tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-628024214362367092024-03-05T12:31:30.456+05:30Adventures in IndiaFour Oklahoma natives travel from one Indian Territory to another...and record their adventures along the way.Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.comBlogger193125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-28792596591111099722014-02-05T06:53:00.002+05:302014-02-05T06:53:50.037+05:30The Indian Dragon Book!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Most of you probably know by now that I write novels featuring dragons, and humor, and other fun things. My first book, Never Deal with Dragons, released July 22, 2013 and featured a woman named Myrna who worked as a mediator in a dragon-human arbitration office. Cover below:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15eSPHUVS_JM57hTtEXx7pKexzP61GNZA2giruFiZkIKsIUf-HEyacrr8SiB03rqBuv6cRMoU851YxofeJ4ZNu8dVhcv-9NfFPgh9nPoe026-39_70deV9rr2FkIu1fSYtxqGpRBcjg/s1600/Never+Deal+with+Dragons+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15eSPHUVS_JM57hTtEXx7pKexzP61GNZA2giruFiZkIKsIUf-HEyacrr8SiB03rqBuv6cRMoU851YxofeJ4ZNu8dVhcv-9NfFPgh9nPoe026-39_70deV9rr2FkIu1fSYtxqGpRBcjg/s1600/Never+Deal+with+Dragons+Cover.jpg" height="320" width="202" /></a></div>
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Anyway, the second book in the series releases March 17, 2014, and I'm kinda interested in what you think...because the main character in this book, Carol, spends a good amount of time in Bangalore. I tried to capture a bit of the expat fun of exploring a new country in it...though she doesn't manage to "smell the roses" as much as I was able to do while there. (She's being chased by dragons most of the time - ha!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRLl4aAqoWWDDL4273W7XyVC5Iknt8yqpXk6oq7EewGSrz8r8YHYoYNLi-5OGOnTUJZ_tmhVMeoqZnxXuoa8kw5fHO5mgvYJ60CKIyoPAvcdoeU2y_POPmNBxeayV6M2ONOw-JIX9iA/s1600/DancingWithDragons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRLl4aAqoWWDDL4273W7XyVC5Iknt8yqpXk6oq7EewGSrz8r8YHYoYNLi-5OGOnTUJZ_tmhVMeoqZnxXuoa8kw5fHO5mgvYJ60CKIyoPAvcdoeU2y_POPmNBxeayV6M2ONOw-JIX9iA/s1600/DancingWithDragons.jpg" height="320" width="202" /></a></div>
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I'm not posting buy links, because that's not the purpose of this blog, but if these books are something that looks fun, you can find them on Amazon, or you can read excerpts on my author page, http://lorendac.com</div>
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Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-74155793965129056582014-01-08T21:21:00.000+05:302014-01-08T21:21:56.009+05:30Things I Forgot to Mention<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So, my good friend Josh (from <a href="http://www.boardgamereviewsbyjosh.com/">Board Game Reviews by Josh</a> - you should check it out. He's awesome. And an excellent writer. He should totally be a published author (like me) - except that he only writes about board games. Oh, and did I mention that he's typing this?) came and visited us. He suggested that there were a few things that I "missed" on my previous posts. Anyway, here's the "short" list:
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In the bathroom:</h3>
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<li>Toilets are different. Specifically, they don't like to flush toilet paper down the toilet - it takes about 2 gallons of water (or more) for a normal flush.</li>
<li>Urinals sometimes flush when you walk up to them. Before you pee. (Ok, I can't blame her for not knowing this one.)</li>
<li>The entire bathroom is an entire tiled unit. When you shower, everything gets soaked - toilet, floor, etc.</li>
<li>You have to turn the hot water heater on. Well - at least if you want hot water.</li>
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On the TV:</h3>
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<li>Shows start and end at random times. It might run from 12:28-12:54.</li>
<li>Shows aren't 30 minutes. They're as long as they feel like being.</li>
<li>They give you a countdown on when the commercials are finished (ok, that one's kinda cool).</li>
<li>The commercials are really, <i>really, </i><b style="font-style: italic;">really</b> loud</li>
<li>They let you know what season of a show you're watching - such as "Seinfeld Season 6 comes on at 11:00 PM".</li>
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At the Pharmacy:</h3>
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<li>Apparently Sudafed is banned. Maybe. They at least kept saying that it was banned</li>
<li>A pharmacy may or many not have the medicine you want - in fact, they may or may not have the medicine that they're advertising on the wall of the pharmacy. That one was especially odd.</li>
<li>They write your name on the receipt as if it were a prescription pad. Just your first name, though. This seems to serve very little purpose.</li>
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Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-63996762020343648422013-03-08T15:09:00.000+05:302013-03-08T15:09:00.172+05:30Some Days, Bathing Just Ain't Worth the Effort<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last night, I stayed up late working on revisions for the book being published by Carina Press in July. As a result, I was in bed later than usual. I got up and did a few things, played with the kids, and then called Jason to see whether he'd be interested in joining us for lunch somewhere. I told him I needed to shower first, and I'd call him as we left the apartment. <div>
