How do you follow up a blog about a fire? It's just so exciting, I'm tempted to make something up to keep my readership.

Instead the truth: no fires, or sickness, just life as usual. (though I did make myself ill eating all the candy that SueLynn sent me - I wallow in an endless pool of rasinets and peanut butter m&ms - ummm happiness). And I finally got around to reading Mrs. Dalloway. Which I picked up just because the first line said, "And Mrs. Dalloway decided that she would buy the flowers herself." Which was great. The whole thing was great.

And next week is my birthday and I'm throwing myself a party with food and music and dancing. And I will go in the morning to the flower market to buy the flowers myself. And if you are in Calcutta you are invited. But only if you intend to have a lot of fun. And promise to wear marigolds.

Kali Puja and Diwali seem to be lingering outside in the form of music played on the loudspeakers. That never ends. Ever. All day. All night. Puja puja puja. Luckily my new mini-fan that sits on a table and not on the charred ceiling is good at blocking the sound. But then maybe I just don't notice because I'm passed out on chocolate.

So I'm well. Just weaker. And back at work. I painted on the mural today for eight hours, mostly because we finally are filling in with color and I got my hands on the can of yellow paint and refused to let it go. So now everything will be yellow. All yellow. Like a coldplay song. And my bedroom on 71st street. And the best half of the greenbay packers. now that brett favre is gone.

I only have ten days left in Calcutta. Then it's off to the mountains. Only everyone is telling us not to go to Darjeeling now. Apparently there is unrest there. But I'm so set on going. I find reasonable reasons to be unreasonable.

There's unrest all over India right now. The country seems to be ticking. There has been HUGE violence in Orissa. Against the Christian families. Apparently the Hindu families are putting orange flags up so that they are identified as Hindu and not Christian so their houses won't get burned down. And there have been bombs in Delhi. Two last month. And crazy stories from the trains.

I read an article in the paper last month about a kid who murdered his cousin and then convinced the town people that a djiin (genie- spirit) had killed him. And the town believed it. Until he gave himself away by bragging about it later.

But mostly the papers here, as elsewhere I've heard. Are all about the American elections. The world is watching. And waiting for Obama. (I got into a heated argument with a woman from New Zealand today who said she liked Obama because he "talked proper english not like those other black people in america.") I found that to be disgusting and ignorant. Sigh.

And apparently I'm the downer of all bloggers! Sorry.

All is well and good and go Obama and Happy Halloween and I'll be home in a month! Can you believe it!