October 2, 2003
Dear Everyone:
For those of you who haven’t heard, either directly
or through the grapevine, I’m going to
As to what I’ll be doing. Can’t really say. It’s not that it’s exactly classified, but discretion is the better part of valor. Just rest assured that it will be very important, and very, very dull and boring. We are talking about records management here.
As for the city itself, I’m told it’s very cosmopolitan. Also very hot and humid. Tropical rainforest. I plan to stay inside air-conditioned hotels, office buildings and shopping centers as much as possible.
I found out about all this last Wednesday. So I’m kind of scrambling to get ready: Stock up on supplies like shampoo, cosmetics, figure out what clothes and things to take with me. Make sure I have a book to read that will last a 14-hour flight. Contact the Medical Department about shots.
In the meantime, I still have my duties as the (temporarily) only document management system trainer. As soon as the word got out, I began to be inundated with “before you leave can you take care of (fill in blank)?” requests. So it looks like I’ll be quite busy right up until the last moment.
In other news…
“Jeannie” has been working on her patio. More specifically, “Jeannie” has been paying a landscaper (or, in “Jeannie’s” vernacular, “the garden guy”) to work on her patio. He in turn has hired a number of eager workers, who don’t happen to speak any language except Spanish, to do the actual work. This has consisted of such things as digging up the existing gravel and weeds, jack hammering the concrete and erecting a redwood “arbor” over the patio. They’ve also installed the genuine fountain that she bought, complete with pouring a concrete foundation for it.
And planted various plants that are expected to do
well in the “warm
Meanwhile, I may have a gazillion things to do to
get ready for my trip, but that’s no excuse for missing a movie with
“Jeannie”. One must keep
ones priorities in order.
Last Saturday, we went to see
Under the
Tuscan Sky, or, as “Jeannie” called it when buying the tickets
(her turn), “Two for
A centuries-old house. “Fixer Upper” doesn’t begin to cover it. Francis decides to renovate. The only local workers that she can afford are some Polish immigrants. Francis doesn’t speak Polish. They don’t know much Italian. “Load-bearing wall” isn’t in anyone’s limited vocabulary. There’s a lot of hand-gesturing and just plain guessing going on. It’s not unlike “Jeannie’s” Mexican patio workers, only they also have power tools.
As the house undergoes it’s transformation, so does Francis. Shortly after acquiring the house, Francis makes a wish. By the end of the movie, does she get her wish? Go find out.
The countryside is gorgeous. I’m told the weather is accurately portrayed, especially when there is a storm. Kind of reminds you why the ancient Romans believed the gods threw thunderbolts whenever they felt out of sorts. Although I’m not sure what the gods have against washing machines.
Love, as always,
Pete
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