Back after long hiatus

 Just a note to say I'm back.  The blog will log my mom's progress in the next few months as dementia sets in and her physical health is declining.

Thougts

Simple ways to clean:
GreenWorks by Clorox to clean everything.
Dish soap in a bucket of warm water and rag to clean grease and dust from wheels.
White towels to use in bathroom or kitchen.

Car list (time to sell Shelby.  She's got 185,000 miles on her!)

Toyota Highlander, Avalon

Jeep Cherokee

Mitsubishi Outlander, Lancer

Kia Forte, Sportage, Optima

Chevy Cruze, Impala

Hyundai Tuscon, Elantra

Buick Verano

Nissan Rogue

Dodge Charger

Should be interesting to see what I end up with.    I really want something that is quiet and has a nice ride.  Rented an Impala to go to Redwood Forest and loved it.  

Hung up the pictures of Grand Teton and London in our bedroom today.  

Heart feels alive again

For the first time in a long time, my heart is happy open and free.  Sure, I still get annoyed with bad drivers, rude people, people who whine.   Ever since I've quit my job in biotech, I have been alive, happy and can feel warmth in my heart.  We are going to move to Raleigh in the next 6-9 months. I can see the people I love more.  And now I'm a professional dog walker.  Dogs are a gift to humans.

Last night we bought some really nice bright lamps for the living room.  Finally.  We haven't had nice lamps since Kajal and I met.  Plus we sold the massage chair, finally.  Today we are getting headboard. I am finally starting to feel like an adult.  Funny how I quit my professional job and finally feel I want to live a better quality life.  My self esteem is percolating and I feel like I need to treat myself with respect, and one way to do that is to live in a respectful home, not some rif raf home.  Pride of ownership is what I'm really trying to say.

I've become a bigger baseball fan than a football fan.  Michael Vick has turned me off from the Eagles, while Chase, Carlos, Frandsen, Ruf, Asche, Cliff, Cole....I feel like I know them.  Baseball is so calm and enjoyable.  Plus love listening to Tom McCarthy, Wheels and that nnnniiiccccee fffffella Sarge.

M and D buying a new 320i soon, I will buy a 14 Highlander come January.  Car show in a few weeks!!!

Long hair

Well I was planning on growing my hair out for 2 years straight and only made it 3 months. Tomorrow I will get a nice haircut.  Not back to military cut, but just a nice traditional white guy 36 years old cut.  Kajal likes it that way.

Highlander has 181,000 miles on her.  New model comes out in January, it is beautiful, but expensive and HUGE.

I'm still fat, 267 pounds.  I just love to eat so much.  Bella is limping on her back left leg.  I gave her some Rimadyl.

Phillies stink I hope they trade away Papelbon, Ruiz, Rollins and Michael Young.  They need relievers and some power bats.  IF they got Stanton, I would be ecstatic, but Delmon Young is pretty good.  They need to keep Lee and Utley.    Predicted 2014 lineup:

C-Tommy Joseph
1B- Howard
2B- Utley
SS_ Some fast free agent
3B  Cody Asche
LF Dominic Brown
CF Revere
RF Stanton

Curry Chinese Chicken

Oh thank heaven for Grand Peking Chinese restaurant.  I was starving tonight. And ordered some curry chicken and wonton soup from Grand Peking.  Oh dear, so bloody good.  

Life is pretty.  Work is still challenging, and it's all desk work, which I'm not used.  Plus it's a lot of project management.  I'm not used to being in the spotlight.  But it's kind of fun, I guess.  I'd still rather be doing things with my hands though.  We will see how Kajal's job search goes and maybe end up back on the East Coast.  Who knows?

I weigh 265 pounds.  The good news is that Dorothee Wihl, in one massage, has made my legs and back feel 1000x better.  Long lasting effects.  She has made me feel better in one session than all the doctors, chiropractors, PTs and other massage therapists have done in the past 10 years.  I am really happy about this.  I was always really resigned to having pain the rest of my life.  

The Highlander has 176,000 miles on it.   I am going to sell good ole' Shelby pretty soon.  Once we settle on the house in Raleigh (104 Benedict), I will buy a dark blue 2013 Toyota Prius V.  Then Shelby will go up for sale.  I will list her for $7500, and hope to get $6800.  She's been a great car, so many memories in that car.  But I am excited about getting 42 mpg, the digital dash, new car smell everyday and the quietness of the electric motor.  I would consider a Nissan Leaf, but the range is low, and you have to install a charging station in your home.  

Ok, bye bye

On top again

Life is back to being on the straight and narrow. I got laid off on my birthday 9/9/2011 and found a new job and am loving it. Back to Bayer where I was in summer of 2008. Our new house is nice, we got a great deal on it (short sale ) and have fixed up a bunch of things including the kitchen and both bathrooms. Also, next spring, we want to re-finish the hardwood floors.

Though things are good, I still wonder if I should be doing more with my life. My weekends consist of watching sports, playing with Bella and dining with Kajal. But I feel like since we are very financially secure at this point, if I should be volunteering on the weekends or something else. Kids are still not in our future. Is it ok to just chill on weekends, or am I wasting valuable time? I'm not really sure.

