My Last Day in the USA Dawns! Lunch with my Hosts, a Walk Around the Neighborhood and a Tearful Goodbye

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Westport, CT

My Last Day in the USA Dawns! Lunch with my Hosts, a Walk Around the Neighborhood and a Tearful Goodbye

Hard to believe I have reached the last day of my long stay in the USA. When I first arrived here, it seemed to me as if I had all the time in the world to spend at my leisure. But, as in the case of all good things, time passes quickly when you are having fun, And I have had the month of my life! So, no complaints. And I am now all set, mentally, for the next phase of my life.

So, I awoke, as usual, at about 6.00 am and did a bit of blogging and reading and went over in my mind all the things I had to accomplish today. I had my last breakfast in the US (of muesli with honey yogurt and milk with a cup of decaff coffee) before I turned my attention to the matter of my packing. I think I was pretty much all set with the weighing of my two suitcases and my one strolley (which contained nothing other than our sterling silver tea and coffee service which I had picked up from my friend Bonnie who stored them for us in her basement). And then, I told my hosts, Leslie and Sunil, that I would take them for our last meal together somewhere of their choice. They chose the Sherwood Diner, which is just five minutes away—a great choice, I thought, as I had never eaten there and I have always loved American diners.

So the morning passed at leisure with us chatting about this and that. Leslie would leave and go on duty at the Library at 2.00 pm which meant an early lunch (12. 30) was in order.

Lunch at Sherwood Diner:

At 12. 30 pm, Leslie and I drove off to Sherwood Diner. Sunil took his car so that Leslie could drive straight to work after lunch and I would get back home with him. The diner was far more crowded than I expected (for a week day afternoon), but then I realized that it was the last day before schools reopened and many families had come in groups, probably to treat their kids to a last meal before school began.

Leslie and Sunil opted for omelettes and, of course, in the US, these are humongous: Leslie had the spinach and feta cheese one (like Eggs Florentine) and Sunil had the Country one (with ham and cheese). No marks to guess that I had my favorite diner food of all time: Belgian Waffles with maple syrup, whipped cream and fresh berries. Of course, we enjoyed our meal thoroughly as we chatted about all sorts of things and took pictures. In the parking lot, we parted company, as Leslie left for work and Sunil drove me home.

Back home, I took an afternoon nap (mine is never more than 20 minutes) and made some calls to say goodbye to family members and friends. Before I knew it, it was time to get ready to leave. I called for an Uber to pick me up at 6.30 pm as I had to be at JFK airport at 8.00 pm for my 11.00 pm flight via Virgin Atlantic to London. I would have a long layover in London (over 7 hours) and I was rather looking forward to it, actually.

Since I had about two hours to kill, in the late afternoon, I decided to take a walk around Leslie’s little protected enclave which is something I had promised myself I would do sometime before leaving. I was glad I managed to find the time to do so on a beautioful afternoon when the weather was just perfect.

Off to the Airport—Goodbye Connecticut and the USA!

Leslie returned on schedule at 6.15 pm, Sunil helped me carry my bags to the curb and, right on schedule, at 6.30 pm, my driver arrived. He turned out to be a Pakistani from Lahore named Ahsan and he was really lovely. Of course, although I tried hard, I burst with emotion like a dam and sobbed uncontrollably when saying goodbye to my hosts. Not only had they gone out of their way to make me welcome and comfortable but they did not consider it a huge favor or anything of the kind. They kept telling me what a pleasure it had been to have me and how much they had enjoyed my company. I, for my part, had the best month with them. Leslie and Sunil were marvelous company and I learned so much more about both of them from the time we spent together. I left with wonderful memories of places we had explored together and experiences we had enjoyed—which I was sure I would cherish for a very long time to come. Indeed, I was really sorry to say Goodbye to them.

My sobbing continued in the Uber for quite a while. I must say my driver was very sweet and sympathetic and when I apologized, he told me not to worry at all—airport drives mean tears, he said. I was glad I was not the only one!

At JFK Airport and On The Flight:

All went well when I arrived at JFK airport. I was afraid (I always am) that I would be overweight and subject to all kinds of stress. But I had the sweetest Traffic Assistant named Naharul who was a thorough gentleman. Not only did he give me window seats on both sectors but he didn’t seem to think my baggage was overweight and my suitcases went through without any questions asked! Phew! That was a huge relief!

I whiled away time at the airport by going to McDonald’s where I got myself a Fillet o Fish burger (my favorite kind) and ate it as I was aware that dinner would be served around midnight and I was not sure I wanted to stay awake till then. I actually ran into a lovely stewardess named Samantha who was operating my flight who was also getting a MickeyD’s Meal! She informed me that, as a result of a technical glitch that had disabled all air control systems in the UK, our flight coming into JFK from London had been delayed—fortunately, only by an hour. Hence, our departure was delayed by an hour. This was quite tolerable, of course, so I sat down and did some reading before getting to the gate and staying there until our boarding was announced.

It was a very pleasant flight during which I think I managed to sleep for about two hours. The meal on board was not bad at all—chicken pot pie with beans and potatoes, a bread roll with cheese, a Greek salad with a small brownie bar for dessert. I had a Gin and Tonic before dinner and in a little while (after watching the end of the movie, Tar, which I had started on the flight in as well as a new British movie called Allelujah about life in a hospice for the elderly starring Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Jennifer Saunders and a new young Indian actor whose name is Bally Gill), I dropped off.

Until tomorrow, cheerio!

Sunday Rolls Around Again: Mass, Coffee with Friends, Packing to Leave and Attending an Open-Air Music Concert in Westport

Sunday, August 27, 2023

Westport and Fairfiedl, Connecticut

Sunday Rolls Around Again: Mass, Coffee with Friends, Packing to Leave and Attending an Open-Air Music Concert in Westport

The morning after the night before! It was well after midnight by the time my sense of excitement piped down and I was actually able to fall asleep after returning from Halle’s wedding. That I managed to wake up early is just an indication of the way by body is wired. I was already up and blogging when I heard from my doctor friends, Ed and Marguerite Pinto, that they were leaving their church at Westport (St. Luke’s) and as per our arrangement would be in the parking lot at Trader Joe’s in ten minutes. This left me just enough time to wash, get dressed for church myself and see them there. Yes, I am known to do things at lightning speed (but then I had kept my clothes ready for wearing to church last night).

Breakfast with the Drs. Pinto:

As planned, I was at the Trader Joe’s parking lot and there were Ed and Marguerite, both retired physicians (he is a cardiologist, she is a pathologist, both are dear family friends of ours). We hugged and said how long it was since we had met and then I was in their car and they were off. They drove me just a couple of minutes away to McDonald’s where we had decided to meet for coffee. Logistically speaking, given their commitments and mine (and the fact that this is the second last day of my stay in the USA), all we could manage was this early morning meal in MickeyDee’s!

I had selected an Egg and Sausage McMufffin and a “Seniors” coffee (for just $1), we settled down for a lovely long chat. I had about 90 minutes with them before I’d had to leave for Mass at 10.00 am at my own church where they were going to drop me. Th Pintos (who have been our primary care physicians for almost 30 years) had a lot to say about their bi-coastal lifestyle. Since their doctor daughter, Michelle Kittleson, a world-renowned cardiologist herself, married and settled down in Los Angeles, California, and gave them three beautiful grandsons, they decided that after retirement, they would spend as much time as possible close to them. Accordingly, they sold all their other properties to buy a penthouse in Beverley Hills, California, where they live from October to March. They spend the spring and summer in Westport, Connecticut, as they rent a mother-in-law apartment from Marguerite’s sister, Nirmala (also a physician and now our primary care doctor) where Marguerite says she feels as if she has died and gone to heaven (as this was the apartment her own parents used to live in before they both passed away).

