Retro

I've been doing a lot of looking back this week.
I pulled out my scrapbook the other day to work on it and found my travel journal.

Yes I started this blog to share stories while I was in Togo, but man oh man... most of the things I saw and experienced never made it into the blog- or were just the tiniest blip... Like the time I followed a woman down the street - a woman who had a basket on her head... and a live goat tied on top of the basket. .. Or the time I went to the dining room and couldn't get back to my bedroom because there was a HUGE bug (the size of the palm of my hand) in the breezeway, and I couldn't walk around it by walking on the lawn because I was in my bare feet and there were more frightening bugs (read: scorpions and God knows what else) in the grass in the dark... Or about the neighbour family who'd been in Cote D'Ivoire when a peace agreement collapsed (November 2004)- the absolute fear in their faces as they told their story, guns trained on their children and eventual evacuation by helicopter... Or Zachary's surprising English and forcing me to practice conversational French -My roommate's surprise when Zachary started speaking English "but... but...I've known you for years! I've never heard you speak English before! I didn't know that you could!"

Maybe I'll pull some more gems out here.

I've also been watching a lot of "the voice" this week.
CRAP
I lovehate that show so much!
I love the idea, that it's based just on voice- but I hate that it isn't actually. There's some surprising age discrimination that happens based on voice still. Now, maybe I've got it wrong- maybe they had some better ideas, so I'll stop now... I'm not one of the judges/coaches. I also have a hard time with the idea that once the teams are filled, some people won't get heard, but again... I could be wrong.
But seriously, I'm so involved in the show... I yell things at the computer screen. And I cheer.
And I tell off the people who try to conjure up tears and sympathy.
I call them names and swear at them.