I'd like to see Cavalia soon, a horse show in Redmond. And.....the Highlander is still going strong, 161,000 miles. I am going to get an interior detail after this nasty weather is over. Snow in Seattle!

Losing weight

It all started with the CPAP machine. It has been a huge difference in my life. I am able to sleep better so I have more energy. I bought a nice elliptical, ok, well, it was used, but it's a Precor and it was $800. I bought a nice CD player and 4 new metal CDs: Damageplan, Nothingface, Hellyeah and Throwdown. And then, the finale: the official UFC gloves. Just like the fighters wear, I can now imagine myself being a fighter getting ready for my next fight. The biggest thing in losing weight is mental though. Even when my body says no, my mind needs to say yes. Also, stretching has helped tremendously. Since I always hated stretching before, I talked to Kajal and she said only post-workout stretching is needed. I do 20 jumping jacks before workout and 5 minutes of good leg stretching after. My goal weight is 210 and then I'm going to get surgery on my chest.

PUT YOUR CHRISTMAS LISTS HERE

Click on "Comment", then type your name and what you want.

Car Show

Last night, Kajal and I went to the Seattle Car show. What a difference from the Philadelphia one. Granted, it was a Wednesday night and the first night the show started. But there was about 10% of the people of a Philly show. It was so nice to be able to explore all the cars so thoroughly. I liked the Nissan Maxima and Murano and the Toyota Tundra Crew Cab. Kajal loved the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and stated "This is my next car". This weekend, we are going to test drive the electric Nissan Leaf (just for fun) and dinner with our German friends.

Smell the roses

Sometimes in life you need to smell the roses. Recently, I have been buying a lot of stuff on amazon.com. It's great, you can find any possible item you want, click on a button to get the best price, click on another to get the best rated and another button to type in some numbers and bam...it's shipped to your front door. They have really narrowed it down to a science. How can you go wrong when 46 people have given an A/C a 4 star review and their comments are so positive you can't go wrong. Well, sometimes your gut and instinct are way smarter than technology. If you can find the perfect A/C online with a few clicks, you should be able to check off everything you want in a woman online, meet her once and fall in love. But life isn't lived on paper. You can't hear the A/C, can't smell it's air, can't look at it's flickering green numbers. Sometimes, you need to actually shop, touch things, smell them and nine times out of 10, you'll get a funny feeling that an item is the right one to buy. Technology can be great, but I've taken it too far. You can't depend solely on stats, sometimes you need to get what feels right. Sometimes you make a recipe to the T and it turns out like C R A P, even though 82 people said it was 5 star. I vow to live my life with less help from the world wide web and more help from my gut.

I'm moving back to Seattle

Meow.

Chili Cook Off 2008- 2nd Place Overall

So, I post a baby in a chili pepper costume for 2 reasons. One, it is hilarious. I mean, when I have a kid someday, this will be the little guy's or girl's first costume. A chili pepper. You really can't beat that. Secondly, it is to represent my 2nd place finish in the St. Peter's Chili Cook Off. I made a vegetarian chili, one I've made before and it is quite delicious. Garbanzo beans are the unusual ingredients, to go along with kidney and black beans, green chiles, green peppers, celery, etc. I was proud of my entry as there were 11 participants. I only lost to a meat based chili, made by a much more experienced cook than I. My parents don't like chili, so they didn't taste it, but I did see one young gent go up for thirds. Smart young fella.

In other news, I am back in PA. I am getting readjusted. It's been tougher than I would have thought. Rekindling friendships, adjusting to the speed of life, more smokers, more tempting food. Wawa is certainly one thing I am grateful to have back. What a great place it is. I do miss Kajal immensely though.

My Dad and I are looking for new cars for him. We like the Camry and the Passat.

And with the 19th pick of the 2008 draft....

The Philadelphia Eagles select:

Kenny Philips, S, Miami....."Sports Exchange"
Gosder Cherilus, OT, Boston College... "P.Prisco"
Kenny Philips, S, Miami...."Clark Judge"
Jeff Otah, OT, Pittsburgh..."scout.com"
James Hardy, WR, Indiana..."ESPN sportsnation"
Limas Sweed, WR, Texas..... "si.com"
Kenny Philips, S, Miami....."nfl.com"
Devin Thomas, WR, Mich. St. "comcastsportsnet"
Jeff Otah, OT, Pittsburgh..."Andrew Russell"

The Life of a Philadelphia sports fan

It stinks. This man, Daniel Briere of the Flyers, is the most important person in my sports life right now. He will lead us to victory or let us die again, in utter misery. Over 100 sports seasons for Philadelphia have come and past, without one single championship. Sure, we made the finals in 1996 with the Flyers and lost 4-0 in the series. We scored all of 6 goals. Then, in 2001, the Sixers made the Finals. We won game 1. I was estatic, I was in the city watching the games and after we barely won in OT, the streets were the most jubilant I've ever seen. I was high-fiving people on the street I didn't know and it was like Mardi Gras. Then, we lost 4 straight and lost the series. I later found out that the Lakers had been on vacation the week before the first game and hence, that is probably why they didn't beat us in game 1, they were still recovering from their time on the beach. Then 2004, the Eagles v. the Patriots. We were down but not out and came back to get within 3. Then, McNabb pukes, symbolic of all the years of banality of Philly teams. Would our symbolic puke leave us forever? Nope. McNabb gets intercepted and we lose.

