Trivia and then some re:Africa

So you have heard me go on and on and on about Ethiopia for the past 7 weeks. It's now time to see how much we have learned :) [all numbers are US dollars]

Bus fare in NYC - 2.25 ... in Addis Abeba - 4 cents

Bowl of pasta with 2 bottles of beer in NYC - 20.00 ... in Addis Abeba - 5.00

Chinese dinner for 4 in NYC - 110.00 ... in Addis Abeba - 15.00

Bottle of fizzy water with dinner in NYC - 5.95 ... in Addis Abeba - 90 cents

Private tennis lesson for 1 hour in NYC - 110.00 ... in Addis Abeba - 5.00

Pay phone in NYC - 25 cents ... in Addis Abeba - 2 cents

Small all-dressed pizza in NYC restaurant - 16.95 ... in Addis Abeba 4.25

Small latte at Starbucks in NYC - 2.95 ... in Addis Abeba 8 cents

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Now for the African PhD test ... anyone can Google the answers, but try it on your own before looking on the web ...

1: There are 53 countries in Africa. How many can you name?

2: Five African countries border the Mediterranean. Can you name 3 of them?

3: What African country is on its own island?

4: Other than South Africa, name 2 of the 4 most southern countries in Africa.

5: What country is the USA's 44th president "from", even though he was born in Hawaii?

6: The names "Rob" and "Robert" share the same root ... "Rob". Two African countries, which border on one another, use the same root for their name; one of these countries tacks the letters "ia" on the end of its name. What are these two countries?

7: What southern Afican country was mentioned in the title of a song that Bob Dylan recorded on his Desire album?

8: The famous 1976 raid on Entebbe took place in what country in Africa?

9: Match up the following countries with their previous names (the matches below are/may be wrong):

   Ethiopia ==> Rhodesia
   Zambia ==> Abyssinia
   Chad ==> Rhodesia
   Zimbabwe ==> Upper Volta
   Burkina Faso ==> Tanganyika and Zanzibar
   Tanzania ==> French Equatorial Africa

10: In 1960, led by Patrice Lumumba, the Congo declared independence from what country?

Give me an "E", give me a "T" ...

It was a beautiful sunny day in Addis; there is nothing like an Ethiopian summer at 8,500 feet above sea level. The mercury was about 26 degrees, about 4 to 5 less than the most it will get. Also ... tada ... no humidity :) I played tennis at 5 after work and the foot is doing well. After tennis and from time-to-time during other times, I walk with the stick to give the left foot some rest. Right now the left and right foot ... as far as aches and pains, I cannot tell the difference. Paul et al bought some bamboo outdoor furniture a few weeks ago, and a few pieces were targeted to be ready yesterday. As well, before I went to Canada, I stopped at the tailor and put a down payment on a white sports jacket. The plan was to stop there the Monday when I was back in Addis. So on the way home yesterday, we first stop at the tailor. I think you know what's coming next ... jacket not even started. He takes my cell number and says he'll call me when I should come in for a fitting. Next stop ... bamboo store. Surprise surprise, nada is ready. You know what? It does not matter. This is such a laid back society that most companies do business like that and, based on the noticably more relaxed way people live here, c'est la vie (French for "that's life"). If this were Ottawa, one may suggest to the proprietor how that is a ridiculous way to do business, so how about a discount to compensate for my time? By the way, did I tell you yet this hour ... I LOVE THIS F&%$%^G PLACE. The only thing missing is YOU. I traded Hiruy (tennis coach) an additional Ethiopian olympic jacket for the tennis string I bought him in Ottawa. When I get back home, I will toss a coin to see which one of my offspring will get the second jacket if I do not end up keeping myself. Bartering ... the oldest (AND BEST) way to do business in my opinion.

What time shift?

I am not sure why, but it appears that the 7 hour time change has not affected me whatsoever. Perhaps my not sleeping as much on the planes when coming back from Ottawa assisted coping with the issue. Life à l'Addis commences once again. I spent the evening yesterday playing guitar and watching the Sopranos. I am in the midst of season 3 and Ralphie, that ultimate PIA (pain in the a__) character we learn to despise, has started acting out much to the displeasure of Tony. He reminds me of the type of character who, were he to appear in Alice in Wonderland (chapter 8, the queen's croquet match), someone would exclaim "off with his head" since he is such a nuisance.

I am hoping to find that my 2 MoFED contacts will finish their looking at my first 2 deliverables today. Their "sign-off" is paramount to Ato Mussa processing payment for these first two of seventeen items I am on the hook for. The nice weather continues so it appears that the locals' promise that summer is finally here has materialized. I have DBA training today where we will be discussing the ever-popular startup and shutdown commands. Tagel seems very pre-occupied and pleased with his label maker I brought back from Canada. I suggested him putting a marker on his forehead saying "ME" for quick and easy identification.

Listen, do you want to know a secret?

As per all my outings with Tagel, I received some insider scoop on the inner workings of Ethiopia. The mystery about the term "ferenge" has been solved. No it is not an Amharic word. Apparently it is a mis-pronunciation of the word French which was a term of affection used for Europeans whether they were from France or elsewhere on the continent.

T is for Tagel

Naturally, we found a cord for the shaver as well as a battery for my clock. When I gave Tagel the stuff I brought back for him from Canada, he wanted to give me some money. I insisted "no charge" and he was not happy. I then told him the following story:

"Tagel Molla is visiting Mr. Michael in Canada. He returns home for a week and is kind enough to bring me back some stuff from Ethiopia. When he arrives, he gives me the stuff and I ask 'how much'. His response is 'no charge'."

Hence, he was acceptable for receiving the stuff from Canada as a gift. We also went for Chinese at China Bar (twist my arm for Chinese please). Ileana flag is bright green.

Rather than ship the power supply for the Sweet Thing's camera back to her, I bought one on eBay and with shipping it comes to ~$30 CAD which is a much better solution than the Fedex route.

