After tennis, Rebecca saw FMC (Feral Mamam Cat, for those who forgot) wandering around the court. She followed.
And lo... three quite live kittens scampering amidst the drainage ditches. Yay! Kittens - 1, Snake - 0.
We've caught two so far. That was not an easy task in a huge yard. I rather forgot in my excitement to protect myself and grabbed the first kitten bare-handed.
I should have read this first from MuttCats.com:
"Do not try to capture a feral cat by using your hands. This is a disaster in the making ... If you must handle a feral cat, wear heavy gloves and a long-sleved shirt. Have a carrier ready to put the animal into so that you minimize the stress on both the animal and you. Ferals are more likely to scream and fight than a domestic housecat about going into a pet carrier..."
I've put a call in to the nurse to see if I need any additional rabies vaccinations since I'd had the pre-exposure series last October. I'd also like to know if I should be on any antibiotics for the other random cat spread yuckiness. Still waiting.
The two we caught are on our upstairs enclosed outdoor porch. We'll spend what time we can with them to tame them for another family. We'll still try to catch the other kitten and we dream of catching the mom but we'll need a humane cat trap for that.
This isn't over.
In other news, we found a new church, quite close, an easy drive, one I went to last Fall but ended up at an evening Tamil Mass. A small old Portugese building, complete with simple decoration and a big neon red cross on top.
Too bad they just demolished it to build something newer and presumably bigger. Mass is currenly held in the administrative building. The new building should be done in about, oh, a year.
We're really not having much luck with this.
Also, Katherine got the rest of her school supplies at Landmark. A sketch pad for Art, a couple 2-ring binders, pads of 2-ring paper, and the Indian version of the Trapper Keeper.
And I bought a couple new tops for work. I start Monday.
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Indians Protest Wal-Mart
" "Our culture is not the wasteful consumption that we see in the first world," he said. "This is the country where Gandhi taught people to live on minimum resources. These large retail companies will push us aggressively to consume more and more."
Vandana Shiva, an environmental activist and author, said that traditional small-scale retailing in India was environmentally more efficient than the international operations, which are queuing to enter the market.
"Part of our culture is where we shop - we are holding the protest here to show that this is the India that we value," she said, gesturing towards the labyrinthine network of lanes crowded with hawkers selling slippers, saris, plastic toys and children's clothes, café-owners boiling milky tea or frying potatoes, and men with stalls piled high with fruit.
"Look at the vegetable cart," she added, pointing to a man pulling vegetables behind him on a two-wheel mobile shop unit. "It produces zero emissions, uses no fossil fuels, causes no damage to the environment and brings the produce directly to your doorstep. What could be more efficient than that?" "
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/08/09/business/walmart.php
What a load of crap. 17 identical little stores selling the same sandals, all in a row, is efficient? Each of them dumping all their waste in the middle of the tiny road, is efficient? And where do you think the vegetable cart gets its vegetables? He doesn't drag that cart all the way from the farm. Smoke-belching, diesel-guzzling tiny trucks deliver them to each litttle delivery stop. Wal-Mart wouldn't put out of business the chai-guys or the vegetable carts, but it would increase quality and purchasing ease while adding economies of scale to a colossal country that has always ignored it and all related efficiencies.
Americans aren't usually in the position of defending Wal-Mart, but geesh.
[Written by Ian]
Vandana Shiva, an environmental activist and author, said that traditional small-scale retailing in India was environmentally more efficient than the international operations, which are queuing to enter the market.
"Part of our culture is where we shop - we are holding the protest here to show that this is the India that we value," she said, gesturing towards the labyrinthine network of lanes crowded with hawkers selling slippers, saris, plastic toys and children's clothes, café-owners boiling milky tea or frying potatoes, and men with stalls piled high with fruit.
"Look at the vegetable cart," she added, pointing to a man pulling vegetables behind him on a two-wheel mobile shop unit. "It produces zero emissions, uses no fossil fuels, causes no damage to the environment and brings the produce directly to your doorstep. What could be more efficient than that?" "
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/08/09/business/walmart.php
What a load of crap. 17 identical little stores selling the same sandals, all in a row, is efficient? Each of them dumping all their waste in the middle of the tiny road, is efficient? And where do you think the vegetable cart gets its vegetables? He doesn't drag that cart all the way from the farm. Smoke-belching, diesel-guzzling tiny trucks deliver them to each litttle delivery stop. Wal-Mart wouldn't put out of business the chai-guys or the vegetable carts, but it would increase quality and purchasing ease while adding economies of scale to a colossal country that has always ignored it and all related efficiencies.
Americans aren't usually in the position of defending Wal-Mart, but geesh.
[Written by Ian]
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Barely Coherent
Yes, I still hate jetlag.
But I've put it to good use. Heading east means being up too late, sleeping in too late and feeling dead in the middle of the day. So while I was up until 3 a.m. anyway I finished HP7. No spoilers, it wrapped up just right and most HP fans will appreciate it. I'm thinking I'll just start the whole series over again. I've only ever reread one of the books and I know that over the past 10 years there must be some things I've forgotten.
That's all for now. Eventually I'll do a write up of our vacation, but for the moment I'm still thinking through a cloud.
But I've put it to good use. Heading east means being up too late, sleeping in too late and feeling dead in the middle of the day. So while I was up until 3 a.m. anyway I finished HP7. No spoilers, it wrapped up just right and most HP fans will appreciate it. I'm thinking I'll just start the whole series over again. I've only ever reread one of the books and I know that over the past 10 years there must be some things I've forgotten.
That's all for now. Eventually I'll do a write up of our vacation, but for the moment I'm still thinking through a cloud.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Home
Quick note to say (for those keeping track of such things) we are back in Chennai. More later. Tired.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Back from the beach.
There are days I think my kids are the most ungrateful little wretches (wrech? retch?) in town. Seriously. This week they topped their all time record I'm sure with the amount of whining, complaining and begging they did. That's not to say we didn't have fun, but a pair (or 4) of earplugs would have come in quite handy.
Our family loves the beach. The sound of the waves, the sun, the sand, just the whole idea of being on a beach makes us happy. This past week was no exception. We arrived on Monday afternoon after a stop at the Ripley's Believe it or Not somewhere around Lightfoot, across the street from the Chili's we had lunch at. Mmmm, Chili's. And true to form, we spent several hours at the beach in the late afternoon most days, followed by a late dinner around 9 p.m. when it would finally get dark. And of course ice cream on the boardwalk. It's the fault of summer in a high (to us) latitude where the days just go on and on, but we enjoyed it. One evening brought the Beach Street performers, another washed out the Wednesday fireworks with a big old rain storm, but most days we walked the strip, swam in the pool, got sandy and ate way too much food at odd hours. That's beach week. And also true to form we took a day off in the middle of the week to do something else, the Virginia Aquarium and the opening of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on IMAX and in 3D (the wand battle at the end). Awesome.
