Travel Day 2: Accra, Ghana (January 9, 2011)

Mostly I slept today, in part because of the jet lag but probably mostly because today was the first day I wasn't stressed out about something. I felt a little boring not going out right away to explore, but I'll cut myself some slack -- even I won't want to sleep the next 110 days away. My ride from the airport to my hotel picked me up around 2pm. Accra, the capital of Ghana, is smaller and less crowded than I expected, but still a city. Most of the buildings look like they date from no earlier than the 1950s (at least the ones I saw) but then again what do I know? The city's a little shabby by U.S. standards, but I've seen worse. I was pleased to see occassional barnyard animals wandering on the sidewalks; it made me believe I was someplace more exotic than Dayton. There were also, sad to say, a large number of beggars rolling themselves along on little carts near the ground. Maybe this was uncharitable, but I wondered if they were faking. But their legs were so skinny compared to their arms, I don't think they were.

So far I've only seen my hotel up close and it's... interesting. The Rising Phoenix Hotel is right on the beach, which is pretty and has a moderately loud but lulling sound akin to traffic. Minus the horns, sirens and cursing.

Good for sleeping. And it fits my stereotype of a run-down third world country hotel just fine haha. We had to drive though what appeared to be a tent city on our way to the door. My driver assured me that was good; it means the area is safe because women and children live there. O... K... Then when we first entered the compound I was a little alarmed by the fact that there was a rave going on in 2pm in the main courtyard/stage area. Turns out this is also a local hangout and entertainment venue. My room is far from the fun though (you know how much I hate fun!). It's a single cabin, with a shared bathroom down the walk.

The construction is interesting; in some places I can see through the bamboo walls to the outside and every bit of the walls is lined with mosquito net. This is hardly the Ritz, but seems built well for the climate. Off to bed...

Travel Day 1: Dulles Airport (January 8, 2011)

Ride to the airport: No traffic, courteous driver and companions, good conversation, fun radio station (classic rock). Grade: A+

The drop-off: Hugs from Nicky and Brian, butterflies in the stomach (mine), some tears (not mine), pang off homesickness (mine, for a person, not a place... when I get homesick it's always for a person). Grade: B, marked down slightly because of that mild sinking feeling in my stomach.

Check-in: Electronic kiosk and friendly desk staff, fast and easy. Grade: A

Security: Surprisingly fast and non-intrusive. Dulles has greately expanded its security area since I was here last. There are a lot of x-ray machines and a lot of staff. No enhanced pat-down or, as the TSA agent who answered my questions called it "The Full Monty." I guess that means if I ever score my enhanced patdown, someone is going be naked. And at least one TSA agent has a sense of humor about it.  Grade: C for efficiency and friendliness, significantly downgraded because most of these supposed "essential" security measures are a load of baloney.

Trip to the gate: Praise the lord, I did not have to ride on that bizarre giant bus that everyone hates so much. Instead, Dulles now has a people-mover/train, then some wide underground walkways to get us to our gates. Grade: B because it would still be a hike for handicapped or older people.

Wait at the gate: Sadly, the gate area is still the old and crowded Dulles that I remember from previous trips. There's not enough seating and not enough space, especially since everyone is now required to get to the airport so much earlier than we used to. (An aside to Nicky... you were right, 3 hours ahead of time would have been too early to arrive at the airport. It turned out 2 hours was also too early, but I'd rather be early than having heart palpitations on the Dulles Toll Road because I'm afraid I'll miss my flight.) The gate agents are also not super communicative and some guy with one too many bags is unaware that his butt is about 6 inches from my face. Grade: C-

Wifi Access: We have to pay for it!?! Seriously, Dulles, every coffee shop in the country offers it for free, and you should too, you cheap mofos. Until you do, you suck and you get an F.

The flight [reviewed after landing]: Quiet, orderly and on time. I was expecting the flight (and pretty much every flight on this trip) to be a circus, especially on a completely full flight like that one. Good job, United. I even managed to sleep for a few hours, probably because I finally felt relaxed. Grade: A- with the minus because coach stinks no matter how nice the flight.

Packing ...

These photos say it better than I can:

All my junk



Organized by category

And there's room to spare!

And if you're wondering... that's six pairs of underpants.

