Day 5: Nakuru

It's quite humorous how synchronicity works. I had talked to Phanice about music the night before, asking if she liked Prince. She had no clue who he was, and so I stated his more well-known songs - she couldn't remember having heard them. I also work at Mystic Lake Casino, where we have a Ribbons Restaurant that is primarily a steakhouse. So..

That morning we entered our hotel's restaurant - Ribbons. The song playing was "When doves cry" by Prince.

We decided to eat on the deck outside, overlooking the street. We ordered undazi and tea, undazi are a single giant mandazi. Big enough for a breakfast. I also ordered some toast with eggs. Our waiter was VERY nervous serving us, primarily because of me. He would joke with other patrons but would be stark faced and serious when dealing with us. He was literally shaking when giving us our plates! Was I the first white client he had ever served? Quite possibly, but I honestly LOVED this city and the view of the street.

The weather was to die for! It is so amazing there, with a cool breeze from the lake further outside of town. Though, honestly I can't remember many times in Kenya when the weather wasn't perfect! ( I think this makes sense, as mankind first evolved from what is now Kenya )

We went to Nakuru National Park, after Phanice found a taxicab that would take us there. ( She price compared with many drivers ) When we got to the park, we found another issue. The ticket issuer would not allow us entry using my American money. It seems that any US Dollars dated before 2004 are considered possible counterfeit. I had the some problem with banks in Nairobi. So, we took the taxi back into Nakuru and stopped at a bank - which took bills they wouldn't have even taken in Nairobi! I wish I had had more of my money on me, for I would have exchanged them all at that point!

( Note to visitors to Kenya: bring NEW and crisp bills only!)

We returned to the park, and I paid my fee which was over 10 times what Phanice would have to pay - because I am a visitor I pay a lot more. It's weird how that works, but I suppose most tourists will pay it. There were students from Nairobi at the park, but because their homelands were not Kenya, they had to pay "visitor" prices. Hopefully all the money is truly used to preserve the land there.

Nonetheless, Lake Nakuru National Park is beautiful! Being from Minnesota, it was vital that I see a lake, and man was this a nice one. It's not gigantic, but larger than artificial Lake Calhoun ( should be Lake Wellstone ). I saw zebra, monkeys, vultures, gerbil-like creatures, lizards, and dueling rhinos! The rhinos dueled the entirety of my time there, several hours. Not sure what their issue was, but whatever. Maybe it was practice?

Anywho, I LOVED the view overlooking the lake! It was breathtaking! Phanice felt the same I am sure. Such an amazing place, and quite cooler than in town. But it was still so fun! We stayed for quite a long time, but it was nice. Most of my photos taken in Kenya were taken on this day - including the best of myself and Phanice I think. It was here that I asked Phanice out, and if she would, to come back with me to America. She said yes, but wasn't completely sure about coming to Minnesota, so would let me know before I left. Does that mean it was a 'maybe?'

We got back to town and dropped of most things at our hotel. We went to a nice restaurant, which I cannot remember the name of. But again, I was the only caucasian patron. I think I may have seen one other group of tourists there - at Nakuru Park. I was able to get a nice meal there, italian at that I believe. With wine even, I believe. We walked to a nearby park and bought some candies from someone peddling them.

At one point some man walked near us lying on the ground and was staring at us. He wouldn't just leave, so I asked Phanice to take a photo of him. She did, and the man decided it was time to go. :)

Later that night we went to club across the street from our hotel. It's name was Mitwamba or Mituamba Club. We danced and had dinner there. I had more to drink there than I should. 2 tuskers, and like 3 flavored drinks - I want to say Smirnoffs. This was over several hours, but still had its effect on me. We danced to songs I had no clue what they were saying. Some Phanice took offense too, as they were dirty.

I also saw my first pairs of lesbians there, which Phanice was not surprised about at all. And here I thought Kenya was a conservative place, but perhaps it is the Kukuyos who are not. Not a big deal to me, as before the British invaded some tribes were more accepting of other sexual orientations.

Other dancers included an older gentleman, who in America would be told to leave the dance floor. He was still dressed in a business suit, and danced slower than one my age. Yet no one took issue with his presence. I was amazed at such tolerance, which makes America's agism much more apparent.

They did NOT have vegetarian options, so for the first time in 5 years I orded chicken because I was starving for non-salad. But I did say a prayer for the creature whose life was lost due to my hunger. It probably lived a better life than those in American factory farms. But it died for me still the same.

