Travel .. here and beyond..

Did it!

2008-05-13T17:18:00.000-07:00

Details at:

http://slow-as-molasses.blogspot.com/

So, how are we gonna run this relay?

2008-03-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

At time 0, which is 6AM, on Apr 18, Van1 shows up the start line which is in Calistoga.
Registration is completed, and bibs are picked up
At time 1, which is 7AM, our first runner, Sumi starts running her first leg of 4.8miles
Anjali drives Van1 over to exchange point one, and Leena, who is runner #2, starts to warm up.
At time 2, perhaps 8AM, Sumi arrives at exchange point one, and hands off the baton to Leena. And after Leena has started running, Sumi cools down for a few mins. Anjali picks her up, and drives over to exchange point two.
Leena, one of the stronger runners in our team, breezes through her 4.7 mile first leg, and arrives at exchange point 2 to hand off the baton to Ashok
At time 3, Ashok starts off at his blistering pace and hands off 40 odd mins later to Karthik V
Karthik V hands off to Karthik R, and Karthik R eventually hands off to Amit.
In the meanwhile, Sheshu has shepherded the Van 2 to exchange point 6.
Dumma starts warming up in the warm Napa valley weather, and Amit comes flying down the trail to hand-off to our marathon-man, Dumma.
At this point, Anjali and her Van1 team are done with their first leg of the relay. They will shower, eat and rest at the First Baptist Church, 2590, 1st St, Napa.

Van2 does a similar routine as what Van1 does. Perhaps takes about 6 hours to complete their first leg.

And its time for Van1 to take over at the point. Anjali drives over to 7500 Red Hill Rd, Petaluma. Here, Sumi starts to warm up for her second leg (its perhaps 8PM by now). And as Naveen arrives and hands off the baton to Sumi, Van2 is done for the time being. Sheshu drives Van2 to La Luna Inn, on Lombard St, for some much needed rest.

24 days to The Relay

2008-03-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

D-day is arriving fast, and things are shaping up pretty well.

The team has raised a whopping $8058 so far for Organs r Us.
All logistics for the relay have been addressed
Most of the team members are in good running condition
Enthusiasm is high
Volunteers have signed up (thanks Amar & Manish)
Non-running captains have been recruited (thanks Anjali & Sheshu)

Who rides which van:

Van1: Sumitra, Leena, Ashok, Karthik V, Karthik R, Amit. (Captain - Anjali)
Van2: Ranjeet, Yadhu, Sharath, Apurva, Chethan, Naveen (Captain - Sheshu)

Training for the "Relay for Life 2008"

2008-02-22T07:38:00.001-08:00

Meet the team, planning on running the Relay for Life 2008.
From R to L: Ranjeet, Karthik, Sumi, KarthikV, Chethan, Leena, Sharath, Apurva, Ashok, Amit, Me (missing from the pic, Yadhu)

Running coach: Ranjeet
Team finances & registration: KarthikV
Team jersey design: Chethan
Planning/logistics: Me

Fund-raising website is up and running:
http://www.firstgiving.com/naveen

Running "The Relay"

2007-05-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

A colleague at work suggested that we (12 people from my workplace) run the 199 mile relay, from Calistoga (wine country) to Santa Cruz (beach country). Even though I wasn't sure if I could actually make it, I signed up due to Preetu's encouragement. D-day: May 5 & 6, 2007

The Relay: "California's Longest Party" is on - from Calistoga in Napa Valley to Sonoma to Marin, through Sausalito, across the Golden Gate Bridge under a full moon, through San Francisco to Palo Alto and through Silicon Valley to the beach in Santa Cruz. Featuring the natural beauty of the Bay Area, the 199-mile course boasts the largest number of tourist destinations of any run.

Teams are comprised of 12 members, each running three legs in rotation. The 36 legs through 36 cities are 3 to 8.9 miles and rated from easy to very hard allowing runners to select legs that match their strengths. Runners of all abilities are challenged, contribute and have a great time.

P.A. Semi Conscious Slugs: Our team (all colleagues of P.A.Semi ), semi-conscious (this we would be, at the end of the run), Slugs (the Santa Cruz mountains are full of slugs). Runners were: Sribalan, Ruchi, J.C.Yeh, Patrick, Viranjit, Vincent, Conrad, Mike, DanFlees, Pete, John and me. The first 6 people made up the Van#1, and the rest of us were in Van#2.

The training: Having signed up about 2.5 months in advance of the May 5 & 6 run, we started training by running at lunch time. Most of the team except for Sri, Ruchi and me were long distance runners, and they were in good physical condition. I started off running half a mile, and went upto running 3 miles on a trot. A significant accomplishment for me, considering I have not been running for almost 18 years. A dental surgery put me back a week, and an ankle sprain put me out of commission for 10 days. The trip to Barbados about 2 weeks before the run didn't help either.

Equipment: Preetu gifted me a new pair of running shoes (Asics Gel Foundation 7), purchased at the Sports Basement, along with running shorts, and socks to match. These are real comfortable for my low arch. Great running shoes, it fits like a glove! Add the iPod shuffle to the mix, and I was all set.

The run:

Sat - 10:00AM
Van 2 met up in Santa Clara to load up for the trip up to Napa. Preetu dropped me off
at P.A.Semi, and took a group picture. John picked up samosas from Rajjot for Van 1.
Pete had the van there bright and early so we started loading up the cooler and our
bags.  I picked up bagel sandwiches for lunch. Conrad soon showed up with Mike and
Dan shortly thereafter. We were on the road fairly quickly.

