Belly Button Window

Segundo: The Best 37th Birthday Present Ever

2010-02-09T11:15:20Z

What more to ask for?

I turned 37 years old today, which means its only 3 short more years till I'm 40. Or mid-life. Halfway from birth to death. And I couldn't be happier.

Just three years ago, I was a whole different person on my birthday. No wife, no kid, no house, and no dog. I was young and free, sporting a fine Puerto Rico tan. But I was all alone.

Today, I am much different person. I'm blessed with a wonderful, loving wife, an angle child, our own (affordable) home, and the amazing Snow Dog Taxi. Today, I am so much happier than 3 years ago.

Introducing Segundo

What might a happy man want on his 37th birthday? First, it took me a bit to figure out which year this is for me - was I turning 37 or 38? So maybe I could ask for the mental quickness of my youth.

But better than that, in fact the best birthday present ever, is this, the second addition to our family. I have the great honor of introducing Segundo:

Even though Segundo is the masculine form of "second" in Spanish, don't think this is a boy-child. Amy and I are hoping for healthy - everything else is bonus. So keep your blues and pinks at bay till the August birth.

With any luck, we'll be hearing more than heartbeats soon enough.

Snowpocolypse 2010: A Taxi Dog Delight

2010-02-06T02:34:27Z

Snow Dog Taxi

What happens when you mix 30+ inches of snow and one Taxi Dog? You get happiness that can only be expressed with a yelp of delight. That's how "Snow Dog" Taxi greeted the great Snowpocolypse 2010 in Washington DC.

First out the door as the snowflakes started, Snow Dog Taxi is in love with the white fluffy stuff from above. She knows it means extended exploration of the neighbourhood as her owner shovels the sidewalk. She can also cross streets without care, as cars are rare, and when present, slowing to a crawl to keep control.

And she loves to chase snowballs - her most favorite Snowpococlypse pastime, even if she has problems finding them:

But snow also makes Taxi Dog do odd things. Because the snow covers up all scents, Taxi Dog is scent-blind. And like humans push into a dark room, she looses her bearings easily in the snow. She can't figure out where to pee at first, and then just does her business anywhere.

She also forgets where her natural boundaries are, and wanders far and wide as if the whole of Petworth is now her yard. Yet the snow itself does not stop her. She'll tackle any snowdrift, even ones so deep, she's swimming through them.

And lucky for her, this Snowpocolypse seems never-ending!

Driving 35 Hours with 1 Year Old Hanalei

2010-01-10T05:29:42Z

Let's go that way!

Just think about this for a minute - driving 35 hours with a 1 year old daughter. Any parent starts to cringe, preparing for a tale of crying, seat-kicking, marriage-ending woe. You'll read about that in some other place, for here, I have only happiness to report.

Amy, Hanalei, Dog Taxi and I - that's 2 parents, 1 child and 1 dog, drove from Washington DC to Atlanta, to Vero Beach and back to Washington DC over Christmas without a single scream, tantrum, or pork rind. Yeah, I'm in shock too.

I don't know why we were so blessed - maybe to convince us to have another child? - but I'll take the peaceful memory regardless. That's not to say it was an accident. There was much preparation for this adventure in serenity.

First, we rented a minivan to give us enough space for everyone and their stuff. Then, the dog got drugged - a requirement for hyper-active Taxi Dog. Next we always left early in the morning - 7am on the dot. Last, but not least, Hanalei was just an angel - and we're not asking why.

But I have my suspicions. For the whole drive either Amy or I sat in the back seat next to her, so she'd not be alone. We also let her run wild at lunchtime, thanks to the patience of Wendy's staff and customers. And she had plenty of toys and treats to keep her occupied.

Still, she was a real trooper - we all were, in what was 10 hours from DC to Atlanta, 10 hours from Atlanta to Vero, and 15 hours from Vero to DC. But it was worth it for a Christmas of love and Grammy beach time.

Petworth Dog Walk Halloween 2010

2009-10-29T01:08:35Z

A chicken dog?!

2010 marked the second year of the Petworth Dog Walk Halloween - a celebration for dogs and their owners. Domku Restaurant in the Petworth neighborhood hosted pooches from all over Washington DC in a fun and furry competition for the best costumes and tricks that dogs and their owners could perform.

And the best way to really appreciate the tail wagging good time is to watch this video:

A special thanks goes out to Petworth Dogs listserv and Domku Restaurant for their annual support of our Petworth Dog Walk Halloween.

Portland Brewpub Beer Tours

2009-10-18T00:53:47Z

Dieselboi loves his beer

Beer - is there a better reason to visit Portland? For Amy and I, that was reason enough to celebrate her birthday in Portland, Oregon.

