Black August(?)
Thursday we had the nation's worst blackout in decades and was a little eerie that the radio announcers kept saying that this was not a terrorist attack. It appears that the ghosts of 9/11 have not yet been exorcised.The US also finds itself deep in shit in Iraq already, for an unjustified,uncalled, "UN-less", pointless war.
Thursday night was fun in many ways as people had 'block parties' and some enthusiasts revelled in seeing the night sky and the current flavour of the month "Mars". I think the Mars hoopla is a little insane as relatively Mars is still just as far away as it was 20 years ago. The only upside of this is that I can get access to a telescope more easily. Most people, however decided to get more down to earth and got drunk a day early and the next day( thank God it was Friday) and was an off. A fe stupid people cursed the darkness. Those with more sense enjoyed the outdoor experience. ( I am not talking about the looters in Detroit). I was thinking how prepared we are in modern India with hurricane lanterns, candles and torches all the time. With apologies to the Old Testament
On the 7th day MSEB said, "Let there be light", and there was light.
Independence Day
The next day was also the Indian Independence Day. I made it to the Independence Day event on the "Diag" on my bicycle wearing a kurta. The chief guest was some 'desi' proff., who mercifully gave a small, though platitudinous, cliche-filled speech. His saving grace was that neither Gandhi nor Nehru figured in his speech, which for amateur Independence Day chief guests is quite an achievement. All the shops were closed thanks to the blackout of the previous night. My stomach was rumbling for some nice hot sambhar and idlis. I had to make do with a banana and slightly smashed kiwi fruit.
A Full Circle
It's now been exactly a year and a day since I got here in Ann Arbor. Here in US of A. "Here in the land of the free, home of the brave"(sic). It now seems fun to see the new students with crew-cuts and maps in their hand looking lost on the Michigan campus. Was not long ago that I too was getting on the wrong buses. Much water under the bridge since then. I never really doubted my cooking abilities. Though now I really have a chance to prove it. I tried to learn how to Tango and I quickly realise that its not for nothing that they say 'it takes two to tango'. If I still have two left feet its thanks to that fact. I and many others like me share the joker's view below.
Madras Masala
Yesterday afternoon me and Jeykumar took our lab-mates to the Madras Masala. Tuesday afternoon is not a good time to eat(pig out on) Indian food. Makes you feel heavy and sleepy. Yet, I avoided letting practical considerations getting in the way of their enthusiasm of eating an Indian meal.
It is almost mandatory for all Indian restaurants who call themselves Indian restaurants to server 'Tandoori chicken'. It is universal to confirm to certain stereotypes that are associated with your country.
My American friend was surprised that we actually make 'okra'. In fact I was surprised that Americans actually have food in which these use 'bhendi'.
Only in America, would you eat dosa,wada, rasam, chinese hakka noodles, Indian-Chinese 'Manchurian', tandoori chicken, lemon rice, bhendi, gulab jamun,malai mutter and kulfi. After all that mix of North, South, East and West, I wonder how many people survive the 'Indian food' experience. It was not great food which I would have had in maybe 'Shraavan' or the great Mughlai at the Blue Nile. I was reminded eating the 'bondas' of the humble wada pav.
We all go there despite the okayish food. Like my friend said, " It's like Mac Donalds in Europe. You'll always find Americans there. Makes you feel at home." He was right. Feeling heavy and sleepy after the meal. Good or bad and despite having seen much better, I felt at home!
The Art of Maintenance
"Between the internet and all the do-it-yourself books and being an engineer, there is nothing that you cannot do..."
-John Seymour, lab colleague
This guy has all the damn tools in the world. Typical of human nature though, he said that he did not have half the tools he wanted. His dream list was to have some really fancy saws and planing tools and ....
My aims were simpler though. I had this busted tire and I had(wanted) to fix it (myself). I went and got all the stuff. The tire, tube (which was of the wrong specs). Which reminds me to share the
Cardinal Rule of Shopping for Spares:
Make sure you have the right specs AND the salesman gives you the right specs.
After all that and having John's really snazzy toolbox (one of a hundred that he owns),making my own measly collection of tools insignificant in the TOOL- OWNERS FIRMAMENT. This is what happened.
I figure things out, remove the tire, get my hands all greased, fix it and then I realise that the wheel was 'out of true'. Damn!! I cannot ride the bike and I have to trudge back. I hate walking-trudging.
