Quite the weekend adventures

This weekend certainly brought familiarity as well as a few suprises. We visited in Granger with Harris Prairie on Friday night (note to self....get RainX applied now on the Sable!) at a restaurant (Oscar: "what is country fried steak?")and then turned around early Saturday to head down to FAME for some training on CHE, which was most appreciated and interesting. After that I introduced Oscar to the wonders of a Saturday afternoon outlet mall, the bargains...or rather the non-bargains as it was that day, as we headed to Cincinnati for the missions fair weekend at Lakota, which was very encouraging, in terms of renewing friendships, meeting new people, and seeing group members of the past and their families. Oscar introduction #14? me..."this is an ice scrapper...learn how to use it."

After leaving Lakota, we thought we had a meeting in Indianapolis at 6:00 (it turned out we were mistaken.) Since we had a little more than a hour free, I decided to show Oscar downtown Indianapolis...confident that it would be empty on a Sunday afternoon. How surprised were we when the circle was full of several thousand people? We parked, and started to explore, only to find an attempt to get the world record for most people dribbling a basketball at once. As the event was 1. free, and 2. providing a free T-shirt and basketball, we decided it a worthy effort and pitched in to help, which offered Oscar several interesting opportunities otherwise not afforded to normal visitors...walking down the streets of downtown dribbling a basketball, Pacer players around, the Pacers mascot on top of a big fire truck, and the ability to explore Conseco fieldhouse for free, oh, and the deafening noise of all those basketballs dribbling. http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007710290388

A visit to the ever authentic Pepe's restaurant for supper wrapped up our Sunday. Now Oscar can say he has tried Quesadillas and chicken wings.

Arrival

Well, we are here. Whew!

So, we get to Miami, and Paige calls someone, and I see her phone, so I say, hey, can I call my Dad, just for fun? Sure, no problem. She is cingular, so no charge. Godincidence #1.

I forget my Ipod battery extender on the airplane in Indianapolis. I have to wait while they get it for me off the plane. Godincidence #2

Paige then calls dad as we are getting ready to leave, her battery is dead. Good thing we had not left...or she would have had a hard time getting a jump at 12:30 at night! We got home and in bed by 2:15. Up late next morning (8:30 or so) to get ready, organized and eat with Granpda Phil for lunch, make a quick supply run, and back to the house for work to get things ready for this trip. Which coincidently starts tomorrow on a big run as we head up to Granger (near South Bend), then back late tomorrow night, up in the morning to FAME, then to Cincinnati, and not back here until late Sunday night after a meeting in Indianapolis. Monday "off" for errand running, then off again to Texas for four days.

I better get busy!

What time is it?

Today is Monday. I am flying on Wednesday. What?

Today I went to get supplies for buildin the bunk beds (wood,bolts, screws) and got them all up to the clinic. Luckily the hardware stores actually had what we needed, or close enough.

But most of the day most of us worked on putting a floor and pouring the floor for a latrine for Aide's house. She has struggled with both of those issues for years, so it was great that this oppotunity to get it done came up (and the funding came through). Tomorrow is finishing up the walls of the latrine (the breeze is nice, but not that nice) and getting as many bunkbeds built as possible.

I personally however will be running errands all morning, trying to get final things done to keep things as easy for Valerie as possible, and organized for me not to worry too much on Wednesday.

Plus today, a bus backed into the Ford. No big damage, he was stopped and rolled back, denting the fender, but it will require repair sooner or later.

Catch up, no mustard

Well, let us see where I left off! Al, Paige and Denny have been using any free time to help build bunk beds in the warehouse for future groups (nicer double bunks instead of the death defying, forty feet high triples). Thursday we did an eye brigade (with the four of them and three from the clinic...Karol and the two nursing students) in Pueblo Nuevo, where we saw 107 patients. No publicity was done, which turned out to be a good thing obviously or we would have been over-run. Many stories there (including the man who was 88 and came for his first eye exam) but I am pressed for time.

Friday we visited San Juancito to check out the construction on the Church meeting place, which is coming along nicely. They did not know we were coming, just pastor Celio, but several women were out there sifting sand and mixing concrete for the mason who was doing the block laying. It is really coming along.

Friday night was Cecilia's "Queen of the school" competition or whatever. After multiple voting opportunities (by applause) Cecilia beat out the 5th grader in the running. Valerie said she was very well behaved during the entire three hour event (well, two hours...they started an hour late), and she discovered during the whole thing that somehow Cecilia knows everyone at the school! Surely her outgoing personality helped in the voting. Valerie asked if they had ever had a queen this young before...which they had not, but despite Valerie's questioning, she was assured that it was fine/great/acceptable. Valerie still felt sorry for the older girls who lost. However, should she not be able to fulfill her duties as queen...well, that remains to be seen.

A day?

A day like many others in some respects, but that is not really blog worthy.

I went to pick up Paige and Al at the airport. Just as we were about to leave the house (Cecilia went with me), a rather large rain storm came through out of nowhere (albeit somewhere of course)...and in under 10 minutes proceeded to flood the roads around the airport, and kept raining for a good 30 minutes.

