The week has been a bit of a bummer: some news, which Amber and I have been waiting for months, finally arrived, but didn’t go our way. We were disappointed, sure, however, it is also a relief because at least we know now.
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING
1.
I had a lot of client meetings and presentations last week, and now I am waiting to hear feedback and comments to move forward with a couple of projects. I made reasonable progress on the project I was falling behind on, and thankfully, the back-and-forth has been quick, so we’ve moved work along even if we are not quite there yet.
2.
I had a video call with Tanya on Wednesday. It had been a really long time since we had a catch-up like this, and I am glad we finally did it. Our main agenda was to discuss a potential Typostammtisch workshop around India Street Lettering, and we were able to flesh out the core of the idea. I am excited to facilitate this once she gets the monthly events running again.
Noopur and I also met online for a chat to plan an art project we want to do together. We’ve made a plan we like, and we start this month.
3.
One mid-week afternoon, there was a storm and some showers that brought temperatures down, if only temporarily. As soon as the rains stopped, Amber and I rushed to our neighbourhood park for a walk and some birdwatching. We saw about 20 species, and I was especially happy to have seen a pair of black winged stilts, and some wire-tailed swallows. The highlight, though, was a greater coucal that we were able to observe properly for a few minutes before it went back into hiding.
4.
In preparation for applying for a grant, I took stock of my newspaper collection. I am not sure when or how it really happened, but the collection is over 600 strong now, and around half of them are newspapers from around India. I only managed to catalogue the Indian newspapers last week, but hope to work on the rest soon, maybe during my summer break.
5.
I’ve been feeling very anxious about my flights to and back from Barcelona, which are less than a month away now. There are no direct flights between India and Spain, and I hate layovers, and the stress that comes with check-in luggage. I am trying to see if I can pack for the entire trip in my large backpack and keep it all under 7.5 kgs. After a bit of a trial, that does seem possible, but let’s see.
6.
On the weekend, Amber and I went for a screening of Luis Buñuel’s surrealist film El Ángel Exterminador (The Exterminating Angel) at Red House, a relatively new arts venue that I have been keen on checking out. The movie was intense, and the food delicious. I hope we make it back there for more events.