Job two

So I have some free time coming up. Yeah, free time, time free. When I said that in class, someone said what is that thing that you speak of, it sounds vaguely familiar. Of course this person is overloaded with work, he is teaching this sem, taking two lit course etc. etc. I have spread it across which means I will be stuck here during summer. Stuck is used here in a good way.

So free time, yes which means I am thinking of going off to New York. Its about 3 hours by bus. I also found this bus stiuation where sometimes they give away tickets for like a $1 as promos. But otherwise too its fairly cheap around 15$. So well its a plan. Now to fund this plan I need some money and just then I got a job.

Its the jewish holiday time coming up and the job is dinner-prep, 'light cleaning' at this woman's house. It pays well and so I went off to see her. The house was a royal mess but she has three kids so..
But I am beginning to think this is how most houses are kept! Outwardly fancy and destruction inside. So the lady was pretty nice. Its a festival where they have to be outdoors when they have the feast so they have built this tent in their backyard and they have hung all kinds of lights and lanterns around. Then she showed me her pantry! I cannot tell you what is happening there because its colossal! Its stocked with so much food to feed an army and some.
So during the feast they cant use electricity. so she tells me- if I say oh I think I need to switch on another burner, then you know what to do.
I am to switch on the burner! lights. dishwasher. :/ How much more odd can it get.

Anyhow so next Wednesday after class I will be dead but I will have also submitted story3 and I need just one more for this semester. So I have agreed to go after class.

I have brought 9 new books. I will post titles soon. I have a new story that I quite like. I have been re writing it so much that it looks so different from its original state. But its still not enough. Someone in class writes like hundred drafts. Hundred, with all kinds of permutations and combinations for the characters. she gives the lover cancer and then the lover's wife craziness and their son autism. I wasn't sure if that is how I want to take things forward. I mean I go with a fixed idea. Maybe that is what is wrong. I will know better next week because two stories of mine are being work-shopped Mon and Wednesday.

Later then.

Hi All

Hey guys, been a while since I posted here but I have been so stressed out and running around! Ok, Lets see, I have been here four days now. Wednesday we got here and they promptly made my life miserable by losing my luggage and then promising to deliver it the same day and then not even picking up calls for a whole day, while I walked around in Boi's home clothes. Thu was orientation and teaching fellow orientation and first class with Leslie. The TF thing made me a little panicky since so much SO MUCH information was thrown my way.
But I have some time and I think I will figure it out- which is fairly optimistic coming from me. Obviously they told us the usual things, the no's and what to do's etc etc.
The program co -ordinator is an amazing lady with great amount of patience for all my endless questions. She figured out all my scholarship and teaching money and I am so happy with how its worked out. In fall I will have to live a little tight but in spring I will live like a queen. :o or well, eat like a queen!
She also managed to have some spare money for me so that I can pay health insurance from the scholarship and I only have to put in a leetle bit of cash. Anyway enough of that.

Leslie is pretty amazing, his energy is very becoming and I so far agree with all his policies. He is of the school that when we learn to appreciate art, then we become better human beings and better writers and as part of that school of thought, we will be spending some time picking out a piece from the museum of fine arts and writing about why we were moved by it.

The Cohort are all amazing people so far from such diverse backgrounds and stories. Our first workshop story was handed to us- two people each time and so we all get to workshop three stories in Fall. I am going third and I am more or less ready. The two stories I read so far- amazing diction, so so well written but uhm.. how do I put it, it just didnt do anything for me. I didnt think oh my god, this is what I would have loved to write or wish I had written this, but I was very impressed with the use of words and the choice of phrases.

I am still scared of him, of making him think I am a mistake and so on but I think I will be Ok. He also made a valid point- this year will be easier if we all just learn to love each other a bit and as part of that we are all going out for drinks on Wednesday.  I think my problem with socializing will have to be curbed somehow, I dont know how but I will have to make that effort.

I am also so excited with the library, its huge and well stocked and so far I love the structure of the program. Sigrid's class doesnt start till12th but its a revision and editing class and I think I will really need it. I am also trying to read more writers away from my comfort zone. I think I will need to spend some quality time reading slow because Proust and Baldwin are really not easy reads but if he thinks its going to help- I am going to buy it

Another thing I notice is that its probably easier for the people in my age group to accept what he says easier and adapt as opposed to the older writers who seem to be taking it with a pinch of salt. I am not saying I will blindly follow him, but if he thinks some other way of approaching a story  is better, I am willing to make that effort to re write it up.

But at the same time, the older writers seem to disagree, a little stuck in their ways- for eg, he has a big problem with echoes, he expects you to go through the draft hawk like, taking out words that sound similar or repeated in the same para, obviously he says dont do it for the sake of it, as in dont use some terribly wrong word just so to get rid of the echo but make that extra effort to get rid of it, try all kinds of words in that space.

I am with him, but someone else was very quick to say how she couldn't care less about the damn echoes. He said - Oh I think you will.
I also dont think I will muster the courage to go against him like that, at least for a while and at least till its something that really matters to me.

Boston has been great so far, great food, amazing weather- partly cloudy and rainy in the nights. The campus is beautiful and I love our workshop room, where once Plath and Sexton had been. Its  all too much if I think about it too much.

