New friends
So I woke up this morning (yes, this is a blues) to a single email in my inbox, and if that wasn't bad enough it contained some completely infuriating news -- enough to make me blow a fuse and be unable to function for most of the rest of the day. And I was about to blog about it, all about how close to perfect my miserable little life must be for something so inconsequential in the real sense to blow me so far off course. But then I thought about it and decided maybe I'd just do this tag instead. After all, this might actually be fun.
The rules of the game, to the extent that I've been able to infer, are that one is supposed to list six (or half-a-dozen, we're all friends here) bloggers who (whom?) one hasn't met in the real world but would like to meet despite that. Also list venue for each, and a little bit of friendly neighborhood fantasizing. (Sizing and fantasizing - hah!) Now, many of the blogs I read are written by close friends of mine, with whom I go back many years. Part of the reason I blog is that I miss you guys - I'd love to get together again. Some of the other blogs I read are written by people I got in touch with after getting to know them through their blogs. We may have met once, or twice, but I'm sure we're going to meet again when we find ourselves in the same city (the presence or absence of happy substances notwithstanding.) So what's left is the people I haven't met. Here's a selection from that list.
1. Scout. Well, naturally. Not only does she deserve to get it back, I'm sure a rendezvous with this partyhopping existentialist would be quite a memorable experience. She's said she wants to meet in Hong Kong, and while it's a dashed sight better than where she is, I'm a little jaded from my recent bout of Hong Kong tourmeistering. Scouty deserves nothing less than a day out in New York City, as far as I'm concerned. My first thought was that we should sit at a coffee shop and make stories up about people, but then the coffee shop merged into my old haunt the Hungarian Pastry Shop, and there's only one kind of story you can make up about the people you see over there. Also, no pretty boys. So it would have to be an outdoors coffee shop then - maybe something on Columbus. And contrary to what she thinks, it would be she doing the talking. I bet she talks as good as she writes :-) And me, I'd just play her a Bitches Brew. I get the feeling she needs it.
2. km. This has to be either at my place or at his, and I'm going to stick my neck out and say his, simply because I'm dying to ogle at his music collection, and if that means visiting Joisey, sobeit. (Not being overly rude here, I hope, I mean he's welcome to come ogle at mine as well.) But that's only part of the story, since this guy also maintains the most-eclectic-and-hence-fun-to-visit blog on my circuit. I bet the conversation would be a trip and a half :-)
3. JAP. A Certain Not-Quite-Happy and Experienced-in-Years Representative of the Elite Indian East mentioned to me during our Recent Brief Telephonic Conversation that He Might be Able to Engineer a Meeting on the Morrow, Replete with Kochuris and Gorom Cha. Unfortunately the Call of Duty Emerged to Subvert this Best Laid Plan, and our Gang Had Perforce to Aft Agley. Postpone! Postpone! Was the Call of the Hour. Yet, despite the Meeting's Momentary Lapse of Season, All is Surely Not Lost, as The Man Himself Has Pointed Out. We Could for instance Arrange a Tryst in the City of the Fragrant Harbour. Or we could Try Again in the City of the Diamond Harbour. I for One, am Leaning Towards Codging an Invitation to his Club, for Surely the Oldest Member will be Able to Treat his Humble Guest to the Feast of Reason and the Flow of Soul, Ice on the Side. Wot say?
4. Thalassa Mikra. Where else but Delhi? I'd say take the Metro into Chandni Chowk, so we can spend a day wandering around, and I can finally learn - from her - about the city I grew up in. It wouldn't all be one way streets however (Delhi-ite in joke ha ha ha. Buri nazar waale tera muh kala. Horun plese ok tata. Look under seat, There will be bomb. Raise alarm. Earn reward.) We could visit the fish and chicken wholesale market at Jama Masjid, my first time in over a dozen years. Lunch at the Karim's there. The book bazaar in Daryaganj. Maybe even Purana Qila or the Lal Qila. We know so many people in common, there's a lot to talk about (even before we get to Greeks or ports).
5. Abinandanan and Gaddeswarup. I once knew a little physics and a little math -- Time, exigency, and Microsoft Excel mean that I've forgotten it all now. However, I've always found that it's great fun to talk to scientists. There's a precision to the conversation that one often doesn't get elsewhere. I find these two gentlemen to be particularly interesting since they're scientists who are now interested in social science, in many of the questions that I am interested in, some of which are related to my own research. I find their blogs and their comments on each others' blogs to be perceptive and interesting, and I'm sure it would be great in real life as well. Venue? For some reason I can't get past the the coffee shop at the IISc campus (I know there's more than one; I'm thinking about the one that has this open air seating space outside it - can't remember more right now).