I do like Sundays

I believe Bob Geldof would agree. I played tennis at 2 after feasting on Dr. Paul's french toast, not to mention the exquisite maple syrup that arrived in droves at their house too. I was chastised for bringing only 2 bags of Oreo double-stuf but Paul forgave me as he feasted on the syrup. I got the axe back from Melaku who enjoyed looking after it while I was away. My tennis was OK but it is obvious that if I want to improve I have to play no less than 3 times a week or more. The rates have gone up and it is now $5.50 during the day and $11 at night. The Deker was waiting with open arms for the return of the ferenge. They are so hospitable; my laundry was neatly folded and stored and all the dress clothes hung immaculately. I had a western-like meal at Parisienne for an early dinner. I had trouble sleeping so I went downstairs and read for a while then crashed nicely about midnight. Today is the time-shift test as I will see how wide awake I am at work. I already have a list of things to ask Tagel about ... a button battery for my new clock and a cord for my shaver. Speaking of cords, I took the power supply for my Sweet Thing's new camera and will either order her a replacement online today or Fedex her the one I "stole". That should be an interesting exercise as I imagine it could cost $100 to ship a cord for a camera that cost about twice that :) It's like when I bought an exhaust system for my Honda in the US ... it cost $175 and the shipping was $180. No amount is too much to spend when it leads to having one's Sweet Thing hanging on the back of one's Sabre 1100 on a nice sunny day. There are issues at MoFED to deal with when I arrive, nothing "fatal" just things to sort out which will result in a good thing. I will check with Tagel to see his progress on my deliverables to Ato Mussa before I went to Canada; his "sign-off" on my deliverables is a prerequisite to payment.

Into Africa

Where do I start ... the voyage back to Addis was fraught with obstacles, never before encountered in the anals of air travel. Actually, it wasn't too bad, it was just very long. That 4 hour layover in Frankfurt was brutal, compounded with the fact that there is very very little seating for passengers confronted with a multi-hour layover. Most of the departure gates are secured and do not open until 90 minutes before departure, so strike them. I was deposited in terminal C by the Lufthansa flight from Addis. One checks the displays in the terminal to see where one's next flight will leave from. It is such a busy airport that the displays only show the next 90-120 minute departures. So one can hang around the display area for 2-3 hours until the next flight is displayed, or sit somewhere and wait then check back regularly. That brings me back to my first point -- sit where and upon what :) I started walking towards the concourse where gates C3-C20 reside and a woman driving a cart took sympathy on me. She offered to take me to my next gate and asked where I was going to. When I told her, she checked her handheld unit and informed me that it would depart from B62, in another terminal. I waddled over there and had to go through security to get into the B concourse which was a nuisance since I was already in a secure area. They did not know what to think of my CPAP machine and ran a swab over it looking for explosives. Once in B I had a quick bite and then went to camp out by B62, managing to score one of the 6 seats available for the hundreds waiting in the terminal for their next flight. About 90 minutes before my flight, LH365's turn came up on the display and I walked down to B62 ... I had to clear security AGAIN with the same level of interest in the CPAP unit. I discovered the flight was almost empty ... it turned out to be an A340 about 10% full so I got a row to myself. I neglected to score a full row of seats (they are 4 wide for most of the economy cabin) early enough after the door was closed, so blew the opportunity to lie down and get some real shut eye. I found it unusually uncomfortable and my lower legs were sore for some reason, reminiscent of getting shin splints when I was a jogger for a bit in the 70's. Upon landing in Addis, I was picked up by Dereje, and dropped my stuff at Deker Inn. I then met people at an Indian restaurant then returned to the Inn to unpack. I am having breakfast at Dr. Paul's and playing tennis at 2PM with Hiruy. Sweet Thing and I texted a number of times and I had a remarkably good night's sleep considering the 7 hour time change. Maybe not sleeping a lot on the second flight was a blessing. I did not sleep all night but probably got in about 4-5 hours. Back to MoFED minyana ... Dr. Paul LOVES his 6 litres of maple syrup.

Back to the grind

Couple of last minute things to do today. Taking the motorcycle to Powersports, picking up some pants at the tailor, a tye that was being dry cleaned, and probably a few other things. Interesting how the Sweet Thing and I did a role reversal this week. Instead of her running around here and there and everywhere, it was ME!!

I know I will never rival the Sweet Thing is running-around prowess, but I can always hope. What a whirlwind of a week in Ottawa. I saw my mother a few times and will stop off to visit on the way to taking in the motorcycle shortly. Was planning to play tennis with Bakes today but the foot is not 100%. I am going to try some light running around the tennis court when I get back to Addis ...

Missed opportunity

The Ethiopian new years was Friday September 11. I am not sure why, but there is a new year celebration some 2 weeks after that day. I am returning to Addis this Saturday, not getting in until almost 7PM. That means I will miss the celebration at Meskel square; we all thought it would take place on Sunday the 27th but it is scheduled for Saturday instead. I was looking forward to the festivities and guess I will have to be satisfied with Festivus (for the rest of us).

No tennis yet this week, but the foot feels a lot better so I will try tomorrow AM with Bakes. I am also going to drop off the motorcycle at Powersports with his help afterwards. There is nada to still get for Addis though I may stop for the garlic press for Ileana if near Carlingwood later today. Off to get some more shots at 11AM today ... hep B and meningitis I believe but I do not remember. I have had a HUGE dose of my Sweet Thing this week which is GOOD for me (us) :)

A whirlwind of a week

It's already Wednesday. I have put on over 3,000 kilometres running around picking up things for myself and others when I return to Addis. Today is haircut and Kenya visa day, then the gym at 2PM. I need a bank draft (or the like) for $32 for the visa as well as a recent passport photo.

The famous tennis string should be arriving today from Merchant of Tennis in Toronto. I need nothing else for the trip back to Addis. The Ileana flag again is green. I am off for breakfast with Mr. Bill who unfortunately suffered the same as I did in May, finding myself suddenly out of work. We are going to Sam's, a hangout in Sandy Hill I frequented much when living down there. They have the best steak and eggs in the universe (maybe solar system) and are always fun to see.

Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be

I got most of my Addis running-around done today. I rivaled my Sweet Thing; here and there and here and there all over town getting "crap" for the "kids" in Addis. I ordered 2 reels of tennis string from the Merchant of Tennis store in Toronto (beauty name, eh?). It will arrive tomorrow or Wednesday.

Saw my trainer for the first of four sessions today. I should have not opened my big mouth; now I have the pain (guffaw) of seeing Jamie daily until Thursday. Tomorrow is busy ... doctor appointment in the late morning, lunch with Tarek from the motorcycle store at 1PM, then Jamie at GoodLife fitness at 3PM. BnAbbey's lady Les Hendry was over for dinner tonight; Sandy and I LOVE THAT GIRL. We did Colonnade pizza (yippeee), a staple in the mikowaby diet. I spoke to ManyTrees today and he sounds well.

