…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.