• When the receptionist came up and wanted to have her picture taken with me.

• I was coming home from work and saw the Assa 2 manager in a passing taxi and I waved and he smiled so genuinely and waved back. Such a normal thing to do in other places... not so much here.

• The guest house assistant manager where I live now coming to my room, very concerned that I hadn't shown up for dinner.

• Looking up as we drove to work one morning and far in the distance, perfectly outlined against the blue sky on an oh-so-high brown cliff, on the opposite side of the street from the Kabul Zoo and the old city wall, was a woman shaking a huge piece of fabric. It was like a scene from some epic movie, where the heroine signals the awaiting army to attack...

• Seeing a family of four on a bicycle built for one - man pedaling, one child on the handle bars, woman in a burka riding side-saddle on the back, and her holding a baby girl with HUGE brown eyes and wearing a frilly pink dress.

• The drivers calling me Jaynie. NO ONE else is allowed to.

• Fribajan, the Afghan national working in our office, got a call from her cousin who was making a sign for a gas station; he needed to know the three kinds of gas for cars in English (Leaded, Unleaded and Diesel).

Another great fark.com headline: "Spain may send navy to stop Americans from recovering treasure from sunken ships. No word on if South American Indians will send troops to recover treasure from Spanish Navy."

My Internet is oh-so-wonderful here at the World Food Programme guest house #2 except for two things: YouTube is blocked, and the firewall blocks articles or words with certain words. So, okay, I don't mind waiting until my next leave to read all of the Dan Savage comments. But I've been following the activities of Perverted Justice, a site that is working to catch online sexual predators, and much of their site is now blocked, including the discussion forum. Given my other area of expertise (online volunteerism), it's important to be up-to-date about online security. But now... oh well, it's a decent trade-off for fast Internet, like how even better www.iVisit.com works now!! And I can listen to Internet radio: KUT in Austin, BBC, Hober, AirAmerica...

Yesterday, I contributed significantly to the economy of Afghanistan. When it comes to non-grocery items, I try very hard to buy things made in Afghanistan. I also spent the day talking to, petting and spooning with Kabul Kitty - she's a sweetie, living here at the WFP #2 compound (I should have photos online by the time you read this). There's a French guy here who sets up training programs for mine-sniffing dogs, and she's definitely his baby, for the most part. He warned me that she can open the screen door to any apartment and even open the fridge. I didn't believe him. Well, today, I learned that both are true - I have to put a big bottle of water and shoes in front of the fridge to keep her from opening it up. And, yes, you know I'm going to buy cat food the next time I go to the grocery. When I'm back from my next leave, I'm going to look in to getting her fixed. But I'm not bringing her home. She's very happy here and well-taken care of. Plus, I have a dog who is *very* anti-cat.

I also, at long last, went to the Serena Hotel, for the famous lunch on Friday. Zowie... yes, I felt profoundly guilty... and almost wept at how good the food was, how at ease I felt...

What makes me lonely for the USA? Not lunch at the Serena Hotel - doing things like are not a usual past time for me. No, it's messages like the following on MySpace, from a musician I used to go listen to in Austin, Texas

Monday, June 5th --
Jim Stringer & the AM Band
at Club 115, 115 San Jacinto, Austin, TX
we'll play from 6pm to 8pm... doin' all those drinkin'
and cheatin' songs. We call it UNHappy Hour.

Please come out and help make this a new weekly gig for the AM Band!!!! Each of you matters to us!!!!!! REALLY!!!!

By the way: Falcons' NFL quarterback Michael Vick is under investigation for allegedly running a dog fighting operation on his property in Virginia. And, therefore, I wish him nothing but the pain and suffering he's been responsible for regarding dogs. And I wish the same for every idiot who has defended him. Enjoy the karma, @sshole.

Fear me.

(if you want to help regarding the stray dog and cat situation in Afghanistan, please make a donation to the Mayhew Animal Home and Humane Education Centre, and tell them you want your gift to go to their efforts in Afghanistan. They are working to help spay and neuter dogs and cats there, to train Afghans regarding veterinary medicine, and to change Afghans' cultural practices regarding dogs, which have no basis in the Koran. I have spoken numerous times with a representative of this organization; they ARE making a difference, and your support will help them do even more!)

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