Coast Guard City USA

Sunday marked the conclusion of the Coast Guard festival here in Grand Haven. Why in the world is this town deemed Coast Guard City USA, you might ask? Good question. I mean, aside from beer-crazed Wisconsonians and a few Canadian gypsies who have lost their way, there really isn't a pressing need to guard the coast of Western Michigan. Outside of one week in late July, I don't recall much of a Coast Guard presence either. The best I can figure is that there is a coast guard station in town and with all the local fruits and vegetables already taken for annual festivals, they thought they'd just elevate the coast guard station to festival status.

It doesn't have to be logical, though, to be a good time. We soaked up a lot of Americana during Coast Guard Week. Daily strolling through the carnival, nibbling on elephant ears and cotton candy, browsing the arts and crafts fair, watching all the local festival queens and marching bands pass at the parade, and concluding with a dramatic fireworks display.

The parade, in particular, cracked me up. All those poor high school students marching in 90 degree heat dressed from head to toe in polyester and heavy shoulder pads. Then there was the young hunters club decked out in camouflage, followed by people tossing squirt guns to the crowd. The sheer volume of flags was the most striking thing to me. Every time another one came into view-- the entire crowd would rise to their feet. I feel like I soaked up enough mid-western patriotism to get me through another 5 years in Berkeley ;)





http://www.coastguardfest.org/

Negligent Blogger

We've been having such a pleasant summer that I've forgotten to take pictures and write things down. Here's an update.

In late June we flew to Louisville, Kentucky for the fabulous wedding of Nate and Melissa Bellows (Ben's brother). It was a fantastic family occasion and I've attached some photos sent on by the newlyweds.

After the wedding we rode to Michigan and stayed on the farm for a few nights and enjoyed more family time and pleasant countryside. We criss-crossed the state making other visits and Ben left for his trip in Uganda July 8th. Ani and I returned to West Michigan, where we've been enjoying beautiful weather, daily trips to the ice cream parlor, and visits with old friends.

It's always nice to spend some time in West Michigan -- such a startling departure from our beloved Berkeley that I think it brings me some needed perspective. Today, for example, in the neighborhood we saw a man driving a motorcycle. He didn't have a helmet, but he did have a 6 month old strapped to him in a Baby Bjorn (of course, no helmet for baby either). When he saw us (myself, sister, and brother in law) staring in disbelief he said to us..."Gotta start em' young." Now in Berkeley, one is required to get outraged by such an action, but here, naw. It's summer. Have some fun, take some risks, enjoy!

SupaNani!!

Ani has taken on a superhero persona -- SupaNani---and watch out. She punches her fist in the air and spins around the room enough to make your head spin.

Mother's day matching

I've decided that holidays are perfect for cheesy matching photos. Shopping at my favorite resale store the day before Mother's day, I found a shirt that was the exact print of a dress Ani has and I couldn't resist.

Not another history buff!

Whenever Ben and I travel someplace even the least bit historic, I try to remember to pack my patience because Ben wants, or shall I say NEEDS, to thoroughly read every historical marker sign within sight. Our visit many years ago to Rome was completely ridiculous as Ben insisted on trying to decipher the meaning of each sign, even though many were only written in Italian. Alas, it appears this trait is genetic, for take a look at Ani and Ben when we went for a simple morning hike yesterday at a nearby park.....

San Pablo Ave Burger Reviews

We've always been intrigued by the numerous burger joints along San Pablo Ave. Not the McDonald's, Burger Kings, etc... but rather the more obscure ones that have survived in spite of the influx of the typical franchise chains. So, we've decided to go ahead and try them and rate them for future reference. Tuesdays have been chosen as "San Pablo burger review night". Our goal is to try all of the burger joints on San Pablo Ave between the Richmond and Oakland borders. Once we accomplish this laudable goal, we may extend further down the avenue -- or we may go on a diet.

Here's the rating system for the burgers and accompaniments (fries, etc...) :
* = gut bomb
** = blah, not impressed
*** = pretty good
**** = very good
***** = amazing!

Our first review (4/22/08)

Al's Big Burger
This was a good place to start as it is much less scary than some of the other places we plan to get to. The burger was actually quite tasty with yummy grilled onions and crisp lettuce. While the fries were just ok, the fried zucchini with ranch was great.
Burger = ****
Accompaniments = ***

Nation's
While this burger joint is more mainstream than the others on the list, we felt it merited inclusion. As with last week, not a bad burger at all for this type of place- tasty lettuce and lots of mayo. In my opinion, though, it wasn't as good as Al's and I thought the fries were not very good. It could have been just a so-so batch because our neighbors who came with us seemed to get better ones.
Burger = ***1/2
Accompaniments = **

Reviews to come: Nibs, The Red Onion, Nation's, and more....

