11 April 2013

Catch 22

The one day I come back from office early (5:30), I am immediately rewarded with having to bring Niki from the horse farm, get Tasha prepared for her math tests, move all the furniture out of the arbor, file taxes….. Okay the last one is unfair since that is why I came home early to begin with.
But the following conversation with Niki as I drover her back from the horse farm completely made it worthwhile:
Niki: “You know dad, I am afraid of other cars on the road. I think I will not learn how to drive”.
Me: “Really? How do you figure you are going to go from one place to another when you grow up? ”
Niki: “Ummmm…. I think I will make my husband drive me everywhere”.
Me: “Okay. And how are you going to find a husband without visiting places?”
Niki: “I will marry somebody from my office”
Me: “And how do you propose you will go to the office to begin with?”. (I was fairly determined to see where she would logically end this conversation)
Niki: “Oh! Once I have money, I will bribe somebody to take me to office”
Me: “How did you get the money to begin with if you have not been going to office”?
After a brief pause, she admitted “You know, I think then I have to steal from you and mom”!!
That was as good a logical endpoint that I could draw as any!!

8 April 2013

Come again?

Sharmila, as she prepared to go to bed, put an alarm on her iPhone – to remind her to take the (running) watch before she left home. Something is very wrong with this picture !!!
It reminds me of her friend Rupa whose uncle used to put his alarm at 4 am to wake up and have his sleeping pill πŸ™‚

6 April 2013

Cooling down!!

In sports parlance, this is called “cooling down”. After four intense days of sleeping with a drink in hand in the shade of an umbrella on sunny Florida beaches, Sharmila is taking it easy after coming back home…. By sleeping with a drink in hand in the shade of an umbrella on a sunny Atlanta spring afternoon by our pool πŸ™‚

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30 March 2013

We ran Deep!

7 mile run under an hour with my good old friend Deepanjan visiting from Shanghai. We were feeling pretty smug about our run when we ran into another old runner friend of mine – Lia Knower. Once we heard about her 27 hour 100 mile run, we simply walked back home πŸ™‚

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26 March 2013

Escape velocity

One for the road:
What you get from a car ride with my brother at the wheel is something that thrill park operators can only dream of! He was hitting 140 kmph on Durgapur Expressway – that is a speed illegal in any highway in most states in America. And in most states in America, on any highway, you don’t have to deal with occasional animals, a vehicle driving on the wrong side or drivers making sudden turns without any notice.
My brother was weaving so much thru that traffic that I am convinced on our (essentially) east west highway, he spent most of the time driving north south πŸ™‚ In all fairness, he kept his horn on permanent honk mode to give fair warning to all about his impending presence. There were times he was nearly approaching escape velocity! From the other side !! πŸ™‚ I think all he needed was a road with a gentle slope upwards πŸ™‚
Eventually we took a tea break so we could all relax our muscles from the collective grabbing of our seats πŸ™‚ During the tea break, I sarcastically asked him how many lanes did he reckon were there on the highway that we just left. Not to be outdone, he smiled as asked “How many do you want?” πŸ™‚
That, above all, explained lane discipline in India. So, I went back to sipping my tongue-scalding hot tea from the traditional earthen cups!!

25 March 2013

Inlaws

A great evening with my father-in-law and mother-in-law. We (and that includes my brother and brother-in-law) talked about the widest range of topics! From good places to retire in to updates on other relatives.
It must not have escaped your notice that my mom is the only one focused on eating. You would also notice that everybody has a wine glass except her.
Coincidence? I think not!!!

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25 March 2013

Pniyaji and Chai

On our three hour drive to meet my inlaws in Durgapur, my brother, brother in law, and myself took a break for “pniyaji and chai” (fritters and tea) by the highway near Panagarh. If there was ever a “upset-stomache-served-in-a-plate”, this has to be it πŸ™‚

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21 March 2013

Sampat bhai!

The benefits of business travel!! Met good old friend from MBA days Vikram Sampat after over 20 years!!! It was priceless catching up after so many years!! Like the gold old days, had an ice cream with him after dinner. Instead of our usual haunt -ICP (Ice Cream Parlour) it was CCI (Cricket Club of India) this evening!!

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17 March 2013

College tax day!

After doing a lot off yard projects, Nikita and I were relaxing in the hammock by the pool. I wanted to tell her how much I will miss doing projects with her when she is off to college. Thinking about the day she will leave us for college, I asked her “Do you know what is the day I dread the most?”
“The day you have to give taxes”? she answered. πŸ™‚
Upon further reflection, I continued with my snooze in the hammock πŸ™‚