Long ago, I wrote about my my wife's weight problem. She really does not have a weight problem. No, I am not in denial. She just thinks she has one. Even now she looks just the way she did when I first met her. I am sorry, I did not phrase that well. I mean, she now looks prettier, if possible. Phew, I think I got over that land mine well. As far as weight goes, she has maintained her trimness over the past 20 years, that include two pregnancies, and a Madrasi crowd around us that focuses exclusively on food during any get together!
I do not have a weight problem either. No, I am not in denial again. Let me explain.
First of all, if you twist my arm I would admit that I could lose a few grams. Unlike my wife I have gained a lot of weight in the two decade since I left the shores of India, at least the shores of Yamuna. Good thing I did too. I mean, good thing I left the shores of Yamuna. It was and still remains now one of the most polluted rivers in the world. In the intervening years, depending on how you do the math, I have gained anywhere from 28% to 40% in weight since I came to this country!
It looks bad, but that is not the complete story. You see when I came to the US, I was an anemic 132 lbs although I stood nearly 6ft tall. I am told that it made me look like a drug addict! Within three months I discovered the weight room at a Bay Area gym funnily called the Supreme Court and by the end of year I had gained 30 lbs and I stood a very reasonable 165 lbs.
So taking out the one time rapid weight gain, what it boils down to is that I have gained about 1 lb for every year of my marriage. That is not really bad.
The one place where this extra poundage does show up more and more prominently is in the waist line. Even my adoring and admiring wife and daughter have started taking pot shots at the commencement of a protruding abdominal region colloquially known as a pot belly. So I do a Seinfeld. Remember that episode where Seinfeld tells his girl friend that he changes the label on his jeans from a 32 waist to a 31. I do not go that extent. I just confidently tell everyone that I wear a 32 and that I just ate a few minutes ago! No one has so far bent down to verify the number that adorns my Gluteus Maximus muscle!
So although I believe I do not have a weight problem, I would like to one day really fit into that jean with a 32 inch waist hanging in my closet. So I want you to be the witness that I have stated a definite goal to lose weight.
Here it is - by the end of this year I want to go down to a trim 180 lbs. Why such a modest goal?
Well I am a man of few words and fewer actions. I am very retiring when it comes to things that require too much effort on my part. In short you could say that modesty in action is my middle phrase!
Geek alert - If you chose my initial weight as the reference then the gain is 40%. Whereas it is only 28% if my current weight is the reference.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Pittsburgh - My Path to Salvation
We, my wife and I, went to graduate school at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and after my wife got done with her doctorate, we moved to the suburbs. My sister-in-law and her family on the other lived in Maryland. Every other year we would drive late Friday evening and either travel non-stop to Maryland or take a break somewhere in the middle. That place was the Steel City, Pittsburgh.
For Indians and more specifically, Hindus, this city is quite important. The best known Venkateswara temple out side of Tirupati is in Pittsburgh. We have seen this temple grow from a small temple to one where it is now hard to find admission for aarti.
A decade ago we moved to the Maryland area, but we still have friends in Michigan. One such couple is Pria and Ravi. Along with Jeshmi/Krishna and Jyothi/Ram, they are so important in our lives that we talk to them 2-3 times a week and try to meet them at least 2 times a year. Think about the magnitude of this commitment; we talk to them more often than with our parents; we see them more often than we see our parents or my sister and her family. Let us just say, Ravi and Pria are family.
When we were newly married we traveled light and had little to worry. With two kids it is no longer easy to travel long distance. So now Pittsburgh has assumed an even greater importance in our lives. From being a pit stop in our travels, Pittsburgh is the place each family now drives to. It is 5 hours by road for Ravi/Pria and a mere 4 hours for us. We start early Saturday and drive to Pittsburgh, check in to a motel by afternoon. We then go to the temple and here is the best part. The temple serves some of the best food at amazingly low prices. We spend 4 hours in the temple and the kids have a blast since there is a lot of space outside where they can play. We check out Sunday morning go back to the temple and after an early lunch drive back to our respective cities. Now here is the interesting thing; none of us are very religious and we do not particularly care whether we go to temples or not.