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Grabbing a towel, I told the kids where I was headed and turned on the faucet. I was in a bit of a hurry, since I knew Jason was waiting on us, so I jumped under the water while it was still a bit cool, and wet my hair so I could shampoo out yesterday's hair gel.</div>
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I had a nice lather going on my head when all of the sudden the water went from lukewarm to HOT! Hissing as I rinsed the soap from my hands in the boiling water, I made sure to keep the rest of my delicate skin from coming into contact with the volcano water as I frantically adjusted the faucets. But nothing I did seemed to help. The water just wouldn't cool down.</div>
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And then it hit me...as the apartment managing committee had warned, we were out of water. Everything pouring on me was coming straight from the small hot water heater attached to the wall above the toilet.</div>
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And I had a head full of soap. Fantastic. I wasn't finished boiling--uh, I mean rinsing--my scalp when I ran out of hot water too. So there I was, body freezing due to the original dampening from the lukewarm "pipe" water, and my hands and head stinging from my attempts to get the shampoo out.</div>
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I ended up going to the downstairs guest bathroom. Of course, we don't keep the water heater on down there, so it was another cold shower. But - I was able to rinse the soap out. So sue me, but I didn't shave my legs.</div>
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The good news is, with the warm India sun, I was nice and toasty by the time I got dressed and we picked up Jason.</div>
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But I gotta tell 'ya, some days bathing just ain't worth the effort.</div>
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Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-31088776683889885282013-03-06T17:43:00.000+05:302013-03-06T17:43:00.287+05:30Typical Traffic Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In case you were wondering how people dealt with busy streets and less stringent traffic laws, I thought I'd take a short video clip of a typical Bangalore intersection. This isn't exceptionally busy, but you can still see that driving in India requires your complete attention. Bicycles, motorcycles, cars, auto rickshaws, tractors, and cows - everyone is welcome.<br />
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But since I didn't catch a cow on film this time, I thought I'd add one (not recorded by me) here.<br />
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Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-71828190919028515282013-03-03T16:26:00.001+05:302013-03-03T16:26:45.533+05:30Airtel, You're Killing Me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One thing I will be very glad to see when I return to US soil? Better customer service. I know, I know, those of you in the US are laughing right now.<br />
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But the one thing capitalism has done for America is give businesses just one small reason to keep customers happy. Because if we're unhappy with the service, there's (generally) 2-3 competitors we can move our business to.<br />
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Here in Bangalore? Not the case.<br />
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You've heard me complain about our dropped internet lines before, so I'll spare you the same ol' song and dance. In short, one of our internet lines stopped working (again), we called a repairman (again), he came (again), and then left without fixing the broken line. In addition, he caused the one working line to stop as well. So now, out of two lines (both of which we are still required to pay for) we have 0 Internet.<br />
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I'm typing this sitting in Jason's office.<br />
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The irritating thing about this? We have no alternative but to keep paying Airtel for their "service." There isn't really another option.<br />
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We have a third Internet line through a cable provider, but it goes down more often than Airtel, and we don't even have any contact information to lodge a complaint. I have to wait until the guys come to collect my monthly fee. Yes, that's right. We can't mail our payment. They send someone to our door to collect. Weird for a telecommunications company, right? (How much do you want to bet it's because internet payments aren't reliable because the internet is down too often - HA!)<br />
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I try to remind myself that internet connectivity is a luxury, not a need. Until I remember that this past week, we haven't had reliable running water, either.<br />
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....so, there really isn't an actual point to this blog, other than to say "be nice to your internet providers" to all my US friends and family, because you don't know how good you have it.</div>
Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-76472661289555649812013-02-20T19:34:00.002+05:302013-02-20T19:35:35.952+05:30State War!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
And you thought disagreements between US states over water were interesting.<br />
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Karnataka, the state Bangalore is located, possesses a cauvery system that supplies a neighboring Indian state (Tamil Nadu) with water. Rain has been in short supply here in Bangalore, and summer is fast approaching.<br />
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Karnataka has decided there isn't enough water to supply themselves in addition to Tamil Nadu, so they are repeatedly ignoring the Federal government's requests to release water to TN.<br />
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In addition to a 2-day strike, today and tomorrow, it seems TN has urged motorists not to cross the state border with their TN tags, and have stopped bus service.<br />
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I, from the safety of my own home, find this process fascinating. As an American, I've been raised on stories of state disagreements settled in court, or with the "help" (*cough, cough) of the Federal government if needed.<br />
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So to watch how a country with an iffy/inefficient court system attempts to solve disputes is really quite interesting.<br />
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<a href="http://www.deccanherald.com/content/313493/cauvery-dispute-tn-buses-karnataka.html">http://www.deccanherald.com/content/313493/cauvery-dispute-tn-buses-karnataka.html</a></div>
Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-48415629357667049812013-02-12T18:47:00.000+05:302013-02-12T18:47:04.146+05:30Naan - Batman's Favorite Indian Bread<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-41990370590172019482013-01-24T11:18:00.003+05:302013-01-24T11:19:19.368+05:30I'm Living a Hitchcock Movie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Remember <a href="http://blog.jl2t.com/2011/10/story-of-cannibal-lizard.html" target="_blank">this</a> post? Where I talk about being threatened by a lizard? Well, it's that season again, because the little monsters are yet again invading our home. In an effort not to scare my children, I've done my best to play it cool when they point out the reptile spying on us from the wall or ceiling, saying, "Yeah, I see that. Daddy will be home soon and we'll ask him to catch it." But that's not the only piece of Indian nature trying to scare us.<br />
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Don't get me wrong. I like birds. They're not my first choice for a pet, but they definitely rank far above snakes or lizards. But here in India, they can be really, really, scary.<br />
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On our apartment complex's announcement board, they refer to the oodles of pigeons that hang around day after day as the "pigeon menace". The phrasing made me laugh. Until the pigeons started to look menacing. One day, I asked my youngest to go put his empty plate in the sink. Our sink is located in a small washroom porch that is open to the outside.<br />
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When I heard him scream and start to cry, I ran over to see what had happened. Apparently, two of the pigeons had set up a love shack behind the dryer, and when Tyler opened the door, he startled them. It's a little difficult for the birds to fit behind the dryer, and they have to exit through a small opening near the floor, so by the time they were "out", the wings were flapping hard, right around poor Tyler's head.<br />
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They've done it to me a few times as well, and something flapping around your face when you weren't expecting anything does raise the ol' heart rate a tad.<br />
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Needless to say, we're not fond of our new squatters, especially since they fly around the drying rack I use for my clean dishes. So when Jason found a pigeon egg and the beginnings of a leaf nest, we knew it was time to do something. Jason found a company that specializes in curtains and blinds, and he had them come up and give us an estimate on a set. With everything included, it came out to about 100 USD (yes, we still convert everything in our head to USD to judge "reasonableness") and figured it was a somewhat small price to pay for clean dishes, a clean washer and dryer (did I mention they poop EVERYWHERE), and a delay on the inevitable talk about "the birds and the bees" with my youngest boy. (He already asked me "What does love-nest mean?" when I used the term when telling Jason about his attack.)<br />
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Our blinds were promised today, I'll let you know later whether that was an actual "today" or an "Indian today."</div>
Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-7245673199986818352012-12-12T01:24:00.004+05:302012-12-12T03:03:50.035+05:30Am I a Feminist?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've never particularly felt as if I needed to defend my rights as a woman. Most of this probably stems from the fact that I've been lucky to grow up and work with people who are not chauvinistic, and coupled with my own personality (I'm happy being a non-leader, and a support system for my family). I work outside of the home, and have never experienced a situation in which I felt somehow "less" because of my sex.<br />
