And The Beat Goes On...

This is my friend's husband, Kyle, holding a deodorant with the brand name Str8. I've seen this brand throughout the Balkans (this photo was taken in Sofia). I asked Kyle to look as straight as possible so I could take his picture and who knows, maybe start our own ad campaign. It's a little blurry due to the setting on my camera, but I think you get the picture. I tease my gay friends that if they ever need to pretend to be straight to let me know, I have the product for them. So let me know, I can pick some up for you.

Last night, I ran for 35 minutes, for a total of 8 songs. The cooler weather is ideal for running and I think my pace is getting faster. It also seemed like I was breathing a lot more exhaust and pollution than my prior two times. I would have to say the highlight was getting cut off by a garbage truck. Not only did I have to come to a dead stop, but then I was running behind it for a bit until I could cross the street safely. While it smelled pretty rank, I am grateful that it wasn't mid summer rot.

Having internet on my Mac in my apartment has changed my life. I chatted with my Gramma, my Jones, a Macedonian friend, a college friend and Manuel. Oh my! Oh and Cata and Jennie, last but certainly not least.

Yesterday was fairly stressful, watching the markets throughout Europe drop, then seeing the American stock exchange plummet in the first 10 minutes of opening. I am not going to lie - I am freaked out. I have to find a job that pays well enough to repay my student loans. I haven't heard back from many places I've applied. I am being extorted (well, it feels like that) from my student health insurance. Add to that the dollar is dropping against the Euro and I am feeling a bit nervous about my financial situation. So far, the dollar and the MKD (Macedonian Denar) are exchanging at much better rates than earlier this summer. Here's to hoping. Needless to say, I have not been sleeping well and my nerves are fairly fragile.

Tonight is coffee with one of my new Macedonian friends, assuming I can get everything together. The last thing I want to do is complain about my financial situation to anyone living in this country. I am blessed - I will most likely become employed at a position that reflects my educational and experiential background and I have a family that is financially stable...on a scale of 1 - 100 with 100 being total gender equity, Macedonia scores 55.5 regarding economic activity of men and women. I know women in this region are more likely to remain unemployed after pursuing a degree in higher education than their male counterparts. My friend, Tony, has a friend here who is trained to be an architect, but she is selling cosmetics. She graduated 4 years ago. Many of the servers at the cafes are college graduates. Stumbling markets in Europe, the US and Asia mean that economic situation here is not going to improve anytime soon.