My place is in Brookline which is a very nice neighborhood, lots of nice little cafes in the village- not seen yet, but hear its really good and my room in a house is huge, like I dont need this much space and we got me a bed and other knick knacks. '

Abigail and her daughter seem such warm nice people, I think I will especially like the girl- she is a teenager but seems more mature than her age. The room itself is painted  a light shade of violet and  it has a small nice bathroom, with a shower stall, not a tub-thankfully, less cleaning. They are Vegetarians but they dont mind me making whatever I want.

Not staying there yet, at my Aunt's place. I love her place, its so warm and comfy in here and they are an amazing couple. And they take care of both of us so well and yesterday night we stayed up late arguing about what makes some people the way they are. How bad conditioning can be and whether science or religion is more close to one's heart.

Obviously we are all very loud and opinionated people and we all had different views and it went on for a while but it was good fun. I do love dinner table talk so much.
There are some movies we want to see- Contagion, The Debt. I think we might go with these guys. I think Leslie and my Uncle would get along so well, they both like the same music- Brahms and Bach and they might I think agree on some political issues too. Tomorrow is the Labor day picnic at Robert Pinksy's house- though I am asking them to tag along, they refuse, so it might be just me and my hot date. ;p

More on everything later.

S

Waiting

What is a better time to blog than when waiting infuckingendingly ( bad wrong word) for people to pick up phones. So yes, about Sunday and that leaving on Sunday plan- because of the hurricane flights are cancelled. Before I forget two people have already pissed me off with hurricane jokes.
1) "You guys I am having a hurricane party! Though here, its only mild cloudy skies"

2) - uhm faulty memory kicks in, what was it! It was really stupid though.

Anyway on the phone, me and boi, calling Orbitz and United, both of them making us hold and hold andddd hold. I have also caught a cold from the boi. I have a funny picture of him under a towel taking steam. Ok, not that funny, but still.
Maybe I can give you some random news while I wait. We saw Planet of the Apes yesterday despite my Franco aversion and Pinto dislike and I absolutely liked the movie. I guess they were fairly harmless and plus it was all about the ape, anyway.  Franco aversion if I havent explained before is all due to his bad writing, yes really- "The shadows were shadow coloured". WTH and his terrible need to soothe his ego with half finished degrees from all over the country, all those unfinished MFA's and Phd's and now, one more will be started apparently coming fall. So obviously I dont care what he runs about indulging in, but it hurts to think that each time he needs an ego boost, he is taking up a precious spot at some school and taking away health insurance and other benefits that could have gone to a more deserving student. So yes, that is my Franco rant for now. Plus I hear, he is a real dick..

My first and immediate reaction to most life problems used to be and maybe still kind of is, oh if it gets thaaat bad, I guess I will just die, end the misery. I was also obviously very aware what a fucked up way of thinking that was. But not how fucked up till the other day, this crazy pyscho character, drug addict, sex addict character says it out aloud to her sister. I had a dumbfounded moment where I re read those lines again and again. I am not sure what the difference was but just the very idea that someone so so pathetic thinks like that.. stops me in my tracks. Plus, I haven't thought about this strategy in a really long time. What with the general happiness, that is my life, currently. And even brighter life moment- I think to myself " It looks like you might be balding, yes.. by forty, you could be really bald, no, no wigs for me, even the nicest ones, I will just shave it off, keep it really simple. Oh!! maybe I should do it now, see how it looks. Or not. What if I get Cancer, I will have to do it then anyways"

I dont know if you see the bright side in this? No? Its how I will definitely be fighting Cancer hard if at all and will try and be positive in general about it. No, no one is seeing that? OK.

Please check this link out meanwhile. Probably might prompt you not to do those stupid Facebook crap when October rolls around, those what color is your bra, post the color or where do you like purse to-be-sexual-innuendos.( Really!!) statuses. This right here.

Boi is making his super awesome yummy shepherd's pie and I cant smell it with the stupid cold.

Books: John Irving-The World According to Garp
Movies: Birth of a nation, Planet of the apes.
Series: My so called life ( pretty good))

Someone picked up.

DIY

Life in this country is a big do it yourself project and as part of that project, we just moved houses all BY OURSELVES. In caps, because I have never done that before. In all my life we have moved houses exactly thrice and all times people from Achan's office would come and pack everything up while we played with bubble wrap and had a lot of outside food. Also: in these rented houses every time before I left, I would go up to the terrace and in some corner write my name and a few things about me for future kids who arrive in the house to read. I also searched for such things in new houses, its one of those things, that now manifests itself when I buy old second hand books, I search for some writing, some kind of clue who the last owner was. Some kind of a kick.

Anyhow, that was a painful process, but thankfully, the new house is just a 5min drive away, so we hauled the Uhaul and loaded everything up, lugging down bed and boxes and dining table and stands and god-knows-what-other crap.
By night about ten-ish when we were done, I had literally no energy left but I wanted to do the whole boil milk thing but I didnt let it overflow? all over. There was no way I was going to clean that up and then we had  KFC- because we deserve it!

The new house has the woods next to it, so in the evenings you hear the Cicada's song- I am just calling it that, I am not sure if its indeed them. But the sound is so calming and reminds me of my native place. I am going to miss staying here with him.

As for other activities, finished Last of her kind- Sigird Nunez, in less than three days, it was so interesting. Its about the 60's America- Class, flower power and all that craziness. I am so excited to meet her!
Movies: Capt America- Not bad at all
My Blueberry nights- Pretty decent.