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Frequently I will see groups fighting for increased women's rights, but I admit that while I support the great majority of these groups in concept, I've never been driven to participate. But even I, one of the more laid back and non-confrontational people you'll ever meet, had to raise my eyebrow at the sign Jason snapped a picture of near Sony World in Kormongala.<br />
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Did you see it? "Don't Talk While She Drives" Really? May I direct your attention <a href="http://www.sirc.org/publik/driving_risk.shtml" target="_blank">here</a>? Actually, this kind of stuff makes me laugh, but I am reminded of the differences between India and the US when I see this type of advertising. Marketing professionals in the US would know to expect a lot of flak from certain groups; here in India, I've never heard a complaint. </div>
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Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-74286655761804821032012-11-27T23:19:00.002+05:302012-12-12T03:03:00.979+05:30A Quick Update - With a Link<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Just wanted to let everyone know that the entire Christensen family is now in the United States, visiting family for the holiday season. Jason will head back to the Garden City in a couple of weeks, while the kids and I will return shortly after Christmas.<br />
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On a completely unrelated topic, here's another Onam video. This was a martial arts demonstration of the traditional Kerala sword and shield moves, called the Ankathari<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">.</span></span><br />
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Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-79634479873714031872012-10-24T11:02:00.000+05:302012-10-24T11:02:00.139+05:30The Ladies of Nagarjuna - Onam 2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I finally got around to uploading my video from Onam, so for the next few posts, I'll be sharing links. Today's link is a video of the ladies of Nagarjuna as they perform a traditional Kerala dance for our apartment's Onam celebration. I hope you enjoy!<br />
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Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-226941184285900182012-10-17T18:45:00.000+05:302012-10-17T18:45:00.093+05:30Onam 2012 - Photos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Our apartment complex had another great Onam program, and this year I managed to get a few videos as well as pictures. But first, I thought I'd share a few photos of the occasion, starting with this year's pookalam competition. I am so glad I wasn't part of the judging panel this year, because I felt like all of these looked twice as good as <a href="http://blog.jl2t.com/2011/10/random-photo-friday-pookalam-results.html" target="_blank">last year</a>.<br />
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Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-10873125459245347992012-10-12T18:15:00.001+05:302012-10-12T18:16:48.306+05:30ComicCon in Bangalore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So I'm a nerd. And a geek. And I'm really into SciFi and Fantasy stuff. Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Lord of the Rings, Buffy - you name it, and if it has robots or magic in it, I probably like it.<br />
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So I've always had a not-so-secret wish to attend one of the many ComicCon events in the US. Unfortunately, there's never been one near Tulsa, so I've never had the opportunity to go. Until now. Bangalore Hosted a ComicCon! Look! An overweight, Indian Wolverine!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWv4C-WXoIJN-GmzZ5ExkgrcaT0Tlsrl1QEWZ56yYYZUiIgMerybQwbVK1mtbVcGi_p2d0DIj23IdPs_UnOxGOxTK1gHm76olHHR3XhlIXHvpD2C-GGAjHvQ-UGe4QdsRhUGbMUN-wSg/s1600/DSC00253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWv4C-WXoIJN-GmzZ5ExkgrcaT0Tlsrl1QEWZ56yYYZUiIgMerybQwbVK1mtbVcGi_p2d0DIj23IdPs_UnOxGOxTK1gHm76olHHR3XhlIXHvpD2C-GGAjHvQ-UGe4QdsRhUGbMUN-wSg/s320/DSC00253.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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While there wasn't much to see at this ComicCon - the floor space for the entire Con was about the size of a basketball court, and many of the Comics shown were from the Indian Comic Industry, which I am not familiar with at all - I was still very glad that I went, if only to see what it was like.<br />
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There were a few heroes that my boys recognized:<br />
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But the thing I thought was the coolest was a man who brought his collection of rare comics. These were not for sale, but there was a copy of the Wizard of Oz - a comic - written in Sanskrit (I don't know which Indian language). Very neat.<br />
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There were a few teenagers dressed up, and I recognized one of them as the Joker from Batman, but the others must have been Indian comic characters. All in all though, I was glad Jason stopped and let me look around. My first ComicCon!<br />
