I know there are more important things to write about but, since I'm sipping cheap pinot grigio mixed with 7-up and a splash of Chambord, I'm not too keen on pondering the more serious aspects of life.
I love Saturdays. Love them, love them, love them! I'll love them even more when I can devote them to writing for me, and not for my blasted thesis. I have a strange ritual, though. I was describing it to Kate over lunch; I didn't realize that it was odd until she pointed it out. I don't have cable, so I usually have music on while I write because the background noise is soothing. On Saturdays, I always turn on Saturday morning kids' television programming while I write about genocide, war crimes, and Stalinist repression. It evens me out somewhat, giving my activity an element of absurdity that detracts from the heaviness of the subject matter. Hannah Montana meets Solzhenitsyn! Zany hijinks will ensue, followed by some valuable take-away lessons on life.
In other news, Kate's moving to Uganda! She's going to Makerere University in Kampala to work on her M.A. in peace and conflict studies. She came to visit me in Moscow on the condition that I would come to visit her during her graduate program, and I'm not one to welsh on a promise that involves international travel. I'll only be able to go for a week, week and a half tops, but there's no way I would go to Africa otherwise. I've always wanted to, but it's rather intimidating. This way, I'll have an "in" and someone to stay with.
I'm going to miss her so much. Kate's mom is worried about HIV, but I jokingly explained to her that there are no toilet seats in Uganda so Kate should be fine. I don't think she was comforted, but I tried.