My parents on the other hand are staunch Vaishnavites and a trip to the US is not complete without a trip to Pittsburgh. Although they also know my opinions well, they have not given up hope. Even if I keep going to the temple not to worship the Lord but for secular reasons, it is OK. In their minds his blessings are still with me whatever my motivations and one day I will understand the Lord's eminence and grace.
They hope that my travels to Pittsburgh will somehow put me on the road to salvation!
For Indians and more specifically, Hindus, this city is quite important. The best known Venkateswara temple out side of Tirupati is in Pittsburgh. We have seen this temple grow from a small temple to one where it is now hard to find admission for aarti.
A decade ago we moved to the Maryland area, but we still have friends in Michigan. One such couple is Pria and Ravi. Along with Jeshmi/Krishna and Jyothi/Ram, they are so important in our lives that we talk to them 2-3 times a week and try to meet them at least 2 times a year. Think about the magnitude of this commitment; we talk to them more often than with our parents; we see them more often than we see our parents or my sister and her family. Let us just say, Ravi and Pria are family.
When we were newly married we traveled light and had little to worry. With two kids it is no longer easy to travel long distance. So now Pittsburgh has assumed an even greater importance in our lives. From being a pit stop in our travels, Pittsburgh is the place each family now drives to. It is 5 hours by road for Ravi/Pria and a mere 4 hours for us. We start early Saturday and drive to Pittsburgh, check in to a motel by afternoon. We then go to the temple and here is the best part. The temple serves some of the best food at amazingly low prices. We spend 4 hours in the temple and the kids have a blast since there is a lot of space outside where they can play. We check out Sunday morning go back to the temple and after an early lunch drive back to our respective cities. Now here is the interesting thing; none of us are very religious and we do not particularly care whether we go to temples or not.
My parents on the other hand are staunch Vaishnavites and a trip to the US is not complete without a trip to Pittsburgh. Although they also know my opinions well, they have not given up hope. Even if I keep going to the temple not to worship the Lord but for secular reasons, it is OK. In their minds his blessings are still with me whatever my motivations and one day I will understand the Lord's eminence and grace.
They hope that my travels to Pittsburgh will somehow put me on the road to salvation!
Where Red Wings are concerned - The Cup is always Half Empty
As I told you earlier, I am a huge Red Wings fan. Unfortunately I do not enjoy watching them play. Unlike true fans of the game, I do not enjoy the triple overtime 1-0, 2-1 3-2 victories or worse 1 goal losses. My heart takes permanent residence in my mouth and I turn into a cannibal; I chew my fingers to the bone!!
With so many victories; and by golly the Wings have been phenomenally successful by almost every measure of success; you would think I have so many happy memories to choose from. Although I remember all the victories, I remember even more vividly the times Wings blew a one goal lead with less than 2-3 minutes left in the game and the subsequent heart wrenching overtime loss. I have been known to consider a 4 goal lead, as the third period winds down, to be less than ideal! The only games I consider fun or worth watching are blow out Wings victory.
In close games, I tense up and I get so caught up that I lose my temper and curse which of course makes my wife cringe and get mad at me for using inappropriate language in front of children.
Besides the stress of watching my team play, I am one of those steeped in sports superstitions (read this, this and this for a few examples). I have this irrational feeling that when I watch the Wings always manage lose the game. Not only that, I am also a believer in conspiracy theories; at least those that affect the Wings. It is of course a known fact to all Wings fan that the NHL and the umpires do not like the Wings and do not want them to win!! I have seen so many games when it looked like the Wings would eke out a victory, when the umpire would call a penalty and allow the opposition to tie the game and change the momentum of the game.
