i'm so far off the map...

India and items related thereto

2008-06-12T05:33:57Z

I got back. I confused my dates. I was leaving on the 10th, not the 12th as I had stated in my previous entry. Thanks to you guys who sent me your well-wishes.

So, so much to tell. I hardly know where to start. I don't really think there is a way that I can fit it all into one post. I kept a paper journal whilst I was "disconnected" but somehow the result would just seem displaced somehow, if I were to copy it over to LJ.

Anyway, some basics here include highlights, midlights, lowlights, and no lights (care to shed some?). There is simply too much to cover in one posting so I'm gliding over the main points now.

1.) India is a country of unbelievable heat. Especially when you are in the interior, away from any such ocean breezes etc. Las Vegas has nothing on this place.

2.) India is also a country of a wealth of culture and history, it was endlessly fascinating for me to experience the different aspects of it. blue_leaf, I know you would really enjoy it. These are a very spiritual people, with a very different outlook on life from what we have. It really makes you think.

3.) The food is really spicy, which of course I already knew, but there is stuff -- I don't know, like roti (which is "sort of" like pita bread) for example tasted spicy to me. My mother had bet me that I would lose a ton of weight whilst I was in India because I wouldn't want to eat anything. I did not go with that bet, mostly because I knew she was right. ;)

4.) Yes, there really are cows lying and standing all over the place. Even in the big cities.

5.) My (mother's) digicam got stolen. She didn't take the news as badly as I thought she would. Fear not, I bought a film camera -- how quaint -- and managed to get some pictures. I guess I will have to get my pictures onto a CD or DVD or whatever. It's weird using a film camera when you haven't done so in eons.

6.) Got yelled at for drinking chai tea in front of a Sikh temple in Calcutta. I don't know why he was yelling--the temple was on the second floor. I was not in front of the entrance but rather standing in front of a couple of storefronts on the ground floor. But still the temple was "above" me. Whatever. Anyway I got chased from the immediate vicinity. Jeesh.

7.) This was my first experience witnessing abject poverty up close and personal. We are talking straw huts, if the poor were lucky. Often they weren't, and there were many "houses" made out of garbage bags and tarps.

8.) The garbage. Ugh, the garbage. There are mountains of it everywhere. I remember in paticular seeing one pond in which some poor people were bathing. At the other end of this pond there was garbage oozing into the water from a huge pile. As far as I can see, there are no repercussions whatsoever for littering, either.

9.) If you are white-skinned, be prepared to get stared at -- hard. And constantly. Maybe this is what it feels like to be a movie star! (haha no -- no one asked me for my autograph. ;) It seems that, on the whole, the whiter skin is, the more it is revered. They have a severe problem with what one Indian girl calls "color prejudice." Almost everybody on TV, Bollywood, etc. are light-skinned Indians, many appearing just as white as white people. For those "unfortunate" enough to have darker skin, there are special creams they can buy that promise to lighten their skin within a few days. It's really a shame. :( One ad on TV even suggested that this fellow "broke up" with his girlfriend and went to marry another girl because her skin was lighter (the ad was, of course, for skin-whitening cream. If the girl had been using that all along, then the situation probably would never have happened!). That's just wrong, man.

10.) The clothing the women wear is very beautiful. Mostly salwar kameez and sari. Rarely did I see a woman in a skirt and shirt, and even more rarely in pants or shorts. You're more likely to see Western dress in the cities than you are in the smaller towns. I was given several salwars and saris. They're pretty cool.

11.) As I mentioned in an earlier post, finally I can quit whining about not seeing the Eiffel tower. This being my fourth time in France, I put that god-awful layover to good use and took the train/metro to see it. I got some pictures.

FYI: the base of the Eiffel Tower is absolutely filled with hustlers/beggars/whatever you want to call them. I got begged at (is that a proper phrase?) at least 4 times. There was this one hustle where you would be walking past one of these beggars and they would pretend to find a solid gold ring on the ground and then give it to you because you are a wonderful and lucky person. Then they would kiss you (ick) and leave. One guy made me take his ring, but I knew it was a hustle so I waited for him to come back and ask for money. Which he did. I forced the ring back into his hand and left. This exact same procedure was tried on me, all in the immediate vicinity of the Tower, 3-4 times. They need to start coming up with some new ideas. The other beg was from a woman who held up sign in English, explaining that she was from Bosnia and had been in Paris for two months and needed money to feed her children. She was dressed like a Muslim at least. Don't know if she actually was one. I didn't trust her either.

