so i’ve not been feeling well the last few days. as a result, there hasn’t been much going on down here. saw the doc today, told me that it’s just a cold, and gave me some meds, so i should be getting back to normal soon. a couple notes…

• Cloverfield has just opened up down here
• the iPhone has successfully been updated to firmware 1.1.1 (this means nothing to you but a lot to me. so suck it.)
• i am becoming addicted to using google reader on my iPhone
• finished my Audio class with a great big A
• beginning my physics class tomorrow morning and not looking forward to it at all.
• i tried watching Stranger than Fiction tonight but lost interest. 
• my blood pressure is very healthy. that’s the best news i’ve had in a while.

sidenote: back in the early, very early, days of bos-network.com, i use to have a weekly “quickie with the Bos” post. 

“Who’s done more research than the good people at the American Tobacco Industry? They say its harmless. Why would they lie? If you’re dead, you can’t smoke. ”

(king pin, 1996) 

hello again fellow netw…helloBos readers. Last night I had the pleasure of taking some time out for 10-pin, having hilarious conversation that stemmed from the green fridge joke to the early days of web design, and finally being insulted and belittled because of the color of my skin oh and also being hit on by the bar man. 

so really what i experienced last night was how to be a woman and a black. not a black woman, cause well, they were separate occasions. 

let’s get started shall we…

So the Wii crew decided that we’d put down the controllers and head for the actual bowling alley. I’d love to say that i had taught them a good ole’ des plaines, we have like 8 bowling alleys (second most successful establishment next to the taqueria), bowling lesson. my friends that wasn’t the case. first of all, I had just gotten done with my gym workout so my right arms was quite sore. second the way the lanes were glazed or whatever you call it, was horrible. it was obvious that you would have needed to practice on their lanes to even come close to getting a good score. Anyway, I didn’t come in last and that’s all that matters.

So we get threw with the bowling and we go towards the bar for a few drinks. I decided I’d pick up this round so I go over to the bar man and tell’em we need a few Heinekens. Now it was probably my accent but right away he knew I was from america. So we get into a little chit chat about how, ‘yes i’m from america’. then he continues on to talk about how all us americans like cinnamon and offers me all these shots that involve some sort of cinnamon. and he wouldn’t back off so i had to tell him, “look, i hate cinnamon so just get us the Heinekens and we’ll think about the shots a little later.” I wasn’t mean about it, but I had to put him in his place…thing about that is, I think he liked it.

Now I’m back at the table, we have our Heinekens, we’re telling jokes, talking about the old days of the internet and our old Angelfire & Geocities accounts and it’s all good fun. What happens next? Our heavy set bar man walks over, puts a couple pints on our table says they’re on the house. Ok cool, I’ll take a free beer, why not. But he doesn’t stop there, he then proceeds to bring us shots, on the house and now i’m thinking, alright let’s take these and get cause clearly, ‘he’s trying to get me drunk.’

Couple beers and a shot later we’ve left the bowling alley/bar and headed for Starlight diner. They have this thing called the Yankee Doodle burger. It’s massive, I’ll post the photo of it soon. Anyway, we reckon we’ll all have one. The burger was massive. it was delicious. but it was all spoiled cause of a real racist incident.

A black woman walks over to our table, she’s drunk and she just starts laughing at us. say’s, “You know what I love about coming to Starlight at night? All you white people get so confused whenever we come over to talk to you and you all look ridiculous.” So my instinct right away is to say “well you know what else is funny, all you blacks look the same to me.” That’s just my wiener circle instinct coming out. But you see, had I said that, the two groups of black people that we were sitting between probably would have made sure I would never have the opportunity to write this blog post.

Anyway, so the racist black woman left and so did we. And I don’t think I’ve ever been on the other end of a racist remark based on the color of my skin. But let me just say this…

I have a dream that my little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. (MLK)

I have a dream that my little children will one day also live in a world where they can laugh in the face of racism and not have to live in this double standard world, where one race can discriminate against others and then start an uproar once they feel the pain they have also caused! (Bos) 

“It’s not every man that can live off the land, you know. You do your own thing in your own time. You should be proud. ”
(easy rider, 1969)

Things have been a bit slow as of late around here. You know after the birth of Anastasia and the very lame Super Bowl we had this year. We’re all beginning to adjust to having an infant around the house and what that entails.

So I’ve decided that in the best interest of the blog for now, I would post random things until the excitement starts to pick up again around here.

and trust me, it will. some may say that it already has. just an hour ago I was getting my full body and it was marvelous. then i had my chocolate frio drink at the vida cafe, and that too was magnificent. so you see, the day to day lifestyle here is almost perfect. There’s just a little bit too much wind right now.

I’m going to make this short because it’s now 11:43 PM SA time and as you remember we’ve been up and at it since 4am.

