Sylvia's Journal

Sita is heading East, to her annual Davos Summit stomping ground. I asked her if she looked pregnant – yes, she said, it’s pretty obvious now. This may be her last trip for a while. I am glad she is travelling in style, business class. All pregnant women should.

Axel and I will fly in the other direction on Sunday, not in style, to Japan for a whirlwind trip that includes teaching two half day classes and two full day classes in between our arrival on Tuesday and our departure on Monday.

Axel is supposed to go touristing even though he said he would come watch me teach – how sweet but how silly. I will put him on the Jacob de Zoet trail in Nagasaki and on a paper trail in Tokyo. I am sure he will amuse himself. We are particularly looking forward to many culinary adventures.

Last night our friend Woody came over with his dog who was like a lost soul, walking frantically to and fro looking for her buddy of 13 years. But her buddy, riddled with cancer, was no longer of this world. Woody described the holistic veterinary practice where she spent her last hour – it made me all teary although I have never had to go through such an experience. There were candles, music and rescue remedy for the dog (I remember this was administered to us after the plane crash) before the final injection.

All of us were very sad. Her very distraught buddy left us with a small puddle on the hallway rug. We forgave her and put the rug in the shower.