If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Another Ashes series has ended. Last time around, the picture that lingered was of Steve Waugh stroking the last ball of the second day at Sydney to the boundary to equal Bradman�s century tally. But two years later, it is the sight of Flintoff slurring and tottering at Trafalgar Square and Vaughan commenting about some of his mate’s lack of sleep to Tony Blair, that will stay with me for sometime. The English, by all accounts, are still having a party, four days after their victory. And quite rightly so, for it has been a series of nail biters. Warne�s stunning wicket tally, Hoggard�s cover drive, Simon Jones’s reverse swing, Geraint Jones tumbling catch off Kasprowicz, KP�s butter fingers, his towering sixes and last, but the most important of all, Flintoff! What a series!

So did Australia deserve to lose? Yes they did. England was the better team. But, on hindsight, I think all of us had placed Australia in a higher plane than they deserved. Sambit Bal sums it up perfectly when he writes -

The Australians have been hustled by Shoaib Akhtar and Shane Bond before, but they have had easy runs to pick at the other end. With England, there was no getting away. Harmison pinged them; Hoggard kept them tentative; Flintoff challenged them incessantly; and Simon Jones kept them pinned to the crease.

Consider this English bowling attack that showed its mastery of a previously reviled Oriental art, four bowlers all of whom prised out batsmen almost at will and another whose efforts with the ball were overshadowed by his batting! That is something that Australia has not faced in the recent past. Then Bal follows this argument with a comparison that has stayed with Australia through their run of successes these past few years, but this time with a difference.

The big unanswered question during the West Indian reign in the late-’70s and mid-’80s was how great the West Indian batsmen really were. After all they never had to test their skills against their own bowlers. After they have been put through the wringer, we are now able to venture a guess about this Australian batting line-up.

Ok, I think the caliber of at least ONE all time great is being questioned, but nevertheless the question seems to be valid.

But Australia have been barracked unfairly from some quarters too. Another Cricinfo column, this time by Anil Nair talks about the air of invincibility that the Aussies bought with them when they landed in England, but seemed to have left it behind in their hotel rooms when they made it on to the field. However, sample this -

To have had only nine debutants in five years and 68 Tests - contrast it with England’s 26 in 75 Tests for roughly the same period - speaks of a set-it-in-stone syndrome at work, at once formulaic complacency and an attempt at myth-making.

As far as I know, this fact, in the past has been thrown around as one of the reasons for Australia�s awesome run. And suddenly the next day it is slammed as shortsightedness? And the same actions that were billed as �motivational� are now being slammed as the necessary rituals of a cricket team bent on creating an aura around itself in the manner of the Chicago Bulls. That is something I don�t understand.

There are usually two ways to categorize the positive result from a contest involving two equally matched participants (this series apparently was, if you consider the margin of the results)

1. A win resulting out of a team raising its game utterly dominating the otherwise equal team
2. A win resulting out of one good team playing below potential and imploding in the face of good opposition

We all know which team’s results typically gels with the second description. And when it comes to the 2005 Ashes, I think it was the first case all the way, the poor form of some of the Aussies notwithstanding. Hence this is not the end of the road for the Aussies. And I am of the firm opinion that no team can be labeled No.1 unless they play well all the time, or at least most of the time, home or way. Australia has done that consistently these past years and they are still the best team in the world. As for who is the second best, of course it is England.

Last year, just after the Aussie tour of India, I got into an argument with a friend who said that India was the second best team in the world, but I quietly pointed out to him England�s record over the past few years starting from 2001 when they went to Pakistan. Still he did not see eye to eye with me and pointed out that India had drawn the series in Australia. I think we were at a stalemate then with neither of us willing to let go. But now, he will have to change his opinion.

So, IMHO, all that England has to do to become the best team in the world is to play consistently during their sub-continental trips in the next few months and get to Australia and at least draw the series next year. As far as India is concerned, their first priority is to win more than one test match every away series and at least one series outside the subcontinent. Now if that is not stating the obvious, then what is?

First I did not know if I was the only one. So I refrained from mentioning it publicly. Now that I know I AM , DEFINITELY , NOT , THE , ONLY , ONE who was approached (boy, ain’t I full of it?), I decided to share this with you all. (Note to myself: DO NOT talk about this blog to that hot gal in the adjoining office for the next few months!!)

