;God's blessed us all in many ways. This is the day we give thanks. It used to be to remember the harvest we'd taken in from the field. I'm not a farmer. So I don't know how we did in that area. But I know the ways God has blessed me here and why, for another year, I remain the luckiest man on the face of the earth. (With apologies to Lou Gehrig)

I'm alive. This is no small feat. In many countries, 27 is approaching senior-citizen status. It's well-over the median age here.
I'm healthy. Living internationally will take it's toll. But I've only been down to random stomach bugs and the like about one day a month. That doesn't stop the nationals from accusing me of having 'Swine flu.'
I'm close to being ready for the half-marathon. At 27, it's time to take taking care of this body seriously. Don't do it now, and I don't get to abuse it later.
I live in a tropical oasis wonderland place. Seriously, 83 today. On Thanksgiving. Mountains an hour away. Ocean three. Desert three. Waterfalls one.
And three Pizza Huts.
I have survived riding my bike in traffic baffles the mind of any civil engineer. It's definitely pray-before-leaving traffic.
I'm almost conversant in the local language. I always wanted to be bilingual—now I can say that I am (and rattle off enough to dare you to say otherwise).
I am so full. Our community of Americans made the most amazing Thanksgiving dinner—turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, lemon meringue pie. For those wondering if I'd be eating gruel on Thanksgiving, I'm willing to bet I ate better than most dinners out there.
I have friends that love me. Two visited this summer. My brother visited this fall. Two more are coming for their first Christmas as a normal married couple.
This is not to forget my family, by the way. Endless support from both immediate and extended.
I've visited two new countries this year. I'm hitting a third in December. Awesome.
I'm still a citizen of a country that respects it's people and opens doors to other countries. We've got problems. But we've got a lot going for us too.
I've got a glimpse of what may lie ahead. And it's got a shot to be pretty special.
And most of all, I've got the love of my Savior and the hope that He's given me both for today and all eternity. In the end, that's what matters more than anything. The rest will fade. That will remain.

One more thing: Take some time today to go to Kiva.org. It's a chance to help change someone's life even without much personal cost. If you've got much to be thankful for, you have a chance to share that with others.

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5:30 a.m.: I awoke to the bus arriving in the Seville station. I'd managed to secure a seat above the door--no reclining people in front of me--and also no one behind me. So after the lights of Lisbon faded in the background, I crashed for the whole trip back. I stumble out the door into, well, it's mostly quiet This is spain.

5:37 a.m.: Find a bathroom.
5:38 a.m.: Leave bathroom. Breathe again.

6:00 a.m.: I wandered to the nearest street, in the general direction of driving beat in the distance. But before I got there, I looked up and saw a woman riding a motorcycle sputtering to a stop. I walked up and asked if everything was ok. She responded (loosely translated), "All of my gas has spilled onto the street and my moto won't go, idiot." I'm not a mechanic anyway--definitely not with Spanish names.

6:15 a.m.: She gets off the phone. Cars are whizzing past, with only a few glancing in this poor woman's direction. I can't help, but I can't leave either.

6:30 a.m.: I inch farther away, thinking I might be keeping people from helping.

6:45 a.m.: A repair service shows up. The only person to stop was a repair service that had been called. Please, let me never have a car breakdown in Spain.

7:00 a.m.: I find the source of the music--a nightclub labeled "Casino." Outside are a pair of hotdog stands selling frankfurters slathered in cheese sauce. Please remember, it's 7 a.m.



7:15 a.m.: Left that area to find a Starbucks. When I arrive, it's completely abandoned.
To recap. Hotdogs at 7 a.m. are ok. Coffee is not.


7:20 a.m.: I settle down to wait.
7:30 a.m.: Someone shows up at Starbucks. They don't let me in.

8:37 a.m.: It finally opens. Starbucks is pretty precious in an area when you can't get it.

I actually found Mocha Arabian Sanani. It doesn't exist most places. It's the strongest and best blend they have.

9:10 a.m: More coffee. And a pastry. Right....no, no. Just coffee.

11 a.m.: I start wandering around downtown, looking for my hotel.
12 p.m.: I get the brilliant idea to check the map I have on my ipod. And it tells me that I need a bus.
12:15 p.m.: Get checked into the hotel. It's halfway between nowhere, a nice trendy hotel that forgot about the basics. Like shower curtains. Or functioning wi-fi. But the shower feels great.

12:45 p.m. I collapse on my bed
1:25 p.m. I roll over.
3:45 p.m. I wake up and try to figure out where I am.