Sat - 11:30AM
We got word from Sri that the other van was ahead of schedule and expected
to be at the exchange point about an hour earlier than scheduled at about
1:15PM.

We had plenty of time to get to the exchange as we discussed the merits of
gobbling up the samosas before running.  Weather looks hot, windy, and clear.
Absolutely beautiful scenery on the drive up.

Sat - 1:15PM

We've parked next to the Samosa and Chai team (an ILP team) who surprisingly
didn't bring their own samosas nor chai!  I thought about offering them some of
ours, but decided to be greedy and give them all to our own team members instead.

Conrad takes the baton from Vincent who has just finished his leg in under a
7 minute mile.  Sandbaggers all of them!  Hopefully the samosas will slow
them down.

Sat - 2:06PM
Conrad absolutely smoked the course barely coming in second to Vincent's
PA Semi record at 6:59 per mile.  Given that this was the first runner, we
we probably didn't support Conrad as much as we should have given the heat
as evidenced by his parched lips and salt rings on his face.  Mike is now
on the course and has a pretty long trail run up and over a hill.

Sat - 3:03PM
Mike runs in and hands off the green band (baton)to me.  I had just
disclosed to my team-mates that I've never run more than 5 miles at once
so this will be my longest continuous run ever. I'm pretty sure that they
were all shocked, as they didn't quite know how to react, but I bet they
were thinking "what is this guy doing with us!"

Mike, meanwhile, comes in and utters his first patented phrase... "That
was harder than I thought."  He also nearly missed a turn on the ill marked
trail but righted himself shortly.  (Another theme soon to be repeated.)


Sat - 3:30PM
I chugged along, ran past this girl who was chatting on the cellfone while
running.  I'm downing water like there's a prize at the bottom of the bottle,
so Van 2 stopped at mile 3 to replenish my water bottle (I used up most of
the water to pour it on my head to cool me down). It's VERY hot at this
point. Probably over 90 degrees out. The head wind was horrible! The 5.6 mile
leg seemed like 10 miles. I was pretty surprised that no teams blew past me.

Sat - 3:55PM
I ran to the exchange zone, just came in running 9:20 minute miles. I've taken
the crown as the biggest sandbagger (estimated 12 minute mile times pre race.)
Dan has just taken off on what has got to be the most brutal leg of this
whole race.  8.9 miles with 1200 ft of vertical climbing.

Sat - 4:45PM
We've pulled over to where Dan should be coming down off the hill.  This is
the first place where we see the "Skirts" team.  They're an all female
masters team from Santa Rosa.  They're at the same intermediate stop
drinking some beers and cheering on their runner.  She flys by saying
"... that's one f****** hard hill!"  Poor Dan. Mike and I stay at that
intermediate point while the rest of them drive to the next exchange for Pete
to warmup. I call up Preetu and update her about the run. My sis calls
to congratulate me as well. Preetu is very proud of me!

Sat - 5:06PM
Dan's looking good as he comes around the corner.  He's not even sweating...
But that could be due to the dry weather instead of uber fitness. Pete's on
the road now with a brutal trafficky leg through downtown then up a large
hill.  Weather is still hot.

Sat - 5:45PM
We're marvelling at this guy who is just absolutely flying on this leg.
Pretty much sprinting up the final hill, I think we hear that he's doing
about 6:15 minute miles.


Sat - 6:06PM
John is running now, and it's a gorgeous country road. He looked to be in
great shape (he is a triathlete, so these kinda runs might be a piece of
cake) . We metup with Van 1, where Sri was warming up (with his wife
and kids cheering for him), John cruised into the exchange point and handed
off to Sri.  Dusk is setting but the whole Petaluma valley is lit up and
just really rich with different shades of green and yellow. Some very scenic
countryside.

Sat - 7:00PM
We're driving out of Petaluma, and need to stop for some gas somewhere on
101.  Heading down to SF, we're planning on crashing at Brian Lilly and
Jesse's places tonight for a few hours.  They live in Noe Valley which
is pretty deep into the city.

Sat - 8:30PM
We've made it to the Jesse and Brian's homes and decide to grab dinner
around the corner  at Noe Valley Pizza.  It's actually really tasty
pasta/pizza place.  After this we head back and take some quick showers
and try to get some sleep.  It's about 9:30 by the time we get to bed. Ranjeet
calls up to wish me at this point.

Sat - 11PM
Sri calls and lets us know that Vincent should be finishing around 12
midnight.  We're all really groggy (except Dan who has watched the Utah/Houston
game with Jesse and Amalia instead of sleeping).  We pack up our stuff,
and rush out to the van where Pete looks like a zombie. John got
"shortcut" directions from Jesse, and we speed off to the exhange point.
We took a route through the Presidio and make it to the exchange point
about 15 minutes before Vincent arrives.

Sun - 12AM
Conrad's off into the darkness.  We have to go find him along the beach,
but not before Van #1 repays our samosa generosity with a box of assorted
pizza.  This is our first night run, but it's looking decently warm for SF.

Sun - 12:20AM
We park somewhere along the beach and give Conrad some water.  There are
NO other vans at this intermediate point which makes us wonder if we're
at the right place.  But sure enough a few runners start filtering though.
Later, Conrad tells us that there was some drug bust happening in his
path around this area.  He was so focused on running that he didn't
recognize Pete trying to shove a bottle of water at him and almost ran
around him to avoid what he thought was the the "random vagabond on
the beach".

