Comprehensive Geek Guide to Movies

Yesterday, over dinner, I told BigGeek I was mighty impressed with Mahendra over at An unquiet mind with his A-Z film meme. I had been toying with the idea of doing something like it, but given the fact that my memory has a strong functional resemblance to a large sieve, I would do the meme only to find movie ‘X’ was not my favorite movie at all because I would remember 2 weeks later that I had seen Movie ‘Y’ too and had liked it better. The scope of the meme had to be shortened to benefit my limited forte. And thus an idea was born to compile a guide to movies that would appeal to geeks. Because what am I if not a geek?

As soon as I told this to BigGeek, he out-geeked me. After nodding vigorously at my first three suggestions while sipping his merlot delicately, he said, “Define movies that appeal to geeks”.

“Hmmmmmm.”. I said. “Let me try. Movies that appeal to left-brain. Movies that have some absurdity to them. Science and math references. Movies that awe you with the magic and scope of science and technology. Movies that let make you go, ‘Hmmm’, but in a logical, rational way. Movies that redefine true science and provide some (even if slightly absurd) vision of where technology can go. Movies that give us a different perspective of scientific theories. Clever movies that have plots like the Mobius strip. Movie equivalent of Escher’s sketches. All geeks are fascinated with the nature of alien intelligence, how the universe works, Schrodinger’s cat, free will and the paradox of time-travel. So movies that deal with those. ”

So after debating and hemming-and-hawing for about 30 mins, we drew up with this list. The movies that made it had all or most of the above mentioned attributes. The also-rans, were, well, also-rans because they lacked some of the above mentioned aspect to make it to geekdom. The movies that were disqualified (and no, we don’t list every movie in the world that was not on first two lists) are some choices most people would think appeal to geeks, but they don’t. Well they don’t appeal to me and I am a geek. I have also left out comic-book geek movies for reasons I don’t quite understand myself. So there, unleash you inner geek and let me know if we missed some. Movies are sorted alpha-numerically and the list will be divided over a few posts.


The Comprehensive Geek Guide to Movies (transferred epithet not intended)

12 monkeys (1995)
IMDB Rating 8.1/10

Directed by Terry Gilliam (of yes, Monty Python fame), this movie has time travel. Not one, but several. As Cole (Bruce Willis) searches for clues to find the virus that has devastated the Earth in future (2035), coercing people to live underground, he travels not just in place but in time as well. The plot line is pretty interesting because it raises questions of whether it is possible to change the past and alter the future and it questions the existence of free will, given the movie’s end. The movie is an action-packed thriller for a perfect Friday night with loads of nerd undercurrents. Bruce Willis is the icing on top.


2001: A Space Odessey (1968)
IMDB Rating 8.4/10

I was frankly surprised that it rated only 8.4 on IMDB. This movie is ultimate geek paradise. Supercomputers, evolution, contact with alien intelligence that is more than just humans + bad makeup. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, it brings Arthur C. Clarke’s vision of future to life. I really like how Clarke (and Kubrick) present the future. Some basic values like human contact and need for family remain unchanged, but are seen in the light of a new technology and a new world. To me, the movie is a tribute to what science has achieved and can achieve. True scientific innovation is full of one step forward and two steps back from which we learn and HAL represents that. I think, despite HAL, it presents a positive view of technology and what the human mind is capable of achieving. This movie leaves a lot unsaid, which is very “Kubrick”. It gives us pieces and allows us to make our own conjectures, which is always fun.


2010 (1984)
IMDB Rating 6.6/10
I definitely would rate it higher than that. I think most people who loved 2001 hate 2010. 2010 is more cut-and-dry. Directed by Peter Hyams, it is more direct and in-your-face. But it’s still a great movie. Evolution of our minds and of science continues and the sequel explains a lot of points that were left unsaid in 2001. What happened to Dave? Was HAL fixed? What happened to the monolith? Is it good science fiction? Yes, no doubt. Definitely better than standard issue Hollywood Sci-Fi like Independence Day and suchlike.

Edited to add: To be continued. Next week geek movies starting with 'A' and 'B'.

Dog fight

If a day is going well, I have noticed, a karmic balance to the contrary is usually achieved by 4:00 pm. This Saturday, my own gentle temperament underwent a raging change due to a certain bovine who buttonholed me in a small park. Allow me to narrate the sequence of events that concluded with ample exercise of vocal chords, liberal finger waggling and general foot stomping.

As it turns out, I was looking after a friend’s son for the day this Saturday. When he and Chip got tired of riding bikes and kicking ball, I decided to walk them to the small park at the end of our little lane. It was a beautiful day. The sun was warm, but not too warm. Gentle breeze and all that. The only regret I had was that I had forgotten my book at home. When we entered the always-empty park, two children came up running to me warning me to beware of a certain dog. I squinted my eyes and through the sun I could see a girl of about 12 sitting on the kid’s play set, a snarly dog beside her.

There was no way to know if the dog was having a bad day or it was generally ill-tempered dog. I certainly wasn’t interested in finding out. The kids ran to the play set and the dog snapped at them. Then growled and snarled and leaped. The boys were scared, obviously. I asked the girl, nicely to take the dog away since it would not let the children play on the play set. She said “No.” I gently pointed her to the fact that play sets were for kids, not dogs. She was as surly as the dog and sullenly told me “No.” I asked her again, she said “I am not.” After 10 minutes of trying to reason with her, asking her to get her mother, I lost my patience and told her if the dog was not off the play set, I was calling the authorities. She climbed down and two minutes later returned with marching bovine of a mother and her surly husband.

“Lady, “the mother barked at me, “Do not judge my daughter.” Huh? I thought and said, “Huh?”. “She came home crying.” “She and the dog were on the play set. The dog was being very aggressive and would not let my kids play. It also frightened a couple of women who were taking a walk because it leaped at them and snapped and your daughter was unable to control it on its leash. I asked her to take the dog elsewhere.” “This is a public park. My dog is allowed everywhere.” Shouted the husband. Obviously, civic responsibility and logic, both, were both lacking in this couple. I repeated my statement. They repeated that their dog was gentle. I saw the woman who had been scared by this dog. I pointed it out to this cow. She shouted to her “Did my dog scare you?” The woman was scared by the dog’s owner now. “No Ingles” she said. “See?” said the dog-owner. “She said no.” At that point I did not know whether to laugh or get really, I mean really angry and settle this mano y mano. I, instead chose to point the very obvious fact that the woman had said “No English.” Which meant she did not understand the question. The dog-owner, was severely lacking in the general common-sense department as well because she said, “Whatever. She said no. OK? She said no.”

At that point, I lost it and said “Madam, all I asked of your daughter was to keep the dog off the play set. Your daughter was as misbehaved as your dog.” At that point, she spluttered. Not knowing if I intended an insult, they walked off shouting “My dog is welcome everywhere. This is a public park” and all the empty rubbish that made no sense at all, given the context.

Of course, in the course of the altercation, I kept repeating my point like the clichéd broken record and the choicest wit came to me 15 minutes too late. Not that it was needed here, given the fact that the combined intelligence of the couple was less than the shredded rubber mulch underfoot, but it would have provided much needed smirk-laden satisfaction to me. Because, sometimes, just making your point is not enough!