4:00 p.m. Wifi is down. I'm too tired to use the gym. But I can still go swimming!

It's a lie. If the pool was deeper than five feet, I would have drowned.

5:00 p.m. They say the trademark food of Seville isn't a food at all; it's a portion size. Tapas, from the word covering, notes a variety of lively dishes that can be ordered for a low price. It's like a Pick Three special at Applebee's, but with more choice and no annoying commercial jingles. Anyway, it's my quest to find it.
5:30 p.m.: Arrive at the bus stop
6:00 p.m.: The bus arrives. Tells me I need to cross the road.
6:15 p.m.: The bus--possibly the same one--picks me up there. (On Monday morning, I would wait 20 minutes for another bus to the airport. I would see five of these exact buses on this exact route.)
6:45 p.m. Arrive back in the area near the big church. They are having mass. I stand in the back and watch for a bit. I don't understand any of it, but there is still a beauty in liturgy, in joining with the universal body.



7:30 p.m. I cross the river. Sundays in Spain, almost everything is closed. I'm still hoping for an authentic tapas experience though.



8:10 p.m. Found one. In a place labeled "Cerveza," or watering hole. They look a little disappointed when I order a Coke Zero. Also when I change my order midway through after figuring out their menu. But the food doesn't disappoint.
Hands down the best food I've had on this trip.


9:55 p.m. I'm in danger of missing the last bus to my hotel. I actually start running--after all the miles from the weekend--to get out of the square. Amazingly, I feel almost fast. I don't know why. I never feel fast.

10:02 p.m. The bus stop is deserted. I try to brace myself for the six-mile walk.
10:10 p.m. Two white guys ask me a question in Spanish. I don't understand and mumble, "Si." One looks down at my shoes, then goes, "Do you speak English?" Turns out they are both from Florida; they just don't go to random countries without knowing the language. I don't bother explaining that I know the language in the country I live in, that this is a short break. I don't bother explaining because they are already running to their next bus.

10:18 p.m. My bus arrives. Glorious sight.

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6:00 a.m. It's early when we arrive in Lisbon. Too early. Yet I can't wait to get off the bus. Not because I'm excited--because I've been wedged in among too many people for two many hours. I had the misfortune of a window seat crammed next to one big dude and behind the only guy in the bus who reclined his seat. Weasel. Three hours of sleep, tops. None of it any good. Even still, I miss my stop and get dumped off at the marina. Which, actually was perfect, because it allowed me to get a shot like this.



This part of Lisbon was pumped up for the 1998 World Expo something or another. Yes, I am making that up. I forgot what it was really done for.

6:20 a.m. Lisbon has a fantastic metro--four separate lines that run you throughout the city. Unfortunately, it only helps so much when you don't know where you are going in the city.

8:40 Looks like another non-breakfast day. I down a cappuccino in a little coffee shop in the classic neighborhood that looks a lot like this.


Actually, this was it. Block-and-a-half on the left. Had free wi-fi and a good bathroom so I could feel a little more clean. Could barely order in Portuguese, which is close-but-not-quite Spanish. Enough to be annoying.

10:00 They said they had an area that showed the Moorish roots of Lisbon. I just saw more tiles, and it took me two hours of wandering to get there.


By the time I found my way out of there, an hour had passed and I'd stumbled into a crafty-market. Like the one I live in, only without pressure or narrow streets or jacked-up prices or dust or sellers that don't speak English. So it was nothing like it.


1:15 Now I'm grumpy. Lisbon is a city built on seven hills. I knew this. I didn't know all seven hills lay between me and the nearest metro stop. And there are no signs pointing to it. I've been wandering uphill for the last 90 minutes without any clue if I'm even close to where I'm trying to get. I'm hungry, grumpy, and badly in need of a caffeine buzz.

1:55 Lisbon has the two largest malls in Europe. Apparently. I couldn't find one. But No. 2 had a huge food court. I learned two new phrases.
1. Chicken in Portuguese is Frengo. and
2. Bacon sounds a lot like Vegetarian.

Pri-Pri chicken is famous, spread by Nando's around thh world. I've eaten it in both Kenya and South Africa. I was hoping to find it here. But I settled instead for a bacon-chicken sandwich. At least, that's what I ordered. The guy made a veggie-chicken sandwich. As anyone on break from an Arab country will tell you, the two are not the same. I sent it back. They yanked off the veggies and slapped on two slices of bacon.

If I remembered the name of the restaurant, I'd tell everyone to never go back.