I have almost as much licorice to take back to Addis as maple syrup ... Ileana, I have a mere 6 litres for the Doc so far, and hope to score more :) The Ileana flag by the way is green. I am hoping to speak with someone at the Kenyan embassy tomorrow to find if I can get a visa while I wait as was the case for Ethiopia.

Monday Monday, so good to me

Did I mention I love hanging out with my Sweet Thing? Today will be a busy day. Lots of running around to get goodies for the "kids" back in Addis. I am re-setting my first photo album now that I have high-speed internet for a few days. Of all the things I am getting, the black/red licorice I think is the most important. I have big plans to take enough back for the 3 months until I can re-plenish. Ya that will happen, I will end up setting a world record for downing 3,000 sticks in less than 2 days :).

It is supposed to be wet off and on today so maybe no motorcycle. I did open my big mouth and now have 4 sessions with the trainer at GoodLife all week. The tennis buddy (S. Baker) is back late Tuesday and I will test the left foot with him daily (as much as possible) upon his return at the tennis centre,

Settling into the homeland

Had a lovely visit with my Mother who, oddly enough since she cannot remember stuff that happened yesterday, remembered that I had been in Africa :) We went for a ferenge breakfast at Al's which was great, then went to see the Mallias. We got the outdoors ready for the winter, all except the pool since it can not be closed until mid-October.

I made the list of stuff to pick up to drag back to Addis Abeba, and have the tractor trailer standing by with the 2 tonnes of maple syrup for the Dr. Ferenge (aka Paul). We are going to the Kenyan embassy Tuesday sometime, as per:

• fees should be paid in a NON-REFUNDABLE certified bank cheque or money order, payable to the "Kenya High Commission". PERSONAL CHEQUES, CASH, CREDIT OR DEBIT CARDS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED
• one Recent Studio Passport-sized Photograph. (Not older than 6 months at the time of the application)
• $32 CAD per visa valid for 3 months from date of issue

Back in cAnAdA

The Sweet Boy is home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
^^^^ That's the voice of the Sweet Thing, I LOVE THAT GIRL.

The trip back from Addis was uneventful. I got to the airport about 11:15PM Friday night and it was pretty dead. First you go through security to get into the terminal. Then you check in and leave your bags. You then go upstairs to the departure level and sit and sit and sit and sit and sit and sit. When your flight is just about ready for boarding you go through security again. I did not cause the metal detector to go off but was hand-scanned/frisked anyways.

The flight left on time and the plane was close to full. I ended up sitting next to a nice young lady from Kentucky who had been in Addis with her parents and a sister adopting their fourth child, the first I think in Africa. We had a very nice visit when we were both awake, and her parents, sister, and new brother were sitting across the aisle. I gave her an Ethiopian flag bracelet to give to her new brother when he knows what it means.

The plane was not close to full from Frankfurt to Ottawa and I had exit row so was nicely comfortable. Sweet Thing met me at the airport and we are having a lovely time, as expected. I spoke to a handful of people, and left a message with cousin Valerie. It is way too cool to be home for a week.

Back to the new world

Packed and packed and packed and packed last night. I lent my baby (electric guitar) to Melaku to enjoy while I was away. I told him no late nights, and remember the guitar fasts on Wednesday and Friday. I left a knapsack and suitcase at Deker. I am bringing the big blue suitcase, most of the stuff inside will end up staying in Ottawa. I am also carraying a completely empty bag that will be filled with goods for the return trip, mainly 35 cubic feet of maple syrup. One of the drivers will get me to the airport eleven'ish tonight. I have been warned that the Addis to Frankfurt Saturday morning flight is the "baby junket". Apparently most North American couples that adopt in Africa are "returned" to their homes through Frankfurt on that specific flight. I have a 2h30m layover in Frankfurt then the 8h20 minutes to Ottawa. Are we pumped? Slightly :) I am finishing off a wonderful 6 weeks in Addis with Chinese for lunch.

Back to merkato

Tagel took a few of us to merkato for a fish lunch. It was the same place we went to when buying the guitar a few weeks ago. He also bought a new car since I last saw him; it's a 1991 fire-engine red Corolla with 12,000 kilometres on it. It was sweet. I am going to a store at 2PM to exchange some pants I bought for the Mrs. and just have a little bit of shopping to do before I head out early Saturday morning. Paddy and Sean, I got a few more things from the list ... beauty :)

A musical Wednesday night

Melaku called in the afternoon yesterday wondering if I wanted to go see music last night. Apparently there is a band at the Sheraton Wednesday through Friday; not only that they start at 8AM. What a concept ... music and still able to get to bed at a reasonable hour. They were good, with their repertoire split between western rock, African rock, and Ethiopian traditional. There were four or five different singers. The woman did Beat It and What's Love Got To Do With It best, and their rendition of Smooth was ok. We left about 10 to a bill of 258 birr which is about $20 USD. For that I had 2 Tia Maria doubles and Melaku 2 beers ... seemed expensive compared to some other nights out but that would have cost, with a tip, over $40 at a high end Sheraton in America. This hotel reminded me of Vegas. The security was seemingly heavy with metal detectors and guards everywhere. The crowd was 90% ferenge. In addition to the deliverable I gave Ato Mussa yesterday I will be giving him another today. Other than that ... life goes on.

Good old Bole road.