Sun - 1:53AM
Mike takes over at Ocean beach and starts running.  His course takes
him through some residential streets and will end up at a Chevron station
somewhere.  Near the end of the run, the topo shows a flat section.
Really, there's a valley between the two marked points.

So, Mike runs down the hill, then decides that this is too much downhill,
and turns around and runs back to the top to take a look around.
Convincing himself that this is the right way he starts back down the hill.
2nd time he's gotten nearly lost. Mike comes in.  How was the run Mike?
"That was harder than I thought!" At this point we've decided that the
van's goal is to catch the Skirts team.  They're only a few minutes ahead
of us and we're slowly reeling them in.  So with window paint in hand, we
redecorate and write "Chasing Skirts" prominently on the van. Conrad is
convinced that we should dump the pizza as even the smell is making him
sick after all that running.  But Mike and Dan both claim that they'll
eat some after their legs so he's stuck with the stinky smell of cheese.

Sun - 2:30AM
I get the green baton from Mike, and I'm on the road.  This leg is on
Skyline and it's pretty dark. I had the headlight from Andrew, and to keep
me warm, John had given me his beanie. I was warmly dressed in layers, and
with a bottle of water in my hand, and my iPod singing "We are the champions",
I jog along, not too sure what pace I was running at. The Van passed me and
they didn't even recognize him. At the 2 mile mark, they hand me a bottle of
cold water, and they head off, cheering for me. This has been smooth sailing
for me so far, and I'm actually enjoying the run!! Its almost full moon, and
with hardly any traffic on Skyline, I watched a couple planes take off and
land at SFO. At the 4.2 mile marker, I had to run 1.6 miles on a bike path,
next to a lake. I got passed by one guy at the intersection of Larkspur Rd.
I arrive at the hand off, healthy and almost smiling, having completed my
longest leg, at 6.5 miles!

Sun - 2:55AM
Dan's on the road for a very short leg now.  We're a bit concerned that
he's going to beat to the exchange point, so we motor over there ASAP.
It's only 4.2 miles an he does finish 28:32 which is a new PA Semi record
(6:47 per mile).

Sun - 3:23AM
Pete's taken over for Dan and his is also a relatively short leg at 3.7 mi.
Pete's not wearing long pants though, and it's getting cold.  He's flying
downhill though, probably because he can't feel his legs.  He finishes
this segment running 7:09 minute miles.

Sun - 3:49AM
Its John's leg now. In his own words "We're at 92 and Canada road right
now and I'm taking over for Pete on this segment. Temperature has dropped
significantly since we're right next to the resevoir.  And I can see my
breath.  The cold air is nice in that it freezes my lungs so I can't feel
the pain.  I've requested that the van meet me at 3 miles (half way through)
just so I can mark the progress.  Where is the dang van!!!  They stop again
at about mile 4 to let me know that we're almost caught the skirts.
She's only 1:40 ahead of me with 1.9 miles to go.  Woo hoo!  Dig dig dig.. "

Sun - 4:48AM
When we drive to the interchange, Van 1 was no where in sight. We call them
a few times, and they were lost. John was almost in the horizon, and Sri
is not here yet. John nearly catches up to her at the exchange, literally
5 ft behind her.  He holds up the arm band, and call out "SRI!"  Nothing....
The rest of Van 2 is standing there saying  "Sri's not here!"  What should
we do? The volunteer is telling us just to send another runner down the road.
Nah we're too far ahead of schedule.  This is cutting into our sleep time!
Grr...  We're in contact with Van 1 and apparently they're somewhere near
Farm Hill road north of us. Sribalan eventually shows up, and starts running,
no warm up, nothing!

With that, we waited about 7:50 minutes but we're off to get some rest.

Sun - 5:05AM
We stop at a McDonalds for a quick pickme up.  Giving Conrad enough time to
digest before his controlled fall the next day is key.  Luckily McDonalds
opens at exactly 5 which means that we have the first batch of food made
fresh for us that morning.

Sun - 6:00AM
Van #2 makes it back to John's house and we make short work of the food and
shower.  I crash on the floor immediately and apparently proceed to have a
few nightmares keeping Dan awake intermittently.  I've no clue what happened
though. I love my air mattress.

Sun - 8:00AM
Somebody calls Pete and gives us a headsup that we've got about 1:15 til Vincent
is at the top of Highway 9 and Skyline.  We quickly pack up and head out.
Up the hill we go.

Sun - 9:16AM
Vincent rocks up the hill and Conrad is just flying down the other side.  There's
bitterness in the car about losing that much time to the Skirts but we
alternate between needing to dump time to avoid a DQ and racing to catch the
skirts.  Meanwhile Conrad finishes in a new PA Semi record of 6:20 minute miles.

Sun - 9:55AM
Mike is out for his last leg.  Mostly downhill he's booking along at a 6:48 clip.
How was that leg Mike?  "That was harder than I thought."  But at least he didn't
backtrack. I thought that we can pay our way out of an early finish, but we're
not so sure.

Sun - 10:28AM
I take off on my 6.5 mile run, leaving Boulder Creek, and headed towards Ben Lomond.
The guys in the van confirm that the organizers are very strict and that they
actually got DQed last year for finishing too far under their ETA.  Smack dab
on the front of the Sandbagger Hall of Shame page they said.  Shortly thereafter,
Sri calls us with the same information. The Skirt was just 100 meters away, but not
for long. Very soon, I could not see her, two more girls passed me (not that they
were flying, they looked tired too), and I passed a guy and a gal. This was certainly
the longest two miles I've ever run. I was thinking of asking Dan or someone to
perhaps run the last mile for me, if need be. My quads were burning, and the heat
was unbearable. I poured plenty of water on my head to keep cool, but that was
hardly enough. Two miles into the run, I saw Preetu, smiling, and cheering for me. She
had caught up with my van, and they were all yelling and screaming for me, and I
got a new lease of life, and another bottle of ice cold water. Preetu was the reason
I actually ran the last 4.5 miles. With half a mile to go, I spotted Leena, Ranjeet,
Sumati, Rishon and Karthik, who were clapping and cheering for me, with Preetu.
You guys are awesome, thanks for showing up, suddenly I got a burst of energy, which
was hidden someplace deep in my beer belly. I finally arrived, running just under
10 mins a mile. What a relief! Go Dan, its all yours.

Sun - 11:27
Dan has another Very Hard leg coming up.  A brutal 6.2m uphill section.  He takes
off right behind one of the elite teams and this other guy, a barrel chested black
guy who is ripped like a football player just sprints out and up this hill.  He
must have passed about 20 other teams on that leg.  We stop to support Dan on the
before the hill, on the hill and after the hill.  Even though he claims to have
walked (which was faster than running he says) he's still going faster than I
can while fresh.  Thanks for taking one for the team, Dan!

At this point, I stayed back with Preetu and the gang, played with Rishon with some
cold water, and I planned to catchup with the runners at the finish line.

John writes the rest of the blog.

Sun - 12:18
HOT.  We're at the Quarry and it's HOT.  Pete's got a significant climb in his
first mile and we've given him a hat to wear because of the sun.  But he dumps
that after a mile as he's not use to running with anything on.  In his own words,
"If I could run naked, I would."  Following this uphill comes a massive downhill.
We stop a few times to give him some water and he's starting to cramp up so we
also deliver some Gatorade.  It's a steep downhill to the next exchange point.
While the upper part is shaded, the last section is wide open and brutally hot.
Remember the Skirts?  Dan almost had them on the hill, but the current gal is
just motoring down the decline.

Sun - 1:14
We talk about strategy in the car.  We're still driven by two forces.  One, can
we catch the Skirts? Two, how do we slow down to not get DQed.  At this point,
I don't think we can catch the Skirts We could have, but that would have DQed us.
So instead, we decide that I'll walk the first mile, and then run the rest of
the leg.  That should give us plenty of time to finish. Stopping a few times to
pick a lemon and some loquats, it's so hard not to run.  The first mile drops
about 200 ft which makes for an easy segment.  I make it out to the beach which
is about 2 miles out and realize the folly of my decision.  This is gorgeous!
I should have run down here and just hung out at the beach for a while!
It's breezy and clear and scenic.

-- End of John' blog.

Sun - 2:05
Preetu and I arrive and meetup with the rest of the runners, from Van1 and Van2,
everyone is tired, and are ready for a beer, food, and SLEEP. Preetu and Vaddu (who
had arrived on the beach and met up with us) are ready at the finish line to
capture the Slugs crossing the finish line as a team. John arrives, and we have
made it. A good 29 hours after starting at Calistoga on the previous day, we cross
the finish line, team #153, having reached the goal!

A few photos were taken, we collected our medals (for completing the relay), ate
a bit, metup with Srivalli and Chethan who had driven down to cheer for me, and left
for home. Leena called up pass on wishes from Anjali and Amit. And where did we
celebrate the successful completion? Zeni, but ofcourse!



199 miles
29 hours (averaged 8.45 mins a mile)
2 hours sleep
Aches, pains and blisters
50th placement
A goal achieved.

Will I do it again next year? For sure!! Maybe I can convince the gang to start training
and do it in 2008!

Bob Dylan in concert - Oct 17, 2006 @ the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

2006-10-18T09:34:00.000-07:00

Concert: Bob Dylan
Location: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Date: Tuesday, Oct 17, 2006

Finally, we got to see the weird voiced genius, live and upclose, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, up in San Francisco. Having listened to his Tamburine-man like a million times, Preetu and I bought the tickets on Ticketmaster (their surcharges suck!!), and we drove up to the city on a cold tuesday night, arriving well before the concert started. 90% of the crowd were hippies, and belonged to the age group of 40-70. And you would imagine that would prevent the guys from lighting up their pipes and smokes.. well, we were in for a shock! There was so much pot that we were dizzy even before the opening act got done!!

Here is the article on the SanJoseMercuryNews:

Dylan keeps it rolling with old-new mix
HIS VOICE, HARMONICA SOLOS AND BAND ARE IN FINE FORM, BUT HIS GUITAR IS MISSED
By Shay Quillen
Mercury News

* Tony Hicks: Dylan's as engaging, and elusive, as ever

The 6-foot-11 Bob Dylan fan standing next to me dubbed the show ``phenomenal.''

And basketball great Bill Walton wasn't the only one in the near-capacity crowd at San Francisco's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium who felt that way.