4:00 So there are two things still that set Lisbon apart still. They both are across the bridge from the main city. the first is the bridge, a duplicate of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
Named Porte April 25, it commemorates the day Portugal threw off it's own dictator. The bridge was designed by the same architect that did the Golden Gate bridge.



The second is the Criste-Reio statue, Christ the King, a slightly-diminutive version of the Christ-the-Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. It's 28 meters tall and stands 300 feet over Lisbon.


I spent three hours trying to reach them, only to be turned back around 200 feet shy. Bleh.

7 p.m. I have to be conscious of time. The bus leaves in 2.5 hours. It's time, but not a lot. Have to be 30 minutes ahead of schedule. And I still have to find pri-pri chicken. I race through the restaurant district. Italian food. Spanish food. British (?) food. Everything but Pri-Pri chicken. Finally find one guy who is apparently not trying to rip people off. Get the food. Eat it. Delicious.

Then I got the tab. He'd added bread. And olives. And a tip. Added up to €11.80--twice what was the original cost. Not so cool.




8:10 Street musicians--black woman and white man in dreads playing some African-sounding music. Sounds impressive.
8:30--Race back to the subway. Wait for four minutes. I've got 30 minutes to be back to the bus station.
8:41 I overshoot the stop by one. I race around the side and wait on the other side.
8:45. No subway.
8:47, No subway
8:51 Subway finally shows up. Longest wait of the day.
8:58--Get off the subway. Race up the hill. Wait 15 minutes for the bus back to Seville.

One more day...

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Friday, 7:10" After only 5 hours of sleep I left to work, met up with my boss, then found out that he'd already left the meet up with me at my house. I had to kill an extra 10 minutes, but I still made it to the airport.

Friday, 7:30: I was the only person in line to check-in for my flight two hours early. Why in the U.S. do we have this guideline, yet international flights in other countries have no problem? It's inefficient. Anyway, I make it through the whole conversation in Arabic...until she asks me for my hand baggage. I don't know hand baggage. Almost had someone convinced I spoke Arabic.

Friday, 8:12: Just saw girl probably displaying her hair dye Henna. There are 2 types but usually the dark henna used on tourists is made up of nothing but hair dye. As long as they don't know the difference, it's an easy way to skim some money. But it makes someone look like an easy mark to to the locals.

Friday, 1:30 p.m. (Seville time): Airport ATMs are such rip-offs. To get out of Seville, you have to take a bus that costs €2.30. If you don't have euro, you have to find some. The ATM ripped me for an extra 10 percent commission. When I tried to cancel out, it gave it to me anyway.
I hate ATMs.

Friday, 3:30 p.m. A website said Starbucks in Spain had free internet. The website was wrong. But there's no time for that now. The cathedral is just around the corner.

Friday, 3:43 p.m. They say this is the largest church in the world and, having seen Saint Paul's in London I really can't argue. How big is exactly you say? Well, on one corner of it they have a Starbucks and on the other corner, they have another Starbucks. OK, maybe that's a bad example.

Friday, 4:07 p.m.: Smoothie time! Europe on a budget is tough. You have to pick and choose your spots. For example, this smoothie was lunch. €2.65. And I got to sit inside for 30 minutes. But I'm too restless to stay too long.


Friday, 4:11 p.m.: Still in the restaurant when the radio starts blaring, "Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play," Who knew 90's American music would still be haunting Spain in 2009? (And now it's in your head too.)

Friday, 4:27 p.m. The cathedral bell tower was converted from a mosque built in the 1200s. I've seen its duplicate in Marrakesh. Seeing this one now, it just doesn't look quite right, kinda like a new set of clothes on a person still badly in need of a diet.
Compare:

With this:

Friday, 5:15 p.m.: So I'm walking to Avenue Kansas City when I pass by this park with a statue. I really think this is something to do with Christopher Columbus largely because it says Christopher Colon on the very top, but I don't know what. Maybe if I sit here for a long time, I will figure it out.



Friday, 5:21 p.m. Time to get a little concerned about the Spanish work FAQ: All the pharmacies say "Open 12 hours"--What are people supposed to do the other 12 hours?

Friday 6:30 p.m.: Here, after a kid's meal, a Burger King double barbecue chesse burger, I stopped by the local ircuit City. Did you know to leave a bag in spain at one of the check-out places, you need to leave three Euro at the counter to make sure you return your lock?