Let me know if this reminds you of something ... on the street level entrance to Deker Inn, they have a security guard there 24 hours a day. In the wee hours of the morning one has to shake the door violently to get the attention of whomever is on duty. The guard is usually outside wandering around close to the door or inside being very attentive while on duty. So, someone got the brilliant idea of getting the guard a chair to sit in. I mean, why stand when you can sit? At first the guard was hesitant, but after finding out the guy who brought the chair was engaged to the owner's daughter, and said it was OK, he gladly sat down ... I think you know what happened next ... some "bad" people held up the guest house; episode ? what season was that? Mr. Ross's clothing store? I went into Kaldi's tonight on a short walk, and asked for coffee beans, as advertised on the menu on the wall ... sorry, we do not carry coffee beans. Do other Kaldi's ... sorry no. Kaldi's is Amharic for Starbucks :) What chains sell beans? Don't know. I bought some presents for friends at the store down the street, as well as some unroasted green coffee beans for me and the ST to roast and grind ourselves. I also bought the penultimate gift for one of my two sisters-in-law ... Dobi. Since my foot has been bothering me too much lately, I decided to get a stick to walk with to share the weight on my left side between my foot and arm. I spoke to no less that 3 office personnel who work for Paul and they all said they would ensure the driver that took us home knew what I needed and where to get a stick. As wonderful as this place is, it makes me nuts sometimes. On the way home ... no knowledge of the stick and no idea where to get one. I told Paul there really is only 1 person ... Dereje the lead driver who, when you ask him to do something, ensures wit ill ALWAYS happen or he will tell you if it can/will not. I think my foot was really bothering me at work today because my shoe was too tight as I had a tensor on it. I will leave the tensor off tomorrow and see if I experience the same problem. Paul, John, and I were planning to meet tonight at the MattiPlex at Edna mall to see a movie called Wanted. I thought I'd mosey on down there beforehand and ensure it was playing, which it was NOT. I called Paul and got him before he headed out. Paddy and Sean, I now have 5 of the things you want in Addis Abebe, and will feverishly work on the rest when I can. By the way, some of the stuff you want just does not exist here ... black licorice (or red too) or monkeys. The Ethiopian flag I found is so small, it is next to impossible to make out the flag, but the person I bought it from ensured me it is there. There are tortoises though the size of your kitchen sink, or as big as the space that would be consumed by 4 basketballs stuffed into a pillow case. JJ ... how about del Potro? Your buddy with the nice tushy got slaughtered. Joel, we need to talk about BahAddis Fresh. David R. keep them coming. Some of the stuff we have seen lately has been GREAT. Ottawa minus less than 96 hours; I NEED TO HOLD MY SWEET THING. Oh by the way ... wonder drug of the century is ciproflaxin; talk about corn starch for the end of one's digestive system :)

Maybe summer has arrived

There were so many weeks of wet weather, not only rain but torrential at times. We are now on our fourth day in a row of sunshine and loving it. Lindsay ... when you get something you like to eat in Addis, one does not ask what's in it :) Hence, the hot sauce contents will remain a mystery. Yes I will bring the bottles back with me. Tonight we may go to a movie at the Edna mall, something Dr. Paul wants to see. Now that the USOpen is over, it's back to Soprano's episodes, playing guitar, and up and down Bole road as was the case before the tournament started. I am taking it easy on the foot as per instructions from Mrs. K. A. Excitement builds at this end for the trip back to Canada ...

First work day of the new year

Perfect timing BJ. I eat dinner most nights at Blue Dots, right beside my guest house. Just yesterday I asked for some hot sauce and they brought out what appeared to be home made. It was GREAT, a bit chunky, with quite a bite to it. I asked if it was theirs and they said yes tonight. The guy there is going to make me two bottles ... one of the pink and the other or the green. The pink has more bite that the green. There was lots going on at work today, though I sort of only worked a half day. While preparing deliverables, it's "nose to the grindstone" but when in between, I have decided that if I need/want to do something outside the office, go for it. I was home late tonight, and am patiently putting in time until the tennis starts at 11PM. I saw some areas of Addis I had never seen before earlier today when picking up our fleece Ethiopia jackets. They are way too cool :) When Tagel found out at work today that my foot was bothering me, he wanted to get "take away" for me for lunch but I told him Dr. Paul was on it. Tagel and I will be going to eat fish in merkato this week with Dr. Paul and a few of his people. I will be getting some green and yellow sneakers to match my new jacket which, if I did not tell you yet, is way too cool :) The Heatley trade? Rick H. and I had a hot stove and are now prepared to endorse the trade. I heard a rumour that Justine Henin is thinking of coming back from retirement ... watch out W sisters :) Joel, sorry I missd you when you were up fetching JJ. Tell Anne I was asking about her. I informed cousin Valerie that I will come out and see her sometime in the new year when I am back in Ottawa. The natives were out in force weeding the steep embankments outside the Presidential palace today, and the street cleaners were ferverishly cleaning the gutters in normal fashion. I saw the finishing touches going on a stone wall surrounding the parliament buildings. Just like all other construction around here (and there is an AWFUL LOT of it), everything was done by hand, even the sculpting of the 18" by 12" by 8" blocks. The MoFED auditor in a suit you say ... have a look at the picture on Facebook. You have been warned, the picture is not for the weak at heart; viewer discretion is advised.

We have ignition

One of the drivers (Dereje) took me to a few stores this morning to buy two Ethiopian fleeces or jackets in the bright yellow and green colours one cannot miss in this country. I got one for myself and the Sweet Thing. They are not onesies but also not far off. They may end up fitting the bill for this sought-after mode of dress. "Onesie" refers to a matching top and bottom outfit; in this context , "matching" means cut from exactly the same material. If a blue top goes with a blue bottom, one cannot call the outfit a onesie if they are both blue but NOT from the same material. Time and time again, I end up doing something with other ferenge then at some later date, do the same in the company of a native Ethiopian. They cannot be compared. I am sure that all of us who have ventured out on a shopping trip in a country other than our own have had the same experience. The men's final at the USOpen starts at 11PM here; I am going to try to watch ...