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Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-38878280754453677802012-10-02T16:07:00.002+05:302012-10-12T18:16:21.439+05:30Why? And Other American Phrases<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've noticed there are certain phrases that I use that aren't as familiar here in India as they are in the United States, and on many occasions garner me confused or amused looks from those I come in contact with.<br />
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This phenomenon was expected. In fact, one of my most-enjoyed twitter hashtags (the twitter trending list is based on geography, so I see India trends) was a list of Indian sayings that didn't translate properly to English. It stands to reason there are a few American sayings that, without the context of culture, probably seem downright weird.<br />
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But the word I've had the most trouble with is <b><i>WHY?</i></b><br />
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"Why?" do you ask? (Sorry, the smart humor took a break today.) The answer to this question is "I'm not sure."<br />
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I'd mentioned before the issues we've had with getting a reliable internet connection. Well, when one of our lines went down and stayed down for more than a week, we took the plunge and called the DSL company. He went through the usual explanation that our wires were being crossed in the wall, and it was causing one of our lines not to work.<br />
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Before, this reason made sense to me. But since we've had an electrician replace ALL of the wires in our flat with new, AND both DSL lines were working properly - together - for over two months, I didn't understand how this wiring issue comes and goes.<br />
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Now don't get me wrong - I'm not in any sense an electrician - I'm not questioning the fact that this may indeed be the real reason for our issues, but when I asked <b>why</b> this is a problem now but it wasn't two months ago, I was hoping the technician could explain the problem to me.<br />
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He couldn't. In fact, I'm not sure he understood my question. (And for the record, he spoke excellent English)<br />
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I tried to rephrase the <b>why </b>into a <b>how, </b>but that didn't help either.<br />
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The DSL company isn't the only group who I've had this problem with.<br />
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When my parents visited India, my mother and father took my children down to the swimming pool. They were dressed in the same swimwear they've always worn since our move here - swim trunks and a shirt bought in the US.<br />
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But today, the security guard decided their outfits were not proper swimming costumes. My mother asked the same question of the guard: <b>WHY? </b>Why were these okay for the first year and a half we've lived here, but not now? What has changed that makes these improper?<br />
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She received another blank stare and a request that my boys change their suits.<br />
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To be honest, I'm really confused by this. Is this cultural?<br />
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At the arcade we take the boys to regularly, they suddenly wanted me to sign a book every time I refilled the game card, every time I turned in tickets, and every time I exchanged tickets for prizes. Just out of curiosity, I wondered why they needed this information when it was also collected by the cash register. I asked, and I received another blank stare?<br />
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I've noticed that generally Indians do not like telling someone no, and on several occasions this has led to frustration on my part, not because I need to hear a yes, but I need to know one way or another so I can plan for it. To the taxi - "Will you be able to pick me up at X o'clock?" If the answer is no, that's perfectly fine. What time is better?<br />
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Is the "why?" question another form of this? Are the people I'm speaking with afraid that an explanation of the reasons behind a decision will make me angry?<br />
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My answer to this is "no". The great majority of the time, I'm simply trying to gather information so I can decide what needs to be done.<br />
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My only theory on this is how primary and secondary schools are run in the US. In the younger grades, there are a lot of things that simply must be learned by rote: the alphabet, multiplication tables, etc. But even from an early age, children are taught to problem solve: "Uh oh, Mr. Bear is stuck. What should he do?"<br />
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Maybe Indian schools are not formatted this way. I of course do not know this for sure, as we are homeschooling our children. Jason has mentioned this is one thing he has really started focusing on in his job interviews with new employees, and he'll readily admit that the ability to problem solve is second in importance only to the potential hire's English language skills.<br />
