Double Ubuntu On A Thursday Afternoon With Hope That Friday Is Even Better. In The Meantime, Happy Weekend.

We arrived home from work yesterday and there was a package from University of Western Florida. It was sent from Dr. Susan James and her cohort of 26 teachers who participated in their invitational leadership institute. Earlier this summer, I did a presentation for their cohort via Skype on the importance of UBUNTU in building writing communities. They found this shirt that reads, "I Am, Because We Are: UBUNTU" and had it sent to my house. It was wonderful to receive a gift out of the blue, especially one that was so special and unexpected.

Better yet, I had guests coming over for dinner who will be teaching Ubuntu Academy with Abu and Lossine this summer. As I was at the grill making burgers, they arrived with a present from Nicaragua...a stuffed, lacquered frog carrying a bottle of whisky. Yes, it is beyond bizarre, but totally appreciated - my first stuffed frog of the many frogs that have been given to me.

It's small, out-of-the-blue tokens of appreciation that I cherish the most as they motivate me to keep working harder and thinking about additional ways to bring people together.

Lossine and I, by the way, were the Corn Hole Champions for the evening, but something tells me our guests (and Abu and Chitunga) will be back for more.

Also, shared with my guests an evening of Big Brother and then the twins made us watch Impractical Jokers. I told them they were entitled to make fun of me for my odd summer viewing pleasures and as I explained my show to them they were more than welcome to pass jokes (which they only did slightly). I think, uh oh, I may have recruited new viewers to the mindless programming.

But I have a new t-shirt and a frightening frog for Mt. Pleasant and it's Friday. Time for prom #1 for Little Lab for Big Imaginations.  I can't wait to see the lil' ones perform their week of writing!