A relaxing Sunday

Finished watching season 2 of the Sopranos. I am feeding the DVDs to Paul as I finish. He has already lost disk 2 of season 1. Perhaps it will turn up :) He has a 3-year old in the house which, from personal past experience, can mutate into a thing magnet and devour anything in its path, never to be seen again. Tennis is on tonight at 7PM and I hope I can have the satellite to myself. It is day three of sunny and dry. The locals keep promising us that summer is on the way; maybe this is a tease, maybe it's the start of the dry season. I am trying to figure out just what I will take back to Canada next Saturday and what will stay here. Clothes that I either have not worn or maybe worn once are going back.  I am parking a suitcase here full of stuff and taking an empty one back with me to fill with goodies for people here. The updated list: Tagel - guitar tuner, label maker, extra tape rolls Melaku - tennis string Hiruy - tennis string Paul - maple syrup, Oreo double-tops The drivers - coffee crisp chocolate bars Mack the DJ - needle(s) for his stylus Then there's the miscellaneous stuff I want ... hand sanitizer, crunchy peanut butter, floss wand, more toiletries, music stand clips, tennis balls, licorice, and electric guitar gig bag. I am looking forward to a week of nothing, other than hanging out with family and friends. I have some chores to do around the hacienda like prepare the outdoor furniture for winter. I am going to try to take 10,000 birr home with me to see what sort of exchange rate I get from the people in Ottawa who said they would buy currency from here. At the going rate, that would translate to about 850 CAD. I was told that the birr must be in good shape for exchanging. When I take money out of the bank machine here, the bills are brand new. I am limited to 3,000 birr per day from that machine so I am going to go every day om the way to work this week. I also owe Deker Inn for about 10-12 nights which amounts to as much as 7,500 birr. I will have to make a trip to the bank to get the money for Deker. I keep hearing conflicting reports about a cholera shot for Kenya. Some sites on the internet mention providing proof at the Kenyan border, some say nothing. The Kenyan person we had a beer with a few nights ago said not, and then the electronic collateral I got from the safari people said it was required. As mentioned before Sean and Paddy, I am not doing well on the list of stuff you asked me to get for you. For things I cannot get, I will substitute something that is the closest to what you are looking for as possible. I have taken a big chunk out of the second Michael Pollan book I have read ... The Omnivore's Dilemma. I can thank cousin Valerie for taking me to a lecture of his when I was in Vancouver in June. I highly recommend his books for reading to anyone who has even an inkling of suspicion about how f%^^%ed up our food system may be. He blames, in a nutshell, a 4-letter word for what is the bottom-line of what is wrong with our food industry ... C O R N. He discusses an outing to MacDonalds with the family and how, while eating in the car while driving, they were dining on the output of a fast-food industry founded on corn (and by-products) while driving in a vehicle that was being powered, in part, by a derivative of the same raw material. I do love the way he "mocks" the free-range chicken nomenclature; they get very very little time in the "open" before they are rushed off to be slaughtered at an age that is noticeably younger all the time. The trip to the clinic tomorrow will determine the course of events over the next few weeks ... 1 here then 1 in Ottawa, then back here. If I am told to stay off my foot, who knows what moe of transportation I will end up using. I am going back to the tailor who made my suit and asking him to get me some white cotton at merkato and make me a sports jacket. I have always wanted a white sports coat (especially after seeing Ben Errett in his white suit at many family functions). I hope all you out there in blogging land are enjoying reading this as much as I do writing it. 10 pounds lighter since I got here; I attribute it to the fact that I am not eating as much coupled with the fact that I am eating less than a third of the meat that I eat at home. Mr. B. and cousin Valerie are on the top of my list to call later today at a reasonable hour in Ottawa and Vancouver respectively.

It's Sunday and it's a new year

Today was yet another journey. There have been a lot of them these days :) I started out very early with a trip to Bole 19 tennis club for 9AM. Hiruy (my coach) was there and we sat and watched some VERY good tennis. It was the semifinal in a city-wide tournament hosted by the club this year. There were 2 matches on and we were back and forth watching the two. One of the players, about 17 years old, had just returned from a week with the Becker family in Germany. He was really strong on the court and had a HUGE forehand. He lifted himself off the ground almost every stroke. Paul called about 10 and I made arrangements to meet him and a few others at Mexico square to go to merkato. The taxi dropped us near the mosque, one of the many landmarks in merkato then the walking began. We walked and walked for many hours, stopped at a very interesting restaurant and I finally had a famous traditional dish called "tibs". It's meat cubes and lots of garlic. There were some hot green peppers and slivers of onions dispersed throughout the dish and we gulped a handful of Coca and Fanta then kept the tour going another hour or so. I bought nothing. Paul picked up a rug and a picture then we cabbed back to his house. My foot is not good. When I walk a lot it aches. It's on the outside of the left foot about two thirds of the way between the ankle and the toes. It has not got any better in a week and may even be worse. I will go to a higher clinic Monday morning and get it looked at. They have lower, middle, and higher clinics here; the level refers to the type of interventions they are capable of performing. The higher clinic or a hospital are where one goes if an xray is required. Bummer ... this is the same foot that has given me problems at least 4 or 5 times over the past few decades. It is the same one that got messed up a bit when I had that run in with some asphalt on my motorcycyle in 2008. When we got back to Paul's today, we were invited next door to a new year celebration. There is a child care/school next door and the hosts were lovely. We had tibs, again, as well as a lovely few of cups of coffee. I intensely watched the woman who made the coffee. The beans were green and very fresh. She washed them three times in a shallow dish, massaging the beans through the water then letting it run off into a dish. After the third washing, the rinse water was black. She then let them sit in the same dish, and placed it on a small hibachi-like apparatus for heat. The final bit of water evaporated and the beans were vigorously stirred with a fork for 15-20 until they were browny-black. The aroma of the beans was intoxicating. Off they went to be pulverized with a heavy pipe in some sort of urn (grinding). The resultant brew was the BEST. The powder was poured into a tall clay pot, placed back on the charcoal, then gently poured from a long spout into small cups. The pour was so gentle it did not disturb the grounds that stayed in the pot. By the way, the balance of the goat whose meat we had just devoured was still hanging in the tree when we left; a few ribs and some assorted bones with red meat glistening on them looked ... well, different (something I had never seen before). I made a mess of my white shirt in merkato so washed it at Paul's. It was so Ethiopian washing it by hand. I ironed it then we headed out for Addis tex-mex at a place called the Family Restaurant. We had a lovely time, then I cabbed back to the Deker, with someone from LA who had joined us for dinner. I was going to watch tennis all evening but the Nadal match was just wrapping up when I turned it on so I am blogging then will turn in.

A new year's day

I sat down to watch tennis when I got back to Deker Thursday night. The women's doubles semi-final was on featuring guess what sisters :). I watched a bit then was asked by the innkepper to come outside and celebrate the new year with some people. There was a gathering of about 12 people, and one of the twig-towers (I call them though I am sure there is an oficial name for them as they represent some symbolism with the new year). The tower was lit amidst singing and rejoicing. I took a few minutes to fall over then the twigs smouldered for 10 minutes or so. I then watched the mixed doubles final and an American couple won. The woman on the winning team was named Gullickson, and her father Bill was in the stands. They interviewed him, remembering his illustrious carreer with the Expos. Yes Ian, he did mention your name and Jarry Park in the interview. I know you are not the only one who has taken the sentiment of the Don McLean's American Pie anthem, and changed some famous words to "the day the baseball died" referring to the Expos leaving Montreal. A travesty of the first degree, not to mention the strike in the early 90's which we all fantasize as having been the Expos' year. I spoke with the owner of Deker while celebrating new year. He built the guest house 5-6 years ago and it cost him $120,000 USD which I think was not a lot compared to what a dwelling of this size would cost in North America. The guest house averages 60-75% full and he says that is enough for him to live comfortably. He has no mortgage :) He also has a handful of commercial properties throughout Addis. I could not stay up for the men's singles tennis matches; I do not thing the Nadal event was slated to start before 2AM my time. I hope to have the energy to stay up Sunday evening to watch the men's final. I went for a nice long walk this morning up Bole, then cut down a connector to the other Bole. I then sauntered into the tennis club to check out the action and watched some tennis for a while then came home. I have no plans until dinner so it's a lazy day for SB. I had a very nice chocolate croissant and double machiatto at the Parisienne cafe close to Deker; it is famous for its pastry and they do have a full menu which I will sample one day. The natives were out with the usual hustle-bustle keeping the streets and storefronts immaculate. An owner was mopping the floor in his establishment while I browsed the clothing. I am sure the mop he was using has been replaced in at least the last 2-3 years, but stirring up and pushing around the dirt was a welcome sight. There were five little girls singing outside the Parisienne and, surprise surprise, were they cute or what :) Today is unfortunately a day to remember in history ... September 11, 2001; one of the blackest days in the history of the western world. We will never forget the tragedy of that day.

