A Good Friday

I’ve had a nasty cold all week. (I got an email from my aunt that she had the flu, so I must've caught a 'computer virus.') Stopped up sinuses, itchy eyes, runny nose -- yuck. On the bright side, my research has been coming along nicely: I found a big, fat, juicy new international treaty about maritime labor that nobody’s written much about yet. The exciting life of a budding academic.

Seasonal change is in the air. The poplar trees are turning yellow. A couple evenings this week, walking home in sandals left my feet uncomfortably chilly. We’ve had rain most nights, and some days, for the past two weeks.

A few days ago the wind blew so hard that we lost the signal from the TV station that broadcasts the Lehrer News Hour. Which is a shame, because lately it’s been fascinating to see how far this Administration is able to stick its foot in its mouth - on everything from misrepresenting what they knew about the (lack of) WMDs in Iraq, to the admission that Bush himself authorized the “declassification,” i.e., leak, of information about CIA operative Valerie Plame, to their backpedaling away from plans to nuke Iran. Last night, in all seriousness, a local news anchor asked her colleague, who was in New York, if Americans actually believe anything the U.S. government tells them anymore. Polls shows about 40% of them still find Bush credible, which the rest of the world finds incredible. But the Democrats are starting to feel more than a little hopeful.

Back here in Middle Earth, the Harvest Moon has been peeking out between the clouds at night, and a candy-laden holiday is right around the corner. Last week the team on Boston Legal was representing a Wiccan couple and a Christian couple that agreed on only one thing in this world: their children's school should be stopped from celebrating Halloween. (It was a rare episode where they not only lost the case, but we were clearly meant to be glad the judge ruled for the other side.)

But in this antipodean land, instead of trick-or-treating, kids are salivating over chocolate bunnies and creme-filled eggs. And both today and Sunday no one is supposed to be working. In fact, shopkeepers are prohibited by law from trading; they can be fined $1,000 if they’re caught doing business. Many - especially garden centers - choose to flout the law and eat the fine.

Since it was such a beautiful day, I put my books and papers aside and went hiking with Ali. These pictures are from the Hunua Range, about 50 km south of the city.

Happy Easter!
Sandie