Alice Cooper stuck in my head

Yesterday was the last day of school for my kids. It was a weird last day. Had they gone to school in the morning, the Noon dismissal would have brought them home by 1 PM. But, because they didn’t go to school yesterday, there was no reason for me to pick them up. They were already at home – they’ve been home since Spring Break. I know, weird. We now have until Aug 17th to figure out what to do. My son becomes a Senior in high school next year; my daughter a Freshman. Just 6 years ago, that last sentence would have sounded too strange coming from me, and now it’s reality. “School’s out for the summer” just took on a whole new meaning.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made things so different this year. Not that we had a ton planned for the summer anyway, but this year has become a year of introspection. What do I want to do going forward? What do we want to do as a family and when will it feel safe to “do those things”? We love to travel – want to visit Singapore and Malaysia eventually. Will it be safe to do that next year? How about in 2022 or 2023? Will it ever be safe, or will we just be “risking it”?

Like everyone else, we are “Netflixing” it. Finding more online resources for things to do. Virtual camps are real; we are going to sign the kids up soon. My son wants to get his Driver’s License this summer. On the one hand, I hope he does. On the other hand, I know my insurance rates will go up, cause I’ll have to add him to my insurance. Yeah, that’s what Indian parents do. We don’t let our kids work at McDonald’s, because we would never eat there anyway. Now, maybe Panera Bread. 🙂

I wish all of you a very safe Memorial Day weekend. Yeah, we’re at home and not planning to go anywhere. “School’s out for the summer” …

Finished 11 weeks of quarantine

Wow. Just wow. I completed 77 days at home. Haven’t left Katy, leave the house only to exercise or to buy groceries. It’s starting to get hot down here in Texas and not being able to go out has been different. But, I can deal with it. It gives me time to think about what to do next. I have a Junior in High School and an 8th grader. The Junior has had his year interrupted by this pandemic. He still needs to give the SAT. But, we’re prepared. The 8th grader had work to do from school, so at least she was busy.

We’ve been able to fix up the house a bit. Our garden looks way better than in past years. Things are getting cleaned up inside the house too. Boxes are starting to get emptied and paper starting to get shredded. Well, that’s what 15 years in a house will do, right?

What’s going to happen next? Do I keep working in consulting or do I find something to keep me busy without the regular travel? Because both kids will be in High School next year, I need to save up for college as well. My wife and I won’t be traveling anytime soon, but the real question is, when will we be able to travel again? I do see us doing virtual sessions with colleagues, friends, and relatives for the foreseeable future. Maybe buy stock in Zoom? 😉

Week 12 starts tomorrow.

Valentine’s Day

We normally don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. A box of chocolates for my wife is the absolute extent of it! Maybe over the years, I have splurged on a card or even dinner. But now with Vikram in high school, it’s kind of like “every day is a day to cherish the ones closest to you”.

Vikram is focused on school work and training for the BP MS 150. What is the BP MS 150? It’s a bike ride from Houston to Austin for, you guessed it, 150 miles. It’s normally scheduled for late April every year. So, Vikram has to train for it. This year, guess who he decides to pull in as his “training partner?” Yeah, you guessed it! Last Saturday, we did 22 miles. When we started doing this, I thought I was going to fall over after every ride. But I am really starting to get used to riding. I do enjoy the fresh air and I am getting much-needed exercise.

Which leads me back to my weight. At this time last year, I weighed in at 307 lbs. No, I am not proud of that. In fact, I am actually kind of embarrassed about it. But today, I am now down to 257 lbs. Not where I want to be, but 50 pounds lighter is still great. I feel great. I feel like doing things with my kids over the weekend. I don’t feel tired like I always used to. My annual physical numbers are so much better now.

Vinita’s team came in fourth in the FTC Robotics Finals for Houston. So proud of her! She really put in a lot of work to get to where she wants to be. Her grades are great and she’s starting to branch out to various extra-curricular activities like gymnastics and archery.

Hope to update this page regularly!