Please Don't!

Today was kind of a swing day. I woke up feeling great and with plans to go sightseeing but soon fell back to sleep and didnt get up until just before time to go. At work we kind-of got around a corner, but there is a long way to go.

Every day we show up and there is "bottled" water waiting for us. Except I notice that the Indians drink it by pouring it into their mouths and not touching it to their lips. Plus it seems fuller than bottled water should be. Of course this realization made my sore throat way worse as I talked myself into being sick.

So far, though, not a hint of traveller's troubles, though a diet coke did make me feel a little weird.

We have to work out our weekend plans still. Our counterparts all want us to see the Taj Mahal, I'm so-so about the plane ride. I think we will shop and maybe see some sights.

Speaking of which, here's a charming sentiment:

Viva la Banglaru, Baby!

Overpassing

Today I was hanging out at my swank hotel feeling tired and I decided that it was time for a stroll. It was my first time walking around in downtown Bangalore; up to now it's been sleeping and working all hours. I figured it was time for a consititutional. So I got on a pair of shorts, sunglasses and a ballcap. Here we go Bangalaru!
I took a stroll down the main drag. It was fun. I was for sure a subject of curiosity, but you walk with purpose and you're fine. Some people trailed me around a bit. I have to say I was very concious of my belongings and that made me feel a bit weird- gripping my camera strap so tight. The idea was to go find a little cafe and get breakfast, but the farther I got from the hotel, the more it turned into schools and such. Eventually, I looped back.
Now- the streets are crazy busy. So much so that there is a pedestrian walk way over the main drag for dudes like me. I took a walk up and stopped for snaps and blissful privacy.
I have to say after walking maybe 45 mins, my throat was dry as dust. This place is a dusty, and full of carbon monoxide.
The picture above is from the overpass. The place is crazy with little yellow three-wheel taxis. The dudes mob you to take you places - little sight seeing jaunts.
I'm very interested in riding in one. I can tell you the ride to work in a mini-van is daffy; being in one of those most be a riot. Maybe I'll go see parliment; it looked cool on the way in.

Hatfull of Handsome

Yeah!!
Party hat! Like the Good Humor Man!
You asked for it, you got it: this is the hat they gave me upon arrival at McMillan. I will wear it on Republic Day next week.
Excitingly, I realize that I will be here March 1st, which is Holi - the throw stainy stuff holiday. By then I think the project will be smooth enough that I might get to enjoy myself.
Today I slept til 7, woke up and semi-slept until noon. I was up til 3 working the night before. Then it was a quick lunch and into work. Today went better. I'm looking forward to getting out more, though - so far it's been all hotel and work. But really, that's all it could be. We have large tasks.
But now I have this swank hat to wear out. Stay tuned, true believers.

Welcome and Silence

Ok.
So, I'm beat and tired now, but I have to focus on the awesome.

I wake up at 3am and fail to get back to sleep. Bad.

Class starts at 3:00, we plan to show up early to get the classroom squared up.

They show up late, the ride over there is *very* exciting and makes me feel both very alive for having survived so many apparent near-deaths and incredibly serene.

Truth time: on the plane in I saw this Bollywood movie. It was about a nice little town that was fine the way it was, but one guy wanted the town to be more popular so they invite this horrible, drunken money-grubbing famous guy who happened to be born there to come and stay to boost the civic profile.

Madcap hilarity ensues until everyone learns their lesson and the fat guy kisses the midwife that help birth him. Yes.

Anyway, the part that struck me was that the town was all vegetarian and did penance every time the fat guy made them get him omeletes and stuff. He drank a lot too. Now, I'm not going to foreswear booze the whole trip. Hell, I'm having a beer now, but I could use a little authentic Indian redemption experience in this posh posh hotel, so I'm laying off the meat for the near future. Maybe I'll try to make it til March and the new year. No promises, just think it would be better for me.

So: flash back to 12 hours ago, we arrive at the job site finally and the whole place is there to greet us in ceremonial garb. The have decorated the lobby with flower petals and give us the whole moxa, rose water, garland and forehead stain. They also gift us with a hat we can wear on the upcoming national holiday.

In all, it was very touching and pleasant. You can see I made a bungle of the iPhone video. Later in the evening (around 2:30am) when our workday was done, the flower arrangement was stil in the lobby. That's am iphone snap of it above.

Oh, and halfway through class the tea wallah showed up, delivering delicious strong coffee.
Later he came by offering us a snack.
It was a like a thick, spicy porrige served on a plate. It was tasty and hot, but I couldn't really eat it and teach.
For evenening meal we went up to the cafeteria: basically a covered open-air area on the roof of the building. The night air was as delicious as the food they served us.
Class was a different bag of fish. The computers weren't set up and the class basically just stared blankly at me for 8 airs and wouldn't even respond when I asked them basic questions. Even deliberately silly ones like: "Who knows what a pirate is?"
I think its a combination of culture, new job, and the presence of their superior in the class that is making them timid. The only response I got was at how badly I mangled their names.
In any case it was a tough day on the teaching front, but what a welcome.