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So what is it we are doing wrong? Why do people here avoid answering this question? Is it because they don't know the answer? Or because my tone suggests I'm angry? I'd love to hear your thoughts, because I feel as if I am insulting them by asking this question, and it is the last thing I want to do.</div>
Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-12081814421081248742012-09-21T23:06:00.002+05:302012-09-21T23:06:54.220+05:30Random Photo Friday - Friends and Family in India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjg6dyGl9NwHlwb5pfhq10RC3DzlOaLSAKPNuvo94d_i6cS4bFPFJ7tmqntWy962dywRmsNsZl6fFjG_ZFNHoIAu57QaWg6pgq-1K_SEgtAQW8qLFWNrsJ1BBYUPIb3uOsNoWuEtBvgQ/s1600/DSC00280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjg6dyGl9NwHlwb5pfhq10RC3DzlOaLSAKPNuvo94d_i6cS4bFPFJ7tmqntWy962dywRmsNsZl6fFjG_ZFNHoIAu57QaWg6pgq-1K_SEgtAQW8qLFWNrsJ1BBYUPIb3uOsNoWuEtBvgQ/s320/DSC00280.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Eating Time!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAeVIWioJqJL6VbwB8OEilIOORtDg-SptxF8lF7jL7LSTuJdOpwm-YqCwKzPPMS7UV0tIlb1AJiQtfhEjYU0yHfPh7BFKS8vHisrOK6NwA3Su2PT2XpVU7OqaL-86jUUGjReQYyVA7uw/s1600/DSC00285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAeVIWioJqJL6VbwB8OEilIOORtDg-SptxF8lF7jL7LSTuJdOpwm-YqCwKzPPMS7UV0tIlb1AJiQtfhEjYU0yHfPh7BFKS8vHisrOK6NwA3Su2PT2XpVU7OqaL-86jUUGjReQYyVA7uw/s320/DSC00285.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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"Lady's Finger" (Okra for all you Oklahomans)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvftAjbm5fdYVsYwlhesf89xxfFYwfgU51crYJ_qwSrAbqc2xfeB9r8skSsDdYSbX9AOII7_LlsCXSFM5hUwPJOmOULITybmkDofoKm7VTBjaggzZTOf_E4kbQ2cO944g2G91JGL75g/s1600/DSC00299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvftAjbm5fdYVsYwlhesf89xxfFYwfgU51crYJ_qwSrAbqc2xfeB9r8skSsDdYSbX9AOII7_LlsCXSFM5hUwPJOmOULITybmkDofoKm7VTBjaggzZTOf_E4kbQ2cO944g2G91JGL75g/s320/DSC00299.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Comfy Rugs</div>
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Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-37833814678663864982012-09-03T17:56:00.000+05:302012-09-09T23:45:27.701+05:30Is [Food Item] Available in India?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When trying to make my decision to move to Bangalore, I wondered a lot about the food and grocery experience, and whether, if I didn't like Indian food (I'd never tried it before the move), I would starve for lack of other options.<br />
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First of all, this ended up not being a large concern. While there are dishes I'll never be a fan of, I've certainly found some favorite Indian meals as well. So I thought I'd share a link to an online grocery store here in Bangalore. We haven't used this service (it's delivery to your flat or house), based on a quick look they stock the same things I find in physical grocery stores here, so it will at least give you an idea of whether you can get [food item] in India.</div>
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<a href="http://bigbasket.com/">http://bigbasket.com</a>
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And, thank you to mergingtwoworlds, who in the comments recommended another online grocery that serves South and East Bangalore.<br />
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<a href="http://www.zopnow.com/">http://www.zopnow.com/</a>
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Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-77988280661884678512012-08-30T15:43:00.002+05:302012-08-30T15:43:53.632+05:30Bruised but not Broken<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Since Monday, I've been limping around the apartment due to an unfortunate misstep while going down the stairs. I basically slid down three of them on my left heel. I barely had enough time to congratulate myself on staying upright when the pain started.<br />
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Ever since then, I've had no trouble using the foot, but I'm unable to put any weight on my heel at all. (knifing pain = bad). So long as I walk on the ball of my foot only, there's no pain. Today, I got out of bed, and having forgotten about my injury, I started walking as I normally do.<br />
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OUCH! It hadn't seemed to heal at all.<br />
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I decided to have a doctor take a look, just to make sure half of my heel bone wasn't floating around unattached down there.<br />
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So here's story of my very first India Dr. appointment. I called a medical center we drive by almost every day, and told the lady about my ankle, and asked whether they had anyone who could look at it. She set up an appointment at 1:30 pm. A photo of the waiting room. Don't we all look so happy? (It's just like home :) )<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeeDY__L6zcu8kFYGhgWQ1jaPUhArh6HJcws1uVNo8WYXcHHt5wkeoLrnhnkNS1aNxWyVaoE9JWufG0nFrlSmn-HqHxbKRp67FSdqLlO9Yl-QzJZndQFGYfiqXjCDPZ5dwqGcCDAMqxw/s1600/wait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeeDY__L6zcu8kFYGhgWQ1jaPUhArh6HJcws1uVNo8WYXcHHt5wkeoLrnhnkNS1aNxWyVaoE9JWufG0nFrlSmn-HqHxbKRp67FSdqLlO9Yl-QzJZndQFGYfiqXjCDPZ5dwqGcCDAMqxw/s320/wait.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Forty five minutes after my 1:30 appointment time, I was still sitting here. (Also just like home. ) But when the doctor was finally free, he poked around on my heel, I yelped in pain, and he sent me downstairs to x-ray. </div>