13.) Due to my constant backtracking across the globe, after some calculating, my June 10th lasted 30 hours. Most of which I was awake. Ugh.

Conclusion: If you ever have the chance to visit India, do it. Preferably in winter if you dislike hot weather as I do. ;)

Feh

2008-05-31T13:36:21Z

Sorry for a lack of update. Yes, I am in India and have been here since May 10 or 11 or whatever it was. I'm leaving on June 12 with an extended (blech) layover in Paris that I'm going to make use of to see the Eiffel Tower. Oh well, at least I can stop lamenting that I never saw it the last (and only) time I was in Paris.

matika @ 2008-04-22T17:28:00

2008-04-22T21:27:15Z

They (the outsourcing people) lost my passport. They told me to get a new one and come to New York on Thursday so I could get the visa reissued. I can't afford a $150 same-day passport. They said, "It's not our problem."

Am I being unreasonable, or is that twisted? I am missing my whole trip because they lost my passport.

ETA: The maniacs called me 15 minutes ago and said they found my passport, after all. Sweet Jesus, what are they trying to do to me?

matika @ 2008-04-22T14:32:00

2008-04-22T18:30:51Z

They still have not sent my fucking passport. The outsourcing place is still "verifying the status." There's nothing to verify. The consulate approved me on the 11th of April!

I am supposed to leave on Friday. This is Tuesday and they're still fucking around with my passport.

I am literally in tears right now. I am so upset I don't even know how to say it...

Passport, MIA

2008-04-21T19:01:07Z

The visa-processing people (who are, in this case, different from the actual consulate) have actually said that they don't know where my passport is. They are looking for it. I told the rep that I'm leaving on Friday and I don't exactly have time to mess around.

So, I called the consulate. Dr. Malhotra, who had processed my visa to begin and with whom I have spoken before, took a look at her records and said she cleared my visa. So who knows what the deal is?

I do know that my fuse has been shortened considerably.

ETA: My nerves are completely, totally shattered right now.

matika @ 2008-04-20T10:32:00

2008-04-20T14:36:04Z

I Superglued myself to myself. Hereby let it be known, if you did not already, that it can hurt like a bitch. Seriously it stung as badly as a bee sting.

I get my lithotripsy for those pesky old kidney stones on Wednesday. Then, I leave for Finland/India on Friday. My urologist sees no problem with this. Let's hope there isn't.

So, beledragon, are you going to be able to meet me at the airport Saturday morning? :) I find the Helsinki airport intensely confusing for some reason.

Swiss people, or Swiss residents, or people living in Switzerland--whatever you want to call yourselves. I will be on a brief layover in Switzerland for a couple of hours on Sunday. If you want to meet up, drop me a comment or an email, or whatever. ;)

ETA: Forgot to add that my passport has been in the clutches of the Indian Consulate (Pennsylvania falls in the New York jurisdiction) since 3 April. The process is only supposed to take 5 days to get a visa, and it is now 20 April. I can't go anywhere if that passport doesn't show up in a hurry. :|

Musical/Cultural Hybrids

2008-03-25T21:28:12Z

This may very well end my jihad against country music. ;)

I'd like all of you guys' opinions (what terrible grammar...)

I think the boy vs. the broccoli is so cute.

But I can't understand why the girl spelled Tupeic when she obviously knew it was Tupac. Some kind of transliteration thing? Who knows.

ETA: Some info about the singer: His name is Kareem Salama, and yes he is Muslim, born and raised in Oklahoma. Listen to this song and I can practically guarantee you that you won't notice the difference between him and any other country singer (as brianamj metioned). Here's a YouTube clip of a Fox interview that he did. As somebody (I can't remember who, now) remarked: "If you just listen to the voice, and don't pay attention to his looks, then you realise he's just a Southern good ol' boy." Hah!

Pretty cool, huh?

a monumental event

2008-02-07T17:38:55Z

That book...the one everyone's been telling me to write for the past 500 years... about my whole experience with trying to get my kids back across international boundaries.

Well, I finished it. ~635 pages right now. I've been working on it off and on for at least the past two years. But sometime in January, I finished it.

And I've been editing heavily. That will probably take about another month.

