What's going on???

I haven't posted for a few days, so apologies to my dedicated readers for making all of you bite your nails until bloody and raw...

well, i finally got to eat at an agreeable meal at a restaurant in columbus, where i met one of my cousins for the first time. I had a rather tannic and drier-than-usual zinfandel for starters, ordered by the glass, by my cousin, who seems to have a soft spot for wine. We got talking, and rajeev learnt of my passion for food and cooking, and subsequently offered to set me up with an internship in a good place in Columbus. It's an offer that is too good to be true, but i categorically told him that i'm going to count on him to help me out, sooner or later.
It was a welcome change, from my uncle and aunt, who were less than enthused by my career choice. I'm not too happy with the way they opined with me and my parents about how this career was a dead-ender, and how it would lead to an income of a paltry $50,000 a year. Of course, i'm sure in their long lives they've seen many instances where people like me ended up in a less desirable situation. But that doesn't give them the right to dismiss my chosen path, and suggest that i do something else....like medicine. Frankly, that offended me outright. I considered it as an affront to my right to choose what's the best for me. That was an extremely naive and digustingly elitist statement, and just for a fleeting moment, I hated them for it.

When i lay down to sleep that night, i realised that what i was feeling was probably a knee-jerk reaction. I contemplated that since they really had no idea about this line of work(a fact they confessed themselves) they were really not in a position to guide me. I still feel bad about what they had to say, but i'm not going to let this affect me, and like a cheap meal, let it pass.

As i was saying, rajeev was quite supportive, and even stepped in when i was being offered similar constructive criticisms by my aunt, such as, "son, don't smell everything" and "don't express yourself with your hands"

Come on people, who doesn't want to savour the full aroma of a lovely california pinot noir?? who doesn't want to sample the full spectrum of sensory input offered by a beautifully prepared filet mignon?? trusting just your tongue is like trying to talk after a shot of novocaine has been injected into your jaw. there's just so much more to food than taste.

anyway, i traveled to detroit the next day, and met our old family friends, the Prinjas. After the cavernous maison in springfield, the prinjas' modest apartment was like a meerkat's underground habitat on the serengeti...in a most welcome way. I felt royally pissed the next day, because i couldn't get to meet a friend who was quite close by, and instead went to a mall...bloody hell. the next day was scheduled for our attempt to get into Canada, an endevour that could be expected to end in both ways.

and finally, we did win the race. This kid is a bunch of fun, and i could never imagine such a compact package could make so much noise...the people at Bose need to see this. he's huge for a 19 month old, and looks like he's three.

Reporting from Springfield

Hello all...

i'm recovering from the sprained neck at a brisk pace in the rolling green hills of Springfield, OH. I'm now able to walk without looking like i've got a 2-foot steel rod up my derriere, which is what i had to do for a couple of days, in order to limit the movement of my upper vertebrae.

My uncle and aunt live up here in this mini-mansion sort of place, in this secluded suburb flanked by golf courses and lightly-wooded meadows. The decor is mainly Baroque-inspired, with sprinklings of italian and a dash of contemporary where needed. Their Drawing-room is the sort of place you'd expect to pay a fee just to peek inside. Loaded to the gills with items such as crystal animals, metal statuettes inspired by the tale of Moses, the very essential Lladro porcelain showpiece(What is it with us Indians and our obsession with useless porcelain?) and other baubles, it's the kind of place where you'd have to sit like a statue yourself in order to fit in.

The rest of this pile is more practical, in the sense that you're not afraid of sitting anywhere, lest you break a priceless artefact. The kitchen is well-endowed, the baths are quite fine, and the bedrooms are just right. The real beauty lies on the outside, where the fall season is painting the land with vibrant colour, and every morning presents a differently-hued vista. Throw in a nice little river, and it would be perfect.

This trip is also getting to be profitable gastronomically. We had our dinner yesterday at this all-mexican outfit, where i ordered a sort of steak(bad choice, i know) the rest of the food was quite good, but my order wasn't really up to the mark. My aunt very helpfully pointed out later, as i was finishing my dinner, that this isn't really a good place to eat steak...good timing.

Our lunch today was at this little Boucherie-cum-deli, where i had a decent slice of beef encased in a rather nice sandwich, accompanied by a nice coffee. The place is a chain operation, but the food was of a high standard, someting not usually associated with food chains. later we got ourselves a good sourdough loaf, which tasted really swell.