Skipping Saturday

Here's the breakdown:
Arrived in Logan at 8am
Arrived Chicago at 12 or so
The flight out was delayed until 9pm, so it was a long chill
Being Business class, we had access to the Executive Lounge, which was very comfortable.
Business class seats on the flight over totally ruled. It was like old-school flying, where they offer you magazines and you order from a menu. Lots of legroom. The seats were lazy-boy style, they reclined fully and had very adjustable controls and a built-in remote control for your teevee. The staff waited on you hand and foot, it made it pretty bearable.
The plane also had an external camera that you could watch as well. So you could see us landing and taking off. It was an interesting perspective.
We stopped over for two hours in Frankfurt, but didn't deplane. They just cleaned it (it was freezing when they opened the doors) and got a new crew. Then it was seven more hours in the air to Mumbai.
Because of the delay, we had to do Customs in Mumbai. Our luggage didn't come for a while, making it the most tense part of the trip. They kept announcing how transfers to Bangalore like us ought to hurry up or we would miss our fligfhts. Meanwhile, no baggage. Eventually it came and we got on a bus to the domestic station. By then it was like 5am or some such but the place was still jumping.
We finally worked that all out, but we had missed the 6:15 flight and waited again until the 9:30. Ambitiuos baggage-dudes helped us out and we finally made the quick flight to our final destination.
We were immediately picked up by our drivers and made the 30km ride to the hotel. This took us through the old section of town, which was very lively and dirty. Traffic was amusingly death-defying. It all seemed to work out, with people tooting each other constantly. There were several times when cars were a hairs-breadth from us. Lanes seemed like less than suggestions - more like dotted line decorations in the road. Everyone was very calm about the chaos though. You would see girls in saris riding sidesaddle on the backs of motorcyles zipping in and out of traffic barely bothering to hold on. Whole families crammed onto mopeds.
Then its into the military-style courtyyard of the hotel, complete with bomb-snoopers. The hotel seems fine, and is very western. By then it caught up with me and I crashed hard.
We got up and had dinner, though. I got the buffet and it was fine - very artistic presentation, especially the deserts. So far food has been no problem, a joy even. And the stories of the city smell seem exagerated. Even the old town wasn't much different than places in the Yucatan.
So, so far so good, but I haven't really done much. Work starts tomorry. Hope to get some photos soon, meanwhile, here's a couple videos

Slow Time

This morning I woke up hard and slow.

Everything was ponderous and I felt like my feet weighed a hundred pounds.

After struggling through a shave and shower I was buoyed by the sight of a cool sunrise-lit cloud line over the ocean. It was dramatic, red and independent from the rest of the sky. I fished my memory card out of the reader, plugged it back into the camera and continued dressing.

But everything was still slow and I felt drugged. By the time I was ready to leave the cloudline had been burned apart by the rising sun. I hesitated and wavered my hand over it, but in the end I left the camera bag on the coffee table. The sky was dull and flat now.

Next it's time to get gas. The place was full so I went around the corner and got coffee.

I finally got back to the pump and walked around the car to open the cap. Each step around the car seemed like a chore. Time was running incredibly slowly. I watched the numbers of the gas pump escalate like I was under water. $1.00... $1.10... $1.15. Each number seemed to tick by ridiculously slowly. Birds flew by with wing flaps so exaggerated I was dully surprised they stayed aloft.

Then a disembodied voice said "Stop".

I looked around but there was no one around.

"Stop." said the deep, authoritative voice again.

It was the guy from the store over the speaker. I had shopped there a hundred times but never heard the speaker before. I was somehow surprised it existed. "Stop" he repeated. "Stop the pump for 5 seconds and start again. It will go faster."

I nodded and obeyed. Success! The gas started flowing faster and my brain began to keep pace, pulled into the timescape of the living by a five second pump pause.

With my brain right I saw the good light had slipped around behind the house next door and was illuminating it with dazzling results. I should have taken my camera after all.

Alone & Out of Focus

After Cali, I slept for two days and then went to CT to see the family. The whole team was there and we had a great time. I really hated to go.
Generally, I like living alone. The only times I feel lonely are after I leave from a visit. Then I miss them and feel lonely. As I drove North I was acutely aware that I wouldn't see them again until after India and that I was headed into one of the most isolated stretches of my life. India is going to be an adventure, but it's going to be one where I'm going to be alone in a crowd for two full months.
Work is changing badly too. Today they announced another layoff. By the time I get back from the road, many of my friends will be gone or in different jobs. With my promotion, the things I liked best about my job I do less and less now.
And I've been away so much that things that should seem routine and comfortable, like my office and apartment, are alien. In general: I'm out of sorts and I need to straighten up in a hurry.
The shots above are from the Hartford Science Center. Dark place. I try to use the 1/mm size speed minimum rule. So using a 200mm, I try to shoot at at least 1/200th. This was around 50mm so I shot at 1/50th. I'm open up to f2.8 and 400ISO.
Should be perfect, right?
Problem is, people move. This place is full of activities; things move, jump around, everyone is constantly in motion. 1/50th plus a crazy shallow depth of field and jumping peoples means that I missed a bunch of shots. Look how soft the faces are in the second shot. Curses. In retrospect I go back to high ISO and dealing with the grain. I have to get over it.