It was family therapy to have Vignesh visit me in Sunnyvale. Rewind. Vignesh, or Vig, as he's commonly called, is my baby cousin, who is around 23ish years old, and now has earned a CPA... he's on the fast track to MBAing and on the job prowl, he landed up in LA. My MS colleagues and I were out at Molly's Friday night, when Vig finally joined up. It was lots of fun... we actually hit a pretty cool spot, but he couldn't get in because he was wearing shorts and flops. Its all good, we ended up at my place and he and his friend entertained my friends with the coolest photos from his Yatra or pilgrimage in the Himalayas.

Vignatius, as it turns out, is highly driven to Shaiavism, and in the most ancient modern sense appears to embody the best of attitude and approach to exploring his path to the divine. He visited, I think 3 jyotirlingas, and I know he's well on his way to journeying to them all. Most vivid in my memory is his description of how grueling the climb was from one location to one of his key pilgrimage sites. He said it was so difficult that even to share water, he and his companion (yet another cousin) were ambivalent about taking any steps backward. It was fascinating. Its also fascinating to hear him sing the dhun he heard in the mountains... at times, he said it was his only motivation and inspired him to not even consider quitting.

We talked about his experiences throughout his weekend. He went to a wedding on the weekend, when I caught up on some work and study... and then we had Amici's pizza for din. Mmmmm. Then we went to Dave & Busters and played and then we went to Santa Clara Billiards to catch up with one of his pool hall mentors from Michigan who's now here. He beat him. Yeah! That night, we talked a lot about Dabby and what memories he had from his childhood. He said Dabby was like a legend. I think so. We both realized we miss him a lot and it just gets worse the longer we live.. without him.

 

And of course, we talked about Dabby's dishes. Vig's fave was Dabby's spaghetti, which was in fact known as Macaghetti, since Dabby was prone to inventing kid food using basic fusion principles.

 

Sunday, we tried to eat breakki at Madras Cafe. It smelled so good, but wasn't open. Vig was on a time diet, so instead, we went over to Clarke's off El Cam. I guess that place has been there since 1946. The blueberry pancakes were to die for! So many blueberries. So then, Vigu took off, but he burned some CDs of his cool trip in the mountains. I will post some of them here soon... stay tuned!

 

Vij

Today... its another 9/11. It feels bad. It hurts. Its motivating and slowing at once. I can't explain the tug inside that wanted me to get on a plane and go visit the WTC site again.

 

Last time I was there, it was April of 2003. It hurt then too. The tall buildings were swathed in black veils as tall veiled women mourning the loss at their feet. I cried into the rubble thinking of all the souls who struggled for life that day. I remembered thinking when it happened, nothing will ever be the same again. Today, I know it. Our innocence was forever taken. Its unfair. Why are we still fighting? Will it really protect us in the long run to go off and fight? Am I the only person confused by the way in which we have reacted? Maybe.

 

But these United States still pulsate with the energy of freedom's heart. Its the individual mindset that those who oppose us fear most.. the places that a free mind can meander, the ideas that it can ponder... the ways in which an individual can choose to live or not live. If by destroying the world trade center, the perpetrators thought they would discourage the free living that we have come to represent, then they were terribly unsuccessful. I feel the pulse of open-thinking daily, now that I work in such an innovative center of global thought. Every day, I am grateful to work here, to be alive, to be able to capture the few moments of emotions - whether frustrated, sad, upset, freaked out, elated, happy, or that overwhelming sense of pride in one's work.... any emotion... because I am alive - and free in America.

 

So as I went through my day and clicked on Scoble's blog in the afternoon as usual, the interesting point he raises about our blogs 100 years from now was eye-opening and a great reminder about the End that makes the Now worth what we value it as. Some moments are moments because we live them and capture them. No amount of picture taking, blogging, video taping, or journaling could ever make it feel as it does when we live it.

 

Check out what he says. Then take a moment... of silence... for those who are no longer with us because of the events of 9/11.

 

 

For those of you who remember the Ish experiments in Juxtaposition-Thingamajigger.... here's one we should have thought of but didn't! I am just elated that someone did!

 

 

Very good handmade remix of StarTrek and Simpsons themes... plus a hokey youtube video. Nice background music to clean closet with.

 

 

In other news, I feel much better now that my hair is not all brown anymore. I am back to having streaks... these are fairer streaks against the dark background so its very cartoongoth. Coz I like it like that!

 

Joy to all.

 

V