snagabag

I was visiting RDR (Rohan, Dimple, and Rahul) the other day and while there Dimple challenged Rahul (no, not Rohan) to a game of H-O-R-S-E. (click the link if you don’t know the game)

Dimple had mentioned bragged about beating Rahul at Horse before, but I don’t think anyone had ever actually witnessed it.

Well, after a little taunting from D, Rahul accepted and the game was officially on!

Rohan & I assumed a comfortable position near the back of the court to watch the competition.

Before I talk about the game and who won, let me add that this might have been the longest game of H-O-R-S-E ever played! It’s a good thing they weren’t playing “H-I-P-P-O-P-O-T-O-M-U-S,” or I might still be there!

Ok, back to the game. Dimple took the early lead, and before you knew it Rahul was a HO.

The game quickly turned to Rahul’s favor, and he soon had Dimple at H-O-R-S, while he was one better at H-O-R. This wasn’t terribly surprising as it turns out Rahul’s “strategy” when playing Horse is to attempt the same shot over and over.

Well, Dimple soon made a shot, Rahul missed and it was all tied up at H-O-R-S. Sudden death. Who would make the next shot? Rohan & I were trembling with anticipation. (i.e. - I was moving rapidly to avoid the mosquitos, and Rohan was in my arms.)

And then it happened, Dimple made another basket. The pressure was all on Rahul. With Rohan & I heckling him, he prepared to attempt the shot…

…and he missed!

Yes, Dimple was the victor. In case we weren’t sure, she did a little victory dance. Though I think her celebrations got a little out of hand when she came up to Rohan and enthusiastically proclaimed, “Who’s your daddy!” (He glanced at Rahul, but I think he could sense that wasn’t the answer his mom was looking for.)

Okay, so there are some weaknesses in Google’s “ad sensing” technology.

Example?

Just look down and to the right.

See, Google scans my blog every day or so and posts ads in the right column that are suppossed to relevant to the content on the page. I posted an entry recently on Eneman (”The Great Intruder”). Instead of posting ads for zany and offbeat stuffed toys, Google has graced my blog with ads such as “Buy Enema Syringe” and “Enema Equipment/Bags”.

Of course, some might say those ads are the entirely appropriate for my blog…

I left work around 5 today to meet up with some friends for happy hour. The weather was absolutely beautiful, and I decided to open up the sunroof and roll down the windows. The cool air felt great, and as there wasn’t much traffic, I gave the accelerator a little extra push. The car quickly gained speed and suddenly WHOOSH!

Something popped up, flew about, and whisked out a rear window.

I thought to myself, “What could that have been?” I quickly glanced back and saw that my backpack was all zipped up. As I returned to watching the road, my eyes passed across the center console. As I saw the open lid in the front storage compartment, a small knot formed in my stomach. I immediately felt around the area with my free hand and my fears were confirmed.

The check Aparna had given to me was now about 1000 feet behind me.

It was a personal check she had written for me to give to Amy Dole as a contribution for the charity work she is doing.

Now it’s simply a charitable contribution to whomever finds the check.
(no, not really. I cancelled the check)

After months of sitting uncomfortably close to any visitors…

…I’m happy to announce the newest addition to our house!

A brand new, one-of-a-kind Pottery Barn couch! Amazing how one couch can brighten up a room, eh?

Here’s how things work around here:
Aparna orders the not-so-cheap new couch from Pottery Barn. Mohit gets to order the not-so-expensive new coffee table set from CostCo.
Yes, ours is a marriage that is perfectly balanced. To put it another way: I’m cheap and she’s not.

Finally, don’t think for a second we paid the advertised price for the CostCo tables. Why? I had a coupon.

Things are moving right along here in Goyal-land. I was fortunate enough to visit with a few friends I hadn’t seen in a while last week. As always, I have photographic evidence.

Shilpi’s baby is due the day before our baby is due! Very exciting! Shilpi’s sister work’s for Dell. Employee discount! Very exiciting!
I saw Missy and Jen for dinner on Saturday. We had a great time, and I’m not just saying that because of the Texas Tea.
Aparna? She was out of town this weekend. She went to Houston yesterday and returned today. I’m happy to report I survived being “on my own” just fine. It was a little warmup for this coming weekend when Aparna is going to Atlanta for Irma’s baby shower. 3 days… that’s 9 consecutive meals consisting entirely of cereal.

I saw Sin City this past Friday with my buddies Rob, Gmoney, and Mike. We saw it at the Alamo Drafthouse. It is a fun place to see a movie. They serve food and drinks, but more importantly, they have a great atmosphere. I highly recommend checking it out when you are in Austin.
As for the movie? It’s grrrrrreat! It’s not like any movie I’ve ever seen. Incredibly stylized. Incredibly violent, but the violence isn’t graphically realistic, so I didn’t mind it. Throw in the great acting and great directing and you can’t go wrong.

After 12 weddings last year, Aparna & I only have 1 this year. Or rather, had 1. This past weekend we attended our only wedding of 2005. It was the wedding of Seema and Ratish. (Seema is my jija’s sister.)

We had a lot of fun at the wedding. It was great seeing the fam again, as well as all of Manish & Seema’s family and friends You can view some pictures from the weekend by selecting either of the photos above. Also, in case you are wondering from the photos, Irma is not pregnant.

Aparna got me tickets to see the Mavs as a Christmas gift, and we went to the game with Raman and Mini. The best thing about the seats Aparna bought was their location. The very last row of the American Airlines Center!

I also went to yet another game with Aparna’s cousin Suresh. This great man has season tickets to the San Antonio Spurs. The benefit of this being that the Spurs play the Mavs in San Antonio two times a season. Okay, so that’s really only a benefit for me. Of course, his seats are not in the last row.

Click on either of the photos to see a few more pics.

Rohan paid us a visit for the first time about a week ago, and I of course documented the process. You can check out some photos by clicking the picture below:

It was wonderful to see Rohan smiling, playing, sleeping …and spitting up all over Rahul. In case you are wondering just how much Rohan likes his Mo Mama? Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here you go:

I went to Kansas City last week for a less than 24 hours. On the way back to the airport to leave, I was ‘complaining’ to my coworker that I didn’t even have enough time to see the 2 friends I have in KC. Well, as chance would have it, I was sitting next to him at the airport and I spotted a lady sitting near me who looked awfully familar. Well, throwing caution to the wind, I went up to her …and lo and behold it was one of the two people I know in KC! My friend Mia. Look, I even took a photo*:

My favorite moment came after Mia told me she had just called her husband Chad (the other person I know in KC) to tell him she thought I was at the airport, and he replied, “It’s not Mo. All those Indians look alike.”
*The guy behind us in the photo is apparently attempting to enter the gate by passing through the wall.