Later on in the evening, i'm going to see my 8-year old nephew and possibly meet my cousins(one of whom i've never laid my eyes on ever) and finally do some shopping.

Music- N.F.A.K- maye ni ma jogh fareed de jaana...

BANG!

Hi everyone...

Just thought i'd let you know, i met with a little accident yesterday....

i took the unwise decision of bicycling down to the Sodhi's place at a time when most car-owners dare not venture out. To make things a little spicier, i decided to take one of the darkest, most desolate roads in the city. And to top it all off, i decided to ride on the left side of the track, instead of the right, since it would help me avoid the scary traffic intersection ahead.

All was well, until an Austrian guy on his bike, like me, on the same dark road without any form of lighting whatsoever, came down the path at roughly 40 k's an hour, about my speed as well. We didn't quite see each other until our bikes and bodies collided head-on at full throttle. I felt no pain at all, just a mild shock, and kept repeating "bad dream, bad dream, Wake up, godammit!!"

I fell into a ditch not a metre from the wire fence built to keep the crocs and snapper turtles out(i did hear an investigatory splash in the reptile-infested waters though) while the Austrian lay at the curb groaning. i got up instantly, and went over to his side, asking him if he was ok. He replied, "vot happened?"

at which i gave him a brief treatise of the relevant events. He said that the could'nt get up, and despite my efforts to get him onto his back, it was too painful for him. I whipped out my pocket flashlight and began flagging down cars, none of which stopped. Instead a sheriff arrived on the scene, followed by an ambulance. By now, the pain started to set in, and i sat down. i was strapped into a neck-brace and laid onto a back-board, and taken to the ER.

of course, i was wide awake and alert(rather, super-alert) and i called Bart, Nikhil and the Sodhis to let them know of the situation. They arrived at the hospital soon after iwas wheeled in. After a few X-rays, it was clear that my neck was just severely sprained, and no broken bones were to be had. The doctor prescribed some painkillers and sent me on my way.

The Austrian, whose name is Manfred(Von Richthofen??)who turned out to be a guy in his fifties, was really hurt. He broke his collarbone, and possibly a rib or two as well. Nikhil took the details from me, asking if the guy had a light on his bike, which he didn't, and told me not to worry, admist rising concerns of a possible law-suit.

As the Irish may say, Me neck's fucked, man.

Funnily enough, there was a constant musical score to this whole episode, namely Mozart's horn concerto no.9, a rather cheery piece, which played over and over in my head all the while.

The update you've been waiting for...

Hello everyone!

Well, mom's passed her nursing licence examination, and we're all set to go about touring the States. We leave tomorrow from Tampa at 1155hrs towards Columbus, OH; from where we'll head to Springfield. A couple of days later, we will go up north into Michigan, towards Warren and Lansing. Finally, we'll get our shot at beating the rest of the family in the race for "who-sees-the-grandson-first" ; when we go over to Canada. From then on, the programme's quite fluid, but we have to be back here by the 22nd, by all means.

For those not in the know, my aunt and uncle live in springfield, and we have old family friends in warren. I have a friend who is finishing her studies at MSU, and i haven't seen her in 5 years, so my visiting her is an absolute must. My Eldest cousin, my sister in-law and their kid aged 1.8 years live in Brampton, near Toronto.

Bets may have been placed within the family on the probability of our meeting the kiddo first back in India, so we'll try not to let down our supporters.

Cheers!

Gastronomic feelers...

Just today, i was beamoaning the apalling nature of american food to mon ami, V.K; and declaring the area as deep-fat fryer country.

It ouccured to me in a matter of minutes, as i logged off, that maybe it's not the produce that's bad, it's the way people cook here that's horribly mutated. I also realised, with alarm, that i had not attempted to visit a decent food supplies store, and that my views were thus narrow and uninformed. Our supplies till date were procured from 'dollar general' (absolutely shameful), and were of an inferior nature.

