Leafless Trees

Here are some of the trees on campus. Since there are no leaves, the cover that this tree provides from the sun has reduced. Also, no one is looking for shade in this winter. Everyone wants to be under the warmth of the sun. Nature works in weird ways. No matter what, it adapts itself to various conditions and does what is best for everyone.

Saddest Day of the Year

According to Cliff Arnall, today is the saddest day of the year 2006.

Sky

A clear blue sky is not beautiful by itself. Its excellence is portrayed well when shot with stars, clouds, birds, celestial objects, mountains, buildings, or trees. I took these pictures yesterday. It was pleasant to the eyes watching the evening sky through the leafless trees.

Did you finish?

There will come a time when you believe everything is finished.
That will be the beginning.
— Louis L'Amour

CATEGORY: Quote

Seasonal Flu

Last week seems to be widespread activity for flu in my state, New Mexico.

CATEGORY: Health

Mind

People who lean on logic and philosophy and rational exposition end by
starving the best part of the mind.
-William Butler Yeats

CATEGORY: Quote, Nobel Prize

Sick

I am suffering from fever. The war fought by the antibodies with the virus seems to be using advanced technology. My body is aching too. I had nightmares yesterday night and could not sleep. I called in sick today. What did I do staying home? I drank hot tea, ate noodles, read books, and felt like Denzel Washington in The Bone Collector. Here I am lying on my bed, browsing the Internet with my notebook in my lap, listening to KMXQ on the NIKE radio/alarm clock to my left, controlling the sun light using the window blinds to my right, browsing the books that my dad sent lying beside me on my bed, resetting the thermostat for the bed heater, and turning on the table lamp if it gets dark. But, damn, I still have to get out of my bed and go to the bathroom to pee. :(

I hope that the antibodies win the war soon. I am bored at home.

CATEGORY: Health

Tempus Fugit

The school reopened after the winter break, which passed like a breeze. The campus is sprawling with earnest students. New students look puzzled, lost, and look upon the senior students as arbiters of the course and instructor based on the senior’s quondam experiences. The computer network is having an intermittent outage. The catharsis of many graduate students after receiving their contracts presents an all too familiar setting. Many students are eagerly looking forward to their new confrere. Being the start of the semester some students resolve to get good grades and study regularly.

CATEGORY: School

My umbrage

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.
— Maori proverb
CATEGORY: Pictures, Quote

Sunport International Airport

For the first time, I availed of the cell phone waiting area in Albuquerque airport yestreen. I realized it is a very important service. Earlier, we had to either drive around the Sunport loop waiting for a call from the arriving passengers or park the car and enter the airport. This resulted in waste of fuel or money. We could avoid all this hassle by just waiting for call on the cell phone while waiting in the cell phone waiting area. This place is just by the aircraft observation area. You can simply park the car and read a book or something. It is safe at nights too. They have flood lights installed. Coming to think of it, I think Sunport International airport at Albuquerque seems to be encouraging the use of wireless technology; it consists of a free wireless Internet service and the free cell phone waiting area.

Before heading for the airport, I made a pit stop at Dunkin’ Donuts. I loved their donuts and is open 24 hours.

CATEGORY: Cell Phone, Albuquerque, Airport, Parking

Lunch Buffet

It was a cold day on Friday. I did not cook at home and had a craving for pizza. I and two of my friends were looking for a warm place to eat quickly. All the fast food restaurants in Socorro appear to be on the degringolade. Pizza Hut is considered as the best among vox populi. So, we decided to go to Pizza Hut for the lunch buffet. Little did we know that we were in for a stark contrast to our expectations.

We entered the premises. Without wasting our time, the waitress asked for our choice of drinks and escorted us to our seats. Two of us were vegan, but wouldn’t mind eating Chicken. The buffet table consisted of all forms of copious pizzas except for veggie or chicken. We requested the waiter for veggie or chicken. He said it is coming out. We waited for more than 45 minutes. It never came. The waiter and waitress were unbeknown of what was happening in the baking pan. The heater was turned off. Here, I was shivering and eating the appetizers while waiting for a hot veggie or chicken pizza. But, we got the check quickly charged with an extra Pepsi.