So far, some of the co-LJers represented include:
butterbee: Remember that bomb scare in the Frankfurt airport when we were cordoned off in the food court? *snicker*

beledra: I think that weekend I went to Finland was a period during which I did not know where the kids were yet.

pookahontas: well, you probably knew the inside story better than anybody else.

bluknight: One thing that stuck out in my mind during all these years was when you showed pookahontas and me your box of goodies the last time we were in Denver.

chopper11: I've included some of the finer moments of our time working at PIT. I'm sure you will recognise a lot of them. ;)

I'm still not done completely, but that is what I have going now.

///

As a side note, I'm feeling very blah at the mo. They are still tweaking my seizure medications, it seems like they will never get it right. It's been two gawd-damn months since I had it, and they still can't seem to hit the right dosage.

I keep waiting for my life to straighten out, but it never seems to happen. *sigh*

matika @ 2008-01-01T00:32:00

2008-01-01T05:38:25Z

I was going to do a year-end recap, but...well...lol I would rather not focus on all the "bad" things that happened to me in 2007. For the good I could definitely say Sony, but he technically "happened" to me back in 2006. Though, the fact that he is still happening to me is a way good sign. ;) I was beginning to wonder if I was capable of a sustainable relationship.

I had a root canal today. Er yesterday. And I'm terribly grouchy.

Happy New Year everybody.

holiday/seasonal cards

2007-12-09T19:28:42Z

For those desirous of receiving some postal consideration, please leave your information in the screened comments, as well as preferred holiday if applicable. (gordond, for once I have save your address, so no need. ;)

Note to Foxborough

2007-12-09T19:16:26Z

~~You are toast. Or. Well, at least dried bread.~~ OKAY OKAY OKAY. I am enough of a good loser to eat crow. :P BUT - at least I can take away the cold comfort that we were the first team this season to score against the Patsies on the opening drive. ;)

My hand is almost better, btw, so hopefully I will resume proper operations shortly. ;)

I'm really not the medical disaster that I appear to be. :P

2007-12-01T13:28:39Z

Well, I haven't been around much lately, but I have been reading. The reason is that I developed a case of phlebitis in my my hand and arm from the IV. This seems like some kind of joke, and I'm laughing even as I type. One thing right after the other.

The most annoying thing, aside from the phlebitis itself, is that, when the nurses inserted the IV, they never asked which hand was my dominant hand, but assumed it was my right hand - I was in too much of a daze at the time to even realise which hand they were IVing. The result being, obviously, that I have phlebitis in my dominant hand, my left hand. Hah! Fortunately the swelling is down considerably and the lump (actually a blood clot near the surface of the skin) has diminished lately. Thank God it didn't turn into thrombosis (deep blood clots, and can be life-threatening).

So, essentially for the couple of weeks or so, I have been unable to write or type with any real efficiency. Hence my cybersilence. ;)

I went to the doctor's office on Thursday, at their request, and found out that my blood pressure was 120/100. For those not familiar with BP numbers, that's nearing a critical mass situation. The systolic number (120) is fine, but the diastolic number (100) is high by about 20-30 points. Not good. In conjunction with everything else, when my father heard this, he asked me irritably: "Are you trying to push up daisies?" I had to laugh at that. Anyway, after some "testing," Dr. Nash determined that it was due to dehydration, so at least it's a simple cause, with a simple solution.

Though, I do hate Gatorade.

matika @ 2007-10-28T01:50:00

2007-10-28T06:07:21Z

I think I've lost it. I'm listening to a song off of Britney Spears's new album. It's called Radar. It's very catchy in an annoying sort of way. All things said and done, I like it.

I'm in physical therapy again. Can't remember whether I've mentioned that lately or not. I hate physical therapy. It always seems to equal unspeakable pain. :P You take the moves and positions that are most painful for you with a certain injury, and those are the moves and positions they want you to do! Hah.

===

The kids have carved their pumpkins. Despite my knack for it, I have not yet done one this year and not sure I'm going to, either. I feel a bit down. I'll not go into why though. Brokenrecorditis. Though the record has got a fresh break in it, I'm not going to press the issue.

===

Whether you like it or not...it ain't gonna stop.

hmmm, it took me twenty minutes to write this little bit

skip on through if you like

2007-10-21T07:10:33Z

In the [x] years that I've had this journal -- I think it's actually approaching 5 -- I've actually saved myself a good deal of trouble by documenting this and that as it happens. Anyone can claim to know me at all also knows I have a horrible memory. Hence part of the reason that I even keep this journal.