Meanwhile, Michelle has been going great guns—publishing medical and non-medical books, making an international name for herself as a cardiologist, raising three boys, following her passion for cooking and baking, etc. They simply could not stop talking about her. They also talked about Bangalore, India, from where Ed had just returned after spending two weeks. He had gone there to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of St. John’s Medical College, an institution that had been founded by a group of Indian Catholics that had included Marguerite’s father, Dr. Monteiro! Yes, as you can see, they are three generations of eminent doctors—all of whom have made a huge contribution to humanity through their work. For my part, I got to discuss my own health issues with Ed who continues to keep a close eye on Llew and my health, even though he is so far away, simply because we are such close friends.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Ed and Marguerite especially as I hadn’t had the chance to bid them goodbye before I left for India and they were keen to find out how we were doing in Bombay. At the end of our visit, we piled back into their car and they drove me to St. Anthony of Padua Church where I was just in time for the 10.00 am Mass.

Mass and After at St. Anthony of Padua Church, Fairfield:

It was nice to see Fr. John Murray back on the altar today after all the drama surrounding his collapse last Sunday. It turned out that he had come to say Mass on an empty stomach and fainted, probably from hunger or a radical drop in his blood sugar. He was right as rain as he began Mass. Since I was at the 10.00 am Mass, it was much more crowded and lively than the 8.15 am Masses I had attended over the last two Sundays. I recognized a lot more people and was particularly happy to see my friends, Rick and Kelly LaFerreire, whom I was determined to meet at the end of Mass just so that I could visit with them.

Well, our visit—first in church, then in the church patio and then in the parking lot--went on so long that eventually they asked me to come back home with them for coffee after which they would give me a ride back home. I readily agreed as I had not been in touch with them and was also keen to catch up on the doings of their family. I was absolutely shocked to discover that their twin boys, Max and Luke, were off to college in a couple of days! Seems like only yesterday they were born!!! Where do the years fly? I also met Zoe, their sassy and very lovely daughter, whom I have also known since childhood as she was the first friend of my niece Anaya when my brother’s family was living in our home for a year. Zoe would often come over to play with Anaya and I has spent many evenings at our place while I kept an eye on her as her Mum ran errands.

We settled down with coffee at their kitchen table and continued to gab about all they have been doing and after a little while, we got back into their car and they dropped me home. It was a lovely visit and I enjoyed returning to Taintor Road in Southport where so many of our friends have lived over the years.

A Few Varied Hours at Home:

By the time I returned home to Westport, Leslie was out and Sunil was in the garden lounging on one of the chaise-longes. He offered to help me set up some financial accounts but although we spent over an hour on them, we were unable to make much headway as I am hopelessly ignorant about financial matters and Llew was fast asleep in India to answer Sunil’s questions.

I gave up and went inside and after nibbling on fruit and cheese and crackers, I returned to my room to continue with my packing as I would be leaving on Tuesday and I still had to start dividing my weight between two suitcases. After a while, I decided to take a nap as I had not had much sleep. However, just before I fell asleep, my friends Mary-Lauren and Brett, called to ask if I’d like to join them in the evening for an open-air concert at the Levitt’s Pavilion nearby in Westport. They had an extra ticket they had ordered for me and wondered if I’d be interested in attending a concert by North County Band which played a number of their own compositions plus well-known hits. Since I was free and keen to see my friends again, I readily agreed. Leslie volunteered to drive me to the venue. The Factoras also sent me the menu from Yamafuji Sushi and asked me to pick from it. I told them I would go with whatever they ordered—just to order extra for me too.

And so, at 7.00 pm, we were seated under a kindly sky in Westport at a beautiful open-air facility that was constructed, a few years ago, for community events. As it happened to be my wedding anniversary, I was happy to do something fun to mark the day (even if Llew was far away). After Leslie dropped me there, we were a bit early and sat gabbing away until my hosts arrived. They had brought everything with them including chairs, a portable table and all the fixins’ for an al fresco meal under the stars. We set up, began eating (they did not bring wine-instead they had healthy smoothies and flavored Seltzer water for me) and I was introduced for the first time to sweet potato sushi and avocado sushi—both of which were just delicious.

The music was superb. The band had lovely-voiced singers –male and female—and their music was foot-tapping enjoyable. They played for a full two hours by which time darkness had fallen over Connecticut and stars began to twinkle. We had a really lovely time and I was thrilled when Llew awoke in Bombay and we were able to get him on the phone, The Factoras were able to wish him for our anniversary and his being present, even if it was only in spirit, made the occasion feel extraordinary for me.

was then dropped back home, after which I got ready for bed and hit the sack.

Until tomorrow, cheerio!

A Morning Spent in a Basement n Fairfield, Cionnecticut, Shopping for Odds and Ends, Enjoying a Wild Flower Garden and Quiet Dinner at Home with my Hosts

Friday, August 25, 2023

Southport and Fairfield, Connecticut

A Morning Spent in a Basementin Fairfield, Cionnecticut, Shopping for Odds and Ends, Enjoying a Wild Flower Garden and Quiet Dinner at Home with my Hosts

As the days are flying by, I find I have settled into a comfortable routine here in Connecicut. I still wake up far more early than I would have desired, but at least the extra hour or two allows me to catch up with my blog and chats with Llew in Bombay. It also allows me to plan my day.

I got out of bed, made my usual breakfast of muesli with honey yogurt and had a hot coffee. Then, as Leslie would only be beginning work in the afternoon, I had her car at my disposal. I called my friend Mary-Lauren and found out that her daughter Sage and husband Brett would be at their home all day—I could, therefore, take my time about getting to their place. I wanted to sort through my large DVD collection that I had left in three large boxes in their basement. My intention was to bring a lot of my DVDs home to Bombay but I also wanted to thin out my collection and give away a good number.

I spent a good part of the morning shopping for the few items Llew has asked me to bring back and that I wanted to take with me. I then stopped at Dairy Queen for my last Chocolate Cherry Love Blizzard and was enjoying it in the parking lot when Sage texted me to tell me to be at their place before 3.00 pm as Brett had an interview at that point. I told her that I was right on my way.

I spent the next hour down in their basement. I managed to let go at least 60 DVDs and put them into a box to be left at the storage bins at the Pequot Library. I dropped those over at the library later that evening. The ones I did want to bring with me were placed in other boxes and the ones I wanted to retain in the basement I consolidated into two boxes instead of three. I also left behind another heavy box filled with stuff from my office at NYU that I could not carry to India myself. All this done, I got into the car and returned to the Library.

Just before I pulled into the library’s driveway. I noticed the beautiful Wildflower garden in front of the library. I simply had to stop there to take some pictures and this I did. By 6.00 pm, at the time that Leslie would get off work, I was there to return the car to her. She locked up the library and both of us then drove straight to Trader’s Joe’s. I picked up a frozen chicken pot pie as I was really keen to have one before I left. Leslie picked up a Cheese and Tomato Pizza and it ended up being a casual evening at home with my hosts and more Ted Lasso. I am keen to finish the series before I leave for India. I am enjoying it very much as it is really heartwarming. After dinner, Sunil offered me a glass of port wine which I rather enjoyed. We sat chatting for a while when I excused myself to take a shower and retire for the night.

Today was pretty uneventful but tomorrow will be another busy day and it was good to have one with a slightly slower pace today.

Until tomorrow…cheerio!

Seeing my Endicronologist and Taking a Long Walk in Southport/Westport with Leslie

Thursday, August 24, 2023

Fairfield and Southport, Connecticut

Seeing my Endicronologist and Taking a Long Walk in Southport/Westport with Leslie

Today was a quieter day as I am now in Return Mode. After an early wake-up during which I blogged, I made my breakfast and drove off for an 8.20 am appointment with my endourologist of at least 15 years, Dr. Glenn Rich in Trumbull. I feel really blessed to have the use of her car as Leslie starts work only at 1.00 pm most afternoons. This allows me to do all my jobs in the morning at great convenience.

Seeing my Doctor Again:

All went well with Dr. Rich although we did talk about checking my arteries for any blockages in light of the fact that my cholesterol is borderline. I tried to get the scan done at Advanced Radiology but they had no appointments available for the next few days and since I am leaving soon, I will get it done in India. This, of course, is only precautionary as the US bases its heath care on preventative medicine. My ECK was clear, my blood pressure is normal, so the chance of heart disease is minimal. Still, you can never be too sure and Dr. Rich wants me to stay on top of my heart health. He was delighted to hear that I work out six days a week, have followed a low-carb diet for 25 years, have never smoked and drink alcohol very sparingly. Hopefully, this will augur well. He would like to see Scan results and asked me to fax them to him. Meanwhile, he gave me an appointment for a year from now.