Then the next day after checking the "RIGHT WAY to TRUE a wheel" on the internet, I trued the wheel. Truing wheels is great fun. "It's like learning to draw a straight line"-Jerry. More about Jerry some other day. It was a great experience. I am proud of my own trued wheel even if no one notices. Among the many unfinished books I have to read is Robert T Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motor Cycle Maintenance. He mentions in the book that, most people want to ride bikes and not bother about maintaining them or even bothering to learn how.
I echo his sentiment. I am long ways off but I can understand the Joy and Pride of Living in the House that YOU built..Riding the bike YOU constructed from scrap.. and things like that.
Caveat to John's Quote (as above)
"... we can do all these things, but the question is that as engineers is it worth our TIME?
- John Seymour
Book Review "Bawdy Language" (X - Rated??)
I can't put it better than one of the other reviewers have put it.
A dirty mind is a terrible thing to waste. If you love words and erotica, you must read this punographic masterpiece.
—Richard Lederer, Wordsmith, Author of The Cunning Linguist
If you caught the pun in the previous line, the book(Link to the Book) is definitely for you. Unfortunately or fortunately the book is not available for sale in bookstores and available only online. Though it was great to read some excerpts from the book. If if you are the squemish, prudish sort it would be 'enlightening' to read atleast one excerpt.
Debate
What is the borderline between 'pornography' and 'erotica'? Between 'erotica' and 'high-art'? Is whatever masquerades as genuine appreciation simply a 'primal, animal urge' that has acquired a veneer of respectability? I don't know the answer. Does coming from a nation of a billion-strong(getting stronger), quantitavely and the 'land of Kama Sutra', qualitatively speaking, automatically qualify me?
In the early 60s the mini skirt was a rage because of shock effect. Later the medi-skirt became a rage because of not what it revealed but what it concealed. There is a partial scientific explanation of this effect in the Reith lectures(see The Artful Brain). Perhaps then the apple-kissing and wet sari of Hindi cinema is just as effective if not more. It's all in the head, perhaps and hence I liked the book above. Yet I am to reconcile the view of the 'mini vs medi' viewpoint.
Pornography is the attempt to insult sex, to do dirt on it.
D. H. Lawrence
Washington D.C.
Was in Washington this Wednesday for a Project Review(DARPA meeting). Being more of a business trip rather than a junket, I did not see much of DC. Except floated about in Old Town Alexandria. Saw the Capitol and the Washington monument from a distance.(Quite like the photo below). I think that less than 5 days is not doing justice to place like DC. Perhaps some other time. Also the advantage of being in DC is that you could be wearing anything from a business suit to sandals and shorts you would not look out of place. At least on the street.
Alexandria,VA
It has well preserved wood structures, relics from the 19th century and has a colonial look to it. Most of the Old Town is antique shops and the yuppie Banana Republic shop despite the old facade looks a little out of place. It was great to hang out with all the guys at the hotel pub called Annabelles. It was fun playing Trivia blitz with a playmaker device. Some of the questions of course I had no clue. A cultural bias of sorts. Then again how many guys there would know who Barthomelow Dias was?
50s style diners
On the trip back there were no stops at famous Pennsylvania diners. On the way to DC we stopped at one in Somerset, PA. It was great with a jukebox from the 50's i think. Each table had this small jukebox. Ours had one speaker cover fallen off and large silver colored plastic buttons to select. It had a cute little handle to flick the pages. It was incredibly retro. Despite the retro look it has selections from Christina Aguilera and J. Lo. Which I think was so darned heart breaking. Atleast Tim had the sense to play an old country song. Imagine that. You are eating at this amazing 50's style diner with synthetic leather upholstery and have to hear some chick belt out Latino hits. Yuck! There should be a law against this. Would have spoiled the meal. What was the owner thinking?
The Second Law of Thermodynamics
There should be a name for this phenomenon of
"Unexplained re-occurence of a a reference to an event,book, fact.." My suggestion is:
wiedertreffen- Ger. meet again (In case anyone knows the word for it or has a better idea lemme know)
I was listening to Vilaynur Ramachandran's excellent Reith lecture series on the brain. In one lecture he referred to C.P. Snow's celebrated Rede lecture on the Two Cultures where Snow cites the Second Law as an example of the gulf between Science and Humanities. Today I was reading Robert Lucky's excellent last page article in this month's Spectrum ( if you know what IEEE Spectrum is and not know Robert W. Lucky then please electrocute yourself.)