I am not being a fussbudget over this incident. I came out poorer, snarky, and esurient. It was a good lesson for me and I decided to cook and not rely on fast food restaurants.

Man on Fire

I watched Man on Fire on HBO. The dawdling beginning, irascible Denzel Washington, and recondite dialogs made the movie mundane. I would like to visit Mexico City; it was portrayed beautifully in the movie. I was surprised to see Green Volkswagen Beetle (Vocho, Vochito) being used as Taxi.

CATEGORY: Movie

Indian Harvest Festival

This time of the year people living in different parts of India celebrate harvest of crops. They christened the festival in different ways. It is called Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Makar Sankranthi in Andhra Pradesh, Uttarayan in western India, Lohri in Punjab and Haryana, and Bihu in Assam. Typically the festival is noted from January 13th to January 15th of every year.

In 1966, Maulana Karenga created a new holiday after traditional African harvest festivals, Kwanzaa (Swahili – ‘first fruits’), which is celebrated from December 26th to January 1st. It was originally intended as a nonreligious celebration of family and social values. Each day of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

It is interesting to see how two different countries and cultures follow the same pattern of holidays, festivities and nonreligious celebrations.

CATEGORY:
Harvest Festival, Kwanzaa, Pongal, Makar Sankranthi, Uttarayan, Lohri, Bihu

Emergency Room

Emergency health care is sine qua non in any county. But, the American Emergency health care is in dismal condition. The state map gives the individual rating of each state in the USA. This is quite alarming, especially with the bird flu outbreak.

CATEGORY: Health

Welcome to Earth!

On 8 Jan 2006, Pranav came into this world. He is a baby boy born to Shiv and Preety. Today, we welcomed Pranav home and congratulated his parents. We celebrated his nudiustertian entrance on earth with a surprise party in the presence of a little crowd.





CATEGORY: Newborn, Pictures

Bushisms

Global Language Monitor has ranked the top bushisms for 2005.
My favorite:

"I think I may need a bathroom break. Is this possible?"
A note to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a U.N. Security
Council meeting.
September 14, 2005

CATEGORY: Language, Bush

Construction

Here are some pictures of condominiums that are under construction in Socorro. They appear to be like building construction kit for kids.





CATEGORY: Socorro, Pictures

Poodle

I saw this playful poodle at Los Pueblos apartments.


CATEGORY: Pictures

Disorderliness

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.
— A. A. Milne

Air Quality Red Alert

It was not windy today. Personally I feel that it reduces the chill factor a lot. But, that caused a red alert to be issued by the City of Albuquerque.

Excerpts from the alert:

“A high pressure system has settled over New Mexico and will keep our air stagnant through tonight. Multiple inversions will trap any wood smoke and reduce visibility. High pressure will break down Saturday and winds will increase by Sunday which will make conditions more favorable for burning over the weekend.”

I faced the inversion effect first hand when I drove to Albuquerque today. The smoke coming out of chimneys of some of the houses did cause problem of visibility in the vicinity.

Today in 1912 New Mexico became the 47th state of USA.

CATEGORY: Inversion Effect, Red Alert

Mazda 626

My gas-guzzler is driving me crazy; the mileage is 14 mpg i.e., it runs 14 miles for every gallon of petrol it consumes. On an average, the cars here give 30 mpg mileage. I have to look into the tune-ups to make it more efficient. Then, I have to make a cost-benefit analysis of fuel savings vs. tweaking costs. Maybe fine tuning is not really worth the effort.

CATEGORY: Car, Mazda

Working day after New Year

All offices of the school reopened today after New Year holidays. It was abuzz with activity. The parking lots were getting filled soon. Some of the workers were working on the roof of my office building. I guess they were fixing shingles. They didn’t even demarcate the hard-hat area. I noticed some shards below. Anyway, I am not able to concentrate on my work with the banging sound right on top of me.

