Hell's two newest angels

I apologize for the lack of posts recently, it turns out all those antibodies I worked so hard to build when I got here all had a 6 month expiration date and recently I keep getting sick. This has lead to a decidedly un-blogworthy lifestyle of bed-rest and watching downloaded TV shows. Side note – I got sucked into this new show Glee and was trying to figure out why the name of the producer looked so familiar when I realized ha, oh wait, that would be the one and only director I have ever spoken to in my life, my dear friend Ryan Murphy of Eat Pray Love. Thus, I am now officially able to watch a show and recognize the producer from my earlier work with him. Man I am such a big deal. But, that’s neither here nor there.

My small moments of glory these past few weeks have come courtesy of Jack and his new friend the Honda Karisma. No, for once that is not my terrible spelling. The Karisma is in fact a motorcycle and we have now taken to cruising the streets of Delhi like the badasses that we are. I must admit, I never really pictured myself as the motorcycling type, but it’s so fun! I mean it’s basically like cycling but you get to go faster and you don’t have to work. What the hell have been thinking all these years with those long bike rides?

While it is slightly disconcerting that Jack doesn’t have a license I comfort myself by knowing that a) he has ridden a bike before in India and b) there are no traffic laws anyway so what’s the point of knowing them. Plus its convenient that instead of dealing with getting a license and registration as long as you carry a few extra hundred rupees with you at all times you’re pretty much good to go.

We mostly just tool around Delhi and enjoy getting double takes from people as they realize we are two whities on a bike. Recently, however, we made what can only be described as one of Delhi’s finest, and likely one of the most ridiculous beer runs committed by people outside the 18 to 21 age range. We have met some cool American kids who are here on Fulbrights and invited them all over to our place for a little shindig, not realizing that, obvi, January 31 is Guru Shmuru’s birthday and thus a dry day in Delhi. And as we have learned for some reason dry days are one of the few things in this city that can not be overcome by the dropping of a few extra rupees. This time, however, we lucked out because it was only a dry day in the state of Delhi, and in a mere 40 minutes we could cross over into Haryana and the land of carbonated joy. Like the devoted drinkers that we are, Jack and I put on our leather pants (ok I wish) and helmets and drove to the state border, lined up with the large mass of Delhi men who had the exact same idea, bought as many beers as would fit in my backpack, and then drove back to a reception of tears, glory, and jubilation.