Random Acts of Violence

Marty and I went to New Hampshire, and then, probably against better judgment, drove rather than taking the train into Brooklyn, NY to see our son. We stayed at what seemed like a good location right on the ocean near Coney Island Avenue. But, the night before we left, our car was vandalized and the driver side window glass shattered and the door dented with a rock left by the vandals. Four other cars parked nearby were also vandalized. Fortunately, we had our valuables like cameras, laptop, etc. with us in the hotel room.

The vandals rifled through everything, and left some blood on the leather seat and in the glove box, probably from broken glass cuts. There is a change holder in the divider between the front seats. They took all the quarters (good for laundry machines, I guess), but left the dimes and nickels. They took an investment guide left by Marty in the back seat, but passed on his small iPod in the holder on the dash (too old a model. I'm guessing). A Lincoln Continental next to us, bearing a Lojack steering wheel lock and a perimeter alarm, fared no better---driver side glass was also shattered. The police who came to write up a report called it "criminal mischief"--I suppose that is a technical term.

We were lucky in some ways. A vehicle in the same vicinity had been stolen the day before, and we hadn't left anything of value in our car (except our passports, by accident, which were in a backpack in the trunk--but they didn't take those though for a scary few minutes we had trouble finding Marty's). Our ride back to Detroit was tiring and noisy from the wind, considering that we had to tape the window up with a clear garbage bag and duct tape. But we were lucky to find a very nice young guy at the nearby Ford dealership who helped by cleaning up the broken glass and taping up the garbage bag, and the weather on the way back mostly cooperated--it could have been a lot colder. Even luckier, we had just the week before leased a second car, so we aren't totally without wheels while this one is being fixed.

There is nothing else to say about this except that "s---t happens." And---it's stupid to take a car into New York City. Or maybe I mean foollish--stupid would be doing it twice.

Travels to New Mexico

Since the dollar is tanking in world markets, it is a good thing that the United States is so diverse that traveling to another part of it can almost feel like a foreign country. So it was with our journey to Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico, for an Elderhostel (or hostel elders, as our friends' children call it) trip. It was a wonderful week--full of great learnings and photo opportunities.

New Mexico was originally part of the Spanish empire in North America, and did not officially become a state until 1912--the last territory on the mainland to join the union. The Spanish and Indian heritage are both very rich. We were there to participate in what turned out to be a fascinating study of conversos and crypto-Jews, with classroom study and discussion in Albuquerque and several field trips. I can't say enough good things about Elderhostel--everything was so well organized and the group we were with was very congenial and curious--lots of interesting discussion and dialogue.

I had never thought much about a Jewish presence in this area, other than the warm and dry climate attracting retirees from other parts of the country. But the history goes all the way back to the Spanish Inquisition, when many were forcibly converted to Christianity by the Catholic authorities in Spain and expelled from the country in 1492, the same year that Columbus discovered the West Indies (of course, he was looking for India itself--from which has come all the confusion about the name "Indians.") . Some of these forced converts found their way to the New World, first to Mexico and then to small and remote towns in the north, far from the prying eyes of the Inquisitors--they literally had to convert in order to be able to board the ships.

Although a significant number intermarried and forgot their former faith in the new world (this was more difficult in Spain and Portugal, where they were constantly reminded and discriminated against), others continued to practice Judaism in secret---while also outwardly adhering to the Catholic faith, which was the recognized religion in the Spanish New World. A town could not be formed, in fact, until 30 families got together and a church was built--so the church was an imposing and constant presence in any small town. Until recently, it was assumed that these "crypto Jews" no longer existed, but this is not the case---it is clear that the tradition of crypto Judaism has been passed down for hundreds of years. And it was this clearly curious phenomena--why people would practice two religions, one in secret--that we were there to learn about.

In addition to Albuquerque, we visited Santa Fe and Chimayo, where we traveled to a Pueblo Indian village. Many of the Indians in this area also practice a dual religion--their own native customs and beliefs, and the Catholic religion that they, too, were forcibly converted to.

Albuquerque here we come!

Weather permitting, Marty and I are headed to Albuquerque, New Mexico with friends for a week. I say weather permitting, because another blizzard is forecast for Friday and Saturday. This week, we had a heavy snow on Wednesday, which caused most of the schools to close. In this world of change, it is refreshing to know that kids today do the same thing we used to do 50 years ago when snow forces a day off school: they build snowmen! Our neighbors built a whole family of them, and even strung Christmas lights at night to show off their work....

