I was not exactly in the mood for a martini but I need to empty my bottles and get rid of them. Need to set up the bar area in this house in a different fashion. There was enough Absolut Citron left to throw in some Dry Vermouth and make a Lemon Drop Martini out of it.
Ideally, I would garnish it with a lemon twist but the new house does not have any of those things yet.
We drove the boat to Pig Tales today. This is where we used to drive our car to during Covid to watch the sunset. Had a good lunch there and drove back.
The highlight of the trip was the docking. First time the two of us docked a boat. Sharmila was surprisingly adept in getting it done.
I, on the other hand, had the newbie’s heebie-jeebies. During lunch I came back to the marina to make sure the boat had not drifted away 🙂
Thanks to Gagan and Bharti’s push when they were visiting Atlanta a few weeks back, Sharmila and I finally took the plunge and started learning how to drive a boat (safely). And consequently, enjoy some more time in the water. One day of lessons and hands on training later today was the first time the two of us took a boat out in the water for a few hours!
I have a feeling I will like this hobby and I have to give a lot of thanks to Gagan and Bharti for getting us here.
In terms of picking up skills in the last fifteen or so years, for me, the scorecard looks like this: (you will notice that most people learn these skills much earlier than me)
1. Long distance running (moderate success)
2. Mixology (moderate success)
3. Motorbiking (moderate success)
4. Unicycling (complete disaster; gave up)
5. Flyfishing (did not keep up; need to get back to this)
6. Skateboarding (still a beginner, need to put in more hours)
7. Driving motorboats (too new)
For a person who suffers from acute acrophobia AND claustrophobia (to the point of having to be medicated at times), I find myself in an aluminum tube way up some thirty five thousand feet in the air with disturbing frequency.
And yet those eight million frequent flyer miles got me to meet so many human beings from every walk of life. Interactions that have enriched me and often humbled me as a human being.
Nikita, Sharmila and I had just finished our TSA stuff at Washington National airport after a college visit for Nikita. We strolled thru the airport leisurely dodging all the passengers running in and out of the planes and then took the elevator to the Delta Skyclub.
After we were checked in, I told the girls – “You folks go ahead. I am going to talk to that lady”. And I pointed out to the second lady who was checking in another passenger.
I waited patiently as she helped the passenger. And then when he was done, he walked up to her. And she welcomed me to the Club.
“Welcome to the Club. Can I check you in?”
“Well, I am already checked in. I am here to talk to you.”
“About what?”, she asked, justifiably confused.
“Well, I used to fly into this airport every week for two years spanning 2010-2012. You used to usher me in then. In spite of the mask you are wearing, I am very sure you are the same person.”
“Well, of course! I used to be here then too! You remember me?”
“I do indeed”
“What is your last name?”
“Roy”
“I see you have two young ladies with you today”, she said as she quickly located me in the system.
“Yes, my wife and daughter. They are sitting inside.”
“Roy? Bengali?”
“Yes!”
“Bangla boltey paren?” (Can you speak in Bengali?)
“Oboshhoi” (But, of course)
“Kemon Aachen?” (How are you?)
“How do you know Bengali?”
Well, Jatindar (her name) came into the lounge and spent some time with Sharmila and Nikita. And that is when I got my answer. While she is from Delhi, she used to live in Kolkata when she was in school. In fact, she went to Brabourne College! Like Sharmila, she moved to the US after getting married.
We went around the Club and I told her all the details from a decade back that have changed now (for the better).
Before she took leave, we let her know that DC is the city Nikita is headed for college this year. She is going to see more of Sharmila and me the next few years.
“I can’t wait”… she said as she waved walking away.
My thoughts kept floating in and out… Neither can I !! It is people like you that make life in an aluminum tube – nay, life in general – so much more exciting and interesting!!!
If any of you happen to be in the Delta Skyclub in Washington National airport, do stop by to say Hi to this fine young lady!!
Other than the first Brooks running shoe I had started my running career with, the brand I have consistently stuck to – for most of the last 17 years of running – is Asics. There was one time around 2014 when I had switched to “barefoot” running and used Merrel shoes. That was a disaster. My calf muscles were not built for that. After a lot of injuries, went back to Asics. Recovered in time enough to do the marathon run in Greece with Asics in 2015.
Recently, I had a lot of runner friends singing paeans of the “ON” friend. They are twice the price of the shoes I normally buy. After dilly dallying for about 6 months, I finally decided to give it a try and went out today in my first pair of ON shoes. At around 2 miles, felt a pull in the right calf muscle that quickly deteriorated to the point I could not run any more. Sat by the side of the road and started massaging the area.
That did not help much. Soon, I started wondering if I would be even able to walk back home or would have to call for help. After some thought, decided to walk slowly for some time and see if the pain would subside. Upon dragging myself for about half a mile, I thought I was getting used to the pain. Started running slowly again. It was not a natural run. I could feel the body was trying to avoid putting too much pressure on the right step and was thus swiveling on the left hip.
After a mile of slow run, I could still feel the pain but by then it was bearable. Picked up speed and completed 4 miles. Then just to see if I could push a little further (I can be stupid that way), went for another couple of miles. The leg is hurting fairly bad but I am feeling much better. And that is the important thing 🙂 🙂
Shoe brand transitions are never easy for me.
