NO ICE HERE

CALL IT AN ADDICTION – CALL IT A VICE – WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL IT – I NEED ICE!!! (OK, I DID NOT INTEND THAT TO RHYME – THAT WAS JUST A CHEESY BONUS.) AFTER MORE THAN A WEEK IN INDIA I AM GOING THROUGH ICE WITHDRAWL. I KNOW YOU THINK ICE IS NO BIG DEAL, BUT HAVE YOU EVER GONE OVER A WEEK WITHOUT IT?! WELL, I HAVE BEEN DYING WITHOUT IT, SO TONIGHT AFTER WORK I CHANGED MY CLOTHES AND WALKED TO THE MARKET TO PICK UP SOME ICE CUBE TRAYS. I ALSO ENDED UP GETTING DINNER (ENOUGH FOR LUNCH TOMORROW TOO) AND A FEW OTHER SUPPLIES. SEE, THE PROBLEM IS THAT NOT ONLY CAN I NOT ENJOY A CUP OF CUBES THEMSELVES – I MUST SPECIFICALLY REQUEST “NO ICE” IN EVERY DRINK I GET HERE. (ICE IS A BIG RISK – SINCE IT IS OBVIOUSLY MADE FROM THE LOCAL WATER – WHICH WE ALL KNOW LEADS TO DELHI-BELLY.) WELL, ONCE I GOT HOME AND ATE MY PULAK PANEER (SPELLING?) WHICH IS CREAMY SPINACH WITH CHEESE CUBES, EATEN WITH WHITE RICE – I SET OUT TO MAKE SOME ICE CUBES FROM MY BOTTLED WATER. IT WENT WELL, AND I AM HOPING THAT IN HOWEVER MANY HRS. IT TAKES FOR ICE TO FORM, I WILL HAVE REAL ICE CUBES!

SEE ME CHEESIN' ABOUT THE FACT THAT I WILL HAVE ICE SOON!

YES, IT IS THE SIMPLE THINGS IN LIFE THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY. (AND IF IT’S NOT – IT SHOULD BE!)

OH, A LESS PLEASANT NOTE, I BOUGHT THE WORST BREAD TONIGHT! A LOAF OF SOME GINGER FLAVORED BREAD. YUCK! (I HATE GINGER!) I AM GOING TO BRING IT TO THE OFFICE TOMORROW, AND I SHOULD BE A HIT (PROVIDED THERE IS AT LEAST ONE PERSON WHO DOESN’T HATE GINGER AND WOULD LIKE SOME FREE BREAD!)

I HAD AN INTERESTING DAY AT WORK. FOR MOST OF THE DAY, I DIDN’T DO THAT MUCH. THEN AFTER LUNCH, SHALINI CAME TO TALK TO ME ABOUT MY 6 PAGE ARTICLE DUE ON THURSDAY. THIS THURSDAY??? I THOUGHT THE DEADLINE WAS JUNE 25TH! WELL APPARENTLY THAT IS THE DATE THE ARTICLE MUST BE READY FOR CIRCULATION – AND THE 5TH OF THE MONTH IS THE DAY THE FIRST DRAFT IS DUE. WELL, TODAY IS THE 2ND AND I DO NOT YET HAVE A TOPIC, MY BOSS IS IN PARIS ON BUSINESS, AND I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO INTERPRET INDIAN LAW ENOUGH TO DRAFT AN ARTICLE TO BE INCLUDED ON THE COMPANY’S WEBSITE. ARGH! ADDITIONALLY, SOMEHOW I DREW THE SHORT STRAW – I ALSO HAVE TO WRITE AN “IN THE NEWS” ARTICLE ABOUT IMPORTANT LEGAL CHANGES IN THE INDIA NEWS RECENTLY AND GIVE A PRESENTATION TO THE 15 OR SO ATTORNEYS ON A LEGAL TOPIC OF MY CHOOSING. SERIOUSLY??? I NEED TO JUST RETURN TO THE U.S. NOW! ME? APRIL? YOU WANT THIS AMERICAN STUDENT TO TEACH 15 INDIAN ATTORNEYS ABOUT INDIAN LAW?! YEAH, THIS DOES NOT SOUND LIKE A GOOD IDEA!

WELL I AM PLUM-TUCKERED! SO, IT IS OFF TO BED FOR ME! SEE YOU ON THE FLIP-SIDE…