After dancing until LATE - I'd say past 2 AM - we wandered back to our hotel. I am glad that Phanice was still somewhat sober, because I honestly was a bit out of it. She had thought I was rather humorous in my position - even laughing when stating the obvious "You are drunk!"

Day 4: Nakuru

Day 4 - Traveling to Nakuru

We decided to go to Nakuru to relax a bit outside of Nairobi. We went to what I would call an elitist place called “Nakuru Club”. I had my first Tusker there and attempted to play pool/billiards - which I have always sucked at. Phanice was no better or worse than myself. I felt like I made a fool of myself, but whatever. Every girl I have been with for an extended time has somehow played this game with me before we officially were going out.

We had lunch at a restaurant that was confused that I would want a vegetarian meal. I had a semi-veggie meal - but was quite disappointed that it was only a salad. The waiter was practically a member of the city’s visitor bureau. He waxed on and on about how wonderful Nakuru is.

A friend traveled with us, and was taking a bus to Kisumu from Nakuru. We stayed with him for several hours at a restaurant next to a gas station. When we got our chips ( known in America as french fries ) they were exceedingly greasy. I was more than a bit disgusted at this. It even got a bit cold and chilly there, so I am glad I had a jacket with at the time.

After Evan’s bus arrived, we left for a hotel in downtown Nakuru. I cannot remember the name of the place, just that it was so dark walking into the place. I believe there was a power outage, which would explain why the man at the counter was using a lamp.

When we got to our room, I was surprised at how familiar it felt. It was about the same size as one in New York City, with a small bathroom and one bed. It even had a mosquito net for the bed. Outside of Nairobi, the threat of malaria was much higher. And I am glad that we were able to get pills for them.

We stayed up and talked for a bit. It was the first time we had been completely alone together in such a situation. It was nice, but we were both terribly shy - still it was nice to be as close to her and find out how similiar we are though our lives have always been so far apart.

Day 3 in Nairobi

Not your typical Tuesday for me. I awoke early to clean Phanny's [ pronounced FA-Knee-Z ] dishes. She awoke to clean much further - that is after we had some Wheatabix and chai ( Kenya Tea ).

It was very loud outside, as there was some construction across the alley/road. Men were pounding and chipping giant rocks into more square-like shapes. Phanice and a friend had to go on what was initially a quick errand, but the car broke down. It took 3 1/2 hours out of the day, but I just relaxed at her place. Listened to my MP3 player and enjoyed a siesta.

Phanice made dinner after going shopping alone this time at the nearby farmer's markets. She was concerned I didn't like ugali and made rice and tomoatoe/veggie based meal. Later that night we went out for pizza and ice cream. I had a mediterranian style pizza and ice cream known in America as the Peanut Buster Parfait.

It was fun riding in the matatu, though always too loud! Crowded, yes, but okay. I believe we sat in the very back.

After ice cream, she decided to take a taxi back home. But would have to haggle for one without me there. They would charge a ridiculous price if I were there, because they think caucasians are made of money somehow. After we got back, Phanice played some solitaire on the computer.

After Phanice went to sleep, I had noticed there was an excessive amount of bugs - primarily cockroaches - living in the kitchen of her apartment. I hated them. Probably not a good feeling, but I wanted them gone and her kitchen to be as sanitary as possible. So I went to sleep after eradicating a fair amount of them, but would bring up the issue with Phanice at some point. A friend would eventually use a bug spray that would requiring us to stay out of the kitchen for several hours.

To City Center we go

Phanice needed to go to city center to take care of a few things. She had to take care of some paperwork to get her driver's license. She had already passed the necessary exams to get one, just needed to pick it up and fill some form out.

We took a Citi Hoppa, which actually costs 20ksh versus 30ksh to ride a matatu. They are quieter and obviously more spacious.

I tried using their internet, which is fairly slow compared to Minneapolis wi-fi. But I had to schedule meetings for my Green Party Meetup and check my e-mail. Getting my American Express payment out of the way also made me feel better!

I was done online around the same time as Phanice. She bought herself and me a pop. Had my first Stony Tangawizi - which is a ginger beer. ( it is nearly as good as Reed's ) It instantly became my favorite drink in Kenya.

Then we traveled to the outskirts of town, not far from the Tea Board of Kenya. I met Phanice's sisters Beatrice and Maureen. Beatrice has a baby daughter named Angel. We stayed over for dinner. They had a TV in their sitting room blasting American rap music. Not my favorite type of music, but I enjoyed the fried cabbage and ugali. Though I tried eating it differently and got a lot of weird glances.

