In reverse order:
First, please allow me one paragraph of self-fulfillment. For seven years, 'Ryne Saxe' has maintained that LeBron James does not have the competitive fiber of Michael Jordan. 'Ryne Saxe' has refused to compromise in this opinion. He will not concede any argument of LeBron versus Kobe (or MJ for that matter) that bends in LeBron's favor, always founded upon bandwagon opinions that may have their place, but nonetheless overlook an apparent lack of leadership and overload of adolescent ego. I can understand his decision and even accept it; it would be enticing to go play with your all-star friends and hang out in South Beach on the side. But the entire process was a joke. 'Ryne Saxe' believes [exiled] King James should be reminded that you are a basketball player. You should not exercise control over management decisions, you should not demand VIP status for your mooching entourage, and your "team" consists of other basketball players, not your group of 'advising' lawyers, 'business managers' and 'friends'. Go play the game and do your best to finish a season. You've chosen the easy road. The pressure is off, now that you've seen fit to captivate a sports nation with a fabricated free-agency and selection show. But 'Ryne Saxe' cannot begin to understand the chain of awful advice and decision making that led to that debacle. Here I have referred to myself in third-person no more than King James did during that painful hour. "I will be taking my talents to South Beach and the Miami Heat." Please. and thank you for clinching my own argument against you better than I ever could myself. I'm sure that somewhere Kendall Brown is shaking her head at this bout of self-gratification. All the better.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100709
On another note: This has been my busiest week in Rwanda, by far. 14-hr days, missed meals, chaos. There is a trade show going on. I've scrambled to put presentations together for the construction company, and also to arrange meetings with local leaders in Uganda, regarding their ongoing savings bank program and distribution of aid packages for World Hunger. There is much to balance. But something cool for this week - Tom's shoes is coming over to host a large promo event and distribute shoes to 1000 kids in a village called Mwico, in the province where I'm staying now. I've been to the village twice to see the school there, where my friend Francis teaches English. It is one of the most breathtaking views in Rwanda. So I'll help with this event; it will be fun, a welcome break.
I have not had internet all week (or phone, or electricity for that matter), but I have ideas for several posts. I'll get them up as quickly as I can. For now, a short story:
A couple of weeks ago I was musing to a couple of my African friends how much I missed American music. In my journal that evening, I felt like drawing, so I impulsively sketched the dancer logo for Dave Matthews Band. I wrote under "This is the first summer in recent memory where DMB has not played a huge role. Stand Up."
Last week, I took two days to go work in the stock yard for the construction company that is handling many of our projects. I love working alongside the laborers. Many of them are about my age; they work very hard, but they goof off like brothers. We were sitting around molding concrete, and my friend Gerard told me he wanted me to play American music on my phone. So I just pushed play and the first song up was Ants Marching. One of the guys snapped to and said "Dave Matthews." I was thrilled. By the end of the morning, we were 6 guys sitting in a circle, 5 Africans, 1 American, all mixing concrete and whaling out DMB.
There are those moments when you realize you are exactly where you are supposed to be. You soak it in and smile to yourself. Yet those moments are fleeting; you know you're not supposed to stay. All the better. It just makes that enjoyment more intense. Such moments come often in Africa.
I'm going to set up a web album soon with more pictures, if there is time.
Peace & Love. I miss you all.
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