Friday 7:10 p.m.: Kansas City is a sister city with Seville. I don't know what that means or how it started, but one of the main streets is Avenienda Kansas City. It made me feel a little bit like home. Better barbecue would have helped, though.

Friday 7:25 p.m.: It's a long walk back to the square. The bus station seems like a distant memory. My wit is gone, burned up along with my leg muscles. I have to start remembering to budget for transportation.

Friday 8:00 p.m. Crossed the river, found an un-touristy cafe for another cup of coffee--and a bathroom break. Things you don't plan for until you need them the most. Whew. It's kind of a slower Friday night, and I'm limited in what to do until my bus leaves. This place doesn't really come alive until after I'm gone.

Friday, 8:30 p.m.: Paying for my coffee was a little harder to do. I don't know how to say bill in Spanish, and I wanted to give a little bit of tip, because it's the only reason American aren't viewed as the worst people in the world right now, because we tip a little bit. All I had with the exact change or €5, I'm not paying 5 euros for a cup of coffee. I put the money on the table and start walking off, but the waitress ignores it. It takes her five minutes to pick up the plate, and only then can I leave. As an American ambassador, I apologize.


Friday, 9:45 p.m.: In Madrid, it seemed stores never closed. I was out past midnight and had no trouble finding a place to buy gum (no toothbrush that night). Here, it's not even 10 p.m. and I can't find a place to buy a bottle of water.

Friday, 9:58 p.m.: Found one. The line stretched to the back fo the store. Maybe some other store should get this idea.

12 a.m. The bus took off, only 30 minutes late. I'm wedged in a small corner. Not sure about sleep quality. It could be a long seven hours to Portugal.

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1. When someone is told to change one drink for another, it really means, bring them both. (No special orders)
2. A fantastic conversation can be ruined by one comment at the end.
3. A no-meat diet isn't that hard to maintain, if you keep forgetting to buy meat.
4. No No.4 today. But Sarah Palin resigned. What's up with that?
5. It is perfectly acceptable in this culture to borrow someone's camera and break it and return it with a simple apology.
6. It is also acceptable to take that person's rent money and use it to buy a camera after being tired of borrowing their broken one.
7. Also, it's cool to cancel appointments by calling one friend in a group.
8. By the way, best not to bike five minutes after waking from a nap. Not unless you want to appear like Tony LaRussa.

Have a great Independence Day tomorrow!

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Ok, today is the first of a new segment we’re calling “10 Things I learned today.” I can’t seem to break through my five-month writer’s block, so I’m willing to try anything to get the ball rolling again. It’s simple: A list of 10 observations I made today, without the stories that might explain them. This means, unless you ask questions, you will probably hate what you are reading. That’s not my fault. Also, the number 10 is arbitrary. It may be more. It may be less. I have writer’s block. It’s impossible to predict.

1. Information on the internet is always true. But only if it’s written in Arabic.
2. Studying language at 4 a.m. may seem like a good idea. But it’s not really.
3. Guitar humidifiers in desert climates don’t stay moist longer than a day.
4. While camera repair guys in Europe have to send your camera out, the guy at the end of the alley can fix it for 20 bucks.
5. But he has to go pray just to make sure he can fix it.
6. Hot dogs still taste good, even when they aren’t made of pork.
7. But eating two hamburgers will make the meeting that follows uncomfortable.
8. And in five hours, I’m doing it all over again.

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At an Alicia Keyes concert in Rabat, she led onto her female-power anthem "Superwoman," by saying, "All of the Superwomen here,, shout out "Yeah!"

Every man immediately shouted in response.

Posted with LifeCast

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Posted with LifeCast

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You remember you are in a developing country whenever you are in a hurry. Like today. I had 90 minutes between class and my train. Except when class finished, I only had 50. Relational schedule. And after fighting rush hour traffic (lunch) home, I had 40. Still, I had 20 left when I was standing on the street corner, waiting for a taxi. And waiting.

No taxi wanted to stop then. Taxi after taxi had people, or places. I was ready to give up when I tagged an empty. I threw my bag in the back and we headed off.

And then we stopped. Two girls wanted rides. I had to throw my bag in the back so they had space. Then he went out of the way to drop them off. I don't know urgent in Arabic, and I don't think the driver did either. ( I do actually. I'm just not rude).

We arrived five minutes late and five ds high on the meter. And he asked for a tip.

Sometimes this country still gets ya.

Posted with LifeCast

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Simply because we were licked 100 years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.

Posted with LifeCast

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Not so sure I should have stated up for that fame last night. Good thing I won't do that again until tonight.

