So, I’m writing this entry form a room in a residence hall at Makerere Univeristy, Uganda’s largest and most well-know institute of higher education. It’s 9:00pm. I should be home by now, but it’s raining and really cold out. Yes, it is cold out.

I was supposed to meet one of the kids I sponsor for secondary school and discuss his educational future. Secondary education is not free in Uganda. Access to quality education is not easy in Uganda, but it is especially complicated when you are from a rural village, your relatives are poor, and you are an orphan. I’ve been assisting Geoffrey for over four years now. He just completed his ‘O’ level, and he wants to continue with his ‘A’ level. As I was saying, I was supposed to meet him in town, near the university campus, but he did not show up, and I could not reach him by phone.

When my meeting did not take place, I called my friend, Tinka, and he took me over to the university campus where they are having some kind of bazaar. I’ve been on the Makerere campus a few times, but never at night and never to a student function. I was pleasantly surprised at how much it resembled any student function on every other university campuse I’ve visited. Of course, there were Ugandan twists (stands with roasted goat’s meat and others selling hair extensions), but it was like I’d walked back into my days at the university. I LOVE UNIVERSITY LIFE. I look forward to being a student again just to be on a campus and feel the energy that thrives in such an environment. When will that day be? Who knows?

Who knows?

So I'm a part of a running club that meets every Monday evening at 6:00pm for a run and dinner afterwards, the Kampala Hash House Harriers. They call themselves a "drinking club with a running problem." Going out on the hash is something I look forward to every week. There is no specific location for a run, the starting point changes each week, and I get to see parts of Kampala that I would probably never venture into otherwise. Some weeks we jog through the most elite areas with high walls and uninviting gates. Other weeks we are making paths through the slums, dodging small children and women cooking on their charcoal stoves. It's good fun, and we provide free entertainment for the local residents who often get a kick out of seeing a group of people running through their neighborhoods. Some of the hash locations are a little bit off the beaten track, and finding the venue is half of the fun.

I've been doing the runs since September of 2006. My friend and co-teacher, Kat, introduced me to the group, and I'm so glad she did. It has been an excellent way for me to meet new people in a new city. I've also gotten myself back into shape and shed at least 10 pounds since I came back to Uganda.

I actually look forward to Mondays.

On! On!

THE BOOK MEME!
1. Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror? I cannot say I’m into any of these genres. I especially hate when sci-fi and fantasy are woven together like Terry Brooks’ books.
2. Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback? I like ‘em all. I’m in a hardback phase right now. I have to get all my favorite books in hardback. If a book is just fluff and read for leisure, then paperback is my preference.
3. Amazon or Brick and Mortar? I visit Amazon.com at least once daily.
4. Barnes & Noble or Borders? None of them in my part of the world. Kampala has a GREAT bookstore, Aristoc. You can find me there on any given Saturday.
5. Hitchhiker or Discworld? Never read either. Don’t be disappointed.
6. Bookmark or Dogear? Dogears belong on dogs, not on books. If you want to end a friendship, bend a page in a book you borrow from me.
7. Magazine: Asimov’s Science Fiction or Fantasy & Science Fiction? I will probably never read any of these publications.
8. Alphabetize by author, Alphabetize by title, or random? I really do this. I’ve separated all of my fiction and non-fiction books, and they are alphabetized by author and then by title.
9. Keep, Throw Away or Sell? I keep most of the books I read. However, a good book must be shared. I lend out and give away.
10. Keep dust-jacket or toss it? Toss out a dust jacket? Never.
11. Read with dustjacket or remove it? If I’m taking a book to read at the beach, the dustjacket will be removed. Otherwise, it usually stays on.
12. Short story or novel? Novels. I find it hard to get into short stories. An exception is David Sedaris. I love his books.
13. Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? I love Harry Potter. I’ve read at least four of the Lemony Snicket books, and I plan to finish the series, but they are not as interesting to me. I had a very difficult time getting through A Bad Beginning. I did not like the writer’s style.
14. Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? I usually try to make it to the end of a chapter, but that is not always possible. Sometimes sleep wins.
15. "It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time?" Once upon a time… At this point a fairy tale is just what I need.
16. Buy or Borrow? The library I have access to is very limited, exclusively children’s books. If I want something more mature, I must by it.
17. Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse? I usually go on recommendations. However, I pick up quite a few just from browsing at the bookstore or online. I read book reviews and always read about I book that I tell myself I must buy, but I never do.
18. Lewis or Tolkien? Is there any comparison? Tolkein’s books are superior. However, neither author writes in a genre that I prefer, so I’ve not read much of either of them. I read all of the Chronicles of Narnia. (I’ve taught The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.) I’ve also read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy a couple of times. I tried to read the Chronicles of Narnia again, but Lewis’s writing style frustrates me. I just cannot force myself to read his books.
19. Collection (short stories by the same author) or Anthology (short stories by different authors)? Collection. I mentioned Sedaris earlier.
20. Tidy ending or Cliffhanger? I like things to get wrapped up neatly; however, a good Cliffhanger can keep a conversation going until the next installment.
21. Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading? I’m more of a nighttime reader. Of course, I read at other times of the day if I’m able or the mood hits me, but I usually take a book down to the local coffee shop and relax in the evenings (especially when the power is off in my neighborhood.)
22. Standalone or Series? Is the series good? If the series tends to drag on, I’ll get bored and stop.
23. New or used? I like new books. Hate bent spines.
24. Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor. I discovered it at Aristoc last year. I really loved it.
25. Top 5 favorite genre books of all time? I’m not sure what is meant by genre book, so I’ll list my top 5 books of all time.
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban by J.K. Rowling
• The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told by Alexy Haley
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
26. Favorite genre series? I cannot think of a series that I would say is my favorite. I mentioned before that I love Harry Potter. It is one of the few series that I’ve read all the books (so far).
27. Currently Reading? Artemis Fowl and the Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer.