I will leave on Sunday. 

What the news is, is

I am back! and happy to be back, a rare and exciting feeling that was. I was leaving from Muscat so that made it little less painful, I think.

So what all happened:

I sat the Amma and Achan and had a frank discussion, frankly loud ie, where they spend the better part of the 4/5 hours yelling. We were in Tvm and I swore never to step into that hotel again since I am sure they would remember us as "that" family. :/ Anyway finally I bought up excellent points that they couldnt avoid and thus we managed to have a decent conclusion to the discussion. I emphasized the need that they dont
a) bring up past
b) do below the belt shots
c) actually try and be friends who talk things out first
d) Achan: STOP being a leader in the house and remember everyone has equal rights :/
e) stop making all of us look foolish in the whole family
f) Give away money as though we are the new world bank
g) take trips together, alone
h) LIVE in the same place for godsakes

etc,etc. The room had these curtains that hadn't been washed in years I think, so the dust allergy sprang up making my brilliant mature adult among you two kids, persona sneeze and sneeze some more till I had red watery eyes and fell sick promptly. They took care of me, together making decisions on what hospital to stop and get me one of those mask things- name I forget-so that I can breathe easy. Even with my uncomfortable-cant breathe stage it was a relief to see them behave normal after years.
And its been two months and they seem to be taking my advice well! That's a first I am sure, someone other than boi, taking me seriously!
They are even planning a trip to some place! So that was that.

The visa was painless procedure, though you know that place you first submit all your papers for someone to organize it? Where the Indians sit, yeah, there was this nasty nasty bitch there, who was like, give me the papers, I hand it over, she checks and says " where are your Masters certificate?"
I give her my transcripts and she is suddenly all rude: Naaat yuvar transcripts, your certificaaate?
Uhm, I dont have one!
What you didnt go for graduation ceremony?
No?
UGLY raised eyebrows stare back at me in that what are you good for useless coming here without it face.

SILENCE.

Do yu haave it or not.
No, but, but my transcript says passed!!
You either have it or you dont.
Fine.
You explain to the aaficer when he asks you
Ok

and then there was this crazy crazy long wait where I kept saying: daivame repeatedly till I thought that was the only word I knew in life.

The aaficer was a perfectly nice lady who asked for nothing- just my luck- who checked GRE TOEFL and I-20 and that was that.
So you are a writer, she said
I try, I said
End.

I bought myself 4 pretty saris and some kurtas and a school bag and that was my shopping.

My usual doctor visits yielded some nasty surprises, I had been so used to seeing everything normal that I didnt even see this coming. I do a lot of tests, things I dont even need to do at current age but I cant help it. I did a Pulmonary function tests, since I can barely run 2miles without dying and I have no aches anywhere and except for my breathing everything else seems fine, but the test showed healthy lungs with full capacity. Then I did a de reactive protein test, cos, I thought my cholesterol levels looked a teeny weeny high and then  that came out fine. Then I did a HIV test- non reactive it said, I wish they would use the word negative.
Then I checked my uric acid level- Fine.
Then I did a thyroid test and good I did! There was this unnatural rise in TSH and the doctor asked if I had been gaining any weight, I had been. He said to stay calm < :/ > and exercise regularly and check back in 6months, I will be needing that student insurance after all. But it scared me. He also said if it doesnt come down then he would put me on medication and these kinds- they are life long!

I have missed going to the gym, its been three months now and I am at 65! It will take some effort getting that down.  Then I went to the gyanec and she said I have mild cervical infection after my pap smear, she said not to worry, 90% of women have it at some point and gave me some tablets.

You see, a better of holidays are always spend like this.

Anyway I am going to try and lose all that weight.  Other than all this what else is happening. One of my closest friends got married! To this lovely lovely girl and I just saw the photos and everyone looked so happy and smiley faced with all that love! Super happy for him.
Ha Jin is letting me audit his class in addition to the workshops. I have been catching up on faculty works.
Yesterday Boi and I went to a recycled book store and decided we would spend 10$ each and ended up spending 30$. we leave SFO this weekend, driving down to vegas and from there back home.

That's all I got folks.

S

More room mate looking stories

So I am looking for places to stay come September. This actually poses two kinds of problems.

1. People advt for room mates are all looking for people to move in June- July. I dont see that happening.
mainly cos I doubt I will be back with my visa by then, so the option is to you know pay for Aug and July without actually staying there which is stupid not to mention expensive. but also ultimately might have to be done cos by August most places would be taken.

I forgot the second problem. :/ yes ok, so the very issue of room mates. So in the beginning I was actively pursuing wonly Indian Room mates. I am not sure why I was doing that. I think something to do with the food. but then most ads said " wanted female room mate. only vegetarian"

so after a while I quit that and went to craigslist. where I spend hours just going through photos and weird ads and so on and on... and on. I found nothing. Really.I send out a couple of mails and no one responded. Then there were some weird ads. One person says for the low rent you can have the basement with bathroom and kitchennette but instead you got to run their grocery and other errands :/ AND pick up their son from his friends houses! uhm
Another lady mails saying in one room three girls, so 6 girls and one girl in the living room, instantly a messed up horribly smelling bathroom came to mind and I had to decline. Though my stds are low I must draw the line somewhere. I was tempted with the basement, I can pick up the 14 year old kid..from friends places..I think. Snoop says, what if he makes you wait for hours and hours.. That sort of stumped me. Unnecessary situations could develop.

