What am I seeking?

2012:
Peace!

2013:
Some security, some kind of assurance that I'll get out of this financial mess soon. It's not the mess really, actually I have a better picture than I ever did, but it wouldn't hurt to have better future.. even to the point where we used to be 13 years ago! 

2014:
Reassurance that we'll be on uphill soon! (10/5/14)

Today was a complete...

2012:
blah... I know I was in such a happy mood yesterday and all of the sudden, it's all gone. :( Not feeling too great, despite the Next Day delivery of Kindle Fire (I didn't expect it to get here very next day!), something that should've perked me up. Hopefully, tomorrow's hike to Yosemite Valley floor will be just what I need.

2013:
It kind of started out as a good day. We went to the temple for Holi. Pooja couldn't come, because she was working. So, it wasn't all that fun for Neil and Avni just to color each other and not knowing anyone else there. But after I got home and started reading some stuff.. which was not so good (regarding Pooja) and that totally messed me up for entire weekend until I had a chance to talk to her.

2014:
pleasant day! Cooked pulov, tried out fried sabudana (success!), went to annual lunch at Mr. Guido. Had fun catching up with all the AWA hikers. (10/05/14)

What was in my post office box today?

2012:
Ugh... Judgement letter from Citibank. Just when I thought I was making a good progress on savings, something comes out from the woodworks and swipes all my savings. At least I'm better prepared to make counter offer and see what happens.

2013:
 Not sure yet, but I'm expecting few happy mails! Spare iPhone charger from Best Buy, Shutterfly book for Anuj (getting shipped directly at his home) and Project Life kit (paper version!), also getting shipped at mom's home. Can't wait!!!!

2014:
Nothing important. Just the billing statement for car payment.

Did I work hard today?

2012:
Yeap! Lately, I haven't had much work. So, when Janis asked me if I can help with GOSE testing, I jumped at the chance. Took us 3 hours just to install all the necessary softwares and 4-5 reboots after each install! I also got caught up with all help desk tickets and other small assignments.

2013:
I wish! We haven't had much work in last 4 months! It's almost getting scary! We've asked multiple times for work, let them know that we don't have any work and still nothing! 

2014:
No, not really. Woke up early to make pulov for pot luck, sent some layout to get printed, dropped Avni to library, went to potluck/lunch at Mr. Guido's home, dropped Neil at library and now, catching up on this blog! Planning to make gravy to go with pulov at dinner time.

Have you thanked anyone today?

2012:
Randy, Kerry...

2013:

2014:
Mr. and Mrs Guido for lunch at their home and all the hikes they arrange for us. (10/5/14)

What was the easiest thing today?

2012:
I had been dreading making the spreadsheet about the coupons (for scrapbooking award winners) for over month. I knew I HAD to get it done, but I never seemed to have one solid hour to get it done. Finally today, I just started and got it done. Once I got it going, it wasn't bad at all! I don't know why I kept putting it off!

2013:
Waking up in the morning even though I really didn't have to wake up early. 

2014:
Today was AWA's annual lunch and I had promised Lynnett to print out some scrapbook pages for her book. I loved it that I just had to pull some out from my collection and send it off to print at Costco without getting anything done to them. One of the advantages of digital scrapbooking! (10/5/14)

If I could read one person's mind today, who would I choose?

2012:
That would be hands down Pooja! She was home for a day today, because Pinal was here. I asked her how her school is going, how things are and I hardly get anything out of her. It is so hard to know what's going on with her, what she's doing, what's going thru her mind. I just wish I can get thru her! Avni and  Neil on the other hand, tell me more than I want to know! :)

2013:
While  I can think of few people's names, yes, Pooja is still my priority. I just wish I can get thru her head. I did have an hour long talk just the other day, and got few things out of her. Need to spend more time with her to get her to open up more.

2014:
At this time after being out of job for over 7 months, I wish I could read Janis' (my ex-boss at AT&T) mind and really know how she feels about getting me back. I just texted her yesterday and she said that she's really hoping to get my job approved so that I can start working, but I really wish I knew if she's saying this just to make me feel good or she really is trying to get me back. I'm really on survival mode right now and need to get back to work. (10/5/14)

Other than that, my kids! On the surface, they all look fine, but wouldn't hurt to confirm that it's not just superficial.

Why(is that person your hero)

2012:
I guess I already answered that yesterday! :)

2013:
Waiting for that hero to answer this! :)

2014: Yeap, answered it already!

