counterclockwise

And a break from all that red and green . . .

Or not - it’s Saturday and the roads are clear, so there’s nothing cancelled, but this is the closest I’ve gotten in years, so I’ll just go ahead and celebrate if you don’t mind.

Peace, plenty, and a solitaire-playing gadget to all!

After a long day of near-continuous eating and talking, there’s nothing quite so refreshing as sinking into an evening gadget-coma.

I firmly believe that Oprah will single-handedly undo every scientific advance from the Renaissance onward, and bring us back to four humors and a bucket of leeches if left unchecked.

Courtesy of GraphJam.com:

And many happy returns!

My mother and I were invited to attend Eid ul-Fitr celebrations with her colleague Asmaa, her family, and several members of the Knoxville Muslim Community. It was a wonderful experience.

Eid ul-Fitr, briefly, is the feast at the end of the fasting month Ramadan. We started the morning of 1 Shawwal 1430 Muslim calendar (or 20 September 2009 A.D.) by vising the prayer ceremony held for the community at large. That was followed by a traditional breakfast hosted by a dear friend of Asmaa’s family, a tour of Knoxville’s one Islamic school, the Annoor Academy, a break at Asmaa’s home, and then an excellent Indian meal at the home of Famirah and family.

So all in all, a very busy day (especially for the hosts and hostesses), but lots of fun.

This one is Magic.

Thanks, Young Williams Animal Center!

New car.

New computer.

New cell phone.

New cat.

Melting credit card.

I’m not really charmed by the name her previous owners gave her - Cheesy (or Cheesie, depending on how you feel about Spell Check). Anybody got a better idea?

I’m back in the United States.

I have a phone.

I don’t have anyone else’s number anymore.

E-mail me if you’d like to know the number I do have.

This is it. I’m out of Peace Corps this afternoon. I’ve turned in my cell phone and my Paraguayan foreign ministry ID card. Watch this space for pictures from Argentina. See you in the US.