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The cool part in India? You get to keep your x-rays. They took one from the top (not sure why), and from the side. Behold, my bones.</div>
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And with my superior Paint skills, I've highlighted the ouchie.</div>
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The doctor looked at the x-rays, and pronounced me a bad candidate for amputation, and recommended I take some anti-inflammatory and pain meds and shut up. I thought that sounded like a pretty good idea. All in all this was a good experience, but I must admit -- the very best part of being in India was the bill. </div>
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We carry what we consider 'emergency insurance' here in India, which means we purchased a plan that will cover hospital stays only. The rest of our medical expenses are 100% out of pocket. In the United States, this would be a very bad thing, as x-rays can run $250 and up.</div>
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My total bill for today's visit? (Two x-rays and consultation charge) - 700 rupees (about $14). I thought about asking them to go ahead and x-ray everything, so I could build a cool paper skeleton from the scans.</div>
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Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-84873516674785103072012-08-29T18:51:00.000+05:302012-09-21T23:07:25.173+05:30Happy Onam!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I had a GOOD lunch today! Served on the traditional banana leaf...<br />
My neighbor once again hosted an Onam lunch, and was nice enough to invite me and the kids. (Poor Jason had to work.) The food was delicious, and I was happy to note that my palate has adjusted somewhat to life in India, because I remember all of this being VERY spicy. (To be fair, the ginger/chili curry still brought tears to my eyes - but everything else was bearable.)<br />
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Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-65269159722776792372012-08-20T19:03:00.002+05:302012-08-20T19:04:01.836+05:30Is it Weird the Tigers Were the Calm Part.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A calmer video from the zoo trip. The tigers on the Grand Safari.<br />
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<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/F_Z8I-yekPE/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/F_Z8I-yekPE?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/F_Z8I-yekPE?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-88062203033013080912012-08-19T00:21:00.002+05:302012-08-19T01:24:32.570+05:30Someone Has a Coke Addiction<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We went back to the Bannerghatta Zoo this weekend just to get out of the house. The weather was perfect, nice and cool, and we had a good time. We stopped by the area where the monkeys hung out, and were enjoying ourselves immensely. That is, until the larger, meaner, male monkeys took exception to me filming them. We got into a small scuffle, and I'm sad to admit, I was out-intimidated and allowed Jason's Coke to be stolen once again.<br />
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Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-70805523677309760802012-08-15T18:08:00.001+05:302012-08-20T19:04:13.679+05:30Happy Birthday India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today is India's Independence Day.<br />
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We chose to celebrate with ice cream.<br />
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Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-70166305162915174502012-08-13T16:16:00.000+05:302012-08-13T16:16:00.065+05:30Bear With Me, I'm Grumpy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For the past week or so, I've been in a bit of a funk. For no single reason, I'm irritable, non-social, and listless. And so what I'm about to say is probably not accurate, and odds are, not even true in most cases.<br />
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People are selfish.<br />
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And lately, this pervasive attitude has really started to bother me.<br />
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Do I think people are selfish only in India? No. But with all the social norms I've grown up with, and am now living apart from, I think this truth is easier for me to see here.<br />
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When people choose to lie to me instead of give me bad news.<br />
When people push my children on the ground because they're in a hurry to leave an elevator.<br />
When people stare at me blankly and suddenly forget the English they were just using when I ask about things I'm missing in a food order, or when I ask for change from an auto driver.<br />
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A few years ago, I struggled to survive in a bad work environment. When I finally decided the stress and frustration was beginning to affect my health and home life, I quit. And when I told a friend of my decision, she said, "You gotta do what's good for you." I nodded in agreement, and it wasn't until I was on my way home that I started thinking that maybe she wasn't right after all.<br />