Old romance

is just an old illusion.

Too bad I can’t just chop it up and feed it to a man-eating plant from outer space that I keep in the basement. That would be too easy. Who wouldn’t want one? They’d be ‘bigger than hula hoops’.


The guy sure looks like plant food to me!

The guy sure looks like plant food to me!

The guy sure looks like plant food to me!

A-B-Cs

of Me

A- Available or Single? Oh, so sadly so.
B- Best Friend? In theory or for reals? I’m working on it. Trust issues. I hate being ditched when the weather is no longer fair.
C- Cake or Pie? I like cake.
D- Drink of Choice? Water. Nice and cold.
E- Essential Item? Toothbrush. They don’t call me ‘yuck mouth’ for a reason.
F- Favorite Color? Green.
G- Gummi Bears or Worms? Not a bit Gummi fan; however, I prefer bears.
H- Hometown? White City, FL: as sad as it is.
I- Indulgence? Chips (French Fries).
J- January or February? January. It’s all about new beginnings and not train-wreck love affairs. Two of the greatest women living were born in January: my grandmothers, Tressie and Inez. Love ‘em. I was also born on the 4th.
K- Kids and Names? GOOD LORD!
L- Life is incomplete without…? Me.
M- Marriage Date? Are you kidding me? If it existed, my mother would be sooooooo happy.
N- Number of Siblings? Five.
O- Oranges or Apples? Apples, definitely. Oranges are too much work. I don’t like eating around seeds.
P- Phobias/Fears? Spiders. I think I’m afraid heights. Me. Of all people. Why?
Q- Favorite Quote? “If you give up your dream, you die” from Flashdance.
R- Reasons to smile? A witty remark from a good friend.
S- Season? Summer. I, like some, like it H-O-T.
T- Tag 3 people? I don't tag. It’s so annoying.
U- Unknown Fact About Me? I working on making myself more of a mystery. Intrigue will hopefully make me more attractive to that special someone. This means I am trying to withhold unknown facts about me. You’ll have to get to know me well to discover them.
V- Vegetable You Hate? Brussel Sprouts.
W- Worst Habit? Chewing my nails. I getting better at avoiding fingers to mouth. Tired of parasites.
X- Xrays You’ve Had? Other than teeth x-rays? I can only think of my wrist and arm.
Y- Your Favorite Foods? I love eggplants. I love good food. For this reason, I end up cooking a lot. I only eat out when I cannot prepare a certain dish so well or it is just too much trouble to prepare.
Z- Zodiac? Capricorn.

Good

in the

sack.



It had been so long since I'd done it that I almost didn't remember what to do. Luckily, it's like riding a bicycle, and once I got started, the technique came back to me, I gained momentum and finished quite well--not as quickly as I thought I would.

1986

5th grade was so simple. Bon Jovi played our anthems. We did not get the meanings exactly, but just knowing the words to the songs improved our social ranking.

1986 was the year I first developed my crush on Erin. My heart was broken; she fell for my brother, then my brother's friend. Erin and I remained good friends throughout our teens.

Twenty-one years later: My heart has once again been broken, and I'm trying to move on. There is a new crush. I hope this one is as much fun as 1986. I feel like a 10-year-old boy again.

Where's Erin?
I'd love to chat

Did I

mention

that the 4th

January


was my

birthday?

