"Don't Be Ridiculous."

Lord, this is a BFTP. I remember watching this sometimes, never understood why the cranky American cousin was always so uptight. I remember feeling that if someone as fun as Balki ever came to live with me, I would always be happy and have a reason to smile.

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This is also ridiculous. I made it sometime last week when I was desperate to make something, anything, colorful and completely stupid.



click to enlarge
John Abraham? Yez pleez.

Today was Monday. I was extremely grumpy and in denial that it was the beginning of another week and I remained in a haze most of the day. This was partly because I was in Funroe all weekend, playing in the hills and hullahooping and walking in the sun and being gluttonous and all of those wonderful things. My rude awakening came in the form of a sharp pang of disgust I felt being back on a subway after three days. YUCK, I say.

The only thing that got me through the day was my guilty read (Unaccustomed Earth)--yet another book about 2nd genners. It's basically a bunch of stories all about the intimate and fragmented pieces of family relationships (The Things That Go Unsaid), always with that overdone desi twist (just that the label of "Bengali" is used over and over, for something that can be applied to any desis, I think). It's interesting to think of the way Amy Tan writes books (exciting & extremely engaging) versus Lahiri, who writes about the mundane almost exclusively. I guess the main difference would be Tan writes novels and Lahiri is more of a short story writer, so that's the main thing. Short stories are more like sketches. Even though Tan uses the same subject matter, she is such a skilled storyteller that I could read her always. UE is a guilty read because I feel like I can't not read it (it's the equivalent of Archie comics when I was 12). Anyway, it's basically a bunch of stories about Gogol Gangulies approaching middle age and married to white people. I still like it, I appreciate the characters she draws (despite the mention of Park Slope stroller posses in the first story, not cool).

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I am going to Pakistan in 3.5 weeks or something like that and I am utterly too excited for wearing pretty clothes and getting my hair did and mehndi and being actually legitimately a part of a big fat desi wedding. Also, 15 days away from my desk is enough incentive for me to travel just about anywhere with anyone and do anything in anyplace.

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Why am I still awake. Damn you wet hair.