…is called “White as Milk.” I just wanted to point out how appropriate that is before entering into my commentary on my esteemed colleague David Kleinschmidt’s introductory essay “Oh! Tashi Delek.”
Ahem.
In an example of his ingenious logic, Kleinschmidt has placed the title of the essay first. Had he not done so, readers would not know which post it was. Continuing on, he has surprisingly opted for a phonetic transliteration of Tibetan rather than the more academically accurate Wylie version (bkra-shis-bde-legs), atypical of his staunchly moralistic training in linguistics. Linguists, generally considered the second most brutal academics (behind only the fierce Italian Studies field), scoff derisively at such amateurish transliterations. Indeed, I have likely made some sort of mistake in this paragraph, thus giving Kleinschmidt the opportunity to rip into me as a metal fan might rip into a non-resident Indian’s finger.
Anyway, Enough academic posturing for the time being. I have a plane to catch to Seattle (speaking of the birthplace of grunge, you guys should run out to buy the awesome re-issue of Mudhoney’s aptly named Superfuzz Bigmuff). There I can relive our trip to India by seeing His Holiness Karmapa and visiting our dear friend Mary. Some would argue this too soon to be so nostalgic, but they haven’t been sitting alone in their rooms drinking 4 liters of Limca a day.
By means of introduction, my name is Dave. I just came back from India, where I spent a few months hanging out with some other kids from Emory, among other places. I think we learned some stuff about Tibet, or something like that. By means of shameless self-promotion, I took some pictures and I write a blog.
Anyway, now that (most of us) are back in the good old US of A, we’re starting this blog-thing. By we I mean myself and Eliot. Eliot is 6′4″ with long blonde hair, and got stared at an inordinate amount by short Indian guys. He enjoys obscure music that normal people wouldn’t listen to, adrenaline (read: foolish and poorly thought out adventures), and his extremely intimate academic relationship with a certain minor Buddhist monk. I enjoy science, worrying, and being a narcissistic, pompous know-it-all. We both enjoy being pretentious and nerdy, as well as kickin’ it with a few brew-dogs from time to time.
Maybe starting a blog while in a jet-lagged stupor isn’t the best idea, but there you have it. I’m not exactly sure what we’ll write about here, but it likely will consist of inside jokes, nostalgia, Buddhism references, Eliot talking about music, and maybe all three at the same time. Needless to say, it will be positively riveting, so stay tuned.