My dad arrived later in the week, so we saved Jungle Golf and the Rudee Rocket for then. Actually, we did Jungle Golf in the morning, but like all things at the beach it came with a heavy price tag. To make it attractive though, they allow you to play as many rounds as you like before 6 p.m. We managed three rounds of 18 holes that day. The Rudee Rocket starts at Rudee Inlet and is a speedboat that trips out to the Cape Henry lighthouses and back, with a stop to watch dolphins. A total blast and highly recommended.
So after much boogie boarding and too many silly souvenirs bought, we returned home. But like our stop at Ripleys on the way down, today we detoured to Jamestown via the Colonial Parkway. I thoroughly enjoy the Parkway, it's a gorgeous drive and a vivid reminder of what we had in our backyard when we lived in Newport News. Jamestown was a pleasant stop, something I really wanted to see again especially with its 400th anniversary this year. I still can't fathom how the Susan Constant held 50+ passengers and 17 crew, even though we walked on her replica. I really would have liked to see the archaelogical excavation site of the true Jamestown, that would have been amazing.
But back to the whining bit: Jonathon wanted to do Pirate mini golf immediately after the 54 holes of Jungle golf.... Katherine wanted to do "Old Tyme Photos" and Busch Gardens... we didn't let them go on the fair rides (you know, the $6/person mini log flume)... pieces of junk and weapons were begged for... clothing was drooled over... there wasn't enough time on the beach... I wouldn't let them have french fries at every meal... blah blah blah. My youngest child had the gall to tell me I NEVER let him do ANYTHING fun. Ever. Thank goodness I had fun anyway because if I'd been in a bad mood he'd have been strapped to the roof of the car for the ride home.
Ian came home red as a lobster and sick, I came home sick but nice and pale thanks to my giant floppy hat, the kids (aside from the sore voices from whining so much) are just fine. We really like beach week and look forward to next time. Of course, I can't forget to thank my parents who set it all up and picked up the room tab too. Next time hopefully we'll head back to Sandbridge and maybe, just maybe, we'll get to chip in. Can't wait.
Our family loves the beach. The sound of the waves, the sun, the sand, just the whole idea of being on a beach makes us happy. This past week was no exception. We arrived on Monday afternoon after a stop at the Ripley's Believe it or Not somewhere around Lightfoot, across the street from the Chili's we had lunch at. Mmmm, Chili's. And true to form, we spent several hours at the beach in the late afternoon most days, followed by a late dinner around 9 p.m. when it would finally get dark. And of course ice cream on the boardwalk. It's the fault of summer in a high (to us) latitude where the days just go on and on, but we enjoyed it. One evening brought the Beach Street performers, another washed out the Wednesday fireworks with a big old rain storm, but most days we walked the strip, swam in the pool, got sandy and ate way too much food at odd hours. That's beach week. And also true to form we took a day off in the middle of the week to do something else, the Virginia Aquarium and the opening of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on IMAX and in 3D (the wand battle at the end). Awesome.
My dad arrived later in the week, so we saved Jungle Golf and the Rudee Rocket for then. Actually, we did Jungle Golf in the morning, but like all things at the beach it came with a heavy price tag. To make it attractive though, they allow you to play as many rounds as you like before 6 p.m. We managed three rounds of 18 holes that day. The Rudee Rocket starts at Rudee Inlet and is a speedboat that trips out to the Cape Henry lighthouses and back, with a stop to watch dolphins. A total blast and highly recommended.
So after much boogie boarding and too many silly souvenirs bought, we returned home. But like our stop at Ripleys on the way down, today we detoured to Jamestown via the Colonial Parkway. I thoroughly enjoy the Parkway, it's a gorgeous drive and a vivid reminder of what we had in our backyard when we lived in Newport News. Jamestown was a pleasant stop, something I really wanted to see again especially with its 400th anniversary this year. I still can't fathom how the Susan Constant held 50+ passengers and 17 crew, even though we walked on her replica. I really would have liked to see the archaelogical excavation site of the true Jamestown, that would have been amazing.
But back to the whining bit: Jonathon wanted to do Pirate mini golf immediately after the 54 holes of Jungle golf.... Katherine wanted to do "Old Tyme Photos" and Busch Gardens... we didn't let them go on the fair rides (you know, the $6/person mini log flume)... pieces of junk and weapons were begged for... clothing was drooled over... there wasn't enough time on the beach... I wouldn't let them have french fries at every meal... blah blah blah. My youngest child had the gall to tell me I NEVER let him do ANYTHING fun. Ever. Thank goodness I had fun anyway because if I'd been in a bad mood he'd have been strapped to the roof of the car for the ride home.
Ian came home red as a lobster and sick, I came home sick but nice and pale thanks to my giant floppy hat, the kids (aside from the sore voices from whining so much) are just fine. We really like beach week and look forward to next time. Of course, I can't forget to thank my parents who set it all up and picked up the room tab too. Next time hopefully we'll head back to Sandbridge and maybe, just maybe, we'll get to chip in. Can't wait.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Ah, Virginia
The beach is one of our favorite places to be, and it's even better when we get to be in Virginia to enjoy it.
Monday, the day that lasted 3 days, brought us from Chennai to Dulles, and what a welcome break from the last 2 years of "making do" and running on a sense of humor and a side order of patience. Life in the U.S. is easy. I know many (many, many, many) people would disagree with that, and even more would like to say something about how easy our lives are overseas (that cook and driver thing), but really the U.S. has so much and is so -convenient- we can't help but stare in wonder and find a thrill in things some would consider annoyances. All those roads, all those cars, waiting in a checkout line... we see organized highway systems, considerate drivers and a checkout line filled with orderly people in a store that has just about everything one could need.
Yup, we love being home.
In a couple weeks we head back to India and it will be our first time doing this long trip only to go back to the same post. It will be different this time, every other time we've gotten over jetlag in a largely empty house, lived out of suitcases, clueless about how to get around. This time our cats will be quite angry with us and I changed all the bed sheets before we left so we'll return to a cozy home and a familiar city with friends nearby. School starts on the 6th, I start work on the 13th, we won't be discombobulated (but for that jetlag thing). It'll be wonderful.
Meanwhile, we're here in Virginia. Shopping has been a top priority, but that came after surprising the girls and the boys. We told the boys we were coming to the States about an hour before we left for the airport. With a flight at 2 a.m. we had to let them in on the surprise at some point before they changed into PJs and went to bed. They were quite happy to get on the plane as I'd been hearing for the past week how they missed their sisters and wished they could be in Virginia too. The two didn't always coincide, sometimes they just wanted to go to Virginia, sisters or not. They just wished we flew business class.
The girls didn't know we were coming. My folks made up some excuse to bring them to the airport and we were right on time. They spent the prior 3 weeks taking their fencing class, visiting with Babcia, shopping, swimming, and eating out. Goodness, they ate out quite a bit. This past week with us we spent the 4th on the Mall, did more shopping and eating out, saw "Ratatouille" (cute, but wait for the DVD). We also had Ian's birthday on the 3rd and my birthday on the 8th, made better by finally catching up with our friend, Jeff, whose birthday is on the 5th. Whenever we're all in the same town together we go out for a birthday dinner and this year we continued the tradition.
