So……… Remember how I said that while I don’t know much about soccer, I kinda enjoyed helping out as a temporary coach? And that I would volunteer as an assistant coach to learn the ropes? Possibly be a head coach in the Fall?

Yeah, about that. You kinda knew it wouldn’t work out like that. That they wouldn’t have enough coaches. Well, it turns out they don’t have enough coaches for the weekend games. I asked the coordinator that I wouldn’t mind being a coach, except I don’t know a lot apart from what I’ve learned being on the sidelines since Josh started playing in Fall 2010. She said it was okay, and they will have training sessions with the coaches.

So….. Here we are. I’m coaching Josh’s team this season, and our first games are coming up this Saturday and Sunday. I submitted all of the background check paperwork, and I’ve been reading up on youth soccer coaching websites.

I hope I don’t screw up.

The weather was so nice this week, I felt serious irony and guilt each day. Irony and guilt that the weather is so nice, and I can only enjoy during the 10 mins I’m outside to pick up my lunch from Subway. Pathetic.

I decided earlier this week that it would be nice to take Friday off and go riding, taking advantage of the excellent weather.

Friday, I ran a few errands, and got the bike ready. The bike itself was in decent shape, albeit nearing air in the tires and a new battery for the cyclocomputer. I picked that up during my errand shopping (and lunch), got dressed in all my gear, and took off with no real plan or destination.

No plan or destination? Yes, that’s right, none. This week, I realized that, instead of excitement, I’ve felt some anxiety over the upcoming ride. You could call it the fear of falling. It seems last September’s accident left more than physical damage. I knew I had to get back on, but it wasn’t filling me with joy.

Still, I had to. I was contemplating riding the MS Bike Ride again. I still have trouble sitting on regular chairs. Could I ride long distances on a bike saddle? I had to get back on the horse. I started riding, and it wasn’t bad. I had to adjust a bit, but I could sit after all. I took a meandering path up through to Princeton and back, approx 33 miles. I found a few back roads and minor bike paths, and stayed away from major roads without adequate shoulders. I did consider riding down one major road without a shoulder, but got too nervous and turned back.

I even stopped and took a picture of myself at our favorite date night restaurant Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. I was so happy when I got back, I convinced my wife to have dinner with me tonight at Ruth’s Chris. Well, the food is so good there, neither of us needs much convincing.

So, success. I guess I can ride again. I can do the MS Bike ride again too next month.

Linsanity!

Now that I got that out the way….

Oh man, this has been a basketball-filled month for the Ipes, much to my wife’s consternation. It began in early February with Jeremy Lin’s rise to stardom and the NY Knicks turning their losing season around. Let me use a 90′s flashback to explain.

So I became a NY Knicks fan late in life — I’d estimate roughly in 1993 while watching the Knicks-Bulls playoff matchup. Damn, it still hurts to think of game 5 where Charles Smith was blocked four consecutive times directly under the basket as he attempted to give New York the lead in that 1993 Eastern Conference Finals against the Chicago Bulls. It felt like an eternity. After that playoff series, I was oddly hooked by that motley cast of characters –e.g. Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Anthony Mason, and Charles Oakley.

I watched as many games as I could during their 1993-1994 run for the title, entranced by their Eastern Conference Finals matchup against Reggie Miller & the Indiana Pacers and I was heartbroken during their ultimate defeat at the hands of Hakeem Olajuwon & his Houston Rockets. I had hopes the Knicks could do it again in 1995, but that hope died with Ewing’s unlucky finger roll against the Pacers.

The next few seasons weren’t that great and I lost interest while I focused on living life in the University @ Albany dorms, finding myself, dating for the first time, etc. In this interval period, I changed schools and careers, so life was pretty tumultuous for me. Sorry, with a sad Knicks team, I had more on my mind.