New year celebrations

It's 6:50PM and I am still up :) Paul, Ileana, and a few others went out to see the new year bonfires that start at 7PM. We left work today at 12:30 which was a nice change (getting out of there with a few hours left of sunlight). We had a very nice dinner at Paul's ... lamb, tomato salad, mashed potatoes, and green beans, all ferenge style so it was very nice

I am staying with Robert (Ileana and Paul's 3 year-old) while they are at the bonfires. We stopped at the MoFED new year gathering at the cafe before leaving work and pigged out on popcorn. Tomorrow? Not sure. Still unable to play tennis. It's a week until my trip back to Ottawa to see the Sweet Thing (I love that girl :)) and others. Istanbul is not happening, though it is conceivable we could go in October or November. I will go back to Deker eventually and watch tennis. I saw the very tail end of Federer and Soderling this morning before work. One of the drivers we use at work is going to take me somewhere next week to get a fleece in the yellow/red/green multi-colours of the Ethiopian flag. It must say Ethiopia on the back and I may get "ferenge" embroidered on the breast when I get back to Ottawa.

The Strat copy is getting a lot a log of work; I am ploughing through my song book and loving it. Saturday we are going out for Mexican and hope to go to Illusions club afterwards for what is reported to be western rock (by some white guys). By the way, Addis Ababa means "new flower" for those who may have wondered.

My bar mitzvah

I was surprised that September 1 came and went with no mention in the media. It was the 47th anniversary of my bar mitzvah ... did someone say 47!! It seems like a long time. It's one of the earliest events in my childhood I do remember well. We "forgot" my grandfather Ben Ramstein at the synagogue after the reception. My Uncle Wilf and Aunt Sonia thought we were driving him home and we thought they were. My grandmother Libbie missed the event as she was in the hospital in Ottawa with some sort of issue. Ben and Libbie had been in Ottawa for a week or 10 days prior to the event. I had insisted that they come to the rehearsal the Wednesday before the big day, and she was hospitalized the day before. I believed it was my fault.

Lord I was born a rambling man ...

Everything is bustling in Addis in preparation for the new year starting Friday. Dr. Paul and his entourage are searching for something to do Thursday night. Sandy and I do nada in Ottawa on new year's eve other than stay up to 10PM to celebrate. So I do not need to do anything here. I am pushing for Chinese food (again :)) and a gathering at Chez Paul for a movie or two. The customs here still intrigue me and I learn something new every day. Upon entering a bank, everyone is frisked but not ferenge. The same happens when we enter the fortress called MoFED where we work. I have been told that they do not want to offend ferenge with frisking; I for one, maybe not a good example, would not be offended. I love the way we say "amasahgenalu" to people and they say "thank-you" back to us. I guess it's like when we are in Paris, for example, saying "merci" and they also say "thank-you" back to us. Motorcyclists are requried to wear a helmet here. If one is caught by a police officer, there is a fine. Like some bicycle riders do in Canada, many of them carry their helmet on their arm of in their luggage carriers "just in case". I guess in the unfortunate event that they get into an accident they can slip their helmet on before impact. Many riders wear bicycle helmets or construction hard hats to satisfy the law that apparently states "the head must be covered". I have had a few discussions with my boss, Ato Mussa, about some of the deliverables and a few other housekeeping issues. Another developer is arriving from the USA today to work on the RSU (Dulcian) team. He is staying at an $80 per night apartment hotel for now. It has been suggested that John and I may want to share a house together. That could indeed reduce my housing costs by as much as 50% so would be a welcome move for me. We will look into that after he has settled and we can get someone here to look for something for us. We have been told that one can get a reasonable 2 to 3 bedroom house for 1500-2000 USD per month. It would also be a treat to have a real kitchen, some living space, and some outdoor space to sit and read/play guitar, etc. I had the pleasure of sitting in a bar watching some middle-distance running recently at a meet in Berlin. Naturally, when the 1500 metre event began, the place came alive with excitement since Ethiopia excels in this race. The mens event was easily won by Ethiopia to a chorus of cheers from the assembled. The woman was tripped (accidentally?) and did finish second last. I did not stick around long enough to see if the winner ended up getting disqualified as she was involved in some body contact with Ethiopia before she went down. Andy Murray ... bye bye! That is odd. I believe they are down do 8 men and 8 women in the US Open whose final, by the way, will probably be on Sunday at 2AM (women) and Sunday at 11PM (men). I guess Venus and Serena will not be meeting this year. I did not see Monfils lose but would have loved to see his moves on the court

No news, just a regular day

Ever since I have been living at Deker Inn, I have been amazed at the way the TVs work. There is one receiver in the common area, and whatever it is watching is sent to all the rooms. Thus, if someone changes the channel in the common room, all TVs in the house change too. I came in after the gym tonight, sat down at the TV in the common area, and changed to US Open tennis. A guy came downstairs a few minutes later and asked if I just changed the channel. He said he was watching a James Bond movie. I told him to change back which he did. I asked if he minded if I changed back to tennis when the movie ended, and he grumpily said I should do whatever I want. What a silly system :) It has been cool and damp for the past few days. Definitely not Sweet Thing weather. Shauna, what problems are you having posting to the blog? The trip to Turkey is still up in the air. The training session with the MoFED DBAs went well today. They are quite the sponges for information. We are close to settling on a safari for November 1-6. We would mainly be on the Masai Marai game reserve, but would stroll for a day or so at the start and end elsewhere. We will have our own private jeep for just me and the Sweet Thing. I like that :) I have my return ticket to Nairobi and get in a few hours after ST that Saturday October 31. It will be a real change going trick or treating in Africa :) When I am in Ottawa, I am hoping that we can go together to the Kenyan embassy and get our visas to enter the country for the safari. We will stay at the Fairmont in Nairobi for one night before and one after the safari. I miss all of you, and when I see you in just over a week Paddy M. (and Sean) it will be wet kisses from mikowaby-city. Sean I bought another Strat copy here as you may have read/been told by your Mom. I spoke to Naomi a few days ago and she sounded very very dizzy but GREAT. Ileana flag ... orange. TCWO, if you read this, I just watched a bit of a match between someone and an Asian woman named Li Na ... sounds like Lina to me :) Unsure what, if anything, I will be doing for new year's eve on Thursday evening. If I had my way, we would eat Chinese and sing Steely Dan/Beatles, etc. all night. The Ethiopian calendar year is 6 years behind where we are in Canada, apparently accounting for the true date of the birth of Jesus.

