A fitting end to 2012

December 31 was an absolutely miserable day. Mostly un-noteworthy but highlighted by a seven eight hour bumpy bus ride from Pokhara to Kathmandu.  Just not fun. Today I am in Kathmandu with a Nepalese friend who has never seen the Monkey Temole or other cool places in Kathmandu. I hope 2013 starts better than 2012.

Nepal 2012

(Blogging is not easy on the iPad - typing in the virtual keyboard is slow.)

Shortly after arriving in Kathmandu I thought, "Uh-oh, thus trip was a mistake."  The skies were overcast and the temperatures in the low 40's and dropping fast in the late afternoon. I haven't become a total wimp in my time in the desert; I can handle these temps. The problem is that the hotels have no heating. As it fell to just above freezing I realized Sri Lanka with lows of 75 might have been a better plan.

I spent two unremarkable days in Kathmandu. The daytime weather was fine but the nights were cold and my hotel had no hot water. I went three days without a shower.

On my third day I took an early morning bus to Pokhara. The journey is just over 100 miles but it takes 7 hours over the winding paths up the mountains and the three stops for bathroom/eating.

Pokhara was also overcast and cold the day I arrived. This vacation was beginning to look like a major mistake.

Fortunately, I was greeted at the bus stop by the staff of the hotel.  It was a nice gesture for my travel weary state of mind. After reaching the hotel I realized I left my iPad on the bus. My friend Vikram got me back to the station quickly and the driver had it. I paid him 1000 rupees ($12). I think we were both happy.

The next morning the sun came out and it warmed up nicely. The daily pattern for the past week has been warm days - shorts and T-shirt weather followed by nights just above freezing. By late afternoon the temperatures start dropping like a rock. By bedtime I am covering with four blankets and have no desire to get out of bed until the sun comes out again.

This has been a laid back trip. I've already hit most of the touristy places on previous trips.  My friend Sanjaya and I visited a cave full full of bats and a Hindu monestary. We also climbed a mountain to visit a Peace Pagoda. (OK, "mountain" might be overstating it just a bit, but it felt like climbing a mountain.)

I also spent a day with my friend Vikram visiting Hindu temple that is built on a man-made island and we spent hours out on the lake watching the para gliders against the backdrop of the Himalayas.

The rest of the time I have been reading. I have completed four books about the 2012 election and I'm on my fifth. Spending two hours/day reading about politics for the past year was apparently not enough.

Christmas Eve was amazingly cool. The hotel guests and staff had a communal BBQ. A chef prepared lots of pork and chicken in a garlic, ginger, and red wine marinade.   Lots of food, lots of beer and good conversation. Very nice.

So a week has passed and I have a week to go in Nepal. So far, so good.

Be like Mike!

My friends Mike and Dawn love going to Vegas. They go almost every year and I think there have been years where they have gone more than once. They go other places, too, but they really like Vegas so they keep going back.

There's nothing wrong with that... Go where you know you will have a good time.

So I have NO IDEA why booking a trip to Nepal was so hard for me. I felt like it is a waste somehow given that I have never visited Beirut, Cairo, Thailand, etc.

And what makes it even dumber to get worked up?  I booked using airline miles. So the flight cost $40 in taxes and fees.

Anyhow, I am in Kathmandu. It is different than previous trips - 1. Cold, 2. It is low season for tourists.  I wanted to experience low season. So far it's not been good but I am looking forward to going to the (warmer) resort town of Pokhara tomorrow. Visiting my friend Sanjaya will be nice.

Traveling on narrow mountain pass roads on the last day of earth's existence may not be so wise...

National Day

For the UAE National Day I wore the traditional robe and head scarf as I have for the past two years.

In this picture I am with my friend Mansour.  (Mansour was with me on the trip to Canada last spring.)  For the record he's wearing the egal (headbands) and headscarf (guttra) the right way.  I am not.

My American boss saw me in this and said, "You are just too white for this combination."

I thought "He's right.  I'm one step away from being recruited by the klan."

So I went out and had my beard colored.

Pictures tomorrow.

Bowling

I said to a friend, "Last night, three Afghanis and I went to a bowling alley..."

She started to giggle.  I looked at her strange.

She said, "Oh, this is not the start of a joke?"

*****
Let me start over:  I appreciate getting to know my Afghani students.  These guys were born and raised in Afghanistan and were pre-teens when the US invaded.  They are from the northern part of the country which never really liked the Taliban so they were not upset to see the fall of the government.

Largely, however, we do not talk politics.  I have my thousand questions about their culture and they've been very patient answering them.

And then we went bowling.

It was my first time bowling in 20 years.  On my third and final game I broke 100.  I came in last but I was still doing my happy dance.  The guy in the black shirt was using a 15 pound ball and he literally threw it down the lane.  I said, "I'm surprised you don't get a strike every time.  If I were those pins I would jump to get out of the way!"

