Alone

The house is quiet and cold. The guys left for tennis while I was scrubbing the boy's very dirty bathroom. More than a month into staying here, I still find pockets of dirt left over from the past. The landlady sure left behind more than I bargained for. Cleared out almost a whole vauum load of dirt from all the carpets except the shaggy one we brought over from Singapore. That one requires super human energy to vacuum - I sweat everytime I have to do it.

My neck and shoulders have been hurting for well over a month. They feel very tensed and I can feel the knots all up and down. Stretching every day does not seem to help. May have to see a therapist. The office furniture is not very good and I have felt the onset of the strains since moving over a few months ago.

Galveston was intense. But I did not get a chance to even step out of the hotel. From 7 am to 9 pm, it was packed full of presentations and learning group activities. The only glimpses I had of the city was of the sea from my hotel room window and as we were driving into and then out of the city. The section we were in showed some damage from Hurricane Ike but I am sure we missed the major areas where devastation was greater. Unlike New Orleans when we last visited on the way to the offshore platform. New Orleans has definitely not recovered completely from Katrina. Sections of the city were still very damaged and people had not really returned to reclaim their homes. Some may never return. For a sinking city subject to annual lashings from mother nature, I can understand why. The city has its charms but I could not envision myself having to repair damages year after year from water. Galveston, on the other hand, seems to be recovering.

I have a lot of work - a week away when so many things are happening in the office is never an easy thing. Will have to start catching up but for now, I just don't seem to have the drive. Maybe later. Maybe tomorrow.