Mission Rabies Tanzania – Day 5: Roaming Arusha. Pt7

The first two days of this Mission Rabies vaccination drive, we worked “static clinics”. We drive to a place, set up our makeshift clinic, and people bring us their dogs. Today, we did “roaming clinics”. We drive through an assigned area announcing that we’re offering free rabies vaccinations to dogs and cats. When we see someone with a dog, we…

Mission Rabies Tanzania – Day 4, Dramatic Start. Pt6

Today we were scheduled to vaccinate at two separate sites. We arrived at our first site around 8:15 and set up shop. A minute later, our team leader Lucy received a phone call informing us that a dog had been hit by a motorcycle on the road nearby. Courtnie and I grabbed our supplies and ran up the road, and saw…

Thinking About Hal

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a movie on Netflix that was “trending”. The film, Mank, was about Herman J. Mankiewicz, the screenwriter of the movie Citizen Kane. The movie went into great detail about the writing of the screenplay, and it depicted the studio heads, actors and politics of the time. I enjoyed the film, but all I…

Quick Book Review: “The Stonewall Reader” by the New York Public Library

Two years ago, the New York Public Library put together this anthology of articles from their archives to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. The book is broken into three sections: before Stonewall, the Stonewall uprising, and post-Stonewall. The articles consist of all types of writing, from historical accounts to personal diaries to poems and short stories. I…

Mission Rabies Tanzania – Day 3, Let the Vaccinations Begin! Pt5

Today is Mission Rabies Tanzania Workday 1, the first day we hit the road and start vaccinating. Didn’t sleep great last night. Still getting used to it being so quiet. I’m up early now, so I’ll start this blog post now and finish it tonight. Last night I packed my backpack with all of the items I think I’ll need…

Quick Book Review: “Real Queer America” by Samantha Allen

This book takes you on a tour through fun, happening gay communities where you’d be least likely to expect them: in America’s red states. The author used to be a male Mormon missionary. Now, she’s a woman, married to another woman. As she takes us across the country, we meet some pretty amazing people – activists who are fighting for…

Mission Rabies Tanzania – Day 2, Orientation and Relaxation. Pt4

Mediocre night sleeping last night. It takes a little time to get used to a new bed, plus I’ve been drinking tons of water all day to ward off any potential kidney stones; this is something that I’m prone to in hot climates. I guess it’s working, because I got up to pee twice. After the second time I got…

Quick Book Review: “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou

This book has been sitting in my bookcase for years. I certainly understand why it’s a touchstone for so many people. Reading her life story, you really feel and understand the struggles she faced in the Jim Crow south. What starts out as a seemingly happy childhood turns pretty tragic, as she faces constant racism, poverty (at one point living…

"We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one." - Confucius

For a business owner who worked fanatically five or six days a week and who absolutely relished the weekend, I’m suddenly now a leisure commando, raiding cities across the globe and indulging in whatever leisure activities are on offer there. I no longer live for the weekend; life is one continuous weekend. Join me on these escapades as I try to make sense out of the world.