Brown Motion

Funtastic year with many trips - spanning 3 continents - by air, rail, road and boat (also had a small parasailing in there). Was able to hit the fastest speed on land in the AVE train from Seville to Madrid (180 mph to be precise) and also the slowest waterway travel (14 knots somewhere along the Pacific coast on the way to Mexico). The family did many tours of duty and pleasure between Amruta's work trip to far corners of South India to Puja and Uday's east coast extravaganza on July 4th. Fireworks sitting at the Lincoln Memorial with Puja screaming at every large explosion - priceless. It was a year of watching Puja moving from grade 3 to 4 with her teacher's in awe of her desire to learn. For us it was a first to see her go to a couple night camp away from us and come back with stories to tell about camping and wild life viewing and hiking without mom and dad in tow. Our collective health held up well considering the spring allergies the little one faces but n...

Not involving Tom (kinda - more on it later) but our family - on a large boat kind. This one was a six day event that set sail out of San Pedro (just south of Los Angeles) with a trip to dock at the southernmost tip of the Baja peninsula - that part of California which the Mexicans kept. So it was - LA, California to Cabo San Lucas, MEX (land's end) to Enseneda, MEX (along the west coast) and back to California. Having never attempted this form of travel we were a bit apprehensive of the experience but wanted to check that off for the books so to speak. We have been to Cabo many a year ago and had enjoyed our stay so the destination was somewhat of a known entity. PROs of sailing on a cruise ship might include - Endless buffet spreads whilst sailing away provided a degree of solace as traveling with a nine year old tends to involve much deliberation on food - availability, choice and convenience to obtain the same. Having a kitchen open at all times with some form of nutri...

Do we need tickets to get through traffic - of course if you use a means of mass transit or public transport (as it is known in India and commonwealth nations). But this one is different. I got one - after 20 years of screaming down the American highways (I am a million mile member of the Interstate system) a local policeman on his beat nailed me apparently going at an unsafe rate of speed on city streets. Hence the ticket. The whole episode is a bit hilarious in my opinion since it is like a scripted play that mostly plays out the same way. I notice that on a downhill slope at a local street that I frequent my car has sped up - gravity and all. As I try to control this acceleration I also notice a bike (motorcycle) mounted officer of the law - as in guy with nothing better to do - eyeing me coming downhill. I slow down but he has already trapped me with his laser gun doing about 10 miles more than what some wise soul decided the safe speed should be. He then approches my veh...

That is what the meteorologist said last night about today's temperatures. Heck I had to even triple check the spelling of this important sounding profession before I began the arduous task of venting about this profession -- again. Now remember when they say its going to be a hair warmer that the emphasis is on the hair and not the entire juxtaposition of the words 'hair warmer'. I was very confused since I first took it to mean that the temperature could get just warm enough to cause a delta from status quo in the keratin based growth in the mammillian world but not the body surface temperature itself. Ah but that is not what was meant...if anything was meant at all by the inane commentary about it being marginally warmer than yesterday i.e. 'hair' warmer. Let us not get into the hair itself as it can be - well a hairy experience - as in whose hair - what age - what color - how old etc... All in all it was a splendid day - a close to winter day but with ...

This term is oft used by economists and media to declare shopper behavior - esp stateside. You would think that with the preponderence of impluses we would be an impulse addicted nation. Perhaps it would not be too wrong to qualify us as such. A recent mini helicopter purchase on my part was such an impulse buy - the act of fulfilling a wish (typically a sudden one). I saw the salesman demonstrating the many fine qualities of this piece of miniature engineering genius at a crowded mall no less within the tight confines of available real estate. I decided to try this mind numbing activity by procuring a device myself. So what is this sudden brain chemistry altering activity that drives people to do what they do? Perhaps it is the act of our tired (or addicted) brains being at their most vulnerable seeking out a soothing experience. Many folks in the US tend to use shopping as a literal escape from their otherwise 'consuming' lifestyle. Stores have often used a variet...

As I turned my calendar page to the next day (I have one of those trivia ones with each page telling the story of some aircraft invention of its day) I came upon the Luyties 1908 Helicopter. The reason to mention this is that I have recently taken to flying a chopper. Not literally of course but with a radio controlled miniature much to the bewilderment of the family. Especially as I am trying to learn the controls and have it pass close for comfort near the loved ones' body parts. I must say its addictive. Esp if one has run out of ideas to blog or eat or while away the time some other way. I find myself spending a good chunk of an hour or two on the weekends testing my skills at holding the aircraft in one place. That is the coolest thing. It is spinning away but not going anywhere. Sort of reminds me of many a consulting assignment to be honest.

Many a story in the news from celebrity divorce to high ranking government official related leaks to other high profile shenanigans seems to be made public by so called 'person familiar with the matter'. What is the 'matter' exactly? And who is this person? Or is it persons? Or do we care? How familiar does one have to be to be that person? Somewhat or very? Who defines this familiarity? Is it legal? Are there guidelines of what makes someone familiar vs. non familiar? How grave does this matter have to be? Can it be solid or liquid to gas? I think mostly gas? It just cracks me up to see this language tagged on to make it sound official or somewhat borderline legit. Turns out the news item is worth crap or the whole headline is anyway a bunch of crock. Sound familiar? I am the person very familiar with such items and hence I am reporting that it is so. This matter deserves your attention and so please read it carefully. You are all morons being manip...