Stone

There are huge glass windows. In every perfect afternoon, there are always huge glass windows.

We sit. In leopard print chairs, facing the street, watching traffic and the odd glint of glass through rough jute blinds. The wooden floor squeeks under my feet as I kick of my blue brocade sandals, I reach for my Iced Tea, with too much ice as usual, I brush the hair out of my eyes, I reach for the soot between your fingers.

And then I look up at you. You smile and I wonder what you're thinking. You look overawed. As if you're watching something you've never seen before.

You kiss me. Gently, you brush your lips against mine and grimace as they come away sticky with lip gloss. We laugh and you tug at my hair making me ash all over the floor, but we dont notice.

The ravioli rears its head and we lean away. You pick up your beer, the bottle catches the tired sunlight and reflects stars over the white walls and dark brown wooden doors. You take a deep drag and lean back into the light, and I see myself in the huge glass windows, looking at you.

I look overawed. As if Im watching something Ive never seen before.

I wrote this on the 13th of September, 2006. I remembered it suddenly, a few days ago and felt the need to re-post it.

Gripes.

Of all the things placed on this Earth to annoy me, (and damn are there a lot) the following have really got my goat recently.

1. People who walk on a jogging track as if they are the only people using it. I mean for God's sake, try and comprehend the fact that there may be people who walk faster than you, or God forbid run, and if you meander across the path lost in conflicting day dreams of being thin and eating Gulab Jamuns, you are being seriously inconsiderate to the person trying to overtake you. And if they subsequently step on the backs of your shoes, accidentally on purpose, you have absolutely no right to get upset. Just bow your head in meek apology and stay out of their way in the future, or the Dragon may be compelled to eat you. Okay?

2. Facebook. Oh dear God, how I hate Facebook. I wish I could substantiate this hate with a high and mighty boycott, but the truth is Facebook has now become essential, in terms of basic social etiquette, and not being on Facebook is tantamount to not having a cellphone number or an email account. It has its uses its true, but it also encourages menatlly unstable Dragons to obsess about the deeper meaning behind an ex-boyfriends latest profile picture change. Even worse to my mind is how people have now started talking in status messages and picture captions. Its bizarre. No actually, its evil. EVIL.

3. Telemarketers. Or whatever those people who call you and try to sell you stuff are called. And the text messages advertising some god forsaken lump of undeveloped real estate at the edge of world. I HATE them. Luckily the Dragon has a thin veneer of civilisation covering her primitive, violent, merciless self and has managed to not rip the aforementioned nincompoops limb from limb. So far.

4. Children. I am aware that Dragonfly and MinCat will probably tell me I'm being unreasonable, but children are just annoying. Though to be fair, its not entirely their fault, their parents have a lot to answer for. I have never been able to understand why a parent would bring an infant to, oh off the top of my head lets say, a play. I mean really??? What exactly did you expect? That your six month would appreciate a spoof on the bards greatest works and NOT cry during the entire performance? Or movies. Or restaurants that don't have table mats you can draw on. Or any public place where people may wish to enjoy themselves even slightly. The Dragon is not completely without a heart however, so if they annoy me excessively I will eat the children. The parents however are simply too revolting. Yech.

5. MTNL. I don't believe this needs an explanation actually.

Venus + Mars = Vers? Manus? Marnus? Venars?

So I love tags, I really do. Especially when I'm suffering from writers block, as I am at the moment and I thought this one, from Mincat, who got it from the Bride, was a particularly good one. However, I was rather thrown by the complexity of their disclaimers, it wouldn't have occured to me to include one. They do make excellent points however, so instead of writing my own, I am directing you to their lovely pages.

Thusly, the following are my Manly Traits:

1. I LOVE Football, passionately. Being Indian, I am compelled to watch Cricket avidly, but my heart belongs to Football.

2. I am a devoted gamer. And I'm not bad either. Also in this vein, Star Wars fanaticism, as well as avid interest in most Sci-Fi and Fantasy.

3. I own three pairs of shoes. No really, just three. I have an anti-shoe fetish.

4. I am a power shopper. I simply can't browse (the only exception being bookshops, where I could spend eternity. Heaven for me would be an enormous bookshop with comfy chairs and a coffee shop), and I hate malls. Clothes shopping is an absolute nightmare, and I avoid it as much as possible. As a result, many of my clothes are more than ten years old, and I'm happy to say I can still wear some of them.

5. I do tend to be protective and chivalrous, though I can't stand simpering, damsel in distress type women. This is probably also a manly trait though. However I have just realised that I don't particularly like being on the recieving end of chivalry, I find it insulting if men think I can't carry my own bags or open doors without their help.

6. I am not terribly particular about clothing. I often wear things that have holes in them, or are crushed, and am not terribly fussed about what I am wearing. I also have low maintainance hair and make-up habits, so I'm perfectly happy walking in the rain.

7. I LOVE food. And am very capable of eating vast quantities of it, unapologetically.

My Womanly Traits:

1. I am obsessed with my weight. A great deal of my happiness depends on how much I weigh, which is deeply sad.

2. I love to bake.

3. It takes me forever to get ready. I dont know why it is so, but I simply can't rush the process.

4. I love to talk, about feelings. I'm not one for mush or sentimentality, but I'm not one to feel something and not share it either.

5. I LOVE Sex and the City. I'm sure I don't need to elaborate on this.

(I can't seem to think of anymore girly traits, though I'm sure they exist. Feel free to make suggestions!)

Also, Happy Budday Mincat. TheDragon loves you madly and hopes you have the best year ever.