I had the flu. It sucked. And I kept worrying that it was SARS. Which it obviously wasn’t, since there is now way I could have been exposed. I also worried that it was Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, because of the ticks. Also, I did have a fever. The kind where all your muscles ache and your skin hurts. No spots, though.

Now I am back in the office, a little muzzy in the head but otherwise normal, I think. I lost a day and a half of work (should have been too days but I was stubborn and went to work on Monday. Only made it through 1 pm and had to go home) I do a lot of whimpering when I feel sick. I have no idea how Kir tolerates me.

I am trying to track down my supervisor. I tried to call him in Almaty, and they told me he was in Uzbekistan. So I called Tashkent. He wasn't there, either, but the receptionist, when she heard me ask for him, said “Violet?” So at least she still recognizes my voice. That’s comforting.

This article is extremely troubling. It casts the entire basis for the war in Iraq in doubt.

A week ago, I told my boss that I can only do one more year in Turkmenistan. So our estimated departure date from Ashgabat is June 2004. I’m not exactly counting the days, but it’s nice to have an end in sight.

We are waiting to hear about Mike and Gulnara’s baby. Everybody wish them luck.

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USAID is one of many donors for the project I work for. The views expressed herein are the author’s own views and do not necessarily reflect those of the author’s employer or especially those of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. And I mean it. I probably give the US government heart attacks.