Familiarity is a wonderful thing. Even better is the sense of being able to breathe, both physically and emotionally. Driving down open roads with the windows open, not having to think every minute of the day about people on the road/on your property/in your house (people not related to you), inhaling clean air that smells like leaves or grass or sunshine or nothing at all, sitting by the ocean without feeling self-conscious, walking on a maintained sidewalk and talking freely. India is an amazing country and at the same time overwhelming to all the senses, it takes energy and focus no matter what you're trying to achieve. At home in Virginia we can just be. It's a priceless feeling.
Monday, the day that lasted 3 days, brought us from Chennai to Dulles, and what a welcome break from the last 2 years of "making do" and running on a sense of humor and a side order of patience. Life in the U.S. is easy. I know many (many, many, many) people would disagree with that, and even more would like to say something about how easy our lives are overseas (that cook and driver thing), but really the U.S. has so much and is so -convenient- we can't help but stare in wonder and find a thrill in things some would consider annoyances. All those roads, all those cars, waiting in a checkout line... we see organized highway systems, considerate drivers and a checkout line filled with orderly people in a store that has just about everything one could need.
Yup, we love being home.
In a couple weeks we head back to India and it will be our first time doing this long trip only to go back to the same post. It will be different this time, every other time we've gotten over jetlag in a largely empty house, lived out of suitcases, clueless about how to get around. This time our cats will be quite angry with us and I changed all the bed sheets before we left so we'll return to a cozy home and a familiar city with friends nearby. School starts on the 6th, I start work on the 13th, we won't be discombobulated (but for that jetlag thing). It'll be wonderful.
Meanwhile, we're here in Virginia. Shopping has been a top priority, but that came after surprising the girls and the boys. We told the boys we were coming to the States about an hour before we left for the airport. With a flight at 2 a.m. we had to let them in on the surprise at some point before they changed into PJs and went to bed. They were quite happy to get on the plane as I'd been hearing for the past week how they missed their sisters and wished they could be in Virginia too. The two didn't always coincide, sometimes they just wanted to go to Virginia, sisters or not. They just wished we flew business class.
The girls didn't know we were coming. My folks made up some excuse to bring them to the airport and we were right on time. They spent the prior 3 weeks taking their fencing class, visiting with Babcia, shopping, swimming, and eating out. Goodness, they ate out quite a bit. This past week with us we spent the 4th on the Mall, did more shopping and eating out, saw "Ratatouille" (cute, but wait for the DVD). We also had Ian's birthday on the 3rd and my birthday on the 8th, made better by finally catching up with our friend, Jeff, whose birthday is on the 5th. Whenever we're all in the same town together we go out for a birthday dinner and this year we continued the tradition.
Familiarity is a wonderful thing. Even better is the sense of being able to breathe, both physically and emotionally. Driving down open roads with the windows open, not having to think every minute of the day about people on the road/on your property/in your house (people not related to you), inhaling clean air that smells like leaves or grass or sunshine or nothing at all, sitting by the ocean without feeling self-conscious, walking on a maintained sidewalk and talking freely. India is an amazing country and at the same time overwhelming to all the senses, it takes energy and focus no matter what you're trying to achieve. At home in Virginia we can just be. It's a priceless feeling.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
You gotta be kidding
I know it's not -new- news, but it's news to me because honestly, I don't watch any news reports about the current administration if I can avoid it.
The Cheese Stands Alone
You might have to register (free) at washingtonpost.com... sorry.
The Cheese Stands Alone
You might have to register (free) at washingtonpost.com... sorry.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Good Feeding
For some reason this week has had a new variety of dinners. We haven't had spaghetti once.
Monday we had beef burgundy, sans burgundy made instead with a new bottle of red I uncorked just for the dish. Yum. Now I have to figure out what to do with the rest of the bottle, aside from drinking it straight.
Tuesday we had the neighbors over for enchiladas. It needs real enchilada sauce, and she has to use more than one pan so they aren't all squished together, but made with fresh homemade tortillas it was still tasty.
Wednesday I scampied some shrimp. Mmm. And we sided it with a package of fettucini alfredo, something we haven't eaten in nearly a year. We eat very little packaged food for dinner.
Thursday, tonight, we're having chicken and corn chowder with grilled cheese sandwiches. The package mozzarella here is lousy, but the white cheddar is edible. India is not known for its cheese.
And tomorrow will be Sear Fish steaks with potato pancakes. Hardly a traditional meal but I've wanted to make potato pancakes all week and this is the best option I've had to couple it.
OK, I just realized it's a week with a single chicken dish. That's a record for us, I think.
With the rains and the cooler temps (only to 89 today I think) finding an interesting menu seems to be easier. It's when it's really hot out and no one wants to eat anyway where meal planning gets difficult. I'll take the rains.
Monday we had beef burgundy, sans burgundy made instead with a new bottle of red I uncorked just for the dish. Yum. Now I have to figure out what to do with the rest of the bottle, aside from drinking it straight.
Tuesday we had the neighbors over for enchiladas. It needs real enchilada sauce, and she has to use more than one pan so they aren't all squished together, but made with fresh homemade tortillas it was still tasty.
Wednesday I scampied some shrimp. Mmm. And we sided it with a package of fettucini alfredo, something we haven't eaten in nearly a year. We eat very little packaged food for dinner.
Thursday, tonight, we're having chicken and corn chowder with grilled cheese sandwiches. The package mozzarella here is lousy, but the white cheddar is edible. India is not known for its cheese.
And tomorrow will be Sear Fish steaks with potato pancakes. Hardly a traditional meal but I've wanted to make potato pancakes all week and this is the best option I've had to couple it.
OK, I just realized it's a week with a single chicken dish. That's a record for us, I think.
With the rains and the cooler temps (only to 89 today I think) finding an interesting menu seems to be easier. It's when it's really hot out and no one wants to eat anyway where meal planning gets difficult. I'll take the rains.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
*click*
Nicholas figured out the dive.
It's been years in coming, but today, it clicked. He stands at the edge, head tucked in, arms extended, knees bent. Before he would basically fall forward into a well executed belly flop. Today though he listened and pushed. That executed a more powerful belly flop. Then a suggestion to reach as far forward as he could into the pool when he pushed off and...
It was beautiful. Even better, it wasn't a fluke.
It's been years in coming, but today, it clicked. He stands at the edge, head tucked in, arms extended, knees bent. Before he would basically fall forward into a well executed belly flop. Today though he listened and pushed. That executed a more powerful belly flop. Then a suggestion to reach as far forward as he could into the pool when he pushed off and...
It was beautiful. Even better, it wasn't a fluke.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Dad's Day
Happy Father's Day to all the great dads out there. Ian says the only thing that would have made the day great would have been to be with the girls. Meaning... him in Virginia with the girls. Hmph.