The Artist's Way List of Ten

A few years ago I did an Artist's Way class. The Artist's Way is a book by Julia Cameron, a New York author and playwright who was once married to the film director Martin Scorsese. The outline of the book and program is fairly simple--you write three pages in a journal every morning (called "morning pages"), go for a weekly walk to stimulate creativity, and have a weekly "Artist's Date" where you do something to support your "inner artist"--such as a trip to a museum, sitting in nature, watching an old movie, or looking at your childhood pictures. The activity itself is totally up to you--the only "rule" is that you do it alone. Cameron's books, which include Vein of Gold and the one I'm reading now, Finding Water (all of these can be found on Amazon) contain other exercises and writings--each program is 12 weeks long. I enjoyed the class, but in the hurly-burly of moving to India, I had forgotten about the books and the process, which can easily be done by simply reading the books and following along. In the last few weeks since I've been home, I have re-discovered Cameron, and have resumed doing morning pages. It is a good way to record the changes I'm going through and feeling, as well as dreams and fragments of dreams, which probably pick up other aspects that are more submerged.

One of the Cameron exercises is listing simple pleasures, ten things you enjoy ("take pen in hand" she writes as a prelude to these exercises). I wish I could find what I wrote four or five years ago--buried in some box no doubt-- to see what has changed in my list of ten, but here they are, and more than a few undoubtedly reflect the effects of repatriation:

1. Sidewalks. What an amazing thing they seem to me after Chennai, where even when you did see them, they were a foot and a half off the ground, interrupted by trees and peeing dogs and men, and located along busy roads where it was impossible to escape the cacophony of horns. Here, despite the ice which makes them hazardous at times, it's a beautiful thing to go for a long walk down tree lined quiet streets.......

2. Podcasts. I could go on and on about what a difference an iPod has made in my life, even since I've returned to the U.S. In India I had a couple of hours a day to listen since I had the long commute, but when I first came back, I struggled to find an opportunity to use it. Now, I work out nearly every day and walk often, so have caught back up on my long list-- The Wall Street Journal, This American Life, Japanese, Hebrew, The Cook and the Chef (a great Australian videocast with lots of scenes of Australian wine and cheese country), and several others. The other day I even learned a new and easy way to polish silver (it's chemistry).

3. Snow. Yes, crazy though it may sound....I'm a true northerner and love the four seasons. Watching the snow come down in gentle flakes with a cup of coffee in hand, Junior purring behind me on her special little "fur trapping" pillow, is a great pleasure.

4. Living less than 2 miles from the zoo (close enough to walk, far enough away not to smell).

5. Driving myself (that is one I would not have written 3 years ago).

6. Cooking again. Last night's creation was a salmon pie with goat cheese, thyme, red onions, and red pepper. A bit too much dill, but otherwise not bad. (My mother and aunt would be spinning in their graves, though, since I use store-bought pie crusts rather than making my own--even without the excuse of time.)

7. Costco. What a great place. And to think I used to mock Marty for the "inventory" we carry at home by virtue of buying things in large quantities.

8. Fresh berries. Blueberries, raspberries and blackberries especially--I'm not such a fan of strawberries unless there is nothing else available. This is by no means a "green" or guilt-free choice---this time of year, the raspberries come from as far away as Chile, most of the others from Mexico. (Bought, of course, from Costco so at least the price doesn't make me feel too guilty, too.)

9. Netflix. Thanks to Harry for this one. Netflix, the online DVD rental store, was just getting started when I left and didn't have the country covered the way it has now. It's very slick, and much more convenient than the brick-and-mortar competitors. If you live in the U.S., check it out. If not--it's probably coming your way, like Starbucks, Amazon, and other American marketing icons.

10. The New York Cook Book. Full of stories--if you want to know about American immigrant history read this book-- and wonderful food. I haven't read or used it for over three years, and am rediscovering.

Maybe this list sounds like I don't miss India. On Sunday, my visa expires, and I've been thinking about that. Another list of 10 in the making......

Detroit Culture and Sunday nights

Using Detroit and culture in the same sentence may seem like an oxymoron, but at least when it comes to the DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts), it 's not. Though probably a little known fact, the DIA is the fifth largest art institute in the country, and has a marvelous collection of Impressionist art as well as classics like the three story murals of the early auto industry painted by Diego Rivera (right). It has recently undergone a major facelift, and Sunday afternoon Marty, Sara and I ventured downtown--it's a nearly straight shot down the historic Woodward Avenue (which dates from 1805) from our house. We enjoyed it a lot.