Having said all this, I am going to make an admission that would shock you. I think that the Pittsburgh Penguins are the better team in this year's Stanley Cup Finals. In both the games played so far they they out shot the Wings, had better scoring chances, and in general seemed to be doing all the little things that the Wings were known for. Usually I believe my teams does not get the breaks; but in the first two games of this years of Stanley Cup finals I feel that it is the Penguins that do not have Lady Luck on their side. I personally saw at least 3 times the puck hitting the posts. Yet it was the Wings that won both games.
But, I do not feel too bad!
So if the Wings win 2 more games and win the Cup, remind me to buy you a beer.
With so many victories; and by golly the Wings have been phenomenally successful by almost every measure of success; you would think I have so many happy memories to choose from. Although I remember all the victories, I remember even more vividly the times Wings blew a one goal lead with less than 2-3 minutes left in the game and the subsequent heart wrenching overtime loss. I have been known to consider a 4 goal lead, as the third period winds down, to be less than ideal! The only games I consider fun or worth watching are blow out Wings victory.
In close games, I tense up and I get so caught up that I lose my temper and curse which of course makes my wife cringe and get mad at me for using inappropriate language in front of children.
Besides the stress of watching my team play, I am one of those steeped in sports superstitions (read this, this and this for a few examples). I have this irrational feeling that when I watch the Wings always manage lose the game. Not only that, I am also a believer in conspiracy theories; at least those that affect the Wings. It is of course a known fact to all Wings fan that the NHL and the umpires do not like the Wings and do not want them to win!! I have seen so many games when it looked like the Wings would eke out a victory, when the umpire would call a penalty and allow the opposition to tie the game and change the momentum of the game.
Having said all this, I am going to make an admission that would shock you. I think that the Pittsburgh Penguins are the better team in this year's Stanley Cup Finals. In both the games played so far they they out shot the Wings, had better scoring chances, and in general seemed to be doing all the little things that the Wings were known for. Usually I believe my teams does not get the breaks; but in the first two games of this years of Stanley Cup finals I feel that it is the Penguins that do not have Lady Luck on their side. I personally saw at least 3 times the puck hitting the posts. Yet it was the Wings that won both games.
But, I do not feel too bad!
So if the Wings win 2 more games and win the Cup, remind me to buy you a beer.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
My Other Love
I used to live in Detroit, MI during the 1990s. By year three I became familiar enough with their best sports team; The Detroit Red Wings. They are an Original Six team and have had periods in the 40s and 50s when they were dominant. After two decades of mediocrity, their resurgence began with the arrival of my favorite player, Steve Yzerman in mid 1980s. I could write an entire post about him and maybe I will, but that is for later.
My earliest memory of a hockey game or at least the earliest one I remember was not a happy one. It was a first round play off Game 7 loss to San Jose Sharks in 1993-94. In those days I naively thought that the better hockey team always won. That year, the Wings were acknowledged to be in a league of their own whereas Sharks were the new kid on the block.
The next year was even more tragic. The Wings advanced to Cup finals and lost to a bunch of goons and thugs, euphemistically called the New Jersey Devils. As you can see almost 15 years and several cup victories later the bitterness has not left the palate.
The following year, in 1995-96, the Wings sprinted through the regular season setting a NHL record 62-12-8 record!! They seemed to run out of gas by the time the playoffs started. They muddled through two rounds of playoff and even endured a scare when St Louis Blues, led by the tandem of the great Gretzky and Hull, nearly upset them. Then in the conference they ran into another up and coming team, the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs only beat the Wings, Clod Lemeiux rearranged Kris Draper's face.
Then comes my favorite moment ahead of almost all the cup victories. On March 26, 1997 of the following season when Avs and Wings met during a regular season game, a fight broke out that would have ramification for the next decade. Darren McCarty pummeled Clod and then to rub salt in the wound scored the winning goal in overtime!! The Wings would never look back. As expected the Wings and Avs met again in the conference finals and this time the score was reversed. The cup final was an anti-climax with the Wings crushing the Philadelphia Flyers.
