Travelling
No Liquids Please.
Ever since the ban on liquids on flights I have had to learn the hard way. I had to throw out my lovely ‘Cool Waters’ cologne on a flight to Dallas from Las Vegas. It was either that or going back to check it in. Seeing as we had barely made the flight, there was no way this was happening. Toss the dang thing! Orange juice costs me a ridiculous $2.20 at the airport now. I am supposed to be somehow thankful that American Airlines serves stale pretzels and a soda. There’s an inflight movie (if you fly at night – cross country) but you have to buy headphones at the ‘customer friendly’ price of $2. Drinks on a plane are a standard $5 and the overly loud attendant always invites us to apply for the AA Card and get 25,000 miles upon approval. This and the incessant mailings: It is now official, I get more junk mail from American Airlines than any other company, well apart from American Express and Capital One, my shredder has been working overtime – and it will only get worse.
Travelling to Ohio
At the airport Monday morning, I ran into members of a church ministry visiting Dallas from Arkansas, their earlier flight had been cancelled, their next was scheduled to depart at 9. Close to 8:30 comes the announcement that the flight to Arkansas has also been cancelled but that American Airlines will do everything to schedule them on a different flight. There is uproar; I imagine not a lot of people flying on September 11th, flight not fully booked - cancelled. I’m in the state of Ohio. Home of the The! Ohio State Buckeyes, this is country, not that country, Idaho – now that’s country. Lead story on the news this morning was about a couple (white girl, black dude) who had gone home to meet the old man, spent the night at the place, next morning old man wakes up finds cigars missing he pulls a shot gun on the couple – the couple whip out their pistols – old man in hospital: critical. There’s also a dude shot at a nearby Park, critical in hospital gets a visit from his girlfriend – and his other two girlfriends who didn’t know each other. You know how that goes. I figure we’re not on the safest side of town, there are CCTVs all over the building, we’re in town for a week but after two days it feels like we’ve been here too long. I’m exhausted. It’s like a drill each time we exit the building, especially if you work late – check the monitors make sure no one is waiting for you outside, take the remote key – just incase you need to get back in, proceed with caution. We are told to be extra careful there was a break in not too long ago.
The Neighborhoods
There’s s sign by an old rundown house that says “Apartment Available”. I wonder who would want to live here. By highway 70 close to the ‘Siebenthaler Ave’ exit is a run down motel – there’s always people on the porch anytime we drive by. There are also three abandoned buildings, - One was a “Denny’s”, the other a Holiday Inn and the third looks like an convenient store/gas station. It’s Friday and I can only think of one thing: Home sweet home.
Excuses
It snowed today. Half an inch and we had voicemail encouraging us to stay home if driving conditions seemed less than appealing. Obviously they don’t have my type there when such decisions are made. I make people work just after attending their relatives’ funerals or having surgery. Usually the conversation goes like:
Ring ring!
Magaidi: This is Magaidi
Dude: Magaidi, Dude here, man I popped my shoulder
Magaidi: Me too, so what time will you be here?
I’m sick of folks calling in with flimsy excuses. Oh referendum, oh earthquake, ooh bomb blast, ooh I ate a twelve pound turkey. I once had a guy call me because his aunt’s distant cousin’s dad died. Turns out he’d gone for a job interview. I knew one of the folks he interviewed with. He wasn’t hired because he arrived late for the interview. What a loser! If you tell such unimaginative lies, you’re probably too dumb to sit upright on a chair without falling off.
AOB:
Kibaki announced his new look cabinet today. No Raila, Kalonzo, Nyong’o and crew. Even Mwangi Kiunjuri declined to take the post he was offered. You know you’re bad when even dipsh**(excuse my french) like Kiunjuri don’t want to work for you. Can’t wait to make my rounds of the blogs to see what the people say!
Monday Morning Breakfast.
Magaidi
Its a Monday. I think i’m usually more tired on Mondays than I am on Fridays but I had a great weekend. This lifestyle we live. We have a tradition here at our office that each Monday one of us brings breakfast in for the rest of the team. Its my turn today..I forgot. In my defense, last week’s dude brought it in on Tuesday. I actually remembered on my way to work but I was running late. My boss remembers when i’m late regardless of whether I was bringing in breakfast for the rest of the crew or if I was fishing and noticed a blind kid drowning and I had to save him and won an award but I digress. That’s the other culture here at work. Last week’s breakfast dude brought in bagels with cream cheese - no coffee, no ice water, no orange juice, nothing! You have to wonder if he eats dry bagels for breakfast in which case I pity him. The lovely mother-figure lady had a buffet the monday before. I make sure my turn is not after her’s - I can’t live up to that. People have more questions about why breakfast isn’t available today than they have regarding daily work.That’s why we get ‘alot’ done here.Frankly this is one tradition I can live without. I rarely eat breakfast and by the looks of some of them, they might need to skip a meal a day.
