Into February....

Ready for a day in Savannah.

For some unknown reason, I've been letting emails sit unanswered, blog posts go unwritten and lots of other things go undone.  It may be a case of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or TPP (Too Pooped to Pop). Whatever it is, it's a sever case!!  It seems there is always something to take my time but, at the end of the day, there isn't a lot to show for it.

Being the news junkie that I am, I've been pretty plugged in to the events in Egypt.  The speed with which it all developed was amazing, and the manner in which they have conducted themselves goes beyond impressive.  Twelve days in and no clear leadership has appeared, but the people have had enough and want to be able to decide for themselves.  Nancy, who worked in Egypt, has been forwarding messages she gets from friends who are still there, and they confirm what news reports have been saying about  people banding together to protect neighborhoods, helping each other in any way needed, and ensuring that things go peacefully......behaving in extraordinary ways.  And, they have returned day after day.  It's hard to imagine how those in Liberation Square must feel.  Having been to several anti-war rallies, I understand the sense of unity and camaraderie, the real sense of mission shared with a totally diverse group of people.  It really is exhilarating.  But my experience happened in a safe setting, without fear for life and limb.  The Egyptian people have much to lose if they aren't successful.  As the world watches, I would imagine that most people are on their side, hoping that their bravery pays off and changes the course of their country for the better.  They certainly have my respect and good wishes.

My travels started with the desire to go to Egypt, to see the Pyramids and the Sphnix.  In exploring the possibility, I found that I could go to Europe for weeks for less than it would cost to go to Egypt for one week.  It was one of those "a country a day" kind of tours, but it was all new to me, so Europe seemed more bang for the buck.  So, many years later I finally traveled to Egypt the year I left Saudi.  It was the one and only DOGs trip I ever took, but I knew that once I left the Middle East, I might never have the opportunity again.  And, it was everything I had hoped for all those years before......magical and incredible. I'm so glad I made that trip.

Another revelation of this exciting news event was my discovery of Al Jazeera Live online (http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/).  Something prompted me to check out their website and suddenly I was watching live events, rather than reporters standing on balconies describing events below.  It was really quite surprising to me.  Our coverage is so much the same regardless of the channel watched (and no real in-depth international coverage) and it was nice to have a more global view.  Reporters were capable and presentation smooth.  So, I think I'm going to check it out more often as a means of balance.  At the moment there is something on with David Frost moderating a discussion about global food and water problems, with Carl Lewis (who is a UN spokesperson - who knew??)  among his guests.......a very good program.  Anyway, those of you with Middle Eastern ties might like to check it out from time to time.

Otherwise, life has been fairly uneventful.....an occasional lunch with friends, a day of shopping in Savannah, and the usual medical appointments for my mother.  On Tuesday, a new neighbor, whom I met on my walks, had us over in the afternoon.  She seems very nice and we both enjoyed it.  Unfortunately, the last part of the week Mama wasn't feeling well at all so we've had a few quiet days at home.  Thankfully, she is feeling a bit better today.  I hope she'll be up to getting out a bit tomorrow as it's supposed to be a very nice day, unlike today which was dark and rainy.