The Winter Break is coming to a close. Thursday was a beautiful, sunny day in the 50s that felt almost like a spring day! There is an extreme cold front expected to arrive next Tuesday so it was like a gift from the weather gods and a fleeting reprieve from the winter. We took advantage of the warm weather and played tennis at the Olympic Tennis School. As my readers know, we love tennis and it was pure bliss to be on the courts again with my wife and son. Owen defeated me 6-4 and then he and Nadia hit the ball around a bit. We later went for a late lunch at Breadly Cafe and I got my bike tire rim repaired. I noticed the school is renovating the indoor courts and I later learned that they are hosting a Davis Cup tie between Uzbekistan and the USA on February 3-4. I need to get tickets for one of the two days. The singles matches and first doubles will be on Friday, February 3, and then the reverse singles on Saturday, February 4.
Friday it rained the entire day and I spent most of it planning for the upcoming cold front that will be arriving on Tuesday. The Uzbek government is extending the Winter Break for local schools to limit the spread of colds and flu. There are also natural gas shortages here and I also think that this may have played a role in the decision. We had a warm Saturday so I went for a bike ride. I stopped by the Ilkhom Theatre, the famous avant-garde theatre that continued to put on plays during USSR times and was a beacon of free expression throughout the Karimov years. It was mostly destroyed in a fire and they are asking for donations to rebuild the theatre.
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