The stingy bone's a twitchin

I'm four days away from payday and I'm afraid all I can think of these days are my own money woes. Moving to the city, followed by the resounding thud of the economy hitting rock bottom has led to an increased awareness of my spending habits. As my family will gladly tell you, I have never been much of a miser. I prefer to consider my lifestyle as a series of "well controlled indulgences." I'm learning all sorts of fun and creative ways to save money. In my family we like to call it "the stingy bone," which I believe replaces the "funny bone" in those of us some would call "dry." The following is a list of fun ways to save a penny, or kwatcha, depending on your country of origin.

10 signs you might be cheap

1. You mix your laundry soap with water rather than purchase dish soap

2. You design and make your own feminine hygiene products

3. In the heat of the moment you come to and realize you've been screeching at a 60 year old man who is try cheating you out of 10cents for a handful of dried garbanzo beans

4. You consider toilet paper a luxury, not a necessity

5. You wake up in a sweat only to realize your nightmare was real: you really did leave the bathroom light on

6. You wash your hair in the sink instead of showering so you don't waste the water

7. Just as the tube of toothpaste looks like it got run over... then you cut it open

8. Instead of just buying more oil you just keep using the questionable stuff sitting at the bottom of the frying pan

9. You find yourself internally bargaining when shopping "If I get the wrinkly cucumbers I can have electricity for another 12 hours!"

10. You catch yourself asking the starving child in Africa "Hey, are you going to eat that?"

*no this is not a plea for money, seriously, don't send it

** ok, some of these might be a slight exaggeration

Lazy Photo Eye

For those of you who know me and my Lazy Photo Eye (LPE)....I thought you would apprecitate these. The first was taken without the "1,2,3 Tyra" with very unfortunate results. Seriously guys, its works. I stand as medical proof.

Graphic Images Below

Thought I would share a few of the most attractive photos of myself. These are just a few pictures of my CURRENT injuries.

Image Below: Blood Blister from trying to close a gate. Stupid gate.

Image Right: Mysterious rash acquired in Mozambique. Yes, it is still around, and still getting worse, and itches like crazy. I don't have any idea what it is.

Comments or suggestions from dermatologists, Mozambicans, germaphobes, or my mother are welcome.

(No, it is not mange. I would know)

Christmas in the Tropics

My very own slacker spiral

It all started with a little additional work stress, too much fun on holiday adventures, and then moving to a new home. All of that added up to a complete disregard for my blog. My apologies to those of you that have faithfully checked it over the past month. I humbly admit I am a bum.

So my very biggest news is that I moved. It wasn't really my first choice, but I've learned, when in Africa, you don't always have a choice. I've been homeless since November. Yep. That's right almost three months without residency. I don't really want to go into details of why, but Peace Corps and I decided that my home wasn't really that safe for me anymore. My wonderful friend Christie graciously offered me her home in the interim, and I began my house hunting.

I have since added house hunting to the ever growing list of things that are much easier in America; its right up there with daily meals at Taco Bell and maintaining sense of dignity. Anyway, there's no Craigs List or online apartment listings or bulletin boards or anything other than hearsay. After about two months of this I started feeling like that little leprechan who knew his lucky charms were somewhere but couldn't ever quite catch them.

I gave up.

I hate admitting it but I just couldn't do it anymore. By January Ginger and I had moved three times, which is not easy on a puppy or me for that matter. A wonderful house, that was promised to me fell through, and it was just the end of the line for my sanity. It didn't help that I had exhausted all of my temporary housing options and I was left with two choices: 1. Sleep in my tent in the yard of a cooperative Adventist or 2. Move 65km to big-city-Blantyre where there was a wealth of housing options and a fabulous job opportunity.

So here I am.... moved from the spiders and the dreaded outhouse, and my fancy counter top and my little garden, into a rooftop apartment with all the comforts and conveniences of America. I'm right back to massive, overwhelming culture shock, but I strongly suspect my hot shower will help to wash that away quite quickly.

Eat your Heart out Anthropologie

As you approach the holidays, and question what to get yourself, or your loved ones, consider these gorgeous bags made by an amazing group of women right here in Malawi.

http://lusolamanja.wordpress.com

I have multiple bags; they hold up great and the patterns are always stunning!

Bye Bye Milo

My sweet kitty, Milo, was put to sleep this morning. I'm so sad I wasn't there to say goodbye. Thank you to everyone who loved her, friends who played with her, and roommates, family, and friends that took care of her.

She was a wonderful cat.