During the lockout-shortened 1998-1999 season, I missed most of the season, but I, along with the rest of NY, was captivated by these new Knicks during their Cinderella post-season run through the playoffs and the NBA Finals. Absolutely captivated. Latrell Sprewell, Marcus Camby, Charlie Ward, Allan Houston, Patrick Ewing, Larry “Grandmama” Johnson. Sadly, this season also ended in defeat in Texas, but this time at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs. Damn, Duncan, Robinson, Johnson. They were just the better team, and Knicks were so banged up.

That Knicks team imploded and exploded over the next few years, the players I loved got traded away for lesser players, and a succession of new coaches couldn’t stop the downward spiral of the team’s fortunes. Don Nelson, Don Chaney, I’ll just stop right there before I get to the miserable Isiah Thomas era. I lost interest, but I checked in every once in a while.

Last year, the Knicks weren’t much better, but with the new big HD TV, I was watching the 2011 NBA playoffs. Man, so many fun teams to watch — the Mavericks, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Grizzlies. I had a great time watching, even if my Knicks got eliminated in the first round. I was having fun again. Also, Joshua had somehow become a fan of Derrick Rose & the new-look Chicago Bulls. After the Bulls dominance during the 1990′s, I wasn’t going to be a fan, but I supported my son in his new-found interest in sports. It probably had something to do with all the soccer we’d been playing.

Which brings us circuitously back to 2012. Why is this the month of basketball for the Ipes?

1. Joshua and I have been watching the Chicago Bulls when they have games playing.
2. We went to a Bulls-Nets game on February 7th, and had a great time.
3. Alhough I missed Jeremy Lin’s Feb 4th fateful game against the Nets, I have not missed any other Knicks games this month. Finally, a Knicks team is playing well together, winning games, and above all, is exciting to watch. I can scarcely believe it with my own eyes. I haven’t cares this much since 1999. Seriously.
4. I also now want to watch these other exciting teams. It’s hard for me to miss an OKC Thunder game. If anything, I check ESPN nightly on my phone to read the recaps. Maybe soccer got me more into sports now.

I don’t think my wife has been enjoying his recent monopolization with basketball. She never cared for it during July when I watch the Tour de France, but this is lasting much longer than a three week bicycle race. I think we’ll need to seriously consider a second television for the guest room later this year.

I had a sudden realization that it was 10 years ago this week when I got laid off for the first (and knock on wood, the last time.) My period of unemployment was unnerving, and if I didn’t have the support of my girlfriend, friends, and unemployment checks, I would not have survived. It lasted only three months, but when you don’t know how you’ll get back on your feet, or when, it was not a pleasant time.

January 31st, 2002. The economy was slowing down, and my company had gone through two series of layoffs, and some of the people I had started with in September 1999 were already gone. I got a call earlier that week from our dept’s HR specialist that I had to come in for a mandatory meeting. Actually, her assistant called, not her, and there were no details. That’s when I knew something was up. She would have called me directly, even for a suspicious mandatory meeting with no defined agenda. The thought of impending unemployment unnerved me, but after surviving two rounds, I was pretty calm, and the PwC partner was very kind during the meeting.

So less than 3 years after graduating with my degree, there I was out of work, living in Jersey City with my roommate Doug. I signed up for unemployment, and lived off the graciousness of people. My girlfriend covered some meals, as did Doug. My parents made food for me. Unemployment helped me get by in the interim, and whatever else I couldn’t afford, I used credit cards. During this period, my girlfriend and I did go on one trip to California to see the sights in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Great trip, btw.

How did I afford it on limited income? The flights were free courtesy of Northwest Airlines, resulting from an earlier settlement with them stemming from that whole ugly incident in Detroit the week of 9/11. The hotel rooms? I emptied out my accumulated Marriott Rewards points after over two years of travel.

I had no idea what I was going to do with my career. All of the consulting companies were having layoffs, so I couldn’t switch over to another Big 5. Heck, even Arthur Andersen would be brought low in 2002 after many scandals. I used my network to ask around for career options, and with the help of my former manager Molly (from when I interned at Reader’s Digest Assn.), she put me in touch with an audit manager over at Aegon. He introduced me internal audit, talked to me about the Certifies Information Systems Auditor certification offered by ISACA. I signed up for the June 2002 exam, bought the exam book, and studied. I even studied during the California trip.