Then finally I remembered BU's own site where there must be ads, more searching and finally I found the perfect place. Its about ten minutes from where I need to go and there is a green line and the room is small but enough to fit a large bed, a writing desk and maybe all my books! The two other girls seem very nice, a Russian and a Brazilian, They have a cat, but well. I can get used to a cat. The closeness is what is pulling me. Earlier I was considering living in East Boston for the cheaper rent but then the bitter winter will then arrive and make me commute slushing through dirty snow, getting off and taking another bus and then walking more. Who am I kidding? That cannot be me.

And for a few more hundreds  :( I can stay closer to classes means I will take that up anyday. The problem is I wont be seeing the place till I am back from India but my aunty is going to go check it out, her stds are a little higher than mine but thats ok and she will give them whatever deposit they need. The only problem is the girl who is moving out is off to stay with her bf and I am worried in the next two months she will change her m ind and I will sit here thinking yay, I have found the place and then when she does change her mind, the hunt will begin all over again. I am not sure what kind of legal thing I can get from them before I move in. I dont think there is anything like that.

But I really want this place!
I am kind of dreading room mates. After living with boi you know to start this all over again, plus the memories of the zombie are still fresh in mind. Have I not told you of zombie aka crybaby? Must be in my old old blog.

Zombie was my roommate for a whole year. she was either zombie or crybaby. Any kind of tough assignment comes our way- stay up till 2 in morning doing it or presentation coming up or I dont know pretty much anything comes up and she would cry! And I wouldnt know what to do. Initially I would go sit with her and hope she wouldnt touch me. Yes, I dont like touching people when they are crying, and she would collapse on to my shoulders, tears all over my tee! It was disgusting! Then one day the crying was so much I had to hug her. We were in my bed and she actually climbed in. She is very small about 5ft. climbed in, pulled the sheets up and just settled....there sniffling. For what seemed like eternity.

More horrid things- she hated eating in public. so she would get her food to the room, pav bhaji and eggs and noodles. and then leave the plates lying around amidst all the clothes heap and all kinds of CRAP. Many times I would clean both our parts hoping it would sway her, but she would just lie in bed and say  my name in a weird cooochie - for lack of better word way and smile up lazily. How I wanted to just kick her out of there! how how. :(

Then I stopped cleaning her part, so there would my side, clean with desk wiped and clothes all hung up in the closet, books neatly arranged and her part.... It used to make me so angry like gnash teeth in anger. she would stay up till 2 and 3 chatting and I would be so dead, half asleep but lights and me dont go together. I would wait not patiently but neverthless till like one- which seemed a reasonable hour to ask to switch lights off and she would say - arrey I am doing some assignment! As if! Lying bitchslutwhore. :/
she had two  boyfriends, one Gujrati and one Maharashtrian. so chatting and phone would proceed till early morning, each bf attempting to teach her their language. can you imagine at two- giggles and khem che chu whatever! Most painful.

Then a whole lot of other disgusting situations I wont go into and finally we completely stopped speaking, thank god. I was spending more and more time outside the room. so you see I am a little skeptical. but then here I will have my own room and these girls said they have rotational cleaning. which gives me hope.

You all can send some good wishes my way so that I get this place. wokay?

In other news. Going to India on Saturday. Sister has something called Paratyphoid. But is getting better. Boi likes his job. San Fran is not sunny as promised. All this tax and such promises, the sunny weather crap is all bullshit. Well atleast this year.Though I love this weather, so I am not sure why I said that. Its cloudy and breezey which is good.

Tada for now.

First Impressions

Been a while, folks.

Last day in Btown < as in the day before last day> was spent or is it spend? These grammar issues. I feel stupid. I am sure its spent cos spend is spend money on summer dress right? Someone correct me. So last day in Btown was spend hammered on absinthe and tequila shots at R's place. Till about midnight. The absinthe smuggled from Spain did little to get me sloshed but the accompanying whiskey shot and then a tequila shot did it. I was soon dancing to tamil songs much to the amusement of the guys. R is snoops closest friend in btown and generally I guess. I do like him. He is pretty genuine and no hang up's except for his inappropriate jokes which I have gotten used to with time. Nothing too annoying or I might have had to tell him off which would have been very uncomfortable. I have very little patience for people who cross the lines or do not see the damn line. I am sure I am very clear about the lines.

Anyway R is also moving since he is also almost winding up his Phd and Snoop is sort of sad. So we decided to see lots of R before he was gone and when I am back in Aug I would miss him too thus the grand finale. By midnight we were all sloshed enough to get to the strip club. R had been talking the strip club here for a while and for snoop's 30th bday we never made it cos I think it got too late. So we finally got there. I was drunk enough for it and I dont really mind the idea. I think I am very...-fascinated with naked women! :/ Even for erotica I prefer regular girl on girl action. Ah anyway.More on that later.

So R and snoop and the other two guys- nice guys- obviously have been here before. As in the strip club in general and it was my first time. So R was happy enough to get me the girls. He put some dollar bills in my hand and off we went checking girls out. The girls were only naked upwards. Which was honestly a relief. I dont think I could have handled being too close to a completely naked gyrating woman.

