Update on Belt Mystery

Turns out, boring, it's from my colleague-in-Tanzania's mother-in-law. His son left the belt at grandma's house. Just in case anyone was still following this story.

Freelancing for Big Pharma

I just submitted an article that Bayer asked me to write for their Public Health Journal. Mama needs a new couch!

It was fun, though, and good for the writing exercise. I do feel significantly more confident about tackling actual articles for peer-review now, so the benefits are more than monetary.

I don't think it will count towards Josh's and my race to publish first, though...so that's still on!

Is someone trying to tell me something?

I got a package at work from Kathy Kling of Canton Ohio.

I don't know Kathy, but I opened it.

Inside was a boy's black web belt, with a gray dragon pattern on it. The belt appears to have originated in China, via Target.

It is too small.

What the what?!

Wordless Weekend

Because I'm lazy writing an article and not supposed to be having fun in the evenings: a slideshow.



It was delicious!

If you were one of the photographers, or just interested in seeing all 200+ photos in their gory (and cute, depending on the subject) detail - you may visit the full photo album.

New Digs

This weekend we're in Ambre d'Hotes, a B&B right on the main road not too far from Pointe des Almadies. The hotel website falsely advertises a pool, but the place is charming. We've met some lovely ladies from Unicef Zimbabwe and Zambia who were here for an HR meeting, and there are pretty delicious evening 3-course dinners with wine, for a very reasonable price. The internet is fairly good depending on your room, and you can watch the World Cup games on one of the African channels (the Ivorian one seemed to have the best sound), but not CNN. Which is perhaps a relief.

During the week there have been power cuts, and on Wednesday evening the transformer caught on fire. The generator ran Thursday night and by Friday the electricity was back to normal. Mighty quick service in my experience!



Terrace where breakfast and dinner are served, behind the main building.


View of the main building, from the back garden. The things that look like giant wooden Q-tips are mortars. Or pestles. The thing you pound with, not the receptacle.


The back building. My room is the second floor.


Burned out transformer. I totally slept through the whole thing.

Parents' Dance

First Dance