I'm getting more and more sucked into all things Indian. Someone at work gave me a stack of MP3s that are songs from Bollywood movies. I watched "Kol Ho Naa Ho" (Tomorrow may never be) and I tried to make some dahl. The dahl did not work out...oh well...cooking is like romance. You sometimes have to be willing to accept some heartache before you find love.
Sometimes the dish just doesn't work out. Like last night...when I made a lumpy gray watery mush that tasted vaguely of cumin and ginger. It was not what I would call appetizing.
Everyone at work says that my Hindi is progressing nicely, and I'm able to read about 1/3rd of the Devanagari script I come across, and I'm able to carry on micro-conversations:
"How are you today?" "Fine, and you?" "Doing great" "Good!"
You know, this is the most fun I've had in a while with an intellectual pursuit. Maybe I've just been starving for something to feed my brain, but I'm glad that I picked this up. My co-workers have been nothing short of amazingly gracious and generous and helpful.
I always worry when I immerse myself in a hobby like this (I guess this is a hobby, since I don't really feel obsessed) that people will mock me, or that my wife or family will say that I'm going too far. I guess that sounds completely neurotic, but it's true. I have this twinge of guilt and fear that one day Heather will say to me: "I don't even know you anymore. Why are you so focused on Hindi" or computers, or writing, or whatever it is that I'm doing. Call me strange, but it's true.
Heather's never really said anything like that before, so it's not like she's given me cause to think she would start now, it's just almost certainly baggage from previous disfunctions.
Oh, and honey, if you're reading this, I love you and miss you, and the cats said "Come home soon".
I love the Rubberbandman. I could also watch it obsessively. I am not sure what that says about me but I think the actor is amazing.
Check out my profile on my blog - I just got two books on learning Hindi. Have not yet started - but as I am a deep, down and devoted Indophile and moreover a Bombayphile it just seemd logical. Reading India is what I tell people I like to do as a sport/pastime/hobby - whatever.
Have fun with your blog. I love mine.