Thank You Series - I

We all get helped several times without us really asking for it and at the right moment of time. Often, we don't get enough an opportunity to dwell on those incidents or thank the people involved enough. I decided to do it a a series - try recollecting as many such moments that I have had and put them into my blog. 

I land in the Hartford Bradley International airport. I pull out the quarters that my friend from Chennai had given me. She gave at least a $5 worth quarters (if I recollect proper!) primarily with a "been there, done it" kind of a look :) I find what is the purpose when I landed @ Hartford - coin phones. I need to make a call. I look around to see where the coin phones are located and find one. I am dropping in quarter after quarter and trying to call the number I had with me. Nothing worked. The coins were returned or got consumed without the actual call getting through. With a hopeless face, I look around. The airport was getting deserted by every passing minute. Only a pretty young lady was sitting on the chairs near the pay-phones. 

With much hesitance, I approached her and asked, "Ma'am, can you help me understand how to use this phone? I am new to the country and don't think I quite follow how to use it. While all I wanted was some help to use the phone, she took out her mobile, smiled at me and said, "You can use this to make your call..!!"  I took her phone with some hesitation too.. because I had the money to use the public phone but I just couldn't figure out how to use it..!! It was embarrassing that I had the money but didn't figure out how to use it for a pay phone. But anyways, could not do anything at that moment. Took it. Dialed my friend's number and spoke for split second asking him to come over as soon as possible. 

She gently smiled and told, "You needn't have been THAT fast on the phone.!!" I for one - do not know how expensive a call from a mobile can be. So, I blurted out things at a lightening speed to my friend. This wasn't the best part. She was with me until I told her I could really see my friend coming..!! Height of help that I got after landing in a foreign country. My many a thanks to that young and pretty lady (No, I am not using these adjectives because she helped me. She was young and pretty for real) 

The Highwayman

Sometimes, I think I should call myself as "The Highwayman". I don't ride up to an old inn door and probably lesser still is my chance of seeing the "landlord's black-eyed daughter, Bess the landlord's daughter"... maybe because I drive my car and not go "tlot-tlot" on my horse :p :p

 

During the Memorial Day (25th May 2009), I was driving on my way back from Ohio to New Jersey. Had to take a detour near a place called DuBois in PA. Good place it was, certainly. However, I believe we got stuck there at the wrong point in time. 

Given my not too past memories of getting a speeding ticket (more on that later!), it was an all out cautious drive. The speed limit for most part was 65 mph - a region where I might normally cruise at 80 mph. This time around, crossing 70 mph was a taboo. The already slow pace of travel notwithstanding, after a few hundred miles of travel, somewhere near the highest point on I-80, we hit a warning which said "Be prepared to stop. Roadwork for the next seventeen miles". Phew!! While every other vehicle was getting onto the left lane to merge and stay onto I-80, I gleefully touched the "detour" on the GPS.

"Recalculating", shouted that familiar lady voice, which would say "Drive ahead 100 ft and turn left" when I would have already crossed a mile from the point where she intends me to turn left :) There I was, taking an exit off to what seemed to me like a jungle. I had been at least two times earlier on I-80, both times driving from Ohio to Connecticut. But that was peak winter when the road to west was visible from the road to the east through those barren trees. Now, it was a bit different with the lush greenery. The west road was not visible from the east. And when I took the exit, I stopped at a signal where I couldn't even see the driveway.

"Turn left onto Pennsylvania 219 South" commanded the lady. I turned left. "Drive 3.5 miles and take left". And this was the place where the problem began for me. This is not a state highway. This didn't even look like a local road. It was all potholed and dusty. Mobile phones had already lost their signals - AT&T as well as T-Mobile.

I gently whispered to my friend Vinu, who seemed to be more lost in the winding roads to the woods than anything else, "Does 911 work from ANYWHERE in the United States??" That was the levels to which I was terrified. The road ahead was winding in all kinds of directions. We could see we were more like on a wild life safari. The headlights with a low beam just didn't help and I wasn't sure if I was allowed to turn the high beam on. We saw creatures (or should I say Vinu saw?) large and small crossing the roads.

I kept driving. I didn't know how much longer it might be before we hit some kind of a highway. The nearest town was something called "DuBois". I was in a state of despair and wanted to get there as quickly as possible. But that doesn't help. If it means that we need to be lost for a couple of more hours in this wilderness, nothing can be done about it..! 

After quite some time, I get in some township area. And what happens? I am again redirected - "drive 5 miles on so and so road"... I get onto the road, only to find that I am going from one wildlife safari experience to another. This road, I never even knew what was the speed limit. It had the dashed line markings permitting to pass which is a rarity as far as I know in my place at Connecticut. I was trying to keep myself to 40 mph when Vinu was stating I could try going at 50 mph at least. After quite a drive on the dark deserted highway, I hit some ramp for the I-80. All the while, thanks to my keen driving skills, I never noticed a truck was tailing me. I take the ramp to I-80 E. See a truck parked in the ramp. I stop. 

"Boooonk" came a sound. It was the truck behind me. I quick drive fast and get onto I-80 E. And thank God, it was SUCH a relief. Our mobile phones were still not having any signal. However, at least we are on a main road where we can pullover and seek assistance if need be.!!