It is amazing to me that I still have the ability to see my doctors, thanks to Medicare and NYU’s Supplemental Health care benefits. For as long as we can swing it, I will make these annual medical pilgrimages to the US. Of course, a time may come when that will no longer be possible…but, for the moment, I revel in the knowledge that I can.

I stopped at CVS for one quick errand: buying OFF Mosquito repellent (as per Llew’s request) to deal with them in India. I also stopped at Stop and Shop to buy my stash of marinated olives as this is something I cannot get in India—I can only find the bottled variety which are usually used in martinis. I then drove back home and went straight for a cofree as it has turned pretty chilly already. In fact, I think that late summer-early fall is probably the best time to be in the US—you avoid the possibility of truly burning up in the summer heat and you do not get the awful brutality of winter. Maybe it might be best to plan future trips at this time of year.

Getting Packing Done:

I spent the rest of the morning worrying about my packing and taking out all heavy stuff so that I could include those things that urgently need to be transported to India. I will leave those things that are not urgent in my friend Mary-Lauren’s basement. They will be transported to India at a later stage. We stopped to eat Lunch (I ate leftovers of my British Breakfast Plate of a few days ago—it was still quite quite delicious) and then I had a nap.

By the time I woke up, Leslie had returned from work and we sat down chatting. It was quite grey outside and looked very gloomy but a thought suddenly occurred to me. I asked Leslie if she was too tired and she said she was fine. I then suggested we go for a walk and I take her to a place she had never been to before—I told her that it was a favorite walking trail for Llew and me, especially during the pandemic, when we enjoyed being out in nature talking about our future plans to relocate to India. She said she would love to go for a walk and so off we went.

Walking Again in Southport/Westport Meadows:

The area I call the Southport Meadows are actually on the border of Westport (as Leslie found out by using a satellite map later on). It is just past Southport Beach and is a vast acreage that has been in the possession of the Audobon Society as part of their conservancy project. Llew and I used to enjoy walking here as it seemed we were always far from the madding crowd in a protect environment where we could enjoy wild flowers, towering trees and, if we were lucky, much wildlife too.

And for Leslie and myself too, it turned out to be a splendid walk. Leslie was utterly charmed as she had no idea such a place existed and she absolutely loved it. She found out that it borders the playing fields of Green Farms Academy (Llew and I used to often walk around the periphery of their football and baseball fields too). We saw a cute little rabbit on our walk as well as a pair of deer. We stopped by the little lakes and the fountains in the private properties and multi-million dollar homes that form the periphery of the meadows. We took pictures and had a really wonderful time as we plucked wild raspberries and blackberries (reminded me very much of the plucking of wild blackberries that I used to do in England when I would take them home and eat them with ice-cream). Oh, the happy past times of rural summers in the West!

When our walk was done, we had a couple of errands to run: I had to pick up mail from my home and so met the Kennedys again briefly, we went to Stop and Shop to return the aerosol mosquito repellent I had bought as well as the Pledge furniture polish as Leslie told me that aerosol containers are not allowed on the aircraft and we stopped at CVS to get something else I needed to buy—clip-on sunglasses as I simply cannot do without them in India.

Dinner and Ted Lasso Back Home:

Once home, we discovered that Sunil had taken over the cooking and had prepared grilled chicken with vegetables for us. We had a lovely dinner while watching Ted Lasso (I am determined to finish the third and final season before I leave from here as we do not have Apple TV at home) and also following the TV coverage about Donald Trump getting booked and having his mug shot taken in Georgia.

Dinner done, we sat chatting for a while before I excused myself to take a sbower and get ready for bed.

Until tomorrow…cheerio!

A Very Busy Day With Bank and Health Insurance Chores, A Rummage Through my DVD Collection and Thai Dinner with Old Friends

Thursday, August 17, 2023

Southport, Connecticut

A Very Busy Day With Bank and Health Insurance Chores, A Rummage Through my DVD Collection and Thai Dinner with Old Friends.

My day began, as usual, with wake-up at 5.00 am (the better to get down to some blogging and texting and sending out pictures to friends). When I did get going, it was to have breakfast (muesli and yogurt with coffee) and to chat with Leslie for a bit before I had to leave for my meeting at Chase Bank. Leslie told me to take the car and bring it back to her by 12.30 as she needed to be dropped to work at 1.00pm.

A Futile Meeting at Chase Bank:

My meeting was scheduled to begin at 9.30 am. Llew was standing by, on the phone, at home in Bombay, as he was required to be in it too. We were able to deal with the initial issue (changing the address on his savings and checking accounts), but we did run into a major glitch with regards to our investment accounts. After great effort and being in the meeting (in which Keith, the investments officer, was also brought it), it was ascertained that the issue that had plagued us, could not be resolved. We would have to think of other solutions.

Biscotti, Coffee and Conversation with a Friend:

up on my agenda was a coffee morning visit with a former Southport Book Club friend, Cyndy French. She is a physician, and it is always fun discussing medical conditions with her. I had not had the time to say Goodbye to everyone we know in Southport before we left in November of last year. When she saw the ‘For Rent’ sign outside our house, she reached out to me in India to find out what was going on. I explained that we had moved to India. She was sorry she did not get a chance to say Bye and so I decided to make the time to meet her on this visit.

Her home, right in the heart of Southport Village, is just adorable and when I entered, I found that she had not one, not two, but three Welsh Pembroke corgis (my favorite dog breed!). They were yappy, of course, but finally settled down enough to allow us to have some coffee and nibble on the most delicious almond biscotti right there in the kitchen before we moved to the living room (as her maids were cleaning). We had a lovely long chinwag and catch up and resolved to stay connected.

I left Cyndy’s and drove to Leslie’s. I reached there at 12. 15 and 15 minutes later, we were on our way to Leslie’s work at the library. I decided to stick with her as I had a few errands to run myself and really appreciated having the car with me.

Once we reached the Pequot Library, I decided to simply sit in the parking lot and make a few calls as I had a number of headache-y things to resolve.

In the Parking Lot at Pequot Library:

The first thing on my mind was calling United Health Care to resolve an issue that has come up regarding our insurance policy through NYU. Since I cannot make calls in the library, I just sat in the car and dealt with each matter one after the other, Chriselle also called at this time and I had a chat with her. I drew a blank with UHC and then turned to NYU where Misha Thompson of HR, who has been helping me throughout, came on the line. Long conversations with these official folks ate up the hours.

By 1.45, I was hungry and was glad I had carried the remnants of my Sakura dinner with me. I sat right there in the car and ate it. I then needed to use the rest room so I stepped into the library where I had the pleasure of running into Stephanie Coakley, the Director, with whom I had a really wonderful chat. It was fabulous to meet her and talk to her about my current research and proposed book. But while I was in the middle of our conversation, Misha called me and I had to run out again and take the call in my car. More time was spent there and, finally, it about 4.00 pm, when I left the matter in her hands to resolve it as best she could.

Reviewing my DVD Collection:

The next thing I needed to tackle was my DVD collection which I had left at the home of my friend Mary-Lauren, nine months ago. She was kind enough to hang on to our stuff in her basement. Her daughter Sage was inside and she let me in and, next thing I knew, she found the items in the closest in four big boxes. Later, Brett, her father, came downstairs to say Hello to me and since they were both headed out, he told me to merely shut the door behind me and leave.

I spent almost an hour on my own, down in the basement, riffling through my vast collection of DVDs. I chose about 30 of them and these (in terms of my fondness for the material) is what I intend to take to Bombay on this trip. I certainly hope I will have the space and weight allowance—always an issue when one is relocating!

That done, I closed the door behind me and found that I had about an hour before I had to meet my friends in the parking lot of the Pequot Library at 7.00 pm. I thought I would spend it at Home Goods, but I then realized that Michael’s, the craft store, was right there in the same strip mall on the Post Road. I needed to buy two springs of orchids for two porcelain vases that I inherited from my maternal grandmother. And so I stepped inside, found what I was looking for, bought them and left.

