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I am now safely home! Please forgive my prior lack of posts. You can tell from the IDDS blog that it was possible to upload in Ghana, just very trying. In any case, I now have absolutely no excuse not to post. The challenge is now to please your exquisite literary tastes.

Recent Events
I arrived in Dallas yesterday. My family picked me up at the airport, and...I think we told stories to each other on the way home. Home. I washed the bedbugs off my clothes, and had a long hot shower, and stole, er, appropriated, my brother's bed. Since then I've been to the doctor and pharmacy, acquiring two new courses of antibiotics! Life is exciting. Actually, so was the surprise tiki-themed party my family threw me tonight. It had grilled portabellas. Mmm.

Highlights
So, which of these things do you guys think I ought to tell a story about?

• Sitting next to a chocolateer and a baker on the way to Paris. (How cliche.)
• How big butts are popular in Ghana, and related stories.
• Having a birthday party in Agyareago.
• The Moldovan party bus.
• Two out of work civil engineers, one private beach, and four hours to kill in Dubai.
• Something else?
  

Comments
You guys leave lovely comments and are so nice. But Paula's must be addressed!

Drawing:
I can probably best tell how Nathan draws by showing the pictures of the things I drew in his how-to session. (I wrote Nathan's tips next to each picture.) The pictures start out kind of bad and get better as the lesson goes on. Do I have the courage to take photos of them and display them publicly, in order to elucidate his drawing tips? Maybe. I'm...going to think on that tonight.

Crazy Idea:
As for my idea, I had almost forgotten! Thank you for reminding me. I bounced the idea off of Niall, who does the IDDS blog and promotes Acts of Random Kindness. So I feel ready to write a bit about it now. My idea is to create a web application/forum/thing that helps people meet others by doing nice things for them. I see it as being kind of a community like Couchsurfing or Hospitality Club.

For example, an elderly woman in Boston might join such a group and write, "Hi, I'd like some help with my garden. 1-3 people. In return, I can feed you dinner." Some people would respond, do weeding, and have some awesome chowder at her house. Afterward, the gardeners might post something about her like, "Wow, what an amazing lady. Totally trustworthy and a great chowdah chef."

What do you guys think of this idea? Does it already exist? Does it sound viable?

Thanks, and I hope you enjoyed the post. Please let me know if I should write more about a given topic...<3