Last week, one of the marketing managers from Scribner & Touchstone (part of the Simon & Schuster publishing house) left a comment on this post. In case you do not wanna read the comment, the gist is this. She offered me “review copies” of these two books and asked me to get in touch with her if I was interested. I replied to the comment with a short email and she just asked for my address to send these books, which I did immediately. Couple of days later, there it was, sitting in the lobby, a package with my name on it. Opening the package, I found this letter addressed to “Readers and Bloggers” and contained among others, this line -

Blogs and online magazines have become such a wonderful vehicle for the sharing of ideas and the spreading of culture, and we hold your opinions in very high regard.

It is a fact (and fittingly, a nice bit of trivia too) that the revered English journo E.W. Swanton was denied a chance to cover the 1932 Ashes series because his rival reporters got ahead of him in the line for the only telephone to report that Messrs. Holmes and Sutcliffe had scored 555 runs between them and had broken the world record for an opening stand at Leyton. His story reached late. While chastizing him for this, his newspaper decided that he was probably not the man for it and sent their tennis writer to cover what has since then been known as the Bodyline tour. And it has been said, in hindsight that if Swanton had been in Australia, his reports would have been forceful enough to convince the MCC (or the British government) to act tough with Jardine.

But I think that if Michael Vaughan was to do a Jardine today, Swanton would not be missed (no offense to the likes of Roebuck, Haigh and rest). The likes of Rick Eyre, Jagadish & Ganesh, Scott Wickstein and Will Luke (maybe even me) would do just fine. Wth MSM being what it has become, we bloggers are the new-age freelance journos and the writers. So, in this age of MediaNet and paid news coverage, it is no surprise that a publishing house such as Simon and Schuster (itself a part of the ViaCom media conglomerate, just like MTV, CBS, UPN etc.) has taken bloggers into confidence to pass on the impartial word.

Coming back to the books, I had read about Vikas Swarup’s Q&A in The Hindu almost six months ago and being a quizzer myself, I was intrigued by the plot line. I have also had some personal experiences, that enabled me to relate to the subject in a convoluted manner (as you would probably see later). And Untouchables by Narendra Jadhav is coming as an incentive which I gladly accepted. And as Patrix mentions, none of us who has received these books are under any obligation to actually review the two books. Our brief is to just pass the message along, which I’m gladly doing. My thoughts about the books will follow, provided circumstances allow. But that’s probably only after I finish my second reading of HP-6!

(P.S. Click on the book covers to see more info about the books!)

I found (via this week’s Bharateeya Blog Mela post at Harini Calamur’s POV) that a number of Indian bloggers have taken offense at the tone of this Boing Boing post titled Katrina: whew, here comes India to save us, at last! and have come out with strongly worded rejoinders. The Boing Boing post essentially mirrors a post titled Thank Goodness, Here Come the Brave and Generous Indians to Rescue Louisiana (check out the “mood” and the “now playing” sections on this post!) which seems to project the classic (anachronistic) stereotype of the brown man and even manages to refer to imagery such as Gunga Din! While Uma and the others who have been driven to rage by the sarcasm of these posts, maybe we should stop to think whether some of us (i.e. Indians) are guilty of the same crime.

The most forwarded email among Indians this past week, seems to be the one that compares the aftermath of the cloudburst in Mumbai last month with that of Hurricane Katrina. It starts by giving you all kinds of numbers about the two disasters and ends with (what seemed to me) a sarcastic take on the customary labels that the media and the people have for long, affixed to the US and India, i.e superpower and third world country! Now, I got the forward twice and instantly relegated it to my Trash folder. But later, someone else at my workplace mentioned the forward and made some statements that mirrored that last sarcastic footnote that I have mentioned. I am not someone who gets my head hot over such things as forwards, but I got into an argument because the insinuations in this one just seemed plain offensive. Or is it just me?

A google search for the exact phrase “New Orleans vs. Mumbai” turns up 95 results, including a few blogs. Is it possible that these American bloggers who have ridiculed India’s offer of help were motivated to post this way by these comparisons that we Indians have been making through such forwards? How many of us Indians, particularly the ones who have not seen the imagery from New Orleans 24 hours a day on CNN and MSNBC over these past 10 days, know about the scale of the disaster and the reasons behind those numbers that have been compared? For a description of the effects of Katrina, check out New Orleans resident Maitri V-R’s VatulBlog which right now offers Daily updates from and for residents and friends of the Crescent City!

