Denali, Bucket List # 54

I have wanted to see Denali since my friend Donny Carey first told me about it 25 years ago. Donny, the ultimate Green Tortoise traveling free spirit would spend summers in Denali working until the cold weather moved him back to San Francisco and bike messagering. He would stay in SF just long enough to get that much more money together and then travel. But his best stories were in Denali and Donny could talk a dream into me. My husband knew Donny in high school, that Catholic High School existence that bonded them together. The paths that the two of them took diverged but the friendship always meandered back together and Donny became my friend too.

I went to Alaska on business to

Anchorage which is two and a half hours south of Talkeetna--a Northern Exposure kind of town where Talkeetna Air flies little tiny planes up to Mt. McKinley. It is expensive and quick (two hours) and I had to do it. Donny told me those stories and I wanted to see it somehow.

Donny died of a heart attack at age 39 riding his bike in New Zealand. Another adventure he was off on to experience and see the world. He probably didn't have two nickles to rub together but I know he was doing what made him happiest.

Thanks Donny, for your friendship to us both. We miss you and your adventures and never talk about you without a smile.

Calgary Tower

CALGARY TOWER

The Calgary Tower is in the middle of downtown--and smack across the street from the Marriott where I was staying for a three day trip. The weather was beautiful, so I paid the fee to go up in the tower. Up up up in the tower.

And, there, right when I walked off the elevator was a glass floor.

I knew I had to walk out on it but it was much more difficult than I expected. I stood at the edge for a long time trying, willing, attempting to get my feet to move out on the platform. No go.

Finally, I was able to get one foot out there:

It was terrifying to put my toes out on it but I knew I would get out there eventually. It is a very strange feeling to be standing on a see through floor. My brain had all the safety and danger lights flashing --- total adrenaline rush.

I finally figured out that if I looked at the horizon and just walked out on the platform, it was no problem. I guess my brain FELT the safety and let me enjoy the view. Very cool. This is one of the most heart thumping things I have done. And it gave me great joy to do it.

Tevilla is a Stunner

I am so honored to have a namesake:

Tevilla is an alpaca at Fox Run Alpacas. Fox Run is owned by the cousin of my sister-in-law, Mary (who totally rocks) and is in Utah.

This is so cool for me. A knitter, an animal lover and just plain old honored.

A Day in India

6:00 alarm.

6:05 reading emails that came in from US overnight. Two emails wanting to know why I hadn't responded to emails from yesterday, US time. Maybe because I worked eleven hours Wednesday and by the time I got back to the apartment my brain was dead? Does not put me immediately into a good mood.

6:15 Shower drain still backed up. I do not want to know why. Last night I poured two packets of India strength draino down two of the three drains and plunged the other opening. I now have a very good understanding of the phrase "black hole of Calcutta' . I decide to pour the last packet down the biggest drain, along with hot water. Challenging to do with my eyes closed but I seriously do not want to know what is down there.

6:25 DY offers to make coffee. Very nice but means I have to be civil. Turn A/C on in 'drawing room' to cool work area and make it nice for maids.

7:00 Maids. Hand gestures, smiles and 'what the hell' gets us through.

7:20 Front door bell ringing. Neighbor from below talking to DY except neither speaks the others language. Both maids get involved so DY and I search for a mobile to call Ritu, our pitbull cum administrator cum translator cum ruler of our world. I daily thank gods for Ritu. A/C that we had fixed two days ago is working so well that streams of water are pouring out of the drain pipe to the balcony below, soaking the neighbors laundry that is on the line. Not good. Ritu problem solves with him over the phone, he is very nice--or at least his tone sounds nice as he says something as he walks out. We decide to put hose into a bucket on our balcony once the maids are done with it.

7:45 Maid puts hose in bucket on balcony and leaves.

8:10 Client has not completed the prework essential for class tomorrow. 19 people, no prework done. Talking with V. to come up with options. Give him mobile number to call the managing director (head honcho) to try to put urgency on him to get it done or postpone.

8:15 V calls back. Gave him mobile number for Amol, just the wrong Amol. Sigh.

8:16 DY and I both jump up at same time when the sound of running water registers with our work focused brains. A/C is now cascading water into the 'drawing room', down onto electrical plug for the brand new flat screen TV. Not good on many levels.

8:25 Put on one white anklette sock that was lying on the arm of the sofa. No intention of finding the mate. DY looks at me, one eyebrow raised but doesn't comment. I realize I could be risking any shred of credibility I have left but I like the sock.

9:00 The materials I need to prep now for the client session tomorrow are at office. I am working from apartment. I have no way to get to office. Sigh.