In order to review my knowledge of food in America, and to satiate the ever-surging urge to cook something, i decided to visit a decidedly better-stocked supermarket nearby. As i navigated past the galleries of canned goop and boxed crap, i noticed a rather limited selection of lamb on the freezer racks across the void. Accompanied by a reasonable selection of Boeuf and and porc (people really seem to love ham and pork down here) were a few shoulder chops of lamb. I quickly snatched two of the choiciest cuts, and breezed over to the olive oils, which are quite expensive here. A 200 ml bottle of extra virgin(italian) was for $4.97. The real shocker was the wine section, where a decent bottle of red was anything from $10 to $25. More importantly, were the imported wines such as a chianti flask for $12, an Oporto for $11, and Cream sherry for $15.

Oh mercy...i have had wet dreams starring these fine wines since i learnt of their existence.

Anyway, i rushed home and trimmed the chops, tenderized the living daylights out of them, rubbed them with salt n' pepper, studded them generously with fresh rosemary and grain sugar, then seared them in a frying pan with olive oil with a couple of garlic pods. The result was a tasty lamb chop, well-seasoned if rather crude in preparation and presentation. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out to be a nice colour, and was quite grey instead of the desired pink.

Maybe this confirms my opinion that most americans do not apprieciate the wide variety of foodstuffs made available to them, and stick to their grits and corn-on-the-cob with fried chicken and waffles.

Music - Rammstein- Spieluhr, Rein Raus

The prodigal son

I was feeling rather pent-up today, so i decided to shop-til-i-drop. I know that i mentioned in an earlier post how i was trying to get a grip on the fistful of dollars i have left, but what the hell... First was a sleeker Continental TravelContact 26X1.75 tyre on the front end of the bike, which has improved the ride quality dramatically. The rear retains the stock Schwing 26X1.95 mountain bike tyre. The bike took a nasty fall yesterday, damaging the right pedal, so as to make it quite uncomfortable to use. It had to go, so the plastic pedals were replaced by alloy ones, much smoother and durable. The wheels were out of true, so the bike shop guy balanced them for a few dollars extra. I've also finally got the seat angling just right so that it doesn't mutilate my Vas Deferens, and i've got a handy bottle clip on the frame to go as well.

finally, i've got myself a new pair of sandals. There was a lot of travelling and wait involved in the pursuit of my footwear, so i decided that going further out of town on the interstate on a bicycle with traffic at 120 kph wasn't such a hot idea, even if it meant lower prices. I was also getting tired of waiting endlessly for a certain individual who'd promised to get me about.
I got to this mall at the eastern edge of the town, and walked into a store dealing in hiking gear(hurrah!) I found what i was looking for, paid the stupendously high price of $90, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Bollocks to bargains, discounts and waiting for the sales to begin.

the sandals are quite high-quality, good for trekking and hiking, with the top being totally synthetic, a wet surface anti-slip sole acting as the undercarriage, and the ability to convert them into slip-on's on the fly comes as standard. Overall, they grip your feet nicely, and feel well-planted. Now I'm gonna run them in nicely, so that i can get a fair number of kilometres on them, like my old NB sandals.

Now that the sun has started to really toast my skin, i think a few days indoors are in order. My reduced venture capital should also hold me indoors for now. Future investments will only be made once a SSN, Green card and a steady job are in hand.

anyway, i might lose the facility to use the internet regularly by tomorrow, so bear with me, everyone; if i cannot update this page regularly from now on, although i'll do my best, me hearties.

Cheers!

Music - The Rolling Stones-Symphathy for the Devil

That Old Feeling...

It seems my legs are getting back into their old limber shape again. Today, i cycled across the county line all the way to the Wal-Mart, to demand my bike's missing technical manual, and to look at wider, cushier seating options.
As my legs get more and more sprightly, my butt becomes more and much, much more numb. perhaps it's the slim design, or the seat angle, but i feel as if i have been booted squarely in the seat of my pants most of the time...

i"m doing my best to avoid spending money on the bike, especially since i've still got to get myself some decent sandals. The Wal-Mart has a selection that would be a shade better than the range available in a Soviet-era state-run supermarket.

We finally had a tete-a-tete with the Head Honcho of CPI-Temps, Nikhil Kataria today. The firm seems hard-pressed for fresh jobs at the moment, but nontheless, the guy asked me to send him my resume first thing tomorrow. Let's see what becomes of this.

Music- Fryderyk Chopin-Walc Es-dur, op. 18