19 August
2012
19 August
2012
Alpharetta or Gandhinagar? :-)
18 August
2012
How often does this happen?
Something really surreal happened this morning. I had just finished up my 7 mile run in Greenway Trail and come out of the Fowler Park entrance. As I started my stretches, I could hear a couple of guys talking in my mother tongue (Bengali). It is uncommon enough to hear that language that it peaked my interest. I saw two gentlemen on bikes and from the conversation, I understood that they were wondering how to get back to the main road. When they came close to me, I asked them if they needed help with directions.
Of course, they were surprised that I could speak Bengali. One thing led to the other and soon one of the gentlemen pointed out that although he is a Tamilian, he can speak Bengali since he was born and brought up in Durgapur!! And that his dad was a teacher in St. Xavier’s School there. That was my school !!
You should have seen my face !!!
In a jiffy, I realized something. So I offered – “You know, I think I know who you are. Your brother and I were classmates in middle school. He might have mentioned me to you recently. I had a drink with him in June in Kolkata.”
This time, you should have seen his face!!
His brother – my classmate – had mentioned about him living in Atlanta when I met him in India after 29 years. I told him about the classes when I was his dad’s student. And in a full circle, we realized that my elder daughter goes for their Indian culture classes to his school!!! Every Sunday!!
Whoever said running is boring? 🙂
18 August
2012
Jonathan!
Today was the day to meet old friends! After the running incident this morning, in the evening ran into dear oldJonathan Colehower and his family. Had not seen his daughters since Boston and Debbie and him in the last 4 years. It was simply awesome to run into such a honest to earth and beautiful family as the Colehowers!! I was amazed that Jonathan recognized me in the dim lights in the Bowling Alley especially since I have changed a lot in the four years…
17 August
2012
What goes up…
What goes up, must come down. Or so goes the old adage. The said adage is remarkably quiet on whether the aforementioned object must come down the exact same way that it went up 🙂 And that is what happened to me this morning.
One more time, I managed to get lost in the streets inside Georgia Tech. On my way back, once I realized that I was not retracing my path anymore and that one uneducated turn deserved another, I kept on taking alternate left and right turns till I found myself on a familiar street 🙂 I am taking that as a learning experience. By the way, before the advent of GPS, that is how I learnt my streets – by getting lost. Of course, it was much easier when I was in a car than on a foot!!
Anyways, 5 more miles and I think I can see my first month of 100 miles of barefoot / minimalist running. (62 so far this month)
16 August
2012
Not a good “start” to the day..
In one of those displays of infinite wisdom, I left the car door open overnight and sure enough the battery had run down. AAA showed up after an hour and fifteen minutes (in spite of promising within forty five minutes) and that got me caught in the school traffic.
Anyways, had enough time to put in a 3 mile run before I had to take a shower and run to office. Mostly concrete run in Alpharetta. The concrete really hurt. Had no option though since the roads had started becoming crowded…
16 August
2012
Bunny Ears :-)
15 August
2012
The road less traveled
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
(Robert Frost)
14 August
2012
Running in the rain :-)
5 miles this morning in midtown Atlanta. The best part was running in the rain! Still trying to make up for all those days that my dad did not let me and my siblings go out in the rain and play 🙂
Of course, it sucked that I forgot my cap! Nevertheless, it was great feeling the raindrops falling on my skin and my shaved head 🙂
13 August
2012
It could have been worse :-)
This morning I was running my usual 5 mile run around Georgia Tech area – staying very close to the one route that I know after getting lost last week 🙂 – when a car pulled up ahead of me about 50 yards on this desolate street and a young lady got out and started hysterically yelling towards me. The first thought that went thru my head is that she must be some Georgia Tech student mistaking me for one more of those Indian professors – who undoubtedly flunked her in her last quiz 🙂
The plot really thickened when a very well built young guy got out of the car next 🙂 Just when I was weighing my options of showing a clean pair of heels (thru my bright blue shoes – no less 🙂 – in keeping with the shoes-match-shirt mindset that I am in these days 🙂 ), I realized that it was indeed Rachel and her husband Andy! I have run with Rachel a couple of times in the past and I still remember how fast she ran. She kept up with a conversation the whole 7:45 pace run and I merely grunted “ummm” and “hmmm” throughout! In my defense, I am twice her age 🙂 (The mileage is even more 🙂 🙂 )
It was great running into her this morning after almost four months! Plus I finally got to meet Andy – which she had been threatening to do for quite some time 🙂 🙂 Hope to run with Rachel and Andy soon!
By the way, I completely forgot to ask how she did in her quiz 🙂 🙂