After all these twists and turns, the lady in the car announced "Drive 125 miles on I-80 East" :) What a pleasure it was to merely HEAR TO IT after all these twists and turns through jungle pathways..!!

Musings from Milford - I

Sometimes, I feel I can easily take up one job - being the official ambassador for the Connecticut Silver Sands State Park in Milford. Don't get me wrong - many a times this has been a topic that runs through my mind - should I meet Gov. Jodi Rell and ask her if she can appoint me as one? Well.. I know.. if wishes were horses, then beggars would ride. Sigh!

It is not that I have too many visitors at my place. I have always been more out visiting people than the other way round. However, when people do come visiting me, I ensure they get two things for sure - food, a visit to the Silver Sands State Park..!!

Technically open until dusk, one might not able to come out of the place so easily..! The chilly breeze, the grassy patches, deers moving in and out (if you are lucky enough.!), the winding uphill and downhill country roads - all of them coupled with a sense of serenity would ensure that even the few moments you spend there would remain etched in your memory for eons to come!

There is a sandbar which helps one actually cross over to the island park. And of course, you find the long and short of it too - you better visit the place yourself to find out what I mean here than ask me! The sandbar supposedly gets flooded twice in a day and I am not entirely sure how - except for two times, every other time when I take visitors and friends with me, the sandbar would be invariably flooded..!! Probably, that is the way the big mighty Atlantic wants to show its love towards me - or so I wish to think!! :)

The next biggest attraction is a boardwalk - now, do not let imagination run riot. This boardwalk would hardly be a mile or so. Nevertheless, it is such a fine one I must say! Or at least, I am sure I cannot go over to the Atlantic City every other evening and it is certainly nice to find one right near your place! Neatly written on the path are boards which prohibit anyone from entering the area in their bicycles - something that has had me sad :( Or is it because it is supposed to be board"walk"? Whatever :p

There is something special about the car parking lot there I must say..!! It is a place where I managed to "coach" a few of my buddies how to drive and how to park ;) I would be a very demanding tutor - taking them around in mid-afternoon in the chilly winter and asking them to keep going round and round the lot and demand that they follow all the lane rules when it would be an open secret that one can hardly find someone loitering in the beach during a cold winter afternoon :) And they would promptly ask me - "What's the big deal about me driving when nobody is present,eh?" But my extreme self conscious behavior and a strong aversion to risk would only mean one thing - I got the license, so I can afford to mess up. Not you! Call it a concern or a far reaching and far fetched fear, whatever..!! :p

The ocean would always surprise me... On a bright day, it would be so blue that one would start wondering if there was some mass infusion of copper sulphate into the water! And during the evenings, at times, you would find quite an isolated section with such a flourishing growth of algae that it would transport me to the chemistry labs when I was fiddling with ferrous sulphate crystals that were given to me for experiments - more admiring the colour in it than thinking of the experiment that needs to be completed for the lab work! 

Ocean and waves are inseparable, aren't they? But instead of giving a picture as if it is beating itself and punishing itself for a grave crime, the waves on the water here are more like a soothing hands out to massage one's feet.  But beware, it shows its inner soul when its very touch would freeze you! :)

How can I miss to mention about how I get to the state park? Except for during the cold winters (when I had been there primarily as a driving coach than as a nature admirer!), I prefer walking down the road all the way - though it means it is almost a complete 1-2 miles off.

Signing off for now.

~ Ravi

Making a record with movies..!!

It should have been at least more than one and a half to two years by now and none of my ramblings are out yet on the blogspot. Decided to post one today..!!

I am not sure if I should really be thanking my roommate or cursing him for literally getting me into the path which would ultimately make me bear the title of a movie buff - something which I have consciously not got into until now..!

For the record, it has been something like a 20 movies in a span of 12 months for me. And believe me, that is a VERY VERY HUGE number by my standards. Add to it the ability of recognizing a Kate,Diaz or Ridley Scott..!!

Well, I have been fortunate enough to be getting only the best of the movies recommended for watching. I don't intend listing out the set of movies that I had managed to see, however, I wouldn't be able to do enough justice to the quality of recommendations if I do not list down a few of them.

Shawshank Redemption sounded so philosophical and moving. It had all the elements of a philosophical movie minus the boredom :) The dialogues are simply awesome.

Juno is another movie which was more oriented towards a social message of teenaged pregnancy. The very way it was depicted and carried through would definitely remain right through anyone who watches it.

The Holiday was something on a lighter vein. It was certainly a neat family story line, with the details spreading across into two different continents.

As good as it gets can only be what the name suggested - as good as it gets.! I would remember the actor more as Melvin Udall than his original name for more time to come..!!

The quantum of solace was the only bond movie that I saw and I must admit I am not a particularly big fan of bond movies. So, when I told my friend that the movie wasn't along expected lines for me, pat came his response "What was your expectation from a bond movie? :)"

I loved the 8 Mile for the kind of instant on the go rap. Eminem has always been a favourite of mine - especially with his one shot one opportunity.

Looking forward to post more of my rambles shortly.