One of the first things I did after getting back to Islamabad was follow up about getting a rental car. Still makes sense to buy one but I just wasn't making time and taking taxis everywhere is limiting and annoying. Now I've got what I'd call a faded-spearmint-colored Toyota Vitz (aka Yaris in the US). Heaven is being able to go buy a full-sized trash can and laundry hamper whenever you want.
The first week back was hectic as expected but could have been worse. I felt productive, at least. Had some friends over on Thursday night for Cranium, my first time hosting. Great success, that's such a fun game for getting people to loosen up. Spent the weekend with SRB and various crews, and also running extremely necessary errands (see, e.g., the aforementioned trash can-and-laundry-hamper run) that were not possible before I was with wheels.
Last night we went to a barbecue at the Polish deputy ambassador's place. He's a really fun guy but the crowd was a bit mixed. Also neither SRB nor I felt entirely ourselves: not sure what was going on with her but I just felt kind of out of it. Much quieter than usual. Partly hunger, I think, and I felt better after eating something. But we skipped out earlyish, around 10 or 10:30, and went back to her place. She's learning guitar and so she put on some tutorials that she'd been working on and we sang a few songs together. Singing is fun but something about which I'm quite shy. I'm not shy about much. So it felt good to sing with someone else. And she was really sweet about it afterward. A few people here have commented on how nice and deep my speaking voice is. That is not my perception of it, perhaps partly because I judge it against Dad's and his is beautiful. But last night was the first time, I think ever, that someone has told me that I sing well and on-key and maybe I should join a chorus or something and sing more.
I blushed.
This morning we drove all the way to F-10 (sweet, sweet automotive freedom) for classic desi breakfast at a place that RF had recommended, then went to the mall where I bought coffee beans for $20/pound (worth it) and a grinder for $44 (worth it). Tomorrow: fresh ground coffee in the French press. My quest for a pour over cone continues. Then I read a bit of A Perfect Spy, which and cements further my love of John Le Carre as a writer. Who knows, by the end I might like this one more than Tinker, Tailor.
My finger felt okay enough today to practice a bit of magic so I started learning my third trick and did a bit of drilling on the basics. Now I'm drinking a glass of the fancy Bowmore that I smuggled into the country and writing this blog. Tomorrow I feel like the work year will really begin.
The first week back was hectic as expected but could have been worse. I felt productive, at least. Had some friends over on Thursday night for Cranium, my first time hosting. Great success, that's such a fun game for getting people to loosen up. Spent the weekend with SRB and various crews, and also running extremely necessary errands (see, e.g., the aforementioned trash can-and-laundry-hamper run) that were not possible before I was with wheels.
Last night we went to a barbecue at the Polish deputy ambassador's place. He's a really fun guy but the crowd was a bit mixed. Also neither SRB nor I felt entirely ourselves: not sure what was going on with her but I just felt kind of out of it. Much quieter than usual. Partly hunger, I think, and I felt better after eating something. But we skipped out earlyish, around 10 or 10:30, and went back to her place. She's learning guitar and so she put on some tutorials that she'd been working on and we sang a few songs together. Singing is fun but something about which I'm quite shy. I'm not shy about much. So it felt good to sing with someone else. And she was really sweet about it afterward. A few people here have commented on how nice and deep my speaking voice is. That is not my perception of it, perhaps partly because I judge it against Dad's and his is beautiful. But last night was the first time, I think ever, that someone has told me that I sing well and on-key and maybe I should join a chorus or something and sing more.
I blushed.
This morning we drove all the way to F-10 (sweet, sweet automotive freedom) for classic desi breakfast at a place that RF had recommended, then went to the mall where I bought coffee beans for $20/pound (worth it) and a grinder for $44 (worth it). Tomorrow: fresh ground coffee in the French press. My quest for a pour over cone continues. Then I read a bit of A Perfect Spy, which and cements further my love of John Le Carre as a writer. Who knows, by the end I might like this one more than Tinker, Tailor.
My finger felt okay enough today to practice a bit of magic so I started learning my third trick and did a bit of drilling on the basics. Now I'm drinking a glass of the fancy Bowmore that I smuggled into the country and writing this blog. Tomorrow I feel like the work year will really begin.
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