This Day in Bald History

Some of you may know the terrible saga of my bald book--This Day in Bald History. Three years ago I set out to write a Page-A-Day calendar that would list the accomplishments of bald people. I thought it would be funny. I thought it would sell.

I was wrong.

A couple of publishing houses passed on the book, and I responded to the rejection by leaving the country for two years to lick my wounds amidst the comforts of former-Soviet decay. But now I'm back. And I haven't given up the dream. So against common sense and better judgment, I'm bringing Bald History directly to the public via:

http://thisdayinbaldhistory.com

To have compiled so much useless information on bald people is truly absurd and frankly, I think I deserve some sort of acclaim for it. The site will be updated daily so every day will enlighten the public on some aspect of bald history. It's like an advent calendar, but without chocolate.

So visit the site. Tell a friend. Tell a publisher. And try not to think about the days and hours I spent on this.

Nickum Appears on Podcast

While the snow buried Seattle, I was confined to a Ballard recording studio (Fitz's closet) to record a podcast for The Dirtbag Diaries, an outdoor adventure podcast sponsored by Patagonia and largely written by Fitz Cahall, a fine American and credit to his people.

The title of mine is "Bedtime Stories for Wanderers." For those interested, you can listen to me recount how my dad's travel stories inspired me to be more curious about the world and eventually lead me to the Republic of Georgia. Just follow the link below.

Bedtime Stories for Wanderers, by Ryan Nickum

Living in America

OUR BEDROOM WINDOW: GEORGIAN FLAG AND MY HAND X-RAY


Where's Nickum? Oh, here and there. Mostly he's found in his cubicle putting the necessary data into the correct boxes and checking the tax status of various non-profits. Sometimes he can be found picking up his dog's poop with a small plastic bag, which is quite degrading. Long gone are the days of napping. In place of it, he spends a lot of time riding the bus to and from work. There is never enough time in America. There are errands to run, a dog to train, bills to pay, and wor work work.

In America the neighbors never walk in and drag him off to guzzle wine at a supra. His co-workers don't sit down to a wine-fueled feast when someone fixes the copier.


But it's not all daily grind. There's good coffee to drink, apple cider to press, Texas to visit, NFL football, and friends to marry (Ryan is now a Reverend in the Universal Life Church--the one you can join for free on the Internet). Even as a man of the cloth he remains the same guy.



So as Russian tanks retreat from his home of two years Ryan goes about his normal American life. He and Paige plop down on the couch and eat a pizza slice or some pork roast as they watch the news. It's pretty cool. Due to a computer malfunction there's no photographic record of his time in Texas or at Pojken and Chaitee's wedding.


But make no mistake, he's glad to be back, even if the dog wakes him up every hour through the night because it has the runs and needs to go outside to carpet bomb the neighbor's landscaping.

While life is busy here, Georgia is still on his mind a lot, especially with all that's going on. Soon he, Paige and fellow volunteer Nicholas will be hosting a social fundraiser to raise aid money for those impacted by the recent war in Georgia. It will be a supra. Horns will be filled with wine, the table will sag under the food and we will toasts to our friends and host families back in Georgia.

Life is good here. I hope it is back in Georgia as well.

Latest from Georgia

I'll keep updating this with news and links as I receive them. Currently, Peace Corps is relocating their volunteers to Armenia. Here are some links that might be of interest:

http://joshuatrevino.com/?p=638
http://georgiamfa.blogspot.com/
http://georgiandaily.com/
http://eurasianet.org/resource/georgia/index.shtml
http://civil.ge/eng/

Update on Conflict Between Russia and Georgia

I've been back in the states since July 17th, but things have definitely changed since I've been gone. According to news reports Georgian troops have been battling in the separatist region of South Ossetia. Russia has sent troops into the region and their jets have bombed various points inside Georgia.

