i woke up in the worst mood ever... i was hot, and cranky, and i DIDN'T want to go to work, but i had to. And then walking into the slum, this creepy guy (who always says "i love you" when i walk by in western clothes - he doesn't say it when i wear Indian clothes - maybe that's because i'm Incognito) threw a grape at my head when i walked past him, and i couldn't really do anything about it, cause i don't speak Hindi, do i?

but then after lunch our admin assistant saw me popping the bubbles on a little piece of bubble wrap, and he went into the cupboard and found me a GIGANTIC piece of bubble wrap and the whole day just turned right around.

*

Oh! and then... THEN as i was walking home, it started raining! Out of nowhere! For the first time since SEPTEMBER! And the funny thing is that I had an umbrella.

"Narcissa!" you ask, "are you psychic?? How did you know it would rain when the day started out sunny and it hasn't rained in EIGHT MONTHS?!?"

And the sad truth is that I've taken a tip from all the Chinese grandmothers I used to see in my neighborhood in Ottawa and - I'm not quite Corey Hart with sunglasses at night - but I. carry. an. umbrella. When it's not raining. To shade me from the blazing sun that threatens to kill me every time i set foot outside.

I could call it a parasol, but then you might imagine it to be quaint and wooden, with a beautiful picture of a stork on it.

And it's not beautiful at all. It's kelly green with pink and blue flowers. The ugliest thing you've ever seen.

But it works. And I carry a handkerchief, too. It's dusty, okay?

Turns out I'm eighty at heart. Who knew?

2:15 a.m. - 2004-05-08