Lame Christmas party

I've hosted four Thanksgivings, four Christmas parties and three wine tastings in my time here.  I guess I was due for a lame party.  It wasn't bad - nobody yelled, nobody cried, nobody even said a discouraging word.  All of the guests will remain on Santa's "nice" list.

But it was just not a *good* party... and it is largely my fault.  I have new neighbors this year and I thought the idea of a joint party where we all leave our doors open and provide guests with the opportunity to mingle would be merry and festive.

It wasn't.  Guests seemed glued to the party they had been invited.  Those that did cross into another party did so timidly and cautiously asked permission.  Party fail.

Ann (who I knew would give it to me straight) said she had a great time because she had a chance to talk to some people she never gets to talk to but that the 3 party format just didn't work.  "I knew ____ was somewhere here because I saw her walk in but I didn't want to go hunt at the other parties to look for her."

******
My revelation:

Wine = Good.

Mulled wine = Great!

Mulled wine with orange juice?

Well, if I had it a restaurant the guy at the next booth would be asking to have what I'm having.

What happens when I pose life's questions on FB

Last night I posted a simple statement on Facebook:

A friend wanted something I had but was no longer using. He couldn't afford it so I gave it to him. Several months later he sold it. This bothers me but I don't know if it should. Opinions? Does it matter if the used item was worth $250?

I had no idea this would generate 50+ responses.  I so wish I could post a link to it here for the two blog readers who are not on FB, but hey Mike and Matt - get on FB!  

The initial responses were basically calling my friend an ingrate.  Then came a comment from a college friend who - like me - grew up reading Dear Abby.  Abby was adamant that a gift is a gift is a gift.  Once you have given it be happy for whatever joy/utility it brings to the person.  If that meant selling it, so be it.  Why not be happy for the person?

As the comments progressed more came along the "gift" lines.  Then my Republican friend Karey had to give me the low blow that this experience is slowing moving me to her side.

*****

The story condensed to just a few lines for FB is real.  It was not, however, the story of one person.  I could have written this about at least four - if not five - people here and several back in the US.  

So the issue is not the people I have given things to, but rather me:  Am I "that guy" who gives things and wants the constant thanks and reminders I gave it?  I sure hope not.  Do I give away too much?  Am I trying to compensate for the 10 year old me who had no friends?

In the past couple of years I have felt as comfortable and secure as I have at any point in my life... which is to say my bundle of insecurities have been contained.  Yet, these are moments where I think, "Oh, yeah, Mr. Confident?  You are still that child who doesn't look forward to recess because you fear not having any friends to play with."

*****

Tonight I received this text from a close friend who assumed my post was about him and.. well...

"I enjoyed reading 52 comments about what kind of person I am.  I don't get such a chance every day.  I will get money to you tonight and the remainder I owe I will get to you next week.  As always it is hard to tell how much I really owe you because you have done for me things that I can't estimate their value in money.  So I will pay you what I know you gave me and be thankful for the rest."

My heart sank.  We spent an hour messaging back and forth.  He made the point that he wished I had come to him before posting this on FB and I agreed he was right, but the issue was not really him but me.  I ended with:

The bottom line is that my life is better with you in it.  I think you feel the same way.  That's all that really matters. The rest we can work out later.

I like the idea of "paying it forward."  It is what parents do naturally for their children.  It is most certainly what Spellman did for me and hundreds of others.  If I can help a friend I need to see it as "paying it forward" and not get worked up about getting credit.

In other words, I need to be a better person.

Election recap

I predicted all 50 states right.  Someone really famous (in the world of geeks) also got all 50 states right:  Nate Silver, whose blog I read religiously.  I did not, however, copy him.  At the time I made my prediction I  think he still had Florida and Virginia going for Romney.  

The prediction that Obama would win 330-206 seemed like a gutsy call given that Gallup had Romney ahead several points among likely voters.  I'm not bragging; I was honestly scared on election day.  It seemed like O was headed for a landslide win but how could so many on the right be predicting a Romney win?

If I were a Republican I would be pissed.  It is one thing for a campaign to have false bravado to buck up the troops.  It's another thing to just be dead wrong in your internal polling.  In other words, I'd rather have my side lie to me and say, "We're gonna win!" rather than to be totally clueless.

Romney was so sure he was going to win that he had no concession speech?  Seriously??  The President's team was fairly certain of victory but they still had a concession speech in the can.

The most encouraging thing to me in the past few weeks is that the President is playing to his strengths in the negotiations on the poorly named "fiscal cliff."  It was his horrible performance in 2011 that gave me fear he would not be reelected. 

And it wasn't just the race for President... Gaining two seats in the Senate was unthinkable a year ago.  In the House, Democrats received more votes but Republicans still have the majority due to gerrymandering.  Pot legalized in two states.  Four states voted either for gay marriage or against a gay marriage ban.  

I'm proud to be an American.