Posted with LifeCast

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1:41-- Good morning to those back in America. Odds are, you aren't reading this. I woke up in time to see that big 3-pointer from Pittsburgh's *cough* Fields. Big shot. Big comeback to save my bracket. We're watching Rhett and Link while waiting for the opening tip to Missouri-Memphis.
1:47--Internet here is quite impressive sometimes. I have Rhett and Link open on the window, the game open in Internet Explorer and on my iPod. All at the same time, with no lag. I didn't know it could do that.
1:53-- Lawrence fires in a quick 3-pointer from the corner for a 5-0 lead. And since I have nothing to add, Kansas' Rock Chalk Jayhawk Chant is truly something incredible to witness live. Part of the magic of college basketball. Not a Jayhawk fan but still glad I got to see that as a sportswriter.
2:00--CBS displays a graphic showing that Missouri scores about five more points and allows about five more percent on field goal percentage. Maybe if Memphis would box out, that scoring disparity would disappear. 11-10 Missoui.
2:06--Memphis forcing too many fouls from Missouri. The Tigers may go 11 deep, but that pressure breaks down in foul trouble.
Bonus note: Memphis still can't shoot free throws.
Fast Fact: Memphis averages more steals and fewer turnover per game than Missouri. I would not have guessed that. That is, if these numbers I have in front of me can be trusted.
2:20--CBS's numbers, in fact cannot be trusted. Missouri averaged 10.6 steals, Memphis 8.8 in the regular season. The teams averaged identical 12.4 turnovers in the regular season. Missouri up 37-29.
Oh, and the nice things I said about the internet? I'm having trouble keeping the game now. I have no idea how Missouri retook the lead.

2:32--Missouri's changing defense starting to get to Memphis. Bad, bad airball, followed by a technical on Calipari. Missouri scores on another curl. Memphis looks like it's just getting tired. It's hard to simulate Missouri's endless stream of guys in practice.
2:37--J.T. Tiller has 15 points already. Tough, tough player. Missouri 44-34.
2:42--That shot was clearly behind the line. About 40 feet behind the line. Buzzer beater with a guy in his face puts Missouri up by 13 at halftime 49-36.
3:10--If Memphis made an adjustment at halftime, I'm no seeing it. And neither is the scoreboard. They are just shredding Memphis. Tiller's layup puts Missouri up 57-38. I don't know when it's game over, but it could be soon.
3:14--Carrol goes down hard as Missouri fans hold their breath. But he's OK. And Tiller scores again for a 21-point lead.
3:22--This is why you don't turn off a Missouri game--Memphis runs off  a quick 9-0 run, cuts the lead to 15. Might be smaller if they could hit a few free throws.
3:34--How concerned I am about Missouri blowing its 16-point lead: I'm watching The Office in another window. Memphis isn't going to have enough energy. Not against Missouri. And Safford is really better than I thought.
3:40--Memphis has cut it to 12 points, thanks to Tyreke Evans. He has 21 points and still has the ability to get to the rim at will. Gut it's not enough right now.
3:50--Office paused. Memphis has cut the lead to 7.
3:51--More free throws. Back to the Office.
3:54--Memphis is working it inside, the key to a comback against anyone. But fouling on the other end doesn't work when Missouri can actually hit free throws.
4:01--What a twist. Didn't see this coming. Thought it was pretty much over. The game's been pretty good too.
4:02--Seriously, when did the fastest 40 minutes in basketball quit after 30?
4:08--Looks like Missouri will hold off Memphis. Villanova is doing the same to Duke. This has been a good night for college basketball fans everywhere. Or at least North Africa. Seriously, 100ish points on Memphis? That's not expected by anyone.

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You'll find a lot of people giving you advice on how to fill out a winning bracket right now.

I don't know how to do that. But I do know how to fill out a lot of brackets. If you follow my method, you'll be done with a reasonable bracket in around two minutes. That will not save you against someone who is picking on strength-of-mascot, though.

No.1 Pick two No. 1 seeds. Advance them straight through to the final four. Don't look at the rest of the bracket in those regions. Put the rest of the 1's through to the Sweet 16. Mine: North Carolina and Pittsburgh.

No. 2. Pick a remaining No. 2. Advance them through to the final four: Memphis. Pick another to go down in the second round. Mine: Michigan State, dropping to USC. Advance the others to the Sweet 16. Time: 24 seconds.

No. 3: Mental coin-flip all 5-12 and 8-9 games. Not worth the effort. I got four No. 9's, and three No. 12's. Not likely but no time to waste.