Dylan, fresh off the overwhelming critical and popular success of his recent ``Modern Times'' CD, showed Monday that he's still got a lot to offer as a live performer.

From the opening number, an unexpected ``Lenny Bruce'' (perhaps in honor of the late comedian's birthday, Oct. 13), Dylan and his band kept fans on their toes with some surprising selections from the songbook, excellent new material and bold rearrangements of familiar tunes.

As in recent years, Dylan spent the whole evening playing organ sounds on an electronic keyboard. He didn't touch a guitar, although he did pull out his harmonica for several of his distinctively primitive solos.

Dylan was backed by a solid five-piece band consisting of longtime bassist Tony Garnier, drummer George Recile, lead guitarist Denny Freeman, rhythm guitarist Stu Kimball and utility man Donnie Herron, formerly of BR549. Like Dylan, all were dressed in black and were wearing black hats, except Herron, who was sporting a David Spade-esque coiffure.

This quintet has coalesced into a tight unit over 18 months on the road, and big showbiz endings on several tunes showed that some effort went into the arrangements.

Not everything worked. ``It's All Right, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding),'' for example, was nearly unrecognizable; the song's torrent of words was chopped up into awkward, rushed phrases that had little to do with the music.

But more often than not, the older songs sounded fresh, and Dylan seemed committed to the material and in sync with his band.

The rarely performed ``Señor'' was a pleasant surprise, and Dylan's first harmonica solo of the night was greeted warmly. ``I'll Be Your Baby Tonight'' sounded great as a nice and easy country shuffle with plenty of pedal steel by Herron. A tough, no-nonsense ``Highway 61 Revisited'' had the fans fired up.

But it wasn't all about the oldies. This show was also the first chance for Bay Area fans to hear material from the acclaimed "Modern Times'' album, and Dylan didn't disappoint, playing four songs from the album.

"When the Deal Goes Down,'' a heartfelt waltz with Dylan doing his best old-fashioned croon, was a high point, as was "Workingman's Blues #2,'' Dylan's ruminations on a theme from Merle Haggard.

Although non-Dylan fans might find the distinction difficult to make, those who had seen Dylan in recent years agreed that he was in fine voice Monday. Despite his voice's obvious limitations, he was putting the songs across well.

Still, it was regrettable that he has totally given up on the guitar. When he first emerged out of his extended creative funk in the mid-'90s, his electric guitar explorations gave the artist another ``voice'' through which to express himself. His organ accompaniment just doesn't have the same impact.

After a closing ``Summer Days,'' a song from 2001's ``Love and Theft'' delivered like something out of a 1950s roadhouse, the band left the stage without a word from Dylan, before returning for a three-song encore.

``Thunder on the Mountain'' from the new album was followed by a rather low-key ``Like a Rolling Stone,'' after which Dylan spoke for the first time, introducing the band.

``All Along the Watchtower,'' pitched about halfway between the original arrangement and Jimi Hendrix's souped-up version, ended the night in style.

At the show's end, Dylan and the band stood at the lip of the stage and accepted the crowd's ovation. Dylan, typically, didn't say a word, didn't wave and didn't smile.

The acoustics at the Bill Graham Civic often are maligned, but the sound was quite good throughout the evening, both for the full-tilt rock of openers Kings of Leon and for the more refined sounds of Dylan and his band.

Roger Waters in concert - Shoreline Amphitheater, Oct 10, 2006

2006-10-18T09:20:00.001-07:00

Concert: Roger Waters
Location: Shoreline Amphitheater
Date: Tuesday, Oct 10, 2006

Purchasing the tickets 6 months ahead of time, we headed out to watch Pink Floyd, sans David Gilmour, at the Shoreline Amphitheater. A soldout show this was, with hardly any breathing space. 50,000 or more Floyd fans, from all age groups, lined up to watch the ageing star Roger Waters on stage. A fabulous show it was!

A review from insidebayarea.com:

Roger Waters takes fantastic trip to the 'Moon'
By Jim Harrington, STAFF WRITER
Article Last Updated:10/11/2006 03:15:40 PM PDT

Roger Waters performs at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Calif. on Tuesday, October 10, 2006. (Ron Lewis - Staff )

It was a sight I'd never seen before and one that I doubt I'll ever be fortunate enough to see again — 20,000 people listening to their all-time favorite album being performed live onstage.

The record was Pink Floyd's 1973 masterpiece, "Dark Side of the Moon," considered by most to be one of the crowning achievements in rock history. It stands tall next to the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" or Led Zeppelin's fourth album or the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" or, really, any classic disc you want to mention.

"Dark Side" was both a commercial and artistic success of nearly unequaled magnitude. It spent a record 741 consecutive weeks on the album charts and sold more than 20 million copies. It also likely spurred more dorm-room discussions over bubbling lava lamps than any other single album.

Thirty-three years after its release, "Dark Side" obviously hasn't lost one iota of its appeal. The capacity crowd that turned out to see former Pink Floyd mastermind Roger Waters re-create the album in its entirety Tuesday night at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View was the largest the venue has seen in 2006.

Many of the fans had waited decades for this occasion. Once they arrived at the Shoreline, Waters made them wait a little longer before rocketing off to the "Dark Side." The album, performed from start to finish and nearly note for note, constituted the singer-bassist's second set.

The first half of the show was dedicated to other highlights of Floyd's mighty catalog and Waters' solo material.

