Planck Day

3.20.13

I have to decide today if I am going to Kathmandu tomorrow.  I read doubt is a sign of the unenlightened mind.  That is disappointing.  Every job I show interest in I later doubt because waiting for something better is driving me crazy! What if there is nothing waiting for you?  Two more months here is ok if it’s ok with them but that is crazy too.  Water.  The big tank is empty and that can be stressful when it’s completely out of your hands.  The rooms are empty at noon and how can anyone stay without a toilet or shower.

8:57pm  Maya returned to her parent’s home and so did Ramesh, who leaves for Korea at the end of the month.  May God bless your adventures and see you tomorrow.  Suraksha is hanging out with Prem Maya and company, the third such night, and Laxman and I finished eating a nice variety of rice with a South Sri Lankan Birayani approach.  It is a quiet evening, a break desired from cooking  for so many for such a long stretch.  It’s good business but five thirty am to nine in the evening is not easy.

3.21.13

A dark gray overcast morning and the first time visitors going up will see nothing.  A swollen throat and it’s two panadols and grapefruit seed extract.  Antibiotics worked temporarily and if this gets worse I’ll be in trouble. 

7:21am--It appears I am up to no good again, another job lead sabotaged.  Why o why must you show interest if you’re not sure?  The sky darkens, thunder rumbles, morning storms on Red Leaf were always moments to stop everything and embrace nature coming right into your bedroom.  Meanwhile Carl the Cock remains under the basket.  Chickens in rain are never good. 

A note from a friend, out of KSA after a three month stint.  The place ain’t easy, there’s a lot of sacrifice for the paycheck that becomes very relative. The sky darkens even more, little children’s voices and Carl break the meditative silence. Where is the rain. 

When the kitchen darkened WJR would crackle and we’d stand at the windows and watch the maples and oaks wave and the darkness would lure us away from everything and in silence we’d listen.  I don’t think mom would have put up with a chicken in the dining room, the dude is downright loud.  Shanti. Didi arrives and I help her dump two water containers in the tank.  There is a leak somewhere and this is not good.  In two days 22 Chinese are expected.  The skies brighten.  Not even spit, what a curve ball.  The sun breaks out, the winds pick up, my stomach growls, even after an egg, toast and coffee.  Should I take a walk? 

11:00am—The heavens open finally and it pounds, the winds are accelerating and in the western sky it is bright.  That doesn’t mean the end of this system.  Sometimes it will sit in the Pokhara bowl and the mountains will hold it, sometimes it will back up or circulate, whatever it does, get out the buckets and how much can we trap.  Wait, here comes the hail and blue sky.  Shake those cookie sheets and on its way it goes.   

The rain falls again.  It’s time to run to my room in the rain to get my raincoat.  Carl’s wings are too small for his fat feathery body and when he flaps he’s only flagellating himself for having small wings.  He stands and walks along the railing and looks down on the Prem Maya household and I stand in his way and I let the pea-brain know digging holes in any of the gardens is against the law.  He clucks and whinnies and approaches me like he isn’t aware he’s minutes from becoming dinner.

Next month it will be remembered that four years ago KK and I landed on top of this mountain and it  only got crazier after that.  And if I’m still here on 4.23 it’ll be another day to remember and pray I forget because who wants to remember this any longer. Not I.  There ought not to be anything significant about four year anniversaries anyways, so why are you recognizing the day and the last day to remember.  After this, there are no dates to hope something will happen.  All the illusioned incidents will disappear, like the dreams that walked me around the house.  And you will be a new man?  You will walk straight and stop fighting God?

The sun came out after the rain ended an hour after it started but the blue gray shroud of clouds never left and three hours later grumbling thunder darkens the north.  I sat in the sitting room and was watching the BBC story of Obama visiting the dead sea scrolls when the power went out.  He’s not going to the Mount of Olives that you are aware of, though a quick read of Planck’s Day today will leave me wonder until the president has flown away.  End of bleeping story.

I have to email Kathmandu.  I have to email the Saudi dude.  It’s frustrates me to disappoint  people and yet I know if I don’t speak now they’ll get really pissed I waited so long.  Another cv sent today, back in Oman, oh really?  It’s all about location, and as far as I know there are no mausoleumss or caves honoring Job in the border town.  As for the driver’s license?  I must get one. 

In the meanwhile as the afternoon wanes and all is still except for Carl there is a cup of pepper tea and French toast and days of future passed for a headache, at least on low volume.  I know it’s not a great deal to extend this visa for two more months as long as there is work of any variety where I can justify to myself a meal but it’s where am I going to go.  The Emirates at the beginning of June without a car.  Hmmm, I’d last a week. It has to be America.  Be jealous of me not, local friend, I don’t know what I am going to do but I probably ought to head to San Diego but how about an abandoned building in Detroit.  The weather will be ok, a little rain perhaps but there’ll be
baseball to follow and corners to sit on.