Day
of the
Dead


Ok, this is the abridged version of my entry. There once existed a clever and witty version, but it was deleted by someone fooling around with my computer. I don’t remember all that I wrote, nor do I have the energy to go through all that I’d expressed before. I got it out one. It’s out; it’s gone.

I got an email from Nicole not too long ago (however, it has been a while because Nicole has been absent from the net for quite some time) requesting that I post more photos of Uganda and (get this) of me. Well, let’s do this!




I took a day trip last week and went to Kasubi Tombs—former palace, now final resting place for four of the Buganda Kingdom’s past bakabaka (kings). I’d been meaning to get by there for years, but I never got around to it.

It’s quite an interesting place. The tour was not perfect; my tour guide had an aversion to answering questions and a few references to You whites and You people were made. The structure of the building itself is interesting. The brochure referred to it as “a masterpiece of human creativity”. I don’t know if I’d go that far. (Have me over for dinner one evening, and we’ll have a discussion on creativity in Uganda.) It’s practical and not unlike most structures built in Uganda at that time. What is unique is that it has been so well maintained over the years. Go to the tombs in Hoima if you want to see what I’m talking about.



I took my friend Charles to the tombs with me. He’s a Muganda and has lived in Kampala for most of his life, but he’d never visited Kasubi before. I got a kick out of our brilliant tour guide talking to and treating Charles as if he were a foreign tourist.



Is this burning an enternal flame? Why yes, yes it is. The Baganda keep a fire burning as long as the present kabaka is living. When he dies, the flame will be extinguished and a new flame will be lit when a new king ascends the throne.

When we go back to town, we went to lunch at a Lebanese restaurant called, of all things, Cowboys’. It used to be Al Tarboush, but I guess the new owners wanted to go with a more Western-sounding name. You can’t get more western than Cowboys’. The new menu also had some interesting items listed:


Ok, so it’s just a typo, but the Hommos + meat... Well I'm just saying... Depending on your taste... Like it or not, in another place, one might have other expectations than chickpeas and lamb.

And seated just outside the restaurant, directly in front of my table as I’m enjoying my abundant meal is a harsh reminder of reality.



Hummus

Hoummos

Homous

(Take your pick)



+ me(at)

Addiction.


Nothing about my lifestyle indicates an addictive personality. I’m never interested in anything long enough to let it consume me or interfere with normal goings-on in my life—whatever they might be. I’ve attempted to pick up some new habits like sudoku, early morning jogs and weekly self-inflicted manis and pedis. I’m good for a while, but the new ideas soon fall by the wayside. I cannot stick to one genre of literature, there is no particular type of food that I will claim to “love” without crossing my fingers behind my back and there is no form of entertainment that I cannot live without. However, addiction terrifies me. (I think) I have an irrational fear of becoming addicted to something, so sub-consciously I do not allow myself to get too attached to anything like Diet Coke, a particular body lotion, tandoori chicken (which I’ve been out to eat three times in the last week), or that dynamite person who deserves more.

Despite the status quo, I’m still afraid of getting hooked.


junk

Let me take a moment and recommend Frank Beddor’s The Looking Glass Wars. I loved this book. From page one, I had to find what was going to happen next. It is a retelling of the story of Alice in Wonderland, her true story. I’d been eying it for a while at Aristoc’s bookstore, but I finally took the plunge. It is not the type of book that I would normally choose, but, as you know from the above entry, I do not stick to one genre of books. It is in the same vein as Wicked by Gregory McGuire, but not targeted so much for an adult audience. (As a matter of fact, I went out and bought a copy of Wicked after finishing The Looking Glass Wars. I read it a few years ago, but LGW sparked my interest again.) I loved Frank Beddor’s book so much that I ordered three more copies of it from Amazon.com and sent them a Christmas gifts.

Thanks to Pink is the New Blog I picked up a copy of Eragon recently. The film was about to arrive in Kampala, so I decided to read it before going to the movie. Again, fantasy is a genre that I am reluctant of pick up. A friend recommended Terry Brooks to me once, I read a couple of his books and really did not care to read anymore. I’ll admit to liking The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I’ve not read any others by Tolkien. Overall, I enjoyed Eragon; I mailed a copy of it to my brother in Florida who is a huge fantasy fan. I will probably end up getting Eldest,the second book in the trilogy, as well. However, I must say that the book annoyed me in many ways. I did not like the relationships between the characters. They griped at each other too much and too easily. The relationship between boy and dragon was also disturbing. Eragon telling Saphira, the dragon, that he loved her was just weird to me.

