We've arrived

Sans luggage of course. (Travelling with Dad.)
Highlights:
Jogging through O'hare intending to make them wait for Dad. Luckily a mob at the gate. We sat with Hannah, a senior flute player from a Lincoln, NE high school marching band of 180 marching in the London New Years parade.
Jogging through Heathrow. If you land in Heathrow, you walk a short maze, take a 15-minute bus ride through their tunnels, and are discharged into a 2-hour passport check line even if you're travelling on. You can budge your way to the front (nice Sikh couple) and attract the attention of the desk with 15 minutes until gate closing. Then the desk rips up your bording cards and re-issues them and directs you to a train. Now you've joined a small party of worried Tamils. The train discharges you into a security check, even though you haven't left the secure area. (The Brits don't want to see your laptop or little bagie of toiletires.)You emerge without assaulting anyone. Now the jog. You arrive at a deserted gate where two staffers politely wait for you father. (Did I mention the series of escalators? The broken one so that literally 100 people are trying to get on the elevators?) You're through! They announce final boarding as you go down a stair and turn right as directed! But where's the plane? Harry Potter in the room with all the doors. The jetway is literally 1/2 amile long. You arrive plane side. The urbane staffer suggests it saves moneyto have you walk half way to Chennai. You can now afford to laugh.
You get on the plane. There must be some mistake! The desk who ripped up your boarding card switched you to British Airways Club Class!! Almost weeping with joy you find yourself in a cubicle with a seat that becomes completely flat to enable actual deep,prolonged sleep interrupted only by organic chocolate and hot,moist washcloths.
That's good,because you'll need all your energy for the 2-hour (underestimate) process of identifying your bags as lost. Arrive at the hotel at 3:00 Chennai time.

Mom liked her present from Noah

It was a picture of the soon-to-be secretary of state autographed personally to Mom.

I like it

This photo taken at the window just inside our deck. It is about 2.5 feet, according to the newspaper. It is up to my knees. However, we would be housebound without Kalyani plowing us out.

Tree

We got a lot of snow.

Thanks Kamala!

They all loved their new sleepwear!

HAVE YOU HEARD.....

Hannah is accepted at the school of her choice, University of Rochester. She is happy and so are we! She applied early admission.

Busy Weekend

Noah & Ashwani

The Cookie Decorating

Noah, Tomoko, Milei & Nick

Chandran, Chiara & Annette.

Noah & Nick

Ashwani, Noah and Susi were in town this weekend. Susi stayed with us, it was very nice. Saturday I had my annual cookie decorating party. Noah and Eliza were there, plus the usual crowd. Chandran went to cook dinner for his students. That evening Ewa, Jess & Noah joined us. They were in town to pick up Rachel, who was flying in from Paris on Sunday. Sunday I took Susi and Chiara to see the Nutcracker. Chiara’s friend, Allison, was in the performance. Afterwards I took the girls out for hot chocolate at LadyM’s. Chandran took the twins, Eliza, and Noah to Joe’s Shanghai for lunch. We all met up with Ashwani that evening at our place. Today Chiara had a piano recital at a nursing home, it went very well. Tomorrow she will be singing with her school chorus at All Soul’s. Saturday we are off to Rome.

Another picture

Buffalo, Wyoming

We need a picture

Badlands

Pretty funny (from The Onion)

McCain Stares At Screen, Attempts To Write Family Christmas Letter
December 11, 2008 | Issue 44•50




SEDONA, AZ—After procrastinating for several hours by watching It's A Wonderful Life and old John Wayne movies, former Republican presidential nominee John McCain finally sat down at the computer to type his annual "Christmas Bulletin" to friends and family early this afternoon, but found himself completely blocked. "They say you're never too old to learn," McCain slowly typed before pausing, reading the sentence over, and tapping the backspace key until it was deleted. Forty-five minutes later, after two aborted attempts to compose the letter from the point of view of the family cat, Oreo, and another about what 2009 held in store for the McCain clan, the Arizona senator took a break to make a cup of hot cocoa and listen to the grandfather clock ticking in the background. "Jesus," McCain mumbled. "Jesus Christ." McCain returned to the den around 5:30 p.m., at which point he placed a fresh stack of candy-cane stationery in the printer, stared at the screen for another 10 minutes, and finally decided to go to sleep for a long, long time.

Oogway

This is Laura's drawing of Oogway from Kung Fu Panda, he's a turtle.

From Ward's Letter

I'm posting a bit from Ward's annual newsletter that I thought was funny.




Sacrifices Made for Quality Education

Because paying tuition is simply not enough, many families with college students are finding alternative ways to support the institutions of higher learning to which their lives, their loved ones, and their bank accounts are inextricably linked.
The family pictured above has contributed to the shrinking endowment of their daughter's college not only by purchasing vast quantities of branded apparel, but also by offering to donate the family dog as a gesture of good will.
“It probably won't get a building named after us, but it is the least we can do,” they say. “She's a good dog and we'll miss her, but maybe she can help out with fundraising by doing tricks to entertain wealthy aliumni.” So far, there has been no comment from the dog.

Tree

We ended up rejecting this tree, because it had a poison ivy vine growing up the trunk.

Odetta died

She was 78.

The tree

cat haikus.

The food in my bowl
Is old, and more to the point
Contains no tuna.

Tiny can, dumped in
Plastic bowl. Presentation,
One star; service, none.

My brain: walnut sized.
Yours: largest among primates.
Yet, who leaves for work?

So you want to play.
Will I claw at dancing string?
Your ankle's closer.

Am I in your way?
You seem to have this backwards.
This pillow's taken.

There's no dignity
In being sick--which is why
I don't tell you where.

Seeking solitude
I am locked in the closet.
For once I need you.

Your mouth is moving,
Up and down, emitting noise.
I've lost interest.

The dog wags his tail,
Seeking approval. See mine?
Different message.

Cats can't steal the breath
Of children. But if my tail's
Pulled again, I'll learn.

Most problems can be
Ignored. The more difficult
Ones can be slept through.

My affection is conditional.
Don't stand up,
It's your lap I love.