When in India

I'm not sure why I decided to chain myself to a softly pulsing screen while it slowly sucks my life away, especially since it's my birthday. But here I am, so to give myself a break I'm just going to write. I've been keeping a journal since I've been here to capture all the wild moments that have passed. To be honest, life is a wild moment. The computer that I'm using doesn't read CD's and the attendant is banging the computer to get it to work. Life here is wild, abstract and incongruent. It's like a dungeons and dragons game or a chose your own adventure book. At least it can be that way if I am in the right headspace and am feeling well. Otherwise India threatens to swallow me whole, into the swirling fumes of burning garbage and waterways of sewage. This place is a paradox, like so many things in life. I place where the most barren places yield crops under the watchful eye of even the most weathered people. Here you cannot go anywhere without being assaulted be throngs of people trying to pull you into "my shop," "look here sir," and "today, please!" India takes no prisoners in her reckoning. Either I can bathe in it, laugh as I get hit by motorcycles and errant cows. Or I can walk with my head down, looking out for shit in the road, and trying not to catch anyone's eye. Both are reasonable solutions. But, as a lone traveler, without the support of a friend or partner. I have to be outgoing and try to reach out past the walking pocketbook syndrome of traveling and meet real people. There is so much to see here, in one alleyway there is a plethora of shops that cater to all sorts of needs. Everything is tiny, small hole in the wall shops that cascade into the streets with their multicolored wares. There is no way to describe this place until you have been here. India is beyond the scope of description, and beyond photos. It is like trying to capture the grand canyon. There are a million photos of it, but you have to stand at the brink of the 2,000 foot canyon walls, struck by the angled winter light, glowing amber and beige; to really get the picture. India is like that, I am determined to get in, get dirty, learn as much as I can and have fun! So, first step is to learn Hindi...
Ok, I'm tired, there's a rant for the masses :D Happy Birthday to me!