Meeting my Friends for Dinner:

All that was left then was to arrive at the Pequot Library so that I could hand over the car keys to Leslie (who could then drive home) and to meet my friends, Dhiru and Kirti, who invited me out for a Thai Dinner. They were already in the library when I arrived and I introduced them to Leslie.

We left shortly after and drove to Rainbow Thai, a tiny little restaurant right on the Saugatuck River at Westport. The setting could not have been better as the sun set and lights were reflected on the water. As the Vyases are vegetarian, we kept the meal vegetarian (expect for the Chicken Coconut Soup which I absolutely love—Tom Kha Gai). We also had vegetarian Pad Thai, Mango Curry (simply delicious) and Tofu with Basil and Chilli. Yes, everything was scrumptious, and I was glad to eat Thai food after a really long time. Best of all, I got to discuss Kirti’s upcoming book publications—she is getting a book of poetry published by a printer in Lower Parel in Bombay who just happens to be a good friend of mine, Maneck Davar! Maneck was in my batch at Elphinstone College in Bombay and we have renewed acquaintance after all these years and are good friends! Kirti requested me to give her a blurb for the back jacket of her book of poetry which I felt privileged to do. I told her to send me the pdf and after I have taken a look at it, I will certainly write her a blurb.

Well, that brought our evening to a close. We took a few pictures and left. It was a nice meal and a good evening with old friends. We left the place, they dropped me back home, I spent just a few minutes talking to Leslie and Sunil before I got Llew on the phone for a long chat. I had to catch him up on a lot of happenings of the day (regarding Chase, NYU and UHC) and we will now have to re-strategize in terms of these official goings-on in our lives.

On that note, I got ready for bed and fell asleep.

tomorrow…cheerio.

A Varied but Fun-Filled Day with Friends and an Unusual Japanese Dinner at Sakura.

Monday, August 14, 2024

Westport-Fairfield, Connecticut

A Varied but Fun-Filled Day with Friends and an Unusual Japanese Dinner at Sakura.

I am still waking up early, but as it gives me a chance to read and catch up with my blogs, I am not complaining.

Early Morning Routine:

Today too, I awoke early enough to read (finishing The Covenant of Water—it is really a looooong book!) and blogging. I had a quick chat with Llew (leaving Goa and en route to Bombay) before I made myself my breakfast (muesli with yogurt and milk) and left Sitara to make me a decaff coffee (which was delicious) before I began teaching. I taught three classes in a row of one hour each (Yash, Vir and Trivik) before I was able to relax. I felt very tired and sleepy actually, so I did stop to take a 20 minute nap before deciding to try and finish off my book!

A little later, when I realized that everyone else in the household had left to do their own set of morning chores, I walked down to Trader Joe’s to get myself some lunch. I chose a Lemon Chicken Salad with Arugula—the base was Israeli couscous which was quite delicious and very healthy indeed.

Another Annual Medical Appointment:

At 1.00 pm, I sat in front of the TV and ate my salad at the same time that I tried to get myself ready for leaving the house by 1.30 pm when Leslie would drive me to my next medical appointment. I had an appointment with Dr. Sapna Tandon, my gynecologist at 2.10 pm and Leslie was kind enough to get back home from her chores and take me there en route to her work at 2.00 pm.

A half hour later, I was facing my worst annual nightmare—my routine gynec exam. Enough said. However, I have known and gone to the same gynec for the last 22 years. I trust her with my life. She is fantastic and we have a very special relationship. This resulted in the visit being much more pleasant than it could be and within 45 minutes, I was all done. There! That was out of the way. Although I will have to wait to get test results, she did say she did not anticipate any problems.

Browsing Through Fairfield Center Stores:

I had some time on my hands and much as I would have liked to roam at will through all the stores of Fairfield Center, I am still mindful of my weak knee and do not wish to provoke any further physical discomfort. Hence, I restricted my browsing to just Loft, Chico and Capri—these are stores where I have found really good bargains in times past. And in Chico’s, once again I did. I found a really lovely, chunky silver-toned necklace at the throwaway price of $10 (otherwise priced at $60). It was a no-brainer and I bought it.

Since I drew a blank at Capri, I thought it would be best to walk across to the Fairfield Public Library where I could browse through the newest bestsellers. I did just that and for the next hour, I leafed through Nigella Lawson’s latest book Eat, Cook Repeat (only to find it woefully stingy with pictures). Then, just as soon as my eyes began to close, I took a nap—yes, right there on a chair in a quiet corner of the library!

Meeting my Friend Diana for Ice-Cream (but first an Errand at Fairfield University):

I had texted my friend Diana Thompson earlier to find out if we could meet this week and she had happened to have a window open this evening. Naturally, she drove across to the library and picked me up from the parking lot. Before we set off for our tea/coffee/ice-c ream, however, I asked a favor of her. Could she drive me to the campus of Fairfield University so that I could pick up tickets form the box office of the Quick Center for the Arts? I wanted to buy tickets to a bunch of lectures/talks at the Center for my friend Leslie who had told me that she was interested in them and wanted to buy them herself. I thought they would make a great gift that would keep on giving throughout the next year for Leslie who is interested in Judaic Studies. Well, Kyle at the box office (who knows me well) told me that the office was technically closed, but that he would keep it open for me if I could get there in a few minutes. I did, as Diana just revved up her car and took me there.

In the next half hour, I bought Leslie eight tickets for four different events. I picked the ones that I knew would be of special interest to her as she had mentioned Barbara Herschel, Tim Snyder and Dana Hor. I also included another big event: Art Speigelman, author of Maus, one of the most successful graphic novels of all time (and one which I teach my IB students) was also coming to the Center. Since Leslie is a librarian, I thought she would really appreciate this event and so I included it too.

That task done, Diana and I could relax for at least the next hour. As Diana had never been to Shake Shack and I was keen to have one of their chocolate milk shakes (which is made extra thick so that it resembles a giant chocolate ice-cream), we ordered shakes, settled down on tables outside (as it was a tad too chilly inside) and caught up on all the happenings in the life of her sons, Matthew and James and her husband, Jonathan. It was just lovely to spent time with my English friend who is always full of fun and humor.

Back Home for Dinner Out:

As this was the evening I would be taking Leslie, Sunil and Sitara out for dinner to Sakura, I told Diana to drop me back by 7.00 pm. This left me enough time to run in for a quick shower and to get ready for our 7.30 pm reservation at Sakura, a long-standing Japanese restaurant in Westport which is their favorite and which does a very novel version of hibachi—the table-side grill that involves a great deal of drama.

Well, it was all that and more as we drove there as a family, found our table, took our seats and then gave ourselves up to the novelty of Japanese dining. I have to say that I was surprised how packed the restaurant was. It has a huge hibachi room and yet every seat was taken.

Hibachi dining involves a few set items on the menu (such as noodles, rice—choice of brown or white--a helping of vegetables, and a couple of shrimp). Then there is one’s individual choice of a protein such as swordfish, shrimp, chicken, steak, etc. Each of us chose a different protein and, when it came to our turn, the server arrived at our table and began his ritual. There were five other people at our table and he served them and us simultaneously as he tossed and stir-fried and added oil and butter and a bit more fire. Occasionally, the fire revved up leaving lots of room for video or still photography. We enjoyed the showmanship of our server and everything else that led to a large meal being placed on our plates with two types of sauces (ginger-garlic and chilli) plus soy that did the rounds at our table.

Just before it was time for me to pay the bill, I gave Leslie the gift I’d brought her and Sunil and boy, oh boy, was she amazed! She simply could not believe that I had bought them all these tickets! Of course, she was simply delighted and thought it was a most relevant gift that one she would most certainly enjoy in the coming fall and in the spring of next year. I was so pleased to see her look so surprised and delighted by it all .It was a big success!

All that was left then was for us to drive back home (where we reached in 5 minutes) and get ready for bed. I fade away by 10.00 pm as I am still awaking early.

I am pleasantly surprised at how fulfilling and fun each of my days in Connecticut are and what a good time I am having!

Until tomorrow… cheerio!

A Glorious Summer’s Day Touring Coastal Connecticut with Friends and Dinner with Family

Sunday, August 13, 2023

Fairfield and Southport, Connecticut

A Glorious Summer’s Day Touring Coastal Connecticut with Friends and Dinner with Family

I had an absolutely fabulous Sunday! Truly, it could not have been any better.

