I had a bit of downtime this week – it was my week for consultations, which means I had a lot of appointments with folks in the State Department. I’ll be working with them on the phone and via email when I get to Pakistan, so it’s nice to be able to put a face with a name, and get their insights on the post. I got my appointments done on Monday and Tuesday, and spent Thursday at FSI doing administrative work.
I also had time for some fun!
Last Sunday evening, I went to dinner at Pam and Sam’s house. It was great to see their two kids – and really nice to have a home-cooked meal in a real home!
I celebrated the Fourth of July with Cathy and her friends Carson and Brent. They invited me to come to dinner at Margo and Matt’s apartment – always fun to meet new folks! The plan originally called for going to another friend’s apartment to watch the fireworks from the roof, but I was tired and it was still crazy hot even at 8:30 PM, so I passed and just came home to watch on TV instead. If my apartment were a few floors higher, I would have been able to watch from my balcony (I can see the Washington Monument from here) – but there are too many buildings blocking the view at this level.
Friday night Cathy and I had a nice dinner at Kora.
Last night, she and I met our good friend Jim at Smith and Wollensky’s for a steak. It was so great to see Jim – he’s one of my favorite folks!