Ready to roll?

By all appearances, yes. The calendar says the same. It's August 28, 2k6, the date I've repeated a million times to people who probably wanted me off this country's territory as soon as possible. It's now 0242 hrs. My bags are packed, and save for the small matters of couriering a CD to Doski, and faxing a form to Penn, I should be ready to shift base.

The lead up to this day has been full of an exaggerated normalcy, which settled in with surprising ease among all the restlessness that pervades a household which is about to bid its elder son goodbye for a substantial period of time, for the first time. Everyday, for the past two weeks, I've woken up at 11 am, eaten a cold breakfast, spent the day hiding from the Sun, and playing tennis in the evening with such a suggestion of routine, that a few alarmed folks thought I had chickened out of going to the US of A (or that they had told me to sit at home...whatever...some strange panic-inducing thought, for sure...)

And, now in the last 24 hours of stay at home, I find myself weighing the price of numbness and indifference to this change of seismic proportions in my life. But, I have nothing to say for the moment.

Maybe the impact will hit me suddenly when I step out at Philly International, which will look nothing like Roorkee...or IGI, Delhi...or India...

Ah well, if it doesn't happen, then maybe I'll be a little guilty about not mirroring the emotions at home.

I still hope to be OK. You'll know in the next post. Thanks for your good wishes, and support. Goodbye for now!