Sleepless in Skopje

Seattle sounds much better, though I doubt that not being able to sleep is much more pleasant in Seattle than in Skopje. Slept from around 9 to around 11. Transition from couch to bed not smooth, so I got up and switched on the notebook. Right now I'm feeling almost ready for going to bed, so I'll do that in a few minutes.  I just hope I won't be too tired tomorrow, because it'll be a rather busy day --nothing special, just busy.

Good tennis lesson today with Elena, and I gave her an invitation for the National Day reception on Tuesday. That ought to be fun, since it'll be the first time the two of us will see each other dressed in something other than sports outfits and wearing makeup.

Am planning dinner for 6 November. If Mr H hunt is still on by then, I'll invite him, the opera director, Erin+boyfriend and Petra+husband, who's a Junior Professional Officer at the local UNDP office. Please note the extraordinarily cunning trick of iniviting 2 couples and 2 single men, so it doesn't look as if I'd invited Mr H as kind-of-my-partner. We'll be seven, but that should be ok, if I place three thin people at one side of the table. I's not a formal dinner, so the 4:3 boy:girl ratio doesn't matter.
I'll cook something Austrian. The 6th is a Saturday,so I'll have enough time to prepare everything.

Boss is having doubts re. participating in the marathon. I'm subtly and cautiously nourishing said doubts. He's getting laser therapy for his knee; nothing wrong with muscles and tendons, but he seems to have... oops, I think I just reached the limits of my English here. How do you call it when a liquid-filled pocket forms within the tissue surrounding the joint? Anyway, that's what it is, and even if the doctor manages to make it go away before 31 October, boss won't be able to get enough training. Here's hoping that this will prevent him from participating.

I think I might give sleep another try now.
Nighty-night!

Whether to cry or laugh, that is the question

Because I did the same again to my lower back: was standing in front of the wardrobe this morning, contemplating which pair of black tights to wear, coughed, and... OUCH! It hurts. It hurts abominably, in spite of the capsicum plaster. Damn and fuck with a side dish of bugger.

So the boss, whose knee hurts, and I, whose back hurts, had a lot of fun today.

Phone conversation:
Boss: How's your back?
Me: It fucking hurts! How's your knee?
Boss: It fu- I mean it hurts. A lot. And there's today's lunch, and now I'll have the evaluation talk with Charlie...
Me: My condolences.
Boss: Thanks. I need one of those forms we'll have to fill out after the talk.
Me: I'll bring it to you. When are you going to start?
Boss: At 11.
Me: OK, that gives me 20 minutes to climb the stairs. That should do.
Boss: No, no! I'll come down and get it.
Me: No, I *have* to move, or it gets worse.
Boss: No, really, I'll... Oh. Well, erm, my knee hurts when I go down the stairs...
Both: snicker madly
Me: All right, I'll be there in approx. 5 minutes.

So I went up and brought him the form.
Boss: Did I say 'As you were'? You're not standing straight!
Me: I'm an Australopithecus, in case you hadn't noticed. That's the straightest I can stand.

Then we discussed the seating order for the lunch. Then we realized that he needed something else from me, and both went down to my office.
Boss: The staff won't respect you anymore, if you slouch around like... *tries to imitate me and grabs knee with yelp of pain* Ouch! Damn!
Me: *laughs like crazy* Stop it, please, please, please, laughing hurts, too!
Boss: There goes our image as a youthful, dynamic embassy...

In other news, I've put together the lunch group for next Wednesday. There'll be 8 of us, including me, and the pretext is just perfect: say hello to the "new" Austrian working for [...] -- he actually arrived in July but had to go back to Austria in August for heart surgery, so he's as good as new (pardon the pun) -- and saying goodbye to Carla, who's going to leave in a couple of weeks. Carla and I had a rather funny email exchange yesterday re. the most dramatic scenario that could occur when she meets Stelios.

I'll call Mr H later today re. tennis on Sunday. Pinar and Valentina have already given their ok. PW37's Cunning Plan: we'll be playing from 1 - 2.30 p.m., and if the weather is fine (the forecast says it will be), Irene and Janine will go there by taxi around 2 p.m., select an appropriate table at the outdoor café and have coffee. This means that 1) Janine and Irene will have the opportunity to evaluate Mr H's legs and general appearance, 2) after tennis we'll "accidentally" join them for coffee (unless he has to work), and both will have the opportunity for further evaluation of various Mr H-features. Plus, if it seems like a good idea, one might always suggest going out in the evening. Mr H and 4 women. OMG. We all speak German but he doesn't. *cackles*

Did I mention that my back hurts? Bloody hell, I really don't need that anymore. Gym after work will probably help...

ETA 2.40 p.m.: OK, dinner on 6 November looks good. 3 elderly *snort* people, i.e. myself, Mr H (both 46)and the opera director (42, but looks older, heh), and 2 young couples in their very early thirties, i.e. Erin + Jonas and Petra + Georg. Jonas works at the Spanish Embassy but isn't directly involved in any of the ongoing political hullaballoo, Erin works for USAID, Georg for UNDP and Petra is, at least for the time being, a stay-at-home mum with a sound experience of working for NGOs. Political discussion will of course be unavoidable, but there won't be any of the usual diplomatic chitchat, which hopefully also means that Mr H won't have to be paranoid. I'll have to seat him and Oliver apart in a way that will make it difficult for them to communicate, because given their temperaments... well, it might be better not to give them any possibility to lock horns. No such difficulties with the young 'uns, I'd say.
Right, and now I better start fretting over the menu. Will have to take the 5th off work, at least partly, in order to get everything done. Well, I can rope in Slavica if necessary. And I want to have an Austrian menu. Not fot nothing, however, is my nephew a chef. Will send him an email asking for suggestions.
Everybody has confirmed their availability, BTW, including Mr H.
OMG what have I DONE? I INVITED MR H TO DINNER AT MY PLACE!! *flails*