Hello, carnation

What do you do when you come home from work, on a day when the sun is behind clouds and it has just rained and little droplets cling to blades of grass and pose prettily on the flowers and the light is all soft and gray and mellow and twilight is just beginning and there is no cooking to be done because its leftovers day and Chip is happily playing in his bath and BigGeek is taking a catnap on the couch? What do you do indeed? Thank the powers-that-be for a golden opportunity and then sneak out barefooted with your camera.

Spinach and Dill

Squash blossom

Carnations in our front yard

Carnations on my bookshelf

Parenting from a child's perspective

When Chip was around 2, we started to play a game. Role reversal. He would be Aie and I would be Chip. I would whine and ask silly questions and make demands and he would, well, imitate my reponses. What started as a way to pass time on long car rides and hot summer afternoons, soon turned to be much more than a game. It became a tool of insight for my parenting skills. Through his accurate portrayal of Aie on all occasions – everyday demands for candy and juice and other junk food, excuses for not going to a certain place/doing certain things, explanation for beyond-his-age questions, it all became an appraisal of sorts. How was I doing as a mother? We played the game every week and Chip’s imitation stayed true to my parenting in that week. Harried weeks were more of a “do-as-I say” while the relaxed ones were full of explanations and consolations.

This little game of role reversal came to my mind when I read this book recently. Called “Out of the mouth of babes” it is written by Dyan Eybergen – a pediatric psych nurse, a therapist and a parent educator and a mother to three sons. In one of the chapters, she advocates playing a role-reversal game to gain insight. I was thrilled to see it.

Chip is a spirited child, and sometimes he challenges me to rise above my comfort level and seek solutions that will work for me and for him. This book offers an approach that is tailored to each child’s unique personality. It shows us how to understand our children. There are no formulas here in this book – because there really can’t be any formulas for raising children. It puts us in our children’s shoes and shows us the world from their side. Through anecdotes of 3 and 4 years olds while their parents tried to get them to sleep in their own beds, to fussy eating habits to toilet training to sibling rivalry and discipline it reminds us of how perceptive and sensitive these little boys and girls can be.

The book was a pleasant surprise. If you believe in attachment parenting like I do and are wondering how exactly to fit those values with your toddlers and pre-schoolers, this book will be valuable. My only problem with the book was that it was too short (124 pages). There is enough material in this book for a 100 more pages easily. I do hope Eybergen continues to write more and give us her insights into parenting. Parenting can feel like such a daunting task at times, books like these help in keeping those worries at bay.

A little corner Zen

Before

After

How to bake an icecream cake

Did I get you? Now, did I? Did I? Ha! You can’t bake an ice-cream cake (and please refrain from pointing me in the direction of Baked Alaskas, I am trying to make a joke here). So, yeah. You can’t bake an ice-cream cake. You can only make one. Geddit? Geddit? No laughs? None at all? Dang. Entonces, creo que, tus estan muy inteligente por este blog. And before someone shouts foul, hey, we live in the Americas. We don’t do ‘estais’.
Making an ice-cream cake es muy facil. Anyone can do it. Let’s make a..umm…let’see. How about a chocolate-french vanilla-strawberry triple layer cake with oreo and fudge?
For the hardware, you will need
1 spatula, preferable silicone
1-2 large and deep vessels. Like cake tins.
1 hair dryer
Zip-top bag
Rolling pin
Plenty of room in your freezer
Icing comb or a painters plastic spatula (you can buy in hardware stores)
Offset spatula – this will make your life easier. You can always use a butter knife instead.
Medium star-tip for decorating
Icing bag or zip-top bag
Lazy susan – again, not needed, but you will be glad you have it
A plate/platter/fancy board to turn the cake onto. Make sure it goes into your freezer.
I used 2 9” round regular cake pans. Select pans with straight edges for a professional -out-of-a-fancy-cookbook-look. Wilton brand professional aluminum pans are not expensive and are good quality. Make sure the pans/other vessels you choose to make the cake fit into your freezer. You don’t want to assemble the cake, only to find you have to eat it right now, all by yourself, before it melts, with nothing but small dessert spoons. No, m’am. That’s not fun.

Now for the ingredients
12-15 chocolate cookies like oreos
2 tbsp melted butter
1 jar off-the-shelf chocolate fudge sauce
1 ½ cups mini marshmallows
Sweetened flaked coconut
1 pint each of strawberry, vanilla and chocolate ice-cream – get full-fat version
Don’t try to be healthy here. This is not the time. If you choose the low-fat or fat-free versions, you are going to get bits of ice in your ice-cream cake. They are very annoying. And can have disastrous effects. Say, you eat a low-fat version of the ice-cream cake, get annoyed by the ice-crystals and in that state sit in your car and back out of your drive way only to hit the neighbor’s car. That’s far unhealthier than eating a slice of a full-fat ice-cream cake, verdad?
5 cups whipped icing – you can buy an instant powder by Wilton’s or making your own is easy. A pint of Whipping/Heavy cream,1-2 egg whites or meringue powder and a bit of confectioner’s sugar. Whip until stiff peaks form. I bought Wilton’s because it’s egg-free knowing Chip’s allergies.
Gel food color of your choice – I made a lovely pale blue by combining royal blue and moss green.

How-tos
Set the ice-cream on the counter to soften a bit. For how long? Well.. that depends on your geographical location. Tropical climates 2-3 minutes, subtropical – 3-4 minutes.. you get the drift. You should not be left with a puddle, obviously, but the ice cream should be soft enough to spread.

While the ice-cream softens, put the Oreos in a zip-top bag, add the melted butter and crush with a rolling pin until they resemble crumbs. Pat down those crumbs firmly into the base of cake tin #1. Add a layer of softened vanilla ice-cream. Cover with a layer of marshmallows. Heat the jar of fudge sauce in a microwave until soft. Scoop the fudge sauce and spread it over the marshmallows. Add a layer of strawberry ice-cream. In the second cake tin, add strawberry icecream at the bottom, layer with fudge sauce and then a layer of coconut and a layer of chocolate ice-cream. Pat down very firmly. If you have parchment paper, you can use that to level the top edges. Cover and freeze for at least 8 hours. Make sure your freezer is set at its coldest setting.

The next day, armed with your hair-free hair dryer set to warm; blow air on the sides and the bottom of the cake pans. The ice cream will soften. Turn the cake onto a plate and turn it right side up on your serving platter. Repease with cake tin #2. Make sure the layers align properly. Freeze again for 8 hours.

To decorate
Make the whipped icing and ice the cake. Work fast because the ice cream will melt. You may have to keep it in the freezer a few times before you can ice it fully. The turntable, the painters spatula will make your life easier. If your ice-cream cake is all chocolate, I will suggest to cover it with a coating of vanilla ice-cream before you frost the cake. Freeze the frosted cake for a couple of hours before you enjoy. Here is a picture of the ice-cream cake I made for Chip’s birthday.

How to turn 4

Very, very fast. Before you can say blimpety-blimp. On the 14th, Chip turned four. And on the 15th, I turned… ummmm 26. Yeah. Chip had been planning his birthday party like a bride plans her wedding. Cake. Snacks. Juice. Goodie bags. For two parties.