I started interviewing in April 2002, and ultimately secured an excellent position at New York Life Insurance working for a great manager named Jack. I reinvented my career, now an internal IT auditor for the past 10 years. Three organizations later (NY Life, Citigroup, Prudential), it’s been a rewarding change, with much to learn over the years.

I still remember how unsure I was during those three months. It may not seem very traumatic if you haven’t gone through it yourself. My father lost his job in 1992 after his firm moved to upstate Cornell, NY, and apart from some Y2K consulting work, he never really worked again. It was rough for us as a family, and here I was 10 years since that initial incident (1992 -> 2002), and I was now the one out of work.

I know there are many people out there who libel and slander against people who are unemployed, and collect benefits from the government. Well, for a time, that was me too. I didn’t want unemployment, but I needed it temporarily needed it to survive. We’re not lazy. We’re in a (hopefully) momentary bad stretch, but trying to get back on our feet.

These people who feel the need to criticize other people who are down? They need to stop, and cut them some slack.

I can sympathize with some of the troubles that other would-be pet adopters have experienced. When we were looking to adopt our kittens last year, I went through a bit of a rigamarole with the adoption process. The animal hospital misunderstood some of my answers on the application, denied us, and neglected to confirm, discuss, or inform us that the adoption was denied. I basically had to do all the follow-up, including calling back three times a day from Tuesday through Friday evening that week until I reached the one and only staff member who would tell me what happened.

In the end, I straightened them out, and the adoption was back on. I understand they want to take precautions to ensure it is a good fit between human and animal, but with so many animals in need of a good loving home, they should take more care to make sure more adoptions happen.

I mention all this because Slate’s Emily Yoffe wrote a piece titled No Pet For You (Seinfeld reference!) about adoption groups taking a hard line stance regarding who is worthy to adopt future pets. Like I said earlier, they should take due care, but they should balance that with getting more adoptions to happen.

I’m putting a stake in the ground, and listing the stuff I need, and things I need to do in 2012. This is my official running list. Better get my list done now, so I know what to work towards.

Now in no particular order, the shit I need to get done:

1. Replace my desk with a custom IKEA desk.
2. Replace my Dell 19″ 1905FP monitor with the Dell 24″ U2412. Yup, just swapping Dells.
3. Replace our Epson scanner with something newer and compatible with Windows 7.
4. Replace our Logitech webcam with something newer and compatible with Windows 7, and does HD video.
5. Get an iPad 2, or an iPad 3. Hell, how about one of each?
6. Clean out our basement, and fix it up as a playroom for our kids, or when other kids come over. This will require new carpeting and a fresh coat of paint.
7. Replace the toilet flangey-thing in the hallway powder room so that it isn’t slowly leaking.
8. Paint the kitchen.
9. Clean out my side of the walk-in closet. I found some shirts in there that are late 90′s era. Why do I have them? Also, what was I thinking?
10. Buy a new car when we hand in our lease-end car this summer. I’m thinking a fully decked out Nissan Maxima, red or black.
11. Either evict or adopt the squirrel we found living in our attic this month. I’m not kidding.

That’s all I can think of, but there may be more. Looks like a good list to me, and I’ve got 12 months to do it.

I believe Apple iTunes does strange things, and I almost lost my music for a third time.

I remember years ago when my Dell Dimension was new, I had some strange issue with Apple iTunes where 130+ songs disappeared. Very odd. A few months later, I happened to find them in the Recycle Bin of all places. I considered myself lucky that it hadn’t been cleared. In 2006 when my Dell’s original hard drive failed after a year, my friend Plex was able to recover my data, and I also used this Red Chair Software product called Anapod Explorer to copy songs from my iPod back to my PC. It worked like a charm.