So a couple of women rubbed my face between their boobs. Thats about it. I declined from a lap dance. Maybe another time. R's wife is a fun woman who has got her brains and senses about her. He tells me what a turn on its for her to buy him lap dances and watch them. I was amused cos I havent really spend much time with her but this image he provided me with just wouldnt go since then. :/

After that I was so tired I just wanted to curl up in my warm bed and yes, wash my face first. The boi's were still up and about though Snoop said later that he too was just dying to be in bed. We came back to our place and I crashed immediately while they went about smoking up. I had had enough. and next morning we had so much stuff to do but we didnt wake up for ever. For EVER. and finally ran about doing things last minute. Obviously there is a price to pay.

The drive itself was three days and the first two days were normal and fun actually. Not too tiring. By about 7 we would reach the hotel and shower and google for local Indian places cos the thought of having onemore  burger was just .not considerable. So first day in Nebraska we found a place called Tandoor and we had some chicken in coconut sauce and rice and I asked the guy if the orange was actually an orange or a Musambi. He said "orange only like orange in color, you know vitamin c and all". Snoop was very amused. :/

The second day we drove through Iowa and I kept thinking of Dey House- The Iowa writers workshop and Sam Chang who had  so politely declined me and I texted Snoop's aunty who I am close to saying-"In Iowa the place that didnt want me" and she said "Good! Have you seen the place?The corn and the farms,You belong in Boston"

Trust her to say the right things. Anyway, after Iowa there was acres and acres of wyoming farm land and lonely stretches of road, just me and the boi and the car. Chuggging along. Third day we crossed into Nevada and the trouble began. One does not expect snow in the desert. Anyway we have learned our lesson.At some point in our shifts I took over, we were doing three hour and two hours resp and the fog+rain+ hail began and soon it was impossible to see. I hate driving in just rain and then this!

There was no point stopping cos for one I couldnt see any exits for a while and two boi was stressed from his own shift. This idiot assehole took the left lane and sped by in the friggin fog to my annoyance spraying things in his wake and I couldnt see anything for like 2mins and I had to sudden brake with panic attacks of skidding. I abused him and his whole family for a while. and later on much later on we saw that the patrol had pulled him over. HAHA. These days punishments are quick. There is a malayalam saying " Varambathu thanne kooli" There you go.

The area near Lake Taho was the worst. The traffic was slowed down and we were just crawling. Snoop started worrying about snow chains and how we didnt have any warm clothes to get out and fix the chains but thankfully they didnt make us. After a delay of almost four hours where I didnt whine even once :) we made it to Sacramento. After which I whined about my need to pee till he stopped.

We arrived at our hotel so drained. so so drained. Repeating for emphasis. Santa Clara is filled with Indians. You look anywhere-they are there. And filled with Indian Restaurants. Tons and tons. We were happy. We picked on out- Mayuri and we were headed there when we saw another one- Peacock- whats with the bird obsession! The latter was filled! and we contd to Mayuri which was empty.

We should have left then but stupidly we stayed and I ordered a chicken fry. The waitress reminded me of Bharti from college. Unnecessary  enthusiasm. and her apron thing was smeared with curry stains and I saw her cough into the chutney dabbas as she brought the Papadams! :/ Snoop said she was the only good thing in the place. I am inclined to agree. After writing this post I am going to go write a lovely review for Mayuri asseholes who charged me crazy money for crappy food. You know some things are just unforgivable, like displaying Fry in the menu and then bringing me curry and then trying to convince me that this could be a fry.

There were a couple of Indian guys behind us. Before we ordered we could hear them say things in Hindi. They then demanded to call the manager. I dislike such people. Usually. The ones who demand the manager's arrival to tell him what exactly the problem is. Anyway after we paid I am willing to think they were right. I should have given him a earful. Wait for your review, jerks.

The other peacock place is awesome. The lunch buffet has the perfect Biriyani and its reasonably priced. We are amazed at the - Indianess- if I may. There were a couple of people sitting next to us talking loudly about some of their friends and how " both the husband and wife would smoke and drink" and then the girls cribbed about their In-laws!
Amazing right? I mean some things never change. These random Mother in law cribbers annoy me. Of course I can afford to be annoyed cos I get along with mine but I find it very distasteful how even if you dont get along with yours, dont run about telling every tom and dick this. At least not to someone you just met!

Anyhow. We just found a place to live. Its a room in a house in a beautiful house that too. Furnished so we dont have to run around looking to rent bed and things. A large lovely kitchen and three other guys. We have to share the loo which isnt something I am too happy about but what the hell. I am just going to have fun till I am here.

Snoop seems to feel very horrid about putting me up in this place with a shared guys bathroom et and all. I keep telling him to look at the bright sides, the room and the rose bushes outside and the lovely street. He seems to want to buy me things for my sacrifice. :o I think I will put those feelings to good use. :)

What else. G, my friend from Symbi lives a mile away. So we went out with her and her husband to dinner and It was just like old times. she is the same. I am the same. I am probably going to be seeing lots of her if her school time permits. I realized I did miss her. she was my closest friend there and for two years we were together all the time, except when we had our fights. :/

Yesterday we went down to San fran and ate at Fisherman's wharf. I expected much in fishy terms, all kinds of fish but I found only regular catfish fried to a crispy golden- snoop's favorite and mine, not. Crabs yes. I told myself to eat mussels but I finally forgot. Walked around a bit and went to Ghirardelli and Boi had a big sundae with creamy caramel while I ate small spoons of it. Boi loves ice cream and dislikes chocolates. I like the opposite so there wont be any- you got more of the share problems. :/

We then lay down on the grass and got cold. My nose is a little sun burned cos stupidly I forgot about sun block and thought how more burned can my brown skin get. Apparently lots.