Noted below is a strange occurrence that I had with my back tonight (or last night, I guess, since it's 3am on Sunday).

The middle of my back, right around the spinal column area, went numb tonight. Or I should say it lost partial feeling. At other times it literally felt like someone was back there pressing, like, the spine of a book into my back or something. Weird.

Neurologist appointment soon. Ick. That's not the sort of thing you want to report to your neurologist if you're looking for a clean bill of health, is it? *sigh*

What Do You Have To Say? - Travel: Top Three Places

2007-10-03T06:06:09Z

Saw this in blisspath's journal and thought to mark it in my own:

What are your top three destinations and why go there?

Brought to you by HP

View other answers

Now, I'm not sure if we're supposed to list places we've already been, or places we want to go. In any case, being the fuddy-duddy that I am, I picked the tried-and-true.

1. Switzerland, because it's gorgeous, especially when you get away from the cities (and I have to go there all the time anyway).
2. Slovenia. Seriously, if you've never been there, you don't know what you're missing.
3. Finland. A lot like Sweden except less crowded (not that Sweden is so crowded). I'm a nature lover, what can I say? :)

And my own honourable mention: Neuschwanstein, in Bavaria, Germany. I know, I know, I've raved about it before. But I love it! For those of you who don't know what Neuschwanstein is, it's the original "fairytale castle" in Germany that Walt Disney based on to design Cinderella's castle. ;)
It's amazing.

I suppose V will read this and start making snide comments even though I've been to Switzerland literally like 10 times or something. ;)

If you've been on my flist for less than two years...

2007-09-22T23:27:37Z

...you probably need to read this. Also look at the link included in that post, and you will understand a lot more about why I am the way I am. Or maybe not. Anyway, if you'd like to know "my story," those links will get you there.

Carry on. ;)

God Is Being Sued.

2007-09-21T13:26:46Z

Well then! This is in from the AP wire, so I guess it's...legit?

God
Sued Over Pestilence and Terror

"God" Apparently Responds to Lawsuit

okay then.

Just for jestf14 :D

2007-09-19T06:33:03Z

Such a shame I can't claim credit for it myself. Unfortunately I don't know who to pat on the back for this one. lol. This is much better than the mockery I made of the Pats last season regarding their loss to the Colts. hehehehehe

italian_brawd, what do ya think? Think our buddy'll like it? ;)

Is This for Real?

2007-09-14T05:37:48Z

Two different things.

First: A lot of people are asking this in the football world, apparently. Bill Belichick fined $500,000 by NFL for taping Jets' signals. Are the Patriots really so good or have they been cheating all these years?

===========

Oh, and this is very entertaining indeed:

Leave Britney Alone!

Now, this is a crazed fan defending Britney Spears. I'm inclined to think that this is some kind of joke. No way can anybody be that insane.

What do y'all think? ;)
Bonus points if you can tell me whether this is a girl or a guy. ;) The name the person uses is Chris Crocker, and let's hope it's just an act, huh? (an aspiring actor, so it's hard to say.)

Crime Doesn't Pay... (blah blah blah)

2007-09-02T01:10:18Z

So this guy, whom I've never met, has been annoying me off and on for about a year. He wanted to get something going relationship-wise, and I wasn't interested at all

After months of not hearing from him (to be honest I totally forgot about him) I got an IM from him. Not even a hello first, but this:

dontgetnebby: kinda need some help. got myself into a lot of trouble and need some help with attorney. anything you can spare would be returned as soon as I can.
matikalyere: what happened
dontgetnebby: well did something and now I need an attorney
matikalyere: you did something
matikalyere: oh
dontgetnebby: yes
matikalyere: well that's kinda vague
matikalyere: be that as it may
dontgetnebby: you really want to know. you can see my face too.
matikalyere: ?
dontgetnebby: http://www.altoonamirror.com/news/sections.asp
matikalyere: i have seen your face
matikalyere: i haven't heard anything out of you in months
matikalyere: i guess there's no point in asking how it's going, however..
dontgetnebby: well had alot of shit happen and now the shits hitting the fan
matikalyere: can i ask a stupid question
matikalyere: was this intentional or were you framed or something
dontgetnebby: well wasnt intentional and wasnt framed but when your not in the right frame of mind and you feel there is no alternative and you dont want to lose your business you do what you do to keep it going
matikalyere: i think if i were you i'd head out of the state for the time being
matikalyere: well i don't have any money...can't even pay my own bills
matikalyere: i did get my surgery though since the last time we talked
matikalyere: ...so i'll be headed back to work soon enough
dontgetnebby: awesome ok will come and live with u
matikalyere: i don't live out of state
matikalyere: i live near the ohio line
matikalyere: pfft
matikalyere: so how are you keeping yourself from getting caught then
matikalyere: hiding out?

