I got to speak to Marc for a bit yesterday. It sounds like the team's working hard leading the training sessions, with activities late into the evening. He hasn't had much of a chance to run except one day in Cairo in the smog & the dangerous traffic. Other than being beat by the end of each day, he is doing well. He did mentioned going out to see the Pyramids of Giza yesterday evening, catching the corny light show, and saw some folks in pharoahic garb playing bagpipes which the thought was quite weird and reminded him of a scene in "The Last King of Scotland".

The apartment has been quiet without Marc around and I've been struggling to rouse out of bed in the mornings without his clanking around in the kitchen. It is funny how you only begin to notice these little things and realize how comforting they are when the other person is MIA. Otherwise I am moving along with class work, pulling some data together to help an undergrad with her senior thesis, catching up on reading, and putting together two presentations I have to give in Feb. The apartment now also has some new wall hangings -- compliments from Mamie who got us a black & white fine point drawing of a street in Vitre & Papa who got us a scroll with Chinese pictographic characters. We are quickly running out of wall space!

In an effort to not be stuck at home alone, I am hanging out with some friends. Tonight, I'm catching the UNC-Miami men's basketball game in the Dean Dome with Jon, and tomorrow night Whitney & I will go see "Volver" together as part of her birthday celebrations.

Don't forget to catch the Superbowl game between the Chicago Bears & the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday! Kickoff is at 6:25pm on CBS. Go Bears!

Yeah, I know, I play too much!

~ Shuwen