bizzaro birthday

I've managed to miss most of the major holidays over the past four months. Christmas day was spent recovering from Nikhil's wedding party in Mumbai, New Years Eve listening to fireworks from a guest house in Hyderabad, Valentine's Day watching Titanic at a restaurant in Kerala, and my 26th birthday on a beach in Diu. We had champagne for breakfast (or Champion, as the menu called it) and real cheese at the 3-star resort across the street from our (no star) hotel. Of course, I have witnessed some Indian holidays that I was not previously acquainted with; namely, Holi, the celebration of spring, when everyone walks around throwing (smearing) colored powder on everyone else. Very messy.

Skipping holidays has reset my internal calendar. Combined with the fact that it is so hot in Mumbai right now that I am being forced with the task of redefining what hot means, for all practical reasons, I have no idea what time of the year it is. This means I have succeeded in one very important task: I have managed to skip winter. The night before leaving Minnesota in December was spent running from my car to my house with Nellie and Sarah, moving all my belongings in garbage bags and trying not to get frost bite. Now they report that it's 72 degrees and everyone is emerging from hibernation. It seems I am about to treat myself to a second summer. Boca burgers, Twins games, nachos, G&T's and karoke.

Count me in.