I'm Just Visiting This Planet

It's been very interesting here in Northern Westchester-18 inches of snow, about 5 inches of rain, and then a huge crash in the middle of the night and two trees in the woods behind our house came down. The house shook but luckily nothing was damaged. I'm sure it's nature's way of keeping us on our toes. And we have been so lucky-we've never lost power, just Cablevision and Internet access. And now that we're back on daylight savings time it will soon be time to start working on the garden!

So here's what I bought while we were in Mysore-And here's what Anne bought: doesn't she look great? We absolutely loved the clothes, the food, the country and the people. Now if only the flight weren't so long...... I have all the usual pictures, you know, the ones of the Taj Mahal, and the Hindu temples, and then I have the "business pictures." Those are the photos of the America On-Line graduation, which was the whole reason for going. But I like these pictures, of Anne and me in our shalwar kameez in our beautiful hotel room in Mysore. These pictures don't tell the whole story, of shopping, trying on, having the clothes altered, and having chai and thali in Cafe Indra while we waited. And drinking lassi and then realizing that the yogurt was probably diluted with water and waiting to get sick-an not getting sick. All in all it was an amazing trip.

Anne and I are back from a two week trip to India-Delhi, Agra, Bangalore and Mysore. I am reminded (as always) that I know so little and learn so much! Pictures to follow but for now let me say that this was (another) life changing trip-add this to China and Nicaragua and all I can say is that I seem to be getting more adventurous as I get older. Maybe that's one of the joys of getting older!

I've never worked so hard, so many hours, so far out of my "comfort zone," in my life. In many ways I'm grateful for the opportunity, but I wish this "opportunity" had come into my life when I was younger, with more energy, and an endless supply of optimism. This has been a really rough couple of months. I am so looking forward to it all coming to a graceful "landing" so that I can move on to other things. And other things includes a two week trip to India at the end of December!

Here I am on the penultimate day of June, 2009, musing about the end of my first year as Dean, and wondering what ever possessed me to give up my beautiful, wonderful, summers off!

When I was much younger (in college) I drank green beer on Saint Patrick's Day. On St. Pat's Day at P & G's in New Paltz in 1966 I met a man to whom I would later become engaged, and then break off the engagement three years later. Hard to believe that I'm remembering a day 43 years ago, telling stories about a man who is now dead. On a brighter note, since I'm half Irish, I wish everyone a happy St. Pat's-cabbage but no corned beef for us vegetarians!

Yes, it's true my birthday was January 25th. For my 60th Anne and I had a 60-60 party-we held it in early January, sort of between our two birthdays (Anne's birthday is November 2). But 61, now that's another whole story. Lunch at Crabtree's Kittle House in Chappaqua, dinner at the Ocean House in Croton - two of my favorite Westchester restaurants. Can you tell that I basically am eating my way through my - gulp - seventh decade!?! Well, the end of my 61st year, the beginning of my 62nd, consider the alternative. I can't get "will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64" out of my mind. I never thought I'd be 64, and here I am 61. I never thought I'd die, I just thought I wouldn't get old-how's that for cognitive dissonance! Happy birthday fellow Aquarians!