That is pretty much it for now. More after I have wandered the streets of vegas. soonly.

The week to be

In less than four day we shall embark on our three day road trip. With swappu- our car filled with three large suitcases and a laundry basket filled with Dal, Green Gram, Beans and other Masala powder dabbas.
We will be armed with cellphones, iphones, maps and directions and GPS and some snack stuff and some mangoes for me.

We shall cover Indianapolis to Urbana- Champaign- Iowa city- Nebraska - Salt Lake City- Santa Clara, these being the main stops.

We shall take turns driving and hopefully be safe and sound.

and before that:

I have a house to clean for the new summer tenants and closet space to be cleared and books to return to library ( Mrs Dalloway) will have to be attempted again and a pedicure appointment to be done and India shopping completed and.. I think that is all.

Till then, ie till land of internet is found again, love and affections and hugs for you all.

S

Phone Dud

Hates.Hates.Hates phone conversations. Has the phone-phobia. Time and again have ignored people's calls and then text-ed them in about half an hour with claims of being in the loo. Wants to get rid of phone but worries of boi's safety and if he has reached the places he is supposed to reach makes me hold on to it.

Has ignored boi's calls in the long forgotten dating period. and when boi asks later has said confidently " yes. saw your call but decided to not pick up"
Boi obviously didn't understand. Boi must have thought, hmm,weirdo, but must have tried to get past it.

Hates how people fool me by calling from other numbers and me innocently picking up expecting admission and job offers. Now that, that's all done maybe its time to cut loose the phone. But here are the things making me hold on to it.

1. Sister's sad messages when she is in need of consolation's.
2. Like I said Boi's texts that yes, I am now safe and sound in my office.

3. June and P's happy nonsense and panicked stories and vague, unforseen moments of louw for me. :/

4. Mariya's " My baby is so adorable" " My baby wont stop crying" " Dont have a baby anytime soon or il kick you butt" and so on...

5. Amma in moods of love. calling me all kinds of lovey names. Achan's weird cryptic messages.

6. That's all. So what I need is something that doesn't ring but will send messages and has nice games mine doesn't.

Also I have put ring tones for different people so I know what evilness is calling when. I have also saved the spam numbers as I did in India with names like creep/jerk/thendy  but here they are horrendously large in  number and despite my best attempts I really dont know that many bad words. and having your phone ring saying Motherfucker isn't pleasant at all. I can say a lot of fuck and fuck you's but bringing mother into just makes me cringe, just as much as the word Bastard. I am saving these for the really horrid-horrid horridness I am bound to meet someday.

Yeah its ringing now! Joyce, Joyce its yelling! hmpffhhf. As I said evilness, not picking up obviously.
Also I sound foolish. FOOLISH on it. I have to call the ad.com at BU and I am writing down points to talk about so that I dont say anything stupid.
Once I wrote down things for boi and me to talk about just in case we ran out of things to say but safe to say, we didn't.

The tree outside

There is a tree outside my window. Sometimes when its really windy, some of its branches knock against the window. Its an eerily,calming feeling. Like its saying: Hello? Hello? All good in there? Are you both all cosy and comfortable under your blankets? Ivade, nothing much happening, just you know blowing with this stupid wind that wont stop...
Heh, Just my sad imagination on the loose here.

This tree has kept me company during the months of GRE and then through the writing and applying cos its where the dining table is and where I sit.

One of the lovely things about the amerigas is the seasons. Its all so prominent as opposed to I dont know, cochin? where the only prominence is the monsoon. so I love the fall colors and the spring gorgeousness and surprisingly  wasnt too impressed with the snow. It was a royal pain and slushy and I didnt even get that excited over it. Also, hate driving in the snow and ice. Hate the cold and the layering up and the boots and gloves and mittens and... you get the idea. But spring is perfect here, shorts and sandals. Sun and gym-ming. Walking without shivering.

so anyway, here is my tree in three seasons.

when I had just gotten here :

and then during the fall :

and then towards the end of winter there was this hail after a snow shower and ice crystals formed on the leaves! It was beautiful and I was glad boi didnt have to go out on those slippery roads. Uni shut down and people were stocking up food and the grocery store was crowded! Which is another thing, any kinda warning and these people run to the stores to stock up. I was thinking in an Indian household there is no such worries. If nothing we will have rice-dal and in my case fish, anyway, anyhow.


The ice-crystal-ed  branch:

Love
S

Small World and all that

When i first visited bangalore ages ago, i was staying with my cousin then who i liked a lot.But who was kinda a little on the prim-er side of things. But i liked her anyway.We would go out on her kinetic and i would inevitably run into someone from cochin! Everytime. It was kinda wonderful when you liked the person but when you were really trying to escape the creeps and jerks, yeah not so much then. I remember thinking there is like a mini cochin in blore each summer!

