posted 7/21/06

Entry: 7/18/06






So, it’s 5:00 in the morning. Tonya has been up since 12 am. I’ve been up since 4:00. The first entry in my journal was going to be about our travels to Fiji and our initial experiences upon arriving. That will have to wait. There are more pressing matters right now.
Let me paint a picture of the idealic resort in which we are staying. It’s actually quite lovely nestled in the rainforest blanketed hills surrounding Suva. We have a cozy room with a balcony that overlooks a beautiful pond with the most fairytale waterlillies I’ve ever seen. There are beautiful birds that are like jewels in the trees and the breeze is absolutely delightful (although a bit cold for Fiji). But as the sun goes down and the night wears on… the fairytale becomes a ghoulish nightmare. The pond transforms into a dank, bog inhabited by the most vile frogs that evil could create. Actually, it’s more like one crazy-ass frog that WON”T SHUT UP! It sounds at times like a car alarm and at other times like an overly dramatic actor screaming “ee-ya-o”. And sometimes it just goes “CHIRP!” It really does sound desperate. Tonya and I have decided that it’s the biggest loser of all the frogs and is trying to get someone, anyone to give it attention. Every once in a while, we can hear a frog return its call from far away. I don’t get it…. What’s that point? I don’t find the ecological relevance in screaming all night long in the hopes of finding a mate. Aren’t there other frogs in the same pond? Can’t you just quietly call for them to let them know you’re interested? It seems like a waste of energy to megaphone your call across the island to distant ponds. Maybe he’s tired of all the frogs in the little pond and wants the wild life of the big pond with all of its different kinds of frogs. I wish he’d strike out on an adventure and either find the pond of his dreams or get run over by a car. Okay, that was a bit dramatic, but Tonya and I have already been plotting his death for several nights now. It would just be easier than having to find night vision goggles and a BB gun. But, I suppose that since tonight is our last night here, we can spare his little life. Who knows, maybe he’ll get lucky.