Within a week came the worst moment in franchise history. Vladimir Konstantinov's career ended in an auto-accident. This cut short the career of what could have been one of the greatest D-man in hockey. His nickname was Vladinator and during the pre-game warmups, JLA used to frequently show videos spoofing the Terminator.
The Wings are arguably one of the best managed teams in pro-sports. I say this not as a fan, please read what sports writers regularly say about the team management in CNNSI and ESPN. By the end of the 1990s they had been to the Stanley Cup Finals several time winning it all twice. Over all in the past ten years they have won the Cup 4 times!!
In summary, I have had the benefit of watching them
Note 1: The Wings have won several more Stanley Cups, appeared in several finals, what I have here is a snapshot of the past 2 decades when hockey was relevant in my life.
Note 2: The playoffs for this year is still in progress. Based on the results this blog could be updated.
My earliest memory of a hockey game or at least the earliest one I remember was not a happy one. It was a first round play off Game 7 loss to San Jose Sharks in 1993-94. In those days I naively thought that the better hockey team always won. That year, the Wings were acknowledged to be in a league of their own whereas Sharks were the new kid on the block.
The next year was even more tragic. The Wings advanced to Cup finals and lost to a bunch of goons and thugs, euphemistically called the New Jersey Devils. As you can see almost 15 years and several cup victories later the bitterness has not left the palate.
The following year, in 1995-96, the Wings sprinted through the regular season setting a NHL record 62-12-8 record!! They seemed to run out of gas by the time the playoffs started. They muddled through two rounds of playoff and even endured a scare when St Louis Blues, led by the tandem of the great Gretzky and Hull, nearly upset them. Then in the conference they ran into another up and coming team, the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs only beat the Wings, Clod Lemeiux rearranged Kris Draper's face.
Then comes my favorite moment ahead of almost all the cup victories. On March 26, 1997 of the following season when Avs and Wings met during a regular season game, a fight broke out that would have ramification for the next decade. Darren McCarty pummeled Clod and then to rub salt in the wound scored the winning goal in overtime!! The Wings would never look back. As expected the Wings and Avs met again in the conference finals and this time the score was reversed. The cup final was an anti-climax with the Wings crushing the Philadelphia Flyers.
Within a week came the worst moment in franchise history. Vladimir Konstantinov's career ended in an auto-accident. This cut short the career of what could have been one of the greatest D-man in hockey. His nickname was Vladinator and during the pre-game warmups, JLA used to frequently show videos spoofing the Terminator.
The Wings are arguably one of the best managed teams in pro-sports. I say this not as a fan, please read what sports writers regularly say about the team management in CNNSI and ESPN. By the end of the 1990s they had been to the Stanley Cup Finals several time winning it all twice. Over all in the past ten years they have won the Cup 4 times!!
In summary, I have had the benefit of watching them
- Win 4 Stanley Cups
- Appear in 5 Stanley Cup finals
- Appear in 8 Western Conference Finals (including this year)
- Win 6 President's Trophy for the best regular season. In the years that they do not win the Trophy they are in the hunt and usually in the top 3 teams.
- Appear in playoffs for the past 18 straight years, the longest current streak of any professional league in the US
Note 1: The Wings have won several more Stanley Cups, appeared in several finals, what I have here is a snapshot of the past 2 decades when hockey was relevant in my life.
Note 2: The playoffs for this year is still in progress. Based on the results this blog could be updated.
Monday, May 18, 2009
I Ran A Relay Marathon - Again
Yesterday I took part in another relay marathon. I had taken part in the same event last year too. This year there was a small twist. In this year's edition all four legs of the relay were of equal length of about 6.5 miles (10.5 km), whereas last time the first leg was 10 miles with subsequent legs being 5.4 miles each. This meant I had to run more than a mile extra compared to last time.