It's just been a plain old quiet weekend. Yesterday we went to two Landmark stores, Ian was searching for a specific book and didn't find it at either. I, on the other hand, had put in a request last weekend for a particular book at the Citi Centre shop and went to pick it up Saturday. They said it would be available this past Tuesday but I wasn't going to the mall for that one thing, so waited until yesterday. They didn't have it and when I inquired as to its future availability I received close to a blank stare. Thank goodness I didn't bother going on Tuesday, huh? So we went to a different, stand-alone Landmark and lo and behold they had the book I wanted (Operation Red Jericho by Mowll), along with Misty of Chincoteague I've been looking for and some wonderful graphic novels* of Agatha Christie stories. Katherine will be excited about those, I guarantee it. Today I found (yes, at Landmark, don't ask why we were there yet again) graphic novels of classics, like Man in the Iron Mask. I didn't buy any of those as the drawings really weren't that good.
This all started when a recent departee of Chennai handed Ian a graphic novel containing a collection of Spiderman, Superman, Justice League... you get the idea... stories. He really enjoyed it and so has been searching the stores for others, like the "Civil War" set. There are Rs15 short books of superheroes he's bought for Nicholas, one of which definitely caught our interest: Spiderman recast as a young Indian boy in Mumbai. His costume waves in the wind, his shoe toes curl up in their sylish red and black pattern, and Pavitr's Auntie Maya keeps him in line, as they share cute little phrases in Hindi. Fun.
So yes, we went back to Citi Centre today. Being Father's Day, Ian and our neighbor chose the restaurant "Zyng" for lunch. The food is good, but their service is declining. No soda drinks aside from Coke (we went next door to the grocery store and bought others), certain dishes were unavailable, it was a tad disappointing. So being at Citi Centre means stopping at Landmark which we dutifully did. I would like to go into Lifestyle some time again too, but that will have to wait.
Being a Sunday, Ian drove the eight of us. We have the scratch marks to prove it. The planning of Citi Centre leaves much to be desired, just read a few posts back about our adventure in movie-going and parking is no exception. The parking garages are for small cars. Folks here treat their cars as they do a moto with a family of five on it. Cars that naturally seat five will become the fabled clown car as nine people pour out. So if a little car can fit nine people, who needs a big car? The parking garage doesn't think anyone drives anything bigger than perhaps a Toyota Qualis. A Sequoia could eat a Qualis. So we can't park in the garage. Which leaves the outdoor parking, a single row in front of the building. The other 3 sides are packed with motos and bicycles, leaving just enough room for, oh, a Toyota Qualis to squeeze through. Our neighbor joked that it would be funny to knock over one and watch the domino pile fall. She almost got her wish but didn't thanks to a quick catch by a couple guys standing nearby, and we only broke a clip on one of our wheel flares.
You have to drive around the entire building to reach the outside car park from the entrance. And then even more ridiculous, you have to drive around the entire building again to pay the parking fee and leave. The same route a car must travel, so do all the people searching for their bikes and there's literally no walking space that isn't also a driving space. And none of it is made for our car.
Ah, driving. It's the one thing I'm going to leave India totally frustrated with. I want to drive. I know how to get to the few places I regularly go. But if I want to go anywhere else I'm pretty much lost. Part of that is the Driver's fault. When there's an option of taking a direct route, he'll take all the side roads which leaves us confused. When we finally decided we didn't want to pay him overtime on Sundays just to take us to church (actually he said he didn't want to work on Sundays anymore, then complained we didn't have him do overtime any other day of the week... which we hadn't asked him before either) we asked him to show us the direct route to Santhome... what took him 15 minutes and countless turns, took us 15 minutes and 1 turn. So with the drastically reduced traffic on Sundays, Ian is our family driver and I really really like that. I can sit next to him, we can talk without extra ears, it's just nice.
And I really don't like our Driver. I don't. He's become careless, he's become really lazy, and he definitely has a second job going over the phone. I don't care what he does when I'm not out and about, but when he takes personal calls while driving, to the point of releasing his hands from the wheel during a tight turn so he can answer the phone, it's too much.
If only, if only, if only I could drive here. But no one does (uh, no one in the expat community I know). And those that do... eventually hire drivers after having one too many accidents. I'm really not kidding. Our neighbor was in an accident just this past week, as I was talking to her on the phone. She wasn't at the wheel, the driver was so even those who know this city backwards and forwards can't avoid a collision with a truck that barrels into them.
It's not fair that I'm stuck to someone else's abilities, someone else's schedule. And heck, it's MY car. OK, and Ian's. But it's mine and I want to drive. But I can't, and I know that, and I'm going to leave India grumbling about it all the way home.
* comic books ;)
It's just been a plain old quiet weekend. Yesterday we went to two Landmark stores, Ian was searching for a specific book and didn't find it at either. I, on the other hand, had put in a request last weekend for a particular book at the Citi Centre shop and went to pick it up Saturday. They said it would be available this past Tuesday but I wasn't going to the mall for that one thing, so waited until yesterday. They didn't have it and when I inquired as to its future availability I received close to a blank stare. Thank goodness I didn't bother going on Tuesday, huh? So we went to a different, stand-alone Landmark and lo and behold they had the book I wanted (Operation Red Jericho by Mowll), along with Misty of Chincoteague I've been looking for and some wonderful graphic novels* of Agatha Christie stories. Katherine will be excited about those, I guarantee it. Today I found (yes, at Landmark, don't ask why we were there yet again) graphic novels of classics, like Man in the Iron Mask. I didn't buy any of those as the drawings really weren't that good.
This all started when a recent departee of Chennai handed Ian a graphic novel containing a collection of Spiderman, Superman, Justice League... you get the idea... stories. He really enjoyed it and so has been searching the stores for others, like the "Civil War" set. There are Rs15 short books of superheroes he's bought for Nicholas, one of which definitely caught our interest: Spiderman recast as a young Indian boy in Mumbai. His costume waves in the wind, his shoe toes curl up in their sylish red and black pattern, and Pavitr's Auntie Maya keeps him in line, as they share cute little phrases in Hindi. Fun.
So yes, we went back to Citi Centre today. Being Father's Day, Ian and our neighbor chose the restaurant "Zyng" for lunch. The food is good, but their service is declining. No soda drinks aside from Coke (we went next door to the grocery store and bought others), certain dishes were unavailable, it was a tad disappointing. So being at Citi Centre means stopping at Landmark which we dutifully did. I would like to go into Lifestyle some time again too, but that will have to wait.
Being a Sunday, Ian drove the eight of us. We have the scratch marks to prove it. The planning of Citi Centre leaves much to be desired, just read a few posts back about our adventure in movie-going and parking is no exception. The parking garages are for small cars. Folks here treat their cars as they do a moto with a family of five on it. Cars that naturally seat five will become the fabled clown car as nine people pour out. So if a little car can fit nine people, who needs a big car? The parking garage doesn't think anyone drives anything bigger than perhaps a Toyota Qualis. A Sequoia could eat a Qualis. So we can't park in the garage. Which leaves the outdoor parking, a single row in front of the building. The other 3 sides are packed with motos and bicycles, leaving just enough room for, oh, a Toyota Qualis to squeeze through. Our neighbor joked that it would be funny to knock over one and watch the domino pile fall. She almost got her wish but didn't thanks to a quick catch by a couple guys standing nearby, and we only broke a clip on one of our wheel flares.
