My First Challenge!

I've been looking for a blogging challenge to participate in for a while now, but couldn't quite find the right one.  So I decided to make my own!  I'm inviting all the bloggers I know on the island (or who used to live on the island) to participate in my "10 Days in Dominica" challenge too.  You can check out some of their posts from my Blogs I Love page during the month of October.

Here are the questions I'll answer over the first 10 days in October.

Food for Thought

I've been in Dominica too long.  Tonight, as I was picking the bugs out of the pot of boiling pasta, instead of a normal response like,

my thought was, 

Pin Day Wednesday

I am in love with Pinterest.  For those of you who have been living under a rock for the last few months, Pinterest is a new way to "pin" things you find and like on the internet to a virtual "pinboard."

What's so special about that?  First of all, your friends are probably already using Pinterest and have created boards of their own.  After you join, you can then see anyone you follow's pins on your home screen.  Pinterest also lets you search by topic, user, board type, etc. on the "everyone" board.  Each pin tracks back to it's original pinner as well as the website it came from.  It is addicting, trust me. 

Without further ado, I present:

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So many pretty pretty things at Pinterest.  If you are already a Pinterest Addict, you can follow my boards by clicking here:

Happy Birthday MoFo

Possibly one of the most odd thoughtful birthday presents I've ever received, this miniature version of Beyonce the 5 foot metal chicken made my {birth}day.  If you don't know about Beyonce, you need to stop what you are doing and go read this post and then this one by The Bloggess.  If you aren't laughing so hard you are crying by the end of it, your sense of humor must be broken. 

My friends know me well.  They even baked me some awesome tie-dye cupcakes with the most amazing frosting I've ever had.  You can check out the recipe on Crystal's new blog, A Little Lovely. 

Don't those look heavenly?  I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends on this island.  Last year, I described my birthday as "simple" and never imagined what an incredible adventures were waiting for me. 

Not only did my friends and I have a great time out, Chris and I also went on a trip to Roseau to stay at the Fort Young Hotel.  (sorry for the crappy picture.) We swam in the endless pool, had a delicious steak dinner, and the most amazing white chocolate mousse dessert.  The best part?  Air conditioning so cold we got to sleep cuddled up under the blankets.

Temperatures in Dominica

This week has been miserably hot.  Burning forehead, sweat dripping down my back, even the AC only takes the edge off hot.  It's 11:00 at night, and the only reason I'm not sweating is because I have a fan blasting 4 ft away.  In my year of living in Dominica, I have discovered that I can pretty much predict the weather on any given day based on the following information.

"But what about the rain?" you ask.  From my experience, if it was hot before it rained it will be hot after it rains.  This chart is 99.9% accurate, I guarantee it or your money back.  Why else would Dominica be the 10th least populated country in the world?!

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer

Everything about this book was unique and special including the formatting and layout of the pages and chapters.  I love it when a book surprises me.  Blank pages, photos, even a short flip book at the end, all made me look forward to turning the next page.  Oskar Schell is a lovable boy who captivated my attention with his antics and ability to say things in a way that is both honest and thoughtful.  Oskar, in his own way, deals with life after losing his father in the September 11th attacks.  With the 10 year anniversary of that terrible day approaching, I would definitely recommend this story.

Birthday Wishlist

In a perfect world (aka America) where you can order things online and have them shipped to you within a week, this would be my Birthday Wishlist this year.

 Forever & Ever, wooden and leather iPad2 case by Grove

iNecklace, glowing "breathing" power symbol by Adafruit

I heart California necklace by Truche on Etsy

Gold & Diamond Feather Ring by Fire and Ice

My first Guest Post!

Nikki from Life of Ikkins invited me to do a guest post on her blog.  You can read the guest post here: Live from Dominica Part 2.  It's all about what life has been like living in Dominica as a medical student's wife.  Check it out!

Ichthyophobia

Hi, my name is Katie and I am afraid of fish.  Specifically the idea of eating fish or touching fish makes me feel all ookey inside.  I get this weird feeling in the small of my back that makes me wriggle when I think about either of those things.  Also, I have problems with smelling fish or being too close to fish.

I know what you are thinking, how do I handle scuba diving?  First of all, I wear a wetsuit while diving to minimize the chances of actual skin contact with a fish.  But there is also something magical about scuba diving because when I'm down there, it's like being an observer in a completely different world.  The fish don't care that I'm down there watching them, and I do my best to give them (and me) some serious elbow room.

I've had some recent encounters with fish that have made the people around me curious.  This last week we went to dinner at Iguana Cafe where they primarily cook fish.  The guy next to me ordered shrimp, so I thought I knew what was coming.  Instead of typical American shrimp though, the waiter puts this massive crayfish down right next to me.  I immediately jumped up with my plate because it felt like the extra long antennas were going to touch me or my food.  Uck!

While snorkeling in Champagne Bay I pushed the limits of my fear by being so close to so many fish.  Snorkeling there was beautiful, but there were just too many fish at once.  At one point, there were several schools of fish that kept surrounding us, and I ended up swimming directly behind one of my friends hoping her movements would make the fish swim off.  I started to get all queasy inside and felt the need to get out of the water immediately- which makes no sense at all.

I like to call my problem a "mental allergy."  Rationally, I know fish are not going to hurt me.  I know that eating a bite won't kill me.  However, I just can't bring myself to eat or touch one. 

What's really interesting is how my fear of fish effects other people.  There's always a person who wants to trick me into eating or touching a fish.  And always a person who sympathizes because they have their own {irrational} fear.  The latter are usually the kind I ask to taste-test dishes that look 'fishy.'