Virus

As I type this, the roofs and the sidewalks and the roads and the narrow alleyways and the cobblestone paths are all covered in heavy snow. The desk where I’m seated has a view. I’ve never had a desk that had a view. All that I had back in India were blue walls surrounding me by all four sides towering over my uninviting monitor. But here, I have a view. Outside the large window, across the security gate there’s a small stream. Partially frozen. Green with algae. The trees along the stream look like trees on the greeting cards you bought in your school for the girl you liked who sat in the row next to you and wrote the best essays and danced in the annual school gatherings. Tall, frozen, hibernating trees. Blanketed in white. With no leaves. As dark as a chocolate beneath that temporary blanket. It’s beautiful. I listen to Agalloch—unaware of the people around me barking in their phones, fuming at their notebooks, dissatisfied with their paycheck—and stare into the falling snow. It’s beautiful.

Last night was wonderful. I packed my stuff, wore my overcoat, ignored my colleagues and walked my way to Cineworld. It was 20:00 and they were playing Up In The Air. I produced my pass, entered the hall and was mesmerized. By the script. By the direction. By the supporting lady’s performance. By the simplicity of its camera work. By the Indie-ness of it all. Jason Reitman’s movie is one of the best movies of the year alongside Tarantino’s Basterds and Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker. Avatar? That’s just VIBGYOR piss.

The point here is not the movie. The point here is I shut down my workshop earlier than usual and sat there in the movie hall alone waiting to be impressed. To feel that feeling you feel when you see a fine movie or finish reading a good book or listen to a great guitar solo. And when the end credits rolled over the quiet shot of clouds from the airplane I felt those were the best 2 hours I spent in this town since my arrival.

I could now go to the office tomorrow. I could tolerate the calls and I could reply to the mails. I could do whatever was being paid to do. It was an exhilarating experience—defying your manager, ignoring your uninteresting peers, walking the cold streets alone and watching a wonderful movie. Fabulous.

I came out of the movies and treated myself to a great meal at KFC. I then decided to walk the city in the cold of winter. At midnight. And walk I did. After sunset the city looks like it’s mourning the demise of its Queen. Imagine it at midnight. Simply beautiful. There were hardly any people out on the streets. There were a few vehicles. Mostly police vans in hurry. All the Victorian buildings lit up. Biting cold rendering your feet, fingers and nose numb. Agalloch playing in your ears. Simply beautiful.

The snow has fallen
And raised this white mountain
On which you will die
And fade away in silence
Agalloch, Falling Snow