Am I getting fired??

Well--those of you who know me (and who is reading this that doesn't know me) know that at times I can be less than diplomatic. Today is a classic example. I said what many in the room where thinking but didn't (because they have sense!). Anyway, my comment was said in a reasonable tone, but the State dept official to whom I was speaking clearly had a sore spot. This has to do with some Sudan discussions we're having right now and I'm certainly not going to talk about it in a public forum, but lets just said it wasn't pretty (though some where proud of me). I don't really think I would get fired, but I probably could have been a little more sensitive.

Anyway, just another day at the office....well, not really. But still...I don't have much else to report. It's cold here, though not as cold. I've started training again and tonight my bike kicked my butt. That was rough. I highly recommend exercising while watching "The Biggest Loser" on NBC. It's a good motivator.

Talk to you all soon!!!
Love,
Jane

Triathlon Training begins!

Well, while May 18 seems far away, it is a short time for me to drop the weight I gained in Khartoum and get back in to gear. So I created a training plan (courtesy of internet guidance) and am off and running, literally, and biking of course. Swimming is definitely the easy one for me....though I do need a new team. I'm going to check out the YMCA Masters team today...see if they're up to my lofty standards! :-) I'm sure you're all fascinated by this....so I'll keep you posted!

Other than that, not too much news from here. It's a long weekend so I'm hoping that I get some of the things on my to do list done...but have you noticed that the list just keeps growing?? Such a pain. And I'll add things on that I want to do, just so I have some things to cross off!!

So--more from downtown Silver Spring soon!!

Miss you,
Jane

Rain and boredom prevail in early 2008

Hi all,

Nothing new and/or exciting in this installment. I holed up for most of the weekend. I did take Lily to the local park for a few hours where I ran into an "old" dog park friend of mine who I haven't seen for months, and someone from my swim team. So that was interesting. I also found out that a friend of mine has thyroid cancer. So 2008 continues to stink! Hopefully it will end on a high note. I said that maybe it started so tragically that it woudl end with something like an engagement (not that there are any prospects). My sister has already found a wedding dress maker and a rehearsal dinner location so we clearly know that she's on board!!

Anyway--just back and work and the daily grind.

Hope all is well with all of you....but drop me a line!!

Jane

Back to "usual"

Hi all,

It's been a while since I've written. The past week has been rough. On Tuesday I went to Buffalo for the wake and funeral of John. If you want to see a local story on it, google ABC + buffalo + "O.P. Church Packed for Diplomat's Funeral" and you can watch a clip.

So now I'm home and trying to get back in to the routine. This weekend I'll be doing the usual cleaning, trying to get organized, getting my act in gear to exercise etc. My place is still a mess from my trip and then post-Christmas unpacking. So hopefully I'll get my act in gear. I also want to go see a movie (Juno, Charlie Wilson's war). Any takers??

Hope you're all doing well and more soon,
Jane

More about John Granville

Hi all,

Details are still a bit vague. But here's what I know. John had been with a few friends for dinner and then to the British club for a NYE party. He and a friend left, she was dropped off first. The car, a few blocks from him house, was fired upon. AbdelRahman, our driver, was killed at the scene. John died later from his substantial injuries.

John is returning to the US tomorrow and some of us will try to be at the airport here in DC. I will also try to go to the service mid-week for John in his hometown in New York. Also, his dog Cooper, should be arriving in the coming days. Hopefully I'll be briefly reunited with him here or in New York.

There are lots of articles now about John, just google John Granville, and you can see all about him. As they report, he was definitely committed to his work and would rather have been living in Juba (the capitol of South Sudan) than Khartoum. But he was making his home in Khartoum (and when he had a bbq at his place as a goodbye for a colleague and made grilled paneer just for me!) He had a warm and welcome smile and thought I was nuts for loving his dog even for a few weeks! The last communication I had with him was an emailed thanking me for the presents I had sent out for Cooper and saying he would see me here, in DC, in January. Its tragic that that will never happen.

AbdulRahman was on leave when I left Sudan in mid-December so I didn't get a chance to say goodbye. But he was great. As I said earlier, he looked serious when he wasn't smiling but the smile was easy to get. He was quiet and courteous and so happy to be a dad. We hired him in 2004 as part of our initial team to help immediately following the violence in Darfur. He has stayed with us since. He leaves behind his wife Fatma and a 1-year old son. It's my understanding that USAID is setting up a global fund for contributions for his son.

Here's a nice photo of Adelrahman Abbas Rahama


Thanks for the comments and well wishes I've received.

More soon,
Jane

A Sad Loss

Hi all,

For those of you who saw the news this a.m. you'll see that a USAID official and driver were killed in Khartoum early New Year's Day.

The USAID official is John Granville...a friend of mine and ownder of Cooper, the dog that I took care of a couple of times. John worked for the Democracy and Governance Bureau and had lived in Nairobi for several years covering southern Sudan. His death is a great loss to all of us. This is a photo of him with our friend Andrea at the New Year's Eve party.

The driver was Abdul Rahman. He was one of my favorite drivers...soft spoken, funny, and very helpful with my bad arabic, and had a smile that reached all the way to his eyes. He leaves behind a wife and a young child.