My day began at 5.30 am when I awoke and spent some time blogging and reading. I am trying hard to finish The Covenant of Water in time for my Book Club Meeting on Tuesday evening. But I had to start thinking about Sunday service. Leslie told me that she would drop me off at church for the 8.00 am Mass.

Mass at St. Anthony of Padua Church:

Leslie and I left at 7.40 am for the 8.00 am Mass and just flew down the Post Road as there was no one on the road at that early hour on a Sunday morning. It was good to be back in our church again and to get a warm welcome from Bill at the door. He, of course, asked immediately about Llew.

Nothing felt more wonderful than to be back in my beloved church again. Fr. Paul Rourke, SJ, of Fairfield University, said the Mass. My friend Patti was the Lector and I could see the delight on her face when she recognized me sitting in our regular pew. Mass was lovely. It was a thrill to be able to belt out the hymns in the right key as Frank, our Music Director, always pitches the hymns in my exact key. In Bombay, its either too high for me (and I have to sing one octave lower—which is uncomfortable) or too low and I can’t take the notes. This was just splendid. Plus, I got to sing all the familiar hymns that I love so much. It was really great.

After Mass, Patti and Bill came up to meet me. I went forward to meet Eleanor, our Parish Co-ordinator, to say Hi to her and there I met Joe—he’s the guy who was head of the volunteer weekly Counting Service I used to do of the Sunday collection. He seems to have suffered a stroke and told me he no longer does it. He also now walks with a walking stick. I guess things change as time goes by, right? Then Frank, our Music Director, came along to say Hello and it was just grand—being enveloped in the warmth of old parish friends who remember us fondly. Everyone asked after Llew and told me to say Hello to him.

Meeting Friends For Breakfast at Harbor View Bakery:

At 9.15 am, after Mass, our friends Swapna and Rasik came along to pick me up with their teenaged sons, Atharva (whom I was meeting for the first time—he was visiting from Boston) and Parth. We drove directly to Harbor View Bakery and Café which is a favorite, after Mass, of Llew and me. They loved the ambience of the place and the location and said that they would be sure to return. It is amazing how long the line to the counter was—fortunately, we were just third in line and we ordered swiftly.

I had my favorite Belgian waffles with whipped cream, strawberries and maple syrup—lots of maple syrup. It was just scrumps! The others had omlettes, pancakes and avocado on toast and, believe me, everything was so good that all of us just focused on the eating and enjoyment of our large platters. Meanwhile, we chatted, caught up and generally had a good time.

A Driving Tour Around St. Mary’s By The Sea in Bridgeport:

When we finished our breakfast, I told our friends that I would take them on a slight detour to see the area called St. Mary’s By The Sea. This is one of the prettiest parts of Connecticut and has a lovely lighthouse and a fabulous walking path alongside the water (I have often walked along it with various friends through the years). We merely drove around and realized just how beautiful this place is and how blessed we were to live here for 29 years of our lives!

Off to the Farmer’s Market:

The next item on the agenda was the Farmer’s Market (before a short detour at Marshall’s from where I picked up my favorite Italian Fiorentina set of soaps).

The Farmer’s Market in Fairfield takes place on the Town Green and I could not believe how many people were browsing the wares. It carries fresh local produce—veggies and fruit—brought from the neighboring Connecticut farms. There were also bread stalls, pastries, brownies and even artisanal soap and bath bombs. It really is great to browse through these places, but the prices are always far higher than the supermarkets (because the produce is not mass-produced). After spending almost an hour here (with the sun climbing higher in the summer sky and warming the place far more than was comfortable), we piled back into the car and started our driving tour of our beautiful coastal Connecticut.

Off to Southport and Fairfield as our Driving Tour Continues:

Our driving tour continued as I began at Sasco Hill, then on to Sasco Beach and took our friends through the most ritzy parts of western coastal Connecticut. They had already begun to explore the beaches and had seen Jennings and Penfield Beaches. They had also been to Sasco—so we did not get off at these places.

We then moved on towards Harbor Road and got off at the Tide Mill Landing, where we took pictures and watched a man fishing. He had caught a turtle and also at least half a dozen crabs! We took a lot of pictures in this pretty area before heading off along Harbor Road towards the Pequot Yacht Club and the Old Yacht Yard. Then, we headed back to Southport Harbor where we got off and took a bunch of photographs. Of course, they were fully enchanted by the harbor and the marina and the bird sighting (we saw a magnificent black cormorant there). Once again, it occurred to me how lucky we were to live in such a beautiful place and for so many years and how completely I had embraced the area, gotten to know every tiny by lane of it and how entirely it had stolen my heart away. I have them a short history lesson on the success of the Southport Globe onion and the manner in which it made money in the 19th century for the farmers and agriculturists of the neighborhood. They were fascinated. I told them about Perry Green—about the three mansions facing the marina that belonged to the three brothers, etc.

We then left Southport Marina and went past Southport Village to drive along Pequot Avenue to Pequot Beach. We passed the Library and the two churches—Congregation and Trinity—and then got to the beach which was also quite packed. Everyone was swimming or sunbathing—there was hardly a parking spot available. Then, we drove ahead of it, into Westport where I took them to Burying Hill Beach where we stopped to take more pictures.

All of this driving was accompanied by commentary which they fully enjoyed and found very interesting. We then drove back to pass right by our house on Pequot Avenue. It was time to take a quick picture of it before thinking about lunch as everyone felt hungry.

Lunch at the Mhatre’s Residence:

Yes, we did make our way back to Black Road Turnpike, to the Mhatre’s residence, for cold drinks (Rasik gave me a Jameson Irish Whiskey cocktail tinkling with ice) while I went upstairs to their bedroom and began to take inventory of all the clothing that Llew has left behind with them to be brought to Bombay slowly at Rasik’s convenience. I removed everything, then carefully folded everything again, took pictures of everything to show them to Llew and packed and put them back into the bag.

I then went down for lunch which was leftovers from our dinner at their’s on Friday with some additions: we had chicken biryani (from Sher Khan in Hartford), prawn chilli fry and fresh salad with ingredients bought from the Farmer’s Market. For dessert, there was an absolutely delicious Chocolate Mousse Cake (my favorite) as it was Parth’s birthday yesterday. It was truly a delicious meal and I was glad to have them to share it with me.

When lunch was done, I said fond goodbyes to them and Rasik dropped me back to my friend Leslie’s place in Westport.

A Rest Before An Evening Out with Family-Members:

To my astonishment, I found that Leslie and Sitara had returned from their bridal shower and were chilling out at home. We chatted for just a little bit before I excused myself to have a bit of a lie-down and a much-needed rest.

A good half hour later, after chatting a bit with Llew who is still in Goa, I got up to have a shower and get ready. My brother Roger (who had just returned with his family from Montreal) was coming to pick me up at 6.00 pm and I was ready for him when he got there. We had a nice reunion and then he drove me over to his place in Fairfield.

It was nice to meet his wife, Lalita and his son Arav. Their daughter Anaya was at a 3-day YMCA Counselling Camp and was not at home. We had a very full evening as we explored the lushness of their deck and garden—full of colorful perennials and annuals. Roger definitely has a green thumb that he has inherited from our mother and, after admiring the tomatoes on their deck, we sat down to have drinks and nibbles—a Gin and Tonic for me with crisps, cheese and crackers (goat cheese, smoked Gouda), salted nuts. They were nice nibbles (not too heavy) while dinner was organized: bowtie pasta with artichokes, lemon and basil, grilled shisito peppers and grilled chicken (which was grilled in an air fryer—something that everyone is suddenly talking about). For dessert, there was Haagen-Daz ice-cream (chocolate with a dark chocolate coating which was exceptional). The evening gave way to twilight and twilight gave way to darkness as the evening lengthened and we spent a lot of time chatting and enjoying the good food and the lovely summer’s evening.

By 9.00 pm, I said bye to everyone and got ready to leave. Roger dropped me off, back to Leslie’s place, where I stayed up with them chatting for a while and sending pictures of an awesome day to my friends.

Then, sleep beckoned and I brushed and flossed my teeth and made it to bed.