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Because you see - I left that job quickly. I went down to the HR department, gave them my resignation, and then told them that while I would abide by policy and give them two more weeks if they required it, I would strongly prefer that they allow today to be my last day.<br />
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I left several teammates in a lurch that day - and heaped the very same stress I'd decided I couldn't handle onto their already burdened shoulders. In truth, I was selfish.<br />
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I mention this only to say that in the grand scheme of things, I am one of the most selfish people you will ever meet. But lately I wish we could all be a little more honest, and open, and just plain nice to one another. That for one moment each day, we really make an effort to place ourselves in the shoes of the person standing next to us, and ask what we can do to make their life easier.<br />
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So the next time I have to pick twelve items from a menu before I find one that they actually have in stock, I'm not going to get angry. I'm going to smile, and say thank you, and try my best to be the happy part of someone's day, instead of just another customer.<br />
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Because the truth is, I'm just being selfish. And the world could use a little less of that attitude.</div>Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-71127604961814125332012-08-06T18:30:00.000+05:302012-08-20T19:04:32.185+05:30Electrical Problems in India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Jason posted this on Facebook, but just in case you missed it, I thought I'd share it here. Remember seeing the news about 6.something million people losing power in India due to a couple of failures in their infrastructure? Luckily, Bangalore was not affected.<br />
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But...Jason may have captured a clue as to what the issue is...<br />
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You tell me? Is electrical equipment supposed to be this - flamey?<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XW5ovZevf_0" width="420"></iframe></div>Lorendahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17874101070837077093noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-61478608483360505802012-07-31T11:28:00.002+05:302012-08-03T10:35:37.091+05:30Golden Heart Winner<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
You may be aware that my awesome wife was a finalist in RWA's Golden Heart competition. So it gives me great joy to announce that she was the winner in her category!!<br />
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Yea!!!<br />
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<a href="http://www.rwa.org/cs/2012RITAGH">http://www.rwa.org/cs/2012RITAGH</a>
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Thought I'd add a link to the speech my sister helped me write. It got me a couple of requests for my manuscript, so bravo Andy!<br />
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<a href="http://lorendac.com/2012-golden-heart-acceptance-speech/">http://lorendac.com/2012-golden-heart-acceptance-speech/</a>
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<br /></div>JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14487821057428106307noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62802421436236709.post-16933001131319501292012-07-23T13:47:00.000+05:302012-07-23T13:47:00.528+05:30Safety May be Good for You, but it Sure Ain't Fun<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I remember spending hours on the Hodgen School playground in Elementary school. Spinning on the merry-go-round, swinging on the swings, and being launched through the air from the Teeter-Totters by my good friend Kari. I also remember the solid metal slide. You know, the one whose surface had been rubbed to a fine polish by years' worth of elementary-sized bottoms. And the one my classmate Alisha eventually fell off and broke her arm.<br />
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Ouch.<br />
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Since I was young, safety standards for playground equipment has really evolved. No more metal slides - they're plastic now. The Teeter-Totters are smaller, and less-able to launch children into the upper atmosphere. And the hard gravel or dirt surfaces have in some cases been replaced by sand or that weird recycled tire stuff.<br />
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Not so in India. Okay, sure, the ground at this playground was covered in nice, soft sand. And there wasn't a slide in sight. But take a look at this picture and tell me what you see. Go ahead, double-click and get a closer view.<br />
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Yes folks, the bottom half of this piece of equipment is totally rusted away. And very very sharp. But you know what? My kids LOVED playing here. And I've gotta say, all the climbing toys looked like a lot of fun. But you can bet I'm glad all of our tetanus shots are up to date. </div>
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