Lexicon

Ani is gradually transitioning from a rather complicated communication pattern in her own special language to using English. She'll repeat just about anything, but there are several words that she uses consistently and somewhat accurately. So, for anyone who is going to prepare for a conversation with Ani in the near future, here's a peek into her English vocabulary:

• Aacky – meaning yucky. According to Ani, almost everything is aacky, especially Ani’s feet.

• Ani – she loves to talk about herself in the third person.

• Apple – meaning any round fruit.

• Baby - any person under 12.
  

• Ball

• Bappa – her name for Ben.

• Bath

• Blueberries – her favorite food and one of her first words, pronounced “boo-berry”

• Book – after much coaxing, Ani is finally interested in books.

• Boot

• Bye
  

• Cheese

• Circle

• Cow

• Cup

• Doggie

• Duck

• Eye

• Hello and Hi

• Help
  

• Hot

• Milk – meaning any beverage.

• Mommy – meaning Nicole, but sometimes it is used for Ben – it means parent

• Moo

• Mouth

• Nanoka – (na NO ka) I’m not sure how this is spelled but it is a 4 year old Japanese girl who lives across from Ani's babysitter and Ani talks about her all the time.

• No

• Outside

• Phone
  

• Poo/ poopy – meaning either “I have to go” or “Um, I would like you to change my diaper”

• Potty
  

• See ya!

• Shoe
  

• Slide – favorite playground equipment

• Snack

• Sock

• Uh-oh – usually stated after doing something naughty but completely intentional

• Up/ uppy – a little confusing because it means both “pick me up” and “put me down”

• Walk

• Weeeeeeeeeee – ok, not really a word, but sung with great enthusiasm when riding down a slide

• Yes

Urban hang

Ani's latest obsession is hanging from bars. Being in Berkeley, there are a lot of places to park one's bike and this means we have to stop frequently so that Ani can hang for the necessary 10-20 seconds.

Flash forward

Ani has been giving us some alarming (albeit amusing) glimpses into her teenage years. Here's her with her feet up having a good chat on the telephone and one being too cool for us in her shades.

On the red carpet

Ani and I glammed it up for the Oscars last night. Sure, we mostly just sat on the couch eating brownies and clapped with the audience, but we did get a photo shot of us looking very serious as we struck our red carpet pose.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! Ani had a busy day and is cashed out here after a walk.

I love this cheesy holiday and always celebrate it like a 4th grader by wearing red and pink and eating as much chocolate as my body can handle. Tonight we made an all red and pink dinner - good stuff.

Back to Berkeley

Life has settled back into our Berkeley routine here quite nicely.

We're back in the UC village apartments, I'm back at work half time, Ani is back with her beloved babysitter Nora, and Ben is back to literally running to and around campus.

Of course, things are a little different here than when we left. Ani has many more tricks up her sleeve. One of her favorite games is to take all the clothes off her somewhat organized shelf, then cram them back in haphazardly, and then crawl into one of the cubbies herself (see photo).

New Address

We've moved -- again! Our current address is:

525 Red Oak Ave., Apt 300
Albany, CA 94706

Our cell phones are the same. No land line as of yet.

Right now we are still living amidst boxes. Turns out, Ani is not the most helpful mover. She likes dismantling all our progress and keeps gleefully taking things out of the cupboards.

We'll get back to the photos once we unearth the camera and catch our breath....

Grandma Jenny

Ani and I have been enjoying Michigan for the last few weeks. One of the reasons we decided to come home early was to see my Grandma Jenny who has been ill for a number of years and was placed in Hospice mid-December. She passed away on New Years Day at age 95.

While it is sad to know she is no longer here, preparing for her funeral has strangely put me in a good mood because it requires conjuring up all the great old memories of the grandma I knew and loved. Grandma Jenny (Vincenza Maggiore) was a beauty with sparkling blue eyes and perfectly coiffed and colored hair. She was a woman who knew how to accessorize and I think of her whenever I see fitted leather gloves, butterfly pins, and beaded clutch purses.

While her fashion taste was impeccable, she had some hilarious food and drink preferences for someone who was a phenomenal cook in her day. My mouth waters at the thought of her cooked all-day tomato sauce and her delicious cookies but Grandma had a penchant for Kentucky Fried Chicken and Blackberry Manischewitz. She always had Double-Mint gum on hand to help with the inevitable indigestion that results from combining the Colonel's special with sugary wine. More than anything, these things bring a smile to my face.

Tomorrow is Grandma Jenny's funeral and I am grateful to be there with my freshly colored hair and butterfly pin where I will lift a glass of Manischewitz and toast a long life well-lived.

