california dreamin'

I somehow managed to make it to India without a copy of 'California Dreamin', despite the fact that I definitely have it on a CD someplace back home. I downloaded it from iTunes tonight, and I also picked up a copy of a techno remix of the song, which is rather hysterical. I'm not feeling nostalgic, precisely, but it would be v. nice to have my car again, and be able to drive places and not have to deal with the insane traffic and the cringe-inducing near-accidents that we face on a daily (or minutely) basis. I miss my car more than just about anything else--the sunroof, the CD player, the feel of the gearshift under my palm, the broken side-view mirror, the vague smell of rotting watermelon and vinegar. Oh, car, I hope that you're safe and happy!

I can't believe that it's already June; if I don't get my trip extended, I'll be home in four months! Home in four months sounds nice, but I have a daunting amount to accomplish between now and when I leave, and from that angle five or six months sounds more reasonable. I should know in the next couple of weeks, and then I can begin planning my remaining time in earnest.

Ismail picked up my lehnga and my sari for me today; I probably should have gone with the fixed-waist option, rather than the zipper and drawstring option, for the lehnga skirt. I still don't know what fixed-waist is, but the drawstring option resulted in a skirt that is at least two sizes too big that you then tie closed. The tricky part about this is that the skirt is really heavy from all of the embroidery and sparkle, and so I will just have to hope that the drawstring will suffice and that the skirt won't fall off at an inopportune moment. Despite that, it's gorgeous; I'm also going to have to learn how to wrap a sari at some point, since I really want to wear the sari but can't figure out how to make it look like anything other than a poorly-wrapped bedsheet. So I'll wear the lehnga tomorrow, and try to get sari lessons from one of the house-women.

Work was fine; I had a lot to catch up on, and I had wanted to leave early so that my back wouldn't start hurting, but despite the fact that I got there a little after eight, I still didn't leave until six. By that point, it was too late for my back, and it's definitely not well yet. So I came home, tried on the lehnga, laid around downstairs, ate dinner, and now am ready to go to bed. I have to leave for the wedding by 7:15am tomorrow, and then go to work straight after that, and then out to dinner because some people are visiting from California, so it's promising to be a long day. This weekend, I'd like to catch up on some work, and maybe (maybe!) work on my romance novel. No promises, though--I don't like making promises, because then I feel constrained, and constraints drive me insane. But, if all goes well, perhaps my main characters will make it past their wedding night!