Hi everyone.

I am sitting in serenje counting down every minute until the Steelers/Patriots game tonight (8 hours and 42 minutes from now). I circled this game as the game of the season back when I got the nfl schedule in june, and I just can’t wait. Although, I am also trying to enjoy this anticipation because even though I don’t think the steelers are going to lose by 10 points (the spread is 10 and ½) I really don’t like the chances of anybody going up against tom brady and the pats right now. Baltimore played what is perhaps the best defensive game I have ever seen last week but the pats found a way to win. They have a little too much of the “team of destiny” thing going on right now for me, even though I think the steelers are an excellent football team.

But enough about football. I decided to celebrate the fact that it was a December football game between to solid cold weather football teams by making a huge pot of chili (I would love to have some snow here… but its 75 degrees and rainy). I spent most of the morning working on it, and we (there are 4 of us here who are going to try to listen to the radio broadcast online) ate it for lunch and there is still plenty left over for dinner. I don’t mean to brag, but I think it comes pretty darn close to being as good as Wendy’s chili, and we all know how delicious that is. There is also a cake being made, for no real reason other than we all like cake and want to eat it. Being that we are a reasonable mix of pats fans and steelers fans, I think we are subconsciously trying to build up lots of good will in between us just incase we need a back up reserve once the game starts.

I know I said enough about football, but I have been thinking about little else for the past couple of weeks – and I have a lot of time to think – and it’s hard for me to digress this close to gametime (8 hours, 33 minutes). But I will do my best.

The biggest news I have right now is that my nearest PC neighbor, Matty G., and I have started to record a radio program to be played on Mkushi radio! We call it “The Bridge” and we play a mixture of hot American music and hot Zambian music (mostly pop/dance music… it’s a guilty pleasure) as well as talking about many of the issues facing Zambia as a developing nation (i.e. HIV/AIDS, education, gender equality, poverty, etc. etc.). It’s a great conduit of cross-cultural exchange and we hope that people will listen and at least think about the things that we say. And of course the main reason I’m so excited about it is that recording these radio programs and getting to be a DJ (Matty is DJ Squeeze and I am Special Ted) is really a terrific amount of fun. It’s not really plausible for us to go to mkushi every week, so whenever we are there we are trying to record a few programs, and then they plan to start us off on our weekly broadcasting schedule with a Christmas special. I’m really stoked.

There isn’t really all that much else going on (football!! 8 hours 27 minutes). The village life is treating me ok and I am remaining healthy and well. The rainy season has started in earnest and it is raining at least a bit everyday. This is a relief for the farmers, who were worried about losing their maize crops, and to me, who was running out of water to put in my garden. This season I am growing: green peppers, chile peppers, potatoes, squash, green beans, green veggies, and lavender.
The dogs are healthy and happy. Susie has grown up enough to come with me to the mountain and to be a playmate for daisy. Daisy still generally has her way with Susie, but she is really happy to have another dog around to play with her, and I am happy to watch them.

Well, I’m sorry. But I think I am going to fnish here. I just can’t really concentrate all that well….(8 hours and 19 minutes…)

GO STEELERS!