MONKEY TALES #20
(12/22/03)
MONKEY TALES #25
(3/13/04)
MONKEY TALES #24
(3/8/04)
MONKEY TALES #23
(2/12/04)
MONKEY TALES #22
(2/5/04)
MONKEY TALES #21
(1/31/04)
MONKEY TALES #19
(12/13/03)
MONKEY TALES #18
(12/6/03)
MONKEY TALES #17
(12/1/03)
MONKEY TALES #16
(11/22/03)
MONKEY TALES #15
(11/13/03)
MONKEY TALES #14
(10/24/03)
MONKEY TALES #13
(10/16/03)
MONKEY TALES #12
(10/11/03)
MONKEY TALES #11
(10/4/03)
MONKEY TALES #10
(9/27/03)
MONKEY TALES #9
(9/19/03)
MONKEY TALES #8.5
(9/14/03)
MONKEY TALES #8
(9/13/03)
MONKEY TALES #7
(8/21/03)
MONKEY TALES #6
(8/14/03)
MONKEY TALES #5
(8/8/03)
MONKEY TALES #4
(7/29/03)
MONKEY TALES #3
(7/24/03)
MONKEY TALES #2
(6/29/03)
MONKEY TALES #1
(7/17/03)
"YO!"
(6/27/03)
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS! It continues to
sizzle here, but at least I've managed to find a radio station out of
London that plays Christmas songs in addition to tunes, so life is slightly
festive, albeit without the decorations and cold weather I'm so used
to. Another short one...
1. Leigh left last Wednesday to celebrate Christmas with her boyfriend
in Paris. Rough life, I know. Anyway, she'll be gone for 2 weeks, yet
I failed to realize just how much of a role she plays in my life; we've
honestly never been apart for more than 15 hours over the last 3 months.
I moped around for the first couple days missing her like crazy, while
my depression was aided by the fact that LOTR's "Return of the
King" came out the same day and I couldn't see it. However, I soon
pulled out of it and the dogs and I are having a great time now; I've
been busy cleaning and painting the remaining creepy-crawly rooms in
my house (imagine the artificial green color of mint-chocolate-chip
ice cream and slather that on the walls. I love it---very Gabo, yet
never something I'd use at home). Some fellow PVC's are rolling into
town on Christmas Eve and staying for a couple days, so there will definitely
be some celebration, tho I CANNOT WAIT until Leigh returns on the 30th!
2. As it so happnes, I had to move to Central Africa in order to take
up gambling---horse races, that is. Our do-everything-man, Commando,
got us interested because he wins quite frequently, tho I will say that
it's not an everyday event for us---once a week at most, and even then
we only put down a couple bucks between us. Heck, it's not forbidden
by Gabon or PC, so if we just happen to win, it's all ours! Anyway,
of course I'm very systematic and analytical, choosing horses by their
number (always odd, since I have a strange aversion to even numbers)
and the most bizarre names. The races take place in France and then
the agencies pay out here when you present your winning ticket. After
playing twice (and loosing), I decided to give it a final go, and as
luck would have it, my horses placed, so now we're just waiting to see
how much we won. Watch it be 5 bucks, but if I break even (I played
less than 4), I'll be happy. Don't worry, this isn't addictive by any
means, tho as for the curry consumption as of late, that's a whole different
story!
3. Brief dog story...I let the kids out early this morning before I
left for Franceville, settling down for a cup of tea myself. A few minutes
later I heard crazed barking and squawking and saw the two of them tear
around the corner after this white rooster that ALWAYS crows outside
of Leigh's window (I spent the night there last night). They were right
on its heels and kept getting mouthfuls of feathers while the rooster
dodged all over trying to get away; Minger especially could not have
been having more fun. However, I didn't want to see them actually catch
it, since I didn't want shredded poultry all over the yard and they
wouldn't know what to do with it if they killed it anyway. Thus, by
the time I grabbed the hunters, they had cornered the rooster in a hole
under the neighbor's sink, yipping like mad as the bird kept shrieking.
Quite the excitement for 6am, tho the girls were none too happy to be
shlepped back to the house without their "toy"...
4. Coming home from Franceville a few weeks ago, we had another great
encounter at the bus station. We were sitting in the car waiting to
go, sweaty, tired, and very disgruntled, when a slightly drunk man in
the front seat started preaching to us about God and how no Americans
are religious. We weren't going to be baited, so we ignored him for
a while, but he kept getting louder and it's a small car, so we eventually
began a heated debate. Eventually, he got out and came to stand by my
window, at which point he started stroking my arm; I never felt threatened,
but I was not in the mood to have a drunk man touching me, even as innocenly
as that. I told him to stop and withdrew my arm, yet he said that God
controlled my body and I could not dictate what I did or did not want
done to it. THEN, he went even further, saying that God put the will
in him to touch, so who was he to stop it? Can you imagine how an argument
like that would hold up in a sexual assault court case?! Anyway, I was
ready to blow my top when Leigh turned around and nearly screamed, "God
says don't touch!"---it did the trick and now it's our new favorite
joke. Ah, (drunk) African men...
Alright, I'm gone to catch the early car back into town. I wish you
safe and happy festivities wherever you are, and I'll be back in 2004.
Miss you!
-Leah
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