Wood was purchased for making bunk beds (new double decker units, living the high life of the bunk lifestyle) tomorrow.

Carolyn and Denny come tomorrow, and then the race begins the rest of the week with eye brigade, corn, and more.

Played

We played at Union Church today. It was good, we had the most practice together we have had this weekend, and my mic was actually on (last time I accidently left it off) so it was good. I need a pickup for the guitar though, as the volume with the mic fluctuates if I move my body (and thus the guitar) at all.

This afternoon Rex and Christine came over, with their kids and we had a good time of fellowship. The property their Church is buying to build on is just behind where we live, which is pretty cool.

More rain today. Flooding down South has killed two, and worries are on the rise over the crops and the subsequent food prices. Everything food related has been going up in price recently. I commented tonight, if the gringos are noticing it, then it must be pretty bad. You name it, the price has spiked recently. This affects mostly those that go to the open market with the same amount of money...and are just able to buy less now.

Random things

Well, what an interesting day yesterday and today. We must be in the middle of some storm system, because the rain keeps coming and going...all day, which is rather unusual (but welcome) here. It almost makes me feel like I am living somewhere else it is that unusual.

Band practice last night for playing at the Union Church went very well. It is quite enjoyable to practice in such an atmosphere. We really enjoy getting that time not only together, but with the other members of the team. For those that do not know, we only usually get to do that once a month...sometimes less.

So I am looking out my window yesterday at one of the many flights of deportees from the US, and imagine my surprise to see a new plane (we have several that make the flight quite regularly.) Now, I can not be 100% sure this is a deportee plane, but for several reasons I am relatively confident. Can you read what is written on the plane? "Funjet vacations" I will let the irony drip on its own.

Whistle

Work continues here, but of the unglamorous kind. Very important, but definitely not something that would normally be contemplated as part of a job such as these. Even while sick, all weekend and every day this week I have been pouring through the accounting portion of the work here...getting things right, in order, organized, and preparing for next year, including trying to come up with a budget.

I must enjoy it on some level, or I would be looking for excuses not to do it, instead of waking up and going to sleep to it, but I would probably not describe it as the most fun. I jokingly thought of taking a picture of me at the computer for our presentation in the US. "This slide shows me hard at work during a brigade, here pouring concrete, oh, and here, this is exciting, is me trying to get the balance on funds received from the US in knowing what was designated for specific outreach and what was for general mission work. Note that I am in fact using 18.8951 for Lempira conversion instead of the often used 'average' exchange of 18.90. You would be surprised at the difference that can make over the course of a year!" Oooooh, aaaah.

Hopefully I can get it all done before our next group arrives next Wednesday. What? That is in one week! I better get busy.

Still crazy

And still sick. This time the common cold came in after the recovery from whatever was first. Ugh. No running for almost a week! Fortunately, I suppose, I can still sit in front of the computer and do non-stop accounting and paperwork catch up to try to get ahead of the game and everything done before the US trip. That is no small task, and will take up part to most of this week as well.

Not to mention the work starting on the new clinic building. Nothing overly eye catching to start of course, the ramp up the hill, and this week the glamarous.....the enchanting...the very necessary...septic tank. After that is all done, and some minor other work around the property, the work will end while we are in the US and then hopefully start full up when we get back to start the work on the walls, etc. I suppose that means I have something else to do...finalize what the layout is going to be now that the available property to build on has changed and opened up new (and hopefully cheaper) possibilities than we first envisioned.

What fun

Being sick is no fun. Especially when I had meetings today to attend to, as well as a container unloading. Ugh.

I assume it started yesterday. I went to the gym and for a run...a very challenging run for some reason. I got back, hydrated...but the cramps were already starting, etc. Perhaps I hydrated too much I thought later? I had two liters at the gym, four liters when I got home, another liter over night, and four more liters already today. Yet still to no avail. 24 hours later I am still weak and crampy. What fun.

It is times like this when I wonder why I go to all the trouble. Yet, I know the other 99% of the time it is worth it. I just hope I get better soon.

Consipiracy theory

I have not seen this anywhere on the internet (perhaps I did not look carefully enough?) but it seems to me that a full scale investigation is warranted.

This is big, people, huge even. This kind of scandal could rock us to the very core.

What is it that has me so disturbed and perplexed as to the apparent blind eyes that are being turned?

Something has to be done to stop Pat Sajak.

Yes, the amiable host of Wheel of Fortune. What has he done? Well, I suppose many might consider this not that big of a deal, but I have noticed that during the final spin portion of the show, far too often the $5,000 space on the wheel comes up.

Sure, it makes for great TV, and someone goes away with more money. But what about the other contestants? Perhaps they were winning, only to have one puzzle put the other contestant out of contention.

I cry out...is that fair? Someone needs to stand up and say...Pat has too much practice on hitting the sweet spot on the wheel! We want a random spin. When do we want it? Now.

I will not be organizing a petition for your support shortly. I expect swift and decisive action from the producers of the show.

Whew, I feel better with that off my chest.