some days are challenging

I'm going to assume that I will not spend 10 months focused on laundry. Otherwise I think this will be one interesting, but of questionable merit, sabbatical.

Woke up to more rain. It's hard to go out and see the sights when it doesn't stop raining for more than an hour or so. While I know I won't melt (not so sweet as that), it's just not really appealing to be out in a rickshaw. But I also question whether re-reading all of Harry Potter, except for the missing #2, is what this journey is all about.

Eid feels like a big party that everyone is celebrating, but we're not invited. I don't know my colleagues well enough yet to be expecting lots of invitations. I must admit I got annoyed with the landlord's kids ringing the doorbell 3-4 times yesterday looking for Eid-money (baksheesh? gifts? they were trying any word that might convey the message!). And while the landlord sent an email wishing everyone a good Eid, a good Duga Puja and a Merry Christmas (!), I apparently deliberately felt left out of what was meant to be all-encompassing goodwill. So, they couldn't invite us down for treats? :-)

I promised Matan to put together the finances and see if we can get a car and driver. Having cobbled together coverage for about 40% of our needs, now it seems like overkill to get a car. If we add in a taxi for Matan's trips home after school activities, we've got about 80% coverage at about 30% of the cost of a car. So financially, it's probably not the right thing. However, I'm getting really tired of lugging food and water by rickshaw, so maybe those numbers should be weighted in some formula!

The pictures? My two bucket laundry system on the back porch. The maid is coming about once a week (it's hard to justify taking off work to go home just to be there when the maid is) and we don't have enough clothes to let it pile up for a week. Nor is there drying space for all of the clothes if we did leave them for her. We really have to take advantage of the dry days (hours). So, yes, my latest aerobic and muscle-toning workouts have involved tasks that make me remember fondly my mother's washing machine in the basement in Waunakee that had a mechanical set of double rollers that squeezed the water out far more efficiently than I've been able to. Looking for a washing machine this week.