earth hour

...is funny, because the partially public (and 49% US ownded) private company "Sonel" will probably turn our power off for some unrelated reason anyway..but when you all deliberately turn your power off in the US, please know that I will be dreaming of you happily.

I imagine that when you turn the power off in the US for earth hour, the temperature will be cool..maybe 50 or something (40? i am out of touch)...and you will of course be in the kitchen of kristen and me/paul surrounded by many candles. some sort of liquid spirit will, i would assume, be consumed to combat the cold feelings (brandy and cider is the smart choice). there will have been cooking, and the cold dishes will rest dirty but organized next to the sink. in time, someone will bring out a guitar, banjo, or ukelele. Though a minority in the crowd may find difficulty in joining the musical merriment, time and alcohol will eventually convince all to sing along.

there will of course be a satellite group in the living room. they will have brought something that uses batteries. The hard light of a laptop will fight the soft light of the candle...but only for a time


only monsters prefer such lighting.


When earth hour is over, the soft lamps will return to the on position in the kitchen. there, they will be joined by soft laptop music and, i would hope, a pie. the candles will be moved to the still dark living room along with the musicians. and the night will go on.

safe to say that i miss home. does the above sound unrealistic? why wouldn't you do that i'd like to know....(?)

but, somehow, im already at the halfway point...and all is well. I am here, far too far away from home, to study microfinance and write the biggest and maybe most important paper thus far. appropriately, that is exactly (and finally) what im doing now.


things are normal to me now. this is exactly what i eat in a given week:

-damned french bread
-rice
-fish
-bobola (delicious though plain processed plant stuff)
-lots of bananas
-lots of pineapple
-the occasional piece of chicken
-fried plantains
-lucky day = l'okok...another oily delicious plant
-peanuts
-coffee and cigarettes

my new brand of cigarettes is called "LB". they are menthol. they are delicious and they cost a bit over a dollar a pack.