Happy Friday everyone!  I gotta say it has been an interesting and very busy week for me here in Mysore.  On Wednesday I took my computer to Ventronics, a local computer store here in Mysore.  The gentleman there was so nice, calm, and extremely helpful.  He took a few moments examining my computer and explained he could not open it by just removing the screws b/c there was an internal latch that held the entire system in place.  He said he needed a little time to find out exactly where the latch was in my system, but felt confident he would be able to find out, open it, and likely replace my harddrive for me.  This was about 11am in the morning and he asked that I return around 7pm to see what the status was.  Ok, great I thought – especially considering that I had gotten an email from Dell this morning (only about a week late) telling me that they could not help me while here in India b/c the product I have was purchased in America, only launched in America (ie there were no compontants for the system in India) – all that I knew but I found it quite disturbing that they would not just send me the hard drive if I had to have the one from America (and they guy here in mysore told me that didn’t make any sense and I should be able to use any hard drive to replace in my system)…Anyway, I am adding the email from Dell here for you to see—-Really disturbs me to no end b/c I had sent an email to a supervisor who then forwarded it to this ‘higher up’ – and in the email I explained how poorly I had been treated with the handling of my case (so many phone calls to different reps who either hung up on me, didn’t really try to help me with my problem but instead redirected me to another department that couldn’t help me, or simply gave me phone number after phone number that took me nowhere)…Anyway, you have heard this all before but I still can’t believe the disorganization of Dell.  I do understand they don’t have a large support system in India for their products, but they do have one in Bangalore!!!  Anyway, here is the email the lady sent to me…..

  

     Dear Ms. Krista,
     I am writing on behalf of the complaint you have in reference to your harddrive.  I am very sorry you are having such a difficult time trying to get your issue resolved.
     I apologize that you feel you are being treated badly.  Unfortunately, you purchased a system that is not supported in India and the harddrive is a component that must be installed by a technician only.  This is a situation that is the fault of no one Ms. Krista.
     This issue can only be resolved once you have returned to the States or are in a location where we can provide the support that you need.
     Again, I am very sorry for the inconvenience.
     Sincerely,
     Marcet Rhynes
     Care Resolution Center
     Wow, what a resolution!  Anyway, this only gets better b/c when I went back to Ventronics at 7pm he told me he could have my computer up and running with a brand new hard drive by Friday evening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  NO – I’m not kidding….  He was able to open my system, confirm my hard drive was totally DEAD, and determine what type of Hard Drive he needed to order (right here in India) to replace in my system.  He even told me I could get an 80GB vs 40GB hard drive (what my system currently has) for only 1000 more rupees.  Of course!  So, b/c DELL REFUSES to help me while I am in India I have to pay for the hard drive myself (about 7,000 rupees for the larger hard drive).  He is even gonna reinstall Windows XP into my system – of course nothing else I had in my system will be there – but there is nothing I can do about that.  He is not gonna charge me anymore to install XP – and he was beyond helpful – I just can’t even begin to tell you.  He was so great, super nice, extremely helpful, very understanding of my previous problems with DELL – albit quite surprised I had such trouble (believe me I was too)….Anyway, that totally made my week, heck my month (I have been without my computer and hassling with Dell since June 8th for crying out loud).  As for data recovery, he said he could help me find someone, but Ganesh (owner of Anus’ Internet Cafe) has a guy that he really trusts and he is gonna come over tomorrow to see if he can recover my data from my corrupted hard drive.  I have no idea what that will cost, but want to find out.  Needless to say, I am totally relieved to have this problem almost totally resolved, but quite disappointed with DELL for so many reasons – but above all how crappy they treated me.

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Let’s see, what else has happened in the last few days.  Well, I did finish reading “In a Sunburned Country” and I really urge you to go get the book – such good travel writing, and just purely entertaining.  The Bill Bryson is so darn funny, he kept me in stitches almost all 333 pages.  I started reading “How Yoga Works” by Gesne Michael Roach and Christie McNally – another really good one.  I started it yesterday and have barely been able to put it down.  Not the totally smooth read that you might find in a thriller or something, but it just compells you to keep reading.  The beginning was so depressing for me to read I almost opted to stop reading the book – but I am glad I have continued on with it.  I am totally enjoying all the reading I’ve been doing recently and It will continue for sure…I love to read but it is something I had not done in quite some time back home b/c I was always soooooo busy working that I couldn’t find the time.  I do have to say that this is one of a couple things that seem to be positive aspects of my computer dying on me.  When I got here I was so absorbed with teaching myself how to build and run a website, how to make my own programs, how to do so much with the computer, that I didn’t allow myself much time for anything else like reading.  So, I have learned a lot, namely patience, and have been able to do other things without my computer (but man what an expensive lesson to learn).

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My practice has been really good this week too…Very sore but totally focused it has been quite nice to be so totally aware of the little aches and pains in my body, but at the same time to allow them to be there but not disrupt my practice (I think it actually helped me focus more on my breath and bandhas).  On Wednesday Sharath gave me two more second series poses – so now I am up to Laghuvajrasana!  Ironically this is where I stopped in Thailand with Paul, but this is how it works here in Mysore with Guruji and Sharath.  I am grateful for it though b/c I know the whole series and know that the place I need help with is Forearm balance (Pincha Mayurasana), which is about 12 poses away from where I am now.  So this enables me to really redirect my energy on the poses I know well, I do well, and my body feels good in.  Once I get to Pincha Mayurasana I will have really taken things slowly, and maybe I will not struggle with that pose as much I as did back home during my self practices.  Regardless, I am just grateful to be here, and grateful for the opportunity to be right at the source practicing, no matter the series I’m doing or any of that stuff.  It’s all about being present, and I fell I am more and more present with each passing day.

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On another note, I did my very first Rolfing session yesterday evening with Ken, a fellow yogi and a certified Rolfer.  What in the heck is it?   It’s an amazing form of body work that helps in respect to structural alignment.  Some people find it quite painful, but I have such a high tolerance for pain – I rather enjoyed the treatment yesterday.  It is very deep, but felt very good.  In traditional Rolfing you go through a ten series treatment – and b/c it is so much less expensive to do it here – I am gonna make the time to have all ten sessions before I head off to Thailand.   Lets just put it this way (and I know for sure b/c I very much wanted to do this back home), one session back home costs 90-120 US dollars vs 1500 rupees here (about $35.00 pers session here) – so it would be rather stupid of me not to get it done here.  I am stoked too b/c I really think this is a very productive, healing form of body work – ESPECIALLY for me b/c of my deformed tailbone!  For those of you who don’t know – yes I am slightly deformed – I broke my tailbone when I was five and it grew back the wrong way…Needless to say it has created some structural issues for me in my spine, and from what Ken was telling me, the trama alone of the injury did a lot to my entire system that has put stresses in many areas of my body in a very disproportionate way.  So, I am really hopeful that the Rolfing will be very beneficial for me – but I am positive it will.  I know it won’t ‘fix’ my tailbone by any means, but I am curious to see how it does help….Although it is much more expensive in the states, if you are interested I suggest checking into it – even for the cost in the states I think it is worth it for anyone who has any sort of structual issues in the body…And I think it is by far more effective than massage. 

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It’s really rainy here in Mysore today so not a whole lot to do.  No worries though.  I am gonna go home and read for a bit, and hopefully if it stops raining, Kwang and I will take a nice walk around town.  And around 7pm I am happily gonna go to Ventronics and “pick my baby up from the hospital” – I know I am a little odd – that has been established – but I do call my computer my baby – and I can’t wait to get her back!!!!!!!

I wish you all a wonderful day ahead. 

Om Shanti,
Krista

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