A stress-free life is actually kind of stressful

I thought that having no job and no other obligations -- stuff life kids, mortgage, student loan payments -- would be stress-free.  And it was, until preparations for my travels began.  Now I'm in a near constant state of worry.  Worry that the movers won't show up, or that I missed getting an essential visa, or I forgot to forward some key mail like my w-2s, or I'll get hassled in some foreign country over my prescription medicines, etc.  So I have trouble sleeping, then I wake up at 7am (much earlier than usual) because I'll think of something that needs to get done and I'll panic -- or more likely, something I can't control at all -- and who can sleep after that?

As I was writing this, my apartment manager slid the monthly apartment news letter under my door.  The "highlight"?  "Health Coverage Abroad:  Many health insurance plans, as well as medicare, don't provide coverage when you're traveling abroad.  So if you're planning a trip overseas, consider buying a supplemental health insurance policy."  Now I'll be thinking about that all day.  Sigh...  Yeah, I'm sighing, but I know I have it pretty good, over all.

Christmastime with my family

Christmas day consists of me, mom and dad, my sister Nicky and her husband Brian opening gifts, eating (of course), and playing board games.  I only asked for one thing for Christmas (well, OK, two.. .I asked for that netbook, too):  That the family board game be one that can be played by more than four people, since there are more than four of us.  And there they are... playing Sorry!, which only accommodates four!  So I'm entertaining myself by writing a grouchy post instead of joining the hilarity that is the family board game.  Bah (humbug)!

Well, I'll get my revenge this evening when they have to spend time in my apartment, which, due to being halfway through a complete packing-up, looks like a bomb hit it.  They also have to eat my cooking.

In all seriousness, Christmas has been quite satisfactory so far.  I was tipsy by noon, got some good loot and ate some good food.  Christmas Eve (not pictured) was also fun, consisting of dinner and a tacky gift exchange at Brian's parents' house.  Thanks, Linda and Terry!

Merry Christmas from the Raggedy Ann Doll of Nightmare

She's been terrifying the children of Lakewood, Ohio for at least 31 years:

She dates the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man

Midnight run to Best Buy

Let me explain my penchant for explaining things that don't really need an explanation.  I like to do it.  I like to think about then talk about what motivates me, why I do things (or don't do things), why I like things (or don't like things) and why I make every mundane decision that I make.  Some people really like this trait of mine (maybe Anton, maybe Dave), but I know a lot of my listeners or readers don't care (my sister).  They just want the result.  They don't want to know why I'd rather eat sushi instead of italian... they just want me to make up my freakin' mind already and choose a restaurant.  Still, I am compelled to explain my several day absense from the blog. 

To start, I'm a bit lazy and since this is not a natural activity for me, it doesn't naturally rise to top of the list of things I want to do each day.  And then there's the fact that I haven't done anything too noteworthy in the past week or so.  Well, alright, I went to the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at the White House, which is one of thosethings I'm glad I did that I'll never do again.  But mostly, I've been getting in one last long fix of my current favorite hobby, the World of Warcraft, before I'm unable to play for several months.

If you browse my Hi Noon album, you'll see several days where my noontime photo is of "me" in the guise of a minotaur or an elf or a zombie-type skeleton.  Those are all my characters in the massive online game that has occupied an embarrassingly large chunk of my free time over the past five years.  But for $13/month, it's some of the cheapest entertainment around.  And being an online game, I've made several friends -- some of whom I've met in person, like my nerd friend Donnie -- and as I constantly reassure my mom, it's quite social.  "Demented and sad, but social."  Name that movie!

December 7 was a milestone day in the World of Warcraft, as the most recent expansion pack was released.  My friend Ken and I, not wanting to miss a moment of the new world, went to Best Buy way out in the DC suburbs at midnight to stand in line in the cold to buy our games.  There was already a line when we arrived:

And did I mention it was frickin' freezing?  Ken didn't bring a hat, the fool:

Finally we made it inside the store, where we stared with envy at all the people who pre-ordered the game and got to go to the front of the line:

About 40 minutes after arriving, Ken and I left with our games and free bonus posters, and I have playing nonstop ever since.  All I need now is one of those "Nerd" t-shirts that Donnie is wearing in the post below this one.

Strangely, I was not playing the game at noon the next day; I was at the cleaners/alterations shop (as evidenced by my Hi Noon photos).  But here's a pretty shot of the game, taken a bit later: