The Other Side

The snow has finally left Troy, and yesterday, so did I. I gotta say, I was pretty choked up as I drove the twisting gravel road out of the canyon. Because after making it through the long, cold winter, now that the sun is out and spring has come, as I look around the pastures full of cows and calves and the people I love who take care of them, let me tell you: there's nowhere where the grass is greener right now than Troy.

--rahul

Earth Day...Saturday

Much as I would love to take credit for this photo, it was actually taken by someone named Metrix Feet. But, if you go to Yahoo! For Good's brand spankin'-new Earth Day page (http://earth.yahoo.com), and click on the photos link, you'll see 78 other amazing photos like this one. And if you look closely, you'll see a little piece of Take Me to The Volcano as well.

Saturday, in addition to being Day 1 of the MS 150, and Meg's 29th Birthday, is Earth Day. Ah, I love being a tree-hugger with a girlfriend who was born on Earth Day.

Though we've mostly shied away from politics here, that's probably going to start to change a bit now that we're leaving the road and heading back to California. So if you get a chance in the next couple days, take a look at the Earth Day site, and especially its "10 things you can do to decrease climate change". And, at the very least, let's celebrate the fact that Yahoo! was actually willing to put its corporate ass on the line and say that yes, indeed, climate change does exist, and yes, in fact, we should do something to decrease it.

Mad props to my awesome friend Erin for putting her MBA to good use with her work on this site...

--rahul

A Little Bit of Jersey in Troy

Can you believe that Meg tried to convince me not to buy this denim jacket? Shocking. I bet she's totally on-board now with yet another one of my excellent fashion decisions. Especially because I can finally say that I have an answer to the question: "But what pants will you be able to wear with that?"

--rahul

Anatone

Anatone is the "bigger" town up the road from Troy. I took this picture yesterday (April 16th), after a massive snowstorm had come through and blanketed the tri-state area. Season of Spring, we scoff at you!

There ain't a lot of people around here.

--rahul

Tandem in Training

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We are officially nine days away from the MS 150, the annual Multiple Sclerosis fundraising bike ride that Meg's family (and nowadays, very extended family) does every year. 180 miles over two days from Houston to Austin. Woohooo!

As you may know, we're riding a tandem this year, putting the health of our relationship on the line to provide amusement to 11,000 other riders as we fall over repeatedly and bicker about who gets to "be the captain." To prepare for 48 hours with a partner who will become petulant whenever not seated in front, I've been training with a 15 month-old named Roan (see photo).

And, let me tell you, there's nothing better than wearing spandex in Oregon cowboy country right after Brokeback Mountain opened in the local (90 minutes away) theater.

We're about halfway to our $2,000 combined fundraising goal, so just in case you've got some money burning a hole in your pocket, we'd love your support. Here are the links to donate:

Meg: http://ms150.org/edon.cfm?id=185298

Rahul: http://ms150.org/edon.cfm?id=185299

And, I highly recommend that you check out Meg's brother Dunagan (and friends)'s latest excellent fundraising short film, entitled "Brokebike Mountain." They've really outdone themselves this time, weaving a complex tale of two men bravely daring against all odds to become tandem riders in a society that closed-mindedly believes only in "one man, one bike". It's really freakin' brilliant! Here's the link:

http://www.executiveranch.net/ms150/2006/brokebike.html

--rahul

Oh Sweet Jesus

Whenever I go home to Sacramento to see my momma, she's always had a Mrs. Smith's Dutch Crumb Apple Pie waiting in the oven for me.

My love for Cinnabons, those culinary masterpieces that once added such pleasure to my days in Jersey and now have spread all the way to Bahrain, is well documented.

But now, oh lord, Mr. Cinnabon and Mrs. Smith have joined forces to create the dessert that will destroy what little ability I had developed to resist junk food. I am in awe.

http://www.mrssmiths.com/Bakery/proDescript.php?id=23&ct=2

--rahul

A Study in Legwear

On the left we have Dave, cowboy extraordinaire, modeling a very elegant pair of leather chinks (like chaps, except they show just a bit of leg, depending on how much fringe you desire). On the right we have a calf, let's call him 6224, showing off a fabulous new splint that we put on him after he got stepped on by his momma. Who says rural America doesn't know fashion?

--rahul

Cows in the Clouds

It's the moments like this that make me understand how Hindus everywhere can see cows as spiritual creatures.

--rahul

The scene from Match Day

Since we have moments every couple days where we look at each other, jump up and down, and say "We're going back to California!", we figured we'd share the photo we took two weeks ago on Match Day, right after we opened up the envelope that told us that we'd be moving to San Francisco. Meg celebrated by looking gorgeous, as usual. I celebrated by opening my eyes, kinda.

--rahul

Life's a little different in Troy

With three weeks left on the ranch, I'm starting to take stock of all the things that shocked me when I first got out here, and that I've grown so accustomed to in the last two months. Here's a few:

• The closest weekend brunch place (a 90 minute drive away), famous for its cornbread pancakes, closes at noon on Sundays, because by then, everyone in the County has eaten breakfast and lunch
• A standard add-on to any health insurance policy here is a $50/year fee to be "Lifeflighted" out, since the nearest hospital is 1-4 hours away, depending on where you live
• After Cory's tuxedo-clad date for the senior prom picked her up at her house, he drove a mile and then pulled his pickup over. Thinking that he was hoping to have a little pre-dance makeout session, Cory closed her eyes, then opened them, and watched in horror as he rolled down his window, pulled a rifle out of the backseat and shot a skunk dead on the side of the road. Then they went to the dance.
• There are no stoplights in the entire county
• A sign like the one in the photo above can be translated as "may see another car in the next 50 miles"

--rahul