Everything was planned in minute details and was checked upon and double checked to make sure that bumbling Aie got it right. For his school party, he had planned a Wall-E cake, popcorn - the bagged ones. NOT the ones you make in a microwave. And pretzels shaped like airplanes. Brand battles were fought with his old Aie. Many a gray cells were employed in making a decision over V-8 and “lemolade”. Aie was unsure how many kids would actually drink V-8, so after she agreed to buy V-8 for Chip’s consumption, “lemolade” passed muster.

Goody bags were selected based on a careful study of current goody-bag trends in under-4 age category. A close eye was kept on the Aie, in case she tried to hoodwink the birthday boy by placing Hershey’s kisses instead of Starbursts in them. Much debate was had on the advantages of choosing silly glasses over noise makers. Many a night kept him awake over play-doh should be included at all or whether coloring books and water colors would be the way to go. Bubble bottles which his mother thought every 4-yr old would enjoy were looked at with utter skepticism but were finally approved. Much to his mother’s relief. Demands for a Wall-E cake did not stop at just the theme. He wanted to make sure that the bakery made cake with “special eggs that he was not allergic to, but everyone else was.” How would such a cake be enjoyed by everyone was a moot question.

When I went to tell his teachers a week before the hallowed event, she told me she knew. That’s what His Chipness had been telling everyone for the past month. There was nothing else on his mind.

When Party time arrived at school, BigGeek and I went in with cake and snacks. Earlier in the morning, Chip had helped me load the plates and cups and snacks and drinks in the car. He is totally helpful that way. Every time we go grocery shopping, he helps load the bags in the car and helps them unload. And its not just token one or two bags. He carries a good amount of bags – the heavy ones too. He is a son that would make his Aie and Baba proud. (anti-JINX). Ofcourse his Aie enables him by complimenting on how “big and strong” he is and how she is totally incapable of managing such heavy bags by herself.

But, back to the party. Chip handed out the plates and cups – asking in a very loud voice if everyone got one and generally running underfoot until his teacher had to order him to sit down and eat. He was too excited to eat. Even his favorite food. The cake was cut and while many kids in his class asked for seconds, Chip did not touch a crumb. Then he spun into high gear giving goody bags to everyone (and also one for himself).

On the way home, I tried to explain what goody bags are for. “They are to say thank you for sharing my special day with me, you know Chip.” But Chip shook his head.

Two days later, he prepared for party, part dos. At the fire station. The menu was decided by me, this time. As were the take away gifts. We got books for all kids and Chip made sure while I was wrapping them that I had not forgotten his friend from school. When this friend arrived at the party, Chip ran to him and said – “Dude, I am so glad you are here.” Talk about being all growed-up! At the party, the kids got to meet firemen, got to know what it is they do and got to climb on firetrucks and turn on the siren. All very exciting. I had made a two-tier ice-cream cake. With a fire engine on top and a fire hydrant and hose. And baked some kachoris. The kids ate watermelon and veggie crisps and chips and drank milk and juice. It was fun and Chipin the end had a meltdown from all the excitement. But he got a ton of totally lovely gifts from his friends. Now I have to find a way for him to sign the thank you notes!

For the love of reading

I remember when I used to trawl the baby stores late at nights when I was pregnant with Chip. Set next to the baby bibs and developmental toys that promised to turn wee babies into geniuses, there were shelves upon shelves of CDs. Baby Mozart, Baby Bach and Baby any-composer-you-can-think-of. I must admit I was tempted to pick one of those CDs, only to be admonished by a little voice inside that said, “Stop! What, are you doing, you utter idiot? Did Bach sit into wee hours of morning to compose music for teensy babies?” Of course he didn’t. The Bach and Mozart (and Pink Floyd and Deep Purple) CDs at home would do just fine, right? And they did. But, I think, what worked more, was that our love of music rubbed off on Chip. Music surrounds us and surrounds Chip too and he has learnt to work the iphone to play the songs he likes and on many idle Saturday afternoons, he lies on the sofa in the gentle sun and hums his favorites.

I have often wondered of music-less parents who invest their dollars in buying baby music. Do they end up with music loving children? Unless the children listen and learn to appreciate good music not just into their toddler years but way, I mean way beyond, I don’t think music listened to as babies would help much.

What does this have to do with reading, you ask? Well, plenty.

In the United States at least, there is a cultish drive to get kids to read. As early as possible. In baby hood, if you can. A child who does not read in Kindergarten is well, someone who will grow up shunning books. Four years of parenting and I laugh at this. As a child, I learnt to read late. Sure, I could read words and simple sentences by the time I was five or six, but I did not read independently until I was eight. I remember the first book I read. It was an abridged version of the Three Musketeers. The story was intriguing, as was D’Artgnan’s yellow horse and Lady DeWinter. It was the first time, I remember the power of books – how they could take me to another time and place and I was enchanted. Of course, I was only eight and could not articulate my feelings then, but yes, it was totally what I did not expect a bunch of words to do to me. It was a slow start and I don’t think I became a voracious reader until I was eleven or twelve. By then, there was no looking back. I devoured books. I would want to come home from school, just because I could read in peace.

When I look at what the experts tell me – you know read to your child every night and all that, I take it with a grain of salt. My parents never read to me or my brother. They helped us read when we were older – I would go ask my father for meanings of words or to explain a paragraph, but that was that. We were pretty much left to read alone. We would discuss books and many a battle followed between my father, my brother and me (my mother would keep out of these fiery debates) and many a tear were shed (by me of course) over the debates.
Books were fun, reading was fun. My father took us to the annual book exhibitions in our little town. He would buy books for himself and us. We had memberships to the library and we would bring and read books from there. We were surrounded by books. We were intrigued by my father’s and uncle’s bookshelves. On boring summer days, when it was too hot to play outside, I would look at our book shelf and find an old tattered book and begin browse through it, only to find when I looked out the window the sun had set and that I had finished reading it in one sitting. My father, I think inculcated a deep love of reading in us without ever reading a single book to us.

So, when I see parents read to their young children with a missionary fervor, every night, I want to ask, do you do it as a chore? Something that “needs” to be done for your child’s development – whatever that might mean. Do you “run though” the books not taking time to talk about it with your child? Do you know if your child comprehends the story? Such reading is futile, I think.

Reading is more than decoding words, you know. It’s about nuances of words and their meaning. It’s about predicting how the sentence might end and then be pleasantly surprised when the author chooses to end it differently. It’s about learning how to guess a meaning of the word from the sentence that wraps it. It’s about cadence. It’s about how some sentences transform meanings of words. It’s about how some words become the soul of a sentence. Reading is much more than stringing words together. Knowing how to string words together will not make you a book lover. Knowing that rest of the stuff will.

I read to Chip, sometimes. Not on a regular basis. Some nights we read half a dozen books and then don’t read for a week. But he is surrounded by books and parents who love to read: albeit different things. Many nights, find, Chip and I reading. He, his own book and me, mine. His with colorful pictures and a sentence or two in big, bold letters on each page, mine covered in small print. Chip reads aloud – no, he can’t really read, but he knows the stories in those books and he tells it aloud to himself while adding detail that is only limited by his imagination. Every once in a while, he peers at my book and asks me what it is about. I tell him. He looks eagerly at the pages that lack color and pictures and I can see the fascination in his eyes. He spells out a few words and finds the pattern here and there on the page and is satisfied. He returns to his book and me to mine. Side by side. Both, book lovers, in their own way.

