Chekere Making, Part II

So after waiting anxiously at my mailbox, my order for the gourd cleaning balls finally came in:

For the past two nights, I've been on the bathroom floor with my drill gun and the gourd cleaners. They're actually called "Easy Cleaner" balls, but I think the "easy" part is a misnomer. I think they should be called "More Civilized Than a Bent Coathanger But Not as Easy As You Would Think Cleaner Balls." The gook on the bottom of the gourd is tenacious, and it's really hard to see inside the gourd when you've got a drill gun (heavy!) stuck in it, and it's dark in there too, so I've been straining my neck and arms to point a flashlight and manouever these cleaner balls around. It feels a little like dentistry. Anyhow, I'm making headway and I can already hear a nice bass sound when I thump the bottom of the gourd.

I also bought a gourd dye, but when I tried it out, it looked exactly like the color of blood. Exactly. The color disturbs me, especially since I've already named the gourd "Alex's Head," since it kind of looks like my little brother's head--mostly round but flat in the back (sorry bro--that was my first impression of the gourd when I picked it out at the store, and first impressions stick, yo). I put in another order for a different color dye, and sigh, I'm waiting at the mailbox and despairing over the shipping costs. I love this whole shopping-on-the-internet thing, but if I were smart, I'd have gone into the shipping business since they're the real ones making a killing on it.

Anyhow. Spending another night on the bathroom floor again. Then tomorrow it's off to LA for a baby shower. Apparently I know how to make sushi and am in charge of that (it's a lie. I've enlisted one of my aunties to teach me how to make sushi, which is exciting. She also said we're gonna buy a couple trays of ready-made too. She's smart. I like her).