“I caught myself staring at a man/woman with a suspicious looking beard. It was painted on his/her face–a face that looked decidedly feminine.”
Long Distance Heartache
I never suspected a chance meeting on the other side of the world in 2015 would make my heart ache today. Bhavani, me, Ramesh in Mamallapuram March, 2020 Ramesh was a lifeguard for the Radisson Blu, an upscale resort in the coastal town of Mamallapuram, south of Chennai, India. North Indians are fond of using…… Continue reading Long Distance Heartache
A Horror Story
There was a pattern. About 11:00 PM the entire gang was running laps on the ceiling planking, leaping electrical wires and dancing jigs.
Snake Blessing
“I trailed the snake fifty feet to a juniper at the corner of the building. Beneath the tree it curled its ungainly body into a corkscrew, raised its head, and fastened its eyes on me, its tail doing a rattle dance.”
A Retrospective: Chi Phat, Cambodia
I have to explain the word “poop.” I’m thinking if he doesn’t already know this, I’ve got a problem. Should I demonstrate, perhaps? Play acting, of course.
Patterns
Dylan comes inside. “What’s the problem? You’re making this a lot harder than it is.” He bats the unit a couple times, pulls out the accordion wings. “There. Screw it in. Done.”
Wrestling a Jackfruit
A battle ensued. The individual edible flowers were interconnected with “tendons” that anchored them to the spiky peel and pithy center, and I had to slice and tug and rip and curse to get the flowers out.
A Sheepherder’s Life
“Ten minutes later I rounded a curve and there they were, mounds and mounds of grayish sheep butts and poufy heads, baaing and bleating and trodding and trampling.”
Moments of Glory in India
My worst nightmare had just materialized–walking naked onstage in front of a live audience and having to perform some obscure skill–say ventriloquism–in order to save my life.
Terry Nichols 