Well, I just had incident #3 this week. I thought I was conscientious. I backed up my data to the external drive, and then copied it to the new machine. Sometime this week, 76 songs couldn’t be located on either the primary HDD or the external. However, they were still on the iPhone. Weird.

I tried installing the old Anapod software to transfer it back, but it wouldn’t work. I went to the Red Chair Software website for tech support, and it appears they went out of business. I did download their latest (and last) version, but it doesn’t work either.

I was flummoxed.

I googled some more, but I didn’t want to buy more software. Eventually, I found some freeware called SharePod. I downloaded SharePod 3.9.8, and it saved me. God bless the Internet.

SharePod v3.9.8

Hi ho! It’s the end of the year, and time now to sit back and enjoy my summary of the highs, lows, and other thoughts about the past year. It’s certainly been a busy one. In my mind, I consider this the year I returned to being the hungry and lean person I always was. In the past few years, I got fat and complacent. This year? Smarter, faster, stronger. Read on, and I shall explain.

Life, Love, and Family

If I had to describe this year, one way would be to call it a busy one. Or chock-full. Or fun-filled adventure. And a return to basics. Yes, it’s a nuanced year. With the kids getting older, our schedules have changed. They have more extracurricular activities, we’re going out, etc, which means we are running around more often. Also, we’re going out more to visit friends, or having people over, seeing local musicals, or going to horse & farm shows. Where to begin? Let’s talk about how the family has changed dramatically this year.

She loves me

Time passes. Namita and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary this year. Eight years flew by, but we try to keep the spark in it with date nights and the occasional dinner or movie out sans kids. We also work hard to coordinate all of the comings and goings in the Ipe house. It’s been busy with her responsibilities at work, and running major events at church, but we do our best. I’m also 35 years old now. Eh, I’m getting thinner, faster, and stronger each day. Who cares if I’m getting greyer and balder? She still seems to love me after all these years, so I can’t understand it or complain about it.

Joshua likes Derrick Rose and the NBA

Josh is 6 years old now, and entered 1st grade this September, which means a full day with his teacher and classmates. I would say it’s going well, and we’re encouraging him to play with others and to enjoy school. Nowadays, every night we must ensure his homework is completed, which is an interesting feeling. Man, the kids really are growing up. Josh has also played in Spring, Summer, and Fall soccer leagues through our local police athletic league. He’s slowly improving and getting an understanding of sports. This year, he also expressed an interest in basketball, and we watched his favorite team, the Chicago Bulls, make it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Btw, Derrick Rose is his favorite player. It was pretty fun to have him sitting next to me while we watched games together.

I have to admit she is Daddy's girl

Lily has changed quite a bit this year. She turned 3 years old in March, and is in preschool. In a process that has taken much longer than expected, Lily is officially potty-trained. This means that we eventually said goodbye to diapers and wipes, which was also one of major reasons that we shopped at the wholesale club. We did say hello to constant potty trips and, for a long transition period, many accidents due to misjudging when she really had to go. Lily is mostly okay with making it to the restroom in time, but we still force her to go when we either arrive or before we leave somewhere. Otherwise, Lily is Lily: a fun little girl with an outsized personality. Many a Facebook status update is about her.

The other big family news are the new additions to the family: we adopted two kittens from our local animal hospital in June. They are two brothers from an original litter of four, and the kids named them Scamper and Toasty. I admit they have unusual names, but that’s what happens when you let two impish children name your new pets. Both kittens are rapidly growing, and when they aren’t being annoying, they’re actually quite lovable. Yes, bushy tails and all.

Kitten #1

Kitten #2

We had a lot of guests come over to visit this year. Maybe it was a function of feeling more comfortable with the house looking more “lived in” or simply we had more free time, but we hosted what I would consider a high number of dinner parties, including a party for the kids’ birthdays, “Friendsgiving“, dinner parties for Nums’ coworkers/friends, and when we haven’t seen old friends in a long time. We also threw two big birthday parties for Joshua’s 6th birthday and Lily’s 3rd birthday. I’m still impressed by the cakes that my wife baked and decorated for both kids.

