Drama and Kittens

I think that sums up life lately.

I haven't even been able to digest the rest of my Silk Roads trip because as soon as--and, really, before--I arrived back in Cambodia, news of the shady NGO crackdown came my way. Unfortunately, the whole thing did not blow over while I was away. An organization with whom we've worked very closely to monitor and research the Railways Project has been suspended under the pretext of the new NGO law, which itself is set to place egregious limits on freedom of expression. Our organization is also under the gun, and my research activities have been frozen since my departure in late July. It simply boggles my mind.

Some updates and news here, here, here, and here.

Somehow, as this drama continues to unfold, I've found some peace and quiet. Vivian's 3 kittens, all ginger and energy, continue to terrorize the house. They get into our wardrobes, though they prefer Heather's over mine. Their pitter-patter resounds off the wooden floors all hours of the night.

Ethan and I spent last night making tomato sauce from scratch, in an attempt to salvage the huge bag of basil that was quickly languishing in my fridge. We watched Midnight in Paris.