Sunday, especially Sunday night, is kind of strange for me now. Even when I had jobs I really liked, which fortunately was most of them, I never liked Sunday night. There is something about gearing up for a workweek, like harnessing up (or for those of you old enough to remember, putting on a girdle), that was always a bit stressful --sometimes a lot stressful, depending on what I had on for the week. I never slept as well on Sunday night as other nights, though I can't say that I realized this at the time.

Now, I still get up very early on Monday for a 7 a.m. yoga class, though I didn't this morning because of the weather--very icy here and treacherous on the roads. But going to a yoga class is quite a different thing to look forward to than the start of another workweek. Sunday is pretty much like any other day, and Sunday night is actually enjoyable. Maybe when I get a new job, I'll get one that starts on Tuesday instead of Monday?

Cold, Colder, Coldest

When I was in Chennai we used to say there were three seasons, hot, hotter and hottest. Towards the end of my stay there, the heat really didn't bother me too much--I think your body eventually adjusts and maybe your blood even gets thinner or thicker to compensate. Now I am experiencing the reverse--cold and snowy Michigan winter like I haven't seen since I was a child. Detroit just never gets much snow--but this year it seems like all it is doing is snowing, melting, freezing, and snowing again. On Monday the temperature got down to 4 degrees Fahrenheit--that's about -16 Celsius. Brrr.....I really don't mind the snow--in fact I like it--but don't like the extreme cold that makes it hard to even contemplate going outside.

Our sea shipment was delivered on Monday. Altogether, it took about 2 months from the day I saw it loaded and locked in Chennai on a beautiful sunny afternoon in December to its unloading and unpacking in these subzero temperatures. Everything except one dining room chair, which had a broken leg, arrived intact. It didn't appear that U.S. Customs did more than open the container--nothing was disturbed. So now I'm in the middle of boxes again, though not nearly as many as we had in storage, so it shouldn't take too long. That is the end of the great move. Junior is very happy to be reunited with her favorite chair, so much so that she slept the entire afternoon on it yesterday.

One thing I have noticed since coming back is that despite all the complaints and frustration I had in India about service, here in the U.S. it can also be abysmally poor. Here the issue doesn't seem to be as much about staff turnover--the economy means that people really can't job hop the way they do in India--but competence and attitude. For example, our Verizon account got screwed up on two counts---address and phone features--and it took as much time and psychic energy to get it fixed as it would have in India (and no, it didn't go to a call center there--everything happened right here in the U.S.) In the case of both mistakes, it was simple carelessness on the part of the Verizon staff. Often, I have noticed in service establishments that people seem distracted and inattentive--as if their mind is on something else (which it probably is). And, there is the ubiquitous use of cell phones--even more than when I left three years ago, though this is probably a worldwide phenomena. From our cleaning lady to the moving crew to drivers on the road, people cannot stay off the phone for even an hour. It interrupts everything they do.

The Hillary and Barack Show

Today is "Super Tuesday, " and here in the U.S., election fever is high. Now that John Edwards has officially dropped out of the Democratic race, it really IS the Hillary and Barack show (I figure if you are going to call one of them by his/her first name, you should do it with the other). Although you can get the coverage anywhere in the world, it seems more immediate when it's in the same time zone (maybe just an effect of repatriating, though, since, other than the Food Network, I still don't watch television very often). Because I wanted to see the candidates more "in person", I watched the New Hampshire primary debate, though I missed the one in South Carolina, where both of them really showed their fangs. In the last debate in California, they mostly kept the gloves on, and successfully ducked the obvious question--what about a joint ticket?

For a while I have been sitting on the fence, and being thankful that I have the choice between two excellent candidates, either of whom has a high probability of winning. The two are fairly close on the issues--other than some differences on health care, not a lot to choose between them here as far as I am concerned. Hillary is clearly the more experienced and managerial of the two--I find her answers on Iraq withdrawal to be much deeper and realistic, for example, than Barack's-- but Barack is the more charismatic and persuasive, and I definitely suffer from the "yes-she's-qualified-but-I-just-don't-LIKE-her" syndrome. In the weeks since I've been home, with so many more opportunities to be exposed to these two candidates, I've remained conflicted. Two weeks ago, The New York Times endorsed Hillary, but the following weekend, there was an op-ed piece by Caroline Kennedy endorsing Barack that has me leaning a lot more his way than I was. I thought this article was very well written, and more than this, it speaks to what I have observed here since coming back: people feel that the country has lost its way, and desperately needs new and inspired leadership. Who can best deliver that? That's what I think it's going to come down to, in the end.