A pause to post

It has been extremely busy lately. I have not had time to post or ponder or play. I am moving so fast that if Einstein is right, I am not aging while others are. It’s like Rip Van Winkle’s slumber, only that I am not sleeping to find a whole new world after waking up. We were at Austin last Saturday to attend a surprise 25^th wedding anniversary for someone. While at Austin there was a choir rehearsal for the upcoming community convention at Boston. After all that we decided to drive back home. My wife did the driving, as I tend to get sleepy at night. Sunday and Monday it rained cats and dogs. Monday was also the Memorial Day in memory of our fallen soldiers. Our Prez talked about the sacrifices, which sounded hollow to me. First he sends these folks to his stupid war in Iraq (and he himself had dodged the draft in Vietnam era) and sheds crocodile tears at their death (not to speak of thousands of dead Iraqis). While brooding over the unfairness of all this unnecessary death, to keep the tradition I tried to barbeque under our back patio while watching the sheet of rain. Yesterday was a killer at work as several ongoing and upcoming projects were staring at me. Weather did not cooperate either. People were stranded at a heliport, as they could not fly to the platform where work is going on. Nor did the boat leave with supplies and a crew. So, I fall behind on the project. Well, I can’t do anything about Mother Nature. There were million emails to read, a stack of invoices to approve, drawings to review, material to requisition, and on and on. Today, my wife left for Austin for a meeting. She will be back tomorrow. I had a meeting across town with a producer who is planning to bring on some gas to one of our platforms. After work, I drove through rain and traffic. So, here I am home alone and reminiscing as to what’s happening to time. Is it warped speed or time? Am I aging or holding my ground while time flies without my knowledge? Does it matter at all?

Dr. Seeb

It was a wonderful, sunny, cool day and nothing but a blue California sky. It was a great day in our daughter’s life. It was a great moment in my life. And I could see the happiness in two people as her fiancé picked her up and swung her around calling her Dr. Seeb. I arrived for her Ph.D. defense as a surprise visitor after spending practically all night hopping airports. And was she surprised! After the public presentation of her dissertation and a question/answer session, she went into a closed-door session with the members of her committee. We took a walk by the Rodin sculpture garden wondering what might be going on in that closed room. As we returned and sat in front of her department building, we got the call. The committee approved her dissertation and signed off. We could sense a sigh of relief in her voice. Dr. Seeb was for real. In the evening we had a dinner at a restaurant with her friends, her advisor and his spouse, and some employees of her department. Holding a glass of frozen margarita we toasted for her accomplishment and we all congratulated her. Finally, a chapter in her life came to a close with a victory. It certainly was a beautiful day.

Happy Mother's Day

A darling little daughter becomes a restless teenager, a lover, a wife, then a mother and the circle continues. I lost my mother more than 30 years ago. So, in a way I do not have to call or send a card or red roses to express my love to my mother. She was super and she knew that I loved her.

My wife is a mom too and our daughters are away. So, I try to do what I can for her every mother’s day, although sometimes I mess up while expressing such feelings. This morning I got up at dawn, cut some fresh flowers from our garden and set it up on the breakfast table. Then I tried to fix a special breakfast (scramble egg, fried potatoes (Aaloo Bhaji), sausages, heat up some “rooti” (ready made Tortilla), bowl of grapes). Nothing fancy, but different from the usual. I also had a gift (a summer dress) for her. From her comments at breakfast, I wasn’t sure if she liked the breakfast or the dress. My enthusiasm was flattened. I should have known since she was on restricted diet. I tried to do something special (and did not do a good job). I sincerely wish her a happy mother’s day.

Biologically or physiologically women can do something that men are not capable of doing. They go through a self-imposed pain for nine months to bring us to the world. Mothers are wonderful. They deserve to be happy. I wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms all over the world.

Past few weeks

Lot happened and I have not had time to post. Here is a summary:
1. We celebrated Bihu on April 7 at Corpus Christi beach. It was pouring down, but the kids had fun in the rain and went hunting for Easter eggs anyway. The evening program was indoors and all had fun dancing and singing. Food was great.
2. A very close friend visited us from way up north (Wisconsin). Then we attended a party at Austin to celebrate the happy union of their son and his girl friend. The pretty girl looked gorgeous in the authentic Assamese silk dress.
3. A very close family/friends sold their house in Austin. Sadly, they are moving to New Jersey and leaving Texas after 40 years to be close to their children and grand children.
4. Our older daughter in SFO has one more job interview at USC. She has been busy with job interviews, conferences, and preparing to defend her dissertation.
5. The younger daughter just moved to a new apartment and I think she found new owners for the kittens. She is getting ready for her semester final.
6. I am still trying to wrap up my work on a platform in the Gulf of Mexico, so that I can take a short vacation with my wife at the end of June and visit our daughter in the Big Apple.
7. The Iraq war has passed 4-year mark with no end in sight. Death and destruction continue. “Mission Accomplished” or “Mission Stupidity”! King George continues to reign when others become the Fall Guys. Foxy Rove continues to avoid the trap; Wolfowitz displays favoritism by employing his darling friend and yet keeps his job at the World Bank, Cheney remains as Dubiya’s deputy. Ordinary folks would be locked up forever.