The End of the Road. . . For Now

Girl I’m here for you

All those times of night when you just hurt me

And just run out with that other fella

Baby I knew about it, I just didnt care….

“Boyz to Men “End of the Road”

Yes this is the end of the road. (The above lyrics have pretty much nothing to do with this trip. I guess I could make them into some sort of tangental metaphor but really it’s just the coolest part of the song…in the video the member who never actually sang anything, speaks to the camera while walking around the beach with a cane…odd but cool nonetheless)

I just said goodbye to the skyline of Pune, finishing the Cuban I started at the beginning of the trip, and taking in the last bit of 91 degree weather.

I will miss that.

Watching a little of the Red Sox game last night, I realized New England is about 50 degrees and rainy a stark contrast from the hot as hell days here, and the smoky nights. (I’m not even kidding if you go to weather.com and check Pune, India the forecast is usually “Smoke.” This couldn’t be any more literal, for nights here have the aura of a campfire, except that feeling is everywhere.)

This trip has done a lot for me. I’ve eaten almost twice as much as I usually do (two meals a day instead of my usual healthy lunch consisting of some sort of fast-food delicacy.) I’ve read a bunch of magazines cover to cover. Good thought provoking ones though like The Economist…and the absurdly disgusting (but intriguing as well) smut rag my roommate Tom snuck in my bag before I left.

The workout game sort of waned mid trip, there’s something about spending a weekend mostly sleeping that crushes any motivation I once had. I still logged about three hours in total, and was going to go today. I figured it would be better to write this though. Also there was an article in The Economist about a study showing that excess worrying about females, leads to a drastically reduced life expectancy in males. This was bad news any male who hits the gym regularly, consistently worries about their hair, attire, accent, smile, etcetera … Let’s just say if the article’s premise is correct I have about another good year (month?) or two left.

We have a pretty long day ahead of us. We’re actually going to stop at the fantastic northern Indian restaurant on the roof level before work. We’ll then check out, hop in the cab to work (the drive takes about an hour), work for about eight hours (tying up any loose ends), and then to the airport in Mumbai (another 3 ½ hour trip). From Mumbai it’s a ten hour flight to London, a two hour layover, and an eight hour trip to Boston. We’ll touch down sometime before 10:00 pm, go through customs, and then for me, a cab ride back to the Renaissance City.

I’ve decided to get dropped off at Trinity Brewhouse (http://www.trinitybrewhouse.com/ for those who would like to join me), rather than my own house. This will serve as a fitting exclamation point for the two week theatre that was my trip.

So I’m pretty psyched to get home.

Just some of the things I’ve missed since I’ve left… (in no real order)

Two Patriots games
Two BC Football games (I actually just saw the highlights of last night’s game, unbelievable)
Two Episodes of Brotherhood and Tell Me you Love Me (my new guilty pleasure…whatever)
Two Catholic Masses (not my fault…whatever that’s why there’s confession)
The Colbert Report
Narragansett Beer
Any sort of beef product (mostly the fast-food kind…)
Daylight
“Normal” hours
Talking to people
And of course my family, friends, and even people I don’t like

Things I never got to do

Poach an elephant and bring its tusks to hang at work
Colonize
Pick up a few Indian girls

Oh well, there’s always next time

I’ll probably write something more coherent and cleverly written Sunday or Monday to really recap this adventure…I’ve got to go take a shower and get the hell out of here right now.

Well I believe Jay-Z said it best in “Can’t Knock the Hustle (Remix)”

When I get home, then it’s on

Peace