I went to see the film version yesterday. It has an amazing cast: John Malkovich, Rachel Weisz, Jeremy Irons and Djimon Hounsou. That was all that was amazing about the film. It jumped way too much and left too many gaps. Will there be a sequel? I have no idea how well this film did in the states.

At present, I have a thing for Sex and the City. I could not get into it when it was such a popular his for HBO. I just bought the first season on dvd, and I’m reading Candice Bushnell’s book. What does that say about me?



Blue.

Veronica Mars:

Keeping it Real

So the first half of the third season of Veronica Mars is over and, thanks to file sharing, I’ve been able enjoy the investigations our young sleuth here, in Uganda. To allay my sense of piracy guilt, I’ve put in an order for the first season of V on dvd, totally legit; people are getting paid. (Speaking of the fist season of Veronica Mars, I found a video store in downtown Kampala that actually has the entire first and second seasons of Veronica Mars on dvd for rent. I feel a New Year’s marathon blowin’ in the wind. After my catastrophic Christmas, I’m apprehensive. I know it sounds like a lame idea, but maybe ringin’ in the new year alone would be the wisest decision for me to make. But do I really possess that much wisdom?)

The rapist was revealed, but the first half of season three ended with several questions:

• Are Veronica and Logan dunzo?

• Will Wallace pass his engineering class?

• Who shot the dean?


Season three captivated my attention and left me with lingering questions throughout:

• When does Veronica find the time to put all those curls in her hair?

• Where did Parker get her wig? It looks just like real hair;

• When VM moved to The CW, did they get a larger production budget so they are now able to pay closer attention to details and have the make-up team working overtime extending the actors’ adolescence? There have been some major acne breakouts this season.


I’m really feeling Logan. I also suffered from body acne during my 20’s. Those on the back can be quite uncomfortable.


Ely’s pimples are a bit over done. They almost look like hives. Poor guy.

Flawless!

Christmas

in the KLA


It’s the 26th December, the day after Christmas, Boxing Day, a time to reflect on what the heck went on over the past few days. Well, I was in bed by 10:45 last night watching the Dixie Chick’s dvd Top of the World Tour: Live I borrowed from a friend yesterday. Last night was supposed to be a fun night out with friends, and it began that way, but it evolved into me being in a very bad mood (pissed off, if you will) and home alone. I have no interesting or humorous stories to share with you that would paint a picture of the events that lead up to a disappointing Christmas that would not make me look like a villain, so I’ll just tell you the best part of the past two days: making pizza with the Peace Corps Volunteers. I met many of the new PCVs at a house in Naguru; my friend Kristina invited them over. Kristina’s parents sent her a slab of German bacon for Christmas. (I know what you’re thinking: BACON: The best gift, EVER!) We chopped it up, fried it, topped a pizza with it and… Uhmmmm! Christmas night went downhill from there.

Kinda sucks.

The truth...

Geek Test Results

You are 60% geeky.


Not bad. Maybe you spend a little too much time with your computer, but at least you have friends. You do have friends, right?

The current average score is: 31.89%

Fact: 8.36% of people who took this test wear a bum-bag on holiday.


hurts!

How about you?

A real runner up

Ok, so I finished reading The Front Runner some time ago, but I've not gotten around to commenting on it. It was fast and enjoyable, but I cannot say I loved it. Maybe I'm a bit too much of a cynic or too hard-hearted to go for the romantic story. I found myself feeling embarassed by the characters emotions for each other and I threw-up in the back of my mouth more than twice while reading the book (once because of the disgusting description of the olympics event).

I'm looking forward to seeing it translated onto the big screen.

10K


Sunday was the third annual MTN Marathon in Kampala, and I did not run the 42km; I'm savin' it for next year. (You can hold me to it.) Fortunately, for those of us not up for the long haul, they also held a 10k race in which I participated…barely. I missed the registration deadline, and I was told that it would be impossible to register: even if I were a government minister, I would not be able to register after the deadline. Well I’m no minister of anything, but I did find a way to register and officially join the race.

One of the finer qualities that I inherited from my dear mother in a stubbornness that does not allow me to accept ‘no’ as an option when I don’t think it is the correct answer. People who know me know that I’m very respectful and not a pushy person; however, I’m no push over either. I really wanted to be in the race, and I missed a deadline that I was misinformed about to begin with. I talked to whom I knew that I felt could pull some strings, I made phone calls to strangers, and I almost gave up hope until around 7:30pm Saturday evening when I got the phone call that I was in and could pick up my ‘runner’s kit’ before the race, around 6:30am, Sunday.

