Workers

It’s hot here in the desert.  Even now, in November, when people say “ah…the heat has broken,” we’re still talking 90F at midday. The road I have to take to my house winds through a whole huge construction project designed to make room...

the invisible labor of vacation

Our vacation in the Maldives a few weeks ago was perfect, and that’s all I’m going to say about that. It seemed as if we were in a natural paradise…but “natural,” these days, isn’t always what it seems: There were no mosquitoes: The...

Tiffins

The men who work in our apartment building as cleaners often bring their lunch to work in tiffins: lunchpails that separate into little dishes.  One worker is dispatched to buy drinks for the group and then they sit in a patch of shade outside for their meal.  ...