yesterdays lost post about my rollercoaster of a day

so yesterday was mad crazy. I checked my email before class and got this from the grant agency I applied to for fieldwork funding:

Dear Ms. Mercimerch,

Thank you very much for getting back to me with this information and congratulations on your other awards. Unfortunately, due to the other funding that you have received, we will not be able to offer you an SSRC
Title 8 fellowship. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions or concerns.

Best regards,
The evil sucking secretary from hell

In a fit of anger and disappointment I suck up my pride and write a very diplomatic reply saying that the funding I already received was *back up* funding and would not fund fieldwork, only pay for my language study here in LA and that I was disappointed that I was knocked out of the running becuase I won another grant and that I am willing to forfeit that grant in order to receive their funding for fieldwork in Uzbekistan.

After class I went home and found this in my inbox:

Dear Ms. Merchimerch,
I am sorry for the misunderstanding. I have tried to phone you but nobody answered at the number provided on your application. Please givexme a call (212-xxx-xxxx, ext xxx) at your earliest possible convenience and we can discuss your situation. I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Best,
the more reasonable secretary from purgatory

I then called the office and spoke with the sweetest most angelic secretary who told me that I could have $5500 to go to Uzbekistan this fall so long as I wasn't receiving other funding concurrently. So I am going to uzbekistan this Fall. I will sort out the rest of my years funding later.

and I bought a uighur dutar yesterday - its bigger and more ornate than the Uzbek ones I usually play.