You have to drive around the entire building to reach the outside car park from the entrance. And then even more ridiculous, you have to drive around the entire building again to pay the parking fee and leave. The same route a car must travel, so do all the people searching for their bikes and there's literally no walking space that isn't also a driving space. And none of it is made for our car.
Ah, driving. It's the one thing I'm going to leave India totally frustrated with. I want to drive. I know how to get to the few places I regularly go. But if I want to go anywhere else I'm pretty much lost. Part of that is the Driver's fault. When there's an option of taking a direct route, he'll take all the side roads which leaves us confused. When we finally decided we didn't want to pay him overtime on Sundays just to take us to church (actually he said he didn't want to work on Sundays anymore, then complained we didn't have him do overtime any other day of the week... which we hadn't asked him before either) we asked him to show us the direct route to Santhome... what took him 15 minutes and countless turns, took us 15 minutes and 1 turn. So with the drastically reduced traffic on Sundays, Ian is our family driver and I really really like that. I can sit next to him, we can talk without extra ears, it's just nice.
And I really don't like our Driver. I don't. He's become careless, he's become really lazy, and he definitely has a second job going over the phone. I don't care what he does when I'm not out and about, but when he takes personal calls while driving, to the point of releasing his hands from the wheel during a tight turn so he can answer the phone, it's too much.
If only, if only, if only I could drive here. But no one does (uh, no one in the expat community I know). And those that do... eventually hire drivers after having one too many accidents. I'm really not kidding. Our neighbor was in an accident just this past week, as I was talking to her on the phone. She wasn't at the wheel, the driver was so even those who know this city backwards and forwards can't avoid a collision with a truck that barrels into them.
It's not fair that I'm stuck to someone else's abilities, someone else's schedule. And heck, it's MY car. OK, and Ian's. But it's mine and I want to drive. But I can't, and I know that, and I'm going to leave India grumbling about it all the way home.
* comic books ;)
Friday, June 15, 2007
Rain
It rained today. It didn't dribble, it poured. Not once, but twice. This morning I woke to a strange sound and had to look out the window to see the clothes on the line becoming drenched. I didn't care. It was raining.
We haven't seen rain for about 6 months, this is a momentous day. It rained at 4 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. For the afternoon downpour the boys hightailed it outside, fully dressed, to play soccer, ride their scooters, swing around with their umbrellas and stand under the downspout. They splashed in puddles and were yelled at by the gardener. Rain is precious, but I don't think the Indians revel in it quite like we do.
The drenching was followed by a warm bath and a cup of hot cocoa. A perfect afternoon.
We haven't seen rain for about 6 months, this is a momentous day. It rained at 4 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. For the afternoon downpour the boys hightailed it outside, fully dressed, to play soccer, ride their scooters, swing around with their umbrellas and stand under the downspout. They splashed in puddles and were yelled at by the gardener. Rain is precious, but I don't think the Indians revel in it quite like we do.
The drenching was followed by a warm bath and a cup of hot cocoa. A perfect afternoon.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
So we went to the movies
INOX at Citi Centre is a nice theater. It's brand new, only a few months old, clean and pretty comfy. But...
There's always a but, isn't there?
Poor design planning makes it a bit of hassle. There is no waiting area. Oh, there's a large lobby, places to get snacks, movie posters, etc. But you can't get physically into the theater until 15 minutes before your movie. Until then you are shoved to the side, either blocking the ticket windows or blocking the escalator. You and the other 100 people watching the same movie, all crammed together. Heaven forbid there are two movies starting at the same time. Everyone is told is wait in a place about as big as our living room, together with folks in line for tickets, folks trying get by to go down the escalator and folks pushing their way in the middle, forward through security.
Previews start 5 minutes before movie time which leaves 10 minutes allowed for snacks, restroom, whathaveyou. Everyone swarms the snack counters at the same time.
But first you have to go through the security check, which involves men in one line and women in the other. Heaven forbid you're blocking the wrong side (like me, I was blocking the ticket windows on the left when I should have been blocking the escalator on the right in order to avoid pushing my way through the men thronging through the male security check, which I was prevented from passing through). In this security check, they wave their little wands then tell you to open your bags. I refused. I'm going to see Shrek, I have my 2 little boys with me, and yes, I'm carrying a camera (not allowed), a package of cookies (not allowed, even though it's been in my bag for weeks) and gum (definitely not allowed). Too bad for all their Not Alloweds. I said No, she asked what I had in my bag and I said nothing. She waved me through after I repeated again I wasn't opening it and I'm sure I ticked some people off, especially those who had opened their tiny bags and had their open packs of gun confiscated.
It left a sour taste in my mouth, it really did. Our neighbor had an entire grocery store in her bag and she refused to open as well, but told them straight up she was carrying loads of food. They waved her through as well
I don't like being pushy like that. I really really don't. But do I want them to take my camera to prevent me from... what? Pirating the movie somehow? I carry the thing everywhere, and I'm not going to give it to them to put in a little bag and keep on the floor in the lobby of the mall. Nor am I going to hand over five packs of gum and the cookies I carry with me "just in case." (Those with little kids will get that.) It wouldn't have been a hardship, but it would have been a hassle. And really, it's the principle of the thing.
By the way, the movie was OK. The second half was better than the first, by far.
There's always a but, isn't there?
Poor design planning makes it a bit of hassle. There is no waiting area. Oh, there's a large lobby, places to get snacks, movie posters, etc. But you can't get physically into the theater until 15 minutes before your movie. Until then you are shoved to the side, either blocking the ticket windows or blocking the escalator. You and the other 100 people watching the same movie, all crammed together. Heaven forbid there are two movies starting at the same time. Everyone is told is wait in a place about as big as our living room, together with folks in line for tickets, folks trying get by to go down the escalator and folks pushing their way in the middle, forward through security.
Previews start 5 minutes before movie time which leaves 10 minutes allowed for snacks, restroom, whathaveyou. Everyone swarms the snack counters at the same time.
But first you have to go through the security check, which involves men in one line and women in the other. Heaven forbid you're blocking the wrong side (like me, I was blocking the ticket windows on the left when I should have been blocking the escalator on the right in order to avoid pushing my way through the men thronging through the male security check, which I was prevented from passing through). In this security check, they wave their little wands then tell you to open your bags. I refused. I'm going to see Shrek, I have my 2 little boys with me, and yes, I'm carrying a camera (not allowed), a package of cookies (not allowed, even though it's been in my bag for weeks) and gum (definitely not allowed). Too bad for all their Not Alloweds. I said No, she asked what I had in my bag and I said nothing. She waved me through after I repeated again I wasn't opening it and I'm sure I ticked some people off, especially those who had opened their tiny bags and had their open packs of gun confiscated.