Forward to 2008. The Flyers are up 3-1 against the Capitals. The Sixers are playing the Pistons, who've we beat 2 of 4 times in the regular season. The Phillies are rich with talent; Rollins, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Jenkins, Feliz, all easily capable of 20 HRs, 80 RBI. Hamels is healthy, Myers looks good, even Eaton is throwing well. So, after 17 games, we should be 11-6, right? No, we are 8-8, soon to be 8-9. Three of our losses to those heartless babies, the Mets. Last year, they made the playoffs and played the Rockies. Awesome, I live near Denver. So, I gather some Phillies fans, we hit a Philly bar in Denver and make it to game 3 in Denver. I am so pumped up as Shane Victorino hits a dinger and ties it at 1. My hopes are high and think we are going to come back and win. No chance. The Rockies score another run in the 8th and we lose 2-1. I get heckled as I leave and call the Rockies fans "pot smoking hippies".

Next Tuesday, I am going to watch the Phils battle the Rockies at Coors. I have great seats and a free parking pass. Hopefully, we will win so I can bask for 1 day in glory. Because it may be another 9,125 days (25 years) until a Philadelphia championship. I am going to go cry in my Gatorade.

Kajal

Go (further) west young man

It's official. Yesterday, I put in my two weeks at Amgen Boulder and will be moving to Bellevue, WA on May 3 to live with Kajal. This is a photo of Lake Washington which is just minutes from Bellevue and a great place to rent a boat and go cruising. I am still looking for work in Philadelphia, but while in Washington, I plan on working at an animal shelter. I really want to develop some of my interests outside of work and if in my trials of doing other work, I find something I'm really passionate about, I may not go back to biotech at all. We'll see. Life's too short to do a job you don't really like.


I am feeling pretty good about this decision. I have been away from Kajal for way too long. She is still working on getting her working visa, which should come next January. She is also working on her leaf paper plate idea, has pitched it to Whole Foods and is working on a patent. We are going to have fun this summer, hiking on Mount Rainier, eating good seafood (well, me at least) and boating on Lake Washington. Hopefully, we can play golf with Dan and Dana as well. ;-)


I would like to move back to Philly by late August (Steph is getting married!), but I will wait until I find a job that is normal hours. I'm sick of working weird off-shifts.



In other news, I will be going to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico at the end of April. Girish's uncle has a timeshare down there, so him and Vidisha (his wife), Kajal and I will all head down. We will stay 4 days, while G and V will stay for a week. Should be a nice place to reflect on my time in Colorado and think about what is next in this crazy life. By the way, don't go see the movie "The Ruins". It was terrible.

Hamburger in Paradise

In my infinite quest to become a world renowned chef, or at least a dude who can cook decently, today, I made the best self-prepared burger I've ever had. The key ingredient: organic beef. It was 85/15 beef from Maverick Ranch in Denver. I threw in some onion gravy dry mix, salt and pepper and cooked it to a perfect medium on the George Foreman. That little thing is one heck of an invention. Anyway, the burger tasted like a steak burger from Le Bec Fin. 5-star baby. I will definitely be making this for my parents. Girish and I were just talking and agreed that organic food is worth the hype. Everything in India is organic and the chicken tastes 100x better than anti-biotic fed American chicken.

I also worked out yesterday for the first time in a while. After finishing, I felt so at ease, so happy and supremely confident. I am going back today at 3pm. My goal is to go every other day. I do the elliptical because it's easy on my back and knees. It's no wonder Kajal always feels so happy- she exercises, does yoga and eats organic. Fine, she's right, I'm wrong.

Kajal came into Colorado about a month ago and we went up to Breckenridge to go dog sledding and snowshoeing. I really got attached to this little female puppy in the photo. She had really nice white fur and innocent eyes. She was only about 7 months old. All the dogs seemed really thin, but I guess that's what happens when you run miles and miles a day. They all seemed so happy with their work. We had a great tour guide, but I lost my nice ski mittens. Dag! In the afternoon, we showshoed along a crest above the town of Breckenridge. The lights sparkled and we actually walked right under a ski lift. The snow along the edge of the trail was about 3 feet of loose powder. So if you stepped in it, you sunk like a stone.

Ski-Gliding the Eiger

This looks totally rad and I want to try it! Looks like it would take lots of practice to be good at. The mountain, the Eiger, is in the Swiss Alps and is the setting for the movie "Beckoning the Silence". I watched this movie tonight at the Boulder Theatre. It is quite a story about four young men who tried to be the first to climb the North Face of the Eiger in 1936. Definitely worth watching.

Charlie bit my finger - again !