Time out.

It hadn't hit me until now that Thanksgiving is in 4 days. 4 days? 4 days.

What happened to Halloween? And apple cider? And my parent's anniversary?

Oh wait.

Time has a weird way of moving forward (and sometimes backwards) and swirling you up in a whirlwind and then dropping back down when the date is 23/10 and you think that 11 more months have been added to the calendar and then realize that, no, you've been drinking too much frooti.

I guess that's what happens when you take a 3 week vacation and then fall ill for a week with "Delhi/Pushkar/Puri belly."

Diwali in Delhi was amazing-- I spent time with my relatives and my brother, mom and dad in a city with all the modern conveniences one could ever want (read: Khan Market is the shit). Aside from playing cards (and losing lots of money) and eating a lot of "Non-veg" (which in retrsospect was good prep for my new home) it was so amazing to be able to leave and say "See you soon!"

After that I headed to Ajmer and Pushkar with a few fellows and we spent our time riding camels in the Rajasthani desert, eating paranthas and drinking lassis (yes, some would call them special). It was really great to be able to share our respective experiences in India-- which at the same time are so different yet on many levels very similar.

And then finally, after bringing my parents to Chhatisgargh for the first time so they could have a glimpse at my new life, the three of us headed to the state of Orissa with my Chacha and his family to experience the cleanliness of Bhubaneshwar and the Holy Temple in Puri.

...and of course, a few days of rest + relaxation, a 6-day course of Cipro and the new Hindi film "Dostana" and I'm ready to get to back to work...really...I promise.