I sat on the old stone wall that jutted out from the changing room and watched the tall guy lifeguard with hair that was longer in the front than in the back scoop leaves out of the tranquil pool. Over to the right, past the chain linked fence and cart path, beyond the swaying rushes, was the Hudson River. From my vantage point I could even see a tiny section of the Tappan Zee Bridge through the low branches of the surrounding forest. That spot under the eaves of the stone changing room was the only place where I could both [View Full Entry]

---

---

This is a Love Marriage, not an Arranged Marriage I spent my junior year abroad in the Indian city of Madurai, located in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Whereas in America my dirty blond hair and unspectacular looks often made me feel unseen, in India I stood out. Every time I walked down a crowded road children and adults alike would stop and stare. I was an outsider; no matter how much I tried to fit in, I was a “Vellicari,” a rich white man. In Madurai, I learned Tamil, took Indian cooking lessons, and prayed to Indian Gods [View Full Entry]

---

---

Empty Truth "But I'm still interested in sex," Raj replied, averting his eyes. "Sex is submitting to your desires,” Adam told him. At some point you are going to have to decide whether you want to be governed by your desires or whether you are going to overcome them." Adam spoke slowly and severely, as if analyzing his words, while still in the thought process, for any negative influences. Adam lowered his voice, conscious of the other students who all appeared to be asleep in the van. He sat against the back window next to Raj. Emily and Laura had [View Full Entry]

---

---

“You start out every sentence with ‘yo’”, Jane said half joking, half appalled. “I don’t know how you expect anyone to take you seriously.” “I don’t know, it’s natural,” I defended. “It’s not like this is a classroom or anything.” Jane and I were lying in the grass outside of a towering cement building on the campus of University of Wisconsin-Madison. We were out on lunch from the Tamil classes we were taking to prepare us for our upcoming year abroad in India. Although we were both white, upper class [View Full Entry]

---

---

"If you do not suffer now, you will suffer the rest of your life," David hissed in my ear as I bent painfully backwards as far as my body would allow. David, the Bikram yoga instructor had been transformed the second we entered into the one hundred and twenty degree room. Outside he had been shy and unassuming, and with just about as much presence as pounds on his body. There seemed to be very few of either. Pain coursed through my lower back and knifed its way down to my upper legs. This guy is crazy, I thought to myself. [View Full Entry]

---

---

A Worthy Sacrifice "Fuck you and your fucking God damned religion", the man, now fully through the gaping front door, screamed. Behind the anger, barely noticeable, he stifled a sob. He grabbed the door handle and, transferring his rage, slammed the door. The warm yellow light from inside evaporated. Howls from worried neighborhood dogs rose instantly, disrupting the deep summer night stillness. The young man, long black hair tattered from sweat, turned to the street, took two steps across the sidewalk, but stopped suddenly. He turned, bent over and, now standing with rock in hand [View Full Entry]

---

---

This is an essay about elevators. I feel like we all get kind of uneasy in them. Here I explore why. What do you think? All critque is not only weclomes but solicited. You enter the hotel lobby. Set into the back wall, the grey doors of an elevator sit solemnly. Four people stand facing the doors as if looking at an altar. You walk up to them. Upon hearing your advancing footsteps, a dark haired woman of about forty turns towards you just enough to look you up and down without making eye contact. You look back at her. Having [View Full Entry]

---

---

Worlds Apart Worlds apart. Here I am. There you are. Can never be. "I cry every night because you will leave" "Don't open this package until I'm gone" "Mom, my heart and my mind are completely at odds" "Nate, I trust you" "Your heart and your mind are completely at odds" "What do I do?" "Open your heart Shakra" "I knew you were coming back today, I knew you were coming around the corner just then" "Nate, she could learn English in two years" "Do you understand the significance of what you just said?" "Yes" "Mom, I'm going to marry [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hey, Here is a personal essay/story that I wrote last eyar and have since doctored up. But... I need help on it. I dont think it flows well and I think this is largely because when I first wrote the story I solely intended to tell the story of Raja. December was my “winter break”; a time to get away from Madurai, to be a normal tourist, to blend in. Five months of living in Madurai, India had tired me out in mind, body and soul. Thus, I decided to take a break from the real India. My escape was the [View Full Entry]

---

---

Top of the morning to you! Im enjoying having a blog again and feeling like I can have some sort of connection with people who matter in my life. Firstly, emiliano sent me a really fantastic essay by Orhan Pamuk (it was actually an acceptance speech for the nobel prize) that Id like to sent on. the link is... http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2006/pamuk-lecture_en.html I added some people to the mailing list, so if you are reading my blog for the first time, I urge you to go back and read my last entry, entitled "a personal essay on Delhi". I consider that piece [View Full Entry]

---

---