snagabag

Here’s Liah from this weekend. She was all dressed up for a family function. …and yes, that’s her “I’m only smiling because daddy is begging me to” smile.

Liah looking like she’s posing for a Gap ad.

No, she can’t ride a bike just yet…but she does know how to pedal!

I support Barack Obama for President of the United States of America. I want the change he is offering, and I believe in his ability to deliver it. To that end, I have donated financially to his campaign (always a big deal for a cheap Indian), and last week I made a much larger committment; I contributed my time. Barack was in Austin for the debate, and the next night he held a rally in downtown Austin. It had been a over a year since I had deeply participated in the political process (Raj for Kansas ‘06!). Of course, that was different as I was supporting a family member. It was all the way back in 1996 when I attended the Democratic National Convention that I last particpated in politics to help a candidate I didn’t personally know.

Volunteering at the rally was incredibly exciting and rewarding. It was amazing being around so many Obama supporters, and I really enjoyed helping the campaign. The specific things I did was leading VIPs to the VIP area and keeping people out of the press area. It doesn’t sound that exciting, but I had a great time! Everyone I met from the campaign, in addition the supporters, was incredibly nice.

Of course, seeing and hearing Obama up close and personal was fantastic. It’s exciting to think that Texas could very well be the state that seals the nomination for Barack. If he can win Texas, then it doesn’t matter what Hillary does in Ohio, and the latest polls show the race to be a dead heat! Can we make it happen for Barack Obama in Texas?

Yes we can.

I traveled more for business in 2007 than in any other year. Far more. 105,000 miles worth of flying on American Airlines. Also, for the first time every single trip was a business trip. That’s a lot of business travel. It consisted of a couple trips to Japan, and a lot of trips to San Francisco. While I did not at all enjoy being away from Aparna & Liah so much, I loved experiencing a new country, and I enjoyed spending time in my old stomping ground. The one other benefit that came out of flying so much was qualifying for AA’s top tier frequent flyer status, Executive Platinum.  Pretty much the top benefit for a cheap Indian like me is they waive most all of the annoying nickle and dime fees they charge most customers.

Honestly, it’s an status I never thought I’d achieve, and now that I have, I hope to never achieve again. …Ok, qualifying via a few business or first class international trips might be worth it.