She had never been, but heard all my stories of good times in the land of hops. My tales of beer-topia, where every bar is a brewpub and bathrooms are denoted by sign of barley or hops - guess which is which!

To help us navigate such tricky beer house rules, we enlisted my good friend Dieselboi, of VBC Brewpub Tour fame. Accompanied by his loving and patient wife, the four of us went beer tasting.

Wow! The variety of beers in Portland is amazing. You could drink a new beer a day, for life, and never repeat. I know I try, every time I visit. In fact, we drank multiple beers over multiple days, and I couldn't get enough hops, barley, yeast, water and the magic that comes from a love of brewing experimentation.

Though some journeys into pilsner, bock, and cask ales can be dangerous. If you're not careful, you might grow chihuahua's on your arms. Not that it happened to us, but still, be careful. Never drink and drive, not when there is a great trolly car home.

Taxi Dog Pool Day in Washington DC

2009-09-13T00:27:31Z

Pooch pool happiness

What's the best day for a dog in Washington DC? Doggie pool day!

After Washington DC's pools are closed for the season, usually around Labour Day, the DC Department of Recreation opens a pool or two for doggie swim day, before the city drains the pools. The pooch pool time is greatly enjoyed by both dogs and their owners - check out the photos!

Also check out Dog Taxi transforming into a canine seal - barking as she eats all the pool's water:

I'd like to thank the Department of Parks and Recreation and Mayor Fenty for giving our dogs their day at the pool. This is DC at its best.

Moving Up in Upper Hill, Nairobi

2009-08-22T01:02:17Z

Sprouting up in every field

Yes, this is still Africa

Back in the 1960's, the Upper Hill section of Nairobi was the enclave of the rich. It had nice homes surrounded by gardens above the bustle of Nairobi proper, but still very close to the city. After independence, many of the white landowners turned their property over to Kenyans.

By the time I first visited in 2004, it seemed a run-down neighbourhood. Those old homes were not kept up, and the gardens long gone. In fact, the Upper Hill seemed downtrodden enough to have a hostel there, Upper Hill Campsite, where I stayed.

Now flash forward to 2009, and Upper Hill is on the up and up. Those old homes and Upper Hill campsite is gone. replaced by shiny new office buildings. For me its the most obvious sign that the days of Daniel arap Moi have passed, and Kenya is taking its rightful place as a capital of East Africa. The Wikipedia confirms what I saw:

Companies that have moved from the CBD to Upper Hill include Citibank and in 2007, Coca Cola began construction on their East and Central African headquarters in Upper Hill, cementing the district as the preferred location for office space in Nairobi.

The largest office development in this area is the Rahimtulla Tower, which is primarily occupied by PriceWaterhouseCoopers. World Bank is also located in Upper Hill

But before we get too ahead of ourselves, note that old ways are still strong. Camels are still in Upper Hill, and empty lots still have "Beware 419" signs. And after last year's riots after the election, business seems to have stalled overall.

Change doesn't stall. And so Nairobi's skyline is in constant flux, now growing up the side of Upper Hill, and into Karen and beyond, even if takes a few years longer than Nairobians hoped.

Voices of Africa Online in Accra

2009-08-14T01:33:35Z

Ghana bloggers by day

Literary drinkers by night

On a continent known for its storytelling, with a rich tradition of oral history and communication through narrative, I am always surprised at the lack of quality bloggers. Yes, there are bloggers of note, and some of fame, but I'm talking about the grassroots, the common person putting thought to electron and creating personal and professional narrative in the scale and scope that we've seen in America.

I think the two main reasons we don't see a similar or greater exposition in local, digital content are:

Low ICT penetration rates: With the combination of high costs and low overall usage, I can understand that it's not easy to find access to the tools of blogging. Trying to compose posts in a cybercafe is hard - I know, I did it for years. And few African jobs are as computer and Internet focused as American employment, which underlies much of our content boom.
Restrictive public discourse: In the USA, we have a long and very well defended freedom of speech. And while you can get fired for blogging from work, its rare that your personal options can get you dismissed or rarer still would it get you arrested. Few countries in Africa have the same liberties/

So its with great joy and love that I came across Ghana Bloggers. A core group of West Africans who are pushing the edge in personal content creation and display in several categories of discussions. While there are a number of Ghana bloggers, I'd like to highlight two that I find worthy of my RSS Reader:

Oluniyi David Ajao - is a Nigerian living and working in Ghana, so he's very West African in mindset and business focused in his thoughts and writings
Mac-Jordan - is a Ghanaian social blogger who covers technology and Accra with refreshingly good writing

If you can only add two new voices in your life, you'd do good to add both. Oh and if you're in Accra, buy either a beer, but do your best not to support David's horrid taste in booze.

