i held my tongue as she told me, 'fear is the heart of love'

I'm still in the office at 11:20pm, due to a perfect storm of trainings, meetings, emergencies, and other issues. I went from having a schedule so clear that I could actually take an hour for lunch to having a schedule so packed that I can't even start my work until after everyone goes home and the meetings stop. So, I've been in the office for fourteen hours; that's not the longest that I've worked in a day, but it's pretty close, and it's almost certainly the longest consecutive stretch I've spent in the office. Oh well; other than the amount of work I have, I'm in a surprisingly chipper mood.

I won't post this until I get home, since I'm working at someone else's desk. I've been putting together powerpoints, for which I do not require the internet, but the downside is that when I want to take a break, I can't read the news or IM someone as is my wont. So I'm 'blogging' by writing the post now, and then I'll post it when I'm home. I'm so clever!

Today, I have nothing fun about India to report, since I spent the entire day in the office. I ate a weird salad from Subway for dinner about half an hour ago because I was so hungry that I couldn't refuse it; my stomach now feels a little queasy, so I hope that it doesn't backfire. However, I didn't have much choice since we are now boycotting Pizza Hut due to the safety glass incident. Ranjit should have saved me Mexican food, but since it would have been ready almost five hours ago and he usually 'saves' food by leaving it on the table covered in a loose sheath of foil, there's a good chance that the Mexican food will be just as dangerous as the Subway salad. It is great that I live in a place where every meal is an adventure.

I downloaded the new Death Cab for Cutie album today; I think that Death Cab is the devil, and my official opinion is that I can't stand them, but then again I bought their entire album, and so perhaps my official stance should not be believed. There is one heartbreakingly-beautiful song that I've already listened to 31 times. It's called 'I Will Follow You Into the Dark', and I highly recommend it if you like slow, emotional songs about love and death. And, I mean, who doesn't?

I had a fun break from work this evening when Salim showed up at the office; he had come to collect Heather for dinner, but since his watch was on Sri Lankan time, he was half an hour early, and since I sit right beside Heather, he spent the next half an hour bothering me. It wasn't the most relaxing break from work ever, since we started shooting staples at each other, but it was certainly entertaining. Then I had a conference call, and then I had to work on presentations, and now I'm blogging, and when I go home I have to do some other stuff that is of no consequence to you but is of loads of consequence to me. It mostly involves calendaring future meetings and trainings, which will result in more work and less time, and will continue what has become a vicious cycle of calendaring, preparing, training, and repeating.

I am going to be very sad to leave India; I've made great friends in the office, I've accomplished a lot here, India itself is fascinating, and I feel that I am starting to learn about myself since I've had a prolonged absence from 'real life'. At the same time, I will be glad to be back in the States, where I will be close to my friends and loved ones, will have a little more privacy than in the 'Real World: Expats' house that I currently live in, and where I can perhaps (perhaps!) work a little bit less than here, at least at first. But we shall see. Now it's time to go home!