DBA training

We are having our third session today. The attendees are very keen. It is too bad we are having the run-around with the Oracle install as I had hoped to have them all online by today. Meluka called last night and wanted to take me to a jazz club. This club starts the music at 8PM which is much more my cup of tea. It was not to be; we found the club but it was closed. He dropped me at Deker and I watched tennis and visited with the natives at the guest house. Quite interesting what's going on with the women seeds. I tried calling Mr. Bill Sunday night, left a message, and will try again. The Ileana flag is green ...

Hope it suits me

I get the suit today after work. It is a sunny 18 degrees in Addis, but I have learned that it could be hailing and the mercury drop many degrees in a matter of minutes. I watched tennis for hours at the guest house last night. As it turns out, just in Africa they are carrying the Open on ESPN which I get at the guest house. Tonight I am going to try out the Ker gym close to Deker Inn. It really is state-of-the-art equipment. I finally found something in Addis that is more expensive than home; the gym is 50 USD a month.

Oh what a night

The Harlem Jazz club I went to was OK. The music was not my cup of tea but it was good nonetheless. There was smoking there which was a nuisance. The average age of the audience was late 20's though there were a handful of people that looked considerably younger. I would go back to the club. The cover was 30 birr which included one drink. The club came with its own street people with babies slung on their backs, looking for money as we left the club. One woman in particular was quite persistent and getting in a taxi was my only refuge. I got home at 1AM ... latest night yet for me. I saw an ad in a paper today for a club called Illusions, but there was no address information (odd??). It claims to have western rock on Saturday nights starting at 10PM ... something else to check out. I went to Dr. Paul's for an early brunch, then walked a part of Bole with him and the family. Now back in Deker with no plans for the balance of the day. I watched the tail end of 2 matches in the US Open ... bye bye Dinara.

Reggae man

It was a fine day in Addis. My guitar-strap amplifier came back. It was delivered by Mack, a technician at ABC Trading and Melaku early afternoon. It worked fine; I am so pumped. He charged me $12 to fix. This guy is a DJ at the Platinum club behind the Atlas hotel in the Joley building, which is quite near where I live. I spent hours with Melaku; we were supposed to go to Dr. Paul's for dinner but that fell through. We ended up at the Greek Club for a beer and then had dinner there. After dinner we stumbled into the US Open on ESPN. Federer beat Hewitt in 4 sets and Djokovic was playing someone when we left. I was dropped at the guest house, and played guitar for some time. I am being picked up by Melaku about 10:30. Say what? Me going out at that hour :) He is taking me to the Harlem Jazz night club near the airport and we may go to Platinum afterward. This DJ guy asked me to pick him up some needles for his turntable when in Canada and I told him to give me the stylus so I am sure I get the right one. I am supposed to go to Paul's in the AM for brunch so I have my alarm set for 8AM. I am not going to play tennis until my foot is completely better.

As the Beatles said

"I Should Have Known Better" ... the guest house has lost a pair of pants and long sleeve dress shirt. It has disappeared into thin air. I will discuss with the owner. They can easily be replaced probably for less that $50 so I will try to get a free night out of him. I will not give them my "dress clothes" to clean; I will take them myself to the laundry on the first floor of my building. Skipping tennis today as my left foot is a bit sore. I am supposed to be meeting Melaku and the guy who fixed my guitar strap amplifier shortly after 1PM today. So far I ahve done nothing today which is nice after a hectic week. The power is out at the guest house and has been since just after 8AM this morning. Outages are common but not usually this long.

Friday on my mind

Oi vays meer ... I don't know where to start. I started the audit on IBEX2 (the new Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, aka MoFED system) today. I have 17 deliverables of which 5-7 of them are turnkey. I must dive into the development environment to audit that setup and look at a handful of different sets of documentation prepared by Dulcian who did the work. There is one deliverable that could be as late as March so I will negotiate with my boss Ato Mussa on that one as I am only here until the end of December. As I mentioned in a previous post, I am making plans to spend 3 days in Istanbul the week after next. I would return to Addis on Wednesday, work 2 days, then fly off to La Terre de la Chose Sucrée (aka Canada). We are on a very limited budget for the trip to Istanbul but I know we can make it. I spent some time with some colleagues at MoFED trying to install Oracle on a fresh Linux box. This task in itself is quite simple; installing Oracle must be Murphy's law on steroids. It did not go well (the first time in hmmmmmmmmmm ... 2 tries :)) and I sent Burhan back to the drawing board to check on RPM's and some kernel packages. I mentioned to check the C compiler at the same time to make sure it is current enough for 10g. After lunch I hoofed it down to the bank and withdrew money to give Deker Inn. On the way back there was some sort of skirmish and people running around; it had something to do with someone taking some money off a dish towel laid on the pavement in front of a panhandler. After work I took the customary drive back to Deker and immediately changed and headed out for a big night on the town ... walking to the Chinese restaurant for dinner and walking back. The walk there was uneventful though I did see a whole new part of Bole road on foot for the first time. The food was great. I must have asked 4 or 5 times for rice. I am not sure why they do not bring it with the first dish, and that happens each time I am there. I had a chicken with peanuts and LOTS of spices as well as sweet and sour pork (kosher of course :)). With a beer, it all came to $10. My trip to the Chinese restaurant re-inforced my impression that the 3 words one hears most from ferenge (remember that's what they call foreigners) are "more napkins please". Remembering the plethora of napkins at restaurants in Canada is a distant dream. At the GP, for example, after they bring the food, napkins arrive 'cause they know I need lots of them. I took the leftovers home "take away". That is the Amharic word for "doggy bag". The best was yet to come ... what is wrong with me ... a simple walk in a big city turns into an adventure and if a mouse were to cross my path I could write about it as if it was a life-rearranging experience :) Know what? Nothing's wrong with me ... it's called the simple life in Ethiopia; simple is NOT intended to be a put down, it's a compliment. About halfway home, I noticed about 4 men working on the right rear of a car. When I got closer, I observed someone lying on newspapers doing some fidgeting under the car. A taxi was parked behind, using its headlights as a work light. I stopped and asked if they would like to use my flashlight and they gladly took me up on my offer. I figured they were doing a flat tire. The got the car jacked up but the point they chose did not start far enough down on the car frame to allow the wheel to clear the ground when the jack was fully extended. They proceeded to let the car down and, while the guy with the jack positioned it under a lower part of the frame, the 3 other guys lifted the car up as he slid the jack underneath. Mission accomplished. I then realized I was becoming an Ethiopian; helping strangers, chatting with people as a way to pass the time, and just generally being a good person. Boy it feels good. I did one of my famous roll-over-on-the-side-of-my-foot yesterday as I was walking. I do this all the time and it could have been worse. In the early 70's I did it three times in the period of a few years, breaking a small bone on the outside of my left foot each time. Yesterday was mild compared to that. I may not be able to play tennis tomorrow. Hiruy the coach said I need not call early, just make sure he knows if I am not coming ... off to play my git-box. That's right Ben, Geckshie is on another continent ... Lafth.