Who is my hero/role model?

2012:
I don't have one single person as hero or role model. I believe that there is always at least one good quality in every person. I come across many people where I admire one thing or another about them. To name a few, I love how Darcy embraces homeschooling for her boys, lives green/environmental friendly life, and cares for her dad and aging grandma. Of course, I also admire her for her creative talent and her geekyness about food and NASA. I admire Lisa for her positive attitude and her parenting style that is so much aligned with mine. Love the cheerful and energetic attitude of Benedicts. I look up to Beth's professionalism at work.

2013:
Nope.. no one yet! I need to get out of my little cube/home to see anyone to look up to!

2014: Another person I would like to add is Evelyn. She's a great hiker, soccer player, public speaker, graphic designer among many other things. However, two of her daily habits are really copse to home. She cooks something new every single day! Also, she cooks every single recipe at least once from her collection of cookbooks. Her another daily habit is to read a book while dishwashing. Between her and her husband, one person reads the book aloud while another one washes the dishes. What a great tradition!

The greatest wisdom comes from...

2012:
experience and learning from mistakes. It also comes from reading inspiring material and watching successful people.

2013:
Little innocent kids' mouth! Can't beat the honesty that comes from them!

2014:
Good literature!

When was my last vacation? Where did I go?

2012:
Well, I did go to India last year for a week to participate in Sakarvarsha/Yaghna at the Santram temple. Two weeks after that, my job contract had ended and I was home for 6 months. That was a long summer vacation. If we're talking about a family vacation, that would be about 5 years ago when we all went to India and visited Taj Mahal and Jaipur palace. There have been 3 Disney trips too! Two trips with girl scouts and one with Dharmesh, Kalpu, Pinal and all kids.

2013:
I just went to India (again!) 2 months ago for a week! Pinal was going there for Mital's daughter's wedding and Dilan was going along with her, so I decided to join her. That was a fun trip! I had great time at the mandir and with Pinal. I even got connected with several friends. Visited Neha, who was also in Nadiad at the same time and got to meet Pinika in London!

2014:
Well, I haven't been anywhere since I went to India. But I've been home for 6 months and had some great one day trips/hikes with kids. (8/28/14)

2018:
RIGHT NOW!!! On my way up to the Mt. Everest Base Camp. Day 3! The most amazing vacation ever!!!

What am I glad I did today?

2012:
Nothing extraordinary... but I just bought Apple Aperture, photo management software yesterday. I've been importing photos in this software today. I'm glad that I've able to watch some tutorials and import the photos tonight rather than wasting time on internet browsing.

2013:
Uploading the photos to Smugmug! I didn't realize that I haven't uploaded photos from pre-2009! So glad to have online backup in case something happens to hard drive.

2014:
Other than, uploading the Santram DVD to YouTube, I got the FM Transmitter working in my car. Now, I can listen to music/audiobooks from my iPod in the car without having to wear headphones.

Today was...

2012:
Productive day! I cleaned out some of the much needed emails. Worked on Boy Scouts uniforms. Spent time on learning more about Apple Aperture for photo management system. Worked with troubleshooting team for load testing. Oh.. and what can I say.. got a traffic ticket for answering Avni's call while driving.

2013:
boring day! Not having much to do at work is not fun! I really hope that I get some meaningful assignment soon!

2014:
Somewhat productive as I've converted Santram DVD and uploading to YouTube. Uploading is going slow, so I need to come up with better way to convert the file to make file size smaller. (8/28/14)

What advise was I given?

What advise was I given?

2012:
MJ called today just as we were talking bout him in the evening. As it is, it was highly unusual for him to call. He was talking about the website. When JK mentioned to him that he was to keep the white background for the site(This was my vision all along for YEARS.. I always saw the website background to be while satin paper...), but he advised to us that while he understands our reasoning behind wanting to have white background(pure), there is a need for the popping, pleasing colors to make the while elements of the Mandir stand out, such as white dhaja(flag), white paduka(sandals), etc...

2013:
Just this morning, I was thinking of calling him to ask him for strength to 'clean up the garbage' from my mind as I get thrown lots of trash on my these days. And as hard as I try to clear up my mind every morning, sometimes it's just overwhelming. Well, at the end of the satsang, he mentioned to ask Santram Maharaj that 'Let us do the seva of cleaning the trash in the mandir and please help us clean up the trash from our mind'. What amazes me (well not really, this isn't the first time I have experienced this) is that he gave me the message I needed without having to talk to him at all!