Until tomorrow…cheerio!

Lovely Long Morning and Lunch with a Special Friend in Fairfield, Connecticut

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Westport, Connecticut

Lovely Long Morning and Lunch with a Special Friend in Fairfield, Connecticut

Waking up in Westport, Connecticut, I am amazed to see that it before 5.00 am. But this gives me the time to do some serious reading and to continue blogging—not to mention editing and sending off my pictures to family members and friends.

But by 8.00 am, I get out of bed, wash and have my breakfast which is pretty much the same thing I have been eating for years—muesli with milk and yogurt followed by decaff coffee. I need to get to my medical appointment at 9.00 am.—hence, the need to get organized before my departure.

Blood Test at Quest Diagnostics:

I take the car out myself and arrive at the Brick Walk in Fairfield to get to Quest Diagnostics for my 9.00am blood test. All goes well. I am, of course, a nervous wreck as needle phobia always does a number on me. Still, the para-medical person is gentle and understanding and it is over before I know it.

Off to the Fairfield Public Library to Carry Out my Class:

It was Leslie who had told me that the libraries in Fairfield, following the Pandemic, have private Study Rooms and that I could request the use of one. As it turns out, the Library is right at the side of the Brick Walk and nothing could be more convenient. It opens at 9.00 am, so by the time I finish with my blood test, I can swing right into the library. At the Reference Desk, I give them my library membership card and I am presented with the keys to one of the Study Rooms in the back of the library where I make myself very comfortable.

I am just in time for my class session with my student in India, Ashvat, and I carry it out very easily. The reception is superb (I use the library’s WIFI) and I have complete privacy as I am not disturbing anyone. The session goes off extremely well and I finish it off right in time to keep my next appointment—which is to spend the rest of the day with one of my best friends, Delyse.

Delyse had texted me to say that she was running late, but she arrived at 11.30 am. This gave me a chance to browse through the DVDs in the stacks and discover that all of the Oscar nominees of the past year are there! Now if only I can figure out how to watch them!

Reunion with Delyse:

Delyse had just spent a week in Canada and returned to Connecticut only the previous morning. She was as knackered as I was. Hence, any plans we might have had to go for a long walk at the beach were nixed. Instead, like two gossipy old women, we decided to find a quiet corner in the library itself which was air-conditioned and cool. I suggested we go a few steps down to the lower stacks which I remembered well from my early years, almost 35 years ago, as a user of the library when I used to go downstairs to borrow American decorating magazines. I learned everything I know about interior design from this library. Luckily, we were able to find a corner where we then sat together and spent the next one and a half hours just catching up with each other. There was so much to talk about before we decided to get up and get some lunch.

Lunch with Delyse:

I really intended to get a very simple lunch based on the fast food rubbish I enjoy in American (such as chilli and a Ceasar salad from Wendy’s). We got into Delyse’s car to get to the Wendy’s in Bridgeport along Fairfield Avenue. But before we came to the Fairfield Circle, we passed by Duchess and Delyse asked if Duchess would work. I told her I love Duchess and would gladly eat there.

And so our lunch was one Chicken Parmigiana Sandwich and one Swiss Cheese Mushroom Burger—both of which we shared and washed down with cold water. It is rather warm today and we were both grateful for the air-conditioning.

After another hour spent having a leisurely and very delicious lunch, I asked Delyse if we could just hop across the road to Marshall’s. I wanted to take a look and see if there was anything I needed to buy. She was more than game and so off we went to look at its offerings. I was absolutely delighted to find two tubes of the Boots No. 7 ‘Protect and Preserve’ Serum that I use and which I had actually wanted to buy in the UK but put off and then forgot. Here, I found them at a fraction of the price I’d pay in the stores. I bought two tubes really quickly (for $5.99 each—in London, they were 25 pounds each!). We then paid for my buys and left. It had been a successful detour and I was very happy.

Delyse Drops me Back to Westport:

As it was time for Delyse to find her way back home, she dropped me back to Leslie’s place in Westport. It was just past 3.00 pm and Leslie had returned home. She asked if I wanted a cup of tea, but what I really wanted was a nap. And so I retired into my room, did a bit of reading until my eyes closed and then took a lovely, long nap. I am thoroughly enjoying my time back here in this neck of the woods (or should I say this strip of the shoreline), especially when it involves meeting old friends.

TV and Dinner with Leslie:

By the time I awoke, it was almost dinner time. Leslie and I decided to look at what we could have and came up with the idea of finishing up all leftovers in the fridge. We had hoisin chicken on a bed of greens with roasted Brussels sprouts and I had a wonderful cup of chocolate ice-cream sprinkled with nuts to finish it off.

We took our plates into the living room, sat in front of the telly, and watched two episodes of Ted Lasso (which we are both enjoying very much).

But again, with my sleep patterns so erratic, it was not long before, I excused myself to take a shower and get ready for bed.

Until tomorrow…cheerio!

Visit to my Dentist, Browsing in Connecticut Thrift Stores

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Westport, Connecticut

Visit to my Dentist, Browsing in Connecticut Thrift Stores

Still jetlagged and unable to bring my body clock back to North American timing, I am waking very early in the mornings—the better to get down to some blogging and finishing my book, The Covenant of Water. Then a quick breakfast of muesli with yogurt, milk and hot coffee, quick brushing and flossing of my teeth and I was off for my 9.00 am routine dental six-monthly cleaning visit with my hygienist. I felt hugely privileged to have this appointment as I was squeezed into a cancellation. I drove the car there (Fairfield Circle) by myself (a matter of such pride and a sense of accomplishment for me, but also a reiteration of the fact that I am now comfortable taking Leslie’s car wherever I need to drive).

My hygienist was someone new (I usually get Tanya); this time I had Jody. She was as meticulous as are all the other practitioners at this practice (Fairfield Dental Arts) which is why I have been seeing them for at least twenty years. She told me it is miraculous how marvelously I look after my teeth and how quickly it shows (if one is a professional and knows instantly how to assess gum health and routine oral hygiene). I told her I brush twice daily with an electric toothbrush and floss three times a day (after every meal). She was amazed! Well, I naturally got a clean bill of oral health. No concerns, no worries. I received my next dental appointment in September of next year (as that is when I told them I next anticipate coming). Dr. Forella then came and assessed the state of my teeth and told me all was well too. I was simply elated as living in Bombay does not allow me to go to a good hygienist every six months (as I had done in the US). Oral hygiene standards are very low in India and although I did try to schedule a 6-monthly dental cleaning in Bombay, my dentist took one look at my teeth and said everything was perfect and sent me packing! No attempts were made to scrape off plaque or tartar that inevitably accumulate every six month. That’s when I realized that if you need to do major orthodontal work such as fillings, crowns, root canals, etc. you should get them done in India (where it is SO much cheaper), but for routine cleaning (which is the very base root of thorough dental hygiene and teeth maintenance) you need to get it done in the USA.

Browsing in Favorite Stores:

Dental visit done (the first of the many medical visits I will do while I am in the US), I drove along the Post Road and decided to stop at Dairy Queen for my beloved Chocolate-Cherry Blizzard. There, I discovered that they open only at 11.00am (it was about 10.45am) and that my beloved Beth-Ann (who has custom-made my Blizzards for 20 years!) has been transferred to Monroe, Connecticut! I simply could not believe it! That was a huge disappointment for me. Later, in the day, when I tried to call her, I was told that she had come in early and left already for the day. I will now have to keep calling, make sure I get her when she is actually on duty and have my favorite sundae fixed by her magical fingers.

Next, I drove to Goodwill to browse around the thrift shop (as I usually do) looking for vintage jewelry. There was none to be found but I did enjoy taking a look at the wares on display.

Back at Leslie’s, it was almost time for her to leave for work—she needed the car to get there--and time for me to have lunch. I created a make-shift meal with leftovers in the fridge (salad, pizza) and then went into my room for a nap. Needless to say, I slept for a solid three hours (most unlike me, but my body clock is still adjusting) and when I awoke, it was almost time for Leslie to get back from work. I made myself a cup of tea with lemon and munched on a few almond cookies before she got home and made a big batch of popcorn. We sat chatting for a while and then started to think about dinner.

