At the Homefront

Three more days and I leave. As of now I am doing things on a point-to-point basis. I am not thinking too ahead. I am not making or consulting lists. I am just doing whatever I can, however I can. I am barely worrying. By my standards, I am almost zen. The fact that I am leaving hasn't really registered, even though I think about it and talk about it all the time. 

I went for my last karate class today, and during the one minute pre-karate meditation, instead of the usual yellow-blue flame that I visualize, I kept visualizing SY-RA-CUSE, SY-RA-CUSE. Still nothing. All I know is that a change is approaching, but I think it will be a while before I notice it.

Meanwhile, let me put in a good word for Kayamkulam. Yes. Surprise surprise. And this isn’t pre-departure generosity. I still think of Kayamkulam as a pleasant looking prison of narrow mindedness. But with these karate classes I suppose I feel akin to an inmate at Tihar jail who got Kiran Bedi for a Prison Inspector. 

Okay, so that’s not exactly a compliment for Kayamkulam. The instructor is a cop and an unexpected find in this hell hole. Very professional, patient and uh, non-teasing. The kids and boys there are far more gentlemanly than your standard Kayamkulam specimen, though I don’t look forward to them adding me on facebook.

Yes. I am back on fb. Househunting proved tiresome without it. Though in the end it was pure luck that got me a place (or rather, through extensive searching I chanced across a place that one will chance across only through extensive searching). But if this hadn’t happened, I realise fb would have been the one to facilitate a find. You see, I had to contact the Syr Indian Association which is only contactable on fb. 

Nehoo, now that am there, am thinking I will stick around for a while and read all the links that H puts up and check out pics of interesting parties and so on and so forth. I also relentlessly chopped down my “friends” from 158 to 52, only for it to expand to 66 within a week. Goddamnit. Just looking at the number gives me a headache. I couldn’t possibly like so many people. Also, such an ugly number.

You know what number I like though, like my recent favourite? 250. Cos that’s the dollar monies that my sis whom I have an awkward relationship with gave me for a farewell gift. She and her hubby. They wanted to get me something similar to a kindle, some google version of that, but they figured its much cheaper there, so they just gave me the money. 

As much as I prefer paper to screen, I like the thoughtfulness that went into this gift- to put me at the technological frontier of my favorite pastime. Little loouw packets escape from my heart at such moments.

Alright, time for some of that well thought out, discreet packing which drives my mother nuts.