When leaving and crossing the street, a Citi Hoppa nearly ran us over! Another interesting note is that the children in this neighborhood all stared at me. It is likely that whites rarely visit this part of town. It is something I had to get used to while there, but never fully felt comfortable with. I don't think of myself as any better or worse due to the color of my skin. I don't want better or worse service, but people treated me different anyways..

Arrival in Nairobi

I arrived in Nairobi, to find no one waiting at the airport for me. Of course there is no reason for Phanice to wait for me there if she doesn't know exactly when it will be there. And I find out that she moved just a few days prior, so her home wasn't as tidy as she wanted it.

I called her. After being asked by several tourist guides to go on a safari with them, she arrived. I gave her a big hug, but she seemd quite timid.

The air was warm and the sky was sunny. Quite a contrast from a dreary winter in Minnesota. I was skipping to summer early! Or at least the illusion of one - as the rainy season had just ended a week prior in Kenya.

We got to her place via taxi. The roads surrounding her apartment building were unpaved! Just muddy from the rains, and off what is called "outer ring road" in Nairobi. The road is not far from the airport, and just south of downtown. It is busy with foot traffic that I rarely see in the USA. But it was actually slower than most days, as it was Sunday.

After getting baggage situated at her place, Phanice went straight into making me breakfast. She was trying to make me pancakes, and proud that she had practiced several times prior. But when she dropped the batter on the skillet, she smoothed it out with a spoon - thinning it. So I decided to help her out in making true American pancakes. :)

She had never had something as fluffy as our pancakes, and since maple trees are scarce in Kenya, we made do with jelly.

Phanice did not have a refrigerator, so foods like butter and jelly were made to not be.

We also went out for further shopping. She seems to be in a rush all the time, but that is what most people in Nairobi are like. You have to walk fast and aggressive or get run over and stuck at a standstill. Just down the road from her house was a market where we bought vegetables. We even stopped at a place and bought ice cream - not comparable to that in Minnesota ( home of Dairy Queen and Princess Kay of the Milky Way ).

And I also took a matatu for the first time! That was interesting, though I hear it used to be worse when they crammed people in over the van's limit!

We had dinner, and I realized that ugali is not something as desirable in my diet. I prefer rice or pasta - even grits - to ugali. But perhaps there is a way to make it palatable or get used to.

Trip to London - chaotic security rules

I left Minneapolis on Friday,January 5th to find myself in London's Gatwick airport the next day. I didn't know my way around London, though I did check out the whereabouts of the airport which is south of London. I needed to get to the Heathrow airport for my transfer to Nairobi.

Now why was I going to Nairobi? I wanted to meet Phanice and see Africa for the first time. So it was for personal reasons - vacation and relational. Though the fact that the World Social Forum was going to start before I left was icing on the cake.

Second, I have many friends who are from East Africa. Some who had lived in Nairobi before coming to Minnesota as refugees and others who had never touched foot in Kenya. But even those who had never been there sometimes had relatives living there. So, when they heard I was going gave me gifts to bring their relatives or in one case husband. Which ended up going well, except the Oromo husband was bit mean( and the fact he had a female driver and two women in the backseat makes me think he also has 3 additional wives).

I enjoyed who I sat next to on the way to London. It was a gal from South Carolina who turned out to be a Democrat. We had a fun discussion about politics, the Iraq War, and the Presidential Race. She was all for Edwards, too bad he is a hypocrite living fully in Rich America rather than Working Class America. Nonetheless, she is reading Obama's book The Audacity of Hope and will consider him in the primary. So far I like Obama and Kucinich.

I also enjoyed a movie on my way to London - Lage Raho Munnabhai. It was hilarious! It's about this guy who works for a mafia type thug who falls in love with a very nice woman who is a famous radio personality. He has to learn about Gandhi to enter a contest and ends up seeing him! It just gets crazier from there - but the movie is amazing! A must see for any fan of comedies or independent films!

Getting to Gatwick I tried finding a way to get to Heathrow. There were the subways. So I tried that. It cost me £10, or $20 to ride. I ended up going to King's Cross and then walking with all my bags to another linkup that would take me to Heathrow. It would have been okay, except I had a LOT of luggage - max capacity from the US - and was sick. I had a bad cold, and it wasn't getting any better. Not to mention how confusing the map for the transit system was compared to Minneapolis - click on the image to see it clearer!

London was still Green. I wished my layover had been longer for I wished to see more of London. Yet, it would have been very expensive and cost me a day with Phanice - so in retrospect glad it went as it did.

