GREENHORNS

Exactly eight months after we arrived in a madhouse called Sarnia 2, the place has welcomed two new foreigners. R from the United States and J from Germany. The Sarnia foreigners met both of them last evening over drinks and snacks. We have already intimidated one of them it seems and predictably the senior of the two, R. The German waif is a chirpy little one and has meshed well, it seems. Lavatorial jokes (and not intellectual mumbojumbo) seemed to dominate the conversation for whatever reason and they were openly aimed at some of the group but all in good spirits. The evening reminded Joan of the first informal gathering she was invited to and it is impossible not mentioning Mrs. Perth and Gregory Peck. Shit! I miss them.
I don't think I have mentioned this before but we arrived at Sarnia on the 14th of February at the exact same time that one of the Sarnia dwellers was preparing to give up his life. He did that successfully on the railway tracks that run through the forest nearby. Lost Soul was also unloved, it seems which is why the choice of such a day for bidding farewell. I was advised a week later to apply for the position that belonged to him and honestly, I felt a bit squeamish about it. Thankfully, since it was the middle of the term, the University seemed to be in a great hurry to find a substitute and they found someone before I could apply. No regrets really because work soon followed and I am settled. BTW, Lost Soul was half-English. I suppose, that explains the chronic melancholia. Hopefully, next time I will have something happy to report.

AD-LIB

The Reader - Bernhard Schlink
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyle
The Pianist - Wladyslaw Szpilman
Almost Famous - Kevin Brophy
The Gathering - Anne Enright
On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan
O for Outlaw - Sue Grafton
Kiss - Jill Mansen
Salem Falls - Jodie Picoult
The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid
The Marriage Bureau for Rich People - Farahad Zama
The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella
Shopaholic and Sister - Sophie Kinsella
Amsterdam - Ian McEwan
The Other Woman's Shoes - Adele Parks
The Second Wives Club - Jane Moore

AM A CHICK, AFTER ALL

I need to do this. I need to tell the world that I am exhausted, having travelled pretty intensively for so many days. I love the places I visited and I will come up with more stuff on them. Maybe add some photographs as well. As of now, I feel a bit weary. That's called getting on in years, I suppose. Will begin the new term from tomorrow. Excited? Quite a bit. New students after all. Nervous? No way. It does not compare to a Math test. Therefore, I repeat, no nervousness. Reading a debut novel called 'The Marriage Bureau for Rich People' by London-based Farahad Zama. No clue as to how it's going to turn out. BTW, I shocked myself and 'chose' to read two books from the 'Shopaholic' series. That leaves me gobsmacked even as I admit it. However, to be fair, they were immensely funny reads and if you are one of those who lusts after fancy couture stuff but will never have the money to buy them or who thinks no end of her intellectual abilities and secretly rues being 'money-wise' will find the books worth the attempt. No greater pleasure for a cynic than in vicariously making fun of 'the dumb one' even if she happens to be the heroine of a bestselling 'chick-lit' novel.
Ta-ta for now.