tgif, tgif, tgif

Big Jim's favorite bus stop in Islamabad Please do click on the photo to enlarge....you must read the complete signage because it really is too funny. I am posting so late in the day because we were without Internet access for 12 hours, and it just came back a little while ago. Today should have been relaxing, but it wasn't. I finished all my editing work for yesterday, so I should have had a clean slate of a day. But then I woke up, and the Internet was down. So I spent an hour making sure no cables were unplugged and that everything generally was working on our end. Appeared to be so. I had some coffee and breakfast, watered the plants, showered, you know basic stuff. By then, it was almost 11. Where had the morning gone?! Took the puppies on a long walk because it was a gorgeous sunny day, and we had the goat track all to ourselves (and the precious Boo found no poo to roll around in, so I was very happy). Got back and found a friend had left me three messages, each 10 minutes apart. Now I told her I would call her sometime this morning because she asked me to help her fill out her residencia form. I checked the clock; it was 11:40, technically still the morning. Why the need for three messages? She has thirty days to submit the application. I confess I felt harassed (this is not the first time I have received a barrage of phone messages from her, btw). So I called her and explained I had had to unexpectedly deal with the computer issue and was running behind schedule and would be right over. No, she said, she was going out for coffee now; could I come over this evening? Sure, no problem, I replied. I then hung out some laundry and did other bits around the house, and before I knew it, it was time for me to meet another friend for lunch. It was a pleasant enough time, but the friend is going through some pretty tough life changes at the moment, so the conversation was a bit heavy. By the time I headed home, I felt rather drained. (The food, however, was delightful....hummus and garlic bread starter, followed by chicken with roasted red peppers, and a chocolate brownie for dessert, so much no dinner required this evening.) At home, I called Big Jim and had a cranky phone conversation with him about our taxes. Things get complicated very fast when in one year you work in three different countries, live in a fourth, and are married to someone of another nationality. Oh how I miss the days of my friend, the EZ form.... (Brief pause as I go to rescue flying flower pots on the roof....serious, serious wind at the moment) On a cheerier note, Big Jim was having dinner with his Kenyan ambassador friend, and I finally got to chat with him. What a nice man. He again extended an invitation to us to visit him and his family in Nairobi. How exciting that would be! :-) While I was on the phone with Big Jim, my neighbor R. called up to me. He asked whether I was going over to L.'s house anytime soon (L. being the friend who needed my help filling in her residencia paperwork). I said I was, as soon as I was off the phone with Big Jim. He suggested I take a bottle of vodka, and when I asked why, he just shook his head and laughed maniacally. I soon found out why....when I get there, L. has no electricity in the house, and an electrician is there working. Fine, except that L. speaks virtually no Spanish, so I have now unknowingly been drafted into translation service. The headache that started as a dull pain halfway through lunch intensified. R. had been interpreting for her, but he had to leave because he was going to the special mass the church was having tonight in honor of El Papa. Fortunately for me, she had a common problem, just an ancient fried wire, which the electrician could fix temporarily for the night and would return in the morning to complete the job. I then got her forms sorted, but when I looked at the clock I couldn't believe I was seeing 9 pm. It then took fifteen minutes to say good-bye and get out the door. Ugh. I did, however, remind her to contact Miguel, a local tutor, about Spanish lessons. She is the only American in the village who doesn't speak at least passable conversational Spanish, and after six years here, her lessons are long overdue. I resisted the urge to have a drink as R. suggested, opting for a mint tea instead. But by now, the pups were huffing at me because they were impatient for their evening walk. And who could blame them. A nice relaxing walk around the village is probably what I need as well I told myself. But it was not a quiet night in Hooville my friends. The kids with their quad bikes were racing around the parking lot. The disco had opened early, and gangs of teens congregated outside. And as we circled back through the main square, who should be camped outside the new tapas bar but Demon Dog. Now those who know me know how much I love animals. And to be fair, Demon Dog has never received any sort of proper training at all. I have spoken to his owners about him more than once, and they just shrug their shoulders "no pasa nada". But that aside, Demon Dog IS evil, and he may be the only dog in the world that I feel little but contempt for. His favorite thing to do is hide under parked cars, and as other dogs pass, he rushes out in a flurry and nips and snaps at their legs. The precious Boo is amazingly tolerant, but then she has no aggressive bone in her 25-kilo body. Mr. Beebs, on the other hand, is not as patient. He puts up with Demon Dog initially, but if I can't untangle them quickly, he will snap back. And frankly I can't fault him. I believe there is a little corner in hell with Demon Dog's name on it. Unfortunately, tonight I didn't spot DD until after he had seen us. He raced across the square and chased all three of us around the fountain. Twice. To onlookers, it must have been a hilarious sight to watch. Mr. Beebs snapped back. I yelled at Demon Dog and was prepared to kick him (not too hard I hasten to add) if necessary. I finally managed to separate them and head out of the square. Demon Dog followed us down the street but eventually gave up and retreated to the plaza. So we had to circle in the other direction, again back by the trickster quad bikers, again pass the disco, to home. Where I found the Internet connection had finally been restored, allowing me to post this rambling rant detailing the trivial annoyances of my day. :-) Will be in a better mood tomorrow, I promise. Am off to have another mint tea, and then bed calls. hasta manana, mylifeinspain