As the rest of 'Merica is celebrating the birth of our nation, it is July 5th in India. No watermelon. No fireworks. No BBQ. I am currently longing to be in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, and fortunately for me I have only to wait one more week until I board a plane to London then Los Angeles (don't ask) then West Palm Beach to be reunited with my family.
As far as July 5ths go it has been a pretty good one. The end of July 3rd brought a wave of relief. I volunteered to be the lead coordinator for my office's July 4th reception held on Thursday evening. No one volunteered. So far, all of my responsibilities at work have come in the absence of anyone else wanting to do them. Maybe this is a bad precedence to set: "Hey, we need someone to meet with an Afghani warlord then take him on a cage dive with great white sharks and hike an active volcano....."
After months of logistical preparation, the event was a success. The band--an Indian blues band--was awesome and loud. The food, including Maryland crab cakes, was delicious. The decor, which took every second from six in the morning until thirty seconds before go time, was stunning (if I do say so myself). I received compliments from my bosses. Of course, I couldn't have done it without the help and support of my committee. But I accomplished the biggest task at my job since I lead the Environment and Science section in Brasilia and I'd be lying if it didn't feel good.
As the official program was winding down, really the last piece of the evening to truly fret over (in the middle of which someone told me that the Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry's armed guard force was asking if they could have dinner, to which I responded, "Shit, I don't know. Ask the Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry. He's sitting right there."), I thought to myself, "I can do this job. I hope I get tenured." The last job I was really good at was lifeguarding in high school; no one drowned on my watches.
Next up? Vacation. R&R in the parlance of my office. I can't enjoy vacation unless I know it is earned, deserved. I remember when we visited Elise's parents in Spokane with Sam as the real estate business was crumbling around me and it was so hard to enjoy it, because I hadn't closed a deal in a year and a half and I was transferring money from one account to another to stay solvent. Not the case now.
One week until I get to see Peter, Sam and Clementine. One week until I hold Elise in my arms again. One week until Mexican food, nachos, juicy burgers and Fat Tire. One week until Starbucks (though I entered a contest to be invited to the Grand Opening of the 1st Starbucks in Chennai July 8. Keep your fingers crossed!!), One week until R&R. Earned and deserved.
One week.
As far as July 5ths go it has been a pretty good one. The end of July 3rd brought a wave of relief. I volunteered to be the lead coordinator for my office's July 4th reception held on Thursday evening. No one volunteered. So far, all of my responsibilities at work have come in the absence of anyone else wanting to do them. Maybe this is a bad precedence to set: "Hey, we need someone to meet with an Afghani warlord then take him on a cage dive with great white sharks and hike an active volcano....."
After months of logistical preparation, the event was a success. The band--an Indian blues band--was awesome and loud. The food, including Maryland crab cakes, was delicious. The decor, which took every second from six in the morning until thirty seconds before go time, was stunning (if I do say so myself). I received compliments from my bosses. Of course, I couldn't have done it without the help and support of my committee. But I accomplished the biggest task at my job since I lead the Environment and Science section in Brasilia and I'd be lying if it didn't feel good.
As the official program was winding down, really the last piece of the evening to truly fret over (in the middle of which someone told me that the Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry's armed guard force was asking if they could have dinner, to which I responded, "Shit, I don't know. Ask the Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry. He's sitting right there."), I thought to myself, "I can do this job. I hope I get tenured." The last job I was really good at was lifeguarding in high school; no one drowned on my watches.
Next up? Vacation. R&R in the parlance of my office. I can't enjoy vacation unless I know it is earned, deserved. I remember when we visited Elise's parents in Spokane with Sam as the real estate business was crumbling around me and it was so hard to enjoy it, because I hadn't closed a deal in a year and a half and I was transferring money from one account to another to stay solvent. Not the case now.
One week until I get to see Peter, Sam and Clementine. One week until I hold Elise in my arms again. One week until Mexican food, nachos, juicy burgers and Fat Tire. One week until Starbucks (though I entered a contest to be invited to the Grand Opening of the 1st Starbucks in Chennai July 8. Keep your fingers crossed!!), One week until R&R. Earned and deserved.
One week.
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