Kaise (Kai'-say) Hai (Hey) - How You' Doin'?

Kaise Hai (actually "How are You?", though "How you' doin'" is more fun).

We just got back up to the room after another wonderful lunch (our biggest meal of the day), a very short stroll up the block, and a nice long visit with the young folks at the front desk (learning more Hindi and Marathi words); not to mention some waves and "Kaise Hai"(s) along the way.  There was also a visit with a large friendly fellow, the head of corporate sales for the hotel, Mr. Robert Young.  He has relatives in San Francisco and, when he found out I worked in music, he told me he likes Bryan Adams and Kenny Rogers.  I told him there was a famous TV actor that had the same name as him (Father Knows Best), and we parted with me shaking his hand and saying "Goodbye famous actor Robert Young"...he seemed pretty happy.

 

(Upper two photos are of our usual friendly waiters in the restaurant, lower left is of the late morning to early evening cute and fun front desk staff, and the lower right is of three of our usual housekeeping staff.  Everyone is friendly and helpful)


Laurie's gone off now to the clinic...today she gets the added technique of warm oil poured over her forehead; can't wait to hear how that went.  We both saw Dr. Pendse last night and he has decided to add that technique to her regime.  She also went in this morning with me, her first morning trip, and saw Pendse Madam (Mrs. Dr. Pendse) for some chiropractic work on her left upper back.  She will be going back to see her on Tuesday morning, and she will also be looking at her foot pain.  When Laurie arrived today with me (no clinic happening when I'm there first thing in the morning) Gajanan opened Dr. Pendse's office and let Laurie lie on the little raised bed he uses for checking abdomens, pulses etc.  It's nice and comfortable and she laid there and read.  Conversely, the previous night, when I was there early while she was getting treated, I sat outside the office on the hard steps or in the crowded waiting room, reading; as well as going for a walk to a nearby park thru the multitudes of commuters, students, motorcycles, scooters, bicycles and more.  Boy does she get the special treatment.  To top things off this morning, after we both complimented Mrs. Pendse on her outfit she asked Laurie if she wanted to go shopping for some herself... "DUH!!".  I asked her the brilliant question as to whether she (Mrs. Pendse) enjoys shopping herself..."DOUBLE DUH!!"  Well, there you have it, two peas in a pod, already planning on meeting tomorrow to go do what Mrs. Pendse so proudly and happily claimed is a woman's right and calling; their joy.  Me, I'm a shlub, a proud representative of the vast majority of my gender...go team go (yawn)!

The Man, the Doctor, the Legend...

The Woman, the Doctor, I'm assuming the true boss...

There are more motorcycles and motor scooters here in Pune then probably any one place on the entire planet; I kid you not...I have never seen anything come anywhere close to the sheer volume that is here in this city of 8-9 million people.  That's right, you read it right, 8-9 million people...nothing like getting away to the country for a nice relaxing vacation after a hard year or two of work (Yea-Haw!!).  I've got to  tell you, the daily drives are like going thru a continuous movie set, or back-lot of a movie studio, only probably much more colorful, more entertaining, more exciting, better.  That is some dance out there, it is really hard to describe the absolute, continuous knife's edge of chaos, beauty, grace, near tragedy, poverty, filth, trash, calm, air and noise pollution, potential apoplexy, spirituality, and overwhelming color that embodies the daily theatre of life that takes place before our eyes during each day's trips in the rick-shaw; not to mention the walks around, and across (Oh God, Please, I've been Good!) the streets.

 

I hate to get side-tracked here in the middle of the photo collage, but remember the mention of the pillow predicament?  Well, take a look at this...

Okay, so how many pillows do YOU SEE on my side of the bed?!  "Welcome Home Honey!  While you're up would you please get me the..." Ah Yes, I do LOVE my pillow-laden wife, but hey...

So last night Dr. Pendse continued to give me quite the positive feedback, letting me know that I continue to progress, as does Laurie (though she has been feeling more continuous pain than me these days).  He likened my situation to a two horse drawn chariot.  On the one side is a very strong, active, agile 30 year old mind with the abilities to multi-task a large number of things simultaneously, with a maturity in its 40s; and on the other side a physical body that is around 62 (about 5 years older than I am).  The problem seems to stem from the imbalance between the two and what the doctors have been trying to do as of late is provide enough suppleness and renewed strength to my physical body to be able to withstand the next phase of trying to bring everything more into balance.  He started me on a first meditation of breathing in one nostril and out the other and then repeating in the opposite direction.  He does not want to slow my mind down but he does want it to reduce its hold over everything, as the imbalance reached a critical phase with my physical being no longer able to keep up or cope with the stress created by my mental activity.  He said that in the future he will give me more meditations and that the inability to eat a lot of foods will most likely change as I bring everything more into balance.  What is rather amazing is that prior to seeing him Laurie and I discussed some of the questions we wanted to ask and one of them for me was whether he felt stress or foods were more important to my condition; and before I said anything he launched into answering the question.  

