There’s not much to do at the ‘residence’ in Abidjan other than to hope the 12 foot walls with 3 foot electric fence on top of them are enough to keep you safe from the monsters that surely emerge at night, deep from unfathomable, unending piles upon piles upon kingly piles of trash that line all manner of streets.  I must assume such a creature exists, stalks the streets when most eyes are turned, swallowing shanty enterprises whole.  Otherwise why would everyone look so sad so often?

I’ve mostly been reading or chatting with the people I came with, but I have turned on the tiny TV in the room four or five times [Though in an amusing turn, I had to re-terminate its coax cable with a huge knife from my room's makeshift kitchen just to get one of these channels].  Surprisingly there are two English language movie channels and this morning I could not take it any more.

The first time it happened a few days ago, I let out a chuckle.  This morning, however, I was aghast with defeat.  I speak with sadness, of course, of STAY ALIVE.  It’s been on twice now since I’ve been here, each time slicing me in the kidneys with its jaunty existence.

It wouldn’t be so bad, of course, were I actually doing what I should be doing in my spare time; Finishing THE LAN that I started before STAY ALIVE was an unholy glint in His eye.  But, alas, I am not making any progress and thus The Abomination of Nerdom continues to lord over me, humiliating me, shunning me.

And people wonder why I’m angry all the time.