Getting in Shape and My Return to Cycling

The other big news is that after 6 years, I finally started to attack the weight. Harking back to my past yearly goals since 2005, I have repeatedly stated that I would finally lose the weight. Well, unfortunately, if you don’t have a feasible plan, it ain’t gonna happen. To break the cycle, I re-evaluated my plan. I quit the company gym (which had only limited hours), and I joined a Gold’s Gym in my town in February. I now could work out as late as 11pm, when all my evening activities were over, and my head was clear. I flirted with a low-carb diet for a few days, but changed to a more sustainable healthier diet which balances fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and meats. I also learned to watch my caloric intake, and eat smarter foods that didn’t contain empty calories. When you are calorie-counting, it’s important to understand what you are eating. I seem to float now in the mid-170s, so I’ve technically lost 30 lbs since February. I feel a lot better, and now I can run for 40 mins on the treadmill, and do 4 miles at a good running pace. This is certainly the best running I’ve ever done.

When I talk about returning to basics, and being lean and hungry, it means I want to get back to an earlier state. In 2004, I was younger, fitter, and my career was accelerating. Fast-forward to the beginning of 2011, and I was older, fatter, and unsure of why I was where I was career-wise. Bad situation folks, and you need to feel the courage to make a change.

At the MS Bike Ride 2011

An example of how I got back to “the old me” was my return to cycling in a major way. Last year, I did get back to riding after a long hiatus, but it wasn’t consistent. I did the MS “Coast the Coast” bike ride in 2010, but I consciously decided to tie this into my overall fitness regimen, with a key objective of dropping down to at least 190 by the end of May. I attended a free spin class at CentraState with some other members of the Team CentraState team from last year, and registered the same day for the 2011 May ride too. I started earlier on cycling, and attended a few training rides before the big charity ride. This year, I rode 85 miles for the first time with my new friend Jacqui, and I raised $1,050 with the help of family and friends. I also lost 14 lbs between Feb and May, which certainly helped on the long ride. I had hoped to ride the full century (100 miles), but my body was failing me by mile 80, and I limped to the finish line. Overall, it was a good experience. Unfortunately, my 2011 riding season was abruptly cut short just shy of 400 miles due to a season-ending accident. Ah yes, let’s segue to this year’s injuries, shall we?

Of course, having an active lifestyle opens the door to injuries if you aren’t careful. I experienced two completely unexpected ones:

• Back in February, I slipped and hyperextended my left knee while walking to catch the train in New Brunswick. That hurt for a long time, and I wore a knee brace for a while to help strengthen my knee. What was not helpful at the time was that I tried working out a week after the slip, which aggravated things. That put a delay into my workout routine.
• In September, I had the other big set of injuries. While I was cycling in Delaware and Maryland, I was inadvertently hit by a car. I twisted up my left knee (same knee again), my wrist, and somehow injured my coccyx tailbone. All in all, I consider myself extremely lucky, as it could have been much worse. At this point in time over three months, my tailbone still hurts, so I may have a few more months of recovery to go yet.

Now back to the good news. Despite not being 100%, my recovery does proceed albeit slowly. I did lose over 30 lbs this year, and I’ve stepped up my exercise routine at the gym. I’m working on building upper body strength, and I’ve recently been averaging 40 minutes and 4 miles on the treadmill, all running. Pretty good for a fellow who, years ago, used to only jog for 10 mins and called it a day.

