When forced to, an individual can watch an alarming number of movies and television show episodes. I think I watched two movies and at least one television show per plane ride, which at 4 planes rides total equals 8 movies and four shows. Wow. I really do understand the warning that television will rot your brain. Or vacuum it; I don't remember the exact words at the moment.
Random moments from the trip:
Our first team bonding experience was in the Amsterdam airport on the way to Uganda. We had filled our Nalgene water bottles in the bathroom sink to take them on the plane. Who knew when we would get water again, right? then we get in line and see it: another set of security scanners. Which means we can't take water through. There were no plants, no sinks, no trash cans...so...we chugged 32 ounces of metallic bathroom sink water in about two minutes. I've never felt ill from drinking water until then. I almost threw up. Instead, we all had to pee like racehorses about twenty minutes into the flight.
We were in Kaberamaido at the end of a very long 11 days in the bush and just wanted to watch Sister Act. We settled in around 8, got comfortable, turned the movie on. We watched the first two lines of the first song and then...blackness. Lino said maybe the pumpkins (his term for children) were playing with it, so he and Haryet went out and turned it back on. And it goes back off. Come to find out, the lady who runs the place turned off the electricity because it was running out. We turned the lights on and it lasted until at least 11pm. I think part of us may have died a little that day.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Ten Things I Know About You
(or in this case, me :)
1. I secretly like Miracle Whip. It's disgusting and gross and I don't think I've had any in 8 years, but yes. I like it.
2. I'm a neat and clean freak. I like things put away and counters wiped down at the end of the day.
3. There are four episodes of Gilmore Girls per DVD and I definitely watch all four of them in one sitting. It's just not enough if you don't!
4. I always have my teddy bear (Lola) with me with I read or watch TV or a movie.
5. The first thing I do when I get home is change clothes, usually into something oversized and soft.
6. Vanilla ice cream is my favorite flavor, but Fudge Royal is a-mazing and quite underrated.
7. My current guilty pleasure TV shows are Millionaire Matchmaker, Real Housewives of Orange County (I've only seen a couple episodes but the level of shallow is astounding), and The Girls Next Door (I know! It's awful, and I actually don't really watch it because I don't agree with it on principle...but from the episodes I've seen, those gals are hysterical!). Ha.
8. I like things burnt, like grilled vegetables or those random burnt pretzels in the bag or an overly-toasted bagels or something. Mmmm :)
9. Winter is nice for a change of pace (as long as it doesn't last long), and Spring is beautiful and joyful, but Fall is my favorite season - the holidays, the weather, the way the air smells. But I think it's because I am Summer.
10. Brownies. Enough said.
1. I secretly like Miracle Whip. It's disgusting and gross and I don't think I've had any in 8 years, but yes. I like it.
2. I'm a neat and clean freak. I like things put away and counters wiped down at the end of the day.
3. There are four episodes of Gilmore Girls per DVD and I definitely watch all four of them in one sitting. It's just not enough if you don't!
4. I always have my teddy bear (Lola) with me with I read or watch TV or a movie.
5. The first thing I do when I get home is change clothes, usually into something oversized and soft.
6. Vanilla ice cream is my favorite flavor, but Fudge Royal is a-mazing and quite underrated.
7. My current guilty pleasure TV shows are Millionaire Matchmaker, Real Housewives of Orange County (I've only seen a couple episodes but the level of shallow is astounding), and The Girls Next Door (I know! It's awful, and I actually don't really watch it because I don't agree with it on principle...but from the episodes I've seen, those gals are hysterical!). Ha.
8. I like things burnt, like grilled vegetables or those random burnt pretzels in the bag or an overly-toasted bagels or something. Mmmm :)
9. Winter is nice for a change of pace (as long as it doesn't last long), and Spring is beautiful and joyful, but Fall is my favorite season - the holidays, the weather, the way the air smells. But I think it's because I am Summer.
10. Brownies. Enough said.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Where in the world...
am I?!
I fell asleep on the couch last night while watching Gilmore Girls, only to wake up about an hour later with NO CLUE where I was! I literally walked around the apartment trying to figure it out. I wound up in my room, and stared at the unpacking mess on the floor for a few minutes before I figured it out.
I woke up about 230 this morning and again couldn't figure out where I was! I put my feet down and thought, what is that? I haven't stood on carpet in a month! I got up to use the bathroom, and it wasn't until I was headed back to my bed that I remembered where I was. Oh word.
It is really strange being back here! Things smell differently and having A/C is weird. I don't have a phone and haven't talked to anyone stateside yet, so it's like I'm in some strange limbo between Africa and Atlanta. I'm going to get a phone today so hopefully it will help my brain connect to the real world! (keep praying that my phone shows up somewhere!)
