It's gotta be the shoes

I'm not sure the exact moment that it happened. It was either while leveling with a coworker that I was feeling really pressed trying to get all of my work done before Friday, and that I felt that I was going to have to pass work back to her (and her volunteering to take it back on!) or it was when I saw the giant Zappos.com box on the mail cart and knew that it was destined for my office. In my quest to find travel sandals, I turned to my old friend - the Internets, and it delivered. I purchased seven (7!) pairs of potential sandals and settled on the ones to the right. They are more than a little orthopedic-looking, but man are they every comfortable. Cushy sole, super adjustable straps - these bad boys are going to India with me!

And that's the moment I'm talking about - when my trip to India became real and immediate. Today, all of a sudden, I can feel the thrill. I've had to walk around the office to burn off a little energy (and to try out the new travel sandals, naturally.) I can still feel it - an extra thrumming in my fingers, slightly sweaty palms.

Perhaps coincidentally, my father has chosen this week to start planning my trip. Yeah, I'm not sure what's up with that either. I expected this, just much earlier. I am trying to minimize the amount of time I spend with "relatives" (i.e. the further out peeps that I have never met), and I am truly loathe to impose on people. (I am my mother's daughter, sometimes.) For example, I am not going to Uncle Sanju's brother Ram's beach house with his family even if they "really won't mind at all." I am more interested in visiting my dad's cousin in The Village (as my dad calls it.) Dad has promised that his cousin speaks "good English" but that his wife will only respond in Malayalam (thus improving my Malayalam - which is so moribund at this point as to possibly be beyond resuscitation.)

In a few short days (and after an inordinately long flight, etc.), I'll be in India. For the first time in eight years. Whoah.