Portuguese meetup

Tonight we checked out the Portuguese Language Meetup Group that we found with meetup.com.

We went to the always delicious Camila's on International Drive in Orlando. It is a Brazilian buffet-- I love the chicken and french fries with black beans over the top. About eight people showed up, about half Brazilian so I got some good Portuguese practice in. Everyone there was really nice and we had a lovely time.

Meetup.com has groups for many languages (and just about any other subject you can think of) so if you want to get some conversational practice in I would definitely recommend it.

(this is the Camila's bus)

alligator on the St. John's river

The first alligator I have seen since moving to Florida. It was sunning itself on the bank of the St. John's river, and swam away after we buzzed by in our little boat. We saw many more that day, but this is officially the first.

I'm still getting used to the thought of kayaking with them. I figured I'd start with the fishing boat and go from there...

fighting AIDS in Botwswana

My friend Kara is heading off to Botswana with the Peace Corps to do AIDS education and prevention. Botswana is one of the countries that has been hardest hit by the disease, with almost a quarter of the population infected. But it is also a country that is leading the way in addressing the problem.

The photo here is from a book I did some publicity for called Hope in the Dark. The photographer, Jeremy Cowart, did an amazing job of capturing the pain, tragedy, hope, strength, joy and tremendous beauty he found as he traveled through the country. The website for the book also includes a list of organizations that are working to fight the problem. Just in case you want to help out too...

I want to find an underground river!

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Cave divers in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula have discovered what may be the world's longest underground river, connecting two cave systems with a waterway at least 95 miles long. Link (Reuters)