With Laurie he feels strongly that she needs to nurture more of her creative elements, be it writing, drawing, or gardening, to help her along with her condition; and the results will be forthcoming without actually concentrating and worrying with specificity about her prognosis (easier said than done but sage advice nonetheless).  He has also, to Laurie's delight, made the suggestion, at least over here, that I consider having some chicken; preferably in a soup form to start (now that is something both Jewish Grandmas could get behind in the biggest of ways; probably with huge grins on their faces.  Not so fast though, true to form I'm being somewhat slow and stubborn about this).  I haven't had chicken in over 40 years...to which Vikrant replied with a wide grin (when I told him) "Well, now you start" and then proceeded to offer me a high five; the same thing Dr. Pendse did when I relayed to him what Vikrant said to me.  What's with these people, high fiving over chicken?!! Oh, and mutton was thrown in as well...this after I was told not to eat much in the way of peas or corn...simply wonderful news for a vegetarian, to go along with everything else I shouldn't eat, though I've been given the go ahead to have some dishes over here that have nightshades in them.  Like the grandfather said with tears in his eyes toward the end of the movie "Moonstruck", "I'm confused...!"

There is a plan for us to have a one to two hour meeting with him next week to go over all of our questions and lay the groundwork for the next couple of months of continued treatment when we are back in the States.  That's right folks, as far as everyone over here is concerned, our treatment does not end here in India, but must be maintained when we return home if we want to continue to see positive results.  I, for one, can really feel a growing improvement and have not had my allopathic medicine now for 9 straight nights. Aside from the pain in her left foot and upper back Laurie has noticed a lot of positive change with her system as well, and today she felt the muscles in my left leg and foot, as well as my shoulders, and was amazed at how relaxed and supple they were (a huge, major difference then the status quo that she has felt over the years).

At today's session I brought in my laptop to play some music for Vikrant especially; as well as Gajanan.  We had been talking about it for a few days and I finally lugged the computer and adaptor over to the clinic.  As we prepared to start I gave Vikrant a quick tour of Errol Garner, Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole (a little bit of Jazz), then when we started with the warm oil (color and consistency of transmission fluid) over the feet I played some traditional classical Indian music with Ali Akbar Khan (sarod), Nikhil Bannerjee (sitar) and Swapan Chaudary (tabla).  Vikrant enjoyed this, and then I decided I needed something longer for the duration of the session and went to one of my mixes.  As I lay there getting oiled (tranny fluid again) up and down my legs (I'm on my back now) I started "Wondering Where The Lions Are" (Bruce Cockburn), and as they worked on my feet I began to feel like a "Nowhere Man" (Beatles).  As my abdomen was rubbed my mind floated to "Love at the Five and Dime" (Hart Rouge) and I wondered if I would get "In the Sweet By and By" (Dolly Parton).  My upper torso and arms got a good working over as I contemplated if Laurie would "Lay Lady Lay" (Bob Dylan) across the big brass bed that I don't even have.  As I flipped over to get my back exquisitely worked on I drifted to "China" Chin-ay far away (Greg Brown), and dreamed of sweet "Melissa" (Allman Brothers).  As my shorts were dropped down, so as not exclude my (fill it in for yourselves...butt, tush, rear, bum, posterior...that's as far as I'm going here) the perfectly timed "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) (John Lennon) came on wafting thru the room (well I thought it was perfectly timed).  Now down to the back of my legs and Vikrant asks about the music coming from the computer and it is Nanci Griffiths doing John Prine's "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness"; which he lets me know he likes very much.  This is followed by Dougie MacLean's "Solid Ground" and the Old Blind Dogs "Rolling Home".  I am now getting seriously nostalgic and my mind is wandering back thru the years of all the music and connections I have been most fortunate to have experienced thru the years; and I am enjoying the music like I have not for quite some time (I really must be getting better folks; it ain't just an improved appetite or being able to walk with more ease).  I explain to Vikrant that the Dogs are the first group I really worked with; man, my mind is going back now, and enjoying the thoughts.  And then...then...on comes one of my favorite  songs (that I never seem to tire of), Harry Nillson's version of "Everybody's Talkin'" and I let the guys know that I absolutely love this song and it must have been something in my voice because Vikrant asks me if I am feeling nostalgic..."Yep, I sure am".

Well, a few songs later it's time for my busti (for you newcomers that's spelled e-n-e-m-a).  Got to have the right music for that...right?!!  Wellll, you guessed it...Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World"...hey, you can't make this stuff up...So, Kaise Hai...Here's Lookin' at Ya...BOTTOMS UP!!

Chicken?! OY!!!