9:10 DY leaves for appointment. Relative quiet. Realize I am so homesick that I could cry but I don't. Thankfully, I do not have a dog to kick not that I would ever kick a dog but it metaphorically feels right.

9:17 Can't have V pick me up and take me to office to get stuff because I have to wait for the electrician, plumber and printer to show up.

10:00 Cleared out 12 emails and feel like progress has been made. Stand up to stretch and notice 14 new emails have come in. This confirms that exercise is not good--and that is comforting because I have not made it to the gym since Sunday.

10:14 Electrician shows up to change the broken voltage corrector that keeps the A/C happy. He needs a chair to stand on so he can rewire something. Why do they not bring a ladder? He says (to Ritu on the other end of the cell phone) that we should bring the hose from the A/C into the kitchen and have it drain down the sink. Fabulous. Snakes the hose in, he and I check it out, seems to be working. Window will have to remain open, but no mosquito's right now so I am going Scarlett O'Hara on this one. I again appreciate knowing that body language is more important than words because the electrician and I have no words in common. Good bye, maybe.

10:24 Electrician finished. On phone to Ritu so she can translate. I need to give him Rs 200 (about $4) and have him sign on a piece of paper. He writes in Hindi--probably says something about wild Western woman with one white sock on being nuts. Don't care.

10:30 Pretty sure have avoided complete homesick meltdown by getting into answering 23 emails--none of which are from friends.

10:35 Put up a post on Facebook and immediately delete it. Something about needing a broom and flying monkeys.

11:00 Open fridge to get yogurt, a large Kingfisher beer explodes, spraying glass and beer all over kitchen. I hop around on one white sock and clean it all up. No time to mop the floor and anyway, the kitchen smells nice and yeasty.

11:11 Need to send emails but power is on and off. Begin to look for the humor in all this. Nope, not finding it.

11:12 Take first sip of coffee that DY gave me three hours ago. Stone cold. Wish there was Kahlua here. Heat coffee in microwave and blow out all the circuits. Really good at fixing this, because I do it a lot so happy to problem solve this in a half second and without a call to Ritu.

11:19 Plumber shows up. I have him look at drains in bathroom, he asks me for plastic bag--I think that is what he asks for, at any rate. I show him the wrapper from the packets of draino I put down the drain. He sticks his arm UP TO HIS SHOULDER down the drain and pulls out the most vile sludge. I don't care how much it costs for this guy, I cannot be paying him enough. Call Ritu to translate-my fabulous pit bull goes to work- and I can hear her giving him an ear full-he just nods his head, not saying anything. She tell me to pay him Rs 100 ($2.00) but have him clean all the drains in all the bathrooms. No problem on that one.

11:22 Plumber done. He signs receipt. Think it is his name and not a social commentary on non Hindi speaking foreigners living in his country. I realize while he is signing the book he is staring at my one previously white sock because it has sludge on it. Sock off.

11:28 Finish very long email to client. WTF?? It is gone, and not to the client. Sigh. Begin rewriting.

12:15 Call from guys. Appointment in Delhi went very well. I can feel the relief -- this is good, and walk out on balcony off my bedroom as I am talking with DY to watch the rain begin. Hang up, breathe in the smell of the rain and remember my laundry is still on the clothes line on the front balcony. Bring it in, pigeon that co-opts the clothes line wasn't happy to move. Set basket down to answer cell phone. Wander around apartment talking and circle back to pick up basket that I have put under the A/C which is leaking again but not onto the floor as the clean dry clothes are absorbing it all. FMD. Readjust hose in kitchen sink to drain into bucket on floor. This is not a long term solution but seems to work for now.

1:15 Noise in kitchen--avoiding it.

1:20 Noise in kitchen different. Ignore it.

1:27 Noise in kitchen. Sigh, get up and go look. Hose has popped out of the bucket and A/C waste water has created a nice indoor wadding pool. Kitchen no longer smells nice and yeasty.

1:33 Realize printer has not delivered materials I have to take to Mumbai. Dialing the fabulous Ritu.

No, I am not making this up.

LOL.

I like to Laugh

OK, this made me laugh. And I like to laugh. Wendi's writing is sharp and she finds just the right amount of sarcasm to compliment the meal. How can you not appreciate the line “It’s both decorative and practical".

If you like this one then read this one. ROTFLMAO every time I read it. It has just the right amount of truth and anger to get her point across. Maybe you have to be female to really understand the razor wit that cuts to the point but it works my humor with every rereading.

I commented on her blog last night and she wrote me--that amazed me -- like a star had responded to my goo goo fan letter. I have to admit I had a silly grin on my face when I read her nice email.

