crizazy

we ventured out of the house today, and the amount of snow was just incredible. i tried to take reg for a walk, but couldn't really get very far... the streets themselves weren't particularly clear, and the sidewalks were essentially nonexistent. 42 hours ago, this guard rail separated a small hill from a sidewalk. not so much anymore.

shoveling

so it snowed for a solid 24 hours. when it snowed before christmas, reg tweaked his knee playing in the 18 inches or so. this time, it snowed about 2 feet (or more) and we knew to be careful with reg. daryn went out shoveling before the snow stopped, but we didn't want to let reg out until there was some space for him. but reg cannot understand for the life of him why daryn got to play outside, and he didn't...

delicate

i love how leaves can seem so delicate if you catch the light coming through them in just the right way. i took this about an hour after the snow started coming down in dc, but hadn't started sticking yet. this is a plant inside a vegetarian restaurant that daryn and i love, and i liked how it was protected from the beginnings of what is turning out to be a massive snow storm.

homecoming

ah - so i'm back. i owe pics from rwanda, but i probably won't get to them until this weekend.

i always joke that daryn and i have an unhealthy obsession with our dog. we can't help it because he's been through a lot, and he is the absolute cutest dog ever. when we come home for the day, reg is so excited to see us that he runs up to the door, tail wagging, which is not so unusual for a dog. then he remembers that he's desperate to play with us, and runs off to find a toy to play with us. it is the best ever.

bu

the day i got home, i went over to hang out with my sister (leah), my brother-in-law (michael), their daughter (my niece, bennie), and michael's mom (polly)'s house to help keep me awake while daryn was at a film screening for the class that he teaches. first of all, my niece is the cutest ever. second of all, she is a really messy eater. as in, there was enough couscous in her hair that when she bobbed her head forward, only some of it would tumble down into her lap. but this makes polly's dog, bu (short for buford), very happy. as soon as bennie is done eating, she is whisked off to bath time, and bu is allowed into the dining room where he proceeds to engorge himself on the massive amount of droppings that bennie has left. he certainly enjoys himself.

frame

i left rwanda on the 2nd, and it was a day full of meetings, so i didn't really have time (or see anything particularly interesting) that warranted me taking pictures. however, as i was packing up, the mirror frame caught my eye, and it's probably something super cheap from china because everything in rwanda is something super cheap from china, but i still liked it.

bizarre

when i go to rwanda i stay at the nicest hotel in town. the people there are very friendly, the service is good, and most importantly, i have internet access. everything is done in a particular way (e.g., no regardless of the fact that i've stayed there about ten times, they still walk me up to my room to show me how everything works). one morning, i went down to breakfast, and instead of getting my coffee first (as people normally do), i got it after i had finished my meal. apparently, this didn't register, and they still brought me a dish of butter along with the coffee. it was bizarre. so i took a picture. nothing goes quite so well together as coffee and butter.