Day after New Year

I spent the day of New Year and Hogmanay watching a guilty pleasure of mine, Leave It to Beaver, on DVDs.

The New Year is a time of lagniappes from all stores, even though most of them were in the form of discounts. I went to the shopping mall on Friday and availed some of them.

Coming to think of all the New Years so far, I miss auld lang syne when we used to go outdoors on a drive, when living in Jamshedpur, India. This New Year, I actually wanted to go into the Cibola National Forest and camp overnight. The forest fires season was not really encouraging. Nevertheless, I went up to the foothills of the mountains. The drive to the mountains was drafty. I went to the couloir near Water Canyon thinking of trekking for a while, but it was very cold and windy. Trekking alone was neither fun nor safe. One has to be always on the qui vive for bear and other wild animals.

Last week has been a complete blooming week for this plant. It flowered every day of the week. This is the flower hodiernal.

CATEGORY: Pictures

Dusk

Yesterday I took some pictures of trees and mountain at dusk, which was a gratifying presentation. The quiddity of the twilight pictures was the penumbral setting i.e., the object of focus had both gentle light and a tinge of shade at the same time.





CATEGORY: Pictures

A season of abandonment

The workers deserted the concrete slab that they scraped on Monday. I wonder what their plans were.

This Lady’s bicycle has been in the same place unlocked for more than 5 days.

This pair of oranges has been in front of the Christmas tree for quite some time. I reckon Santa forgot to pick them up. The heaters in the building are not working and I hope they are still not spoilt.

CATEGORY: Pictures

Working day after Christmas

It is very windy outside. At school, I saw a lot of cars in the parking lot. That means people came to work today. Although the school is officially closed I reckon all the workaholics/researchers must have been back.

Regarding the NMT-GSA conference, I am gaining experience as an abstract review coordinator. It is educational to read the abstracts and the reviewer’s comments. So far five reviewers have reverted to me with their useful remarks.

Yesterday evening, I spent watching Season I DVD of Leave It to Beaver. The episodes recorded in the DVD are much better than the show on TVLand; every episode has a preamble, which is absent in the telecast.

I found a good site for humorous English.

CATEGORY: Conference, TV Show

Stroke

I received this information from a friend, which is worth sharing.

"... symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

*Ask the individual to SMILE.
*Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
*Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE.

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher."

CATEGORY: Health

Kwanzaa

Today is the first day of Kwanzaa and also government holiday, not for proletarians working in front of my apartment. Their machine tool was noisy early in the morning.

They succeeded in breaking not only the concrete but also my nap.


CATEGORY: Kwanzaa

Christmas

I spent my day doing laundry and watching back-to-back episodes of Law & Order on TNT. The Mandaram plant that bloomed on Christmas at Mayuri’s.

As seedlings of God, we barely blossom on Earth; we fully flower in heaven.
— Russell M. Nelson

Is earth heaven for this plant?

CATEGORY: Pictures, Plants

Christmas Eve

It was dawn, and I went to the airport. The sparse traffic on the interstate didn't ask for much concentration while driving. The rising sun enkindled the eastern mountains and indirectly colored the western mountains. It was a spectacular firmament, with white colored light to the right and a crimson border to the left, while driving from south to north.

It’s Christmas Eve. All the shopping stores in Albuquerque seem to open early (7:00 am). This is the best time of the year to shop because most of the merchandise will be sold on a ‘reduced price’.

Today is one of those dry as dust days. No neighbors, no friends, no one on IM, and no one to play with.

I took some pictures of the many Christmas decorations around town. The pictures were not well taken as it was dark and I was not able to adjust the lighting. Something worth seeing about the decorations in this part of the country (New Mexico) are the luminarias (farolitos: candles set in brown paper bags filled with sand). Please click on the images below to get the full view

I ended the day with mirth by watching It’s a Wonderful Life.

