Snow flower

Right. So I've been on land for a bit now. But have been fairly occupied.

Finally got that new phone I'd been meaning to get for a while. My old one's really getting on now. Plus I needed a camera, till I can get back to using my EOS and IXUS duo that is. So I settled for the Nokia C3-01. It's handy. Small. Has a touch screen and doesn't look anything like the iPhone! Plus the 5MP cam is adequate for most situations. It also has Arabic on the keypad :|.

Trip back to the US was actually rather uneventful. Though by the time I managed to find my way back to New Haven, I was running seriously low on sleep! Nothing a few days of peace and quiet couldn't take care of though :).

Only trouble was the temperatures were rather significantly lower that I'd anticipated (or was prepared for :S). And in due course of the visit to NYC over the weekend, the cold struck with some ferocity. As luck would have it some people had decided to go run a half marathon in the middle of that! Impromptu anti-hypothermia action had to be taken in a hurry!!

I've landed up here with nothing besides my usual bare-minimum clothing. Unfortunately, interviews and presentations, especially ones with corporate overtones (and significant interests depending on them, like getting 6 months off a year!!) don't look kindly on jeans and snow boots. So I have now acquired yet another pair of black trousers and a blue shirt :|. And shoes! Question is, how on earth am I going to fit all of this in my Zoomiverse?!

Since the weekend though, I've been busy. Thankfully the weather's cooperated. It snowed pretty much every day and kept me from even thinking of going out :). Others have not been so lucky. And to top it off it snowed over a foot just overnight last night!!! I don't think I've seen anything like this!! Weather was nice today though! Good enough to shovel snow in shorts :D.

I guess my quiet interlude here is about to end. Heading out tomorrow, and hoping that the journey will get me in the vicinity of Houston without too much tribulation. Let's see how things go thereafter. True to form (just like every other thing I really really want) unusual, unnecessary and extremely annoying roadblocks keep throwing themselves at me. Fortunately, thus far, they also seem to be sweeping themselves out of the way :).


Currently: already missing daal bhaat :-<
Listening to: Kina Grannis - Delicate

Around the bend

Have I mentioned that Norway and India form no part of my plans for this coming break? I will be back stateside. And while there, try and be done with the whole office rotation thing for good. It goes without saying that the usual terms and conditions apply...

I've never been to Houston. Beyond the airport that is. I wonder what two weeks there will be like. A bit warmer than ten days in Connecticut, I imagine :). Apparently it's even been snowing in N. Carolina! It never snows there! My aunt is understandably quite frantic :D.

I am looking forward to this more than anything I can remember in the recent past. Obviously. And that inevitably leads to anxiety. I'm trying not to think about it too much, but naturally, that's not working out too well :).

But it's crew-change tomorrow. So that's keeping things in perspective somewhat :D. I even had confirmed flights almost a week before the day this time!!

There have been some nice sunrises these last few days. Just enough clouds to dazzle.

Looking forward to chilling out for a bit. And hoping that the next time I'm here, life will begin to feel a little less rushed :).

Currently: studying!
Listening to: Salmonella Dub - Ramblings from the Anatoki

Strings that tie...

I know there's been no solid reason to expect otherwise, but I was kinda hoping I'd not be this clueless about how things would work out by now :|. Yes, we grow up, and then realise it didn't do any good :).

Looks like the little break in reading's given a new lease of life to my enthusiasm for Larsson's Second :).

In the mean time I decided to attempt further craziness. A half-marathon row. (Isn't it ironic? I row on an indoor-rower set up close to the bow of a ship, inside, of course. It even points the right way!) End result? A highly respectable time (in my own opinion only, but still!), and cramps in muscles I didn't even know you could possibly cramp :|. Felt good though :).

Almost into no-mores. Should be a good thing shouldn't it?

Currently: in-between hopes and rocks
Listening to: Vitamin String Quartet - Be my escape

Staring into the void

Finding yourself out on the back deck at midnight on 1st Jan probably isn't the best start to the year. But as a friend pointed out, it's likely that the year would get better from that point :). Thus far, I can't disagree.

Even managed a boat trip, a first this trip. If only the weather had been better. It's been quite unusually rough actually! The Red Sea's normally supposed to be a pretty calm place. I guess heading further towards the Gulf of Aden hasn't helped our cause any on that front. Thus far it has also not helped my luck with sighting any of the supposedly prolific Red Sea Shark :|.

Can't say a whole lot is happening. The wind's howling and the waves are thrashing about the resolute bow of the ship. But within there's a sense of quiet.

For a number of reasons, my reading's stalled a little. I'm not too distressed. The days seem to be slipping past regardless. Rather contrary to the usual, I almost caught myself thinking about New Year resolutions. :)) It would appear that few of the things I really want to happen this year allow much by way of direct intervention from myself :).

Bright blue skies and white-capped rollers. Not a combination you get to see often. How much longer will we be in this part of the world? Months? Years? What about just me?

Feeling: repressed anxiety blues
Listening to: The Weepies - Be my thrill/ Vitamin String Quartet - Back in black

PS: It appears that the last of the Christmas and New Year decorations on the boat have been taken down... At least now I have a choice of portholes to look out of the mess again :).