Yet another golden opportunity

Alongside my contact at the Ministry, I am in the midst of making plans to go to Istanbul for 3 days, leaving a week Monday. The BRIM development environment that is being used here for the system I am auditing is written and maintained in Istanbul Turkey. With a few others, we would sit with the developers in Istanbul and become more familiar with the BRIM engine. A stamp of approval on the engine from the Ministry personnel would be beneficial for all. The old cliché "when it rains it pours" is so applicable here, except in a good way. Not only does he get to go to Ethiopia and Kenya, but Turkey as well. I am told there is a spot in Istanbul that demarcates the continental divide between Europe and Asia. I have never been in 2 continents at the same time but that is about to change.

Ethiopian night club

We went to Yod Abyssinia last night for food and  entertainment. In the scheme of things we got there late, about 7:30, and the place was almost full. We were escorted to a table to share with some locals who were very nice. There was a band ... flute, percussion, guitar, and I do not remember what else. The music was enjoyable and there was an assortment of singers and acrobatics on stage for a few hours. Some of the acts were quite extraordinary. The food was traditional Ethiopian and somewhat to my liking. Some friends, Abraha, wife and one of their staff from home showed up about 9 and we visited with them before I cabbed it back to Deker. I am adding him to the list for people who want something from Canada; so far that list is: Dr. Paul --> Oreos and maple syrup Tagel --> a label maker Melaku --> CBT guitar training or book Abraha --> will let me know Hiruy --> tennis balls Robert Dorsey I am bringing a ukelele for since he has shown so much interest in my guitar. Melaku called and said the guitar strap amplifier had an A/C (power) problem ans may be fixed as soon as today. That would be sweet. Still no plans for the weekend but would like to get to merkato and look at some shoes and shirts. Stay tuned naturally for the debut of the new suit on Monday evening.

Everything is tickety-boo

I don't know the origin of that expression, must be part of some urban legend ...possibly related to the Hindi expression "tickee babu", meaning "everything's alright, sir". Tennis last night was great except it is twice the price of playing during the day. If it costs 50 birr daytime and 98 birr evening that's a big difference but not really in the scheme of things. My serve has deteriorated since I have not been practicing. Hiruy said he's bring a basket of balls next time and I could practice. I went to the bank and used the ATM again today; what a pleasure rather than having to wait in the bank until my number is called. I am hoping to hear back from some of the safari outfits today. No plans whatsoever for the weekend yet but I will definitely play tennis Saturday and Sunday. If I do not go early Saturday, the kids take the courts until noon or so. TCWO ... if you are reading this, one of the reasons tennis is twice the price in the evening is overtime for the coach and the ball boy. Overtime ... maybe you should try that Sarah. I am already bubbling with the excitement of a trip back to Canada in 15 days. The time in some ways has been flying in Addis but on the other hand it seems like I have been here for a long time. To quote that famous Bing Crosby song ... I'm dreaming of my wife's chicken :)

Banking on it

I went to the bank with Bezeba (Dr. Paul's accountant) today to cash a cheque and get my bank card. I am so glad he comes with me as I would be lost without him. When I need to just do a deposit or withdrawl, that's easy. Anything else involving dialogue would be impossible. I did get my bank card, and as soon as I used it the machine kept it. We went back inside and they re-activated it properly this time. When I go to the bank on my own, I am given a number and am served naturally when my turn comes up. I always think, if I have a low enough number, that I will also be able to get a  chocolate babka. If I have a too high number, they may be out (Seinfeld season 5 episode 7). I may play tennis tonight. Hiruy will call me if the courts are dry enough. Otherwise, I will do my normal thing and maybe even play some guitar :) My luck watching the US Open on ESPN ran out real quickly; it's all on ESPN2 which I do not get in my hotel so I will have to do without or go to the Hilton as planned.

Safari

I am weighing the opportunities for safari-week in November. I am speaking with a number of vendors about leaving Nairobi Sunday the 1st and returning Friday the 6th. We would have a day in Nairobi at the end, and both fly out late Saturday. I have read that this is in the wildebeest migration season. It would be nice to see those creatures stampeding across the terrain; it's supposed to be a site to see. One of the firms is quoting me a price on a private safari with just me at the Sweet Thing. I would also hope to see some wild Borgies (a creature usually indigenous to Calgary AB) as well :) Borgie is one of many nicknames for my youngest. I just hope we are not too far from a parlour in case I break a nail or some such disaster. It's amazing that the Sweet Thing can get a week off in the middle of a semester; I believe she puts in enough extra time to compensate. As I said in the song I wrote for her last birthday "No-one teaches school in June".

Who would'a thunk?

ESPN at the Deker Inn = US Open. Way too cool. We are 7 hours ahead of NYC so tennis prime time will run here from 7PM to 7AM. I will be up late to watch the semis and finals that will probably start at 9 or 10PM here. Supposed to hear back from ABC Trading today about my guitar strap amp; I hope it's fixable.