July 25, 2010 by Jeff.

My journey is at an end, the tale has been told.
The reader who has followed so faithfully and so
far has a right to ask what message I bring back.
It can be stated in three words:
concentrate upon Uganda!

[Uganda] is alive by itself. It is vital, and in my
view, in spite of its insects and diseases, it ought,in
the course of time, to become the most prosperous
of all our East African possessions, and perhaps the
‘financial driving wheel’ of this part of the world.

My counsel plainly is – concentrate upon Uganda!
Nowhere else in Africa will little money go so far.
Nowhere else will results be more brilliant, more
substantial or more rapidly realised.

Uganda is from end to end a ‘beautiful garden’
where ‘staple food’ of the people grows almost
without labour. Does it not sound like a paradise
on earth? It is the Pearl of Africa.

From ‘My African Journey’

By Winston Churchill (1908)

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July 22, 2010 by Jeff.

I leave for Africa in a couple weeks and I find myself shopping to assuage the general apprehension of moving to a completely foreign place to work at an assignment that is still in flux. Two new pairs of shoes so far. I’d fill up my entire duffel with shoes if I could but I guess I need room for all this stuff:

• 2-3 pairs Banana Republic chinos
• 1 pair Hurley jeans
• 2 H&M short sleeve button-downs
• 2-3 favorite button-downs or polos
• brown belt  
• 1-3 neck ties
• lounge pants
• board shorts
• 3-4 cotton Ts
• 7 pairs of PACT trunks, 7 pairs CK low-rise trunks
• 7-10 casual and sport socks
• bicycle rain suit
• CK tweed jacket or navy blazer (JA or BR)
• CK suit
• wind breaker ???
• american apparel sweatshirt
• long sleeve (lounge) shirt
• cap
• extra pair of eyeglasses
• sunglasses
• LED headlamp
• toiletries for a month
• Jansport book bag
• power adapter
• towel
• bible, 2 novels, 2 biz/economics texts, Uganda guide book
• GSI Outdoors Personal Java Press + Java Grinder
• 2 27 oz Kleen Kanteen water bottles
• still and video cameras w/ extra batteries and chargers
• duct tape
• alarm clock
• playing cards
• birch bark bed sheets and pillow case
• plastic mattress cover
• Pearce wool blanket
• Leatherman
• 13” Macbook Pro
• iPod w/ Sennheiser HD 497
• external hard drive
• Visa/AmEx cards for emergency
• chef knife
• vegetable peeler
• feather pillow
• U.S. stamps
• food storage containers
• Tenergy USB-5000 Hybrid Solar Charger

and the shoes (so far):

• Rockport oxfords
• Kenneth Cole oxfords
• Columbia sport sandals
• Merrell hiking boots

The next step is hauling a closet full of clothing to the Goodwill.

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May 18, 2010 by Jeff.

After year’s of direct sun and little maintenance, this deck on the southern side of my parent’s house needed attention. I planned to simply remove and replace the deck’s damaged railings and deck boards. However, while deconstructing the deck, I found that the posts were resting on grade; covered with only inches of dirt. I quickly decided to remove the entire deck and start from scratch.

Day 1 of the rebuild started with delivery of materials from Deering Lumber.



It took me most of the day — with help from my 5-year-old nephew — to set 7 posts and install the rim board. Note that the new deck is freestanding and about eight inches closer to grade than the previous one. I forgot to order bolts to attach the framing to the posts, so I used deck screws as a temporary fix. I’ll grab the needed bolts tomorrow and finish framing the new deck.

On the second day of the rebuild, I secured the framing to the posts with lag screws, set hangers, and installed joists. I wasn’t as productive as I had hoped to be. Yet, I still hope to finish out the project on day 3.

After weeks of delays, I finally completed this little deck. Once I rip the last board and snugly attach it adjacent to the house, I’ll finally be able to attach the last step.

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March 14, 2010 by Jeff.

Tommy, my neighbor, is in jail because he slept in an ATM lobby, where he was simply seeking shelter from a storm. I’m angry. How can this be just?

Tommy is a fixture on the street. He’s the guy who knows everyone and is always willing to talk as long as you want. I’ve occasionally taken a breather to chat on the way home from the market. Tommy was actually the first person I met when I moved to Central Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He has taught me to live more openly, honestly, and generously; he opened a door for me to experience life in a new way. I’ve known Tommy now for less than a year but see him just about every other day. It’ll be fourteen months before I see Tommy again. I pray that as bad as jail may be that he also finds a new path and the help he needs to experience life in a new way.

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February 1, 2010 by Jeff.

Today, annoyed at how the space I live in disfunctions, I began to re-envision my apartment. The problem with the layout (pictured below) is that the bedrooms are scattered and the public areas do not relate to each other. At parties, the long hallway gets clogged, and, in the morning, I wake up to people rustling in the pantry. My roommates complain that the TV is too loud.

My solution is to convert the kitchen to a large bedroom, move the bath to a space underutilized by two hall closets, and use the freed space as a public area at the front of the apartment. A door in the hall already divides the two spaces.

After a little more thought, I realized the simplest execution would be to leave the original bathroom in place and simply switch the kitchen and front bedroom (BED 4). The old closet door will lead directly into the original bathroom, providing public access.

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