Jan 2000 : Meanderings - Part 2

Friday, Jan 28, 2000 : 20 days in the US now.

Well, so another week drew to a close here. What bliss to have a 5 day week. Friday afternoon, the urge to get out and get started with the weekend begins !

When the East Coast woke up on Tuesday morning, the whole world outside had turned white, with visibility down to a few metres at best. Offices, schools everything was shut, because during the night the "BLIZZARD of 2000" had struck. (That's what the exaggeration-filled American media dubbed it as, at any rate!) There were inches of snow piled up everywhere, and it was snowing down faster than anybody could clear it up, with huge winds blowing. It was hilarious to attempt to go out anywhere. You got to the parking lot, and there were little pieces of iceberg all around. Only the investigative mind could discern the shape of a car under each of these icebergs ! But - it was fun. Certainly for a certain desi, who got all excited at the sight. It was quite awesome to drive through that and try and get any place.

Like the Americans, I am beginning to watch WEATHER FORECASTS as part of an everyday things-to-do. I don't think I ever knew what the forecast for a particular week was in India. Here everyone will tell you - "Its supposed to be in the high-20s this week, and they're expecting 4 inches of snow on Thursday". Which by the way means that the daytime temperatures are below freezing point. Which was another thing that got me excited. Till I found out by the time I reached my car that I had left my fingers, ears and nose back in the hotel. They were so numbed, I couldn't feel their presence !!

Then there was the President's STATE OF THE UNION address to the Congress/Senate last evening. Mr Clinton is certainly on a high. There were no less than 120 standing ovations (a TV channel counted!) that he got. Of course he used the address to plug Hilary for the NY senate nomination and Al Gore for the Presidential nomination.

Got to do another very 'Merican thing. Went to see a GAME. MCI Center is the big indoor stadium in DC, and Cap One has a permanent box there. So a group of us went to see an ice-hockey game (I know watching basketball would have been the done thing, but hey! give me some time). Totally cool experience. This country is so driven by the media, that the game stopped every few minutes for the channels to air their commercials !! All the players would suddenly walk off the field, and I would wonder whether it was time for a break already !! And this is a championship match if you please. We got thoroughly pampered in the box - there was a fridge full of beer and drinks, platters full of sandwiches, nachos, desserts ...

Americans eat ALL THE TIME. Everybody watching the game had a pizza or something in one hand and a soda/beer in the other. And this is true wherever you go. They are always eating or drinking something. And all the time they are obsessing about calories and fitness and health. Nuts.