The Chariots of Fire team brought only 5 teams this year. Just like last time, we came second. I personally did better this time since I had two personal goals that I had set out to achieve
I was within a few seconds of my second goal (I think I need 1 hour 20 minutes and about 14 seconds)!! (I averaged slightly less than 8 minutes for a km, rather slow I agree)
After I came home, I talked to my wife and we are planning on taking an entire team, even two teams from our area (4 to 8 people) to this event next year!!
The Chariots of Fire team brought only 5 teams this year. Just like last time, we came second. I personally did better this time since I had two personal goals that I had set out to achieve
- No Walking
- Under 1 hour 20 minutes
I was within a few seconds of my second goal (I think I need 1 hour 20 minutes and about 14 seconds)!! (I averaged slightly less than 8 minutes for a km, rather slow I agree)
After I came home, I talked to my wife and we are planning on taking an entire team, even two teams from our area (4 to 8 people) to this event next year!!
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Am I a Loser?
That was a rhetorical question. So please do not answer unless your answer is a No, I mean an emphatic No!!
Let us go back to our childhood days when we were in some class or other. Do you remember what the teacher asked of us? Do your best. I am sure you never listened. Neither did I. I did not simply care to do my best, I wanted to be better than the others. I wanted to be better than the other boy at cricket. I wanted to beat everyone in badminton. I hated losing as I am sure you did too.
Detour time; during early years at school, I hated girls. Clean; punctual; always did their homework; teachers pet; those goody two shoes!! How I despised them!! In particular it bothered me when the girls in the class always stood first. It was not good enough for me to be good at studies; I wanted to be better than them. It rarely happened, but when it did, it felt sweet. Thank god, this phase lasted only till puberty.
Back again with more rhetoric; Let us flip the question. Am I a winner? Define winner.
Each of us has a chosen profession. I am a Computer Scientist from that time when it meant something to be one. I mean I understand algorithms, I understand good design, I do not like to merely sling code just because it works.
So am I the best in this? Am I at least near the top? Ha. I mean Ha Ha. (Hint - you are supposed to laugh)
Last time I checked, no one is waiting to give me a Turing Award which is the highest award one can get in my profession and from the body of my accumulated work there is no danger of any nominations in the near future, or for that matter in the distant future. As far as badminton is concerned I am a amateur at Class C/D level player. There are no levels below this. How about wealth? Not unless I am as rich as Bill Gates or Warren Buffett.
If we define success as being the richest, then most of us would be losers. If we define success as having won a Turing Award, Nobel Prize, Olympic Gold Medal, best in badminton (choose your favorite sport) well most of us are not even close.
When someone philosophies that the struggle is simply strive to be a better person; we think it is old man talk.
Well I am older and it now makes sense. Do your best. Yeah I get it now.
I try at every job to be better. I make mistakes and in my next job try not to repeat them. I try to write better code. I read what others in the field have to say and try to follow that. I try to pass on what I know to those who care to listen. In badminton I listen to my daughter's coach. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. At least I cannot be accused of not trying.
Talking about philosophy you know what Descartes said - I think, therefore I am. You all know what a great man he was.
So who am I to quibble - I think I am a winner, therefore I am.
Let us go back to our childhood days when we were in some class or other. Do you remember what the teacher asked of us? Do your best. I am sure you never listened. Neither did I. I did not simply care to do my best, I wanted to be better than the others. I wanted to be better than the other boy at cricket. I wanted to beat everyone in badminton. I hated losing as I am sure you did too.
Detour time; during early years at school, I hated girls. Clean; punctual; always did their homework; teachers pet; those goody two shoes!! How I despised them!! In particular it bothered me when the girls in the class always stood first. It was not good enough for me to be good at studies; I wanted to be better than them. It rarely happened, but when it did, it felt sweet. Thank god, this phase lasted only till puberty.
Back again with more rhetoric; Let us flip the question. Am I a winner? Define winner.
Each of us has a chosen profession. I am a Computer Scientist from that time when it meant something to be one. I mean I understand algorithms, I understand good design, I do not like to merely sling code just because it works.