And, without a doubt I need to laugh right now....I need something decorative and practical in my life, just not a tattoo in that location.

Taj Mahal, Love and Monkeys

Saturday I went to the Taj Mahal for the third time--and the second time this year. It is a long drive from Gurgaon a little over four hours on India roads. The journey is as much of the adventure as the destination.

This trip I went with my colleague, David, and our intent was to work on the way down. We were going to proof a program. Ha. The bumpiness of the roads, along with getting up at 5:00AM after only four hours of sleep made working an impossible task. We did get some done, most on the way home when we had a little more energy and alertness.

The driver picked us up at 5:30 AM just as the light was coming up, and he took the back road to Faridabad, which is an experience in trucks, cows, cars and motorcycles. This is really a shortcut to the highway that leads to the Taj. Under normal circumstances it is basically a left turn, then another left turn, and then a right turn from the apartment. The driver got creative and we had the chance to experience some of the rural villages of India. It took forever to dodge the potholes, livestock, people and not sure what. Definetly the long way to the Taj Highway.

Finally made it out and down the highway. The first stop was at the Uttar Pradesh border and the driver paid the toll charge. This is a spot where the touts converge on the tourists sitting in cars...and they have monkeys, cobras, fans, necklaces and open palms.

This slayed me--the mamma monkey with her babe. What pierced my heart in a single shot was when the baby murmured she would put her paw/hand around its head and pull the babe close to her, in a clear message of comfort. She did it several times so it was no mistake. It was so tender and caring and the love of a mother for child. It was so simple, and sweet, and just what she did for her baby out of nature and nurture. Just a small, simple bit of love.

And then the Taj. The Taj was magnificent again. Like the mama with her baby, it is about love.

Cunningham Road

I am in Bangalore for three days, all business. I like this city--it has a good feel to it, this is my fourth or fifth trip here and I just feel comfortable.

Last night I walked a bit after returning from work and shot an example of the rush hour traffic just as it was starting to get heavy--watch in the background for the people crossing the road. There are no traffic lights to slow this down so crossing the road is an adventure and should be classified as an extreme sport.

Jet Lag

Jet lag either happens or it doesn't. Each flight, whether to India or to New York is different.

Monday about strung me up and left me there to hang. I struggled to get my brain to function in anything but a fog. The whole day was about numbers and pricing--never my absolute strength. Then the guilt that I was almost useless intertwined itself into the fog and the emotional jet lag started.

That gets ugly.

What helps is working through it, pulling every bit of energy from my core and moving forward. Sometimes just attempting NOT to think and just doing it the best way. And then going to Fitness First and working out with Sulani gets me to another level--exhaustion. Sulani is a wonderful trainer, she is young, fit and the focus of Atilla the Hun. She is not nice nor willing to let me work easy because I am tired. At one point I almost had to puke but my hardheadedness and fear of embarrassing myself didn't let that happen. It was a good workout, followed by cardio for an hour and I could feel the fog start to disappear. Water, food and rest did the rest.

I just hope that with the pricing we did didn't screw the pooch.

Trip Ten

This is the start of my tenth trip to India. To honor that and because severe jet lag is setting in, here are the Ten Thing I Love About India

10) Cows. Everywhere.

9) Smiles. The sincere, face splitting smile is worth the wait.

8) Fitness First Gym-state of the art gym. Better than anything at home and it makes going there a reward, not punishment

7) Red tape. My gawd, if ya don't love it, it will drive one insane.

6) Beeping of Horns-this could go on a hate list too but I do love the noise--it soothes after awhile and is dependable

5) The apartment-this is home away from home--and feels like it now.

4) My team-they are awesome.

3) My team-they take such good care of me

2) My team-they deliver Biryani

1) My team, the best people that I could possibly work with and have I mentioned MY TEAM?

Summer in The City, India Style

It is a already over 90 here, and it is only 7:30 in the morning. Just the beginning.

Back To India

I am back in India--a 15 hour flight from Chicago that was good, even if it was in coach. I am glad to be back, but not sure if the six week stay will be easy or difficult.

My horoscope for today was spot on:

Tiger Temple Thailand

This qualifies as one of the best days in my life. My friends and I were able to play with the baby tigers for 45 minutes--just the three of us and the Temple volunteers/workers. It was amazing to touch and pat and feed such amazing beings.

The Associate-John Grisham

I have read all of Grisham. Several times I have said 'If the next one doesn't get better, I am done.' then the next one gets better. I like his writing style and his characters. My favorites: A Time to Kill, The Chamber, Playing For Pizza, The Painted House.