Home Renovations

Following all of the major home interior work done last year, the house redecorating continued this year in full force. In the living room:

• We removed the fireplace
• Shifted our furniture around to make better use of the addition space & new layout.
• We had new carpet installed in the living room
• We have also purchased new bookcases, coffee & end tables, and even a neat bench with interior storage for our DVD/Blu-ray collection, as well as a basket for the children’s movies that go in one of the bookcases.
• I purchased two rear surround speakers and hung the them up on living room back wall to create a 7.1 home theater configuration. The jury is still out on how much it changes the sound stage in the room.
• I replaced and installed a new faucet in the powder room. Annoying, but I did some actual plumbing.
• We replaced our old hot water heater, which is only very exciting when you’re showering at 6am.
• I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the new microwave.
• Bought a new dining room and china cabinet.
• Replaced a failed condensate pump in the HVAC unit.
• Bought new bunk beds for the kids for Christmas, and rearranged their room.
• I don’t want to ignore the exterior work. We did a lot of gardening work this year. Creating an actual front lawn (with actual grass), new perennials, and other new flowers.

Toys "R" Us Times Square

Trips

• I had hoped that we could swing a few cool domestic trips, but our inability to win the lottery put a damper on those plans. Instead, we planned out a nice weeklong vacation at the end of August at the Bethany Beach area of Delaware. We rented a condo and stayed a week into Labor Day weekend. We primarily relaxed at the beach, at the pool, chilling out in the condo, and cooking up great meals.
• In November during a brief lull in the hectic Ipe schedule, we took an extended weekend family vacation in NYC. I’ve been planning on this for a while, so I’m glad we finally pulled the trigger. It was a nice time to unwind, plus introduce the kids to some of the sights.

Career

Part of that change was also re-evaluating my career. After 11 years, do I continue in the field of internal audit, or try something else? Stay at Citi, or move onto greener pastures? In the end, after many exploratory conversations with friends, family, and former colleagues, I decided to put a stake in the ground, and stay in the internal audit profession for now. I began interviewing in the summer, and eventually found a great opportunity at Prudential Financial. It has only been a month since I joined, but it has been a very good experience, and I like my new team. Of course it was difficult to leave Citi after 6+ years. I had thought I would want a longer career there, and I miss my old colleagues and the network I had developed, but I had to think of the long-term strategy. I didn’t see the upwards career path anymore, and too many changes coming on the horizon.

Favorite Moments

• Riding 85 miles for the first time in my life.
• Getting new cycling gear, like new pedals and new (sportier) helmet.
• Seeing the scale register 174 lbs for the first time since 2004.
• Seeing grass grow in our front lawn.

Worst Moments

• I don’t know…. probably getting hit by a car.

Other Stuff

• My niece Abby turned 1 years old, and was baptized. In addition, Namita and I were chosen to be her godparents. Never been a godparent before, but there is always a first time.
• My uncle (my father’s oldest brother) in India died. Coupled with another relative on my mother’s side who died from cancer this year, and it has me slightly unnerved and worried for my own parents’ health.
• New gadgets this year – the Tivo Premiere to replace our Verizon-supplied STB/DVR.
• Way back in Feb 2011, I mentioned that we would be getting a new desktop PC to replace our 6-year old workhorse. Well, it didn’t happen yet (tax bill, etc) but it recently went back on the radar. It may not be here yet, but the parts are ordered, and hope to start putting it together this Saturday. I figured I’d mention it anyway. It’s so close!
• My wife and I got into Fringe in a big way, and thanks to Amazon.com, we’re all caught up on seasons 1-3. The current season hasn’t been as strong, but I hope it picks up.
• New videogames – LittleBigPlanet 2 and Batman Arkham City. I’ve enjoyed both games, but I haven’t gotten very far in LBP 2, just because of work and lack of free time. As a testament to my lack of free time, I didn’t pick up Uncharted 3 on release date [the latest installment in one of my all-time favorite series], but Nums got it for me for Christmas instead. Love that woman!
• I saw a helluva lot of movies this year– 40 to be exact.
  • Best films I enjoyed: Up, Paul, No Country for Old Men, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Muppets, Captain America, The Hurt Locker, Heat. I saw many other decent films, but I won’t list them all here.
  • Worst films I had to sit & watch through: Immortals, Iron Man 2, the last of the Futurama films, Green Lantern, Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, Hot Tub Time Machine, The Hurricane.

