a short brief between files

in an effort to stem the tides of complaints that have come coursing my way lately about my inability to communicate regularly - even on a mass level - here's a brief post to sate your curiosities and quell your anger.

my boss/editor/protector is leaving nairobi. deserting the company and the country and leaving me at the mercy of the frogs. while i'm no closer to a full-time job than i ever was, i have managed to solidify quite a few freelance contacts and think i should be able to stay afloat financially - not that it's a very difficult endeavour in a country where most folks live on less than a dollar a day. my own habits, of course, are more luxurious what with my three-bottle-of-beer-and-a-pack-of-smokes-a-day habit and the fact that i like to dine on foods a little more substantial than pastey gruel and bananas. but even then, we're not talking millions.

tomorrow he's off and tonight my colleagues and i plan on bidding him farewell in high-style. we'll, of course, start at our local joint (conveniently located directly across the street from the office and where much of our newsgathering occurs) before preceding to a disco of sorts (bound to be throbbing until the wee hours despite it being the middle of the week - kenyans and the expats that call this country home do love their dancing) before finally ending up at a casino (his favorite nightcap - owned primarily by indians, called asians in kenya, and frequented for the most part by the chinese).

despite all this lightheartedness, i'm really sad. i've learned more from this man than any other editor or teacher i've ever had - except for perhaps my greek professor back at oberlin. he's had faith in me when my own faultered, made me dig deep for the lessons i've learned and turned me into the journalist i am today (and while i'm certainly far from writing award winning articles, i've learned to hold my own when i'm interviewing such diverse figures as madeleine albright, gendayi frazier, pascal lamy of the wto, the somali prime minister and a raft of sub-saharan african presidents). so i'm sad to see him go but hopeful that i'll manage to make my mark here without the comforts of a safety net.

otherwise, am fine. stella the cat continues to be as adorable as an apartment dwelling african feline can manage, alph is helping his award winning independent director friend shoot a short this weekend out on the coast and is dragging me along (i'm packing tons of sunscreen for the long days i plan on spending at the beach while he's out on location), bosire just purchased my boss's car and basically bequeathed it to me (but i can't drive it until my replacement driver's license arrives in the mail) and i'm gearing up to get out of the country at the end of the month on some trip - perhaps india to visit dear granito - as my visa's about to expire and i need to get legal again.

hope all is well with everyone. sorry for the long delay between posts. i'd say it won't happen again but i'm more than positive it will.

xo