The three big cups of tea were a resounding triumph -- at least, that's what I'm giving credit to for my being cheerful, awake and alert all through my dinner party last night. :-) I made Sri Lankan food: chicken curry, mackerel curry, beets, green beans, saffron rice, coconut sambol, mangoes with chili and lime; all pretty standard, with roasted chili cashews and chana to start (from packets), served with eggplant pickle, lime pickle, and seeni sambol (from jars). Leah added a chard and curry leaf mallung, yum, and Pireeni and Colm made a fruit crumble with custard to finish -- very British. It wouldn't be a proper Sri Lankan meal without a bit of something colonial. :-) It was a good meal, with great conversation. If Pireeni and Colm weren't so crazy busy, I would make them eat with me every week -- they are so smart and funny. And I'm hoping to see more of Minal and Leah this fall, since there are not quite so insanely busy. Maybe Leah and I can do a Sri Lankan writing collaboration thingie of some kind. I don't know, but it'd be cool.They reassured me on various points I'd been concerned on with the YA novel (including some polygyny, and my representations of the two cultures in the war, which are very loosely based on Tamil/Sinhalese cultures). I feel better. We also told dumb Sri Lankan jokes, which are essentially dumb Russian jokes with the Sri Lankan switched in. Okay, we told one joke, but it was funny. We laughed a lot, though I don't remember exactly why. We argued a bit about Sri Lankan history (who got there first, and when), but I think I was right, and felt compelled to send e-mail to Pireeni and Leah this morning giving them further evidence as to why I was right.
Anyway, all good. On to today. This morning, I have dishes to do (they did most of them, but there are a few left), and need to swing by Berkeley to register for my Tamil class (which I somehow have not gotten around to doing yet). Then we're all heading down to San Jose to see Kevin's sister, Susan -- who had her baby yesterday! Brooke and Susan are healthy and happy and all well. Yay! Which means Kavi now has her first cousin, and I have my first niece! Very exciting!!!
It's going to be a good day. :-) :-) :-)