Dinner at Home with Leslie:

Dinner at home with Leslie was Hoisin Chicken that she made following a very easy recipe. It was basically sauteed onion and red pepper (which I found in the fridge and added), ground chicken and a sauce made hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, honey. It was surprisingly delicious served over a bed of greens with roasted Brussels sprouts which she threw into the oven with salt, pepper and olive oil. I dressed them with some vinegar. It was a delicious dinner and as we ate, we watched the third (and final) season of Ted Lasso on Apple which we both love.

Dinner done, we cleared and washed up and I went into the bathroom for a shower, followed by bed.

It was a more relaxing day and my knee is getting the rest is craves. No wonder then that it is starting to feel much better.

Until tomorrow…cheerio!

Operation NYU Exit Continues, Brunch with Amy, Arrival in Westport, Connecticut

Sunday, August 6, 2023

New York City

Operation NYU Exit Continues, Brunch with Amy, Arrival in Westport, Connecticut

I awoke on Sunday at 4.30 am in my Manhattan apartment. I still cannot get over my good fortune in having such a beautiful apartment at my disposal. It is a darling space: a large living room-cum-kitchen that is sparsely but adequately furnished and stocked, gives way to a bedroom and bathroom within. What is most stunning about this venue are the views, of course, and they change at different times of the day depending on the level of natural light (or lack of it). When the sun goes down, the lights in the city come on and the place is illuminated like a Christmas card. It is thoroughly bewitching.

I was hungry when I awoke and, rummaging through the cabinets, I found crackers that I ate with peanut butter. A little later, I ate a bagel with more peanut butter. I had to eat these items to fill and sustain myself although I knew I would be having brunch with my friend, Amy, later in the morning. Amy was teaching a yoga class till 10.30 am and told me she could meet me at my office at NYU at 11.00 am.

I decided to get cracking myself to take advantage of the hours before her arrival to put the finishing touches to the clearing out of my office. Yes, it is the end of an era for me and I am glad I went about it in a systematic fashion. Are there more things I would have liked to take away from my office to India? Of course! But I have to be practical and ruthless and realize that there is only so much I can cart away and I do not want my apartment in Bombay (large and spacious though it is) to became an accumulation ground for more clutter. So, I am reluctantly getting rid of a lot of stuff. I am carrying two lamps back to Bombay (if you can believe it): a banker’s lamp for my desk and another rather nice one for my verandah where I would like to have softer light than is currently being provided by overhead lighting.

So I showered, cleaned up the apartment, put the towels I used into a bag to bring them back to Connecticut to be laundered, packed up all my items in my sling bag and left the apartment at 10.00 am. Since it was a Sunday, I’d have liked to have gone to Mass—but I had no idea where any church was located, what time the Masses were, how I could possibly manage to get there on my overused knee and with the load I was carrying. So I decided to drop the idea of Mass.

A Visit to the Church of St. Agnes:

So, I was delighted that en route to Grand Central Terminal, while walking along 43rd Street, I actually passed by the Catholic Church of St. Agnes. Of course, I did not get a Mass (as the last one was already done at 8.30 am), but I was able to enter a really beautiful, serene space and make a fervent visit. Above all, I thanked The Lord for the gift of the Manhattan apartment and the generosity of my friends, Mary-Lauren and Brett, who gave me the keys and made my life so easy in the past few days by offering the convenience of their Manhattan setting. I had also graduated from St. Agnes’ High School in Bombay—so this saint is a kind of patron saint for me and I thought it significant that happenstance brought me to this church.

On the Subway to Manhattan:

I was halfway on the subway to Manhattan when Amy texted me to inform me that she was done with the teaching of her class and was heading to NYU to meet me. There was no Security presence on Sunday and I had to use my key fob to enter the premises. There was not a soul in the entire building as I made my way to the sixth floor and entered my office for the very last time. Once inside, I quickly went over the last tasks I had to do by way of tying up all loose ends together as it were, I had a heavy, full-sized suitcase packed with my stuff plus a number of bags containing books. I was really grateful for Amy who told me that she would help me transport my bags and baggage to Grand Central Station after brunch, as I simply would not have been able to manage entirely on my own (particularly since my knee was playing up so badly).

Brunch at Fred and Wife Freda’s:

Amy arrived in about half an hour (by which time I had completed the entire task of clearing out my stuff). What I could not take with me, I left behind with labels saying “Junk”. I told Billy, my colleague, that he could dispose of them as he saw fit. Gosh! What a huge task it was! But then, compared with the clearing of a four level home that I had undertaken in one month in Connecticut last November, it was not really much at all!

Amy googled good places to eat Brunch near NYU and came up with the Grey Dog on University Place. It was a really beautiful morning in New York City and the weather was perfectly conducive for browsing at a street market (which is what we did). However, as I was reluctant to do too much walking, we went in search of the café. We ended up at Fred’s Wife Freda, a really weird name for a café, but it did specialize in brunch.

A quick look at the menu led both of us to choose the Rosewater waffles with Lebanese labneh (yoghurt), fresh berries and honeyed syrup. Amy had a cold-brew press coffee and I chose to wait until we finished to go to Amorino’s to get myself a hot chocolate. This used to be my guilty pleasure when I was teaching in buildings that required me to walk through Fifth Avenue or University Place to get back to my office. The waffles were very tasty and yes, we did ask for more syrup as there wasn’t nearly enough served with our dish; but it was delicious. After we settled the bill, we strolled to Amorino’s where Amy got me a hot chocolate (which was wonderful of her).

Leaving New York for Connecticut:

With brunch accomplished, Amy and I decided to get going back to Connecticut. Amy said she would accompany me in the Uber as far as the station and would put me in the train before leaving. I felt highly indebted to her and wondered what on earth I could ever do without friends!

I called for an Uber on my phone, got one in 5 minutes, after we had brought my stuff downstairs to street level. The Uber arrived and we were off. I had hoped to get the 2.02 pm train but the driver did not even know where he was going and we lost a lot of time. We ended up taking the 2.34 train but it was fine because we had enough time to find our platform, load my items in the train and leave.

By half past three, I was at Westport station in Connecticut, where Leslie was waiting for me. She then helped me get my items into her car and in no time we were at her place. I was deeply relieved that I had finished this major assignment that had been dangling like a sword above my head. Once we arrived at Leslie’s, she settled me back with a cup of lemony tea and some cookies and we sat chatting about all my escapades of the past few days. She also walked me around the house showing me all the controls of things I might need to use. I spent a while unpacking and putting my clothes into the closet and making myself feel at home.

Dinner at Leslie’s:

Dinner that first night at Leslie’s was a salad, spinach tortellini served with a delicious zucchini-tomato sauce that Leslie had made and some roasted broccoli. A very delicious quickly improvised meal indeed! We sat watching TV as Leslie is avidly following Trump’s indictments as covered by MSNBC and also filled me in on some of the salient features of the issues.

I was, understandably, pretty tired by the end of the day and ready to get to my bed as soon as possible as I craved rest. And that was exactly what I did!

Until tomorrow…cheerio!

Hello Again USA! It’s (Somewhat) Good to be ‘Home’!

Westport, Connecticut

Friday, August 4, 2023

Hello Again USA! It’s good to be ‘Home’!

As expected, I was jetlagged when I awoke in my friend Leslie’s place in Westport, Connecticut, on my first day back ‘home’ in the USA. Everyone asked me how it felt to be back. And frankly, I had no real feelings. I arrived in the US in the dead of night, faced much anxiety at Kennedy airport with no internet connectivity, wondered how I could possibly find my way to Connecticut from New York and then when I was finally in an Uber, I could barely keep my eyes open. So no, I’m sorry. I simply did not feel the same excitement when entering the US that I do when entering the UK! Yes, this was once home, but it is not home anymore. Now I feel like a visitor, like a tourist, as I have no house here and no car. It is an extremely strange feeling and one that is difficult to describe. I guess it would be clearest to say that when I moved to India, I got the US right out of my system. I know! It really is inexplicable, but that’s exactly how I now feel.

