london

this crowded, chaotic airport is where i am headed in two days. let's just hope things have settled down before 10am on Sunday morning, my arrival time.

this isn't the first time that terrorism in london has threatened my travel plans. last year, the day before brett and i were to leave nigeria, terrorists struck the underground and those awesome double-decker buses they've got going on over there. we thought we would be delayed, but we weren't. i expect the same this time as well.

but, with each terrorist threat comes less freedom in travel. first, came the knifes and sharp objects rule. no knives on the plane. this one, it seems to me, should have been a rule all along. but, when brett came home from china in 1999 he carried on a sword! that has definately changed b/c once i got caught with a butter knife in my carry-on and i thought i was going to be arrested. i had no idea it was in there and i think the guy had pity on me b/c of the horrified look on my face. "sir, i did NOT know that was in there. i'm so sorry. i don't even know why...." it was just a butter knife, but i FELT like a terrorist. funny thing is, that same year during xmas they let me on with knitting needles... anyway, next came the shoe rule. all shoes have to pass through the metal detectors. this causes major slowdowns, especially during the winter months when people forget to untie. the same is true for belts. i always forget the belt. and now, i have just received a memo telling me that i will not be allowed to carry basically ANYTHING on the plane with me on saturday. no drinks, no lotion, no snacks, no toothpaste, no medication (i like to take melatonin. it helps me sleep.), and it may be likely no books. no books!? what is a person to do for 7 hours? maybe i will just write my own book. but are pens kosher?

my friend sara and i were having a conversation this morning. the last time i went to england i was with her. five minutes into the air i accidentaly pulled a swiss army knife out of my bag while looking for chapstic. "put that away!" she hissed. i must have some weird obsession for carrying harmless small knives with me, b/c i didn't know i had that one either. anyway, during our conversation we realized that now we would have to have the same reaction about the chapstic, b/c it is no longer allowed. "put that away!"

looks like i'm in for another interesting trip. let's just hope that this doesn't happen to me!

just try

for my job i create radio programs for people who are learning english all over the world. my scripts can be about anything i want. mostly i choose things that interest me. i write about women's rights. i dabble with health issues like the importance of breast feeding, washing your hands, and brushing your teeth (did you know brushing and flossing can help prevent heart disease?). and sometimes i go wild and write about things like seed vaults, winter counts, and the stardust space capsule. but my favorite scripts have to do with the environment.

recently i wrote a script about disappearing rainforests. yes, yes...this topic has been around for awhile now. we've all heard about the thousands of acres that are cut down each day. we all know not to eat mcdonald's hamburgers b/c those cows graze on grass that used to be forest. but, did you know that the amazon, the greatest of all rainforests, is in its second year of drought? and did you know that some scientist performed an experiment in the amazon, covering a football field plot with plastic so that no rain would fall, in essence creating his own drought? you probably don't care and may even think that that scientist had too much time on his hands. but did you know that all of the trees in his experiment died in just three years and that the lush green forest essentially turned into a desert? this scientist projects that further drought in the amazon could lead to the trees releasing ninety billion tons of stored carbon dioxide into the air increasing global warming by fifty percent. yeah...check the forcast. no rain in sight. kind of makes you think that there may be something to trying to save the environment. i, for one, do not want to move to mars.

anyway, i'd really like to be a good steward of my resources. there are numerous ways that i try to do this. some of them are recent and some of them i've been quite anal about for a long time now. but nothing i do compares to this lady. i've just started a new script idea about "ethical man." this guy in the UK has been challenged to live ethically for one year. now, living ethically could mean different things to different people. in fact, when i first discovered this guy i thought he was going to try to be really nice. but for ethical man, ethics means taking care of the environment and lessoning his carbon footprint. he asked people to write in their ideas about how he should live. and this lady wins the prize.

some of her ideas could be easily adapted into our own lives...like using cloth shopping bags. easy! some of her ideas may seem a little extreme. but, perhaps once we all start trying to lesson our impact on the world her methods may start to come a little more naturally...like only taking two baths a week. that is very natural!

now, where can i get myself one of those thermal vests? -SN

update #2

192 oz.

i can feel water in my arms. it's like my arms almost feel cooler. in fact, all of my insides feel cooler.

haven't had one headache.

my bladder can hold about 16oz of water if i drink it really fast. otherwise less.

i feel a little bit guilty about all the water i'm flushing down the toilet b/c of increased bathroom use. i don't think "if it's yellow let it mellow" would go over too well here at work.