Edited: Trawl, not Troll, as pointed out by Sue :)

Joys of Motherhood

This has prolly been around the world several times over and then some and I am finally getting around to doing it. JLT and M4 tagged me to write 5 things I love about being a mom. This post is going to be a good reminder for me. When I am angry with Chip for behaving a certain way or not behaving a certain way, that yes, the joys of motherhood (and not to exclude the BigGeek, joys of parenthood) trump every other joy there is in this world. So here goes.

1. Watching a life evolve.
From finding their “fingers and toes” as babies to their speech to their attitudes - it’s a fantastic journey these little creatures take us on. You marvel at the miracle of the human body. Of what it is capable of doing and how it develops and changes. You are in presence of a miracle.

2. Watching yourself evolve.
On a different plane altogether. From being a confident, assured 20-something to being a not-so-self-assured 30-something. Being a mother (and a parent) is like doing the sarvang-asaan 24-7. No facet of your life remains untouched by your child and you are surprised that you ended up this way than what you thought you would. My child develops and shapes me, perhaps more than what I develop and shape him.

3. Finding joys in the little things.
Like the squirrel that runs up the tree. Or the happiness in finding a really, I mean really, big stick and being allowed to stash it under your bed. Or the little treasure of shells and stones.

4.Chip is the emotional barometer of our family.
It amazes me how early he could tune into my feelings. Ever so often he comes up to me and says “Smile. I hadn’t realized I frown that much. He says “Smile” an awful lot of times. So, in a very literal sense, my child has taught me to smile more.

5. Letting go.
No, this is not a joy, but an important lesson I am being taught every day. The importance of letting go. The importance of treating Chip as a separate person – with his own set of feelings and hopes and fears – very different from mine. Even if he sees me as his extension – you know – he has two eyes, two hands, two feet, one nose and one mother. Of not overwhelming him with my hopes and fears and aspirations. To allow him to be himself.

This has been doing the grand tour of the blogworld (mommy blog world at any rate). So, if you haven’t done this already, now’s your chance!

Spring Fling

In the Kingdom of DotThoughts, spring is a busy time. Since we are all nature lovers and avid gardeners, spring is a time of nail-biting anxiety and backbreaking work. Like whether you should have really dug and stored those gladioli bulbs last fall or did you plant the hardy variety? Or why the rose bush suddenly decided to only grow leaves on one branch out of its many? Or if the vegetable seeds you planted are taking well. Time to start your compost bin. Set the seedlings out now or wait until Mother’s day? Divide the helianthus and the columbine. Plant the lettuce. And then the spinach. And oh that Shasta daisy is getting too big for its spot. Did you plant the dill that BigGeek so loves? You did, but in the same spot as the spinach. Uh-oh. Move the coneflowers to the front bed where they will get some attention (and you some appreciation). Should you cross over to the dark side and use miracle-grow to fertilize? Those daylilies look odd there. Plant the annuals here. Petunias or Johnny-jump-ups? Scold the newly sprouted curry-leaf plant for giving me a bad scare by shedding all its leaves just before spring without telling me its plans. Pray the squirrels don’t get the strawberries again. (And then make plans to sprinkle hot pepper over the plants if prayers don’t work). Try growing lavender again? For the third bleddy time? Mulch, mulch mulch. Get bags of soil. Trim twigs, mow lawn. Plant the elderberry bush that gnd gave.

You see, with a growing season as short as it is here, you only get one shot to grow. The Spring. You miss and you have to wait one whole year. Every Monday for the past month, I have hobbled to work. A sprained back. A pulled muscle. Chipped nails. Aching legs. Sore arms. Exhausted, but content. There is something very satisfying about pottering about in the garden. The first days of spring, as the soil thaws and I venture out into the garden, I leave my gardening gloves behind. I yearn to plunge my hand into the soil that has not yet forgotten the winter. To sow those miraculous seeds of lettuce and perhaps spinach or radishes and watch life return to soil that not a few weeks ago was blanketed in snow. Every year, every single year, I am awestruck. By how that small seed will grow and yield. But how a mass of twigs will sprout a leaf, then two and before you know it a dainty white flower that will turn into a delicious strawberry. Year after year, unfailingly.

Someone once said, when you dig in the garden, you bury your troubles. Whenever I wring my hands here and there and fret over this and that, BigGeek quietly comes over and says “Think about your garden.” And suddenly those anxious thoughts turn to the lilac bush that has blossomed with flowers so fragrant that their perfume catches you with a delightful surprise every time you walk by. Or those tulips with a pink so subtle that you wonder if it is blushing because you have been staring at it agape. And the columbine and the clematis, who, having roused from their deep hibernation are growing so vigorously and with such gusto that you can’t but smile endearingly and compare their enthusiasm to Chip’s.

This is what I am growing this year. In my salad box - Three varieties of lettuce, Spinach, dill. Eggplants, okra, melons, pumpkins and squash from seedlings I grew from seed. And of course I have planted seeds for cucumbers and would have planted seeds for yard long bean except it fell into the lawn. What remain are tomatoes.

And out in the front. The tulips are almost done. Daffodils long gone. As is the rhododendron that I have styled in a faux-japanese way. Lilac is blooming and so is the creeping phlox. The clematis has put out lovely white flowers and the columbine is following suit. The three carnations are setting out buds as are the bearded irises and the Asiatic lilies and the salvia. The rose is silent. I think I have offended it in some way. The hydrangea seems to be a bit unhappy too. Although I don’t know what it wants? The alliums I pulled out last season, refused to leave and have sprouted yet again. The daylilies and the helianthus and the coneflower still think it’s a bit cold and are just twiddling their thumbs. The coreopsis is just showing its head under the wilting grape hyacinths who set a spectacular bloom earlier this season. And of course the azaleas have bloomed and are wishing a happy mother’s day already. Happy Mother’s day, to all the moms. What blooms in your garden?

Where was I?

Long time no see. Now en Espanol. Hace tiempo, no ver. One of these days I am going to write a post en Espanol. As soon as I go beyond speaking only in the present. So, I have been drowned in work, invaded by Spanish preterits, overrun by some bathroom remodeling, utterly subjugated by spring cleaning and have been running helter skelter trying to get those pesky seeds started for my vegetable garden. Now, where were you? BigGeek has earned mucho brownie points by making a DIY growing light for me. To grow tiny seedlings. Squash, eggplants, pumpkins, melons and okra. (Have you tried googling “DIY grow lights”? You should. I was amused at the search results.) I, since then have dropped the grow light on a pumpkin seedling crushing its tiny stem. In my panic, I also administered some homeopathy to the plant for the trauma. Cross your fingers. I am crossing mine. I should click a picture of my seedlings. But getting the camera, the usb dongle, the computer and five minutes all together is proving to be a muy indomitable task. Hope spring eternal.

Yesterday, Chip was looking at our wedding album and we had this conversation:

Chip: Where am I?
Aie: Huh?
Chip: Why am I not there in these pictures?
Aie: You were not there.
Chip (perplexed, puzzled): I was not there when you and Baba got married? Where was I?
Aie: You weren’t born then.
Chip: Oh! I was in your tummy then.
Aie : No, no, you were not in my tummy.
Chip: Then, where was I?