Sure, mistakes were made in Louisiana. The levees in New Orleans were (apparently) designed only hurricanes much less severe than Katrina. And how many of us know that most (if not all) of New Orleans is below sea level, as opposed to certain areas in Mumbai? And that the hurricane caused breaches in the levees and flood the neighborhoods with as much as 12 feet of water?

I am sure people like Amit and Dilip who saw the effects of the tsunami in India would say the same thing about mistakes made by the administration in that situation. But after December 26, the disaster response in India is probably much better now, because the shortcomings have all been pointed out! When disasters happen for the first time, be it the tsunami or the cloudburst or Hurricane Katrina, they HAVE TO BE attributed to that cause that is often termed as an “Act of God”, which is NOT a religious stance, but just a term that refers to unknown and unforeseen reasons.

What’s key is that we learn from mistakes that we make. Do we gain by pointing fingers and drawing parallels, and that too, seemingly with glee? It is a point to ponder! Accepted that the people in the Western Hemisphere need to get their facts straight about the “mystical” East, but do we have to add fuel to the fire with such comparisons, particularly in these testing times?
So, please stop forwarding such emails and please stop the trash talk about the difference in casualty figures. For some people I know, that seems to be a thing to be proud of. But at this age when borders are disappearing, that mentality is itself inhuman!

(Disclaimer: Some of the numbers quoted with reference to Katrina might be erroneous, but the motivation of this post is to stop comparisons at this time of need!)

I first thought that this was another of those tags. And then, just now I came across this page! So knowing that I technically have 3 2 hours left, I am just gonna go ahead and tell you about 5 bloggers who I read or atleast check everyday to see if they have posted something. As per the norm, I have tried to choose 5 bloggers on my blogroll who haven’t had the spotlight shine on them so far today (I think they do deserve much more than just a mention on my blog today). So, without much ado, here goes.

Alpha : The jaunty Queen of the desi blogosphere courtesy her win at the 2003 Indibloggies (Best Humorous Indiblog) . She has been described in the past, as Lalithaji (of the old Surf fame). But she seems to take it in her stride and she actually once called me Ravi beta (but I think made a wisecrack about Surf first). She never fails to bring the house down with her posts and her comments section is always a laugh-riot in the making. Goes on a hiatus atleast once a year (I think she has had two long breaks so far in the 2 years she has blogged) and when this happens, she has every single one of her readers clamoring for her re-appearance. She is currently on an encore and I hope she atleast does a Sholay, if not a Mouse Trap with this one.

Guru Subramanian a.k.a LazyGeek: Twice in a row winner (2003 and 2004) at the Indibloggies (Best Humanities IndiBlog a.ka. Best Media Indiblog) . We seem to share a lot of interests (Thalaivar padams, Maniratnam movies etc.) and his blog seems to be a meeting point and battleground for Tamil movie fans who seem to belong to one camp or the other. Often his readers battle using his comments section, on their own planks, be it Mani Ratnam vs Bala and Rajini vs Kamal and he graciously stands aside, never playing the school master. Curiously ( he denies that it is intentional) almost every single post about Rajini on his blog always follows one about Kamal (and vice versa). And judging by the rate and variety of his posts, he is not the lazy geek he claims to be.

George Thomas: I have mentioned him at least once previously and will do so again. Probably the most under-rated blogger ever and that is because, IMHO, most of his posts would go over people’s heads. In short, he is a fellow quizzer, movie buff and die hard RDB groupie who never ceases to amaze me. His blog is one of the reasons this blog exists at all. Probably the most erudite, non-professional (won’t insult him by using the term armchair) movie critic that I know. Seems to watch the most unknown (to most of us) movies and his movie reccomendations could be cast in stone. Watch (and listen) on George!

Vinod G a.k.a Vindy: I have met him in Chennai at the QFI and never did I realise that he could express things the way he does on his blog. Funny guy. Again a fellow quizzer and Thalaivar fan (even our Yahoo addy’s are similar) who actually had a countdown to the 100th day of Chandramukhi on his blog. His comic takes on the serious-est of things are legendary, and he does ruffle a few feathers along the way. But he does not mind and few wisecracks later, manages to soothe the frayed tempers and he is rolling again. Vinod machi, weight-a kaami!.

