27 June 2014

Intersection Point in Chicago! Prasad Sista!!

It was a long day in Chicago… In fact too long. But it is always well that ends well!! After literally 10 hours of straight meetings, I was done for the day dog tired. But there was always time to call up a old friend from the past. Plus I had to have dinner and I hate eating by myself.

And that is how Prasad Sista and I found ourselves together 12 years after our last meeting when he came to pick me up from the hotel to go for dinner. We were in the same college back in India (although I suspect when I went to college, he had barely learnt how to spell “college”). And then we worked together for a few years in the same company.

That was a evening of a lot of laughter. Of the “Kadi” jokes of IIT Chennai and the really really funny incidents from i2 days. I have always thought that I have been blessed to work side by side with some great people. But the fact that they still remember me and actually want to meet me makes me feel very special. Especially when that person is as great a guy as Prasad Sista!!!

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24 June 2014

Road Blogs Ahead: Missing a couple of passengers

Early morning flight for Louisville, KY. Everybody in the plane was bleary eyed or already sleeping. A few in the first class were sipping airplane coffee. And all of us were wondering why the plane door was not closing in spite of no more passengers getting on and it being already past our departure time. The weather was fine in Atlanta.

Then the flight attendant grabbed the PA. I was sure she was going to announce a weather delay or a mechanical problem. Instead she asked for some patience as we await two more persons to get on board. Some passenger way up in the first class yelled out asking why could we not leave without them? It was already past departure time.

The fifty-something flight attendant had built the perfect set up. She knew what she was doing. For, she responded on the PA, without missing a beat “Because, Sir, they are our pilot and first officer”!! She certainly made a potentially irritating situation funny.

As a post script, a few minutes later, our missing “passengers” came onboard and informed us “We have no idea what happened to your pilot and first passenger. We just landed from Colombus and we were told to run to your plane and take it to Louisville”. Wow!!

Another first time experience in my annals of continuous jumping in and out of planes…

Category: Travelogs | 6 Comments on Road Blogs Ahead: Missing a couple of passengers