The weather is so miserable today that I closed all the shutters in my house in the early afternoon, turned the lights on, lit a stick of Nag Champa incense, and put a compact disk of Maharajapuram Santhanam on my music machine (”Santhanam,” April 4, 2013). For good measure, I turned the volume up. Fuck the weather. Listening to one of my favorite Indian singers, I am right at home. And everything is hunky-dory. Though considerably smaller, Istria looks very like India, anyway. And Motovun is not far from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. Right now, Santhanam is in Chennai in Tamil Nadu, which is quite close to Labin, where one of my great-grandfathers was born. So much for the miserable weather today.

Addendum I (May 23, 2015)

When I got up this morning, I opened ajar the shutters in the bedroom, peeked out, and closed them shut once again. I did not open any other shutters in the house, either. I turned the lights on, lit another stick of Nag Champa incense, and went straight for the music machine. It is so ugly out there that my house feels like a refuge right now. And Santhanam does his best to make it feel like home. Istria? India? Who the fuck cares?!

Addendum II (April 6, 2021)

Nearly six years later, everything is exactly the same. To the letter, too. The weather is so miserable, I am back in India. Shutters closed, lights turned on, Santhanam singing, Nag Champa burning… And I cannot but rejoice in my way of dealing with miserable weather. Easy-peasy. All it takes is a little bit of imagination, as well as a dash of gumption. Who the fuck cares where you actually happen to be?! Istria is in India, and India is in Istria, anyhow. And both of them are right between your ears. Gosh, I am no less than delighted by miserable weather!