The image that greeted fans was of an antique radio shown on a big screen at the back of the stage. It remained static while the crowd members found their seats. Then, suddenly, a hand came into the picture and began fiddling with the knob, resting for bits of Elvis Presley and Chet Baker. The dial was adjusted one more time and Waters and his 10-piece band launched into the traditional opener, "In the Flesh?"

The tune, originally found on 1979's "The Wall," was full of so much Wagnerian drama and power that classic rock fans couldn't help but scratch their heads and wonder why they don't make music like they used to back when Floyd ruled the earth. That unanswered question remained relevant throughout the evening.

Sticking with "The Wall," Waters sung and strummed acoustic guitar through a moving take on "Mother." He then unfurled his freak flag and waved it in the air on a highly psychedelic version of the comparatively obscure "Set Your Controls for the Heart of the Sun" from 1968's "A Saucerful of Secrets."

The biggest concern was over Waters' ability to compensate for the absence of David Gilmour, the Pink Floyd axe man who juiced up so many of the band's best numbers with amazingly passionate leads. Wisely, he put our worries to rest by having his two electric guitarists, Dave Kilminster and Snowy White, stick as close as possible to Gilmour's original efforts on such tunes as "Mother," "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and "Have a Cigar."

Following solid versions of "Southampton Dock" and "The Fletcher Memorial Home" from Floyd's hugely undervalued 1983 effort "The Final Cut," Waters began to stumble a bit as he dragged fans through some politically charged solo material from 1992's "Amused to Death" and the awkward new song "Leaving Beirut."

He recovered nicely by closing the first set with a powerful rendition of "Sheep" from 1977's "Animals," which opened the door for Floyd's most famous mascot, the huge flying pig, to take to the air above the crowd.

After a short break, Waters and company returned and began playing a version of "Dark Side" that sounded so close to the original album that it was downright eerie. The crowd first sat in rapt attention, barely singing along to songs they all know by heart, as the band opened with "Speak to Me," "Breathe in the Air" and "On the Run." Later, fans leapt to their feet as backup singer Carol Kenyon took center stage and delivered a true vocal clinic on a mesmerizing "The Great Gig in the Sky."

On disc, "Dark Side" lasts some 43 minutes. It probably lasted roughly that same length in concert. Yet it doesn't feel that way. It feels much shorter; Waters put the finishing touches on the masterwork with "Brain Damage" and "Eclipse" well before the audience was ready.

If there had been a repeat button, these fans would have pushed it.

Waters returned with a five-song encore taken entirely from "The Wall," the album that competes most fiercely with "Dark Side" in fans' hearts. The music sounded grand and triumphant, so unlike anything being released today, as Waters pushed his band through "The Happiest Days of Our Lives," "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)," "Vera," "Bring the Boys Back Home" and "Comfortably Numb."

In all, it was a magical night of music — one these fans may never be fortunate enough to experience again. The closest they may come is when the acclaimed Australian Pink Floyd performs Oct. 25 at the Paramount in Oakland and Oct. 26 at the San Jose Civic.

Those shows won't measure up to the experience of "Dark Side of the Moon" — but, then again, nothing does.

Roger Waters in concert - Shoreline Amphitheater, Oct 10, 2006

2006-10-18T09:20:00.000-07:00

Purchasing the tickets 6 months ahead of time, we headed out to watch Pink Floyd, sans David Gilmour, at the Shoreline Amphitheater. A soldout show this was, with hardly any breathing space. 50,000 or more Floyd fans, from all age groups, lined up to watch the ageing star Roger Waters on stage. A fabulous show it was!

A review from insidebayarea.com:

Roger Waters takes fantastic trip to the 'Moon'

By Jim Harrington, STAFF WRITER

Article Last Updated:10/11/2006 03:15:40 PM PDT

It was a sight I'd never seen before and one that I doubt I'll ever be fortunate enough to see again — 20,000 people listening to their all-time favorite album being performed live onstage.

The first half of the show was dedicated to other highlights of Floyd's mighty catalog and Waters' solo material.

If there had been a repeat button, these fans would have pushed it.

Those shows won't measure up to the experience of "Dark Side of the Moon" — but, then again, nothing does.

Sydney rocks, mate!!

2006-09-11T13:12:00.001-07:00

Good day to you, mates..

Flying out of SFO late friday night aboard QF 74, and arriving at Sydney Down Under 14 hours later, the gang of 4 set foot on Aussie soil (or should I say tarmac) all set for a grand vacation. The Desi Nationals had sent us off with the exciting news of their thrilling win over Westgate, and Dumma confirmed that he had bought the flight tickets to Barbados (to watch the cricket world cup, ofcourse) - cant be a better start to our vacations, right mate?

Australians, or Aussies, are a chilled out lot. They even accept goof-balls like me with a smile. When Preetu and I walked up to the Customs checkout, the officer there pointed out to me that I checked all the incorrect columns in the customs form (Do u have tuberculosis - yes! Are you a convict - yes! Are you blah blah blah - yes!!), with a casual flick of his pen, he corrected my blunders, and welcomed us to Australia!! Talk about taking a chill pill!!

Srivalli's cousin (Latha), her kids Suhas and Annika, and her brother Sudhindra, were at the airport to receive us. Ramesh (latha's hubby) was landing at Sydney around the same time as us, after a short trip to B'lore. A half hour cab ride took us to their house in Toongabie (an aborine name, ofcourse), which is close to Parammatta on the north-western side of Sydney.