It left a sour taste in my mouth, it really did. Our neighbor had an entire grocery store in her bag and she refused to open as well, but told them straight up she was carrying loads of food. They waved her through as well
I don't like being pushy like that. I really really don't. But do I want them to take my camera to prevent me from... what? Pirating the movie somehow? I carry the thing everywhere, and I'm not going to give it to them to put in a little bag and keep on the floor in the lobby of the mall. Nor am I going to hand over five packs of gum and the cookies I carry with me "just in case." (Those with little kids will get that.) It wouldn't have been a hardship, but it would have been a hassle. And really, it's the principle of the thing.
By the way, the movie was OK. The second half was better than the first, by far.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Day Two: A little slower, a lot hotter
This morning the boys did some math, continued with their French lessons and each did a spelling list. Jonathon won't have problems with spelling, he seems to memorize them quickly. Nicholas did piano, Jonathon still needs to do his 10 minutes today.
By late morning we were off to bowling with the neighbor kids and some friends, followed by a snacky lunch at Cafe' Coffee Day and now we're off to the pool.
I want to nap, but I'll go swim instead.
By late morning we were off to bowling with the neighbor kids and some friends, followed by a snacky lunch at Cafe' Coffee Day and now we're off to the pool.
I want to nap, but I'll go swim instead.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Landmark is a Costly Store
Today I bought:
The 7 books in the Pendragon Series by D.J. Machale. I've read 5 while in Togo, having skipped The Never War and not had the chance to read Quillan Games.
The 6 books in Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain. Never read them and always wanted to read The Black Cauldron.
Dead Famous: Al Capone, Dead Famous: Isaac Newton, Dead Famous: Queen Victoria
Stories for 9 Year Olds, for Rebecca
The Plague by Philip Wooderson, two books in one with My Side of the Story... a girl's story on one end, flip the book over and a boy's story on the other.
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett. Had never heard of this book but saw it on a recommended reading list, then saw it in the store, and bought it.
Hugo Pepper by Paul Stewart. The neighbor's kid liked it.
Operation Typhoon Shore by Joshua Mowll. I put in a request for the first book, Operation Red Jericho. The books are touted as "A Da Vinci Code for children."
Some Rs15 superhero comic books for Nicholas.
And 5 VikramAditya stories... The Snow Leopard Adventure, Ladakh Adventure, Ranthambore Adventure, and two Andaman Adventure stories. Written by an Indian, the books are obviously set in India and have a conservationist bent to them.
The 7 books in the Pendragon Series by D.J. Machale. I've read 5 while in Togo, having skipped The Never War and not had the chance to read Quillan Games.
The 6 books in Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain. Never read them and always wanted to read The Black Cauldron.
Dead Famous: Al Capone, Dead Famous: Isaac Newton, Dead Famous: Queen Victoria
Stories for 9 Year Olds, for Rebecca
The Plague by Philip Wooderson, two books in one with My Side of the Story... a girl's story on one end, flip the book over and a boy's story on the other.
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett. Had never heard of this book but saw it on a recommended reading list, then saw it in the store, and bought it.
Hugo Pepper by Paul Stewart. The neighbor's kid liked it.
Operation Typhoon Shore by Joshua Mowll. I put in a request for the first book, Operation Red Jericho. The books are touted as "A Da Vinci Code for children."
Some Rs15 superhero comic books for Nicholas.
And 5 VikramAditya stories... The Snow Leopard Adventure, Ladakh Adventure, Ranthambore Adventure, and two Andaman Adventure stories. Written by an Indian, the books are obviously set in India and have a conservationist bent to them.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Welcome to Summer
The local kids started back to school this past week. Our kids had their last (half) day on Friday and we now have a 1st grader, 2nd grader, 4th grader and 6th grader. Yup, parents to a middle schooler.
The girls made it to Virignia. Aside from being a long trip they sounded happy, had time for McDonalds in Frankfurt, and I think they grew up on their 20 hour trip. The family who acted as their guardians on the trip, well, I can't thank them enough. As far as I know, they ran into no troubles traveling with minors not their own. I'm thankful. They are in for several fun weeks in Virginia and I'm excited for them.
All the kids did well on their report cards, all moved up. I guess that's rather a "duh" comment. Katherine made straight As but for a B in P.E. That's my girl, I never did well in P.E. either. At the Awards Assembly on Wednesday, Katherine received the President's Award for Educational Excellence. Her teacher had called me the day before to ensure I would be present, and I was. Katherine hadn't been told she was receiving anything so her face was priceless when they called her name.
I spoke with Nicholas's teacher, she's leaving this year to move back to Stafford, VA. If we keep in touch there's a good chance we'll see her when we're back in a couple years.
I also asked in the library to help out next year, either Book Week, reading to the younger kids, or something of the sort. I did not sign up to be class parent or anything of the sort. That depends a lot on the teacher and how much involvement from parents they want.
Next year is full already.
The girls made it to Virignia. Aside from being a long trip they sounded happy, had time for McDonalds in Frankfurt, and I think they grew up on their 20 hour trip. The family who acted as their guardians on the trip, well, I can't thank them enough. As far as I know, they ran into no troubles traveling with minors not their own. I'm thankful. They are in for several fun weeks in Virginia and I'm excited for them.
All the kids did well on their report cards, all moved up. I guess that's rather a "duh" comment. Katherine made straight As but for a B in P.E. That's my girl, I never did well in P.E. either. At the Awards Assembly on Wednesday, Katherine received the President's Award for Educational Excellence. Her teacher had called me the day before to ensure I would be present, and I was. Katherine hadn't been told she was receiving anything so her face was priceless when they called her name.
I spoke with Nicholas's teacher, she's leaving this year to move back to Stafford, VA. If we keep in touch there's a good chance we'll see her when we're back in a couple years.
I also asked in the library to help out next year, either Book Week, reading to the younger kids, or something of the sort. I did not sign up to be class parent or anything of the sort. That depends a lot on the teacher and how much involvement from parents they want.
Next year is full already.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
What's Been Going On
Not much. A lot of little odds and ends.
Katherine will play the flute in the Middle School Band next year. She is so excited. I've never played the flute, so I'll be interested to learn some right along with her.
I bought new shoes from Metro. Two pairs of black shoes, when I went in for sandals. I tossed my old pair of black shoes, so I'm only up one.
I'm cleaning out house again. Too much crap is piling up. Ian and I cleaned up the toy room on Monday and the housekeeper swept and mopped and pounded the carpets. It looks good in there now. Rebecca went through her clothes and pulled out a bunch to give away. I went through our school books and passed on some we don't need anymore. Our den is hopeless, I'm going to have to accept that I think. It's where we spend the most time and a cleaning only lasts a few hours. But with the party on Saturday the main floor needs to be cleaned up thoroughly, Katherine's room in particular. It'll be the main bathroom used too.
We dropped off our cat-mutilated carpet where we bought it. Next week it should be back, repaired.
For our anniversary we bought a curio cabinet and a lazboy chair. Both are lovely and both were delivered right when we were told they would. Amazing.