So, tell me, gentle readers? Where was Chip?

Feliz Cumpleanos, BigGeek

So, BigGeek turned, err, ok, I am not telling how many years. Let’s just say it was his birthday yesterday (happy budday, love and now en espanol, feliz cumpleanos, querido). The thing with BigGeek and birthdays is this. Two words. Low maintenance. The poor man will ask for something nice to eat and want to spend time in company of family and a few friends. It is a fairly easy birthday (or not) wish to grant. Throw in a gadget or two and the man is in budday heaven.

Which is how the day started. By receiving customary phone calls. And Chip singing Happy budday in a cute, ear splitting voice – an oxymoron only your own child is capable of executing with aplomb. Chip had also made, with not so gentle nudging from his Aie a card for his Baba. He is not big on drawing – he has inherited my genes in that regard - the only things he draws are things that look like people. But they are encoded. In squiggles and strokes and furious scratches that only a mother’s love and father’s adoration can decipher. So the card was basically, an Easter bunny cut from a catalog, stuck with blue glitter glue – for who would not like a little sparkle in their life? Inside, I drew a line for Chip to write the words Baba, but the pressure it generated for Chip was a bit much. In the end, after much hemming and hawing, he made me hold his hand and write the letters. Then he scribbled a picture of Baba with a wide grin and some hair, cut it out and pasted that alongside the lettering (for what if Baba can’t read?) with some more glittery glue.

Chip was so happy with the result, he was jealous. Of his own self for making such a fab card for baba. So from the bits and pieces of scrap left over, he fashioned another birthday card from himself, with huge globs of blue glitter glue. And made a train ticket for him to ride the train at the mall while he was at it too.

This year, BigGeek wanted pooran-polis for his birthday. Which is what he got (and het also got to grind the pooran in my very buggy Anjali food mill.) Unlimited quantities of pooran poli. And sabudana khichadi. No cake. (Chip asked BigGeek several times in the course of the day if he would like some cake, made with “special” eggs that doesn't cause an allergy.)

The gift I ordered for BigGeek did not arrive because they sent an email saying it was backordered. A fancy telescope with a motorized drive that will allow him to take pictures of nebulae and the moon and stars. And, in his own words, other “heavenly bodies”.

But that was not all. What a birthday without a little excitement? While we were talking with the ILs (mine, not his) over sykpe yesterday afternoon, Chip, who was pottering nearby, came in and told me he had a bead up his nose. I peered inside his snotty nostril and true enough a bright pink plastic bead lay wedged. I panicked. BigGeek did not. He is the man that does not panic. He has nerves of steel. He is the rock of Gibraltar. A man with derring-do. And lots of it. While I was blurting out words like “drive” and “E.R.” and “now” with as much coherence and syntactic accuracy as a pet goldfish, BigGeek leaped in the bathroom and came out flashing a tweezer. As I held Chip down, he very carefully, inserted the tweezer up Chip’s nose and extricated the bead. I don’t think I know anybody who was extricated a bead from their kid’s nose while their parent’s looked on the other side of the world in a different time zone on skpe, on their birthday? Do you? See? Told you BigGeek was one of a kind.

Anatomy of a delightful blunder

From: Dottie
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2009 3:59 PM
To: BigGeek
Subject: Re: Weekend in Feb

Can’t find deals for Feb long weekend. All ridiculously expensive. Tried Miami and Ft.Lauderdale both. Maybe March?

From: BigGeek
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2009 4:02 PM
To: Dottie
Subject: Re: Weekend in Feb

Let’s go to Orlando, instead

From: Dottie
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2009 4:03 PM
To: BigGeek
Subject: RE: Weekend in Feb

Nooooooooooooooo. It will be warmer in Miami. And we have been to Orlando once. I want to see Alligators and the Everglades. And the Keys. Don’t you?

From: BigGeek
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2009 2:05 PM
To: Dottie
Subject: RE: Weekend in Feb

Not really, but OK. Let me see if I can find some deals.

From: Dottie
Sent: Monday, January 26, 2009 1:05 PM
To: BigGeek
Subject: RE: Weekend in Feb

Well.. any luck? It’s too late to book tickets I think.

From: Dottie
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 10:13 AM
To: BigGeek
Subject: RE: Weekend in Feb

Sigh. Let’s go in March. Days will be longer. And we will get better deals. Looked again on Expedia, Kayak, you name it. Nothing.

From: BigGeek
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 10:20 AM
To: Dottie
Subject: RE: Weekend in Feb

No, no. I want to go in Feb. Let me find something.

From: BigGeek
Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2009 2:00 PM
To: Dottie
Subject: Vayama

Gives me this for the Feb long weekend – not too bad… what do you think?
Fare Summary »
2 Adult 1 Child $qwert.yu USD
Taxes and Fees $224.85
Trip Insurance $32.85
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total $XYZ USD

From: Dottie
Sent: Wednesday Thursday, January 28, 2009 2:10 PM
To: BigGeek
Subject: RE: Vayama

Go for it.

From: BigGeek
Sent: Wednesday Thursday, January 28, 2009 2:23 PM
To: Dottie
Subject: I am a moron

Shall I throw a tantrum? :(

From: Dottie
Sent: Wednesday Thursday, January 28, 2009 2:24 PM
To: BigGeek
Subject: Re: I am a moron

What happened?????????

From: BigGeek
Sent: Wednesday Thursday, January 28, 2009 2:25 PM
To: Dottie
Subject: Re: I am a moron

Boohoo boohoo
I am such a fool. I am so sad.

From: Dottie
Sent: Wednesday Thursday, January 28, 2009 2:34 PM
To: BigGeek
Subject: Re: I am a moron

Aie-ga! We booked for March instead of Feb. What do we do now?

From: BigGeek
Sent: Wednesday Thursday, January 28, 2009 2:35 PM
To: Dottie
Subject: Re: I am a moron

I check it ten times. Everytime. I will email them and see..

From: Dottie
Sent: Wednesday Thursday, January 28, 2009 2:37 PM
To: BigGeek
Subject: Re: I am a moron

Awww.. there there. It happens. You know why this happened? Because Feb and Mrch have same dates on same days.

From: BigGeek
Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2009 2:39 PM
To: Dottie
Subject: Re: I am a moron

That’s no excuse though. It shows you all the days and options, and asks for confirmation :( boohoohoohoooo.. I have sent them an email, Let see what they say. I feel so terrible. :(

From: Dottie
Sent: Wednesday Thursday, January 28, 2009 2:50 PM
To: BigGeek
Subject: Re: I am a moron

Look into Vayama’s FAQ.. they charge $100 for change/cancellation per person + whatever fees the airline charge. Not worth it. Might as well enjoy the mistake :)

From: BigGeek
Sent: Wednesday Thursday, January 28, 2009 2:42 PM
To: Dottie
Subject: Re: I am a moron

I suppose. I am surprised that they are still as expensive in March. I guess I am more troubled by the fact that I made a mistake than I am by the mistake itself. I have been on hold for 12 minutes. They get 2 more minutes else it is what it is.
Why don’t you put in a cheap offer on priceline for a _good_ hotel and see what you get?