And here's the Altoona Mirror article on his crimes!!

borncountry26, did you hear about this?

Well, I've got him on my blocked list now. He annoyed me almost from the beginning, and now I can see no reason at all to continue communicating with him.

p.s. The picture here looks nothing like the ones he showed me a year ago. :D But then that seems to happen often on the net.

mmmhmmm

2007-08-23T07:53:59Z

Recently (two days ago, maybe?) I took the following two pictures on my phone cam (b&w filter was on, please try to ignore my frizzy hair, the humidity here is ridiculous).

Sony wanted to know if I could colourise them. Well, I did after a fashion:

You can see I got a bit sloppy and didn't really finish the second one properly. Well, it is nearly 4am. I need to knock this off.

matika @ 2007-08-18T02:46:00

2007-08-18T06:58:08Z

Well, good news - apparently my bro decided to quit after all. That second x-ray showing the pneumonia coming back scared the crap out of him. I haven't seen him light up for days now. That's a major, huge accomplishment for him. Wow.

Hey moonfall, I got your postcard - thanks! It actually makes the UP look good! *g*

The kids are going back to school in a couple of weeks - actually less than that, even. Another summer wasted. My final post-surgery follow-up is on September 10, and hopefully I can get back on the job thing with United.

To digress a bit, I've decided that my refusal to abandon the airline industry as my employment of choice can only be attributed to a penchant for masochism (and hey, there's the potential for sadism there too! bahahahhaahahah).

erm...yeah

2007-08-15T08:25:49Z

My brother turned 35 at the end of June. In the past two years, he's been hospitalized three times.

Once for a heart attack (?) and twice for pneumonia.

He just got out of the hospital last week for the most recent episode of pneumonia. Doctor told him to fuckin quit smoking because he's got emphysema starting in his lungs. Oh yes, and an x-ray yesterday shows that the pneumonia has returned.

Do you think he's quitting?

NO

He wants to but he says he needs something to do with his hands.
Could any of you smokers please explain what that means?
I mean he could knit if he needs something to do with his hands. heh.

I hate smoking. I despise it. Probably because I'm allergic to tobacco haha. I remember being given a stogie on my eighteenth birthday...I smoked it...and thought I was going to die afterwards. And feeling too shitty to care. heh.

matika @ 2007-07-29T02:05:00

2007-07-29T06:07:29Z

Normally I don't pay a whole lot of attention to birthdays (my own, and I'm too much of a scatterbrain to remember everybody else's), but today the bell tolls...for the death of my twenties.

That's right, fokes. I'm 30 today.

Bah.

matika @ 2007-07-07T15:45:00

2007-07-07T19:58:13Z

Know what sucks? When you gamble everything...and you lose. I still do not discount the law of nature that seems to have determined that everything works out for me in the end, no matter how hapazardly I get there -- but the trip can be really rough sometimes...

Thank God for Sony. I think he is really it. Sure, how many times have I thought that in the past, with other guys?

Well, here is the difference. He's the first one that I have not had to fight down a fear of abandonment with, or need constant reassurance from. And we really just jive, on all levels. I seem to inherently trust him -- and that hasn't happened with a guy since before V and I divorced.

Well, maybe I'm just finally maturing a bit, I don't know. And to think I found him when I wasn't even looking. Isn't that usually the way?

Insanely Enough...

I am going to talk with United as soon as I'm in fit shape to. I'm already past the first round of hiring, and they've invited me for an interview in Chicago (ick). I cannot believe that I'm doing this. But I can't help it. I miss the airlines. I really do.

This time around, instead of being a ground-pounder (gate agent) I'm looking to be a flight attendant. The crucial difference between gate agents and flight attendants is that threatening or assaulting a flight attendant is a felony, whereas doing the same to a gate agent is not. Heh.

I know I'm not around here a whole heck of a lot these days... how are y'all?

And borncountry26, I'm sorry I forgot your birthday. :( I'm a tool sometimes.