2014:
when you're praying, go for the quality, not the quantity. You want to feel the peace while chanting, reading, praying.

Where did I go today?

2012:
Well, dad was coming back from his midwest, east coast trip. So, I went to pick him up at San Jose Airport. Directly from the airport, I took him to his new home where all the kids were and mom was. We had lunch there and then came home because Anuj had baseball game at 3:30.

2013:
Even though it's Sunday and beautiful weather, sad to say, I haven't gone out all day. Stayed home (mostly in kitchen) all day!

2014:
Went to workout in the morning, dropped of Neil to his football practice and stayed home rest of the day. Then, I got call to help out with Bingo, so spent the evening at the Bingo ranch.

Did I seize any oppertunity?

2012:
Mar 16 -
Humm.. not today.. not that I can think of. However, kids had wanted to sleepover at Kalpu's new home. So, I persuaded mom to go with them. Then, I talked to JK to convince ba and dada to join them. He jumped at this chance for us to be alone at home. So, I dropped them all off at home, settled down, then JK came to pick me up. We went out for a little place(Hydrabad Biryani place) for dinner on our way home.

2013:
Don't think so. It's been a boring day.

2014:
Got a call to help out with bingo tonight. since I didn't have anything planned, I went for it (4-8). While I was selling flash tickets, I got a call for a job. It was super busy and noisy, so I asked to call back later in 5-10 minutes. I got Amy to cover for me and called back. Then, once again they called me when I busy to discuss the rate and job assignment. I had to hang up again and call back again. In all that chaos, I did manage to make a deal and get all the info. Now, if it all works out and I get a job (at Keiser in Oakland), it will be worth it! So far, it seems promising.  (7/15)

Who is the last person I said "I love you" to?

2012:
As bad as it may sound, I don't say it often, if ever. I let the action speak louder than the words. I know sometimes it needs to be heard and all, but I'm just not used to say it.

2013:
Nope.. no one. Don't care for it either.

2014:
no one.

2018:
No one.

List three things I have faith in...

2012:
I have total faith in my spiritual journey.
I have faith in my family. We'll always stick together no matter what.
I have faith that I will be at much better place than I am at right now five years from today.

2013:
Yes, I have faith that MJ will ALWAYS take care of me.
I have faith that my kids will stick with each other in thick and thin (just like 3 of us have). They have bonded a lot over the time.
I have faith that I will continue to thrive in many different things.

2014:
Yeap, I have faith that MJ is looking after me!
I will have a job in a month (7/14).
We WILL be moving soon.

2018:
I have faith the MJ will take good care of me as he always has.
I have faith that we will have a new home in few months (thru Hello Housing/low/moderate income program).
I have faith that kids will continue to thrive.

How much 'me' time did I take today?

2012:
Not much! It's been a busy day today. Picked up kids from school, continued to work from home, dinner, then it was time to go for committee meeting for the Boy Scouts. Meeting ran longer than usual. I CAN consider the meeting as me time, since I had a great time there. Picked up Avni from school at 9:30. She had gone to Charter School Hearing. I did clean out some photos and made some space, so that was productive. Not sure if I would call it a 'me' time. I wanted to get some scrapping done, but it will have to wait for another day.

2013:
I had enough 'me' time. Completed yet another Project Life page and started on another one.

2014:
Not having a job has left me with nothing but me time. I know I'll regret later for not utilize the best way I can, but it is what it is. I'm just wasting away my days. I do get my afternoon naps, read the book, hang out with friends on Facebook and chat, scrap, go to CrossFit every morning, hike and camp... So, maybe it's not all wasted after all!

2018: 
Yes, I guess. Took my time to wash my hair using hair mask/balm. Spent time cleaning out and cutting coupons. Then, went to work with one of my favorite senior (Jim Loftus) in the evening. Got to watch the Titanic movie with him.

Am I happy?

2012:
Yes, as happy as I can be in the situation I am. but really, I'm very very excited about Dharmesh/Kalpu closing on their dream home tomorrow. About them going to Mt. Everest (Base Camp) Hike two days later.

2013:
I honestly can not answer this question and say, yes, I'm happy. Yes, I TRY to stay happy as much as I can. I try very hard to find happiness in little things, but deep down, there is always a bit of sadness, exhaustion, loneliness, fear...