Looking Ahead to 2012

Hmm, what can I predict is in store for 2012, except the Mayan apocalypse? This is always troublesome, as I frankly don’t accomplish much of the list. Still, I’m the dreamer. Without the dreams, how do you know what to at least try for?

• I plan to exceed and shine at my new job, and maybe lead an audit or two.
• I’m hoping to get the certification that shall not be named.
• While I’m glad that lost 30 lbs, the fitness journey isn’t over yet. I still have another 15-20 lbs to go. Also, I’m still working on building upper body muscle mass.
• I expect to ride the MS Bike ride again, and probably with CentraState again. However, Gold’s Gym has its own team, and I’m curious whether Prudential has one.
• I have no idea on trips for 2012. I do know my sister Julie has expressed interest in a joint trip.
• We’re AMNH members so naturally we’ll be hitting the museum and NYC a few more times. Heck, I wouldn’t mind another extended weekend in NYC either.
• We’re in the market for a new couch and loveseat. Our current slipcovered ones from circa 2003 is looking shabby. They were once the nicest pieces, but now are the shabbiest.
• I’m looking to redecorate the guest room and the basement.

I think that was a pretty good update. I count my blessings for the life I have (with all the ups and downs), for the wonderful family I have that make me smile every day, and the great friends I have to be there when we need some company.

Our first Christmas tree

In 2005 after Josh was born and we moved into our first house, we wanted to have our very first Christmas tree. We opted for a pre-lit artificial tree. It was fairly easy to set up, turn on, and get on with life. In subsequent years, the lights would stop working, and we would buy additional strings of lights. Last year, all of the lights failed, I took the time to remove each dead string, and we decorated the old fashioned way.

Earlier this month, I pulled the tree out of storage in our basement crawlspace, and discovered that our dear kittens (one of them at least) had “inappropriately eliminated” on the tree while it sat in pieces in the cardboard storage box over the summer. It may have been in the Fall, as they both reached their sexual maturity, and may have felt the need to spray. I have two knuckleheads for cats. I tried cleaning it, but to no avail, the smell was burned into the plastic faux pine needles. Out to the trash it went.

It took us a week or so, but we decided to try our hand at getting our first real Christmas tree. No, not a fake one. An honest-to-goodness actual tree, real pine needles and all. Monday, December 12th, we drove out to a nearby garden center, and bought ourselves a Frasier Fir tree and a tree stand. It’s been a few days, but the tree is up and now decorated. So far, it’s pretty nice, but I’m constantly vacuuming up the pine needles off the carpet.

BTW, the cats are ridiculous about having a tree in the house. Constantly eating the needles, drinking the water, knocking down ornaments, and climbing the tree. Argh. I know cats will be cats, but it’s a bit annoying at times.

Gonna miss the old Warren campus

After 6+ years, we come to the end at last. This was my last week at Citi. It is done. I am free.

The past 10 days have been quiet. It is the end of the year, so many people like myself are wrapping up work. I have spent my time tying up loose ends, cleaning out my cubicle and my laptop, and letting my peers in the business units that I have met over the years that I was moving on. I had some nice conversations with them, and their sentiments were very thoughtful.

I was in NYC on Monday for a last lap around to say goodbye to colleagues, and a few close ones took me to lunch. During lunch, I thought to myself about the business trips and late nights in the office, and how much I would miss them. On Tues, my manager took me out to lunch, and organized a last group lunch on Wed before I left. I tell you, he’s a standup guy. He only started earlier this Spring, so I didn’t get much time to work for him. This is one of my few regrets.

Beginning last week, I cleaned out my desk, and packed up my things. After Wed’s lunch, I looked around one last time after handing over my laptop and other items. I said my goodbyes, and I walked out of the floor. It felt very odd to think I wouldn’t be in this familiar place anymore. I’m so used to being in this space, but that time was now over.

6+ years of ups and downs, and it’s now only a memory. I’m looking forward to the next big chapter of my life