Top 5s

As we close in on the end of our stay, here are the top 5 things I will miss about Uganda:

5. The vistas. Uganda is a country of beautiful landscapes from the Rwenzori mountains, to Lake Victoria, to the savannah lands, and everything in between. There is a breathtaking view around each corner.

4. The colors. In addition to the views, everyday life here is injected with vibrant color. The bright colors of the traditional clothing, the flowers, and the fruits and vegetables.

3. Extremely cheap organic produce – Ah, the 10 cent giant avocado…the 30 cent stack of tomatoes…. the 50 cent pineapple. Berkeley Bowl and Monterey Market will seem like an absolute rip off in comparison.

2. Living the good life – Here in Uganda we can afford massages ($7 an hour), a daily housekeeper, and a house on the golf course.

1. The people we’ve met along the way. We’ve met some really wonderful people here that have been incredibly welcoming and helpful – from the impressive doctors and researchers, to our fabulous housekeeper Sandra, to the general people we meet in our travels. Ugandans have a reputation of being incredibly friendly and that has surely been our experience.

Still, here are also the top 5 things I am looking forward to back in the US:

5. Reliable utilities – I have a new appreciation for the utilities in developed countries and I’m looking forward to bathing Ani in water without having to boil it first and having electricity on a daily basis.

4. Anonymity – While Ani will probably be depressed that she will no longer generate stares and smiles from everyone around, I’m looking forward to blending in a little more to my surroundings.

3. Trader Joes – and all its ready-to-eat goodness.

2. Relaxation – I’ve had plenty of time to relax here in Mbarara, but I’m looking forward to sleeping without the anxiety and vivid dreams courtesy of Larium (antimalarial medication) and not having to fret about mosquitoes, Ebola, etc….

1. Seeing our friends and family. We’ll be in Michigan from December 19^th to January 5^th and hope to catch up with family, especially my new niece Amata. After that it is back to Berkeley and into our new apartment in UC Village.

Ssese Islands

We took a short vacation on the Ssese (pronounced “say say”) islands this week – sort of an early Christmas and celebrating the end of Ben’s data collection. The main island was very laidback and absolutely beautiful. Here’s the view from our hotel balcony. The only problem are the many, many mosquitoes at night. They were also apparently getting their Christmas dinner early as well – courtesy of my blood. Here’s hoping the antimalarial medication really works!

Our Holiday E-Card

Seasons greetings to all! Here’s a photo of us in our matching Kitenge clothes we had made earlier in our stay. We know, it’s the ultimate in cheese but we did it anyways.

Hope everyone is having a good holiday season. We have had a nice break from the onslaught of Christmas advertising but I am looking forward to some holiday cheer next week. Ani and I are headed back to Michigan next Wednesday – leaving Uganda on Sunday night and spending about 24 hours in California. Originally our plan was to stay with Ben until early January but for a number of reasons – including the recent Ebola outbreak – we’ve decided to cut our stay by two weeks.

On that note – Happy Holidays!

Booted!

For those who know of our terrible, terrible luck with parking tickets, we thought you’d get a kick of out this. Apparently we neglected to pay our 15 cent parking fee last week when shopping downtown. There is a pay for parking system with attendants who collect fees when you return to your car. Sometimes, they aren’t there though and we didn’t realize it was our responsibility to track them down and pay our 15 cents. Of course, we tend to stand out here and as a result, no parking infraction goes unnoticed. So, yesterday when Ben went shopping for some Thanksgiving wine he found our car was booted. Yep, apparently they have 1 car boot in all of Mbarara and it’s reserved for us. We aren’t thrilled about the $12 fine but we can’t help but laugh at how our Berkeley parking karma has followed us all the way to Uganda.

Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving!!!! We had a fabulous feast provided by Nneka (the UCSF research coordinator who lives up the road from us). We gorged on all the traditional fare – turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, greens, pumpkin and apple pie and so much more. It was all incredibly delicious and I think I consumed more calories in that meal than in all of the past week. Many thanks to Nneka and those who helped her with the feast!

African Pigeons

When referring to animals and petulance, it seems that often the adjective “African” denotes a more extreme version of what we westerners are accustomed to (e.g. African killer bees, African ants with their 4 feet anthills, etc…). In this spirit, I’ve deemed these birds “African Pigeons”. These things are all over Mbarara – mostly scavenging out of trash dumpsters and in parks. I think they are called Maribous and they are huge creatures with a massive wingspan (around 5-6 feet). At first, I was intimidated by these birds but I’ve become quite fond of them.

Last week I pulled a lower-back muscle and for the last few days I have been suffering from an “African cold”. Thankfully we don’t have any mirrors in our house but occasionally I glimpse my reflection in a window and wonder who that hunched old woman is. It’s at these times, I make sure to take a stroll past the nearest trash heap and look closely at the marabous. I feel absolutely radiant by comparison.