aspiring to stardom

Well, my talented blogger-husband has really hit the ball out of the park. I am far behind. This will just be a quick post; having read his, perhaps I will start improving upon my own by adding some photos etc.

In a few moments I have to run off to downtown Delhi to pick up bus tickets for my and my roommate's impending (weekend) trip to Jaipur. We're going to visit there briefly because we both spent some time doing language study (me in the summer of 2007, her in the academic year 2007-08). The best part? An ac hotel room! Two nights of good sleep!

Speaking of the ac front, looks like it's going to be impossible to get it in my place. The alternative would be an "air cooler", basically a big fan that blows air over a pan of water and cools it (sort of) as the water evaporates. This might be better than nothing, or it might send my room into a jungle fever of sorts (ie, humidity). Possibly not worth it. Now that the weather is really hot, they've started doing power cuts around the city. Ours was out for a couple hours in the middle of the day yesterday, and then on and off all night. When the power goes out, of course, the fans turn off. This makes for a very, very sweaty time. My sheets have a sweat stain in the shape of my body. Ewww.

But there's more to India than ac (and the lack thereof)! ...My research is progressing well. I'm meeting with diabetologists all over the city, and last weekend I interviewed two potential research assistants. They were both great, but the one who was available during the week is a man (the other is only available on the weekend). He's extremely qualified for the job, however, so I am considering hiring him, even though I'm a bit concerned about the gender thing. I'll be working solely with female patients and asking them some very personal questions, so I worry that they may not be as forthcoming if there is a man around. Sigh. I am keeping my fingers crossed that someone else may emerge from the tangled web of contacts through which I've been trying to find an RA. We'll see.

Last night I had dinner at Subway. I never eat Subway in America, but it tasted so amazingly good. I felt guilty somehow, though--like I was copping out of the 'real' India. Then again, I have to remind myself that 'real' Delhiites eat Subway all the time....

Okay, off to get those tickets and meet with a couple of doctors. More soon!