Blogs from Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, North America
April 29th 2012
Left at 8:45 and went to Chinmaya Mission. After prayer and meditation there was Gita Chapter 11 lecture for one hour for the adults from 10:30 to 11:30 by swami dherendra. Left from there at 12 and went for lunch to Indique Heights. When we were about to finish our lunch started a discussion on KSM family lineage which we continued in the car. Dropped off Rasshmi at her college. Then we went to a Siva Vishnu temple. After that dropped off Kisshan at the academy. Before dropping him off went to a Bed and Bath store. Shanthi bought me an onion chopper and then picked up dinner for Kisshan at drive-in Burger King, coffee for GS and S and milk shake for us. When we reached Jayanthi's house it was past 6pm. Shanthi and GS ... read more
Going Home Is Not Always Easy; Wheaton, MD
Published: October 5th 2009North America » United States » Maryland » Silver Spring
September 30th 2009
Check this off my bucket list: going home to Wheaton, Maryland. One of our local radio personalities, Van Harden, shared how he visited his elementary and high school a couple of years ago. So on my last trip to Washington DC, I did just that. A little back story might help. We came to the US from Trinidad in 1968. We settled in Wheaton, MD. I started school in third grade, skipped the 11th grade, graduated in 1977 and then joined the USAF in 1978. I lived in Idaho and since 1980, call Iowa my home. Let’s start with the family house at 12017 Centerhill Street; I think we called this a split house back in 1968. Today they would call it a Townhome. I haven’t seen this house since 1981, so it was nice to ... read more
July 21st 2009
NOTE: this part of the blog is about our ongoing kitchen renovation... if you want to know, start reading on July 18th.... 4 pm I haven't written anything today because nothing too interesting has happened -- we're just plugging along, trying to finish up with the belt sander before 7. Rhea's room got done around 2, and now we're finishing most of the kitchen and breezeway. We'll have the edger for 1 more day, time to do the rest of the breezeway and some smaller halls and maybe even the steps. 11:30pm blech, I'm all sawdusty !! ... read more
Getting down to the wood
Published: July 20th 2009North America » United States » Maryland » Silver Spring
July 20th 2009
8 am biked to Home Depot with Art for new scraper blades, but they don't have any, so I bought a new scraper. And knee pads. Now I've joined the big boys! 9:30 The new scraper works pretty well, but the knee pads hurt on bare skin. No more shorts. Sadly, my painting pants are all ripped at the knees 10:45 So, for those keeping score at home ... so far we tore up the self-stick linoleum in the kitchen, removed a thousand screws, then the quarter inch plywood under that, then a layer of Pennsylvania Dutch linoleum, then a layer of green linoleum, and now we're down to the black paper and adhesive. We can see the hardwood underneath! 11:15 am New plan-- spray, wait 10 minutes, scrape the upper layer off, repeat twice. I ... read more
July 19th 2009
11:15 am Today we're starting on the linoleum under the plywood. Sort of forgot about that. 11:45 am Wow, its really stuck, coming off in chunks the size of my hand. Arrrgh. 3:15 am Erin and I spent the morning on linoleum, now its finally up. Suspense... should we rent the equipment?? Erin is making long lists of sanding belts and disks. She is disgusted that the people at Home Depot have never heard of the red pad that goes under the sanding disks. 6:30 Broke a blade on my little saw while cutting out a bad board. 8:15 pm The belt sander and edger are here... 9 pm We tried sanding with 16-grit -- a sandpaper covered with stones larger than your average wedding ring -- but it clogged up within about 6 feet. If ... read more
July 18th 2009
12 noon Moving moving moving. Art and Jershon got the stove and sink onto the porch, and the tool bench and tool boards into the living room (cause we know what our priorities are!) Meanwhile I organized the our stuff in the housemate kitchen, and labelled the cabinets. 1pm Erin and Kiimara get back from Mayorga, and Erin and Art remove the dishwasher. It seems to be a simple process. 3:30pm Milkshakes! 5:30pm We are done removing the linoleum in the hall and mostly in the kitchen. Good riddance, I always hated that stuff. Jershon has removed (we estimated) close to 1000 screws -- 4 or more per square foot. 7:30 An early night, as Kiimara, Jershon, Bruce and Erin are going to see the new Harry Potter. ... read more
Off to a running start
Published: March 15th 2009North America » United States » Maryland » Silver Spring
March 15th 2009
The past few months have indeed flown by very quickly for me, due mostly in part to how much I’ve been working. But along the way I’ve had some wonderful adventures with people I love and appreciate that break up the madness that is “bake, rinse, repeat” on a daily basis. It’s hard to believe that in just a couple of weeks it will already be April—it feels like only yesterday I was celebrating New Years with Sarah and Emma, and here I am now preparing for Hanami and a trip to Sweden. For the first three months of this year a lot has already happened, and it has definitely been a whirlwind ride! At the start of January my friend Trevor from Kansai Gaidai came down for a weekend visit. We actually spent most of ... read more
January 22nd 2009
i'm at home in Maryland! which is absolutely wonderful. my mom and step-dad's house is gorgeous and i love it. it is very nice to be back on the east coast... i love wyoming- but maryland is my other world and there are things about it i love coming back to. im sitting in my bed in my old room. much quieter than i was in highschool. only 15 days until i leave for scotland. but i wish there were less! i imagine what it will be like so often that i'd like to just get there and see for myself. about the 'baggage' (which is a funny word to me)- i have 2 bags and i am trying with all my might to pack them with only the things i really will wear. i packed ... read more
about to vamoooose!
Published: January 18th 2009North America » United States » Maryland » Silver SpringJanuary 18th 2009
2 weeks until I leave for Buenos Aires, Argentina! I can't wait to get out of this country for a long time. I'm already not looking forward to returning. Preparations are going good, I still need to buy a dive watch and a scuba mask with my glasses prescription. Still need to find a place to stay for a month too!!! Thats a little nerveracking but we'll figure it out when we get there no worries! ... read more
A belated Thanksgiving letter
Published: December 15th 2008North America » United States » Maryland » Silver Spring
December 15th 2008
This entry is extremely belated and I’ve wanted to post it several times in the past few weeks. But looking at photos that Andrew posted on facebook was all the inspiration I needed to get the words out that I wanted to say.. and really, those words are simply “I’m so lucky”. I have so much to be grateful for this year, and not enough ways to say thank you enough. At this time last year I wasn’t even sure I’d be going to Japan. I couldn’t get the student aid I needed from my university, and I couldn’t find someone who would co-sign on my loan so I could get the money I needed. My first few weeks of December could easily be described as exasperating, stressful, and extremely emotional: I was working three jobs ... read more
