Subtle communication

My wife believes in subtle communication. Understanding her feelings, opinions, and desires is more of an art than a science. To me at least.

Every once in a while, though, I get a clear signal.

Like her username for one website is "Poorcustomerservice."

This is also kind of fun. "If you are not poorcustomerservice, please log out..." "We have some great products for poorcustomerservice."

She comments, "Shows how disenchanted I am with that company. It's a wonder I need an ID for that kind of company, eh?"

Party at President’s Home

My favorite outing so far in Yola was a dinner that we went to as a family provided for by the AUN President Margee Ensign. She is a very kind woman. The dinner was to welcome new faculty and staff. We were picked up at our home at 16 flats. On the shuttle I met a really nice couple, Jorgee and Diana. I really loved Diana, she was kind and comfortable to talk to. They will both be working for AUN and came from South America. I hope to get to know them both better.
When we got to there we chatted and met people and were invited to start eating by Margee. It was a lovely meal, delicious, plentiful, and good variety. There were also people to meet that had been at AUN for a long time to greet us. While eating, when we were almost done, everyone was invited to introduce themselves. It was nice, I wish I had a piece of paper to help me remember names. A very kind person also offer to let us use their driver to get home early. After we introduced ourselves last in the group, we left and put our little ones to bed.
Prince was occupied by Daddy’s phone for some of the time, but was losing ground fast a little bit before we left.
It was a comfortable and happy evening. Thanks Margee.
----Joy
Derrill adds: By the time it was our turn to introduce ourselves, Prince was going just a little crazy. He pulled on my face and distorted it and was almost wrestling with me. So with this monkey on me, I introduced myself as “my son’s plaything.” Someone asked what courses Prince teaches. I answered, “He teaches me to have fun.”

Princess' Blessing

Last month we were in California to have Princess blessed at my parents' church. Both of my grandmothers were able to attend and my brother and his wife recently moved there too, so it was a right proper family reunion. She was blessed in the same outfit in which I and my mother brother were blessed ... possibly my grandmother too. I can trust my parents to chime in and correct me if I'm wrong. My mother made it. Apparently there was an older cap that had been used for three generations (hence my confusion), but Joy crocheted this bonnet.

Joining me in the blessing itself were my father, my brother, the bishop, the stake president, and a brother who had been stuck advising me and my cohort as a bishop's counselor for the better part of four teenage years. There are other dear friends and advisers I would have gladly asked to join us, but poor planning on my part prevented it. It was a lovely event, though next time (?) we need to find someone to watch Prince and Princess so Joy can appreciate it too.

My fellow Americans, we are joined here
to celebrate the birth of a new nation,,uh, person,
the first Watson daughter in over 100 years.
I will strive to be worthy of the vast
expectations and dreams that have been
entrusted me  - foisted upon me, really -
from my earliest hours. And furthermore...

She drones on and on, man. C'mon.
It's not like we haven't seen a baby before.

Family Market

Yesterday we all went to the market. There were several people who went in the AUN shuttle and I was doubly glad that I had been the only one two weeks ago. Our driver, instead of walking around with us, relaxed in the shuttle. We happily found vegetables and baking supplies. We looked at other things that we didn't buy. We also got some baby powder. It was not too hot, and I am happy to report that we didn't get rained (except for a couple of drops while we waited for the shuttle). We had some children follow us a while who were looking for money.
One of the fun things was at the cake store where Prince played catch with some kids with his Nemo fish (yes the one that is now gone). We haven't seen him willing to play with many children since we have been here. They were much older than him, but it was very cute.
It was the happiest thing for our family this weekend and I am grateful that we went.
 -- Joy

Almost Everything is Mario

Prince has definitely got Mario on the brain. Pop and Jule got him a Mario game for DS just before we left. He enjoyed it [pictured].

Then we got our transformers to charge the DS, found out the Wii doesn't work, and instituted a new set of rewards for Prince. Instead of X's on charts that signify he hadn't been bad, we now give him "Prince points" when he is actively good out of his alphabet blocks. It does a much better job of encouraging good behavior, and that cuts down on the negatives too. He has started helping us put things on the table for meals and cleaning up again because he gets points for each of those.