He talks about his granddaughter, who is a living, house-messer extraordinaire. Keeps the Second Law happy. Reading further he says
" ...order can be achieved locally at the expense of disorder elsewhere. I think engineers are like this too. While our work seems to involve the creation and imposition of structure, our environment often disintegrates spontaneously around us.."
Reading further ahead and then observing the mess of papers and books and three day old coffee on my table, I realise how true his observations are. Perhaps I should forward this article to my mom. Who will typically disagree and who has spent almost all her life battling the Second Law. A fun site if you wish to see more insight into "Zen and the Art of the Second Law"
Politics and Protest
NPR has become a latest fixation and the Prairie Home Companion on it another. I found this parody of the Pete Seeger's Where Have All the Flowers Gone.Perhaps more apt in todays world, especially in America.
Where are All the Democrats?
Are Indians better spellers?
"They spell it Vinci and pronounce it Vinchy; foreigners always spell better than they pronounce."
Mark Twain
From the Herald-Dispatch
"Sai Gunturi’s victory in this year’s national spelling bee was a personal triumph -- his first championship after three previous trips to the event.
But for Indian-American students as a group, the win was just one more in a recent string of top honors at prestigious academic competitions.
Gunturi is the fourth Indian-American student in the last five years to capture the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee championship. George Thampy, a St. Louis teen whose parents are from India, placed second in the National Geographic Bee in May 2000 -- a week before he went on to win the national spelling bee title."
For full story..
The 4th of July
I find it easier to do something 'constructive' on big days. This was a special day. Today I went cycling to the Sailing Club on Baseline Lake ( some 27 kms away). It was searingly hot when I left then it got cooler as I entered the mico-climate of the scenic Huron River Drive. The Huron River Drive is a great place to bike. Many cyclists, few cars. A route that runs parallel to a train track and the Huron River. I was looking a little anachronistic with my bike with the white-wall tires and conservative handlebar, compared to the lycra-clad, 17-Speed, orange-juice can toting "Super-cyclists".
Suddenly a dust storm blows up and light drizzle. The sunny sky turns murky, grey in nanoseconds ( I am not kidding!) and then it starts to pour. Thanks to great American design, mudguards are not considered a vital accesory. In minutes , I am splattered with the mud. My backpack turns from black to brown. The bike ...it was blue when I last remembered... I HAD GREAT FUN!!
Then I stopped under a tree and wondered..Yeah this is what a good monsoon rain is like. Here I was standing in the middle of nowhere, on a dirt road looking at how the rain soaked the green fields in front of me. The map in my bag getting wet. (older readers may note that I had changed to my sandals and kept my socks DRY in the bag. See old post on Soggy Socks Suck!)
I wondered why I was so damn happy. loved every moment. Getting wet..stopping.. Maybe it was all things together.
A- I had no time pressure
B- No entry in the What-the-well-dressed-man-is-wearing-nowadays
C- No bickering companions who cannot appreciate a good soak
and most importantly ..
D- I was excited about the trip, the journey and not the destination.
Its another thing about the great day I had sailing and then again riding back all those miles. Most of the best times in life are the little ones. The small and seemingly insignificant. The ones that SOMEONE else would wonder. Did that make that much of a difference? I think they do. Those moments which are pointless and happened unplanned.... Like this one somewhere on Huron Drive, 2 miles from the destination. Getting soaked in the rain through a potholed dirt road. Wet, aching muscles, sore hands, alone and as happy as can be.
Independence Day
Tomorrow is the 4th of July. Late at night the National Public Radio(NPR)(the only perhaps 'free' media enterprise in the US) broadcasts the BBC World Service. There was a discussion on the American flag and what it meant to Americans. The American flag appears on bikinis, doormats, hats, toilet rolls. People have burned the flag and it was declared constitutional under the
First Ammendment:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
That's America. There was a reporter who said that displaying the flag was no longer done in New York but he claims that in the heartland there are still people who do that and think it patriotic. I was still in the car passing houses where the Star-Spangled Banner was on doorways as I heard him speak on, "...that is a bellicose kind of partriotism that we see that says that we Americans are right and you are wrong..". The BBC commentator went on to say that on this Independence day America stands divided on political and economic issues.
Yesterday at the BBQ I heard a comment that "Smoking was no longer considered fashionable." Currently the flavour of the month is that in many..err most parts of the world its no longer fashionable to say, " We are Americans. We are here to save you."