Bharath: In a short span of 15 months (much more if you were to count the guest peices on The Hindu, Rediff and other places), this dude has managed to write so much about things that each of us go through in day to day life that I can’t express cogently, ever!. Academics, work, movies, name it, he has a stand. He is opinionated, but the reasoning behind the opinion is always in plainview. He’s made me THINK lately and that is why I am shouting out to him too. Way to go, Bharath.

I might have chosen to mention only 5 of you bloggers, but the truth is that each entry on my blogroll sees action from the right button of my mouse (*I use Firefox and use the right button to open each link in a new tab*) multiple times every day, be it to read new posts or to exchange comments. So this shout actually goes to each and every one of you on my blogroll and then to some more who don’t find places there yet, solely because I am a lazy ass!

So all of you celebrate today. You make my day everyday by telling me something interesting about the world around me and sometimes I wonder about what I used to do before I ever knew that there was something called a Weblog. Spread the love, guys and BLOG ON!

I am currently listening to this (thanks to Nithya’s recco for the whole album, which I strongly second). Personally speaking, YSR seems to be good at this genre. Another of his earlier numbers, this one from Raam, was impressive too. For some reason, I listened to Boom Boom only when I watched the movie and it did not stick. But I saw the movie twice on successive days and soon I was humming it all day. Ok, parts of the song did make me cringe - especially the references to Britney Spears, Norah Jones and George Michael, but it helped that the song was picturized very well and that made me react positively.

Nithya says she does not exactly care for Yuvan’s voice usually and yeah, I agree to this too. His screeching is definitely cringe worthy (case at point 18 Vayathil in Kadhal Konden, Idhu Kadhala from Thulluvatho Ilamai and the yodelling in Nizhanil Nijamum from Raam). But his voice is unusual and suits these two numbers, possessing Shaggy-esque tonal traits, if you ask (the “inexperienced in hip hop or any other kind of non-Indian music”) me.

I remember reading sometime ago (on one of The Hindu’s Take Two series of articles?) that he was working on a Tamil hip hop album. Going by these two singles, that album could set trends.

Hey yo, Yuvan, you there? Yeah? Spin that shit up… soon!

I was (in some ways, I still am) in the midst of a small blogging hiatus forced by a lot of issues when this caught my eye. Saturday being sort of auspicious, I and a couple of friends decided to drive down to the Siva Vishnu Temple in Maryland. And later in the day, we decided to take a small detour on the way back and explore the sights of the Baltimore Inner Harbor along Pratt Street. Stepping out of ESPNZone, we decided to peek into the adjacent Barnes and Noble and get a cappuchino at the Starbucks inside.

Standing in the queue I came upon a copy of the BusinessWeek and instantly picked it up to read while waiting for my cuppa. The special double issue dated August 22nd, but going by the quality of the copy that I got, seems to have already been well thumbed through and in addition to the copy that i chanced upon at the Starbuck counter, the store had just one more copy. But this issue seems to have gone under the radar as far the desi blogosphere is concerned.

As the cover indicates, the issue is all about the rise of India and China with the tagline - What you need to know now. The issue covers a wide range of subjects that are actually quite well known to anyone in tune with the recent business trends. The coverage seems to be from three different levels � a neutral academic�s outlook, a close look from ground zero (in India and China) and at last from the US�s point of view as the �affected party�.

From the desi standpoint, among the major pieces written from China and India, is a success story from Wipro � a feature on how Wipro�s medical claims BPO has adopted the Toyota Production System (complete with flashing lights to warn managers / supervisors of a potential bottleneck) to great success. The description of this system (which has been so successful in manufacturing) adapted to back office operations might sound straight from an Orwellian scenario of indentured labor, but the system is effective and has proven to increase employee morale and esteem significantly. I had heard of such a system in an insurance company�s operation here in the US, but this was an eye opener. Accompanying this story is a slide-show, a look into a particular Wipro BPO�s employee�s daily life.

Rounding out the issue are a pair of articles, one looking at the whole outsourcing issue from the viewpoint of a laid off Maytag factory worker and another outlining what the US needs to do to cope up with the changing landscape.

Overall this double issue is loaded with feel-good stories with a few cautionary tales (like the one about basic education in India). Compelling to say the least, but the horror stories like those of spiking stress levels among the workers in these new age enterprises, seem to have been brushed under the carpet.