Getting Set for my First Appointment:

Leslie, my friend, is the consummate hostess. It is amazing how she has thought of everything, absolutely everything, to make me comfortable. She has purchased a bunch of groceries that she thinks I will use and like (regular milk, for instance, instead of the almond milk she uses). She opened every kitchen cabinet and pantry so that I could know where things are kept and can help myself to anything. Same with the bathroom. She is just the sweetest person. I told her that I would have some cereal for breakfast with some milk and that would tide me over through my first appointment which was first thing today: My annual physical with my internist, Dr. Nirmala Monteiro was at 9.00 am (I thought), but when Leslie dropped me off there, I discovered it was, in fact, at 10.20 am!

Now my friend Bonnie was supposed to arrive there at 10.00am to hand over the keys to my friend Mary-Lauren’s apartment in Manhattan where I intended to go after my doctor’s appointment. So I simply called Bonnie and asked her to come and pick me up a bit earlier—which she did. She took me to her home and there, over a coffee, we caught up on so many things that we are looking forward towards, including the wedding of her daughter Halle, later this month, which I shall be attending. Then, at 10.10, she dropped me off to my doctor’s clinic once again and I was all set for my appointment. Mind you, I was carrying a large suitcase with me—a suitcase I intended to fill with items from my office at NYU which I would be clearing out in the next three days.

As always, my physical with Nirmala (who is also a family friend) involves a lot of chatter, but the job always gets done. I had an EKG (which was normal), and all the other tests carried out, plus I received referrals to all the other physicians I see annually for routine check-ups. It all went well and, in an hour, I was out. I have another physical scheduled for next September.

Off to Get a New SIM Card:

Bonnie was waiting for me to pick me up so that we could go off to the next place: a visit to my phone provider service at Bridgeport as my US phone SIM card was simply not working. We googled the location of my phone service (Cricket) in Bridgeport and in about ten minutes we were there. I discovered, to my horror, that although we have been paying a monthly phone bill (deducted directly from our bank account), our number was cancelled a long time ago. Apparently, if you do not use a number for more than 60 days, it lapses!

Left with no choice, I had to buy a new plan for a month with a new phone number. So purchasing that plan took almost an hour but eventually, I left the shop with a functional phone and the ability to access the web. It is amazing how dependent we have grown on our phones and how insecure we feel if we do not have a working phone in our pockets.

Bonnie then drove me straight to Fairfield Railway station where I bought my ticket and got straight on the train to the City with one big suitcase and a backpack in tow.

Lunch at Grand Central Terminal:

By the tme the 1.05pm train reached Grand Central Station, it was 2.15 pm and I was starving. Of course, I had to get some lunch before I got on the subway to go downtown to NYU to Astor Place. Getting a burger at Shake Shack was a no-brainer and so down into the basement I went. I ordered my Shack Stack burger and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have to say that it really hit the spot. Fueled by my meal, I took the subway to NYU and found myself in my office in no time at all.

Beginning the Clearing Out of my Office:

When I first entered my office the thought of clearing it all away seemed really daunting, but I was surprised that once I set my mind to it, it went really fast. I started off by meeting Billy Helton, Associate Dean, who had a lovely reunion with me. He told me that boxes and tape had been left for me in case I wish to take any personal belongings away from my office. I told him that the majority of the stuff in my office were books. He instructed me to place these on a shelf outside so that anyone could help themselves to my library when they returned to teach in September. Much of the stuff needed to be junked. It was basically photocopied material from the many courses I have taught over the years. Some of the paperwork for courses I have taught in the past were sent directly to the recycle bin. I went systematically through one book shelf and one set of bookcases after the other—but after two hours, my back did start to ache and I was happy to stop, having made quite a sizeable dent in my endeavors.

Meeting Amy at the Metropolitan Museum of Art:

I had made plans to spend the evening with my friend Amy Tobin whom I was supposed to meet at 5.00 pm. But having begun ‘Operation NYU Exit’ at 3.00 pm, I felt I could go on for at least another hour. Hence, I requested Amy to meet me at 6.00 pm—which was fine with her.

At about 5.30 pm, I left NYU, took the Subway Uptown to 86th street and then the 86 crosstown bus to arrive at the Met just a little after 6.00 pm. Amy was already at the Main Information Desk when I arrived there and we had a really affectionate reunion as she is one of my dearest American friends. We decided to spend the evening taking in the special exhibitions that are currently on instead of going to see our special favorites (I shall do that the next time I am in the Met with my friend Liz).

Accordingly, we began by heading straight to the Roof Top Deck. The Met, by the way, has late evening opening on Fridays and Saturdays—when the doors only close at 9.00 pm. This is a brilliant way to bring young folks into the Met. They make a bee line for the Roof Top Deck, as we discovered, where beer and wine flows, nibbles are munched and dozens of people take their pictures against the changing New York City skyline. I say ‘changing; because the horizon seemed studded with cranes and construction activity is rampant. Straight, tall buildings with (in my opinion) no design or character are reaching out for the skies as the city is growing ever vertical. Of course, Amy and I took pictures too.

We also stopped to admire the installation of Lauren Halsey who has used Greek and Roman classical architecture and juxtaposed it against her own background growing up in Watts in Los Angeles. Hence, African faces topped tall pedestals, four sphinxes flanked four sides, etc. It was all very interesting indeed. Next, we made our way to the ‘Buddhist Sculpture From India’ exhibition which was very unusual. Every item is a fragment from one of the Buddhist stupas in India. And finally (saving the best for last), we went to the see the Big Daddy of them all, ‘Van Gogh’s Cypresses’ which was a treatise on his use of cypress tress throughout his life but mainly towards the end once he went to live in Arles and St. Remy where he finally died. Two major works by Van Gogh were on display there: ‘Wheat Fields with Cypresses’ and ‘Starry Night’. Of course, there were a host of other canvasses, all of which features cypress tress as their main motif and I found it quite riveting indeed.

Pizza Dinner with Amy:

It was almost 9.00 pm when we finished seeing them all and decided to go out and get some dinner. As I would be making my way to my friend Mary-Lauren’s apartment at the end of the evening, we left the Met and walked towards 86th Street. There we found a pizzeria called Pizza Famiilgia and, as we were both hungry, we decided to get a slice of pizza each (Amy had the white pizza with ricotta cheese, I had the one with spinach and mushrooms). I paid $6.00 for a single slice! I rmember when you could get an entire pie for $6! I have to say that I am getting sticker shock at all prices in Manhattan. They seem to have skyrocketed since the last time I was here.

Off to my Lodgings in Tudor City for the Next Few Days:

Dinner done, we stepped out on the street. I saw a bus that was going downtown and decided to take it (instead of the Subway) as my left knee had started to hurt so badly that I was actually limping. Amy was quite alarmed by it and told me she did not think it was good. I had no choice, however, except to rest my knee as much as possible. It was clearly a result of overuse. I had been on my feet for more than a week and my knees are simply not able to endure that kind of use. When I arrived at 42nedStreet, I hopped off the bus and since I had to walk about four blocks East to Tudor City where my friend Mary-Lauren’s apartment is based, I decided to take a cab. I was just not capable of taking another step as the pain was quite intense. It reminded me very much of the hobbling I had done, 14 year ago, in London, when I had contracted plantar fasciitis.

A cab was stopped at the traffic light when I decided to hail it and in another ten minutes, I was at the entrance to my friend’s building at 45 Tudor City Place. It is not an area with which I am at all familiar and it was almost 10.00 pm when I got there. Hence, I felt a bit disoriented, but decided to just get to the apartment and go straight off to bed.

The doorman, Franklin, was expecting my arrival as Mary-Lauren had told him I would be there late-ish. He saw me to the elevator in the lovely Tudor-style lobby—indeed I felt as if I were living in an Elizabethan mansion. Once upstairs on the 15th floor, I gasped at the view from the window. The Chrysler Building was staring right at me, lit up like a Christmas tree! It was just spectacular. All around me, the skyscrapers of New York City, in varied architectural styles, looked me straight in the eye. I had never seen the city from this height before and I was enchanted.

However, I did not spend too much time dilly-dallying as my knee was really painful. I brushed and flossed my teeth and got straight to bed, just pausing to thank God for an incredible day and for the amazing opportunity of having this grand apartment at my disposal for the next three nights. Everybody should be so blessed!

Until tomorrow, cheerio!