Quickly fill out the rest of the first round. Do not get upset-happy. No more than one 13-16 team. There will be upsets, but you won't get them anyway. 50-50 the games with the middle teams.

No. 4. Upsets rule the first weekend. Favorites dominate the rest of the way. With that in mind, pick mostly single-digit seeds to survive. Any team you pick in the final four should have a chance to win it all.

No. 5. Avoid the trendy upset. VCU over a road weary UCLA? Don't go for it. West Virginia over Kansas? Not going to happen. Why? Because if 70 percent of sportswriters are saying it, they must be wrong.

Once you get to the final four, stick to the higher seed in every matchup.

You'll be fine. And at least you won't have to worry about Binghamton.









No. 3.

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Great. I'm going to be old in six months. They will drag me kicking and screaming into the night.

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Hey, this is a quick question for all my medically minded friends? Is it a problem if I lose circulation to my foot for 30 minutes-2 hours? How about to one toe?

Because this happens virtually every time I run.

I first noticed this a few weeks ago. I ran about three miles and then, a couple of days later, I noticed a huge white callous on my second toe. Noticed it again after running five miles on a Sunday. I skipped running this Sunday because I was sick, so I spent an hour on the eliptical on Monday. Halfway through, I looked down (I was barefoot), and I couldn't feel my toe. And my toenail was blue.

Is this something I should be worried about? It'd be nice to know. Thanks. 

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the CHAOTIC Traffic here.

Video isn't mine. But it doesn't surprise me.

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A friend of mine is hoping for a shot at an internship with a travel country. She asked me to stir up some interest. Apparently she hopes for good ratings on her video resume. I think she's overqualified already, also overly accomplished. But I do what I can to help.

I'm linking to the video because, well, it just doesn't jive with my content. You know, my ramblings about nothing.
 But check it out.

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Apparently a big deal tonight. Playoff game between Manchester United and Int. Milan. I can't be bothered to remember the start of the name. Round of 16.

Ended 0-0.

How is that a playoff game? Aren't playoffs supposed to have winners? How did that help anything? I understand it's a two-game series, but this can't be the best way to decide it.

And, to think, I almost went to watch that game. Glad I missed it.

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For the first time, I wanted to give up today.

It's sad, but true. It started on Saturday, when we went up to the mountains south of town. Did not ski. I was disappointed. No one else wanted to, and I didn't want to be the entitled, rich American. Anyway, it was still fun. But on the way back, we stopped at a roadside restaurant. Probably not the best idea.

Woke up at 4 a.m. the next morning with intestinal issues. I didn't move more than 50 feet from a toilet the rest of the day. I was supposed to run five miles, but, since I had barely slept and barely ate anything, I passed on that--first day I had missed the schedule.

Feeling a little better on Monday, I picked it back up. I didn't want to run too far, so I spent an hour on an eliptical instead. I figured it made up for it, because, at any pace faster than walking, I can make five miles in an hour. I didn't hit as high of a heart rate, but I was three times as bored, so I thought it was all the same.

My 3.5-mile run this morning let me know differently. My calfs burned every step of the way, and, when I was done, I could barely walk.

It's why I felt like quitting. 3.5 miles is still 9.6 less than the half-marathon.

Fortunately, I'm not, yet. I waste at least a half an hour a day. I can spend it running instead.

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So pens around here aren't that easy to come by. Well, they are, there's a paper guy five minutes from my house. But I don't have a ton of them. I bought a bunch of pens on discount from the Wal-mart-ish store here.

These pens stink. They are the worst pens in the world. They look like crystal-clear Bic pens. They aren't.

The first two I tried didn't work. The next one did, and I stocked up a few of them in my bag.

A few weeks later, down to my last pen, I shoved another one in the pocket of my jacket. My 2007-era Reebok Kansas City Chiefs dual-jacket, with a fleece interior. (I love this coat. 80 percent off. Works for a heavy and light coat. It's great.)

An hour later, the pen was out of ink. It had broken in my pocket.

Yeah. All the ink had pooled up at the bottom of my coat, leaving a huge spot on the coat.

10 minutes later, that spot had transferred to my khaki pants.

Two washing-machine cycles later, both spots had stayed in exactly the same place.

So a 15-cent pen took out those items. Lesson learned. I'm going for true-Bic crystal clear next time.

*Also, apparently with my new haircut (thanks for noticing, Bekah), I can pull off the gangsta look better. I was walking down the street in said jacket, wearing sunglasses to block sun only. It was a long walk, so I turned on my ipod (Zune).

Then a bunch of kids walking by started yelling at me, waving their hands in some kind of dance move (I guess). They asked me to call out a yo-yo for them.

I think the states, I'd still pass off as a dweeb. Here, maybe they don't understand the dweeb look and go with hip-hop.

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Skype got back to me, they were just alarmed at a credit card being used here. They unblocked everything. I'm appreciative, and I while I understand the concern, I wish it didn't take eight days to fix.

Still, a good service.

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So I'm trying to be friendly with the neighbors. You can't last long in this country without finding a sense of community, and they are my best bet. I help the oldest son with English a couple of times a week, though he needs more practice than I give him.

One night, he told me that they were going to a nearby ski resort, and he wondered if he could borrow my camera. Saying no really isn't the culturally appropriate thing to do, though, as a foreigner, I have a little extra leeway. But I have two cameras, and I figure I can spare the point and shoot for a few days.

Nearly a week later, he brings the camera back to me. At first glance, it looks fine. At first glance with the power on, it's not fine. The LCD screen is pure white, except for a few cracks and black patches.

He had no explanation for how it ended up that way. (My guess: The camera was the mouth on the snowman. But that's just a guess. But it'd be cool to have a snowman, and when you look at the mouth, it takes a picture. Right? No? Well, I hope the answer wasn't snow-soccer. That'd be lame. We have that. It's called hockey.)

Thing is, the camera still works fine. You just can't see anything. So I smile and nod and take it back.

The next day, he gave the memory card to me and asked me to put the pictures on a DVD for him. I figured that was a small enough task, I could do that. As soon as the memory card hits my card reader, my antivirus flagged it. And the longer it stayed in, the more the antivirus complains.

I'm not a big fan of viruses. But apparently here, they LOVE them. Every computer has one. It's not an exaggeration.

I gave him the card back and told him he was on his own. A couple minutes later, he returned, saying he'd formatted the card.

I stuck it in. Virus alert.

So I expected to never see my camera again. This was still a step up. And I got to see what an SD card looks like when you crack the outer shell. It's pretty interesting.

I can't say whether I'll loan anything else out yet. That was valuable relationship building, after all.

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With all due respect to Stephen Colbert, it’s time for my own tip of my hat, wag of my finger.

Tip of My Hat: Microsoft Zune

The Zune has gotten a bad rap since its introduction for several reasons. No.1: It’s software was incredibly buggy, it is a huge device, and it’s unique features turned out to be crippled. No. 2: It’s not an iPod.

That’s one of the reasons I was able to pick up one on Ebay for a hundie last November. Yes, I probably still paid too much.

But Microsoft has done a lot right since then. With free firmware updates and an overhaul of the software, they turned the device into a middle-of-the-road mp3 player, a huge improvement.
But two things have impressed me in the last week.

I subscribed to Microsoft’s Zune Pass, an all-you-can-download service. Splitting the tab with my brother in KC has helped. I had some credit card problems after the initial payment, and my account got suspended at the end of January. A phone call to customer service fixed nothing, but I did get to speak to a real person.

But after clicking on a few other options, I changed one setting online. Within five minutes, my account was unblocked. Pretty fast clearance there. And for my trouble, they gave me a free month. Even though the problem was all mine.

Now I’m training for this half-marathon thing. And I took the Zune with me to go jogging. I’d discovered a channel I could download automatically that gave me around 20 songs to keep a specific heart beat. Sure enough, that music helped me keep a good pace, making the run a lot easier than I expected. With the pass, Zune will download a new set next week, keeping the music fresh for running. Overall, a pretty good setup.

There could be a few things improved. Microsoft, I don’t want any more Christmas music. Stop recommending it.

Wag of My Finger: Skype

Skype has been a wonderful service. It’s turned what used to be a huge expense, calling internationally, into a breeze. Unlimited in and out calling costs only $4 a month.
But the human element is a bit lacking in customer service. For some reason ( I still don’t know why), Skype blocked my account this month. In spite of the subscription, which I don’t abuse, and in spite of more than $9 of unused credit, Skype banned me.

I submitted a support ticked on Sunday. They sent an email saying they’d get back with me within 48 hours. The forum said if you haven’t heard in four working days, send a private message. I did. The moderator wrote and said he’d pass it on to Skype. I still haven’t heard anything.

It’s not a huge deal, but, when it’s the link home, and when you’re paying for the service, it’d be nice for it to work. Or for there to be an explanation. Or for a human person to be available within a week. It’s probably a credit card glitch similar to the problem with Microsoft.