Rebecca has packed her suitcase. The girls leave in 7 days.
We're on a hunt for a new driver. After asking for a Rs10,000 loan (after he JUST finished paying back, and complaining about paying, a Rs2000 loan from January), he nearly had a huge accident on a major road, crossing 4 lanes of traffic on a red light with oncoming buses and trucks. The following day he asked for the loan again. Since then, he's just irritated me. Well, he's always irritated me, I've never really even liked him. In the past two weeks we had to point out that he's driving way too fast, seems like he's in a rush to get home. I've had to tell him not to tell my kids to open the back door of the house. He does this to let the gardener into our house to get water, which is so not acceptible on several levels.
Tomorrow I take the cats to the vet to get fixed. We've changed vets. Cross your fingers.
Tomorrow is supposed to be the 6th grade orientation. No idea the time but I hope it's before 1 p.m. so I can tag along. I'm helping out with the end of year parties. From 1:15 to 2:15 are water games with the K-2nd. From 2:15-3:15 is the 3rd-5th disco. I'm bringing a pan of brownies, 2 packages of cookies and a bag of chips. And my swimsuit and a towel.
Saturday we are hosting a party with our neighbors. With our three houses we have one for the kids with bouncy castles, face painting, kid movies, kid food, etc. Another for women... girlie stuff like manicures and jewelry for sale. Our house is the food place, with a biryani fire pit. Someone wants to have a roasted pig. I can just imagine. To say I'm not exactly excited about this is an understatement.
And lastly, my dad was readmitted to the hospital on Tuesday for repair surgery on his arm. All good thoughts and prayers for finally a full recovery.
Katherine will play the flute in the Middle School Band next year. She is so excited. I've never played the flute, so I'll be interested to learn some right along with her.
I bought new shoes from Metro. Two pairs of black shoes, when I went in for sandals. I tossed my old pair of black shoes, so I'm only up one.
I'm cleaning out house again. Too much crap is piling up. Ian and I cleaned up the toy room on Monday and the housekeeper swept and mopped and pounded the carpets. It looks good in there now. Rebecca went through her clothes and pulled out a bunch to give away. I went through our school books and passed on some we don't need anymore. Our den is hopeless, I'm going to have to accept that I think. It's where we spend the most time and a cleaning only lasts a few hours. But with the party on Saturday the main floor needs to be cleaned up thoroughly, Katherine's room in particular. It'll be the main bathroom used too.
We dropped off our cat-mutilated carpet where we bought it. Next week it should be back, repaired.
For our anniversary we bought a curio cabinet and a lazboy chair. Both are lovely and both were delivered right when we were told they would. Amazing.
Rebecca has packed her suitcase. The girls leave in 7 days.
We're on a hunt for a new driver. After asking for a Rs10,000 loan (after he JUST finished paying back, and complaining about paying, a Rs2000 loan from January), he nearly had a huge accident on a major road, crossing 4 lanes of traffic on a red light with oncoming buses and trucks. The following day he asked for the loan again. Since then, he's just irritated me. Well, he's always irritated me, I've never really even liked him. In the past two weeks we had to point out that he's driving way too fast, seems like he's in a rush to get home. I've had to tell him not to tell my kids to open the back door of the house. He does this to let the gardener into our house to get water, which is so not acceptible on several levels.
Tomorrow I take the cats to the vet to get fixed. We've changed vets. Cross your fingers.
Tomorrow is supposed to be the 6th grade orientation. No idea the time but I hope it's before 1 p.m. so I can tag along. I'm helping out with the end of year parties. From 1:15 to 2:15 are water games with the K-2nd. From 2:15-3:15 is the 3rd-5th disco. I'm bringing a pan of brownies, 2 packages of cookies and a bag of chips. And my swimsuit and a towel.
Saturday we are hosting a party with our neighbors. With our three houses we have one for the kids with bouncy castles, face painting, kid movies, kid food, etc. Another for women... girlie stuff like manicures and jewelry for sale. Our house is the food place, with a biryani fire pit. Someone wants to have a roasted pig. I can just imagine. To say I'm not exactly excited about this is an understatement.
And lastly, my dad was readmitted to the hospital on Tuesday for repair surgery on his arm. All good thoughts and prayers for finally a full recovery.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Middle School Band
Next year I have a middle schooler. And with that comes the painful Middle School Band.
Katherine brought a choice sheet home last Thursday. Ranking three preferred instruments she had these options: flute, clarinet, tuba, trombone, trumpet, tenor sax, french horn, alto sax, bass drum, and snare drum.
I'll put up her choices, but you all can guess first.
Katherine brought a choice sheet home last Thursday. Ranking three preferred instruments she had these options: flute, clarinet, tuba, trombone, trumpet, tenor sax, french horn, alto sax, bass drum, and snare drum.
I'll put up her choices, but you all can guess first.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
How Not to Celebrate Your Anniversary
On Friday we celebrated 11 years of marriage, nearly 13 years together.
That's not the down part. Really.
Actually, Friday was great. Ian took the day off work so once we put the kids on the bus the day was ours. We left the house and spent money. Down the ECR is a store called Collections Unique, a source of antiques like so many places in Chennai. I had spotted a pretty little curio cabinet and wanted to show Ian, but new inventory arrived and while the curio was there, a different one caught our fancy. It should be delivered to the house on Wednesday.
On the way to lunch Ian spotted the billboard with the Laz-E-Boy (or however that's spelled) chair. We "discovered" the Stanley Boutique off Khaddar Nawaz Khan Rd. It's one of an assortment of shops selling high end products. Naturally Auroville is there for handcrafts and organic foods, Mermaids for swimwear and underthings, and Sports Locker among many others.
A comfy recliner will be delivered in a couple weeks.
The Peshawri restaurant in the Chola Sheraton was our lunch destination. Excellent north Indian food in a beautiful setting. I still don't care for mutton though.
The kids came home, packed their bags and went to the neighbors for a sleep-over. Wonderful people, our neighbors, who will house 4 kids in addition to their own two. Ian and I took advantage of our free night and checked in to the GRT Grand here in Chennai. Note to self: you know your anniversary is coming up, it's the same day every year, plan more than a week in advance.
Why we won't be returning to the GRT Grand:
1) One viewable English movie channel, and not a good one. Plenty of Tamil and Hindi, HBO was totally fuzzy, I suppose we could have watched rugby. Wait, we did. If you're going to put a pricey flat screen on the wall, bother having something to watch on it.
2) If the TV works that is. In a suite with 2 TVs, one worked. The den TV didn't turn on, then again, neither did the ceiling lights.
3) For a business hotel, the in-room computer should work. At the very least it should turn on.
4) For a 5-star hotel, the bathrooms should be updated. Including the tub. It shouldn't be a nasty gray thing, smaller than the one we have at home, with funky black stuff building around the jacuzzi jets. Not when you're in the themed "Rajasthan Room" which highlights its jacuzzi tub.
5) When the jacuzzi jets are turned on, the bathroom should not fill with the stench of sewage.
