Turkeys and Jingle bells

I love the last couple of months in the year. It is time for this hard-working country to slow down and indulge a little. Thanksgiving time in the US is very akin to Diwali time in India. There is hoards of shopping and parties and get-togethers. Window displays and street decorations vie for your attention. There is an early onset of Christmas tree sellers at street corners and cinnamon scents at bakeries and Christmas music wafting in through open doors...The number of employees on vacation hits the roof (and poor, hardworking folks who didn't go on that vacation suddenly find themselves inundated with extra hours.)

Normally, this is the time for me to indulge my reclusiveness. I find excuses to stay at home and get cozy. Have never really appreciated late Fall morphing into winter so quickly. Or I try to flee to warmer pastures, usually that annual visit to India. However, this year, since travel is not an option, I determined to enter into the Holiday spirit more fully. At-least until it starts pelting snow...

What I am reading: Lots of ARE prep material and nothing remotely exciting....

What I am watching: Thank God for savvy series makers turning to best-selling novels for their scripts! How else would I ever catch up with my pending reading... Elena Ferranate's much acclaimed 'My Brilliant Friend' has been gathering dust quietly on a shelf. I was so thrilled when the husband came across the show on HBO. Made in Italian(with English sub-titles), the series retains a lot of the charm of the book (I was told). I found the series hard to get into, but am completely hooked now. It's a coming of age story of 2 little girls growing up in Naples. The characters, the sets and the instances are rich with details. Another show I'd recommend is Succession (on Amazon Prime?) It's not an unusual story - the aging patriarch of a billionaire media conglomerate is reluctant to rescind his throne to his kin. But the flawed characters are so well-nuanced, that you actually care for them, root for them. The show manages to create edge-of-seat moments with corporate drama.Mrs. Maisel is back and thank God for that.

What I am cooking: I have been making a more conscious effort to get in protein and fiber in my diets. To that end, I am trying to master a couple of Bengali fish preparations. Here is a picture of my 'macher jhaal' and 'oats upma' for those cold winter mornings.

And that's it for today folks! Stay warm!

You'll be missed Sri...

It had been a relaxed outing with kids in a park. I was on my way back home, hoping to catch some quiet time, when my phone showed new updates. Breaking News about Sridevi!, it said. I eagerly clicked on it, expecting to hear about new movie plans or some such. Nothing about the news made sense. As it sunk in, I teared up in the subway. Condolences to her fans and the movie industry she grew up in. Condolences to her family and her daughters', on the cusp of their movie careers. They lost an irreplaceable mentor and coach in her. And condolences to my 12 year self who watched and re-watched her movies, mimic-ed her moves, fought her rivalries and felt her losses like only a true fan can.

Life, just like fame, can be so fickle.

Afterglow

Settling back after a vacation is a bit like breaking up with a lover with mutual consent. You are glad to be back on your own bed, but you experience constant nostalgia. Getting back to a humdrum routine is taking some getting used to this time - specially after a marathon getaway like the one I just had.

I took a walk today, reveling in the cold, fresh air and clear morning sky in the streets. But my mind went back to the muddled, muddy and rain-drenched streets of the medina in Marrakesh. And how it was almost impossible to walk uninterrupted - you had to squeeze aside to dodge scooters coming at breakneck speeds. But oh, how much more arresting and full of happen-chance such walks were. I enjoy the return to my full wardrobe and plentiful supply of clean clothes. But I loved my 3 weeks of haphazard layering, fashion be damned! With no schedule to adhere to, our days were strictly guided by pleasure.

And the highs, oh the highs! Watching the rolling countryside of South Portugal at your feet from a remote hilltop house every morning followed by sunny eggs and coffee by the pool and an improvised game of pong! Walking along one of the most photographed beaches in the world clad in your warmest winter wear and trying to not get your boots wet. Discovering Christmas lights at every turn and still walking along in the promise of more in Seville. Watching your dad and husband race down sand dunes in the Sahara like little kids while the camels' jingle fade in the background. Dancing to Berber drums around a camp fire - and having your parents be a part of it too!

I know that, eventually, the memory of the bad flight back home and the trauma of misplaced luggage will fade. And so will this afterglow of a great vacation. I will 're-integrate' into my practical, busy routine. But the next time I need my dose of Zen, I will be able to shut my eyes and spirit myself away to my heaven for that short, precious time.