Back from Vacation...

I have been away from posting for a little bit, I think this time I have a real reason. Like I was saying, I went on vacation from Christmas till the middle of January, and this was to "go home for Christmas", so to speak. Or, as we say in Pakistan, Eid manawan waasthay, pind gayaa see. And while I like to think I am not one who gives in a lot of the tendencies of expatriates, "going home" after 6 years (8 in the case of India) can leave you smacking your forehead--and more than a little short tempered. And not because I am learning things that are new--but because what is obvious to any citizen of "The Third World" hits you in the face. And hits you hard. I have been reduced to conversations like:

"What's changed in Pakistan?"
"A lot has has changed. But a lot hasn't."
"So what's changed?"
"Everything."
"What hasn't changed?"
"Everything."

Of course, a long conversation usually follows. But frankly, what I'd really like to mention is things I think folks should be paying attention to.

So it gets complicated.

I think I am getting to the point where I can think straight. Trying to create an outline for a long piece that ties everything together helped, I have to admit. Now it's a question of sitting down to write it. While I work at trying to do that, I am going to try and work things I "learned" while on vacation and how it relates to our world. One thing I did do was make a conscious decision not to take notes or sit down and write a lot. I was hoping to blog more than I did, but the vicissitudes of Internet access, etc., got me there.

So I look forward to writing more ... and to comments. There's at least a few posts in the near future that should be mentionable. In the mean time, I thought I would leave folks with a picture of Junior that captures the spirit of vacation.

Technorati tags applicable to this post: Vacation - Writer's Block