We have cancelled our internet service

We are looking into alternatives right now but I don't know when we will have something in place.

Hopefully I'll be back online soon.

When are you going to update your blog?

I've been getting emails asking this. Well, let me tell you, I'm not neglecting my blog. Oh, no. But my internet connection is on the fritz and I have limited connectivity. My internet connection is up for 5 minutes and then down for 3 hours. I type an entry for the blog, spell check it and by the time I'm ready to post it, POOF, my internet is gone.

According to the Internet Gods here in Tbilisi, it seems that someone has put an unlicensed transmitter on the radio tower that we get our signal from and it is interfering with our signal. David and I were shocked that there was such a thing as a "licensed" signal in Tbilisi. Apparently, the company that we receive our internet service from has complained to the Georgian gov't. And apparently the Georgian gov't shrugged their shoulders and said "uh, what the hell are we supposed to do? Have you seen our economy? Our unemployment rate? Yeah, bootleg radio signals are just not a priority for us". So the company that provides our internet is having to change everything - from the transmitters on the tower to the receivers at every business and home. They should get to us, oh, sometime next week. I'm not holding my breath. In the meantime, I will blog it up in MS Word or Notepad or some other word processing program and post them when I can connect.

Happy Fourth of July. Send food.

We celebrated last night with a picnic and fireworks hosted by the American Embassy and the American Chamber of Commerce here in Tbilisi at Turtle Lake. We all had a great time, Blaine, I think, had the best time of all.

It's an odd feeling to celebrate American Independence in a foreign country. The hot dogs and hamburgers (not to mention the potato salad and "baked" beans) don't taste quite the same. The majority of the people surrounding you, celebrating with you, are not Americans. They are Georgians, most of whom either work at the Embassy or are related to someone who works at the Embassy. They are there to enjoy the food, the drink, the music and the camaraderie, but they are not there to hold their hand over their heart and sing the Star Spangled Banner when the fireworks start.

It was a fun night. But it also made me reflect on what I miss about America. It made me nostalgic for all the things that most Americans take for granted. And I'm not talking about stuff like our freedom and the first amendment. No, I'm talking about the important stuff. Like the ability to get a sub sandwich. Sliced deli meat. Hershey's chocolate. Buffalo wings. A Frosty from Wendy's. You know, the really, really, important stuff. Well, it's important when you are pregnant and you can't get it. If anyone can ship me a sub and have it stay fresh during the three week trip, I'll be forever grateful. Roast beef, please. Provolone cheese. Lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayo. I don't care for Subway - if you can find a nice mom & pop sub shop, that would be great.