6. heh heh. Any one of his seventeen selves will do. His posts are usually hilarious, his drawings always so. Even his absence from blogging cracks me up. But beneath it all he seems like a sweet guy (and a friend of mine who claims she knows him (which him?) says he is indeed a very sweet guy. So there.) I don't really care where we meet, frankly, because I'm fairly sure we can create a space of our own.
That's more than six so once again I have delivered more than was required. Who says I don't co-operate?
Oh, and Scout? You're tagged again.
The rules of the game, to the extent that I've been able to infer, are that one is supposed to list six (or half-a-dozen, we're all friends here) bloggers who (whom?) one hasn't met in the real world but would like to meet despite that. Also list venue for each, and a little bit of friendly neighborhood fantasizing. (Sizing and fantasizing - hah!) Now, many of the blogs I read are written by close friends of mine, with whom I go back many years. Part of the reason I blog is that I miss you guys - I'd love to get together again. Some of the other blogs I read are written by people I got in touch with after getting to know them through their blogs. We may have met once, or twice, but I'm sure we're going to meet again when we find ourselves in the same city (the presence or absence of happy substances notwithstanding.) So what's left is the people I haven't met. Here's a selection from that list.
1. Scout. Well, naturally. Not only does she deserve to get it back, I'm sure a rendezvous with this partyhopping existentialist would be quite a memorable experience. She's said she wants to meet in Hong Kong, and while it's a dashed sight better than where she is, I'm a little jaded from my recent bout of Hong Kong tourmeistering. Scouty deserves nothing less than a day out in New York City, as far as I'm concerned. My first thought was that we should sit at a coffee shop and make stories up about people, but then the coffee shop merged into my old haunt the Hungarian Pastry Shop, and there's only one kind of story you can make up about the people you see over there. Also, no pretty boys. So it would have to be an outdoors coffee shop then - maybe something on Columbus. And contrary to what she thinks, it would be she doing the talking. I bet she talks as good as she writes :-) And me, I'd just play her a Bitches Brew. I get the feeling she needs it.
2. km. This has to be either at my place or at his, and I'm going to stick my neck out and say his, simply because I'm dying to ogle at his music collection, and if that means visiting Joisey, sobeit. (Not being overly rude here, I hope, I mean he's welcome to come ogle at mine as well.) But that's only part of the story, since this guy also maintains the most-eclectic-and-hence-fun-to-visit blog on my circuit. I bet the conversation would be a trip and a half :-)
3. JAP. A Certain Not-Quite-Happy and Experienced-in-Years Representative of the Elite Indian East mentioned to me during our Recent Brief Telephonic Conversation that He Might be Able to Engineer a Meeting on the Morrow, Replete with Kochuris and Gorom Cha. Unfortunately the Call of Duty Emerged to Subvert this Best Laid Plan, and our Gang Had Perforce to Aft Agley. Postpone! Postpone! Was the Call of the Hour. Yet, despite the Meeting's Momentary Lapse of Season, All is Surely Not Lost, as The Man Himself Has Pointed Out. We Could for instance Arrange a Tryst in the City of the Fragrant Harbour. Or we could Try Again in the City of the Diamond Harbour. I for One, am Leaning Towards Codging an Invitation to his Club, for Surely the Oldest Member will be Able to Treat his Humble Guest to the Feast of Reason and the Flow of Soul, Ice on the Side. Wot say?
4. Thalassa Mikra. Where else but Delhi? I'd say take the Metro into Chandni Chowk, so we can spend a day wandering around, and I can finally learn - from her - about the city I grew up in. It wouldn't all be one way streets however (Delhi-ite in joke ha ha ha. Buri nazar waale tera muh kala. Horun plese ok tata. Look under seat, There will be bomb. Raise alarm. Earn reward.) We could visit the fish and chicken wholesale market at Jama Masjid, my first time in over a dozen years. Lunch at the Karim's there. The book bazaar in Daryaganj. Maybe even Purana Qila or the Lal Qila. We know so many people in common, there's a lot to talk about (even before we get to Greeks or ports).