.. to be continued..

US Visitor Visa Support Documents - 101

2006-08-16T11:25:00.000-07:00

US Visitor Visa Support Documents - 101: If you are sponsoring your parents to visit you in the US, you need to send a heap of documents for the visa interview at your friendly nighborhood US consulate. After going thru' the process 4 times over the past few months, I want to make sure that I remember the process next time over.

Given the fact that visa interviews are hard to come by, plan the trip atleast 6-8 months in advance, and get an appointment for the visa interview at your local US consulate. Your local travel agent can take care of this for you.

Support documents include:
1. Completed I-134 (Affidavit of Support) , notarized.
2. Employment verification letter (from your workplace, on its letterhead, signed by a HR rep).
3. Expenses letter (a letter saying that you will pay for all expenses)
4. Invitation letter (an invitation letter to your parents asking them to visit you)
5. Copy of Green card (or H1B, or US passport)
6. Copy of all passport sheets
7. Copies of 4 paystubs (most recent)
8. Copy of birth certificate
9. W-2 (tax forms) for past 4 years
10. Bank statements for past 3 months

The sponsoree takes these documents, along with their property documents, personal bank statements, NOC (if they are govt employees) and such, to the visa interview - to prove that they wont be potential immigrants to the US!

Paso Robles .. a smaller/better Napa..

2006-08-10T09:04:00.000-07:00

And so, the past weekend, on Sri and Chethan's suggestion, we took off for a wine-tasting trip to Paso Robles, a vineyard town, about 150 odd miles south of the bayarea, along 101 (a few miles south of the Hearst Castle). 11 of us (Sri, Chethan, Tore, Dumma, Leena, Sumati, Karthik, Rishon, Amar, Preetu and me) got into a rented 12 seater van (you guessed it right, it wasnt exactly a van, it was more like a semi, with a total 4-rows of seats), and headed out. Tore-y, Chethan's Accenture colleague, was visiting from Norway, so he was going to experience partying, Desi-shtyle!

With a quick stop at McDonald's @ Garlic-Gilroy, we were back on the highway, with Dumma behind the wheels, and the rest of us chattering away, trying to laugh at Tore's jokes, but having fun anyways :-)

2 hours later, we reached Paso, got off 101 to the route 46-W. Most of the wineries are along 46, and Sri/Chethan had prepped us with detailed maps of the wineries. First stop was at Peachy Canyon. Peachy is known for its red wines - Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Old School House Zinfandel, Rose (not pronunced like the flower, but like Jose, for u wine illiterates). Apart from Tore, I dont think the rest of us were real wine drinkers, perhaps Leena is, but me, naah. It was more like wine shots rather than the sniffy-swirly-sippy-triwly-thing. Preetu and I came to the same conclusion: their Port was the best!

On to Midnight Cellars we went, a few miles away from Peachy. The tasting room was manned by a buffed guy, who eventually told us he was a Top Gun instructor, at Naval Air Station in Fallon, Nevada, and his call sign is "Bull"! Cool, or what!! He, and his girl friend (who was the other person helping out with the wine tasting, who also happens to be a big-time photographer), were helping out at their buddies' winery. Between the two of them, they impressed the heck out us all! All the gals wanted a photo with Bull. Ahem.. Well, the wine at this vinery was awesome too. They make light, and red wines, and the popular ones being their Cabernet "Nebula",Pinot Noir "Aquarius", and their "Gemini" Port. Bull autographed all the bottles that we purchased (yup, plenty a bottle were grabbed), and after about an hour of wine-shots, we were out, a few of us being happily tipsy.

Next stop: Mastantuano. This vineyard has the best looking tasting room of all the ones we had seen so far, at Paso. With the tasting room being atleast three times of the earlier ones, we wandered in, to taste some of their awesome Raspberry Champagne, Port, Muscat Canelli and Chardonnay. Preetu loved the former two so much that we have a bottle of each at home now.

Right across the street on 46, is Four Vines. Here, we got to taste "The Biker" and "Maverick" Zin's, "Naked" Chardonnay, and the Syrah Port. A few shots of wine later, almost everyone was wearing a silly looking tattoo, like "Biker", and "Naked". The tasting room for Rotta winery is right next doors, along with a bakery which was selling fresh made bread, cheese and such. Food!! While some of us enjoyed the bread, the rest of us enjoyed more wine, thanks to Rotta. The two old ladies at the tasting booth were sweethearts, and they poured us wine after wine, Chardonnay, and Merlot, and Muscat Canelli. Sri and Preetu disappeared into the tasting room, only to emerge a few mins later with a crate full of wine. Cheers!!

A quick stop at the York Mountain Winery, and tasting a bunch of their on-sale wines, and buying a crate of their Muscat Canelli's (thanks Karthik), we were on our way up the twisty and windy road to Adelaida. York has some great dessert wines. Adelaida is a bigger winery compared to York, but by the time we got here, most of us were kinda happily tipsy, I found a couch and sat down on it. Only Chethan, Dumma, Sammy and Leena did wine shots here.

The drive into Cambria was eagerly awaited, as none of us could handle any more wine. Tore needed a few stops to catch some fresh air, and a few minutes later, we were checked in at the Cambria Shores Inn, which resides right across from the beach (Sri/Chethan had booked 3 rooms for the lot).