I am still not done with all the articles, so I shall end here. You can check out the rest, here.

Racial disharmony seems to have been the flavor of the times during these past few months. Sunil Laxman wrote about his personal experiences sometime ago. I wanted to post on it first, saying that in my four years here in the US, I haven’t personally experienced anything like this (even at the height of the post 9/11 xenophobia), but for some reason the post did not materialize. However I did forget that I had been living in idyllic Athens for most of these four years.

My views started changing when a couple of weeks ago, Meghna and her roomies were yelled at by a passerby because they were “Indian”. She also adds that a few days earlier, someone that she was talking about their used car, hung up the phone on her after she replied in the affirmative to the question - “Are you Indian?”! Apparently he mentioned that he wouldn’t sell his car to an Indian. But like Sunil, she feels no anger. She says she just pities such people, perhaps on their misguided thoughts, I think.

And then, last week I joined the club too. Twice, I was subjected to a few choice slurs from people driving by as I was waiting to cross the road! I observed that in both incidents last week the parties dishing out the abuse seemed to be teenagers. Were they drunk? I don’t think so, since they occured in the middle of the afternoon. Perhaps, the classic case of the devil inside an idle mind, with schools being still closed for the summer? I don’t know..

But it would suffice to say that these has been one of those few moments of my life that I’d would rather forget and hope that in the broader sense, the world’s much better than these few people.

For a long time, I have wondered what I’d do if I met someone (an Indian that is) who did not know who ARR was. Every single time I played pool at the Students Center at univ, I decided that the next time I was there, I’d get a ARR compilation for them to play on the sound system to substitute for the usual hip hop/R&B fare. But that “next time” never came. And then a few months ago, I started making this list, a sort of “ARR for Dummies”. It is quite different from what I had in mind earlier. This one is solely for the non ARR camp from a hardcore ARR fan!

For someone like me, a top ten ARR list would never do justice. So I have made this a two disc collection! The list has a lot of usual suspects (if you are Tam) from 1991 to 2004, but mostly the list comprises of all those gems that, according to me, slipped under the radar. To hear these songs, just go on to ARR’s page @ Raaga.com (except for the one’s from Andhimandharai) and click on the particular movie. So here goes.

1. Parkathe Parkathe - Minmini (Gentleman, 1993) [Check out the catchy whistling / flute / organ]
2. July Madham Vanthal - SPB, Chitra (Pudhiya Mugam, 1993)
3. Thee Thee - Carolene (Thiruda Thiruda, 1993) [The picturization of this track rocked, with rapid shots with a moving camera in tune with the song's rhythm!]
4. Putham Puthu Bhoomi - Mano, Chitra (Thiruda Thiruda, 1993) [Mano's booming voice singing 'Sondha Aagayam Vendum' still raises goose bumps!]
5. Yedhukku Pondatti - Shahul Hameed, TK. Kala, Sunandha (Kizhakku Cheemayilae, 1993) [I know this is a strange choice, but its a personal favorite, slightly risque lyrics not withstanding!]
6. Uyirum Neeye - Unni Krishnan (Pavithra, 1994) [Personally, even if someone says Unni Krishnan did not deserve the National Award for Ennavale, he certainly deserves it for this song? The guitar riffs (?) that open this song remind me always of Thamizha Thamizha, but its Unni Krishnan all the way afterward!]
7. Sevvanam - Mano, Pallavi (Pavithra, 1994)
8. Markazhi Poove - Shobha (May Madham, 1994) [Always thought it was Anupama? Kavitha Krishnamurthi rocked in the Hindi version of this song from Love you Hamesha.]
9. Vidu Kathaiya - Hariharan (Muthu, 1995)
10. Kaiyil Midhakkum Kanava Nee - Srinivas (Ratchagan, 1996) [Srinivas's debut?]
11. Unnai kanavilai netrodu - SP. Balasubramaniam, OS. Arun, Rafee (Kadhal Desam, 1996) [OS ARUN? The classical singer? But I distinctly remember the inlay card crediting SPB and Aslam Mustafa!]
12. O Vennila - Unni Krishnan (Kadhal Desam, 1996) [My ragging song! For the most part of my first year at Shanmugha, part of my ragging was to lean on a wall with a outstretched hand and sing this song repeatedly without laughing or smiling while the seniors used to do all kinds of stupid tomfoolery around me. All because one guy explained the lyrics to me (along with an accompanying sob story) that brought tears into my eyes when I heard it first!]
13. No Problem - Apache Indian, ARR (Love Birds, 1996) [The movie seems to be the inspiration behind Kaho Na Pyar Hai, with the equivalent song being Ek Pal Ka Jeena]
14. Kappal yeri poyachu - SP. Balasubramaniam, Susheela (Indian, 1996)
15. Sakhiye Nee Dhan - Unni Krishnan (Andhimandharai, 1996)
16. Oru Naal - Swarnalatha (Andhimandharai, 1996) [Is it by Swarnalatha? I don't know, but can't find this song on Raaga or Musicindiaonline, which is shame!]