By now, I’m sure all of you have heard that Koula & Dimitri had a little baby girl. Anastasia Danae Philippou came into this world @ 5:27 pm weighing in at 3.12 kilos. (312 coincidence there? I think not. This baby has Chicago in it from birth!) That’s 6.9 pounds. Baby Anastasia is 48 cm long, that’s 18.9 inches. And she’s so beautiful with a head of black hair and big blue almond shaped eyes. I cannot explain how exciting the entire process was and how much of a blessing it was to experience it with Koula & Dimitri. Anastasia is a blessing to us all. She’s extended our family generation to 5! Which is incredible and so exciting.

I’m beyond myself right now. I’ve attached a photo for you all to see baby and mom and dad. But Maria should have sent you guys photos that I’ve sent to her and asked to pass along. Hope you’re all doing well. Mom, Dad, Baby, Grandma, and Uncle here are all doing well, we’re just all a bit tired. So with that, thanks for reading my emails. I hope they’ve been a day brightener for you all and you’ll surely receive more emails/photos from us soon.

with love,
Uncle Biko

Ok. so we’re all awake, it’s 4:45am and just got off the phone with Maraki. She said she has insider information, coming from the source, of the baby kicking and moving like crazy. Apparently the baby was so active last night that Kou didn’t get much sleep. These are Maraki’s rumour’s take them fro what they’re worth. :-)

We’re starting phase two right now. We’re going to the hospital very soon to visit Koula and see how things are going. The next update will probably be via telephone.

with love,
Biko

PS: I’m a bit grumpy b/c mom left all the windows open last night cause it was hot and now we’re both itching all over out bodies. Does she listen to me when I tell her that malaria flies around at night and bites you? I mean mosquito’s? Of course not.

***Disclaimer***
Fellow Bos-Network loyal readers. The following posts, the “phase” posts are emails that are being sent out to my family. They are regarding my sister’s pregnancy, which was the sole reason for coming to Cape Town, South Africa. I hope you’ll enjoy reading these messages as much as you’ve enjoyed reading my other posts. I must tell you now, I will not be doing anything creative such as the quotes. But not to worry, they’ll be back as soon as things get back to normal here. Until then, all the best!
****************

Just thought I’d update you all on Koula’s status. We’ve shipped her off to the hospital where they’re going to induce her. She took a couple pills at 12:00 AM South Africa time and right now it’s 1:20 AM SA time. Mom, Dimitri & Me are all home now. We plan on waking up around 4:30 AM to go to the hospital as they’ll be giving Koula the next set of pills at 5:00 AM and hopefully then she’ll start having her contractions.

We’ve packed a hefty bag, actually a couple bags and a suitcase for Koula. Everything from pajamas to her iPod are with her. We’ll be taking the video camera there tomorrow to film the whole process (thanks Goof for the tripod), so that when they come back and visit us in Chicago, everyone can have a chance to see the birth!

Everyone is doing fine. Mom got a bit emotional, but that’s normal, so there shouldn’t be any concern. Dimitri is keeping cool. Koula seems to be doing fine. We heard the baby’s heartbeat and it’s racing, he can’t wait to get out of Koula. Imagine, 40 weeks with Koula. :-) And I am just dreading having to wake up in a couple hours.

There’s nothing to worry about. Everyone is healthy & happy.

We’re going to cover the entire birth on Film, Camera, Email, Telephone. Everyone will be informed and we’re hoping for the best…soon!

With Love,
Biko

” Dude that chick’s a MILF! ”
(american pie)

The other night I continued my concert going ways here in South Africa. If you recall a couple weeks ago I was at Elton John, seeing a legend known for his wonderful ability to move you with the piano and his beautiful lyrics. This concert experience I saw another legend, known for his ability to sing in some 16 different languages and the most successful latino singer there ever was…but most importantly he’s shagged over 3,000 different women. I saw Julio Iglesias.

Now if you ever wanted to be at a concert where the average age of the audience is 40+ and they’ve all been through menopause, then a Julio concert is where you want to be at. I’ve never seen so many older women twist their panties and get excited about .. Julio! I mean you should’ve seen them…these ladies haven’t moved like that since the backseat of their high school prom. It was the weirdest thing and almost a bit frightening.

To say the least, I felt really out of place and it was a little bit awkward. Think of this contrast. Julio is in his mid 60’s. He’s relying on a little blue pill to add to that 3,000. Yet to these 40+ year old ladies, he’s still a sex icon and in between every song Julio talks about how, “after you hear this song, you get pregnant tonight in vertical position!” and the ladies scream and love it. Meanwhile, this guy can’t even get it up anymore and these chicks can’t even get pregnant. Wha!?!

I wonder if it’s the complete opposite demographic at an Enrique Iglesias concert…a concert I would much rather be at. I bet he’s got hot chicks there that are just hitting their early twenties, looking to have a good time and don’t have to carry around a little blue pill for their man. I’m not saying I want to inquire any time soon. I think one Iglesias family concert is enough for me, right now.

