For the last several months, Ross has been sharing an office with a girl named Eilidh (Ellie). Her contract with the University is up and, since she is expecting a baby, she opted not to renew it. She is very sweet, respectful and hard-working and an ideal person to share an office with, so Ross is sorry to see her go. He is especially sorry because he is not yet sure who they are going to replace her with.
Thursday night we went to a farewell dinner in her honor at an Indian restaurant called Shish Mahal. Shish Mahal is one of the best restaurants in the West End and the food is excellent. Ross has taken me there before and I always have the same problem- the menu is so big I can never decide what to try. This time I just decided to pick the first thing that drew my eye, which ended up being a creamy curry with ginger, cilantro and chicken. Being the first meal we've eaten out in over a month, it was a real treat. I could seriously eat their naan and spiced rice everyday! My only regret is not ordering a mango lassi.
It is hard to explain what it is like to spend an evening out with this particular group of academics, but it certainly gives me a taste of what Ross has to put up with on a daily basis. I have so much more respect for the strength of his character, seeing how his 'childish' religious beliefs and 'teetotaling' ways are a constant source of amusement to his fellow academics. It is a little depressing that a group of such intelligent people would rather drink themselves into a stupor than spend their energy on things of greater significance.
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