But in the amerigas when you run into a fellow malayalee, there is nothing like it. Or maybe its just me. I just cannot contain my excitement.It probably gives them crazy woman-run-vibes but i am just so curios where they are from and just in case one of them says cochin. Well there. I love them already.

So it was like that when Jyothi left a comment on my blog and i went looking in hers and discovered her to be a malayalee in the amerigas. So obviously i ping her and all and we add each other on Google tawk.

We are chatting
Cochin?
yes.
Oh me too!

There is visible happiness in the air for me. I am sad i am not in NJ now. when i get along with someone i always want to be where they are. plus NJ has an amazing Kerala restaurant. You know where my loyalties are. Anyway as chatting goes on

J: Where do you stay
Me: "x" place
J: what! me too!
Me :oh!!!

Basically it turns out that she lives like 5mins away from me. what the game the universe is playing? we ask
We have seen the same guy, you know, the guy who sells pazham pori's at the junction. That is big. Really.

we have quite similar backgrounds and she loves the same movies and all. After a while she wonders out aloud if someone is playing a practical joke on her.
Me, who had till then  been happily chugging along saying how wonderful the universe is, stops to think this new practical joke angle. and then we chat some more to make sure the other person really really exists :)

Much fun.

and then obviously we confirm it through facebook. No that was just an exaggeration. :p I did believe you Jyothi!

So anyway i love when these things happen. Esp when i totally get along with the person. So everyone, Jyothi.
Jyothi, everyone.

hi

hi
june sys i shud eitee tisy umm stipys blog pts i mean blog pontst. posts. i wnt rrase so dt i no how foolsi i am.
oh no
lme tru again tuopsy
ufff tipsy ah yes
smiley facr :9 :( es yes :)
i manaed. mabaged. aaaah manaed aaaaah managed,. yes. uh
jnue says unc pai poassed awya. shikari sjambu. letme try rememebering kalia daklin no dakini ammoma no that wass meting else.
 oh this ia tioug, ugfff,. tough,. ie. my god. ts three mornign. solleeep. now. girl.
bye

Hi All

who all? Anyone?

So i am sitting in the library cos the bed bug guys are spraying the house. :/ yes, we have bed bugs who have taken to biting wonly me. what does that say. Well to be fair they bit boi once before i got here but since then only only me. I got all my wonderful books. so i am quite happy. There is a guy sitting next to me reading a book about mass murders and serial killers. well. I am observing him. why? yeah.

Just a week left before i make the grand vacation of eating like one who has never seen a morsel of food before. Boi says try to tone it down, lest the people back home think he is not feeding me enough. Right now none of that is really making any sense. I am dreaming fried pomfret and Ma's Mutton patties and fruity! ha.

I got to edit Rose and Sci Fi. I hate editing.
bye all.

Who all? Anyone??

No one Judge

I am bored with dexter and exhausted 30 rock and not interested in weeds and the sister tells me how "awesssome" Gossip girl is. Thus, tadah! Of course sister is only twenty and still says things like ssup? and howzzie?That should be no judge of whether this is going to be good.

To make sure you get your Netflix emails, add discship@netflix.com to your address book.
	You have 94 movies in your Queue   Gossip Girl: Season 1: Disc 1 Arriving on or around: Friday, Nov 12, 2010 Recommendations in Television Get personalized recommendations from our wide selection in Television. The more movies you rate, the better your recommendations will be.

A pregnant friend

M is my close friend in her 9month. Very miserable and very bored and clearly when she asks to be entertained i have no other way but to do so!
So she asks me these random questions. Like day before i had just given the toefl ( like speaking writing and reading for the last 20 plus years doesnt mean shit here) nor does working with an ENGLISH newspaper. Thendigal.
Anyway moving on, so she says hey what plans for the saturday? For some reason i think she meant to send it to someone else because am here and uhmm i cant definitely be part of her whatever sat plan..I dont know why i cant just answer questions!
i say " are u asking me??"
she goes yes!
I say " uhm i am at this brunch place having this super awesome burger, possibly my favoritest so far..what are you upto"
Once i send it, i slapped myself! what could she be doing! i mean other than being hugely pregnant! what is wrong with me!

Today she texts me saying "imagine if i was taking part in Miss India contest, how would you introduce me"
Clearly i should handle this with better tact.

Shoe Time,Girls

Formal Black Beeuuttyie

Current favorite

Blue Mojris

Multi colored wonder

Sigh

watte quandary

Its about 5 30 in the evening,i sit in the dining room where i study,no,no more study jokes. There are kids playing in the green area that separates the apt complexes.There is a terribly fat lady watching the kids. she always wears skimpy tops.The kids are on a scooter thing.The indian couple dont let their kid go play there,though i have heard him ask quite plaintively if he could.
I have just woken up after a quick nap,which was supposed to be just a line to fool sleeping into coming quickly but i think its caught on,it took forever to just fall asleep,"you" can ask why,then,did i try so hard. just sleep games.
I had looked for part time writing editing jobs that i could do earlier on before i started preparing for the exams, There was an Indian lady who had put up an ad on craigslist. She apparently has a blog,a food blog and she wants someone to edit it out.For some reason i mailed without even first checking her blog.
Two mistakes here.
1. I will edit blogs now? These days i take painstaking efforts to remember not to use short forms in my own blog and to try and figure the whole kuth,comma.Not that i have gotten anywhere with it
2. I did check her blog.Her very vegetarian,north indian food blog. Sigh.All kinds of words i dont like in that one line.