Now the quote above doesn’t really spell out exactly how I felt about the concert or exactly what I saw. In a way it does, but I think for a Julio concert, although there’d probably be milfs there, they’re also probably one step higher on the totem pole. With a capital G.

Hey Now!

It’s not what you think. I’m still in South Africa, but as I was scrounging around IMDB to look for something clever to put in my titles that you’ve all come to appreciate and enjoy, I found this: http://imdb.com/title/tt0405787 . and the main movie page is www.bosisback.com

wha!? pretty crazy I know, I was dumb founded when I saw this as well. I really need to move towards copyrighting my name. Before I know it, I’ll be regretting it. Seriously though, down here Bos is everywhere. I kid you not really. KirstenBOSch, rooiBOS tea, stellenBOSch, BOS moving, i mean the list continues. Just walk down the street and you’ll run into something BOS. Amazing really.

So no creative title today.

Moving forward. The other day, something happened that I never could have anticipated, something I never wanted to happen, but it did.

Costa, my cousin, and I went over to his friend Alex’s place. Alex is one of the top interactive media designers in South Africa, check it out, bl-interactive.com . Anyway, Alex lives with his fiancee Anthia. Two really cute bulldogs, pugs, i don’t know, frankly, i don’t care. Anyway, we get there, Alex has just bought a poker set and wants to use it, so we play poker. The four of us. We had J.Walker Green label, two other really nice whiskies, and some KFC. Fantastic. So we’re playing poker, we’re drinking, have a great time, i’m having my Tom Brady evening. Then it happened. And I swear I went into this not wanting to. I just really wanted to avoid it. I wanted to just say no, but it was hard cause I was drunk and a guest and look we all make a few mistakes in life and sometimes after making those mistakes we realize that maybe certain things aren’t so bad.

Nintendo Wii.

Relax! Before you start jumping all over me, hear me out. Wii were…We were drunk. It was a good group of people, and it was just fun. What can I say? Sure it’s no Playstation 3, that’s for sure, but dammit if I didn’t have fun getting bowling on the Wii. The Wii is fun. And that’s the only purpose it serves. It’s meant to be played with a group of people, drunk, and nothing more. You cannot tell me that sitting there bowling by yourself or playing tennis against the computer on the Wii is enjoyable. You’re mad.

So there you have it, the Wii is fun…while drunk and with the right people. No if’s and’s or butt’s. huh huh.

“And I’m gonna be high as a kite by then
I miss the earth so much I miss my wife
It’s lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight

And I think it’s gonna be a long long time
Till touch down brings me round again to find
I’m not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I’m a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone”
(rocket man, elton john)

I’m not the biggest fan of Elton John. Well, I like a few songs, and some of the songs that I like of his I didn’t even know were his. Last night I was at his concert and some of those melodies that were so familiar, so beautiful, I had no idea they were Sir Elton’s.

He’s so good when he performs, that he makes you remember where you were and evokes the emotion you had the first or last time you heard that song. Seeing Elton seemed a bit unreal. I’m still not entirely sure how to feel about the concert, all I know is that this was one of those experiences that stand out above the rest; concertly speaking. Like seeing The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Michael Jackson…the Strokes, legends of our time.

It’s a little bit funny, this feeling inside, when you see these performer’s live. Especially when you don’t like concert’s, like myself. But I guess it all depends on the band, the songs, the audience, it all matters. Last night was good. The audience sat and enjoyed the music, Elton just continued to play all the hits and the lady three rows in front of me was holding a lit candle during “Candle in the Wind”, oh and I was seeing Elton John.

ps: the strokes didn’t make an appearance.  

“A story like mine should never be told. For my world is as forbidden as it is fragile. Without its mysteries it cannot survive. I certainly wasn’t born to the life of a geisha. Like so much in my strange life, I was carried there by the current.” (memoirs of a geisha 2005)

Last night we had dinner at Conrad Gallagher’s restaurant Geisha. Conrad, a friend of my sister’s also a Michelin star chef, had opened up a Thai/Asian fusion restaurant here in Cape Town. To say the least, the least, the food was good but I wasn’t impressed. For a Michelin star chef, I expected a little bit more; however, there was one dish that caught me ear. It was called Baby Beef. It was little strips of steak, cut up and dipped into this yellow sauce. Eh…

Now for those that don’t now, Yev and I had been wanting to develop Baby (Italian) Beef’s for snacks or breakfast food. Like say you just had a Beef and hour and half ago and you want to nibble on something before your next Beef…Baby Beef. Or say you are just waking up, don’t want cereal or pancakes…Baby Beef. Or even better, you’re playing Madden 2008, it’s half time you only have a minute to spare before the next half and you’re quite hungry, yep you guessed it…Baby Beef.

Anyhow, check out Gallagher on Google. He’s pretty famous, I guess he has a show on Food Network.