Can you tell me how to get...

how to get to Sesame Street.

I have come to the conclusion that Sesame Street characters are all based on real people. I am also convinced that I know all of these real people the characters are based upon. I was sitting in a meeting the other day and looked across the table at this guy. He looked oddly familiar and my mind was racing through the Rolodex of people I have met throughout my life...where do I know this guy from? And then it hit me. This guy is Ernie! Admittedly, it was hard to get through the meeting sitting across from Ernie. I started noticing this more and more with various people - how they not only look like the characters, but in certain aspects they act like the characters, too. I personally think I'm a Zoe.

Sesame Street holds a dear place in my heart. As a child, it was the "Sunny Day" song that got me out of bed in the morning. I would high tail it into the kitchen, grab breakfast and park it in front of the television to absorb all the things that a kid needed to know about the world. What I didn't realize at the time is that it was preparing me for the people I would actually meet in adulthood. So, not only is the show educational in nature, it's also a crystal ball into the future. Brilliant!
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This blog was brought to you by the letter M and the number 7.

Knit One, Friends Too

I've been working on my craft a lot lately and have also been thinking about friendship a lot recently too. So, it's just natural that I somehow weave them together in this blog. Once you cast on, knitting can be simple, like a straight stitch, or more complex like the seed stitch. Such is the nature of friendships. Once you meet a person and then form a bond, relating to them can be a piece of cake, but there are times when the seed stich necessitates itself for the sake of the pattern, making things much more difficult.

Sometimes you'll drop a stitch, but if this happens, you don't trash the entire project. You might put it down and walk away for a while, but you've worked so long and so hard to get it all right, that you realize that one dropped stich won't make such a huge impact on the finished project. And in friendships, you'll stumble sometimes but you don't give up the friend. You take some time, reevaluate, and come to the decision that at the end of the day, there's been so much invested that having the friend is much better than not.

The finished product, though it has it's miniscule flaws, is a beautiful woven tapestry that represents time, patience, fortitude and love. And that, my friends, is worth it.

To Mom and Dad

For 36 years together. That's a huge, huge deal.

On July 10, 1970, two young, yet dashingly good looking people (that's for you Mom) got married at C.V. Nayak hall in Mangalore, India. And what an auspicious day (or rather "suspicious" day as Dad likes to call it). Did they even know what life with that other person was going to be like? Hardly. I can't imagine the leap of faith that my parents took. Dad summed it up this morning with, "We've done pretty well for two people who have absolutely nothing in common but our daughter." After all these years, I can still tell that there's so much love there, even with their differences. It was a love that developed over time, but that stregthened with each obstacle they faced. To me, that's love in its purest, yet most rare form. I'm sure there were plenty of instances where they could have given up on their marriage, like most couples do these days, but they've stuck it out through the good and bad. Now, they have 36 years behind them to show for it. Well played, parents. Well played.

I've had some interesting thoughts as of late. One that came across my mind was, "What if I never, ever get married?" Yikes. For all the mundane thoughts I have during the day, this thought hit me pretty hard. Most of my friends are in their "marriage mode." Of course, I'm not there yet, and that's ok, too. Admittedly, it's hard to relate to them at times. Multiple conversations with BBV have put my fears at bay. There's no reason to get all bent out of shape. I overanalyze things. Twist and turn them. Because "what if I never get married?" turns into "oh my God, but I want kids!" Of course, I suppose there are defintely ways to raise kids without being married, but I don't think I'm quite strong enough to be a single parent. These are the wild places my mind goes.

But then I wonder what happens when I do get there? When I am in "marriage mode." Will I know the person well enough? What is "well enough?" How long does it take before you know you've gotten "the one?" Is there only one? Maybe that's my leap of faith to take. At this point, only time will tell. For now, I just want to give some credit to my amazing parents. Here's to 36 more suspicious years. (I love you guys.)

KonCANi

Having attended all of the Konkani Sammelans/Youth Conventions for a decade now, I think I know what it takes to make a good Sammelan. I would like to eventually plan a Sammelan, but, for now, let me just say that the Canadians did a great job getting this together. The youth especially stepped up to the plate and showed us a phenomenal time. I think the bar has been raised and I'm excited that the Bay Area has decided to take on the challenge for the Youth Convention in 2007. I know they will do an awesome job.

I went to Canada with a bad attitude. Actually, it was horrible. I'm not sure why. I love my Canadians. It was only exacerbated by the fact that we've never had a Sammelan in a major, metropolitan city. But, you know what? Hamilton served its purpose. I would still love to see one in a big city, but I'll wait until I'm put in the hot seat and on the planning committee. I'm certain I'll retract this statement as soon as I see how much it costs.