Up, up, and away - Sept 15, 2009

6:34 pm. The wheels have left the ground. Finally!

Another crazy day. More boxes had to be transferred to the storage facility. Frenetic last minute packing. By the time we left Attleboro it was 10:00 am, four hours behind schedule. No chance for a pit-stop in NYC. A quick stop at the Ganesha Temple in Flushing, and then JFK at 2:30 pm. Returned the rental car, and got to the counter by 3:15 pm. Luckily, the Jet Airways counter was still relatively free of travelers. A very kind gentleman checked-in all our baggage, not an easy task since we were traveling light - by Bindu's standards. Just when we thought we could relax for a couple of hours before our flight, Bindu realized that I had left our EZ-Pass in the rental car. It took a couple of mono-rail trips and an hour of thumb-twiddling before I was able to retrieve it (no complaints, we did get it back). But, then it was a rush through the security-check, a canter to the boarding gate, and a complex series of maneuvers by the friendly cabin crew to accommodate some fairly large pieces of suitcases masquerading as hand-luggage. And then, Goodbye America.

This adventure would not have been possible but for a lot of help from a lot of people at work. A round of appreciation and acknowledgment for Alex, Catherine, Chris, Colin, Janet, Kingshuk, Mark, Phil, Sameer, Subbu, and many many more. A very sincere thank you to all of you. And a load of gratitude to all our friends who went beyond the line of duty to make this happen, Ani and Mark, Gowri and Roger, Menakshi and Kingshuk, Thulasi and Ravi, Teresa and Francisco, Deepa and Nitin, Faith and Glenn. Thank you, thank you, thank you. If I inadvertently missed any name here, I apologize. I shall make amends as soon as possible.

Down to the wire - Sept 14, 2009

The home-stretch. A few sleepless nights, but the end is in sight. Or, is it the beginning? Couldn't have come this far without the help of some very special people, friends as well as strangers.

A very well deserved plug for a couple from Southern Rhode Island, Sara and Rich, who run Clean Hands Recycling, a local recycling company. Pick up is free. Everything that can be reused, is reused. They bring new meaning to the phrase, one man's junk is another man's treasure. Items are either donated to needy families, or sold for a pittance. Think donation? Think Clean Hands. Cannot believe how much stuff we were able to give away. Which makes us think why do we have to accumulate so much in the first place?

Cristin, Eric, you guys are great. Thank you for a wonderful wonderful evening. We couldn't have enjoyed ourselves more, if we had tried. It was a blast to walk down memory lane. And thanks to everyone who pitched in with the dinner. Didn't realize Brown squashers were such good chefs. Wish we had done this more often, but hey, we'll be back, right?

Ani, Gowri, Mark, Roger, Amma, cannot really find the words to express our gratitude. All the lunches, dinners, sleepovers, backyard parties. And all the help with the packing and the lifting. Super special, as someone I know will say.

Menakshi, Kingshuk, thanks for all the help, now and all the other times. We are really glad that you are back.

Teresa, Francisco, we are blessed to have you in our life. Can't really say much more than that.

Thanks to everyone else, too innumerable to be listed here. If prosperity is measured by the friends in your life, then we shall consider ourselves to be billionaires. Now, back to the marathon. If it feels as if we are being carried to the finish line, it is because we are being carried to the finish line.

There goes the whistle, and the race begins ..., Sept 3, 2009

The movers arrived (Movers? What movers?) Sorry, just one mover, although a pretty big-sized one. Helped us move much of the heavy stuff into storage. Mink Street is a nice facility, with Bob at the helm running a pretty tight ship. Will a 10x10 be enough?

After much sweat and blood (ok, just sweat), the house still looks pretty full. Tomorrow is shredding day. And the day after, kitchen closing day. Dinner invites, anyone?

Thanks to Ryder for providing a great mover. 22 miles per gallon of diesel, with almost 500 cubic feet of storage. I can't deny that I enjoyed towering over SUVs and the genre.

T -15 and counting - Sep 1, 2009

September dawns, clean and bright. The packing, or what would pass for it, has finally begun. Boxes and tape, strewn all over the place. Ten years of accumulated junk (er, heirlooms!) can present unique challenges. We have our storage unit rented from today, so we can start transferring the yet-to-be dismantled beds. Unused credit cards have been canceled. Utilities (Gas, Electric, Water) need to be transferred to our tenant, who has gladly agreed to retain some of the heavy furniture (Thanks a lot, Glenn).

Heading out to AAA to get the International Driving Permit, and confirming the car rental for our 15-day vacation. Did we mention that we were planning on taking a 15-day vacation in Europe, but haven't actually planned it yet? Maybe, once we finish our packing!

So here's to change, and finding the courage to embrace it.