Sylvia's Journal

We think we are getting some of the marginal weather of the Indian monsoon season. Hot and dry in the morning and then in the afternoon enormous vertical cloud masses fill the sky and the heat becomes oppressive. I have lived most of the day in our one air conditioned room, the bedroom, which is convenient because I am still jetlagged and fall asleep in the afternoon.

I did not join Greg and Axel who accompanied Steve on his last expedition to Chicken Street. Whatever Steve buys these days ends up in our house, since his stuff is already shipped home and his suitcases are packed for his departure next week. Axel came home empty-handed which I thought was a good thing.

I had planned to join them for and Indian lunch (in line with the weather) but ended up working most of the day: going through my very full inbox, reviewing the workplans that are being finalized (and with which I will have to live between July 1st and September 2011) and writing a review for a peer-reviewed journal that took some time and tender loving care.

I did not do my Dari homework (a challenging assignment that includes writing in my first grader Dari handwriting what I did during my vacation) and did not complete the work plan review. Thus, tomorrow’s day off looks like another workday. I am wondering whether to go to physical therapy as that would take another two hour bite out of the day (language class another 2 hours).

In between work, during meals and my 30 minute exercise routine I continue to read, like an addict, the second book of the Millennium trilogy (The girl who played with fire). It’s a rather creepy series and I don’t quite understand everyone’s obsession with the trilogy (including my own) but the fact is undeniable: I am hooked and can barely put it away.

After dinner Axel and I played a board game – it is part of our resolution to not
only work here (or veg out in front of the TV) but do things we haven’t done in the years since the girls have grown up and computers have started to dominate our lives. We have our four favourite games at hand: Lost cities, scrabble, mah-jong and backgammon. We now have played all, some multiple times; we play seriously and are alternating at being good winners and losers.