Anywho, it seems that traveling to London one can bring 2 carry ons and 2 luggage. When leaving England, you can only have 2 luggage and ONE CARRY ON. Which leaves Americans struggling to consolidate 2 carry ons into one - not easy. In fact, there were garbage bins FULL of "extra" carry ons. Somehow, we were flying safer from England than the US due to this rule. Whatever, the terrorists are beginning to win is all these rules mean.
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The flight to Nairobi was packed with British students who would be studying at in Nairobi. One thing I noticed about British women - they don't care about their looks or their hair like American girls do. They just wear it however - not even trying to look nice. The guys have long hair too, reminding me of a cross between 80s and 70s styles in America. I actually looked more normal among them than I do in the states! :D

Merry Christmas!

While I normally have weekends ( sat/sun ) off at work, I switched schedules to hang out with Ruth this Wednesday and help out a co-worker. So, it has worked out well.

I have been listening to Buddhist podcasts after returning home from work. They have allowed me newer perspectives regarding everything. With Christians asking me if I celebrate Christmas or am even a Christian, it can be a little overwhelming.

I don't want to ruin anyone's holiday, but make it my own. There are wonderful things about Christmas one can take in without idolizing what appears a mythology. There is nothing wrong with the mythology either, Buddhism has its own stories. They teach us what is important about our faiths.

I have been meditating on what to do regarding my relationship with Brandy. And I have been recommended to see the relationship as it is, and see if certain aspects color my perspective including: desire, ill-will, stupidity, & fear. As the Buddha taught, all things are impermanent. But instead of looking at the situation with only two possible solutions, I must work to find the multiple solutions and the best within that. Hopefully Brandy can assist me, because she always says she is overwhelmed with everything.

Nother day with Siah/Kelly

It seems that Carie was unable to find her boyfriend today. Sometimes people disappear, but I don't know what I would do if Brandy were unable to watch Josiah for long periods of time. ( she has threatened to, even made me stay home a day from work last January because she was stressed out over watching him)

Well, things went fine. Overall, another slow day for me. Just cleaning around the house and organizing. As well as catch-up time blogging/writing - when they are getting along.

Anywho, Brandy was home for dinner which was bean/potato soup with cornbread. Twas very good!

Apart from that, found some CDs with photos from Iraq. I looked up the PMOI and they are still involved in their form of activism as usual. Anywho, nobody cares about Maryam Rajavi or the PMOI, but their own nations in relation to Iran.

I also did a google of Brandy's name and found that the state of Minnesota owes her a little over $100! Crazy, but at least we in Minnesota keep track of such things.

Holidazzle with Kelly and Siah

We stayed home most of the day. Carie Krogen needed someone to watch Kelly, so I had no problem helping out. Kelly and Josiah get along great!

They were able to play with many neighbor children outside as it was very warm! Then when everyone went inside, so did Siah and Kelly. Brandy returned home with faraway friends Ruth Sherman and Derrick. Josiah was acting awful with two visitors, so I was unable to stay chatting with them because I had to discipline.

I usually discipline Josiah by using time-outs. These can vary depending on the severity of what he has done. But most the time sitting/standing in the corner suffices. But in some cases I have to take him to his room and sit in front of the door or other times hold him in the corner until he settles down.

Eventually, when our visitors left, we left for downtown via Hiawatha LRT. Brandy opted to stay home and take a bath. Kelly had never seen the train before, and was quite excited. I never get bored of LRT, because it is the future of transportation in America. But with so many going downtown for the same purpose, the trains were all packed! Luckily I am only one person and have 2 little guys who can squeeze between anyone!

We went to the Holidazzle and found a spot by Target Corporate HQ. This was convenient because afterwards we went to Chipotle. Their outdoor sign was unlit, but it was obvious by the line that they were still open. Kelly said she had never been there, but enjoyed her burrito nonetheless.

We then went home and Josiah could not act decent with her on the train. So we had to get off early at Cedar/Riverside and walk home from there. Josiah was very upset we had to walk, but Kelly was just fine. So it was a very good lesson for Siah in having to listen/act decent on the train

After Josiah and Kelly went to sleep, I read Persopolis by Marjane Satrapi. I LOVED it! Quite an excellent manga about her childhood in Iran in the late 70's and early 80's.