MamaPut's Cook With Recycled Rim Stoves

2009-08-13T02:55:19Z

Now we're cooking with oil!

Glowing with MamaPut goodness

I love street food. Everywhere I go, from street markets in Russia, to back alleys of Beijing to side streets in Skopje, to the boulevards of Bamako, I make it a point to eat as many meals from roadside stands as possible. Ghana and Nigeria are no exception. In fact, I love me a MamaPut.

Its only where Mama herself is there to put more of her good eats on your plate, that I really feel I'm getting a good meal. Why? Because I can see ever step of its preparation, talk with the chief personally, and share the transcending bond of food with my fellow man and woman.

Now I wouldn't call myself a street food expert - I'm not discerning enough for that title, but I am observant in the different styles of edibles vendors. In West Africa, I'm particularly impressed by the stock street food cooking apparatus. Simple, cheap, and recycled, I present to you the "Rim Stove".

Using the steel rim off a car wheel as the basic starting point, three metal legs are wielded to the outside of the rim. Inside, a metal grate is added to the bottom to hold in the coals, and some form of pan or kettle stand is wielded to the top.

I've seen several variations on this theme, but the basics are always the same - the Rim Stove burns charcoal that's been ignited in the middle of the rim, fed by air from the bottom and heating a cooking container sitting either on the pot stand or the coals themselves.

During on extending brainstorming session, I even tried to think of improvements to the Rim Stove - how it might burn hotter with less customization. My only solution? Make sure a Rim Stove is cooking chips for your fresh grilled fish.

Ghana to Obama and America: Thank You!

2009-08-12T02:06:35Z

Estatic for Obama

Celebrating the First Family

Its hard to appreciate or underestimate the effect Barack Obama's presidency has on Africans. That a black man, son of a Muslim Kenyan, is now President of the United States. Add in that he comes after the Bush years, which were seen as very arrogant, and his election was a watershed moment in American-African relations.

Now don't even try to imagine the overwhelming pride of Ghana, a small West African, in being the first African country to host Obama after the election. Even walking among Ghanaians after his visit, talking with everyone from taxi drivers to leading businessmen, I still can only glimpse at their happiness.

But I can see the manifestation of their joy everywhere I look. The signs of celebration are omniscient. Major roads are bedecked in posters of the US and Ghanian presidents and their respective flags. Random intersections have huge billboards honoring the whole Obama family.

On a personal level, taxis have Obama's picture on their dashboards, kids wear Obama t-shirts, businesses use Obama in ads, and everyone is happy to talk about America - a huge change from my previous visits. Now I no longer need to worry about being American. I am celebrated, not scorned, for my nationality.

Here's a little non-Ghana story to give you an example. Back in 2004, I crossed the border between Kenya and Uganda several times at Busia, Kenya. Each was an experience in pushing and shoving with annoyed crowds to get stamps and visas from annoyed officials. In November 2008, I crossed that very same border, and while the dust and crowds were the same, the experience was not.

This time, once I pulled out my blue American passport, a cry when up, "OBAMA!" I looked around, wondering what was happening, just as the shout became a chorus of, "Obama! Obama! Obama!" and they were signing and shouting while pointing at me. I look nothing like Obama. But I am American, and at that moment, I felt my own moment of unimaginable pride.

We, a nation of immigrants, millions of first and second generation of strivers and hopefuls elected one of our own. A first generation American. Proof that anyone can have a president as a son. I cry now, typing this. I cried then, in that dusty visa line at the Kenyan border. And I cried too when running through a beachside slum in Accra, I heard "Obama!" and raised my hand.

Thank you America. Thank you Barack Obama Sr. And that you Dad for crossing the Rio Grande.

Michael Jackson is Alive in Nigeria!

2009-08-12T01:30:15Z

All those reports of Michael Jackson's recent demise? Faked! The King of Pop is not dead, he's now a King Cop in Abuja, Nigeria, directing traffic with the moves that made him famous. Doubt me? Then just watch this video:

Do you see those moves? That style and spin? There is only one person who has that Thriller move, those Billy Jeans - its him, Michael Jackson! Believe me or beat it!

This Photo Almost Got Me Arrested in Lagos, Nigeria

2009-08-11T00:56:53Z

Honoring the dead with arrest

So I am running along a random street in Lagos, when I see this poster put up to honor the Glorious Exit of Chief Ezekiel Ojo Alabi Farukan of Lagos Nigeria

Thinking its a beautiful way to honor death, I take a photo, and then I hear yelling. A Nigerian policeman is running at me screaming that I cannot take a photo and he needs to see my camera.

Yelling back, I tell him I am respecting the dead, and he should have more respect too. I then I show him what I am photographing, the poster. He demands to see my camera. Just before we were really going to get into it (I was not going to give up my camera) a woman got off a moped and jumped into the debate.

