follow-up....

My pumpkin pie tasted like a soggy sponge.

My masterpiece, the pumpkin itself, is in the compost pile. Guess I forgot that the weather back home is becoming cool and crisp, while here it is warm, moist, and petridishy. Within it's four-day lifespan, however, I am pleased to say many Tanzanians were deeply puzzled.

Speaking of holiday related food, could someone please send me a turkey? Preferably one without H5N1 Bird Flu, if possible.

Ukiriguru is indeed spelled with two Rs. Mystery solved? Turns out the letter that is NOT in the Sukuma language, the dominant tribal language in the area, is R. So why is it not spelled Ukiligulu? The English. Ahh, the ever culturally-sensitive days of colonialism. Certainly helps explain [read: confirms my previous suspicions] why there is a neighborhood set up the mountain a bit with a handful of fabulously grandiose, western-looking houses. Regime change started four decades ago, and it continues here today - I will never again write Ukiligulu with Rs.

My guard asked me for money again, but then also got my garden looking very nice and ready for planting as the rains begin. Current plan: give him a few months notice, and have him stop coming after my long trip away from site in early January.

My house is still infested with termites, but my perspective on them has changed slightly. Tolerable, somewhat. Tasty, definitely. Less tolerable, and presumably less tasty (though meatier), are the 5 or so cockroaches I've seen in the last week. Much bigger than anything I ever saw in Chicago.

The 'coaster' scheduled to begin service between Misungwi and Mwanza is, like a little over half of everything else in Tanzania, experiencing technical difficulties.

However, I did experience my first isolated battle in victory, in the ongoing daladala wars. Yesterday I paid only 500 shillings instead of 1000 to return from Ukiligulu (screw you brits), and didn't even have to stand up!!! Stickin it to the kondas...

Beans have now been fully reincorporated into my diet, though yogurt consumption has been reduced in an effort to effectively control levels of gas.

Recently falling in relative prevalance as part of my regular diet is Ugali. I realize I have not yet written about Ugali (thick porridge) before. This topic requires an entirely separate blog entry, but know that for now, it's absence at the dinner table is greatly welcomed by this author.

Recently making grounds in the battle for kitchen supremacy - the sandwich. Eggs, veggies, guacamole, even hamburgers. Unfortunately, this recent atkins-nightmare bread binge has not killed my craving for a ColdCutCombo. At least I do still have the dill pickles on the side. Now all I'm missing is the cheese.

Alejandro has finally learned that Lucia is his mother, and has severed all ties with his father. He also, in his hot-headed-undies-in-a-bundle way, managed to get mad at everyone else around him, even Soledad, who made this entire revelation possible. Isabella of course was not pleased, and the repurcussions are forthcoming as Rodrigo learned just yesterday from Renaldo that Soledad (Mariana) and Isabella are sisters. This show is ridiculously stupid.

One or all of the following three things may be true:
1) There is seasonal fluctuation in chronograph demand
2) Ad execs have satiated their gluttonous appetite for chronograph portfolios
3) Newsweek execs are reading my blog.
Watch advertisements were noticeably absent from my last Newsweek. Replaced by ads for.... energy companies.

On a related note, have discovered three things about energy companies.
1) Nearly all rely almost exclusively on petroleum-based energy sources
2) Not one advertisement for energy companies talks about gasoline. All about wind energy, natural gas, solar power, biodiesel, hydroelectric, etc etc.
3) If the PR and Policy departments at these firms actually got together, we might have some progress towards fighting global warming!
[#4 is an assumption, not a discovery. it is that #3 is never gonna happen unless mandated by law]

And speaking of changes in climate - the rainy season has finally started here. Now, for those of you who may have the same impression I initially did when I heard 'rainy season', allow me to clarify. 'Rainy season' does not mean 'monsoon season.' Rather, it means the season when it rains, as opposed to the hellish 4 months without even the slightest hint of moisture in the air. Last week I witness two torrential downpours which flooded my house (irate) and filled my 400+ liter capacity water tanks (grateful).
[*side note. Almost wrote 'litre.' Take that you English colonial bastards]
[**second side note. Those bastards are probably all dead or too old to read clearly. oh well]

The weather forecast has only changed slightly though - rain in most places with sunny periods. Must now wait to see if Misungwi will obnoxiously exempt itself from 'most' as it did with 'few.'