Haiti

Haiti was hit a week ago by the worst earthquake in 200 years. Haiti, as most know, is on the island La Española, which is shared by the Dominican Republic. Here are some random thoughts and remarks about it all.
1. Haitians are amazing people. There are hundreds of thousands of Haitians living in the DR and they are discriminated against and looked down upon as a lower class. Very similar to the racism that exists all over the world between bordering countries. Haitians are super hard workers and make very little. Most would work construction all day long and make 200-300 pesos(which is about $6-$9 US dollars.
2. I read the book Mountains beyond Mountains. Click HERE to see my review on Goodreads.com. It opened my eyes to how poor these precious people are and how "one man can really change the world."
3. I'm back in Iowa. I told Libby that we should donate her kool-aid packets to Haiti. So she kept telling me, "I'll give my packets to Katie." She thought Haiti was not only Katie, but also that Haiti was a little girl. I laughed. I let her believe it.
4. These pictures were very eye opening to the damage done by the earthquake. First the damage and death. Then the looting and chaos. The rebuilding of both structures and lives is yet to come. Click HERE to see the pictures.
5. I've been waiting to buy a pair of Toms shoes. Then I saw on twitter that if I bought a pair, they would donate $5 to the Haitian relief. It isn't much, but it was enough to cause me to buy the shoes now rather then wait till spring. I love Toms business plan. 1 for 1. Take a look. Here are the Burlaps that I purchased.
6. Here are a couple pictures I took on my trip related to Haitians. The first is of of the feet of a Haitian girl we met on the beach. She didn't speak much Spanish but she had a great smile. I could only wonder what she has gone through in her life. The second is of a Haitian man building a house in the rain. He was hoisting cement blocks up to the roof, one at a time.

Sushi

I love Sushi. I was introduced in the fall of 2008. I've eaten at Takashi, Shogun, Naked Fish, Mikado, a place in Provo, and a few others. I dig the Connect and Vegas. Post a comment on your favorite Sushi restaurant and favorite rolls.

Lie to Me

I'm hooked. I blame Spence and Kathy. Weird. I never thought I'd be blaming those two for getting me addicted to a TV show. But, unlike the animosity one may feel toward someone who introduced them to a new addiction, like smoking or drinking, I feel deep love and gratitude to Spence and Kath for the exposure and subsequent obsession. In case you aren't familiar, Lie to Me is a TV show that airs on Fox and is in its 2nd season. I got completely caught up on Season 2 during my visit to Minneapolis. When it is 5 degrees outside but really feels like -8, what else are you going to do? Sure, I could have watched Hook with the kids every night(amazing how they can watch the same thing over and over again and not get bored) but this seemed to be a little more in my league. The show is about The Lightman Group, a company hired by the FBI and other organizations, to help determine if people are lying. They study microexpresions, body language, voice pitch, etc., to determine if someone is lying. Paul Roth is the main actor and I think he is awesome. I bought Season 1 on blu-ray, which I'm currently watching. Once I'm down with it, I will be happy to let you borrow it! In the mean time, start watching Season 2. It's like eating dessert first; nothing wrong with that. Who knows, maybe you will become addicted to... In a good way!
P.S. Paul Eckman, the world's foremost expert on facial expressions, is the brain behind the show. Check out his blog and website.

An Autumn Escapade

Just a little slow getting some autumn pictures posted. These photos come from a collaboration photo shoot with Tiana, thus I can not take all credit! Enjoy. Comments accepted.