1. Ayirathil Naan Oruvan - Mano (Iruvar, 1996)
2. Narumugaye - UnniKrishnan, Bombay Jayashree (Iruvar, 1996) [Everytime I hear this song, Satish's the face that I reminded of. Dude, in case you read this, you rock. Jagadish, do pass this on to him, if you read this!]
3. Oru Poiyavadhu - Srinivas / Hariharan (Jodi, 1999) [Two different versions of this priceless gem that went unnoticed in lieu of the other songs that were repeated from Doli Saja Ke Rakhna]
4. Theendai Mei Theendai - SPB, Chitra (En Swasa Kaatre, 1999)
5. Swasame - SP. Balasubramaniam, Sadhana Sargam (Thenali, 2000)
6. Nenthukitten - Karthik, Chitra Sivaram (Star, 2001)
7. Azhage Sugama - Srinivas, Sadhana Sargam (Parthale Paravasam, 2001)
8. Nee Dhan En Desiya Geetham - Balaram (Parthale Paravasam, 2001) [Balaram's Debut! Where is he now? He had another awesome number with Vidyasagar and one with ARR, but seems to have gone missing now]
9. Vellai Pookal - ARR (Kannathil Muthamittal, 2002)
10. Vidai Kodu Engal Naadae - Balram, MSV (Kannathil Muthamittal, 2002)
11. Vaanila - Srinivas, Karthik (Kadhal Virus, 2002)
12. Pookum Malare - Hariharan (Udaya, 2003) [A beautiful song that went widely unnoticed]
13. Udaya Udaya - Hariharan, Sadhna Sargam (Udaya, 2003)
14. Yedho Yedho - Karthik, Gopika Poornima (Enakku 20 Unakku 18, 2003)
15. Azhagiya Cinderella - Hariharan (Kangalal Kaidhu Sei, 2003)
16. Thotal Poo Malarum - Hariharan, Harini (New, 2004) [All you non-Tams should hear the original first and then this remix to see what ARR's done. Too bad SJS's attempt to recreate similar magic with Mayilirahe and its Maramkothiye remix did not work!]

(P.S Before all you IR hardliners sharpen your knives, I have to say that such a two disc compilation would be totally impossible for IR, just as a top 10 list cannot do justice to ARR. Mottai rocks, but ARR impresses me in his own way! Peace!)

Have been in a bad funk whole week and I need this weekend to recharge with a really key week coming up next (don’t really know, but just feeling it). Am not doing anything specific, but sometimes just a change of surroundings can help. So here’s hoping for that. Ciao all…

She flitted across my line of vision like a butterfly high on nectar and my eyes followed her. Her movements, though urgent, were graceful and she soon had me transfixed with her dance. The devil riding on me won and I willed my straining heart to join her dance. As I looked on and followed on her wake, she almost bumped into some bodies and caused a few voices to rise in anger. But she passed by them uncaring, as fast as she had come by. Another day, I would have commented at the lack of basic courtesies in such a fine young lady. But not today. As I said, I was transfixed. Soon she found herself caught in the midst of a slow pack and I found myself alongside her. I did not know if she had noticed me earlier when she passed me, but this time she seemed to. She flashed a silent smile (that the “I know I am being ogled at and I love it” types seem to possess) at me and I knew immediately that she was reading my thoughts. And even before I realized that I had a voice (well, the one that you humans can’t hear), she was off again, screaming in delight in a manner that reminded me of Thelma and Louise. She left me staring ruefully at her tail lights flashing against the backdrop of the rising moon, as she sneaked through gaps that a old minivan like me would not even dream about getting into. So much for romance. (more…)