Boi craziness

Jumping around like a crazy person at the amphitheater by Dhaka University
This was actually before the book came out, so I don't really have a good reason....

So, as of earlier this week, I am officially a published author!  I wrote a book!  How's that for awesome?  I didn't anticipate how excited I'd be, but when the first five copies showed up at our office, everyone started laughing at my giddiness.  There's something very satisfying about no longer saying "I'm writing a book," and instead being able to say, "I wrote a book."  Definite.  Done.  Shesh.  High five.

One of 25 copies in the world!

It's really fun to share it with everyone at BRAC and in Bangladesh.  I took it to North End the first night I had it, since 80% of it was written from the coffee bar there, it was only fitting.  They likely will sell it there too once we have more copies (Don't worry, I'll announce when these babies actually go on sale too...and no, I don't get royalties, at least on the first 1,000 copies)!  As I wander from floor to floor in the BRAC office, I carry it with me because finally I have a tangible thing that I did during my time here; people understand what it is I've been working on!  I took it to the guys helping me with my visa extension (yet again!) and said, "my full-time job was getting your government to let me stay in your country, and my part-time job was writing a book."  They agreed and said that next, I should write the book about writing the book.  Not a bad idea, actually, given all the characters it's involved.  And now that I've got one under my belt, can a second one be that hard?


I wrote some short pieces (here, here, and one will be here next week) looking at individuals experience with TB--both as patients and community providers--that you might enjoy.  If you think figuring out how to make copies of a key is complicated in Dhaka, imagine trying to big a system that's capable of delivering six months of daily medications to a rickshaw driver or a garment factory worker.

When you're a published author. life
gives you lemonade.

Last night, I hosted a little informal celebration at my place--doubling as a lazy housewarming party.  We choose my office as the place to hang because it has a ceiling fan and an AC (the former tenant has still failed to come to collect it, so I'm claiming it!).  I have three chairs, a floor that was cleaned this week, and an air mattress (nope, haven't deflated it since getting a real bed last week.....see, sometimes procrastinating pays off!).  That worked for my seven guests (three dudes on the air mattress; only in Bangladesh!).  Bigger issue was the fact that I hadn't really thought through eating utensils, nor glasses.  Luckily my girl Saroj showed up with a housewarming gift of 5 glasses that saved the day (I drank out wine out of my coffee mug, so classy).  We managed pizza and cake sans plates quite gracefully.  Saroj teaches yoga and thinks that my unfurnished living room could be perfect for classes (based on my experience using it for jump roping, shadow boxing, and football, I have to agree), and the guys (who live with their parents), appreciate like I do, the awesomeness of having one's own space.  They offered to throw a party and I declined on that.  Still working on building a strong foundation with my landlord.....and I kind of like to go to bed early!
So book number two---I'm accepting suggestions for a limited time only--I realized that this year I've built a writing habit that's at once fantastically fun and productive, and a bit obsessive.  I'm averaging 1-2 nights a month where I can't sleep at all because the words insist on coming out.  Always non-fiction, but if you've been reading my blog regularly, maybe you'll understand why I don't think that necessarily means boring, or not imaginative.

That's me! That's me! That's me!!!!!!