Bulawayo arrival

It was a really nice and comfortable flight and I had a decent nights sleep to boot. For the last couple of hours there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Just a beautiful view of Africa below.

I had a short connection in Johannesburg for my Bulawayo flight so I knew it was going to get interesting and challenging. I got to the gate as they were boarding the buses to take us out to the plane. I checked on the status of my luggage making the flight and was told it would make it. I again checked when I got to the plane and once more, they said that it should be there. My gut feeling told me otherwise. Well guess what ? On arrival in Bulawayo my luggage had not made the flight. So now it's hurry up and wait. The best scenario is that is gets here tomorrow. The worst case is.....................aah, never mind.

Now here is something ironic. A friend of mine from Bulawayo was robbed a while ago and basically lost all his clothing, amongst other things. I spoke to Silvi and asked if he would ask the Solomon brothers (his 3 sons) if they would put together a collection of clothing they were prepared to part with. The clothing was collected and guess who may have to temporarily use it ? Yes indeed, me. I'm sure my friend won't mind. I also plan to make a few local purchases.

Silvi picked me up from the airport and had a nice pepper steak meat pie waiting for me. The weather is stunning. For the next 8 days it will be sunny with a high of 80 f and a low of 55 f. The smells are so familiar and nothing has changed in 4 months. What did I expect? The power is actually on right now. Amazing.

We have lots planned. Watching live international field hockey and cricket. For TV viewing, World Cup Rugby starts in a few days and of course the usual array of English Premiership football games. Go Man United.

The transition to driving on the left hand side is fairly easy for me. Just have to keep a keen eye on the pedestrians, bicyclists and assorted bad drivers. Just like in Baltimore which, by the way, was voted the second worst drivers in the USA. Number one was Washington DC. I stopped in town to get a few items of clothing (t-shirt, shorts and 3 underwear) and US$50 later I had em. What the hell was I on ?

We went to Tanya Goldwasser's for dinner where Laurence made multiple great tasting pizzas with assorted toppings. There has to be a commercial demand for these.Business idea.

A couple of things I noticed on the drive around was that most of the street lights in Kumalo have been repaired and a fair amount of potholes filled in. Also, a fair amount of “robots” (traffic lights) seemed to be functioning. Some even seem to have LED lights in them. Maybe there is progress here.

Carpe Diem.

Zurich for the day

After arriving in Zurich from Frankfurt and wandering around the airport like a lost f*rt I finally found the Swiss lounge. I have to say that it was misinformation that caused me to “wander”. At least it wasn't for 40 years in the desert !

I had a nap and a shower and now I feel somewhat rejuvenated. This place is so clean.

Just got caught up on all my texts, emails and phone calls. Thank you Skype.

Carpe Diem.   

I stayed away from the escalator !

No more plummeting down escalators for me. I used the elevator this time as I didn't want to appear again on the TV show “The World's Dumbest”.

I'm on Lufthansa first class to Frankfurt and there are only 3 passengers (including me) on the upper deck of the B747-400. Talking about being pampered. Wow. I just had a wonderful dinner and now I'm off to la la land.

It's a good thing I have all this available to me as I am really feeling the effects of chemo from 5 days ago. These days are my tough ones. Slight nausea and very tired. Hopefully, by the time I arrive in Bulawayo (on Monday) I will be in fine shape.

Carpe Diem.

And he's off..........

I leave in a few hours for Zim and Bulawayo. I'm really looking forward to this trip and to see how things are progressing at the new "Center". It's always a treat to see all the kids and helpers again.

I will try and update the blog and my Facebook page with news and pictures. Stay tuned.

Carpe Diem.

Dancing with the stars

Don't eat a lot of beans before the competition.

Carpe Diem.

You gotta love this

"I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens." 
— Woody Allen

Carpe diem.

Energy Maburutse

The following email was sent to me by a wonderful young man from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe who is here studying in the USA. He was introduced to me by Elinor Burkett who was instrumental in getting Energy to the USA and arranging for his electric wheelchair.

Many thanks to my company, UPS, for helping us get the donated wheelchair from California to Boca Raton. I am really proud to be a part of the UPS family.

"Having been brought up in an environment where almost everyone believes life is good the way it is and nothing can be done to better it, my dreams, wishes and hopes for my future never expanded beyond my native country borders, Zimbabwe.

I recall laughing at a friend who by the end of secondary school had already started dreaming about studying in America. I thought his dreams were similar to those of an ant dreaming of becoming the King of the jungle although it’s the smallest animal in the entire world. With the assistance of everyone around me including the UPS for shipping my wheelchair, I am here in America attending school. UPS, without you I would be stuck with no way to move around....... Thank you very much.

To me, this is a huge opportunity to open my doors of success and all this was never going to happen without your support. You have given me a fishing line for fishing in a very big pond. What’s left for me now is to bring the fish home and I promise, I will work hard to do so.

I thank for your support.

Yours always smiling

Energy."

Carpe Diem.

The Suskin version

Here is the Suskin version of the movie "The Crying Game".

I took Fiver aka Miss, Bunsen (our rabbit) to the vet for a check up and to get a manicure. As it turns out Miss. Bunsen is actually Mr. Bunsen. A well endowed 2 testicled rabbit. His name still remains as Fiver and he will still get his manicures because he is metrosexual of course. We will probably do guy things now like go to the Gun Club or play with chain saws.

Now I'm off to take my meds :)

Carpe Diem.

Chemo 16 (Round 7)

Another smooth day at the poisoning facility ! Vitals were good, weight was stable and the blood work was fine. I'm cleared to head off for Zim. Ye ha.

Carpe Diem.

I new that bitch would be trouble !

I think we were very lucky with regards hurricane "Irene". Our power is still on even though it went off last night for about 2 hours. Lots of tree debris and a few big trees down. I'm thankful it turned out this way for us. My thoughts and well wishes are with all those who suffered much worse off. It truly is better to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

This past week we ended up like a James Bond martini. Shaken and stirred !

Carpe Diem.