CATEGORY: Socorro, Pictures, Luminaria, Farolito, Movie

Wintertime?

I am bewildered with the inane weather. It is supposed to be cold in the winter. The day was warm and sunny; a perfect day to repose and spend time alfresco. It's the last weekday before Christmas weekend. All offices of the school were closed today. So, the parking lots were empty in the school. All roads except for the arterial road, California St., were empty. The parking lots of shopping centers, Smiths, and Wal-Mart were full. There was a long line at the gas stations in town. I guess a lot of travelers have stopped for gas and food. That’s good source of revenue for Socorro.
I took some pictures of Cramer Hall, which is under renovation.



The renovated Student Union Building is really big now.

First day of Winter

Winter officially started today at 11:35 am (MST).

The early morning sunlight fringing the mountains presented a spectacular view. The morning was bright and warmer. As the day progressed, the sun was effulgent. The moon immediately camouflaged itself as a thin cloud and appeared translucent at the backdrop of the blue sky. The crescent cringed to the west as the sun cavorted from the east. Slowly, the moon toddled behind the M-mountain. This is how the sun made moon secede from sky on the first day of winter.

CATEGORY: Nature

Anti-virus and Anti-spyware software

Some of the free anti-virus software are:

1. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition
2. Avast
3. AntiVir Personal Edition

I have been using AVG free version for 3 years now.

I recommend SpyCatcher Express as a good anti-spyware software.

CATEGORY: Anti-virus, Anti-Spyware, Freebie

T-Mobile customer service

T-Mobile customer service personnel are not only digerati but also cordial and friendly. The holding time is minimal even at peak business hours. They understand the caller’s problem, both technically and intellectually, and are with the caller when solving a problem. I don’t know of other cell phone provider’s customer services. But, T-Mobile’s customer service is really good and definitely much better than my phone card company’s customer service.

CATEGORY: Service

Nokia vs. Motorola

Nokia 6610 has been my favorite; especially speaker, fm radio, and a classy head set. But, I second Motorola for helping to stay more organized; it has multiple alarm feature, calendar, to-do list etc. I changed my cell phone from Nokia 6610 to Motorola V180.

CATEGORY: Cell Phone, Nokia, Motorola

Intelligent Design is not Science

Not having a plausible explanation for an observation does not necessarily mean it is intelligent design.

CATEGORY: Science, Intelligent Design

Movies and TV Shows

The weekend was a welcome break; spent some time out of town, played Tennis, relaxed and watched movies. I felt warm outdoors, even today.

It was movie time since the vacation started. Singin' in the Rain was a classic with a mélange of song and dance. Mr. & Mrs. Smith was a meaningless action flick. Forrest Gump is a wonderful movie with echt southern accent. I watched the movie ‘D.’ An interesting movie by Ram Gopal Varma. The best part of the movie was the way humdrum dialogs were replaced by good music. Among TV shows, I watched The Simpsons on Fox and LAW & ORDER: SVU viewer's choice marathon on the usa.

Finally, my all-time favorite show, Leave It to Beaver, is on DVD. Universal Studios released the complete first season in DVD format. I have been looking for this all over Wal-Mart, Smiths, and video shops. But, as usual Amazon.com is the place to go.

CATEGORY: Movie, TV Series

Adult Illiteracy

I was surprised when I heard this news in yesterday’s nightly news. Jay Leno mentioned about this in his monologue. Check news @ yahoo for more information.

“About one in 20 adults in the U.S. is not literate in English, meaning 11 million people lack the skills to handle many everyday tasks, a federal study shows.”

"So even as more people get a formal education, the literacy rate is not rising. Federal officials say this trend is puzzling and worthy of research."

It was very cold in the morning. I felt the chill even through my layered clothing. Nevertheless a cop car was looking for runners at the stop sign intersection of Bullock and El Camino Real.