She did mail back saying she will pay $10 an hr. I usually always reply to people's mails,i might get late sometimes but i always do.Anyway i dint.
and i forgot about it. today she mailed again asking "why arent you interested anymore?" I felt quite bad.
Mail i will.

I have now turned tables and want to get into only an MFA program. I heard someone on a blog say that its probably easier to get a medical seat,that sounded funny but the more i read the more panicky i have become.Each moderately decent place takes about 4 to 6 people in each program,so thats say poetry 6,non fiction 6 etc and of course you dont want to fund a program like this by yourself,cos when you come out,you are basically just more well read,well rounded with no real world skills. who wants to know how fast you finished Tolstoy,which btw is the longest time i have taken on a book.

so the basic assumption is if you apply to as many as you can,someone might just like your writing. watte presumption.

I wonder if anyone will.I wonder what stories i should start working on to send. i wonder what to write in Sop without sounding like a cliche,an old bore,arrogant etc..
I wonder if i should spend so much of my money on this and then have so many rejection letters. why is it so hard!

Meanwhile leaves are beggining to turn yellow,and fall. so i shall just look forward to that and take many pictures.

ps: also
I feel like its some kind of twisted testing. Like, lets see what you will pick. Whoever is heading this particular division up there,be warned.
 I will always pick Option 1.

More later

Lottery

Nothing to do with lottery tickets,just what came into my head when i started typing. Short and quick this shall be,running low on time,money,energy,will and running high on paranoia,many weird ailments,fat,and plans.

So i have to write the exam in less than 4 weeks and i have decided to split it up,so it shall be applications to five journalism schools and five Mfa programs in fiction and creative writing.

Deadlines are coming up, this new found decision basically means brushing up,editing and re writing many stories again and again till i end up feeling like what the hell,who the hell wrote this and many such antagonistic feelings.

Symbiosis,the *colorful abusive word of your choice has to come around with my transcript or else am in big trouble and worse,with no one to blame.
A thing called statement of purpose is making me nervous, havent touched analytical writing yet, and there is no food at home.
i have been spoiled with beef fry and mutton biriyanis and shepherds pie and now back to a life of self cooking and bois cooking doesnt sound too bright.

All i want is december to come.
oh there will be my first snow before that and you shall be treated to many ridiculous pictures when that happens.

for now back to Despotic, diabolical,degenerate,digress,detrimental,despotic,demented
you get the idea.

Everything In Moderation

Ok,so this is going to be one of those posts from which i shall come out feeling thoroughly happy that am finally saying it and also the nagging feeling that i just displayed my creepy side to the world. But whatever, right.
So i am really not a jealous person,envious or even remotely greedy,well,except for Mallu food( different post,again!!)
Appo,that means if you have something wonderful happening to you,am fine with it,maybe even happy for you depending on where you stand on the graph (another post!),if i dont know you thaaat well and whatever wonder happened for you is like mesmerizing ( louw the word) then i might feel a little green but that goes away in the matter of a few minutes. I might even put up with listening to you go on and on and on about the oh so awesome paris trip or your teeny tiny new waist size (zimble matters ), your new job that pays well enough for your impromptu holidays and a kind understanding boss ( allright a little green but meh)

ok so enough with that,all of you understood? allright. so THIS is why it bothers me so sooo sooooo badly that am insanely jealous,like ponder on it while biting-my-nails envious about this one woman, who i slander secretly by calling her chica and chick and doll and such offensive words in my head. I constantly look up what she is doing,did she get a new job, did she cut her hair again ( ah well,even there now arent we. ugh) stalk her on facebook types, read the things she writes on other peoples walls and even have a dream about her.
sigh.

I guess you want to know more, so this girl studied with me in school. Even then she was very adorable. she used to tell me how she thought i was the prettiest girl much to her pretty best-friend's consternation and i would be all eeeee but not beleive it. I had many self esteem issues,i mean i still do,on a lower level though!
so once, back then i coudnt quite afford lip balms.
and my parents thought they were clearly a waste for a school kid, so i found an alternative! coconut oil for the lips. Breeleant solution.It makes lips very pink too..So the girl asked me where i found this awesome,glossy lip balm from and i said "its foreeein" sigh. Sometimes i really dislike the kid i was.

she read everything just one step ahead of me, she loved the bands that i would discover in my later years back in bledy 12th. she had this sister,older,who was all for "do what you love,love what you do" motto with her ngo stuff and who started a kickboxing centre for women, and who dint crumble and die when her boyfriend of 4 years decided he dint want to get married after all. she just picked up,moved on and found someone else. This was all back when i was moping and crying about fat ugly men. so i heard all these stories and thought what the hell. stop it now. and i too picked up and left.
so in a way i always think of this girl's sister as a cataylst types.

Looks like am obsessing with both now. um.

The girl then did her Masters in Eco,same here.
The girl then got smart and did her Masters in communication,me, on the other hand did stupidity and did a masters in blah blah.
The girl then got a job with a paper.Same here.
The girl then quit and moved to work with the rural folks in some god forsaken town. This girl fell in louw and got married.
Now the girl has disappeared from Facebook and so this girl cant stalk her anymore and be thoroughly updated on her activities.

So yes, this is it.
what a load off.
I am quite creepy. hmm.