Obviously, we're worried sick about our Georgian friends and fellow volunteers there and are watching the situation closely. Unfortunately, John Edwards couldn't keep it in his pants and now his infidelity is occupying the cable news. I've included some news links and first hand accounts below that might interest any of you trying to keep up on the situation there. I'll try to update it when possible as I hear news from those over there.

Links that may update their news on Georgia more regularly:
http://eurasianet.org/
http://www.civilgeorgia.ge/eng/
http://georgia.usembassy.gov/
http://www.alertnet.org/
http://wwitv.com/portal.htm?http://wwitv.com/television/index.html?http://wwitv.com/tv_channels/7123.htm (you can watch Georgian TV station Rustavi2 live on this I think).
We haven't really heard much from the Peace Corps volunteers still in Georgia. Many of the phones have been down since Russian bombs have taken out some of the cell towers, including one in Gori. One volunteer in Gori is said to have had all her office windows blown out by a bomb that struck nearby. People in Launchkhuti say they've seen the bombs or missles flying overhead. It was confirmed with locals that some bombs dropped in Poti, a port town on the Black Sea.

I'll update this as I receive news.

10... 9... 8... 7...

With one week to go I can't even begin to describe what I'm feeling. I'm not a terribly emotional person, but I think departing is going to be an absolute roller coaster of emotions. Saying goodbye to my host family is going to be hard. I've lived with them at their house longer than any place except my parents. Saying goodbye to the close friends who've shared the good times and bad times won't be easy.

On the other hand there is a lot of excitement, not just to be getting home to see everyone, but also it means I don't have to put up with some of the hassles I've had to endure here. I'm looking forward to not standing out in a crowd and being stared at everywhere I go. I can't wait to be anonymous.

So there's only a few more supras to go and then one long mini-bus ride across the country. The puppy needs one more shot and then I think we're set. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will all go smoothly, but that seems to never be the case here. The unexpected always seems to happen.

I don't have any photos to post because my laptop chord broke and the battery is dead. Once I get back to the states I'll load a bunch more on this. I plan also to photograph all the delicious foods I'm going to eat in Seattle and Texas and post them for the PCVs still in Georgia to look at. And then that should be pretty much it for this blog...

See you all soon.

PS: I apologize to Judy for the delay in my posts. For all of you who keep track of Paige through my blog because she NEVER updates hers here's an update: Paige is doing well. She is eating 3 square meals a day and getting plenty of rest. She's been working on her tan at the beach and researching jobs in Seattle. She's been going over family photos with me and quizzing me on every one's identity (I keep getting Hunter and Hudson and Harrison mixed up). We'll be back in Texas in early August just in time for the serious heat. She's looking forward to eating BBQ and Ma Sue and Julie's home cooking as well drinking a margarita and catching up with everyone.

More Maka

I CLEAN UP MAKA'S MESS ON JEFF'S CARPET

So it turns out that airlines and airports are all part of a vast conspiracy to keep Paige and I from returning with our puppy. We've spent much of the past two weeks battling with them, making repeated phone calls, trips to airline offices, sending emails and all the rest. It's been an absolute nightmare.

MAKA ALSO ENJOYS SNEAKING INTO THE STORE ROOM TO EAT THE SPILLED CORN FLOUR

But finally it seems like we might be out of the woods--although with an increased price tag for our tickets. This dog is proving to be expensive. However, since everything has consistently gone wrong with this we aren't prepared to congratulate ourselves just yet. As it stands now, we will by flying home on the 17th with our puppy stored below in the luggage area. She'll have all of her shots and her puppy passport.

In the meantime, I've been busy shuttling her between my village and Tbilisi for her vet appointments. For a small puppy, she behaves really well on the five hour trips to the capital on crowded mini-buses. Mostly she just sleeps, which is a nice vacation from her other hobbies of chewing my pant legs, eating chicken crap in the yard and finding dead chickens and birds to snack on in the vineyard. I think no matter how well we train her, she will always be part street dog.

SHE HAS AN AWKWARD RUNNING STYLE