What's the story?

Morning glory vines go crazy everywhere I plant them ... horribly invasive. Yet they practically never flower. Here's one, of a handful. Such a pretty purpley-blue, they're almost worth the trouble.

I've heard it's possible to develop allergies, and I'm afraid that's what I've gone and done. Suddenly this fall, working in the yard brings on such an eye-tearing, nose-tickling, multiple-sneeze-inducing, head-heavying sensation that I can hardly stand it.


A bout of babysitting the niece and nephews this weekend. Ryan, at 17 months, is heavily into an "I won't smile, and you can't make me" phase.

Family obligations cut into my weekend, making me feel as if I'd wasted my entire Saturday. Sad that I see it as wasted when I spend time with people who love me, instead of getting minutiae crossed of my "list."

But I did manage to check off two biggies:

1. I sent off the Peace Corps application. Now to tackle phase 2, the preliminary medical questionnaire, and to find appropriate volunteer experience.

2. With my remaining United miles, I booked a trip to Austin in October. Between that trip and Tucson in November, I have much to look forward to in the short term ... spending time in cool places, with very cool friends.

Thoughts for the day:

1.

2.

When women stop carrying
mirrors with them
everyplace they go
maybe then
they can talk to me
about
liberation
-- Bukowski

3.

What is past is prologue.
-- Shakespeare, by way of Miz K

4.

Beer is proof that god loves us & wants us to be happy.
-- Benjamin Franklin

5.

You gotta drop to juggle.
-- Mark, by way of Vance

Are you missing anything?

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A few days ago, I thought I saw a crumpled piece of blue paper in the street in front of my house. A day later, I realized it's a pair of panties -- a thong, pale blue with black lace. The next day, it had migrated from the curb to the edge of the driveway. Tonight I get home and see someone has helpfully placed them smack-dab in the middle of my lawn. Which either means that some judgmental adult on the block thinks they're mine and is calling attention to my slutty divorcee ways ... or that one of their children actually was playing with skanky used panties found in the street. Either way, it was too damn cold tonight to go find a stick long enough to collect them and drop them in the trash. Blegh.

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Africa news alert of the day:

The Gates Foundation is well known for funding global health programs, especially AIDS education and other disease treatment/prevention in African countries. But check this out:

"The Gates Foundation has poured $218 million into polio and measles immunization and research worldwide, including in the Niger Delta. At the same time that the foundation is funding inoculations to protect health, The Times found, it has invested $423 million in Eni, Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and Total of France — the companies responsible for most of the flares blanketing the delta with pollution, beyond anything permitted in the United States or Europe."

http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-gatesx07jan07,1,6935188.story?page=1&ctrack=1&cset=true

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Just found out one of my Oaxaca friends is about to leave for a Peace Corps posting in Paraguay. I'm intensely jealous; it's nearly all I can think about the past few days. I've thought about it off and on for years now, stopped by a combination of fear of change and dread of being associated, in any way, with the current regime/government.

But I still daydream about it. I think I'm past the fear ... think I could actually do this. And one of the coolest things about the semi-official trip to India in '03 was surprising people with the idea that not all Americans support the president.

When I get back from my trip, I think, I'll seek out the Omaha recruiter.

Anyone know anyone who's served in the Corps? I'd love to have some contacts.

The cranky Good Samaritan.

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Gave blood this morning – the Africa trip means I’ll be banned for at least a year, so I wanted to give it one last shot, so to speak. I’m O negative, which means anyone can use my blood (yeah, I’m easy that way), so I feel like I ought to do it even though I hate it. Usually I’m a gusher, but this time she nicked me and so I bled too slowly and started clotting before I filled the bag, so they can’t use it. And another lovely bruise to boot!

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Got a very preliminary itinerary for the trip yesterday. Too many meetings with “officials” and not enough reality, imo. A tentative meeting with the current president. And though we’re only two days in Lagos, a visit to the slum communities on the lagoon. That afternoon and evening are supposedly free, so maybe I could indeed spend some time with a family who lives there? Though we leave “early morning” the next day by bus for Kaduna and Kano.

And another kidnapping at an oil rig in Port Harcourt today. And though we are not going into the delta, for obvious safety reasons, they are trying to set up a meeting with oil industry reps. But oughtn’t we try equally hard to meet with someone from the militants’ side – or at least with the residents of the delta who, while the world sucks away their valuable natural resources, barely subsist without agriculture or potable water or decent housing, much less such luxuries as education or job opportunites?

Read the Vanity Fair piece by Sebastian Junger: http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/02/junger200702

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More travel fantasies: The school where I “studied” espanol in Oaxaca has new rates – only $75 a week for group lessons. I’m sure they, like the rest of the city’s tourist-based society, have suffered greatly from the government-induced violence of this summer and fall.

http://www.instculturaloax.com.mx/

I daydream regularly about going down there again – a road trip, this time, as the only real expense in’04 was the $1,000 plane fare. I suppose it was idyllic mostly because it was such an escape from “real” life – no job, no stress, few money worries, the true escape of not even being able to understand the cacophony of noises surrounding you. Would all that translate to a more permanent move? I wonder …