I am SO fortunate to live in a land where I can express myself and not face authoritarian persecution to such severity. Yes, the corporate world check up on applicants ousing MySpace/Google. I wouldn't want to work for someone who fired me over these blogs. I am also harassed in South Minneapolis by missionaries, who tell me I will go to hell by being Buddhist. The so-called homeless batter me with ridiculous stories ( which usually contain a part about being saved by Jesus ) and then refuse free food. Yes, it's annoying at times - but it's a lot easier living here than in Iran.

Brandy came home and explained how she brough the remainder of my injera & red lentils to a party. She also gave an album by the Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars to the birthday girl: Anjelica. It seemed to be quite popular at the party, of course this is another band I have found through my various resources. ( Paste magazine and 89.3 the Current )


[ note: I would have more photos, but our Kodak camera is broken. Josiah most likely tried using it and broke it. Coincidentally, there is a sale on digital cameras this week. I can get a 7MP camera for a lower price than Brandy bought the 6MP camera for - same brand: Kodak.]

Rohatsu and Chuck-E-Cheese

1)Rohatsu

Josiah and I started out our day going to the Clouds in Water Zen Center. It was the final day of children's practice for the winter seshin.

Josiah made candles for the Rohatsu ceremony. Rohatsu is the Zen Buddhist holiday celebrating the enlightenment of the Buddha on Decmber 8th. It was a lovely celebration that included a discussion of what enlightenment is, chanting, then chanting while walking in a circle and tossing flowers. Josiah really enjoyed tossing the thin-paper flowers - and picking them up!

What I found most fascinating was that the myth-like stories of Buddha I had read about were just that - myths. Latest historical information regarding Siddhartha is that he was never a Prince. The time he had come from and family he was in was not royal at all, though fairly well off. Also the story of him sitting down under a Bodhi tree and finding enlightenment in a week also leaves out his 7 years of trying ascetic methods to attain truth. He found the Dharma though creating the Karmic conditions to do so, and the ascetic teachings had been of some value. But attaining enlightenment, the Buddha made the path much more attainable and am grateful that he has done so.

I am truly glad that there is a Sangha here in the Twin Cities! And Clouds in Water has surpassed my expectations already - and I have only gone there since October!

2) Chuck-E-Cheese

Afterwards Josiah and I stayed for a little bit. I was upset that he never listens to me and wants to leave. We had to catch an express bus from downtown Saint Paul to the Mall of America, and had to leave soon. I wanted to be early so I could buy some presents for the birthday party we would be attending. Josiah always wants to stay and play with his friends. If we weren't on a tight schedule I would have had no problem staying later.

We did leave, but already missed our bus. In fact, we had to wait around 25 minutes for the next one to arrive. But we hopped on the 54 and went to the MOA on a fairly packed bus. Josiah fell asleep. We got to the mall and went directly to Barnes and Nobles. I knew what books to get : Marsupial Sue and Kitten's First Full Moon. ( I do hate BN asking for an extra $25 to get a member card, when I shop Amazon a billion times more often. ) Then off to the 444, which would take us to the Burnsville Mall.

Growing up in Scott County, the only mall anyone ever went to was the Burnsville Mall. Prior to the MOA, it was the largest mall in Minnesota. It has been upgraded a bit since I was last in town, and think it has improved a bit. Though I think the southern suburbs could do with more efficient transit - our bus seemed to wind through the city in a chaotic fashion, yet where transit users hopped on and off. The culdesacs and stores of importance to transit users were of priority.

When we got to Burnsville Center, I found the food court and an empty table. While Josiah munched on some Cheezits, I wrapped the two books using the comics section of the Sunday Star Tribune. Perfect wrapping paper for lil kids! ( and cheaper) Then off to Chuck-E-Cheese!

My friend Shewalem ( Mekedes ) Tesema had invited me to the birthday party of her two daughters: Buruktawit [4] and Rebeka [2]. I thought it was for only one daughter, but luckily bought two books that would be quite age appropriate anyways. Shewalem had only told me the previous Thursday and I must have not heard it correctly.

I met Mekedes husband Asfine and many other relatives. My friend Likelesh was also there with her husband and daughter Yamrote. I Like's sister Tegest ( patience) , who works with Shewalem's sister, whose name escapes me. I wish I could remember names better than I do.

Anyways, it was fun. We enjoyed pizza and pop. Josiah enjoyed playing with the birthday girls. Chuck-E-Cheese came when the birthday cakes were to be lit for all the birthday celebrants, as there were 4 different parties occurring in our room. Josiah loved Chuch-E and talked to him, gave him hugs. Before Chuck-E left, he came over to give me a personal high-five - perhaps because he really liked Josiah! He does have a charismatic and outgoing personality, which everyone seems to love.

