Afternoon: I PICK UP TURKEYS AT AIRPORT

The turkeys have landed. Yay!

But it’s not quite over yet. I come back from the airport with the two boxes. Bless Priti’s sweet soul!

The three birds weigh 15 kilos. My Burden of Dreams.

I mean, how would I have explained a wimp-out to the Consul General? I mean, asking Sibley for three turkeys with all the trimmings was ballsy, OK, but I knew well what a long shot it was. It was amusing at least. It was nice of Hizzoner to write back and say, Yes, we have no turkeys. Mike had told me as much: the US State Department is not what it used to be. I like a good refusal nonetheless.

Plus Sibley warns me against taking the group to Manipur. In my letter, I had deliberately left out the fact that I am from Manipur. He chastises me about my “mistake” in my website: there indeed is a travel advisory for the region, he says. Yeah, yeah, I see the update is after he received my letter. Have turkeys resulted in a change in State Department advice? It amuses me to wonder.

But – DISASTER! - Z and Michelle (again!) think they can’t do one. I flip out. I yell at Nicky and demand he get his dad here right away. Imo arrives: he will do it, whatever it takes. Now, I like that. We’ll see.