From: BigGeek
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 2:55 PM
To: Dottie
Subject: Re: Miami Hotels

Ok. Put in 4 or higher stars please. Or try 5 stars first.

From: Dottie
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 3:55 PM
To: BigGeek
Subject: Re: Miami Hotels

Did you get the hotel conformation email? Did you see it? I made a terrible mistake :( I booked for Feb 14-16 :( And..

Remember, your Priceline hotel reservation is non-refundable, non-transferable and non-changeable. If you have any questions or require further assistance, please visit our Customer Service area. You may also contact our Customer Service Department toll-free at 1-800-657-9168. Please have your priceline Request Number (xxx-xxx-xxx-xx) and the phone number you used when you placed your request (yyy-yyy-yyyy) ready when you call.
Dang dang dang. Calling them…

From: Dottie
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 4:07 PM
To: BigGeek
Subject: Re: Miami Hotels

Can’t get a human.

We are not eating out for 6-8 weeks until we save the $300.

From: BigGeek
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 4:09 PM
To: Dottie
Subject: Re: Miami Hotels

And I am not getting any birthday gifts. For you either. Don’t be ashamed. Shit happens. Now is the time to bite it and bear it.

From: Dottie
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 4:10 PM
To: BigGeek
Subject: Re: Miami Hotels

Ofcourse no budday gift for me. And no anniv gift for me either. You will still get a nice budday gift.

From: BigGeek
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 4:12 PM
To: Dottie
Subject: Re: Miami Hotels

No. we are in it together. For better or for worse. Remember?

From: Dottie
Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 4:10 PM
To: BigGeek
Subject: Re: Miami Hotels

Forgot to ask you.. Did you tell Chip about the hotel thing? Because when we were driving home on Friday evening, he asked me which retsuarant we were going out to and I told him we were eating dinner at home. He asked me “Because you wasted that money on that hotel?” How the heck does HE know? Did you mention it to him?

From: BigGeek
Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 4:10 PM
To: Dottie
Subject: Re: Miami Hotels

Ofcourse not. I did not tell him. He must have overheard us. But did we talk about it? Maybe a couple of sentences…I don’t remember talking about it in front of him..

From: BigGeek
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 1:00 PM
To: Dottie
Subject: Re: Miami Hotels

Let’s go to Miami this weekend. We have a hotel reservation anyways.

From: Dottie
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 1:10 PM
To: BigGeek
Subject: Re: Miami Hotels

Are you mad?? They will be crazy expensive. It’s valentines + long weekend.

From: Dottie
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 10:10 AM
To: Friend
Subject: Re: Din-din tomorrow?

No can do:( we are going to Miami :)

From: Friend
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 10:30 AM
To: Dottie
Subject: Re: Din-din tomorrow?

I thought you were going in March? You cancelled that?

From: Dottie
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 10:10 AM
To: Friend
Subject: Re: Din-din tomorrow?

No.. we are going this weekend and again in March. Long story. Tell you when we meet.

Dung, Holi and Nostalgia

It’s probably too late in the day to be asking this, but how do you celebrate Holi when its 40F outside? I have been feeling rather nostalgic since this morning. I have been hearing about my family and friends’ Holi plans for a better part of today, and I am missing it all.

I grew up in a village. Ok, I am being less than charitable. I grew up in a small town. Holi meant collecting firewood, pieces of old furniture (a rarity in those times because people never threw anything away) and dung-cakes that could be obtained from a small dairy of only a few buffaloes. It sat right next to the flour mill, which was right behind the ration shop. We would ride our bikes or walk to the dairy; which come to think of it, was just a little more than a backyard cow-shed. We would approach the cow-shed cautiously, knowing we would not be indulged. We would be ignored for several minutes until someone would come out and ask what we wanted. Dung-cakes, we would say. In a small voice. I am sure, ours was not the first demand for dung-cakes that season. Kids from several neighboring “colonies” would come asking for the same thing. Free dung-cakes were a much sought-after prize.

We would be ignored again. We would ask again. Plead, maybe. Such is the spirit when one is young. Earlier, when the dairy was new, they would give dung cakes without much fuss. As the years passed and the dairy slowly grew its feet, dung cakes became harder to come by. In the end, we stopped going there to ask. Perhaps it was we had grown older and lost our spirit. Perhaps an awkwardness of early adulthood had set in and we could no longer bring ourselves to ask shamelessly and be a nuisance. Or perhaps the dairy-owners would not part ways with dung cakes that could fetch money. Or perhaps, it was the year they told us to take fresh manure instead of dried cakes. I don’t quite remember.

But while the dung cakes could be obtained for free, we got them. Depending on our timing and our diplomatic negotiations, we could procure anywhere from 2 to 5-6 dung cakes. As soon as the prize was brought to the holi-site, other kids would leap in excitement.

I don’t know why this Holi brought these memories in sharp focus. I have been living here for almost a decade and Holi was just another festival that was let slide. Chip is growing older and I wonder what kinds of memories he is forming. He is so removed from the festivals and two parents, no matter how enthusiastic cannot be a substitute for culture and its mores. I have been struggling to convey to him, my experiences of the Holi in a small town in a third world country in the late 80s. He obviously doesn’t get it. He is not even 4 and lives a world away. Literally. To me, Holi is one of the anchor points on which my memory rests. I can still smell the acrid smoke of the fire on cool nights.

Alimentary, dear Watson

Chip is on the throne, answering his nature’s call, when he decides to call his Baba. “Baba” he says loudly. Baba ignores the calls a few times, but finally goes up to see what his spawn wants. “There is blood in my poo-poo.” Chip tells his Baba calmly. “What?? Blood? Where?” Baba peers down the pot, but his spawn has flushed all evidence of body function.
“Did you see blood in your poo-poo, Chip?” asks Baba.
“Umm, no.”
“Then how do you know there was blood in your poo-poo?”
“There was blood in my nose. I was digging it. There was blood in my snot. I ate it. The blood then went to my tummy and then it went to my poo-poo.”
“But you didn’t see it?”
“No. But it must have been there.”

The First Born

Ok. I am doing this. This has been doing rounds on facebook, so I am picking it up and doing it here. And because M4 tagged me too.

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED?
Yup and for a while too.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME?
BigGeek says yes. Ofcourse we were! We are Indians. Are you telling me its possible to have babies without being married?

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS?
Delight. Excitement. Anxiety. Contentment.

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU?
Absolutely not. No matter what the results of the Down’s test said.

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU?
Very old. 29.

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?
Blood test. At the doctor’s office.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?
I got the call at work from my doctor’s office. Called BigGeek right away. And we both were speechless. Called my parents the next morning (they were living in Germany at the time) and told them just as they came out of a museum bookstore. And then called the other set of grandparents.

8. DUE DATE?
May 21, 2005.

9. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?
Just general all-day nausea.

10. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE?
Sweets and read meat. I would look at baby back ribs and hotdogs and salivate. Mind you I am a vegetarian and did not eat the meat despite everyone telling me otherwise. A few months ago, I met a Chinese woman at a wedding and she told me according to Chinese folk lore, if a pregnant woman’s cravings are unmet, the child is born with a birthmark on their backs. Guess where Chip has a birthmark? On this back.

11. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST?
That the in-utero Chip treated my bladder as a 24-7 trampoline. And my commute. It was so long that I had to stop mid way at BigGeek’s office to use the restrooms there. He was the only guy to have a copy of the women’s restroom’s keys. He got teased a LOT for that. If I weren’t pregnant at the time, I would have been sympathetic.

12. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX?
Boy.

13. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?
Not really. I always thought I would be a better mom to a boy than a girl.

14. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY?
About 20 and they stayed a long time with me.

15. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?
Oh, yes! I had two. One was thrown by my friends. I knew about it and it was a girls-only affair. They decorated with flowers everywhere and even made jewellery out of fresh flowers in the proper Maharastrian style. And made all my favorite food. Made me feel so special. The second one was thrown by BigGeek’s aunt in New England. That was a surprise and boy was I speechless. She had invited my uncle and aunt and cousins and friends from New England that I had not met in ages. It was very sweet of her. Just thinking of it makes me break out in a big grin.

16. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?
Look above.

17. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?
Low progesterone. They also detected a mildly elongated QT interval in my heart and was prescribed beta blocker which I did not take.

18. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH?
In a hospital. Where else?

19. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR?
Twelve. Contractions started around 4:00 am in the morning, Chip was out at 4:45 pm in the evening.

20. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL/BIRTH CENTER?
BigGeek. At around 12:30 pm. We were all very chilled. My mom accompanies us, ofcourse.

21. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH?
BigGeek and my mom. The OB-Gyn and two nurses.

22. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION?
Natural.

23. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN?
At the very last moment. The pain wasn’t bad, but I did not know how bad it could get when I started to push. So I said yes to the epidural and promptly napped for an hour.

24. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?
7lb 7oz.

25. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ?
Exactly a week before my due date. On May 14.

26. WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION WHEN THE DOCTOR ANNOUNCED THE SEX OF THE BABY?
Well, for one, the sex of the baby was announced 5 months earlier. By a radiologist or whatever they call those doctors that look at sonograms. And we were thrilled ofcourse.

27. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST REACTION ON SEEING THE BABY?
Relieved that he was not a fish. Throughout my pregnancy I dreamt I was carrying a fish. So it was a great relief to see a bonny human baby.

28. DID YOU CRY?
Naah. The adrenalin had kicked in. I was on a high.

29. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM?
Chip, ofcourse :)

30. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY

120,253,591 Seconds and counting. Ok. He is 3 years 9 months and some days.

The Shadow Of The Wind

Summary
How do you summarize a novel that’s a mystery, a supernatural thriller, a love story, a coming-of-age story all bundled up in 500 pages? Politics, love, books, loss and life all come together in this slightly melodramatic but enthralling debut by Zafon. Set in Barcelona in 1945, just after the Civil war, the book follows the protagonist Daniel; from the day he walks with his father to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and picks the eponymously titled book written by one Julian Carax. We follow Daniel as his life (and others’ too) is forever changed by this choice as he attempts to solve a mystery surrounding the Carax book.

What worked for me
The meta theme. A book about a book, a mystery about the mystery. The power of books, how they shape our lives. I also liked the locale. I have a thing for exotic locales. Its arm chair travel. Here I saw Barcelona so closely that when I drove to work, I thought I just needed to make a turn here and I would reach Calla Ana and sit at a café and order coffee and sponge fingers. I am also learning Spanish these days, so a novel set in Spain was bit of a thrill. The era also worked for me. Early to mid-century. The quaint customs, the strange ways. The book is rich. Like a tapestry. Plots and characters weave in and out, all giving their (flawed) versions of a story, or rather the mystery that forms the backbone of the narrative.

It’s verbose, yes and every minor character is painted in detail and I found asking myself why I was not bored by it. Perhaps it’s the tight rein that Zafon holds, never letting the words fall completely overboard (this is exactly what I thought after reading Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss, she has a tight rein there too). Why did I feel invested in these characters so much that it mattered to me which church the governess of a character attended. Perhaps it’s the language - the book is originally in Spanish and is translated by Lucia Graves, who I must say has done a terrific job of translating the lyrical, almost epic language of the book. Or perhaps it was the mystery itself and I looked for clues in the most unexpected places, asking myself, will this matter how the mystery is solved? Will the mystery be even solved?

The book is a wild roller coaster ride that will give you butterflies in your stomach, that will take you on hairpin curves and to great heights only to drop you and turn you upside down until you scream – in delight or in terror (or both) – finally coming to a stop. All the while hoping and praying the end is not disappointing. When a book takes you on a ride like this, the only thing you fear is being disappointed in the end. But the book ends on an agreeable note. And it comes to a full circle and you all know how I fall for things like that.

What did not work for me
The mystery is not the best mystery in the world. I solved most of it. What also did not quite work for me were the supernatural horror elements in the book. They add to the atmosphere, yes, but they kept me awake a whole night. I don’t like horror. I don’t like to be scared (and yes, I scare easy).

Hot or drop
Totally hot. This is Hitchcock on steroids. It’s an unputdownable book. Don’t miss this one. Also, a question -if you were to pick a book that would change your life in a literal, day-to-day events way, which one would it be?

Batter Debugged (Well.. almost)

Thank you all for your awesome tips. I finally got around to making idlis this past weekend. 1 cup urad dal, 4 cups idli rava. Soaked. Ground urad dal until it fell in folds. Ground the soaked idli rava a bit too. Fermented in a warm oven overnight and then some. Also kept the light on in the oven. BigGeek was my secret helper. He warmed the oven a tad bit every few hours. This puzzled me a lot. Because I was impressed that a small light bulb could generate so much warmth. It wasn't the light bulb. It was BigGeek's love. Or his fear of eating rock-hard idlis.

The idlis turned out to be soft and fluffy and BigGeek was mighty impressed. "These are the softest idlis you have ever made" he declraed at brunch. I glowed!

Andiamo, Everglades and Las Culebrinas

If you ever happen to travel to the Miami-Dade county with young children, Andiamo is the place to eat pizza. The minute we landed in Miami, we realized we had forgotten Chip’s carseat at home. Which meant a quick trip to Target to buy one, install the said seat and strap Chip in it. Securely. We checked into the hotel and the exhausted trip promptly fell asleep on the soft perfectly-made beds.

We woke up as the sunlight faded. “What do you want to eat?” asked BigGeek. Pizza, I said. It was safest given Chip’s crankiness with the steroids he had been taking for his asthma. I could not believed we travelled for 5 hours to eat pizza. But BigGeek said he would find the best pizza place ever. And he did. He browsed and hunted down reviews and drove us to a great place called Andiamo. Fabulous outdoor seating. Coming from 20-degree weather, we were thrilled to sit in perfect 75-degrees, gentle breeze, in the glow of warm tiki lights, surrounded by trees with leaves on them and children. Yes! Lotsa kids, lotsa of noise. It was perfect. We devoured the pizza – which is almost as good as a New York slice (no, it really was awesome pizza) .

