Erika

"Yes, the bisque-doll-like Erika" "Th-that expression is a little embarrassing, could you stop using it?"

Erika sat opposite me at the table.

Jai, an East Indian of Hindu family background, was a close friend to me when I was living in Vancouver, BC. He, his German wife Erika, and two daughters lived in a nice condominium in the Kitsilano beach area of Vancouver, BC. He was initially my coworker in a software company. He liked his job, as it was full of learning. His family followed a European-style of living in North America, as they were unhindered by television, took mass transit, ate German food, and immersed themselves in the EU languages of English, German, and French. Jai and Erika wanted to take Japanese in night school, but thought that it might be too challenging. Jai liked the ideas of Zen Buddhism.

Jai, my East Indian friend, and I preferred to lunch or dine at a Japanese restaurant. Jai was multilingual and knew several East Indian languages. He knew some German, as he tried to speak to his daughters in this language. He met his wife Erika in Germany, when he was working there. Before, he had also a stint in Thailand.

Jai, of a Hindu family, liked to drink red wine with his German wife Erika and European friends.

India, or Bhārat, is still a mysterious place for me. I have studied a bit of Sanskrit and Pali, Sanskrit being the liturgical language of Hinduism and Northern Buddhism, whilst Pali being the liturgical language of Southern Buddhism. I am a close friend of Jai, who comes from an East Indian family of Hindu orientation. Jai, a software engineer, is married to a German, Erika. They met in Europe and moved to Canada here. Jai and Erika with two daughters, Charlotte and Johanna, lived in a condo near Kitsilano Beach in Vancouver, BC. Jai tries to speak German. His kids learn German, French, and English. Jai and I used to have lunches and dinners at Japanese restaurants. Jai viewed Vancouver as too big a city, and he wanted to move to a smaller town.

Let’s not forget EJ Antoni, whom Trump just nominated to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics after firing former chief Erika McEntarfer for presiding over a disappointing jobs report earlier this month. Antoni is that rarity who has drawn harsh criticism from economists on the right as well as the mainstream for being ignorant, unprincipled and incompetent.