from Boston to Kampala

Life in Kampala, Uganda aka Deep in the Sahara, listening to "Feelings"

Perhaps it’s a sign of ambivalence about Development that one periodically wants to flee the most developed places and go to the least developed place on earth.

Of course, the forces of globalization are not stopped that easily. The Tuareg guide wears Nike sneakers. Toyota 4WD Land Cruisers can bring even the least mobile tourists to see the rock art. And one guide has brought along a tape of Western pop music played over and over again at camp every night, including the official Worst Pop Song of all time mentioned in the title.

-William Easterly

lazy loungy Boston weekend

I am suddenly unable to begin explaining how much I'll miss Boston.

another myopic realist

"I have never met anyone who was as _______ as they claimed.
[... and] I need new glasses."

-random OKCupid profile

fixed ExpertPDF caching my pdf.css file

This drove me nuts so I was one happy camper when I figured out what was happening!

I appended a "?ver=<%= DateTime.Now.ToString() %>" to the link tag href value.

<link id="lnkPdfStylesheet" runat="server" href="/css/pdf.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="all" />

ExpertPDF and Caching of URLs

execute Javascript inside ASP.NET UpdatePanel

inside the Page_Load:

//upnlControl is an UpdatePanel defined in the .aspx
ScriptManager.RegisterClientScriptBlock(upnlControl, 
upnlControl.GetType(), upnlControl.ClientID,
"$(document).ready(someNamespace.init);", true);

inside the js file:

// namespace
var someNamespace = someNamespace ? someNamespace : {
   /*
    * handleSomeClickEvent
    * handles some click event 
    * when something is clicked 
    * inside the update panel 
    */
    handleSomeClickEvent:function() {
       alert('Wow! This runs every time the element is clicked!');
    },     
   /*
    * Init
    * Initializer that will run 
    * on each page load.
    */
    init: function() {
       // setup event handlers
       $('.someSelector').click(someNamespace.handleSomeClickEvent);
    }
};
// kickoff someNamespace.init when DOM is ready.
$(document).ready(someNamespace.init);

birthday resolutions

MUST DO
1. bake red velvet cake
2. study for the GRE (to take in August and in October if necessary)
3. take an anthropology class this fall
4. remember to send cards on time for each immediate family members' birthday, anniversary, mother's day, and father's day

TO DO
1. talk more to MJ... in Zhōngwén!*
*saying something cute is sometimes the only way to get him to correct me or talk back
2. sew more... pajama pants, skirts, etc
4. take winter yoga class
5. visit a friend living abroad

I just got back from VT...

and that pretty much sums it up.

I'm reading Mountains Beyond Mountains. I'm at the part where Ophelia, with the inherent task in life of being Roald Dahl's daughter, is experiencing the fortune, and eventual misfortune, of falling in love with Paul Farmer.

Its the second book I've read in a really long time. Which makes me happy about my current state of affairs.

I suddenly got weirded out about being 26. Today I ordered the best crepe on the menu at Mr. Crepe, after 1.5 years of visiting Boston, and 1.5 of living in Boston (Fresh tomatoes with scallions and cilantro with brie). Then I also suddenly got weirded out by people leaving: some for a short while, some for good, some already gone. Maybe its empathy for getting left behind, because I've started feeling like maybe my time might be coming, too.

MJ: the 5 - 10 year travel list http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/06/21/postcards_from_hell?page=full
MJ: but seriously
MJ: are there any countries that you'd rather see?