At the race, security did not want to allow me back to the tents where I was supposed to pick up my kit. My explanations and eventual arguments got my nowhere, so I had to take the long way around (literally). I just made the block and went in the back way. I picked up my kit with my jersey. I got a number and a tracking chip. My skills in burlesque came in handy and I stripped down in front of the parliament building and changed into my running gear. The race was on.

I have no idea how well I did. I’m going to be generous and say that I performed well. I ran the entire time, never stopping to walk. I also feel like I was in the front part of the middle portion of runners; I was not in the back. My watch band broke a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve not replaced it, so I could not time myself. My tracking chip was supposed to record my time when I passed the finish line, but it didn’t (just my luck). I sent someone with my number tag to pick up my certificate verifying my time, but he came back empty-handed and said my time was not in the computer. I used to run 10k’s for fun with my friend Susan, and I always finished at just under an hour. The area I ran today was not nearly as hilly as where Susan and I ran, so I hope that I improved my time a bit. Although, I am not quite as fit now as I was then, so who knows?

Y’ello!

No brown paper bag...


required.

Now I have one for home and one for on the go.

Hoot was a hoot!

Teaching children to think for themselves; coming to their own conclusions about what is ethical or right; allowing them to engage in civil disobedience; adding in alligators in toilets, water moccasins with glittery tails and Florida's tropical setting: What's not to love?

Now reading:
Run, baby! Run



I got this book from my friend, David. He brought it to my house wrapped in newspaper. It's a crazy, crazy world when one has to hide the book he is reading for fear of having someone see it's title. Come on! Because of the homophobic attitude of many, I'm even hesitant to take the book to read at the little cafe I love so much. What can you do?

I've read in more than one location that because of the success of Brokeback Mountain, they are in the process of turning this book into a major motion picture. I'm only 60 pages in, and I'm hooked.

What
I'm reading
now:



I finished The Schools Our Children Deserve two days ago. The most applicable command I acquired from the book is "Prove it!" This can really stimulate great classroom discussion. However the most valuable lesson that I learned that I'm trying to pass on to my students is: "Mistakes are our friends." Yep.

Giving non-fiction a rest, I selected Hoot from my classroom library because the author, Carl Hiaasen, was recommended to me by my South African co-teacher. Hiaasen is a fellow Floridian, but I can honestly say that I did not know who he was. Apparently, he's written some quite popular books for adults, but he's also had success in the realm of children's literature. I remember seeing advertisements for the movie version of the book earlier this year. I remember reading or hearing somewhere (correct me if I'm wrong) that Jimmy Buffet did the music for the soundtrack. This week Jimmy has been on heavy rotation on my iTunes. Cheeseburger in Paradise, Margaritaville, and (my personal favorite song at the moment because it is very relevant to events in my life) The Asshole Song. I think it was Hoot's connection with Jimmy that finally drew me to it. So far I'm lovin' it. It's gonna be a quick read, so I'll let you know more of my thoughts in a couple of days.

Cheers!

Hipidy Hop!

Sunday has been a fun-filled day of lesson planning (Yea!), meeting a friend at café for a slice of cake, making corn tortillas for the first time, and reading from Alfie Kohn’s book: The Schools Our Children Deserve. I mentioned in a previous posting that I was reading this book. I love it. It justifies much of what I’ve tried to do as a teacher for the past several years. My style of teaching is very organic. Despite my lesson plans, I find myself to do what feels right at the moment. I looked over some of my planned lessons from just last month and did not recognize them; I did not do them. Yet, I believe that my students are much better off for that. They learned what they wanted/needed to know. If only I’d discovered this book before my demoralizing experience in Samoa, I could’ve explained myself better, defended my methods and had more confidence in what I was trying to accomplish with my class. I am very happy that people like Mara Ashley, Kate Moran and Peggy Halek gave me the guidance and support that I needed. They rank up there with Kato Erisama and Isaac Munnu as my mentors in education. I learned so much last year. My Samoan experience will always be important to me. It was my trial by fire and helped me to define who I am as a teacher. If anyone reading this blog has kids and is moving to Tutuila, American Samoa, let me recommend Pacific Horizons School. It is a little slice of educational heaven on that hell of an island paradise.


Back to Sunday… While at Pap Café (a complete misnomer: pap being a bland soft or semiliquid food such as that suitable for babies or invalid), a street vendor came around selling fried grasshoppers. Yes, it is that time of year: grasshopper/ensenene season! Anyone who has spoken to me about my Peace Corps experience in Uganda knows how I savour these little insects. Words of wisdom: Don’t knock it till you try it. I bought a paper cone full and enjoyed a couple with my friend, David. It was a pleasant afternoon.



What are you looking at?


We're looking at you!

I had a little itch on Saturday
that I decided to scratch.