CATEGORY: Illiteracy, Cop

Car Headlights

For the past 2 weeks, a lot of people left their car headlights on during nights. There may be many explanations for this behavior. I came up with two rational reasons for this. One is that due to the sudden change in temperature the drivers are not dressed well for winter; they rush out of their cars to get into a warm place (chill factor). The second explanation is that students are so pre-occupied with studying for their exams, they are kind of lost (examination factor). I hope to see an end to this behavior as winter is going to start and the examination week has ended.

CATEGORY: Car

End of Semester

Yesterday was the last day of finals and today is the end of fall semester. I am glad that the parking lot is becoming sparse again. Otherwise, I will have to keep driving just to find a vacant space.

I recant my remarks about cops not being noticeable. Today, I saw many cop cars going past me on my way to school in the morning. I must have not noticed them earlier. Their obvious presence deters the criminals and social pranksters. I didn’t observe any increase in crime rate too. Maybe that is a good thing. But, I am definitely glad to see that they didn’t ticket anybody.

CATEGORY:School, Cop

What happened to the cops?

I feel that the presence of police in town has drastically reduced. At least they are not conspicuous as they used to be. Earlier, I used to see them ticketing and lying in wait for law-breakers near the stop signs. If the cop is still there, he/she is doing a remarkable job of concealing.

CATEGORY: Cop

A Trip to the Airport

On the road
Going to the airport
Drizzling and snowing
Ebullient and full of action
Represented a nival region

It was dawn
No sunlight while going
Chatoyant while coming
Not sky-blue or Not leaf-green
Roads strewn with shades of black and white
Red, not because of sunlight
But, from taillights and streetlights
Rio Grande was splendid
Cannot afford to nictitate while on the road

Is this man-made or natural
Someone must have scumbled the margin
Is this Shangri la
What a beautiful day!

Final's week

The end of semester is approaching but I do not see an end to my woes. I have to wrap things up before the last day of classes. I have to setup the next meeting for the Writing Team, coordinate with the reviewers and participants in the abstract review process for the GSA Tech conference, return the library books, focus more on my research, and get some things done. The list goes on.

I didn’t do anything productive over the weekend. I had so many plans, but nothing materialized. This is my most unproductive weekend in recent years. I was not idle. I was busy doing nothing.

Looks like I need a break.

Face/Off Gets Off

I have been writing a faction for some time. But, I was told that it is not fair and not in good spirits. I really didn’t think it was hurting anyone. Looking in the retro, I do feel ‘Face Off’ is totally uncalled-for. Thus the faction, Face/Off, departs.

Nobel Prize Award Ceremony

The Nobel Prizes are being handed over today in Stockholm. This year is of particular interest to me because game theory, a topic that I am hoping to pursue in my research for next semester, is being recognized in the field of Economic Sciences.

"If I have a thousand ideas and only one turns out to be good, I am satisfied."
– Alfred Bernhard Nobel

Plight of driving an automobile

The school maintenance is working on the parking lots, renovation, and construction of many sites within the school. As a result, we find a lot of hard-hat areas, orange safety barriers, and less space to walk on campus. Even the parking lots are limited. I am just bored looking for parking for my car in the campus. I am not sure if they planned for more parking spaces if they are expanding the Student Union Building. There seems to be a lack of forethought about the parking space.

Among other things, I saw on the local news that the cold front is hitting New Mexico. Eyewitness News calls it as 'The Big Chill.' It is definitely going to bring some snow to the northern part of the state. According to the pinpoint forecast, this cold front divides the state into exactly two parts: Fridge and Freezer. The western part was called the Fridge and the eastern part was called the Freezer. I really liked the metaphor when shown on the TV. I am in the 'Fridge' part of the state. I liked the weather because I was in full winter clothing.

Quote from a Nobel laureate

I am a big fan of quotes from Nobel Prize awardees.

No problem is too small or too trivial if we can really do something about it.
-- Richard Feynman, Letter to Koichi Mano