5 points means he can either watch Backyardigans' Tale of the Mighty Knights or play on the DS for 15 minutes. Lately the DS has been winning. Winning so much that all his toys have turned into Mario Friends. In this version, Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Peach have all been captured by Bowser and put in cages. It's up to Yoshi to free them one by one.

Mickey friends are Mario friends: Minnie is Mario because she wears red. Donald is Luigi. Pluto is Yoshi. I forget who Mickey is. Who is Mickey, Prince? "Mickey is Bowser, but Bowser is outside the castle, Mickey is Bowser outside the castle. Goofy is a little Toad."
All his plushes are Mario friends: Mario and Luigi are themselves; Sorcerer Mickey is Wario; "Mickey Colors" is Yoshi; Tyrone is Princess Peach.
Pixar's Cars are Mario friends: the green car in the final race is Bowser; Mater is a goomba. I think that is a wonderful color choice, personally. "Lightning McQueen is not a Mario friend." Neither is King, apparently.
Prince is all of them rolled into one. Sometimes I get to be Luigi. Sometimes Mommy is Luigi, sometimes Peach, sometimes Toad.
Red and green baby books are a Mario game and a Luigi game. A toy hairbrush is a DS. On and on it goes.

He has started for the first time doing what I remember doing through much of my childhood: enacting his games throughout the house. He pulled up chairs to block the hallway, declaring he needs enough superstars or keys to get through the door; identifying where the castle is; putting toys in various cages so he can free them; and buying stars from Bowser for coins. Yesterday at Yakubu's, he sat on the floor using a shopping basket to imprison and then rescue Nemo (Mario). Nemo was sadly lost somewhere in the modern market, though, so "I don't call him Mario anymore."

Children and Pain

"Daddy, I don't like it when you're Dr. Daddy."

Prince scraped his leg today jumping around outside. So Dr. Daddy needed to come in, clean the wound, and then apply bandaids. This brought on misery and anguish beyond degree.

Once they were applied and he had finally stopped crying, I had a chance to interview him as to why exactly he doesn't like Dr. Daddy.

"Doctors give me shots. I don't like shots."
Son, I can't give you shots.
"... o_o ...? "
That's right. I don't have any shots to give you and I don't know how to even if I had them. I cannot give you shots.
"I like Dr. Daddy! And I like Dr. Mommy. I just don't like any other doctors."

We tried explaining later why he needs shots, but we're not quite there yet.

[pictured: Prince has claimed the ownership of my AUN polo shirts and hats because they turn him into Super Mario. They are also an ideal length for a potty-training boy.]
---------------------------

In other news, Princess rolled over. She rolled over off the couch and under the coffee table. She recovered quickly; her mother is another story.

Food Prices in Yola

Right now, the official exchange rate between Naira (Neye-rah) and US Dollars is around 150, and that is the number I'm going to use to translate prices here. I have been mildly surprised to find remarkably steady prices (over a 3 week period, granted) when I buy things from different vendors who will haggle. 

6-7 oranges is $1.33 in the modern market and outside of the expat stores and from some random vendor along the roadside.

A loaf of bread is $1.10 with anyone I've talked to. I forget what oranges cost in the US, but that's less than half the price of a loaf of bread, and it's really good bread. It holds up well, it's soft, it's sweet [Joy does not always appreciate that sweetness], and often it's a bit larger than what they offer in the States.

Half a watermelon is $2.67. A rather small cabbage is $0.67; a more normal one is $1.00.

Then there are the items in the expat stores:

A small jar of peanut butter (Skippy) is $3.33, a touch expensive, but a large jar is a shocking $12.

Cans of peaches or pears are $2 each. These two foods are Prince's staples at the moment, so we're very familiar with the price.

Given we're in an area with a high percentage of Muslims, pork products are not widely to be found. A tin of ham costs $4.67. You can also find Spam, but I don't remember the price off the top.

Tuna fish is either $1.33 or $2 depending on the can's brand.

Corned beef is $3.33 or $6 depending on the can's brand.

That, of course, is not counting the box of expired instant mashed potatoes for $8.

Thai rice (110 pound bag) at $0.50/pound

We were worried we would have no cheese, but the first day I found an enormous block of slightly sharp cheddar for a mere $56.

