Well the Fun Never Stops!

I SHOULD PREFACE THIS BY SAYING THAT THIS POST IS AN ADDENDUM TO MY EARLIER ONE - AS IF YOU DIDN'T GET ENOUGH OF MY WHININ' AND CRYIN' IN THAT POST. SO YOU KNOW I HAD A PLAN TO GET OFF WORK, GET A PIZZA, VEG-OUT -- BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. WELL, AFTER GETTING OUT OF WORK AT ALMOST 9PM, I WALKED ACROSS THE STREET TO MY APARTMENT IN THE PITCH DARK (REMEMBER IT IS DARK AT 7:30 HERE). LUCKILY, I WASN'T ALONE, AS ONE OF THE ATTORNEYS HERE WAS PARKED ON A STREET NEAR MY PLACE, SO HE WALKED WITH ME THE ENTIRE WAY. WHEN WE PARTED WAYS, I WENT INTO MY APARTMENT BUILDING TO THE ELEVATORS ("LIFTS" AS THEY CALL THEM HERE) AND THE DOORS WERE STUCK IN THE OPEN POSITION AND THERE WERE NO LIGHTS ON THE BUTTONS. NOT A GOOD SIGN. THERE WAS A GUY STANDING BY THE LIFTS SO I ASKED "OFF?" HE SAID YES. THAT WAS ABOUT AS EXTENSIVE A CONVERSATION AS HE WAS ABLE TO HAVE IN ENGLISH. OK, TAKE THE STAIRS YOUR THINKING -- HOWEVER, HANK AND I NOTICED THE FIRST DAY WE WERE HERE THAT THE PEOPLE ON THE FLOOR BELOW US BLOCK THE STAIRS BY PUTTING STUFF ON THEM (BIKES, BOXES, A ROOM DIVIDER, ETC.), SO I KNEW THAT I COULDN'T TAKE THE STAIRS. SINCE MY ROOM IS ON THE 11TH FLOOR I HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO DO. (DON'T FORGET THAT IT IS 9PM -- DARK AT 7:30!) LUCKILY, MY TRIP COORDINATOR, SHALINI, WAS STILL AT THE OFFICE - I'D LEFT A FEW MINUTES BEFORE HER. I CALLED AND SHE SAID SHE WOULD BE RIGHT OVER. WELL, "RIGHT OVER" MUST BE A RELATIVE PHRASE BECAUSE AFTER STANDING ON THE DARK STREET FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES GETTING STARES, I FINALLY SAW HER COMING ACROSS THE STREET. SHE ALSO BROUGHT ONE OF THE GUYS WHO TAKES CARE OF OUR OFFICE (CLEANING AND SUCH) - WHICH I THOUGHT WAS A GOOD IDEA. (I'M A BIG FAN OF MALE PROTECTION IN UNCERTAIN SITUATIONS!) SHALINI TALKED TO THE GUY BY THE LIFT WHO INFORMED US THAT THERE HAD BEEN A WATER LEAK INTO THE ELECTRICAL OF THE LIFTS. WE WOULD HAVE TO TAKE THE STAIRS. OK, LET'S TRY IT.

WELL CAN I JUST SAY THAT I CARRY EVERYTHING I MIGHT POSSIBLY NEED IN MY WORK-BAG EVERYDAY. (CAMERA, BUG SPRAY, UMBRELLA, PLUG ADAPTER KIT, FLASHLIGHT, SNACK BAR, ETC.) SO MY SHOULDER LAPTOP BAG PROBABLY WEIGHS A GOOD 30LBS. BY THE 5TH FLIGHT OF STAIRS -- I AM HUFFING AND PUFFING. IT WAS EMBARASSING! SO, WE CLIMB AND CLIMB, AND WE MAKE IT TO FLOOR 10 (REMEMBER 11 IS THE GOAL) -- AND LOW AND BEHOLD WHAT DO WE FIND??? CUJO! OK, SO NOT CUJO EXACTLY -- BUT A DOG CHAINED TO THE STAIRCASE WHO THINKS HE'S CUJO! (FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T SEEN CUJO -- IT IS A HORROR MOVIE WITH A CRAZED KILLER DOG.) THIS IS NOT ONE OF THE SMALL STRAY DOGS WANDERING EVERY STREET IN INDIA -- THIS IS A CHOW LOOKING DOG WITH MANY, MANY LARGE TEETH! WELL "MR. FRIENDLY-DOG" IS GOING CRAZY! ACTING LIKE HE HAS RABIES OR SOMETHING! THE GUY WITH ME TELLS ME TO COME BY HIM, I WAS LIKE "UMMM....NO. I AM NOT TRYING TO GET BY THAT DOG." SHALINI FINALLY HAD A GREAT IDEA -- ONE OF THE ITEMS BLOCKING THE WAY WAS A BICYCLE WITH A BELL. SHE BEGAN TO RING THE BELL OVER AND OVER (OBNOXIOUSLY) UNTIL THE OWNERS OF THE DOG COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE AND HAD TO COME OUT AND SEE WHAT ALL THE FUSS WAS ABOUT. THAT TOOK ABOUT 5 MINUTES OF BELL RINGING. (DON'T FORGET THAT EVERY MINUTE OF THIS CLIMBING, CARRYING MY 30LB. BAG, FEARING FOR MY LIFE, ETC. IS BEING DONE IN 101 DEGREES - IN BUSINESS ATTIRE!) THE DOG OWNERS HOLD HIM TO THE SIDE WHILE WE PASS AND ALL I CAN THINK IS "GREAT" -- I'M GUESSING HE WILL BE CHAINED THERE TOMORROW, AND HONESTLY HOW QUICKLY DO WE THINK LIFTS GET FIXED IN INDIA?! ANYWAY, I WAS FINALLY SAFE AT MY APARTMENT, AFTER ONE OF THE TOUGHEST DAYS I'VE HAD IN A LONG, LONG TIME. OBVIOUSLY MY PIZZA PLAN WAS NOT GOING TO WORK OUT -- WHAT DELIVERY GUY WAS GOING TO CLIMB THE 10 FLIGHTS, BATTLE THE DOG, AND STILL GET THE PIZZA TO ME IN 30 MINS? (I KNOW YOU'RE THINKING "THAT IS HIS PROBLEM!" HOWEVER, MY FEAR WAS HE WOULD SAY "COME DOWN TO GET IT, I'M NOT COMING UP THERE!") SO IT WAS ANOTHER MEAL REPLACEMENT BAR FOR ME TONIGHT! YUM.