On other hand, I did connect with many of my childhood friends and I'm making up for my lost time and keeping in touch with them, talking to them on phone every few days. That is truly making me happy! And of course, spending time with kids always keeps me happy.

2014:
Tough one! At this minute, no. But I believe it's caused by not getting a call for job interview. I'll get over it soon. (7/14)

2018:
I spent evening with Avni yesterday. Shopped with her at Walmart, went to buy movie ticket to watch movie with JK later in the evening, then we went to Sauced restaurant for Nachos. We haven't had time to ourselves in a long time, so it felt really good. Oh, and I'm going to Mt. Everest hike in a week! Looking forward to my much needed time off!

What did I find inspiring today?

2012:
As Kalpu and I went for our evening walk, Kalpu was speculating that they'll live in their new home(Which is closing in 2 days) for about 10-12 yrs before downsizing once kids are out of school and in college. I told her that they've always been welcoming for family to come and stay with them, they'll never have to worry about being empty nester. Everyone loves to visit them all the time. Because all 4 of them are friendly, welcoming good hosts for everyone  that visits them. That is how I've always wanted to be. Like how mom was when I was young, all my friends used to come over and stay overnight all the time. Because of certain circumstances, I haven't been able host many parties or ask my friends to come over, but I hope to change it soon.

2013:
If I try to make lemonade out of my lemon today, that would be that no one can rain on my parade. I will continue to be doing my things, trying out new recipes even if it isn't appreciated, I would do it for ME! I will continue to enjoy my time with kids. I will not let anything or anyone ruin my day.

2014:
Looking at property photos with big lot (40 acres) has really inspired me to have simple life. I don't know if that dream dream will become reality, but it sure made me think of things I want to do in future.(7/14)

2018:
Not today, but yesterday, I was hiking Mission Peak and as I was coming down, a thought came to me out of nowhere and I decided to run down for few minutes. Once I got started, I was so inspired that I kept on running and before I know it, I ran entire trail in 40 minutes!!! It was so much fun!

What is the most valuable thing I own?

2012:
There isn't any monetary 'thing' I own that is valuable. I have my wedding jewelry. But that's about it. I can walk out of this home and not give a second thought. This iMac and then my dSLR camera are the only things that comes to my mind with any value to it. Of course, over the years, my hard drive is filled with graphic files(digi scrapping) that probably cost more than the computer. My photos on the hard drive are invaluable!

2013:
Still same as above! Not much has changed over the year! Photos and my Layouts are the only valuable things I own.

2014:
Memories with family.

2018:
Don't own anything tangible that is valuable!

What relaxes me?

2012:
Reading has always been my favorite hobby. I've been known for that in my family. Love to read books, newspapers, forums, blogs... just about anything. I can spend hours reading without taking a break. in last few years, I've also started digital scrapbooking and I feel very elevated when I get something done. Usually, I end my day with some scrapping(even if it doesn't reach its final phase) and then reading a book on Kindle before going to sleep.

2013:
Scrapbooking and telling the stories, preserving a little bit of our/my history makes me feel relaxed.

2014:
Definitely reading. But I would also enjoy the walk in the evening.

2018:
Reading, listening to Datt Bavani playlist.

What is the last song you listened to?

2012:
Not really sure! I was listening to songs on iPod at work on Shuffle mode, so it could've been anything. Same with listening to the radio. Whichever station Neil and Avni selects, I get to listen to them.

2013:
Not really the song, but I have been listening to my recordings from India. Brings me peace when I'm not doing well emotionally.

2014:
My morning playlist of 'Kasturi tilak', Datt bawani and Ram stuti. I think I need to listen to recorings from India again. Feeling down and need a lift.

2018:
Om Three Santram Sadguru Sharnam mumh!

On a scale of 1-10, how clean is my home? 10 being the cleanest.

2012:
I would say about 8? I would like my room to be more organized, but not having any kind of furniture kind of puts a damp on it, no matter how hard I try to keep things organized and put away.

2013:
Much better than it was last year! I have my desk in much better shape! Got rid of the suitcase from room and replaced it with the dresser. Small steps!

2014:
I'm at the point that I am just ready to move and start fresh. That will be the best way to get rid of clutter and maybe have more space to put things away where it belongs.