Asfine bought us all tokens and Siah went to play games. He collected tickets for me and went about playing games. He especially liked the racing games, though he couldn't reach the gas pedal or understand how to properly play them! He could enjoy them without actually inserting a token!

After the tokens were out we put the tickets in a machine to add our points and get a receipt. We took the receipt to a counter to get our winnings - toys of course. Josiah could only afford two things: a small wand and a grasshoppper ring. After he had finished he wanted a prize worth 10 times what we originally had - a plastic toy that he could hold on his hand and was a pirate hook! I said " Siah, we don't have enough tickets and we can't get it today" but cute Asian girl at the counter thought he should get one - so he did! I was so happy that he could get one, because after that he played pirate. :)

3) Skytubes ( and lost shoes )

Siah most enjoyed the sky-tubes, the hamster-like-plastic-tunnels attached to the ceilings. When we had to leave I collected all our things and went to a table near the playplace. That was when I couldn't find Siah's shoes. He claimed they were in the sky-tubes and kept going up to put them down the slide like I had asked. I eventually searched the entire place to find them and inquired in their lost-and-found.

Josiah also got into trouble in the sky-tubes. He was playing a tiger, but other kids thought him too aggressive. At some points I saw him crying from up above. Kind've upsetting because I felt helpless being underneath and the whole toy-thing was made for children. But after one parent went up to talk to him, and came back down I talked to her. Then Siah came down and we discussed how to act up there. He apologised to the boy he had called names and had pushed/hit. ( though Siah claimed he had hit him first, and was never apologised to. It is better he learn to take responsibility for his actions, irregardless others reciprocate.

Looking for his shoes again, and after searching every inch of Chuck-E-Cheese, I entered the sky-tubes. I hadn't been up there since being a little kid. It was fun, but don't think I could do this for long. Other parents were up there with lil guys, and commented on Josiah's speed up there, even after being up there for hours! I covered the entire tube system and could find no shoes. I assume some kid accidentally took them home thinking they were his shoes on his feet. Either way, Josiah had to only wear socks on the way home.

Two hours after our party had left for home, we were leaving Chuck-E-Cheese around 7 P.M. Our party had started at 2PM, and we had been there since quarter to.

Some other memorable events at the party were shooting basketball hoops, Likelesh's daughter scared of the rides - crying while riding them, and enjoying being in their company. I rarely get out and love it when I can with such friendly people who are understanding of children.

We took the last MVT bus home from Burnsville Center to the MOA. I talked to a woman while waiting who worked two full-time jobs: Bath & Bodyworks and Payless Shoes. 70 hours a week is too much for me, but for her she said it more than paid the bills. While talking to her and waiting for the bus, Josiah alternated between kiddie rides near the entrance. ( he doesn't need quarters to keep entertained on them, he has such an active imagination! )

Josiah fell asleep on the bus, again on the train, and stayed asleep until we got home. Either way it was a lovely day, though packed with busyness! And now I just need to get Siah new shoes - he can wear his snow boots or cowboy boots until then.

Watching Kelly - DVD archiving

1) Kelly Krogen (age 4 & 11/12)

I watched my friend's daugher Carie today. Kelly is a wonderful 4 year old and about to turn 5 soon. Mayhaps Josiah can go to her party! Carie is moving all of her possessions to her new Saint Louis Park apartment, and Kelly isn't exactly assisting. I was okay watching her because she is very calm and listens well - unlike Josiah. But they really enjoy playing with each other, so it works well.

Anywho, that is how the day went. I did some cleaning while they played. They didn't like the rice and stir-fry I cooked up. Of course I didn't like the Chinese Cheese preserved hot bean curd that my acquaintance Hang gave me! Ickiness! This vegetarian loves tofu - just not this particular Asian style! I plan to make tofu with berbere and eat it with Injera. That sounds yummilicious!


2) DVD copying

On a Mac, I am unfamiliar with how to copy DVDs or make MP4s. So I found awesome software that can do both.

Handbrake can make industry standard MP4s , H.264 , wonderfully!

And MacTheRipper will allow you to copy even copyrighted material to your hard-drive. The US Supreme Court has authorized the use of copying DVDs if they are already owned by you - so archiving is okay. Hopefully this isn't abused by Netflix and library users - though it probably is -I doubt Hollywood will go belly-up. But the music industry has been hurting lately. Or is it just the major labels?

