Trying to get this thing up and running...

I haven't been so good about writing thus far. Too much going on, and not much time to laze around writing blog posts to no one in particular. So, for the time being, i suppose i'll paste from individual letters i've written...

5 sep 06-- AIF Orientation, New Delhi

I've been running around a lot, attending all sorts of lectures, seeingsights, getting fete-ed, etc. had to do this awful dinner last night with board members as some posh hotel. should have been fine, exceptit was outside, 85 degres and super humid at night, AND they failed toget us loaded, so making small talk with the corporate types was a greatchallenge. fortunately, the restaurant doubled as a nighttime hangoutfor wealth delhi-ite metrosexuals, so we hung out there late, listing to a dj play mediocre house music, sipping expensive bad beer, and dangling our feet in the pool. surprisingly pleasurable, actually.

Today we went to the american embassy for a security talk--how to avoidterrorists and theives (poor slum dwellers) in india. Then we had teawith the ambassador. I got tapped to be the token white guy in a small group photo with his highness, for publication in the indian media. my favorite part, aside from the great lemon-mint iced tea, was the two bright-eyed, young-republican types (one black, one mormon) doing publicrelations work for the embassy and trying to sell the fellows on takingthe foreign service exam. ridiculous, and glad to get out alive. Later i heard that the ambass and his handler said some pretty outlandish and offensive things to my friends--something about why, if women can have all-female colleges, rich white guys can't get together in exclusive private clubs, and also about how gujaratis run all the motels around the US. Silly Bush appointee. also, my british colonial hat was a hit.