2018:
Unfortunately, if you talk about my room, it's at scale of 2 or 3? I have so much stuff all over the room and no place to put it anywhere! I have no furniture at all in my room except a computer desk. That is part of the reason of my room not being spotless and clean, but still... Once I come back from Mt. Everest, I want to get it all under control.

Am I spending or saving?

2012:
Right now, I'm in extreme mode of saving! Soon after I went back to work(after 6 months of unemployment), I found Dave Ramsey's site. I learned about the baby steps system. I've always been a saver, but I didn't have a goal to aim for. DR's site helped me with that and I realized that I needed to put together an emergency fund of 6 months worth of my expenses. With this plan, I would never have to go thru the days we did over the summer. I'm happy to say that I've already reached 50% of my goal in 6 months.

2013:
Humm.. trick question! I just went to India for a week. BUT I took $1500 for spending and brought back $500!!! That takes some discipline, doesn't it? And then, bought a car and put $8000 for down payment! It was hard to put all my savings in the car, but I figured that would help me save even more and pay off the car ($6100) by end of the year!

2014:
Don't have much room when you have no income due to loss of job!

2018:
Depends how you look at it. I don't have much room for saving. Most of my money goes to pay the rent and bills. however, out of frustration, I do end up spending money sometimes either on scrapbooking stuff or the classes. I really need to stop that knowing that I hardly get time to watch/read the classes. 

On other note, I just started couponing and getting lots of stuff for free or nearly free. That will help us in the long run!

What was the first thing I drank or ate today?

2012:
That's a no-brainer! Of course, green smoothie! My morning wouldn't start without green smoothie. Today's smoothie had celery, romaine lettuce, baby spinach, figs, apple, banana, flax seeds(Brown and golden), sunflower seeds, chia seeds, whey protein powder, kelp powder. I skipped on sprouts today because they weren't ready yet or else I would also have a jar of alfalfa, radish, broccoli and clover sprouts. Oh, since I didn't use those sprouts, I used the bean sprouts, which had mung, moth, chori (adzuki), urad, garbanzo, lentil(masoor) and peanuts.

2013:
Green smoothie!

2014:
On actual day of 3/5, I'm sure it was green smoothie. But as I'm just getting to this on 7/14, just a bit of Ratalami sev. I can't wait till I get the BlendTec (coming tomorrow!!). It's been broken since 6/2 and finally its replacement is being shipped.

2018:
Milk. I really want to get back to having green smoothie for breakfast, but right now, it's just not feasible for multiple factors. 

What do I wish I had left unsaid?

2012:
Lately, I have learned to keep quiet and follow the rule of 'if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all'. It haven't been easy, sometimes I have to bite my tongue, but I've been very pleased with my ability to be quiet in critical moments. It might mean that I'm mostly quiet at home these days and keep to myself, but it's much better than the alternative.

2013:
Yeap.. staying quiet has been working out pretty good! :)

2014:
Anytime I ask JK about finances, my responses to his 'excuses' is better left unsaid. So, I try my hardest not to ask in the first place.

2018:
still the same. I mostly keep quiet around the home and if I do say something, it's because it needed to be said, they needed to hear it, wether they like it or not. 

Who is my best friend but not my spouse?

2012:
In real life, I would say Kalpu has been my best friend rather than sister-in-law(bhabhi). That's who I talk to most. We love to experiment new recipes.We love hiking together. We love to catch up on things when we go for our walks, which is when we get together for dinner over the weekends. She's about to move to San Ramon in a month and I'm going to miss that. Hopefully, we won't stop trying out new recipes, specially now that she's about to have big kitchen. We're looking forward to cooking gourmet food!

As far as internet friends go, Darcy and Lisa are my best friends. I've always shared my joys and fears with them. I talk to Darcy almost every single day even if it's for just 5 minutes. I got to know her thru digital scrapbooking. She's the kind of person I would love to have as my next door neighbor. We share our interest in many 'weird' things that mainstream people don't care about such as making things from scratch, preserving, canning, avoiding overly processed food.

Lisa has been my friend for over 12 yrs. We met thru 'Oct 99 group', which is the online community I joined when I found out that I was pregnant with Neil. We have similar parenting style and same outlook on life. She's been my rock during my worst days. I wish she was living closer to me and could spend more time together.