The next morning was our Everglades day. The BIG swamp. By the time we woke up, gave Chip his nebulizer, showered and ate (a very expensive) breakfast at the hotel, it was almost noon. We drove along the Tamiami highway to the Everglades. A good 1 hour drive. Chip napped a lil, fussed a lil, threw a tantrum or two and declared he did not like his parents at all. (But he later made it up in the evening when he said, I don’t want beaches, I don’t Miami, I don’t want Dolphins, I only want my Aie and Baba)

When we reached Everglades National Park, the sign at the entrance said “Parking lot full.” Are you kidding me? I thought. BigGeek had wanted to go to Orlando but I had insisted on Miami because I wanted to see Everglades. “It’s a fascinating eco-system” I had told BigGeek. We HAVE to see it.” BigGeek had relented, although he did have his reservations about the “swamp”. This is it, I thought. We flew all this way, then drove all this way, only to see a Parking lot full sign? There has to be justice in this world. We decided to go in anyway. We drove a few yards and reached the ranger’s post. There were three cars in front of us. Each of them talked to the ranger for some time and turned about. It did not look good. We pulled up. BigGeek rolled down the window. “You know what?” said the ranger “I have one parking spot that just became available.” Yipee-yay! We paid and sped inside and parked. Chip was napping, BigGeek ran to the ticket window and got us tickets for the guided trip for 3:00 pm. We then took turns with the camera and babysitting.

The ranger on the everglades tour was an annoying New Yorker. She talked too much and in the heat and the unchanging prairie landscape, we dozed. The Everglades IS a swamp. Apart from a few egrets and herons and the alligators, and miles and miles of sawgrass, there really isn’t much. If you are in Miami, it’s worth a trip. Definitely not worth spending airfare just to see it. Or perhaps we have been spoilt by the Alaskan wilderness. After being rather unimpressed with the everglades, we drove back.

“We are in the heart of Spanish-country. We have to eat some authentic Cuban food.” I declared. “What will you eat? It’s hard to find vegetarian stuff.” Said BigGeek. “Oh, I’ll find something. Yucca fries? Salads?” “I want to eat dolphins” said Chip, who refused to listen that dolphins were not food. BigGeek hunted again and found us this place Las Culebrinas. We drove up and a valet opened the car door (What this with Miami? Why are there valets everywhere? Why does the city discourage people to self-park?). A step into the restaurant and we were transported to another world. The décor, the patrons all seemed to come from another time and place. The hostess led us to our table and handed us over-sized menus. Really. I have never seen 2ft long menus.

There indeed was nothing vegetarian. But there were dolphin steaks and frog legs and alligator bites. A food runner came over and placed the bread basket. “Does this have egg in it?” I asked. He looked at me blankly then said “No hablo Ingles” Holy mother of earth. BigGeek had picked too authentic a restaurant. Looks like nobody spoke English. The menu was mostly in Spanish too. I looked around. The other diners were all Spanish. “Perfect” said BigGeek. “Now you can practice your Spanish.” I gulped. My ears were turning red from the thought of having to speak Spanish in real life situations. With native speakers.

A few minutes later, the waiter came over and started reciting us the specials in rapid fire Spanish. “In English?” I said timidly. “No Espanol?” asked the waiter surprised. Ah. That was it. We looked like a nice latino family. No wonder we did not get curious glances that American patrons got. “Uhhh.. hablo un poco..Estoy apprendiendo espanol” I said. The elderly waiter beamed and said something again rapidly. I was getting super conscious. “Un momento, por favor?” I beseeched. He smiled and said something and left. We discussed the menu. BigGeek and Chip would share a salmon. We would a salad and side of yucca fries. And sangria ofcourse.

Few minutes later, the waiter appeared again and spoke in Spanish. Now, I know enough Spanish to order a meal, to tell the waiter I am a vegetarian and that Chip is allergic to egg. But on that fateful evening, I just could not remember the word for egg. And forgot most of my Spanish too. And ended up ordering chicken fries and rice for Chip, salmon and salad for BigGeek and a salad for me and yucca fries and plaintains. When the food arrived, there wasn’t enough room on the table. BigGeek was surprised to see all that food. Chip was tired and sleepy and just ate some rice, BigGeek finished his salad and most of the salmon. I thought the salad dressing to be too rich and only had a few bites of it. And a few yucca fries with the most yummy cilantro dip ever. The fried plantains were too heavy and remained practically untouched. I had turned into a beetroot. All my hopes of practicing my Spanish had led to utter disaster. We paid the bill, told the waiter the food was delicious and stepped out. It was then I realized I will still in the US. It felt so foreign, the whole experience that for an hour and a half I had forgotten where we were. We had, I think experienced the true Miami.

Day Before Miami

So, one day BigGeek decided to take us all to Miami. Ok, the story is slightly more complicated than that, and shall be narrated in due course, when the time is ripe. So, as it happened, we had tickets and hotel and a car to go to Miami on the 14 of this month. It was a last minute thing and we had no clue what we wanted to do, except of course go and see the biggest swamp or rather, the river of grass - The Everglades. May be sun a bit on the famous South Beach (while trying best not to get the spirits dampened by the supermodels and sculpted bodies) and generally get away from the freezing temperatures here by heading towards the sub-tropical paradise, where the palms swayed gently in the breeze and the blue skies and the azul ocean beckoned. And of course try and practice my Spanish.

If something is too good to be true, it prolly is. So, said a wise man once. Ok, it really was BigGeek, but he is wise, you know. On Thursday, when I went to pick up Chip from the daycare, his teacher told me, he had been wheezing a bit. No problem, I thought. He had a bad cold and the fluctuating temperatures had not done him any good. A whiff or two of the broncho-dilators and he would be good as new. But, no. Thursday night, despite the bronco-dilators, his asthma worsened. I gave him a steady dose of the bronco-dilators every 4 hours, all night, but the wheezing would go down for an hour, only to come back with a vengeance. I have him some anti-histamine, and some homep, but the poor buy could not sleep. He wheezed and gasped and by early morning, his heart was beating rapid-fire. He was hyperventilating. His lungs, unable to oxygenate his blood, was making his heart pump it faster so all the cells in his body got proper oxygen.

When it was morning, I called his doctor and headed there immediately. The doctor said his lungs were quite hard and his blood oxygenation had dropped and he had been hyperventilating. The plane ride would be dangerous for him in this state, said his doctor. Lung collapse could occur because of the low pressure in the cabin. I was worried sick. This sounded a lot more serious than a mild asthma he often gets. The doctor put him on a strong dose of inhaled steroids and bronco-dilators through a nebulizer – right in his office. (Chip who does not use a nebulizer, but uses a metered dose inhaler was wide-eyed at seeing one. “This is just like House”, he exclaimed) 40 minutes later, the doctor checked Chip again. He was looking better. Sounding better. Very little wheezing. But since we were travelling, he also gave Chip of an oral steroid. Just to be safe.

But Chip was in a bad shape. The wheezing came back in 4 hours and another round of bronco-dilators was administered through the nebulizer. Add to that, BigGeek’s sciatica which has been troubling him for a couple of months now, had graduated to numbing feet and then to numbing hands which was definitely not sciatica related. Too much sickness in the air. I did not want to go to Miami. It seemed jinxed, you know. BigGeek scoffed at my superstitions and an exhausted mom, a limping dad and a cranky, asthmatic child boarded the plane next day to see if Miami did them any good.