Renu's Week

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Report of 2 June 2010

Hello from Indiana -

It has been a frenetic, but fun, few days. Normal routine went for a toss, as we visited relatives and friends, ate, ate, ate and accommodated the men's shopping.

Maryam Massoumi, her husband Ali, and kids Rustom and Golbarg had some other friends and us over for wonderful Irani food. It was a great evening, with Maryam and Ali's all-encompassing hospitality, good food and lovely company, and a memorable time was had. The kids totally enjoyed romping with Rustom and Golbarg. We stopped by the Simons' for a second dessert, and the boys caught up with childhood friends, Miranda and Morgan, which everyone appears to have enjoyed. It is always a treat to see all of them, and the sweet, generous Marybeth Simon even sent dessert home with us.

We spent Friday hanging out, eating b'fast at a nice restaurant where the all-you-can-eat pancakes were huge and Navin had *one*; Scott said the next time, Navin could order the "All you can eat pancake." We saw "Prince of Persia" and "Shrek," enjoyable for the men's company. There was little casting accuracy in PoP; surely there are actors of Middle Eastern descent who can play the roles? And when did tank tops make their way into battle? Mr. Gyllenhaal's mighty muscles had to be accommodated, I guess.

We spent a day down at the in-laws' farm, helping the vet with cow and calf maintenance: shots, ear tags and castration. It was expected to last 2 hours, given vagaries of cow and calf moods, but finished in a little over 1 hour. The vet was appreciative of all the assistance: there were about 10 helping (some in closer roles than others). After that, my mother-in-law provided an ice cream cake for Navin to cut, and I can think of nothing better than to spend a b'day with relatives and eat ice cream cake for b'fast. We stopped by Scott's grandparents' nursing home to say a quick bye, and the folks were so happy to see us that we extended the visit by a lot longer and stayed for lunch. Scott's grandfather's snide observations had the boys laughing non-stop. We got back to Indy, saw "How to train your dragon" by Navin's request (it was very good) and then caught up with Shilpa, Ravi, Keerthi and Surya Mallur, which was very nice, in their lovely new house.

On Sunday, John Sparzo took our sons to the Indy 500 and Glenn Fondoble, my friend Olivia's Dad, took Olivia, Scott and me. This was the first race for the Weisses, and the spectacle was impressive: the speeds, strategies, female drivers, unpredictability, all of it. Olivia and Glenn are pros, and we benefited enormously from their expertise, and thoroughly enjoyed their company, too. Not much conversation went on, of course, due to the ambient din and need for earplugs. Glenn was smart enough to choose the family section in the infield, which had trees, and I spent a grand afternoon in shade, watching magnificent machines and expert drivers handle them. A fight broke out among fans on the road in front of us, with punches being thrown and blood being drawn, reinforcing my conclusion that excessive alcohol use certainly hampers one's judgement in more than 1 way. This did not take away from the event, or from getting together with the Fondobles.

We got together with the Sparzos, Carolyn and other friends for dinner after the race and it was great. So much conversation flowing, laughter, great humor, and a welcome to all. Mandy Sparzo made the food and it was delicious. All of us had a fun time. We spent Monday with the Tabers, packing, and Melinda Taber came down from Ball State to visit, which was lovely. Mark Taber made a spectacular Memorial Day meal, and all of us ate to bursting, and had a scintillating conversation around the dinner table, full of opinions and news and chitchat.

Naren and I dropped Scott and Navin in O'Hare yesterday, and drove back, singing along with the classic rock stations. If 1 June has rolled around, 1 Sept cannot be far away.

The patients have been fabulous, too. One of them is an 89 yo, delightful lady, who'd inadvertently fallen asleep with a pot of beans on the stove, and awakened to find them burning. I had asked for home health help for her, and the good folks had helped Ms. X with her bath and exercises. During the visit in our clinic, Ms. X's daughters looked at me as though I'd worked a miracle; I had not, I had merely used the resources so wonderfully available here, located by our efficient and fine front office staff. It is nice to link people and help so easily. The older patient populace is a treat, with their life experiences, classic humor and gentle acceptance of all that life dishes out.

I talked to my Dad today, and he was extremely loquacious. Our cook - shunned, maligned and abused by her parents - got married today with the assistance of a bunch of people. She is a sweet young lady, and I wish her well; my Dad signed as her guardian. It was nice to talk to him.

Unw -

R

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