5. Abinandanan and Gaddeswarup. I once knew a little physics and a little math -- Time, exigency, and Microsoft Excel mean that I've forgotten it all now. However, I've always found that it's great fun to talk to scientists. There's a precision to the conversation that one often doesn't get elsewhere. I find these two gentlemen to be particularly interesting since they're scientists who are now interested in social science, in many of the questions that I am interested in, some of which are related to my own research. I find their blogs and their comments on each others' blogs to be perceptive and interesting, and I'm sure it would be great in real life as well. Venue? For some reason I can't get past the the coffee shop at the IISc campus (I know there's more than one; I'm thinking about the one that has this open air seating space outside it - can't remember more right now).
6. heh heh. Any one of his seventeen selves will do. His posts are usually hilarious, his drawings always so. Even his absence from blogging cracks me up. But beneath it all he seems like a sweet guy (and a friend of mine who claims she knows him (which him?) says he is indeed a very sweet guy. So there.) I don't really care where we meet, frankly, because I'm fairly sure we can create a space of our own.
That's more than six so once again I have delivered more than was required. Who says I don't co-operate?
Oh, and Scout? You're tagged again.
posted by Tabula Rasa | 8/18/2006 10:17:00 PM
11 Comments:
Hi TR,
Thanks for those kind words.
Do let me know when you are in Bangalore, and we will meet at IISc's Faculty Club -- I think this is the place you have in mind. Or at our legendary Coffee Shop!
I can even take you to one of the messes here if you still retain some fondness for student-food.
And you can enlighten me on some (or, all!) of my half-baked ideas on social science and, um, social engineering ...
I am more likely visit Kolkata. A bright young mathematician Mahan became a monk in the Ramakrishna mission and teaches in the Belur college. He started in areas that I was leaving and is starting some postgraduate courses. I promised to help him with teaching. But I am not sure whether he wants me know. Last year, I met a lady mathemaician whose father is a Bengali and works in the same general area as Mahan. I have been trying to make her visit Kolkata to see what happens when the monk meeds a maiden. Mahan seems to be panicking.
Abi seems to be a bright fellow with much more balance than me. I grew up with disrespect for older people and have a built-in anti-eastablishment attitude. I did not expect to make it beyond my forties. Here I am, still learning, but slowly fading in to senility.
Cheers,
Swarup
"Horun plese ok tata. Look under seat, There will be bomb. Raise alarm. Earn reward."
Even though I'm a known Delhi-hater, I'm afraid even I couldn't swallow that. Really, it's not THAT bad :-)
That "Look under seat, There will be bomb..." is a killer (bad pun not intended).
And, from what I hear, you may want to make that trip to the rasta book shops in Daryaganj quickly...b'cos they've been threatening to put a end to it.
abi:
thanks, it would be a pleasure :-) (but don't get your hopes up on any enlightenment!)
swarup:
that's an interesting story. that way, i've found kolkata's full of interesting people -- part of the reason i like visiting there. wish i could go more often!
and it's good to know there are anti-establishment people who're flourishing past the age of forty :-)
ghost:
what you saying, man? they're closing down the daryaganj book market?! that's tragic!
oh, and the bus thing -- i did *not* make it up. (could one ever?) it was in every dtc bus i traveled in from about 1986 (when the bombings started, iirc) till the early 90s (when the stickers wore off).
Heh, Joisey insults shall not be taken lying down, which is why I am typing this at a 10-degree angle.
Let me also warn you that my music collection is hardly ogle-worthy. In fact, most of it resides in the public library :)
When are you due in the States?
there you go, giving angles again. you mean to say joisey has libraries? i always thought it was stuff left on the train by people hopping over the chasm to buy cheap ciggies :-D
i'll be stateside next from sept 26 to oct 11, but only in boston and orlando (not my doing - it's for a conference). MT and i are planning to get together at harper's ferry in brookline to see new monsoon on october 9. wanna roll up?!
heehee, i wanna go to boston too.. and i roll a mean joint if that means anything to you... but anyway, thanks for the oh-so-kind words - new york would be awesome... always wanted to go there... never got the courage or the funds to do it alone :P
and i've been singing 'new york state of mind' all day too .. whaddaya know!
sounds like a plan ;-)
dude, i had never seen this post of yours. and who is this mutual friend, if i may ask? does her name start with an N?
with a P, actually. and then an M.
Oh, i thought it would be an N, followed by an A. she was a stern phd, about your vintage, marketing cohort-wise. yes, P.M. is a friend.
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