Hi!-atus!
It’s easy to explain why i’ve been lost for a while. I’ve been posting to the wrong blog! all this time.
For those who care, I have updated my personal profile to give a little bit more information about myself
Here, nights are muggy and the hot temperatures keep me indoors all day. It’s funny how during winter we long for the hot weather for outdoor activities and when it gets here it’s so bad, i’d rather be indoors all day! I’m outside today and at first it’s not as bad as I thought. There is a guest DJ from out of town, never heard of the dude but the park is full of people, the loud blaring music grips your attention as soon as you hit the small dirt road up towards the gazebo.Its a reggae song, Morgan Heritage’s ‘No Hafi dread’ I think. I’m puzzled at all the new faces I see in the area. Usually, one can tell the new ones but if you don’t know the veterans, it’s hard to know who’s new. It’s not so hard though, the fake accents usually give it away first for the new ones, if your ‘bufu’s’ or ‘fifa’s’ or ‘roebeks’ don’t catch an eye first. I remember a coupla summers ago I met this young chic who’d just flown in from home at a house party upstate.
Me: Hi I’m Magaidi
Her: I’m nay-o-meee
Me: Nice to meet you Naomi.
Her: ‘Preasure’s’ all mine.
Such conversations don’t usually last long. Reminds me of a former schoolmate I met while at a new years party during the millenium turn. The guy looked like he’d been digging a hole all night long. A few pleasantries exchanged and I find out he’s just flown in. The flight he boarded left Nairobi for Dubai, Dubai for Amsterdam, Amsterdam for Heathrow, Heathrow for New York, New York for Atlanta. He took a 45 minute bus ride from the airport to his destination. This dude had been through a bunch of time zones, flown a million miles and still had the energy to party! Suddenly I feel old.
Such conversations don’t usually last long. Reminds me of a former schoolmate I met while at a new years party during the millenium turn. The guy looked like he’d been digging a hole all night long. A few pleasantries exchanged and I find out he’s just flown in. The flight he boarded left Nairobi for Dubai, Dubai for Amsterdam, Amsterdam for Heathrow, Heathrow for New York, New York for Atlanta. He took a 45 minute bus ride from the airport to his destination. This dude had been through a bunch of time zones, flown a million miles and still had the energy to party! Suddenly I feel old.
A series of (fortunate) Events
Magaidi
Ok so I haven’t updated this here blog for quite a while and I seem to be slacking off a wee bit but with good cheer, charm and vigor - I am back. I haven’t been away from the blogosphere though, been venturing here and there reading the new/old interesting and no so interesting stuff, and yes I do comment when I do read. Ever since I got to dispatch the latest series of events in my existence, fortunate or unfortunate, I have been to a cruise, katika’d to the sounds of the ever soulful Sally Oyugi, revisited my old school collection (Nick, M - I told you i’d be back for more), readied myself for a trip to the city of angels, played golf/[slashed grass/dug holes at the golf course], met the beautiful Ciara - yes I did!!, and maybe spent too much time trying to disabuse clueless individuals (one) that there are gentlemen in Kenya. This last task I regret largely because I came to realize later on that we were in the presence of one whimsical lady whose infamous escapades and knack for picking fights were well known to everyone but yours truly - the fella magaidi. No disrespect but if two tsunamis were headed to my coast followed by a hurricane and incessant locust storms for a day, i’d gladly toss this soul bare faced right in their path for all I care but I digress.
So back at the office on Friday, my buddy Jaimie requested that I accompany him to the driving range to shoot. The stupid grin I unleashed would’ve earned me instant forgiveness if I was repenting sins in the presence of the holy father - so I agreed. We headed to the nearest course and since I was badly lacking in equipment, I used Jaimie’s titanium wood to tee off. After missing the ball a coupla times I made what I would term ’solid contact’ with something. It wasn’t the ball though. No sir - that measly little thing was still right there on the tee. What I had made solid contact with was the ground, and I even dug myself a small hole. Unbeknownst to me, the head of the club had broken off and lay a few feet ahead of me. Conversation approximately two seconds after the incident:
Jaimie: Dude? What are you trying to do, dig a hole?
Magaidi: Yeah I know. I shanked it pretty bad huh? Been working on..
Jaimie: Shanked? You broke the driver dude?
Magaidi: &*??
Jaimie: Don’t worry though I have a full warranty on the darn thing. Maybe you should try your iron play first.
Magaidi:Will do buddy! my bad! [thinking maybe I should try to hit the ball first?!!}
Golf, on my priority list has just gone down two places right below washing my car tyres!
In other news…
At last: a cure for alcohol, this should be introduced to Kenyans in Pubs. Tusker mbili with kudzu to go.
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About
Magaidi.com is the journal of the African kid. A diary of sorts, a collection of musings and a discussion point on the way forward for the motherland.