She told the police man he had no right to hassle me. I could take photos if I wanted, especially one honoring the chief. As they argued, I took the opportunity to continued my run.

Just another day in Nigeria

Landing at Lagos Nigeria International Airport LOS

2009-08-09T00:39:00Z

Your LOS apporach view

What does it look like to land at Lagos, Nigeria's Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS)? For those who wonder, I made the following movie while my flight approached and landed just for your enjoyment:
I'm always amazed at the view - those endless shanties that spread out into the horizon. That all that humanity can live so close together. Its not the vertical living of Hong Kong, but Nigeria doesn't have Asia's organization either. All those people you see while approaching Lagos International are scrounging for a living in the midst of African chaos.

Running the Abuja Obstacle Course

2009-08-07T22:15:14Z

Open sewer leg breaker

And no running too

If you're a runner, African can be a challenging place. There are few African joggers to be seen, as running is not really considered a sport to be practiced. Either you're a good runner and so do it as part of a team, or you don't run unless needing to for a specific purpose.

So I am often asked why I run across Africa. Here is my answer:

But don't think that quiet paved street is the norm. In Africa, any street that is paved, is usually high traffic, forcing me to run on the road shoulder. There I follow the well-trod path that others also take, being vigilant for the common leg-breaking hazards like:

Open Manholes & Sewers

While you and I see a manhole cover as an essential safety feature, in Africa (as in Russia) they're often seen as a cheap source of steel, and stolen for reuse or resale. Or just left askew. Also, curbside sewer canals are common, and commonly covered with cracked or missing concrete spans. Both are perfect to break a leg or a neck if you don't watch your footfall.

Anti-Parking & Loitering Obstacles

One way to keep people from parking in front of your building is to put large concrete blocks or stones along the roadside, or plant shrubs intertwined with barbed wire. These intentional obstacles, perfect ankle shredders, also include walls out to the street and armed guards who stand in your way.

Generator and Moped Exhaust

In Nigeria generator and moped exhaust for their own special running barrier. First, generators are in front of every house in large cities like Lagos and each exhaust pipe points out into the road, ready to engulf passing joggers in a cloud of diesel fumes. Next, in small towns, two-stroke mopeds are everywhere spewing their sickly oil/gas clouds right into your path for a coughing and choking conclusion to every run.

Crazy Moped Drivers

And its not just their exhaust that's dangerous. Mopeds themselves, as they're driven by Nigerians, are deadly to the errant jogger. In fact, they're so dangerous, I refuse to run on paved roads in small towns of Nigeria - Nigerian moped drivers are just too crazy.

Living the Abuja Bubble Lifestyle

2009-08-06T21:57:22Z

Tasty street food

Cheap movies & music

Back at independence, Nigeria thought to move its capitol from the overcrowded, costal Lagos to a central location that would give planners a clean start and appease the major ethic groups in the country. From this desire, came the Federal Capital Territory which hosts Abuja, Nigeria's new capital.

Like Washington, DC, much thought and planning went into making Abuja, FCT a model city. Because of this, and a few other factors, I've come to enjoy Abuja - one of my African favorites - while also recognizing that when there, I live the "Abuja Bubble" lifestyle.

Why it's the "Abuja Bubble"?

Open Roads: If you've ever been caught in a Lagos Go Slow, you'll love the big, wide streets of Abuja, open to easy diving. In fact, Abuja drivers actually follow traffic laws - shocking but true. Of course this is achieved by both banning mopeds and tightly regulating drivers.

Green Space: Many African cities are defined by high population densities - people building and living on every square inch of space. In Abuja, there are parks, lawns, and trees everywhere. Its almost suburban in its green space. An easy result when you plan the city and push squatters, slums, and anyone unable to afford the astronomical rents out past the city borders.

Cheap Transportation: When everyone lives outside the city, you have to offer cheap transportation options for them, and so buses, taxis, and the like are much cheaper than other cities. As a foreigner, you still have to bargain hard for local price, but at least you can come close to it.

Street Food: With the many ethnicities in Abuja - both Nigerian and international - the food options are amazing. But its the local street food that really stands out, especially the Hausa night markets and nearby fish markets. The street food tastes even better after your wallet is scorched by the crazy-expensive restaurants - on par with Washington, DC prices.

No Generators: While the rest of Nigeria is deafened by generators belching pollution, Abuja actually has a functioning electrical power grid. So rather than hearing generators come on every few hours, the city is humming with movement, not frustration with NEPA. For this, I have no answer but the obvious - its the national capital.

But hey, these are just my reasons for the "Abuja Bubble" - what are yours? And do you think the Abuja Bubble is better than the Nairobi Bubble in East Africa?