Joy of running

“Blue sky, nothing but the blue sky do I see” – sings country singer Willie Nelson. It has been perfect for the last couple of days: blue sky, cool morning, and sunny days. I love this time of the year in Houston. Running, biking, tennis, golf, or just watching the grass grow sitting in the sun – whatever makes you happy, the time is now.

Last night we had a sumptuous dinner at a friends’ place (they too joined our empty nesters’ club this year) and left hurriedly as I had signed up for a half marathon this morning. This day started at 4:45 AM for me and I am not complaining. I left home at 5:30AM. Then the usual routine: park the car, pick up the “chip”, use the rest room before the run, stretch & warm up. Some one sings the “Star spangled banner”. Then the gun goes off at 7:00 AM and the jubilant crowd takes off through the huge arch made of red, white, and blue balloons. Through the city streets, by the Allen Parkway with people cheering, young cheerleaders doing a routine or two, a big speaker on the roadside blasting out Beatles music, the cool sun welcoming us, and tons of volunteers (a big thank you to them) handing out water, Gatorade, calling out time & pace, I made it to the finish line in 1 hour and 54 minutes. Not a record, but not having run much lately, it was much better than I had expected. Then chow down some free food: bananas, bagels, drink and pick up my “Finisher” T-shirt and head home.

It has been a great morning. Yes, I have slowed down some since I started running in a crowd like this some 16 years ago. I suppose I have not lost it yet. I still get high in that running crowd although my legs don’t get so high. Once a runner, you are always a runner.

My wife left for Austin this afternoon on a business trip. Tigger is sitting next to me and watching me type this. He is happy too. I took him out in the sun in the back yard earlier and brushed his hair. I think he loved it and did not want to come inside. Who would not enjoy a day like this? Have a great day and a great week you all.

A memorable day

“Houma Tower, this is 6603 X ray requesting take off from PHI north ramp.”
“6603 X ray, proceed, maintain altitude below one thousand five hundred feet”
“Roger, will fly below one thousand five hundred feet”

It was my birthday and I was sitting next to the pilot in a Bell helicopter and listening in (or talking to the pilot) on the headphone. Destination – Garden Bank 72 and Ship Shoal 332 in the Gulf of Mexico. I got up at 5:00 AM and left home at 5:30 to fly to New Orleans. There I got into this yellow bird to head out to the open ocean. “Have you seen the ocean?” (Saagar dekhisaa? – some Assamese poet penned this long time ago). Yes, there was a time when it was a distant dream, but now I have seen it million times so it seems. Many mornings I had seen the pretty sunrise out of the blue ocean. Other times it was a lonesome feeling in the middle of nowhere like a castaway. On those pretty sunny days when I flew, it appeared like I was in the belly of a yellow bird flying inside a huge blue sphere.

It was cloudy and foggy this morning. Visibility was poor. However, these birds fly anyway. Thanks to GPS. I had no clue which way was east or west. I had faith on that pilot and those gadgets. The young pilot was from Phoenix, AZ where the scenery was nothing like south Louisiana marshland that we were flying over. There is no “ocean front property” in Arizona.

Suddenly through the fog we saw the monstrous yellow structure called a platform. Oil and Gas jargons make up this world that many have no clue. DMA, Suction pile, VRU, HPU, MCP, LACT, PLET, umbilical, I-tube, SCR, Christmas tree, Lay down head, A&R cable, ROV, Pig Trap, and what not. This is the world of black gold. This is the world we created to fetch that energy secretly hidden by nature. We produce and we consume insatiably resulting in advanced technology to conquer the inner space; resulting in greed, war, turmoil in the world for control of that energy.

We visited the platforms and my ongoing projects to bring more oil to these platforms. The yellow bird brought us back to New Orleans airport. Then we flew back home on a bigger bird (jet). As I went through the security, my cell phone rang. It was our older daughter from SFO wishing a happy birthday. When I got home (at 7:00 PM), I received the cutest and funniest ecard (A Tigger like cat singing a happy birthday and hoping to hang out many more years with me) from the younger daughter in NYC. Then there was Jonathan's birthday wish from Chicago. I even received some email greetings from friends from ERC (Enron Running Club) days - Cindy from Amsterdam, Karl from Baghdad. Karl is running Marine Corps Marathon next week. I am planning to do Houston Striders Half Marathon next weekend. I think I am three score and zero years young and perhaps stupid. I have not been running much. Who cares? Just do it. It has been a long, tiring, but memorable birthday. I wish a Happy birthday to all those who were born on this day.

Have a great day

It’s raining outside. Not a monsoon rain. I am listening to

Rhythm of the Rain

and remembering Jayanta Hazarika’s “Borosa Rituk Moi Bhaal Pao...”. It’s a lazy Sunday morning. In spite of all the troubles in the world I am absorbed in the music and not the heartbreak. For a change I am savoring this rainy morning. All of you out there have a great day.

Family news

Our daughter from California called my wife and me at work this morning on a 3-way connection on our cell phones. It was rather unusual. At first I was a little concerned with such an unexpected call. Then she broke the news. The night before Jonathan proposed to her to marry in a nearby park near where she lives in San Francisco. So, they are officially engaged now. They have been seeing each other for several years since their first encounter at Stanford campus. Today they are going to a rehearsal dinner for a friend’s wedding and I am sure they will break the news to their friends. So, it certainly was a very special Friday for my wife and me. I came home, opened a champagne bottle and gave a big hug to my wife. It’s time to celebrate. Congratulations and best wishes to these two young people.

Potpourri

1. Death continues in Iraq, Afghanistan is boiling again
2. A Republican Congressman gets caught in a scandalous, sleazy email to a young congressional page.
3. The Super Dome in the Big Easy is open again for Football (no, it’s not soccer)
4. The famous Crocodile hunter died down under
5. Some one started shooting in a school killing innocent students in a peace loving Amish country in Pennsylvania.
6. A supposedly educated Indian in the UK killed his wife with a baseball bat (Google Murder)
7. No solution in sight for Iranian and N. Korean nuclear stand off
8. Indian Government called off truce with ULFA. The government claims to represent people, but does not pay attention to people’s wishes for dialogue for peace. They talk of Gandhi (Gandhi’s birthday- October 2), but use military might (Hypocrites!)
9. There was a wonderful wedding of one of our friends’ daughter in town. Jeff, the bridegroom came to the door of the wedding hall of majestic Hotel Galvez riding a white horse. (Maharaja of the day!)
10. Our older daughter from San Francisco visited us for the weekend.
11. Our younger daughter in NY is trying to train her three adopted kitties.
12. My work out during lunch break came to an end with our office move to down town. Now I just work through lunch and hardly see the sun.