Selling Club Mystic

Today many Mystic Lake employees had to go to work early to attend was stated as a class. The title was "Selling Club Mystic" but instead they had some consultant from Las Vegas speak about guest service and marketing. How marketing entailed all aspects of a business and that was our true mission.

Anyways, it won't truly change the Mystic Lake culture overnight, but it could improve the atmosphere to a more guest-centric environment.

Running of the Santas

The Mid-Minnesota Legal Assistance created the annual "Running of the Santas" in Minneapolis this year as a fundraiser. I took Josiah, and he thought it was very fun! We watched hundreds of men and women, young and old, fast and not so fast, dressed as Santa run down Nicollet Mall today. It was quite an opening event for the Holiday Season in our fine city.

There are some who think that Santa should have no place in the Holiday season. Churches are asking followers of Christianity to wear buttons. Description of this grassroot movement as follows:

--- s n i p --

Celebrate Christmas Button

I celebrate Christmas is a campaign designed to encourage Christians nationwide and around the world to proudly proclaim the Christ Child as the center of the Christmas Season once again.
--- s n i p --

I saw someone wearing one of these buttons and asked her about it. She gave me a button if I promised to wear it. I will find a way to wear it - perhaps on Christmas? But the roots of Christmas are still the pagan Solstice celebration.

Either way I am not that concerned over holiday cultural wars. Instead am thankful for each day and will try to be mindful in all that I do.

Mindful Parenting

The Clouds in Water Zen Center has started a Mindful Parenting group. With many types of advice out there for parents, it is great there is some effort locally at the Zen center.

There are a few books out that help parents who are adherents of the Buddhist path.

Buddhism for Mothers, Everyday blessings, and Mindful Parenting. By far the first two are more popular. Jon and Myla Kabat-Zinn wrote Everday Blessings. Jon is well known for his books on mindfulness. In fact I read his "Wherever you go, there you are" prior to choosing the Buddhist path. A co-worker , Nate (my mentor when hired), told me the book changed his life.

While not writing a full-length review, I highly recommend parents read these books. I also invite all parents of any faith to join our mindful parenting group.

Incident with a few neighbors

I had an incident with some people at a town-home behind my residence. I do not know the details of how the town-home association resolves this situation, but I was assured that it would be resolved. But I am aware that they had some people living there that should not have been, and hope that the more responsible elements of the family were not punished for trying to help relatives out.

I am thankful that I do not have to leave my home in fear of some sort of physical attack. I have never felt that until this incident during my entire residency in Minneapolis. There are times when I may see an individual that I am wary of ( especially when I lived in Stevens Square ) but this rarely happens.

I think the best way to learn about an area that you live, especially one with a negative stigma like Phillips, you have to actually be engaged in it. You spend time outside at the park just sitting or reading a book. You go to neighborhood events, and you walk to the corner stores. You start to get a sense of "normal" in where you live and notice when something seems out of the ordinary.

I would like to thank the town-home association and the City of Lakes Community Land Trust for their work on this.

Joined Phillips Community Energy Cooperative

I recently decided to join the Phillips Community Energy Cooperative. This is because I keep getting mail for Tara Grieco, who used to live where I do, from them. I read that new members get a free tote bag - I was sold already. In addition one gets some complact flourescent light-bulbs and 5 plastic window covers. The kicker is membership costs $1. But one must live in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis, which is about 10,000 people ( our 25,000 squirrels are currently excluded) .

I talked to the program coordinator Jeff Cook-Coyle about how they get their funding. Basically Xcel donates money to the project. The coop also offers refrigerators and air conditioners at half of cost to members.

I asked whether there were any plans to get solar water heaters into the neighborhood, and Jeff seemed almost lit up about the subject. It is still in the planning stages, but very much a possibility in the next few years.

The coop is very new, starting in 2003. I wish it success and hope that it can reduce fossil fuel dependency locally. Through conservation and renewable initiatives, is is very possible.

Go-To Card

Today I got my Go-to card. I am quite happy to get one finally, they are quite convenient. I don't have to dig in my wallet, just know where my plastic sleeve is. I wish one could add money to the card online.

One feature I wished the card had was the ability to switch into a monthly pass or not. Once you go over the dollar threshold for a $1.50 monthly pass ( $50) - you automatically get it. Then if you surpass the $2 point ($76), you save a little more. It would be smart, and make transit riders happy to know these cards can save them money too.