Oh, and I forgot to mention in my post yesterday - when I was at the airport, I got my bags off and the drug dog started sniffing them! The guy was really nice, and I just opened up everything and of course there was nothing. Oh law. And then we went through the second security point and the guy there looked back and forth between my customs card and me like 3 or 4 times. I was thinking, oh my goodness, really? I have it stamped from the first guy! And then the second guy smiles, winks, and says, Just kidding. Have a nice day :)
I fell asleep on the couch last night while watching Gilmore Girls, only to wake up about an hour later with NO CLUE where I was! I literally walked around the apartment trying to figure it out. I wound up in my room, and stared at the unpacking mess on the floor for a few minutes before I figured it out.
I woke up about 230 this morning and again couldn't figure out where I was! I put my feet down and thought, what is that? I haven't stood on carpet in a month! I got up to use the bathroom, and it wasn't until I was headed back to my bed that I remembered where I was. Oh word.
It is really strange being back here! Things smell differently and having A/C is weird. I don't have a phone and haven't talked to anyone stateside yet, so it's like I'm in some strange limbo between Africa and Atlanta. I'm going to get a phone today so hopefully it will help my brain connect to the real world! (keep praying that my phone shows up somewhere!)
Oh, and I forgot to mention in my post yesterday - when I was at the airport, I got my bags off and the drug dog started sniffing them! The guy was really nice, and I just opened up everything and of course there was nothing. Oh law. And then we went through the second security point and the guy there looked back and forth between my customs card and me like 3 or 4 times. I was thinking, oh my goodness, really? I have it stamped from the first guy! And then the second guy smiles, winks, and says, Just kidding. Have a nice day :)
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Some Days Just Aren't Your Days
And today is NOT my day.
Leaving for the airport, I reached for my phone so I could put it in my carry-on bag. I couldn't find my phone. It wasn't in the pocket in which I last remember putting it, and it wasn't anywhere in any of my bags. We called back to the house, but they couldn't find it. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and I unpacked everything - clothes, shoes, toilettries, souveiners (I have no idea how to spell that word) - into the dirty grass on the roadside. Nothing. My only comforting thought was that perhaps it had fallen into my big pack and I just overlooked it. I hadn't. I used Carson's phone to call Megan to have her pick me up from the airport and to call Mama to tell her I was home. I was in the custom's line and the lady yelled at me, so it was basically "Hi, I'm home. Call you later if I have a phone." Which I don't. Mama emailed and said to wait until Saturday to get a new one, in case the old one is found. I've been praying. I might not make it till Saturday.
Getting into Atlanta took forever. My customs agent took forever, while the other guys took about two minutes. Then we waited in baggage claim forever for our luggage. My flight got in at 145pm. I got home at 5pm.
And then. I get home and our internet doesn't work. I'm currently jacking someone elses. And then. I turned on the TV and nothing. It says something about the channels becoming available soon, but they aren't coming available. So I'm paying for cable and internet that I'm not getting, and I can't call about because I don't have a phone! And I'm alone in a quiet apartment with no access to the world.
All that, and then I get online to check emails and bank accounts and such and I learn that I overdrafted for the first time in my life. I left with money in the bank and came back with an overdraft. Yep.
And the reason why any of this is so bad is that I'm all alone here! My roomies are in different states doing summer things. I'm fine being alone in the apartment (it's kind of nice), but I can't call anyone to talk or coordinate hanging out. I can't communicate with anyone unless I'm online and they're online. Otherwise, it's just me. Alone :(
This day sucks. At least I don't have mango worm, I guess.
Leaving for the airport, I reached for my phone so I could put it in my carry-on bag. I couldn't find my phone. It wasn't in the pocket in which I last remember putting it, and it wasn't anywhere in any of my bags. We called back to the house, but they couldn't find it. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and I unpacked everything - clothes, shoes, toilettries, souveiners (I have no idea how to spell that word) - into the dirty grass on the roadside. Nothing. My only comforting thought was that perhaps it had fallen into my big pack and I just overlooked it. I hadn't. I used Carson's phone to call Megan to have her pick me up from the airport and to call Mama to tell her I was home. I was in the custom's line and the lady yelled at me, so it was basically "Hi, I'm home. Call you later if I have a phone." Which I don't. Mama emailed and said to wait until Saturday to get a new one, in case the old one is found. I've been praying. I might not make it till Saturday.
Getting into Atlanta took forever. My customs agent took forever, while the other guys took about two minutes. Then we waited in baggage claim forever for our luggage. My flight got in at 145pm. I got home at 5pm.
And then. I get home and our internet doesn't work. I'm currently jacking someone elses. And then. I turned on the TV and nothing. It says something about the channels becoming available soon, but they aren't coming available. So I'm paying for cable and internet that I'm not getting, and I can't call about because I don't have a phone! And I'm alone in a quiet apartment with no access to the world.
All that, and then I get online to check emails and bank accounts and such and I learn that I overdrafted for the first time in my life. I left with money in the bank and came back with an overdraft. Yep.
And the reason why any of this is so bad is that I'm all alone here! My roomies are in different states doing summer things. I'm fine being alone in the apartment (it's kind of nice), but I can't call anyone to talk or coordinate hanging out. I can't communicate with anyone unless I'm online and they're online. Otherwise, it's just me. Alone :(
This day sucks. At least I don't have mango worm, I guess.
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