20 May 2011

Funnyquote Friday

So there we were, eight of us, piling into the SUV with our swim clothes and towels after enjoying a relaxing Easter Monday on the Bird Rock Beach Hotel sandbar: a mother, her son and daughter, three PCVs, and two local friends. The stress on the tires was palpable, and there was apparently some concern about the ability of the engine to not die on the way into to town.  Indeed, even as the key turned and the engine started up, a sudden shudder through the chassis left nothing but the battery light ignited.  The older boy in the back seat, not wasting any time, called upon his younger sister, invoking a bit of mysticism that one can only guess had worked before:

"Love the car, Adrian.  Love the car!"

I've been trying to get around to posting a more in depth update about goings-on here in the Caribbean, but have been sidetracked by other pursuits of late.  My schedule remains basically the same: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are spent at the NSTP office, full-time, working on the Client Profile Database project, and Tuesdays and Thursdays leading Iron Band practice at the school.  The database has, however, taken on a new and exciting dimension: I just discovered Google Docs!  No, not really; I've known about them for some time, but this is the first time I've had to incorporate their leet awesomeness into my work.  Now I don't need to worry about overlapping copies of the 1.2 MB spreadsheet I've been preparing for months – one digital copy available at any terminal with an internet connection, which supports simultaneous editing in real time from multiple locations is all I need!

This came out sounding more like an advertisement than I intended.  And when you consider that Google owns Blogger, it begins to look even more suspicious.  Hmm....

13 May 2011

Funnyquote Friday

Happy Friday the 13th!  Here's your quote for the week, from the office of our new Peace Corps Medical Officer in St. Lucia:

Please feel free to contact me with questions.  
(As an Alaskan, I am an expert in frostbite and hypothermia, 
so if you ever get those, you’ll be in good hands!)

As you can tell, he is blessed with a delightfully wry sense of humor.  I had the pleasure of meeting him for the first time this past week, and it was good to get some face time in with the person who, in the event of an emergency, would be responsible for deciding the best course of action for my medical care.

Things continue to grind on here.  With a shift in the weather towards a more humid, breeze-less forecast, I've returned to the familiar sweat-all-day-long model of living.  And while it feels very pleasant in the morning, it makes for cumbersome walks into or around town.  In addition, hurricane season is scheduled to begin very briefly; the talk among volunteers is less if, but when we'll get put up at our severe-weather shelter, the Ocean Terrace Inn in Basseterre.  Maybe I should start a pegboard. (Just kidding!)

I'm certainly looking forward to seeing everyone at the end of the month – less than two weeks until then!

06 May 2011

Funnyquote Friday

Seen at a bus stop in Sandy Point:

"Simma Dung."

It's been an unusual week for me.  What with Labour Day on Monday and the Ministry of Education's Awareness Week since then, this is actually the first day I've been back in to work since last Friday.  I was still able to go in to school and coach the Iron Band on Tuesday and Thursday, with the intention of preparing the students for a potential upcoming performance in Challengers– one that is now looking less and less likely.  (More on that next week.)

In the meantime, I've broken through another barrier by making friends and getting some facetime with some third- and fourth-semester Ross students, this particular bunch being as nerdy as me!  So it's nice to have a second circle of acquaintances who are easy to relate to, and who can help me use up some of my free time here.  But that might not become actually useful until this summer: my May is starting to crowd up, especially with 50th Anniversary planning logistics.  I just hope I can fit it all in before leaving for Hiawassee on the 25th.