6) The covers on the bed should be washed. Not just the sheets. For $300+/night, the bed cover shold not have massive yellow stains and black streaks on the underside.
7) When something is ordered at a restaurant, that item should be delivered:
a) At the HighTime bar, cocktail samosas should show up in less than 30 minutes. Wait, we were there for an hour and they never showed. As we left, we asked that they get sent to the room.
b) At breakfast we each asked for a savory crepe. No crepes showed up, but one overly spicy omelet did. Someone didn't get their omelet.
8) For a 5 star hotel, they should figure out how to make -good- coffee.
I'm sure there are a few other niggly things, but that was the jist of our stay. I'm sure they do conferences just fine.
Even with the hotel disappointment, we had a great time together. Honestly, I love him more today than the day I married him. Looking back, I realize that I had a selfish love a decade ago, holding on to him because he loved me. Thankfully I've grown up quite a bit and I know that I love him for everything he is, not for what I am to him. It's a happy feeling. Our marriage could have failed many spots along the way, but it didn't. I hung on because failure isn't an option. He hung on out of love.
There's no way to repay that sort of devotion except to return it. Here's hoping I can become half the person he is already.
That's not the down part. Really.
Actually, Friday was great. Ian took the day off work so once we put the kids on the bus the day was ours. We left the house and spent money. Down the ECR is a store called Collections Unique, a source of antiques like so many places in Chennai. I had spotted a pretty little curio cabinet and wanted to show Ian, but new inventory arrived and while the curio was there, a different one caught our fancy. It should be delivered to the house on Wednesday.
On the way to lunch Ian spotted the billboard with the Laz-E-Boy (or however that's spelled) chair. We "discovered" the Stanley Boutique off Khaddar Nawaz Khan Rd. It's one of an assortment of shops selling high end products. Naturally Auroville is there for handcrafts and organic foods, Mermaids for swimwear and underthings, and Sports Locker among many others.
A comfy recliner will be delivered in a couple weeks.
The Peshawri restaurant in the Chola Sheraton was our lunch destination. Excellent north Indian food in a beautiful setting. I still don't care for mutton though.
The kids came home, packed their bags and went to the neighbors for a sleep-over. Wonderful people, our neighbors, who will house 4 kids in addition to their own two. Ian and I took advantage of our free night and checked in to the GRT Grand here in Chennai. Note to self: you know your anniversary is coming up, it's the same day every year, plan more than a week in advance.
Why we won't be returning to the GRT Grand:
1) One viewable English movie channel, and not a good one. Plenty of Tamil and Hindi, HBO was totally fuzzy, I suppose we could have watched rugby. Wait, we did. If you're going to put a pricey flat screen on the wall, bother having something to watch on it.
2) If the TV works that is. In a suite with 2 TVs, one worked. The den TV didn't turn on, then again, neither did the ceiling lights.
3) For a business hotel, the in-room computer should work. At the very least it should turn on.
4) For a 5-star hotel, the bathrooms should be updated. Including the tub. It shouldn't be a nasty gray thing, smaller than the one we have at home, with funky black stuff building around the jacuzzi jets. Not when you're in the themed "Rajasthan Room" which highlights its jacuzzi tub.
5) When the jacuzzi jets are turned on, the bathroom should not fill with the stench of sewage.
6) The covers on the bed should be washed. Not just the sheets. For $300+/night, the bed cover shold not have massive yellow stains and black streaks on the underside.
7) When something is ordered at a restaurant, that item should be delivered:
a) At the HighTime bar, cocktail samosas should show up in less than 30 minutes. Wait, we were there for an hour and they never showed. As we left, we asked that they get sent to the room.
b) At breakfast we each asked for a savory crepe. No crepes showed up, but one overly spicy omelet did. Someone didn't get their omelet.
8) For a 5 star hotel, they should figure out how to make -good- coffee.
I'm sure there are a few other niggly things, but that was the jist of our stay. I'm sure they do conferences just fine.
Even with the hotel disappointment, we had a great time together. Honestly, I love him more today than the day I married him. Looking back, I realize that I had a selfish love a decade ago, holding on to him because he loved me. Thankfully I've grown up quite a bit and I know that I love him for everything he is, not for what I am to him. It's a happy feeling. Our marriage could have failed many spots along the way, but it didn't. I hung on because failure isn't an option. He hung on out of love.
There's no way to repay that sort of devotion except to return it. Here's hoping I can become half the person he is already.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
The Mango-Poison Ivy connection
Did you know that the two are related?
I didn't. But I've learned now with the arrival of mango season in Chennai that Nicholas is sensitive to mangoes. I haven't determined yet if it's the skin or the flesh as I serve them up sliced off the seed with the skin still intact. They are quite messy for the kids this way but it saves my hands from getting all juiced up.
Nicholas has a rash on his face, under his mouth, along his chin and up his cheeks. We thought it might have something to do with Woof Woof, his mangy dog he carries around and rubs on his face (ew) but this morning after his breakfast (of mango...) a lightbulb went off. And no wonder cortizone isn't helping as he eats mangoes quite a bit now; each time he starts to heal he gets all juicy again.
From the Discovery Channel - Poison Ivy and Mango: "They're both in the cashew family, and both contain a substance called urushiol (yu-roosh'-ee-all). It's the poison in poison ivy, the cause of the blisters and itching. The mango contains much, much less of the irritant than poison ivy, but despite that, some very sensitive people can get a rash just from handling mango peel and being exposed to its sap. Luckily, more often than not, even sensitive people can enjoy the delectable fruit of the mango, provided someone else peels it for them."
He ate mangoes fine, as far as I can recall, in the Philippines and Togo but they had been peeled and cut up, so my bets are that the skin is at fault.
Looks like I need to get my hands dirty.
I didn't. But I've learned now with the arrival of mango season in Chennai that Nicholas is sensitive to mangoes. I haven't determined yet if it's the skin or the flesh as I serve them up sliced off the seed with the skin still intact. They are quite messy for the kids this way but it saves my hands from getting all juiced up.
Nicholas has a rash on his face, under his mouth, along his chin and up his cheeks. We thought it might have something to do with Woof Woof, his mangy dog he carries around and rubs on his face (ew) but this morning after his breakfast (of mango...) a lightbulb went off. And no wonder cortizone isn't helping as he eats mangoes quite a bit now; each time he starts to heal he gets all juicy again.
From the Discovery Channel - Poison Ivy and Mango: "They're both in the cashew family, and both contain a substance called urushiol (yu-roosh'-ee-all). It's the poison in poison ivy, the cause of the blisters and itching. The mango contains much, much less of the irritant than poison ivy, but despite that, some very sensitive people can get a rash just from handling mango peel and being exposed to its sap. Luckily, more often than not, even sensitive people can enjoy the delectable fruit of the mango, provided someone else peels it for them."
He ate mangoes fine, as far as I can recall, in the Philippines and Togo but they had been peeled and cut up, so my bets are that the skin is at fault.
Looks like I need to get my hands dirty.
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