Over St Louis:

Also, the minute I come home, I realize how many things have broken down, been disconnected, and so son….I have to rush around setting things right.

Sunset at Detroit airport.

Detroit Airport.

A sample list:

I crossed 60 on Oct 23, while I was in the US. This means that my driving licence, an important document, expired. I have to apply for a renewal within 30 days of its expiry, and the Regional Transport Office seems to have increased, not decreased, the paperwork involved. It took me 3 days to complete the paperwork, and I am now hoping that the new driving licence will be delivered properly at home by Registered Post (I do not know what will happen if I am away from home at the time the postman comes.)

Ready to leave American soil:

Windows where the faceless travellers sit: I had not booked a gas cylinder for the past 180 days, so, instead of praising my lack of consumption, Indane (the gas agency) locks my consumer account. I have to go there in person, twice, with a request letter, a proof of my address and id (a xerox copy of my passport pages.) Now it will take 15 days for the cylinder to be delivered, and I'd better be at home, they won't tell me the exact date and time when it will be delivered. The moon reflected in the lake over Detroit: My printer cartridge ink has dried up after 5 months of not being used, and I've decided to buy a new printer (I won the old one about 10 years ago in a quiz competition, so it's run its useful life.) Something burning in Paris: The UPS (Uninterrupted Power Service), the inverter that charges the batteries and gives me electrical power in the flat when the power is shut down, is not working. I have to call two people for this: One, the UPS company and two, the battery company, and make sure all systems are OK. Flight in the morning mist: I had put my electrical bills on ECS (Electronic Clearance Service) just to prevent the power getting shut off while I was not around. And yet, some lineman from BESCOM (the Govt power company) shut off the power to my flat, and it was my maid who gave him money out of her pocket and got the electricity restored after 5 days. I am still not sure how and why BESCOME did this to me, and charged me Rs.1600 when I have no arrears. The Seine, over Paris: Over Iran: My cell phone died exactly 7 months after I bought it, and three trips to the repair shop established that I now need to buy a new phone. As Julie Andrews sang, I was also like the wild geese that fly "with the moon on their wings": My cordless telephone at home (landline) is not working, and I need to buy another set. I'm sitting and pricing some models. I prefer to buy from the shop because I want after-sales support in case there is a problem with the product. Dusk on the wing: My tenant has vacated the apartment I rent out, but has not yet returned the keys to me. I must organize the paining of the flat and find a new tenant, after undergoing the considerable expense of re-painting the flat. The longer I take, the more I will lose in rental. I need to get the keys and inspect the flat for damage, and so on. She has not paid the rental since June, and I have to make sure I get the money. Landing at Paris: Unpacking to be done, too.... Jet lag, missing the Boods so very terribly and running around getting things organized...is it any wonder that I am feeling down and depressed? Long absences are the very devil...

Of course, I managed a butterfly outing and a play, too… I suppose I should’ve slept instead…but didn’t want to be only be Ali Baba doing chaalis chores! Both outing and the play

read about it here

were excellent and worth the effort.

Let me close with my favourite image from the flight, of these ice crystals on my window:

and the ice-mist on the wing as we landed at Paris:

More pics on my FB album,

click here