Interesting sidelight in the comments.
CHICAGO
HOG Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders.
Carl Sandburg (1878-1967)
It has not changed since those days though there are no slaughterhouses here anymore thanks to refrigeration. Jogging on Lake Shore Drive at 6:20 am is great. Passed the river walk on the Chicago river. The breakfast houses were open on Michigan Avenue. Also I swear that the Tribune is much much better paper than the NYT.
The longest day
My greatest regret has been that despite my best intentions, I have not been sucessful in making the best possible use of the Summer Solstice or the Longest Day. Today was special.
6:30am
I am up early. Though much after sunrise. Dad would have been pleased. Since this is Chicago and its at the edge of the Central Time zone, the sun beat me to it today.
7:20am
Try to get almost all the cut strawberries out of corn flake box and let them soak in the milk.
8:20am
I am standing at 924 E and 57th Street on the University of Chicago campus looking of any signs to the Neural Coding Workshop which I am here to attend. I try to see if I can spot any Nobel Prize winners. For the first time in my life I was as close to as many of them as I would ever be. I don't see any.
9:00am
The seminar starts after the introduction by Dan Margolish, who is the Professor of Darwinian Sciences (A chair like this can be only at UC).
12:25 pm
Lunch is at the Quadrangle Club. One of the most swanky places. I feel a little happy that I am not in my shorts. Had a good time eating the baklavas.
1:35pm
Standing ...err nestled inside the Henry Moore sculpture at the site of 1942 atomic experiment
(explosion). They say that this was where the Strug basketball court was.. Aesthetically I saw no relevance except the suspicious mushroom cloud at the top otherwise the sculpture is a nice place to study in.
5:47pm
Walking to the train station. Trying to look the kinda of guys-you-would-not-want-to-mug. Man after all this Neural Coding 'n shit, no' whad i'm sayin' :)
6:37 pmWalking along Wacker drive which is much safer than the South Side. The Chicago river still looks green and I spent some time looking at the flower-petal Marina Towers.. I wish they would pass a law making it illegal for cars to display their rear to all the tourists this summer. I think it is kinda obscene.
8:37pm
Eating pav bhaji on the 31st floor watching the sun set over Lake Michigan
9:20pm
They have fireworks over Grant Park. I wonder if I can get back for the the Jazz festival this summer-end. Last time I did not have my chair and did not have my blanket. This time I may not have the time..
10:45pm
Discussion drifts from Indian women authors to how all religious movements become subverted after a while. Mostly after the founder dies. Then it becomes just a big bureaucratic shim-sham. Try for instance the RC church.
The longest day endeth thus...
Peck,GOST and some analysis
I just finished seeing 'To Kill A Mockingbird' day before. Gregory Peck was named the best American hero as Atticus Finch. As my friend Javed put it Peck has left the building. It was an interesting week. I finished reading the God of Small Things and the next day I saw 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. I loved the score and especially Badham ( the child actor who plays Scout). It was beautiful. It is silly to compare the two books beyond a certain level because they are about different things.
Could help but notice these superficial similarities
1)Both books see adult events through children's eyes. Or the sudden loss of innocence.
2)Jem=9, Scout=6, Estha and Rahel are both 7 years old
3)TKMB is about racism, GOST is about untouchability
4)Atticus and Ammu are both single parents
5)Ayemenem and Maycomb county both small,sleepy towns
6)Both written by women who have not written any fiction after that
7)Both won highly prestigious awards
TKMB->Pulitzer prizes, best American fiction written by an American
GOST->Booker prize, best English fiction written by resident of England or the Commonwealth
(Please let me know if i missed a few)
The God of Small Things
I am about 4/5 ths through the book. I seem to have finally broken the jinx of being some kinda anti-Magnus Magnusson(who?) of merely starting. I have shaken that off. Not yet, but close to it. Hah!
Nothing quite beats the quality of the description of Ayemenem and the monsoon in the first few pages. Indian writers in English are perhaps the most ambitious experimenters of the language. Roy is undoutably doing that with her 'No Locusts Stand I" and frequent capitalizations. Its very easy to be distracted by her style rather than what she has to say. It is also a funny book when one considers the humourous observations of the 'naked man at the railway tracks' , the ribald Malayalam boat songs, and the innocent, accidental profoundness of children.
I often pause to think how much of Roy is there in Rahel? Are all books mostly autobiographical in a large sense? They have to, I suppose.