It is rather interesting that Barbara Lickness was the 10 millionth rider on the Hiawatha Line in 2005. Barbara is an ardent DFLer, believing that one party rule over Minneapolis isn't bad for its citizens. She also volunteers with the Whittier Alliance, and am glad she is active in the community. (It is rather annoying that she always ends e-mails with the overplayed Margaret Mead quote - quite inspiring the first 87 times.)

More Minneapolitans should support light-rail and other transit. We do not need cars as much in our city. And when we do need cars - we can always car-share instead of own. Transit is seeing an uptick in ridership, and that trend should persisit as oil moves in the same direction.

Why support transit? It prevents Global Warming, while preserving non-renewable resources, and supporting a local economy. Transit will be a great economic and social ally for Minnesotans in the 21st century.

Josiah's lizard?

This morning Josiah woke up and immediately ran outside. I have no clue why, I got dressed and went downstairs. He came back inside bawling - his lizard had run away and buried himself in the mud. I think Josiah has an overactive imagination because we have no lizard.

He said he caught a lizard and that it then ran away later on. He was very upset that it had left him.

He also said that he found mice in our house, which there are, and that he was able to pet them. He said they were not wild mice but nice mice. Then he started searching for the mice, and found a hole underneath or sink. Behind our sink on the living room side is our bookshelf. The bottom of the bookshelf is our reference books, including yellow pages. Josiah though he would find the mice by moving these books out of the way. No such luck, but he was very sure he would find them back there.

Either way, Josiah has become more intelligent about many things, and has an imagination that is very humorous. Just have to teach him a few things, or perhaps just read him more stories and see what happens?

A good day overall. A bit chilly, but it could be worse.

Cloud in Water Zen

Josiah and I have been going to the Clouds in Water Zen Center in Saint Paul since mid October. We go every other weekend, as those are the days that the Children's Practice is.

Josiah is a very active boy, and I am always concerned about his behavior. The previous weekend I was asked what to do about him, as he was good until the last 15 minutes or so. He got rather rough with other kids, wanting to wrestle. ( he is very physically motivated, and I think should be in gymnastics and karate ) I gave the volunteers permission to put him in time-out if necessary.

But this weekend, I was stopped by 4 people telling me how wonderful Josiah was in class. They all love him, as he motivated other children and ensured they did things correct.

I stayed afterward for a discussion with other parents. We decided it would be good to meet once a month and discuss parenting skills and Buddhism. It was mentioned we could use a book about mindful parenting to assist in our talks. I hope much comes out of this idea.

Josiah was difficult to leave the center. He hid under tables and wouldn't listen to me or get dressed. I had to drag him out without his coat or shoes on - eventually outside where it was chilly. I gave him many chances and once outside he took less than 3 minutes to change his tune. He wanted to get dressed.

I wouldn't leave until we talked, and he said he didn't want to leave because the center had food and he was hungry. I had 2 bananas, and told him he would be able to eat them at the bus stop, which he did. I also said that when we go to his Sunday School at the Zen Center, I would pack more snacks for him to eat. He was satisfied with this solution, and I hope we can resolve his bad hehavior through this as well.

The rest of the day Josiah acted okay, but he was in time-out more than he usually is - three times! But the next few days he would act better.
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Shellay called today. She still hasn't had her baby yet, and is a few days late now. But all of her children have been so far, so she isn't that worried. She will let everyone know when. We also had a fun chat. :)

Are there more who care?

I was able to talk to Phanice early this morning. She is doing well in Nairobi, and is glad that myself and her sister Ruth can visit her soon. Our chat didn't go as smoothly as it has in the past, and I wasn't sure why. But after we talked, a huge storm hit and Phanny wasn't able to take a bus to the downtown cybercafe to e-mail me.

I got a letter from CARE stating that the Horn of Africa had just gone through months of drought and was now being hit by seasonal storms. The storms are very excessive causing massive floods. Phanice told me about this in her letter:
...was to write you a mail yesterday but i got messed by the rains,they are too much here,all the plans i had aborted,its that bad.At the coast its flooded n a number of people havelost there lives.All we can do is just to pray and hope that it ends soon coz if it goes on like this,several people are going to get messed.

While many I know are cynical about donating money, I am not. I gave money to Sarvodaya when the tsunami hit Sri Lanka. That was while I was in Kuwait leaving soon for Iraq. I always wish I could help more, but know that my current economic constraints will not always be so. I also pray that more people would care.

For all the giant big screen plasma tvs, Playstations, and SUVs people buy - I wish more could live ligher and donate more to effective causes. I pray that more become conscious of the suffering in our world and compassionately work to improve our world.