I’m going to buy credit on Yahoo tomorrow just to do what Skype once did. I don’t know how long it will take Skype to get it fixed.

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As the two readers already know, I'm planning on running a half-marathon sometime this year. I don't really know if I'll make it, bu tI'm ok with trying. But I don't think I'll ever do anything quite like this

Seven marathons on seven continents in less than seven days. Wow.

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So the live blog didn't quite happen. I didn't watch on my internet, and the game turned out to be pretty good. Couple of quick-hit thoughts.

*Santonio Holmes proved he's a baller. I didn't think of him as any more than a Dante Hall-esque third receiver. But, forced to step up in the absence of Hines Ward, he came through. He even shook off that dropped pass in the end zone to snag the game-winning touchdown.

*Can't ask more of Kurt Warner than what he gave tonight. 377 yards and three touchdowns should be enough to win most games. Well, maybe one pass more. If James Harrison doesn't pick off that pass at the end of the half, this game *might* go Arizona's way. Still, that performance should seal his Hall of Fame credentials. And he didn't look like someone ready to call it a career. Lots of life left in those legs.

*Ben Roethlisberger beat pressure time and time again tonight. It didn't matter what type of defense Arizona threw at the Steelers, he shrugged it off to find his receiver.

*Larry Fitzgerald showed up. It took him around a half, but when he showed up, he really showed up.

*Edgerin James has some life in those legs. And Darnell Dockett made a name for himself.

*Warner has played in three Super Bowls. In all three, he's led his team on a scoring drive in the final minutes to either take the lead or tie the game. In all three, the opposing team has had enough time to mount a scoring opportunity of its own. I don't know what it means, but it's an interesting detail. Warner's Super Bowl record is now 1-2.

*Oh, and the ads? Hated 'em. The Doritos crystal ball ad was the consensus favorite with my crew, followed by the Bud Light budget meeting. And I was impressed with the Star Trek trailer. Otherwise, one of the lamest efforts in years.

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And follow here for semi-live commentary of the ads, which, if we can find a station, will be completely different from the ads you see.

Anyway here's the true story that no one wants to talk about with this game. It's a two-week layoff. Arizona has been blistering throughout the playoffs, but they've had too long to cool down. And Pittsburgh's bumps and bruises against Baltimore have had time to heal. We're going to see two teams that don't look anything like what they played in their last game.

This one will not be pretty. Which is too bad, because, if you can't root for Kurt Warner, you hate the human race.

Pittsburgh 31, Arizona 14.

If you lose any money betting on that, it's your own fault. But if it happens, I get 10 percent of your winnings.

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Soccer is huge over here. Huge. To connect with many friends, you've got to know about soccer. I've been lazy in this regard, content to wait out the season until the next one. The whole thing doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but I'd kind of settled on AC Milan as my team to pull for. Not the local favorite (FC Barcelona), but not the New York Yankees of soccer either. (Manchester United.)

Then I saw this.

Milan wants to pay 4.5 million to bring in Beckham.

Beckham is anti-what I'm looking for in a team. He's a golden boy with lots of flash, but he's past his prime and trading mostly on one golden leg. Not the tough, gritty type of play I want to identify with. (Think Pittsburgh Steelers of soccer.

It's the playoffs now, and I may just have to pull for Chelsea until the end and find a new team next year. Any other suggestions?

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So my friends that were here for the half-marathon this weekend talked me into giving it a shot in training for a run later in the week.

The regret is instantaneous. I ran three miles today for the first time since I've been here, and I feel every one right now.

Anyway, the run is supposed to build up from the three miles into 10 in less than 12 weeks time. I've never run that far. We'll see if I can.

The marathon on Sunday was cool for me though. Saw Forest Gump. One of the guys said that the gag-racers coming to this marathon meant it was growing in stature. I think it meant they realized they didn't have a chance to win.

So, anyway, to summarize, in a few short months, this too could be me.

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To those who think man has the universe figured out.

We are all holograms. No joke. It's the latest theory about the organization of the universe.

Considering we've misplaced about 97 percent of it, we should drop the notion that we understand the universe.

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You may think I haven't written for a while.

I haven't.

But that doesn't mean I don't care. Or that I want anyone to forget about me. Anyway, the New York Times, a still-functional newspaper, listed the Top 44 places to visit in 2009. And we're # 13. And, believe me, we have a lot more than food.

So you should come visit me.

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