Well, I am back in that space again. The beginning of this book was pure Grisham--engaging, characters that are real and fast paced. That is why I am giving the book two stars and I kept wondering how he as going to bring it to closure. It sucked.

The ending was lame and irritating. A HUGE disappointment. Stupid, even. Can you tell I am ticked I spent the time reading the book only to get to the last few pages? Lazy is what it seemed.

22 Years

How did we get to 22 years so fast? And we have been together 27 years.

Really, I never imagined my life with a marriage that lasted this long. My paternal grandparent's were the only role model that had a long marriage--over 50 years. I had so many stepfathers that I use numbers instead of names when I refer to that part of my life.

And here we are with 22 years behind us. Of course, with the travel we both do, we have lived in the same location for about two years total and that may be the secret of our longevity. It works for us.

Relief

"We are pleased to inform you that your mammogram showed no radiographic findings suspicious for malignancy."


I wish we were all so fortunate.

The Breast Cancer Site

Definite Diversion

I have almost become immune to the different things in India. Cows don't surprise me, camels, oxen, autoricksaws overcrammed with people, including the driver sitting on someone's lap.

But this was definite diversion.

Beautiful India

Meme of M

Kinda like Scattergoriess without the timer

Thanks to CaroleKnits for this


Use the first letter of your name to find a word for each of the following:

Your Name - Maxly
Four letter word - muck
Boy name - Mickey
Girl name - Mia
Occupation - Muse
Color -Mocha
Beverage -Merlot
Something found in a bathroom - Makeup
A Place - Mountains
Reason for being late - messing with the snooze button
Food - Malted Milk (uh huh--it is too a food)
Something you shout - Mayday!

Your turn!

Surajkund Crafts Mela

Sunday







There are about 350 craftspersons that are represented at this 'mela'--textiles, furniture, carvings, flowers, pottery and crowds. And more crowds. Stu and I were the only non Indian in all of the crowd. We could have opened up our own booth and made money just by having our picture taken. We are an oddity!

Chandi Chowk

Chandi Chowk is a market in Old Delhi. The winding alleys make for good adventure.

Two of the shots I tried to capture the candlelight being used--the one of the woman buying her supplies with the candle on the counter--and the other is a beauty shop. This just slayed me--having hair done by candlelight. It is blurry but I hope you get the idea. The sari shops are all floors of color and women bargaining like pros.

The young boy is cooking at the Indian McDonald's--the place was jammed and fast food going out in split seconds. Amazing. No, didn't eat there. I am brave but not crazy.

The Contrast of India

This is the newest mall in Vasant Kunj. The stores are only highest of high end. Louis Vuitton, Tod's, Tiffany, Fendi, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Cartier, Escada and and and....




















I guarantee you the woman cleaning the washroom doesn't make as much annually as any of the Louis Vuitton purses cost.

Outside My Window

Look carefully, just to the left of the hole in the green striped netting. Do you see it? Right on top of the solid dark shadow? It kind of looks like a cat, trotting across a wall?



Nope. No cat.

How much fun is this to see in the middle of a team meeting in Stu's room?

Hauz-Khas

A good week at work deserves a weekend of exploring. Saturday was spent at Hauz-Khas Village. Winding streets with fabulous designer type shops. I noticed a gate at the end of the main road so we explored. A total surprise was beyond the gate. No admission charged, no guards, no bag search and in all the ruins, no graffiti. Only families and teenagers
.






Every once and a while with my photography I get a good shot--out of the literally hundreds that I take in every outing. Years ago, when I was still shooting film, a photography instructor told me that film was the cheapest thing in photography so shoot often and shoot alot. Digital has taken that to the extreme. I play with ISO, WB, shot after shot. The composition is always on my mind and sometimes it all comes together in an exposure I am pleased with and not overly critical. Usually the shot has humans in it, and in India, mostly kids. They chase after me, wanting their photo taken, then surround me so they can see themselves in the back of the camera. And, many times, one of them will hit me up for 10 rupees. Now I tell them I want ten rupees for taking their picture and they are so stumped by that they smile and then ask me to take another photo.

Saturday I was able to photograph a family of kids that were exploring the ruins. They were so sweet with each other, making sure I knew that they were brother and sister.



The one in the white shirt and blazer is the oldest, and spoke the most English. He kept running to get more of his family to join in the shot.





And then, once in a while I get the shot that makes me catch my breath. It is the shot that I wanted. It tells me the story I was hoping to capture, and I hope tells a story to others that view it. I open iPhoto again and again to look at it. Not so much because my camera stored the image but because of the incredible beauty of what the camera captured.

This is one of the shots, one of the images that takes my breath away.