’ve been a great tenant—the best one she has—so I don’t think it will be difficult to persuade her to keep things as they are (stick to the status quo). Nonetheless, I’m still apprehensive that our next meeting might get a little sticky. I’ll let you know.


I’ve been in a real Rent mood lately. I mean, I’ve been listening to the Rent soundtrack a lot lately, and I’ve had a strong desire to watch the film. Unfortunately, I lent my copy to a friend of mine about a month ago, so I didn’t have it handy. Well, I got it back today, and I’m fresh from watching the movie for the umpteenth time. I watched it like five times the first weekend it came out on DVD last year, and I cannot tell you how many times since then. Rent means many different things to many different people. To be fair, some people despise it. The play is in its 12th year on Broadway. I remember first learning about the show in the spring of 1997 when I was at university. One of my housemates went to New York over spring break, saw the show, bought the soundtrack, and that is all we listened to for weeks after he got back. I saw it for the first time in January 1998 with my friends Travis and Jeff in Orlando at the Bob Car theater. To date, think I’ve seen it on stage four or five times. When I finally saw it on Broadway in 2001, I was beside a woman who was watching the show for the 77th time.

If you know me—or simply read my blog every now and again—you know that friendship is something I really value; I put a lot of effort into my relationships with others. Friendship is one of the major themes of Rent, and that is one of its many appeals to me. A line in one of the songs is, ‘Friendship is thicker than blood.’ One of my friends at university, Keri, used to say something like that all the time. She’s always said that when you were so far from home, your friends truly became your family. That’s true, but it is also true that sometimes, your friends become closer and more important to you than your family even when your family is not so far away. We all need unconditional love from someone, and we do not always find that love and acceptance from our families. Who do you turn to when your family rejects you or turns its back? Those friends.

The no day but today theme of Rent really influenced my life during my 20’s, and I’m still trying to hold on to that idea. Just being who I am compounded with the way I was raised makes me an overly-cautious, neurotic person. I’ve really worked hard to ‘let go’ of so much and enjoy each day, and it has made me a happier person. I’ve not reached the point where I can ‘live each moment as my last’. However, that’s what I aspire to.

Forget regret or life is yours to miss.

Give in to love or live in fear.

These are just some of the messages from Rent that inspire and motivate me. Some days I need more inspiration and motivation than others.


Rent, even though it is a work of fiction, rejuvenates my optimism for finding love in this crazy, crazy world. Hopefully I won’t have to go broke, get strung out on heroin, have AIDS or be beaten on the streets to find it. Strip...maybe.

Productivity

I woke up this morning (Sunday. It’s possible I won’t have internet access today, so this might get posted on Monday) after a restless night not feeling quite as much as a train wreck victim as I did yesterday. I’ve been very lucky this past year to have suffered from a record small number of migraines. For a while, I’d get one every Thursday that would last through Saturday. It was quite exhausting, and I had a difficult time being productive during that time. A year and a half ago, I had the record five-day migraine that had me up vomiting at night. This past year, the headaches have been few, not as intense or long-lasting. But occasionally, I’m still cursed with one. Yesterday’s lack of wellness triggered one, and I was awoken no less than five times last night by painful throbs behind my right eye (the side always affected). Some dull pain is still present, but I think the worst is over.

I really want a productive day. It’s been so long since I’ve really had one of those. I’m feeling like a big, lazy blob! However, I feel motivated, something I’ve not felt in a while. What can stand in my way? Apparently, the telephone networks. I’ve been trying to contact people who could aid me on my quest for productivity, but my efforts are proving futile; messages are not getting through and phone calls are being dropped. Boo!

One thing I’d like to accomplish today is acquire a table to set up a workspace at home. I’ve got the chair. I’ve got the printer. I’ve been given a table, but it’s locked in a friend’s garage. My friend just got back from travels to DRC and Rwanda, so I thought I’d just bop over to her place and get the table. Well…I don’t want to go over without calling first. I’m polite that way.

So I just got a message from a friend I’m supposed to meet for coffee this morning. He wants to postpone until four this afternoon. I’m assuming he’s hung-over from last night. Hey, I cannot hold that against anyone. Take as much time as you need, buddy. That just frees up my morning a little more to do something worthwhile like go grocery shopping for the week, wash dishes, make my bed, etc… I don’t need to call first before doing any of these things.

Get movin’!