When I look down, I just miss all the good stuff, and when I look up, I just trip over things

This morning David called and he can't find a house in Louisiana, so it looks like a tiny apartment instead, I tripped over a brick in the "road" if you could call that, and embarrassed myself in front of hundreds of people, and I had to interview 8 kids and it made me sad. Boo the 5th of July. The only good thing is that my dear friend Christina Munoz was born on this day 21 years ago. Happy Birthday, Tina.

So back to the interviews. There is nothing take makes me mean more than people being mean to defenseless kids. Several of the children I talked to today were consistently beaten, screamed at, locked in a room all day, abused, given scraps to eat, and one even jumped out a window and almost broke her ankle so she could escape. One of them had lost his entire family to an illness and was consistently depressed b/c he had to change employers 3 times in 7 months b/c they are mean and don't give him enough to eat. One girl's mother said she was taking her to see her sick grandmother and left her with an abusive family that keeps her from school to watch their two children with one on the way (she is 11 years old by the way, she's been working for them since she was 8!!!!). I've interviewed 12 kids in two days and it's been hard to listen but not as hard as it must have been to go through it. I get so angry when the kids are talking that I want to go buy a baseball bat and show their employers what its like to have someone bigger than you beat you up.

I finished editing this start-up NGO's report last night and spent four hours with them trying to formulate a strategic plan. To be honest, I think they are optimistic and haven't done research on things that work. They just read my report and now they want to try putting money into parent's saving's accounts, a suggestion I had written based on success in Brazil with this program. He then asked me if I could convince 100 of my friends to give 50 dollars a month, and I told him that was a lot, but he didn't think it was for Americans. They are nice people, and they have good hearts, but I think it will be a painful learning process for them.

Anyway folks, I'm tired and hungry and my ankle hurts (and my pride) from falling in the street, so goodnight and stay on your feet.