2013:
After I went to India, I have reconnected with old friends: Pinika, Minaxi, Bina, Dipti, Sangita...
Pinika had ALWAYS been my best friend in my heart even though we lost connection almost 30 years ago! I'm so glad to get back in touch with her! Now, I talk to her almost every week.

Bina... I talk to her more than once a week. Also, talk to Minaxi almost every week. I feel more comfortable talking to them than Sangita or Dipti. Not too sure about Dipti though, since I haven't been able to get in touch with her since I've been back.

2014:
I Still talk to Bina quite often, but it's been more like every other week. However, I have really gotten closer to Tina. I still talk to Darcy and Lisa, both are my great friends, but Tina being at work (well, she's in Chicago) we chat on Q (online AT&T chat) all day long. During my house hunting last year, we got really close and talk almost every single day and even on the weekend thru text messages. I got to know Tina when I worked on CP09 project at work during '08-'09. We've been friends ever since and have met twice for brief 20-30 minutes when I went to Chicago and when she came to CA on vacation. She shared my passion about memory keeping. We both do it in our own way, but at the end, it's all about preserving history thru photo books.

2018:
Still no new local friends. Lisa, Darcy and Tina are still my best ones I can ever ask for. They've been there for me every step of the way!

If you could have one new talent, what would you want?

2012:
Ever since I visited Santram Temple in April 2009, and had a chance to sing for recording, I've been wishing that I could get better at it. I mean, I'm not trained at all and have no talent of singing whatsoever. I wish I can find my way to train my voice at least a little bit and be able to really sing, not just as a bathroom singer.

2013:
Coming up with breakfast, lunch and dinner out of thin air. Seems like that's most wanted skill in this household!

2014:
I've always wanted to learn to decorate the cakes and make elegant cupcakes. Only thing is, I don't really care for cupcakes or anything sweet. But I can see making pretty cakes can come in handy with having 5 kids around.

2018: 
I don't know. People think I'm talented at crochet, but I'm not that good at it, I just follow the directions. There are lots of things that I'm ok with, but not super expert at it. More like Jake of all and king of none. It would nice to have mastery in at least one of the things.But if we're talking about new talent, swimming, food preserving (canning, dehydrating, pickling... ) and being crafty comes to mind.

Funniest thing I heard today

2012:
Haven't been talking to anyone today, but Pinal called today and we had a good laugh about mom making  'papad gulla' only when someone is going to Chicago or coming from Chicago. Kalpu and I never get that special treat. She only makes it for Pinal and we get some sample from her share. I told Pinal that I'm going to ask mom to make it just for me and Kalpu in about a month, so she said that yeah, have her make it when I'm coming to CA next month. See, there it is again... it will be made for Pinal again, not specially for me or Kalpu!

Another funny thing is that Avni's team won the soccer game because Avni saved the game! She was goalie and she prevented the penalty throw. This is the girl who held my hand in the field in her very first soccer season for entire season. All of the sudden, nine years later, she decided to play soccer again and doing great! Pooja could not stop laughing when she first found out that Avni is playing soccer!

2013:
It's more sad than funny but here goes...
Pooja is in this health kick lately and today she decided to go vegan for the sake of animal cruelty. She started watching the movie 'Earthlings' in family room so that everyone else get the idea of what turned her to be vegan. Well, when JK came home, Ba announced to him that Pooja has become vegan to control weight and look good. :)

2014:
OK, so I was taking my 'selfie' with my phone from below my chin. So, Pooja and Avni told me that I should hold the camera UP for me to look skinny in the photo. So, I did that and my face still showed chubby. I was frowning about that and Neil says, when your face looks fat in the photo from every angle, realization comes that you really ARE fat!

2017:
Neil got his driver's license today. On their way home...

JK: Neil, you still need someone to be with you while you drive, right?
Neil: IF that's the case, what's the point of getting a driver's license? 

What JK meant to ask is, he still can't drive on his own at night (after 11pm curfew).

2018: 
I wish there was anything funny today. I really need it! I'll have to come back later for this!
Talked to Pooja in the morning... She told me that they had windstorm, so she took Uber to get to work rather than walking. I asked her if it was cold. She said, "nah, it's only in 20's!" 

Talked to MJ last week and I told him that I'm going to Mt. Everest hike and he asked me if I have gained lots of weight that I needed to hike on Mt. Everest. I literally laughed out loud when he said that! Then, he asked if I'm hiking to Mt. Everest, I've either gained lots of weight or lots of dollars. Only if...