So am I the best in this? Am I at least near the top? Ha. I mean Ha Ha. (Hint - you are supposed to laugh)
Last time I checked, no one is waiting to give me a Turing Award which is the highest award one can get in my profession and from the body of my accumulated work there is no danger of any nominations in the near future, or for that matter in the distant future. As far as badminton is concerned I am a amateur at Class C/D level player. There are no levels below this. How about wealth? Not unless I am as rich as Bill Gates or Warren Buffett.
If we define success as being the richest, then most of us would be losers. If we define success as having won a Turing Award, Nobel Prize, Olympic Gold Medal, best in badminton (choose your favorite sport) well most of us are not even close.
When someone philosophies that the struggle is simply strive to be a better person; we think it is old man talk.
Well I am older and it now makes sense. Do your best. Yeah I get it now.
I try at every job to be better. I make mistakes and in my next job try not to repeat them. I try to write better code. I read what others in the field have to say and try to follow that. I try to pass on what I know to those who care to listen. In badminton I listen to my daughter's coach. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. At least I cannot be accused of not trying.
Talking about philosophy you know what Descartes said - I think, therefore I am. You all know what a great man he was.
So who am I to quibble - I think I am a winner, therefore I am.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Vegetarianism - Ecological reasons for being one
I read this article today in NYTimes. This article talks about emission and the resultant global warming due to increased meat consumption. About a year or two ago I read another article (I have not been able to locate the link) that went into the details of meat production and the costs involved. Roughly it takes 15lbs of corn to make 1 lb of meat (give or take a few pounds). In other words, one could feed an order of magnitude (techie speak for 10 times) more people if we were all vegetarians. In yet other words, it means there is an order of magnitude more carbon emissions than in growing plant based food.
When I mention this as my reason for giving up meat, quite a few find it amusing and some even snigger at this. Of course if this were the only reason it may not sound compelling. I already knew that I could get my proteins from a vegetarian diet. I lived on such a diet for my first 21 years and still stand 6 feet and 185 lb. There is enough documentary evidence about some of the inhumane treatment of animals reared for meat. Most of you may have seen these videos. I have too. Further more the unsanitary conditions of many of the places and the frequent outbreak of E Coli, Mad Cow, Bird Flu, Swine Flu and other diseases should have convinced us to change our dietary life style. It did not convince me. Lots of vegetarians feel that it is just plain cruel in this day and age to kill an animal just for the benefit of our taste buds. I argued about man being a carnivore although it is no longer an issue of mere survival.
For me, for some reason, it was the ecological cost of eating meat that was the tipping point. I guess that makes me an environmental vegetarian.
Caveat: You will not see me hesitate if the only item available on the menu is chicken soup. I do not believe in starving myself to save a chicken.
PS: Jannavi found the link and this article has been updated.
When I mention this as my reason for giving up meat, quite a few find it amusing and some even snigger at this. Of course if this were the only reason it may not sound compelling. I already knew that I could get my proteins from a vegetarian diet. I lived on such a diet for my first 21 years and still stand 6 feet and 185 lb. There is enough documentary evidence about some of the inhumane treatment of animals reared for meat. Most of you may have seen these videos. I have too. Further more the unsanitary conditions of many of the places and the frequent outbreak of E Coli, Mad Cow, Bird Flu, Swine Flu and other diseases should have convinced us to change our dietary life style. It did not convince me. Lots of vegetarians feel that it is just plain cruel in this day and age to kill an animal just for the benefit of our taste buds. I argued about man being a carnivore although it is no longer an issue of mere survival.
For me, for some reason, it was the ecological cost of eating meat that was the tipping point. I guess that makes me an environmental vegetarian.
Caveat: You will not see me hesitate if the only item available on the menu is chicken soup. I do not believe in starving myself to save a chicken.
PS: Jannavi found the link and this article has been updated.
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