Princess Smiles

Princess started smiling in the airports on our way to Nigeria. A good omen, we thought.

Today, to celebrate my birthday no doubt, she laughed for the first time while awake.

Joy got a lot of pictures of her, and by simply sitting there snapping away got a handful of her beautiful, developing smiles.

Prince patting her head got a lot of the smiles, which also delighted him, of course.





I've been very good at getting her to smile lately. The big thing was making vowel sounds at her. She becomes entranced by my mouth and face, and if we both make the same sound, she gets these big grins on her face that last until I can get the camera.

Joy says, "I'm the only one who can't make her smile." Maybe, but you're the only one who can stop her worst crying, and avoiding unhappiness is a great part of the battle.

 The birthday festivities.

Joy improvised a wonderful four-layer cake: bread, Nutella, bread, Nutella ... Simple and beloved by all.

Joy got me a second copy of Civilization IV - I had lost mine, we got the second copy, and then I found my old one. At the moment, I'm just as glad to have two. Civ IV was such a delight and there was so much of it I hadn't had a chance to explore yet fully... To sit down tonight and play some Civ - my first chance in months - was a real treat.

I also got Scooby Doo's All-Star Laffalympics, if any of you remember that silly Hanna Barbera Saturday morning cartoon of recycled footage. Prince and I watched it this morning, but he was not pleased. "It was too long. Then it ended. I was happy." Then again, he doesn't know any of them. To me, seeing Dynomutt the Dog Wonder or Hong Kong Fooey or all the Yogi's Ark gang bring back many, many memories of hours of delightful cartoons.

My parents gave me some additional presents before we left town. Several are in transit, or would be if they had left New Orleans. The one I'm enjoying most that's with us is a DS game, Radiant Historia, an Anime RPG involving time travel through alternate histories. It ought to be more non-linear than it is, but it's quite entertaining notwithstanding. Very well thought-out.

Food Policy for Developing Countries

I just got my advance copy of my textbook with Per Pinstrup-Andersen. Happy birthday to me! I am exceptionally excited to see this final, polished, beautiful book in my hands. I am also thrilled with the early praise:

"Food Policy for Developing Countries is a comprehensive and deeply insightful guide that will be of great practical value to policymakers, analysts, and students of food policy. It is a worthy capstone contribution that reflects the wealth of knowledge built up over the senior author's long and eminent career, and it should serve as the seminal work on this topic for years to come." -- Benjamin Senauer, University of Minnesota, coauthor of Ending Hunger in Our Lifetime: Food Security and Globalization

"Per Pinstrup-Andersen and Derrill D. Watson II serve up a rich multidisciplinary diet of insights into the incidence, causes, and cures for hunger in developing countries. The exceptional insights dished out by these authors known for their long practical and scholarly experience needs to be savored and digested by every student of food policy for the poor." -- Luther Tweeten, Emeritus Chaired Professor, The Ohio State University

"Per Pinstrup-Andersen and Derrill D. Watson II give us a comprehensive road map for understanding how governments and markets are shaping food outcomes in the developing world. The book provides food policy analysts with a sound political-economy foundation, international data on everything from sustainable farming to consumer food safety, and a complete set of recent and vivid stakeholder-based case studies. I have used the case studies to great advantage in my own classroom. At a moment when interest in global food policy is peaking, this is the book to read." -- Robert Paarlberg, Harvard Kennedy School of Government

Amazon tells me the book is scheduled for release there by Nov 24. Copies will be in the Cornell Bookstore well before that for this semester, though. I know that Cornell University Press is also trying to get interested faculty at other institutions textbooks as quickly as possible.

Prince's World

Church today was about God's love for the world. That means 1 - The gospel is true everywhere and everyone needs the priesthood ordinances only to be found in God's church; but also 2 - God speaks to all peoples to give them more light and truth.

Between that and being inspired by my dean's discussion of how they asked their incoming students at the international program to draw as detailed a map of the world as they could (with the requirement that before graduation they can find every state capital of every country), I drew Prince a quick sketch of our world and we had him color it.

It was easily his best coloring job ever. He wanted to color Africa first in his favorite red. It's the first time he's stayed so well within the lines. I helped a little with the ocean, but otherwise it's all Prince's work.
 -- Derrill