A game of beach volleyball, some frizbee tossing, a few sunset photographs later, we were enjoying the excellent dining at the Black Cat Bistro. Extremely attentive waitresses, and a yummy appetizing menu, amidst lamb chops, chicken, wine and beer, we wished Sammy a happy b'day (while Rishon was buzy scribbling away on the table decor).

No night is complete without some Poker. Amar and Tore took home the lions share, and we were all set to settle down after an eventful day.

A cane basket full of bagels, muffins, orange juice and such welcomed us when we opened the door in the morning. hmm.. this Inn rocks.. not only are the front desk folks extremely helpful, this breakfast sealed it. A 5 star rating is too little for this kinda experience.

After a disappointing lunch at the local Mexican restaurant, we set out back to the valley, a well rested, happy lot, with Amar at the wheels, looking like a bunch of illegal immigrants, trying to sneak across the border.

Great weekend, I should say. Thanks Sri/Chethan, for recommending this place, and making all the arrangements, and thanks Amar, for all the designated driving!

Aussie visa stamping done..

2006-08-03T23:45:00.000-07:00

Priority maio delivered the stamped passports earlier today! 3 month multiple entry visa, valid for a year from today.

Next stop: NewZealand embassy in Los Angeles!

Australian embassy, here we come..

2006-07-21T00:43:00.000-07:00

Finally, the tickets have been booked, and the application package is ready to be shipped to the Australian Embassy in Washington.D.C. The website says that the turn around time is 2 weeks. Assuming the documents reach the embassy on July 26, two weeks is approx Aug 10. If we get the documents back by Aug 12, we have plenty time to get the passport stamped with the NewZealand visas. Thank goodness, the NewZealand consulate is in Los Angeles.

One step closer to our vacation!

Planning: For a trip down-under

2006-07-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

Its that time of the year, time to do some travelling, time to do some relaxing, and time for some fun. Been almost 2 years since my last vacation, I think its high time we got out of the place. And where better than the Kangaroo-land, for some sight-seeing, and getting some adrenaline rush in Queenstown, among the Kiwis.

The travel companions: Mrs and Mr Chandra, Preetu and me.

Tentative itinerary: SFO -> Sydney -> Great Barrier Reef -> Ayers Rock -> Sydney -> ChristChurch -> Queenstown -> Sydney -> SFO

Airlines: AA (using frequent flier miles)

Now, onto to get the Aussie visas:

For non-US citizens, we have to mail in a paper application to the Washington.D.C office. Turn-around time is *3 weeks*. US citizens can apply online. All the documents and forms to be filled up are here: http://www.austemb.org/DIMA/visiting/short_stay_visit.html Phone number to contact the Australian Embassy in D.C: 888-990-8888

For NewZealand:

Winter day in Yosemite National Park

2006-07-09T21:17:00.000-07:00

Winter daytrip to Yosemite National Park

Having made reservations at the Ansel Adams gallery in the Yosemite valley for a 2 hour long photography walk starting at 9AM on saturday morning, Preetu and I woke up early, and left to Yosemite by 5AM. This was our first winter trip to the awesome valley. Weather forecast was cloudy weather for the national park, and it had rained the previous night. Chains had to be carried for the drive into the national park. Guided by our new Garmin GPS, we reached the entrance to national park by 8AM. Right at Groveland, there was snow along the roadside, but nothing that warrantied extra caution.

The national parks pass gave us free entry to the park, but we had to cable up to drive the remaining 20 odd miles to the valley floor. A good 15 mins of huffing and puffing, and we had cabled up. It was almost freezing conditions, and the roads in the park were heavily snow clad. We had about 45 mins remaining to amble to the Ansel Adams gallery (which is right beside the Visitor information center). Tons of snow on the road, and alongside, this was a sight to behold. Hardly any cars around, we were perhaps one of the very few winter visitors to Yosemite. For this reason alone, we should visit Yosemite often :)We sped along, a high and mighty 25-30 miles per hour !! Not fun driving with the cables on, but hey, better safe than sorry. By the time we made it to the valley floor, one of the cables had flown off, and we had no clue where! Yosemite looks breathtaking, with Half Dome, Sentinel Peak, El Capitan, all the peaks snow covered, and a few feet of snow on the valley floors. None of the 100's of people who are omnipresent during summer.

Made it to the Ansel Adams gallery by 9.10AM, and I took off on the 2 hour walk, led by a cute photographer, who spoke about the basics of photography, about how important light was, good times to take photos, exposures, and apertures. She led us to the base of the lower Yosemite falls, explaining to us the do's and dont's all the while. There were about 15 odd people with me. Preetu had decided to stay back in the Ansel Adams center.

A couple hours, and few photos later, I was back at the visitor center, and Preetu and I started driving around the valley floor. Weather started turning sour by noon. Lunch of tomoto rice, curd rice, and chips, courtesy of my darling wife. Took a few pictures of BridalVeil falls, the chapel, Yosemite falls, and by 2PM, it started raining pretty bad.

I bought new cables at the garage, and we headed out of the valley. Snow flurries started in a hurry, and I pulled off the road and put cabled up. It isnt much fun kneeling down on the roadside and fooling around with the cables. Anyways, slowly and steadily, we left the national park, at about 5-10 mph. A little later, at a visibility of 100ft or less, our car suddenly turned 180 degrees in the middle of route 120. Whew! A close call that. Our GPS located a motel close by, but lo and behold, that motel was closed for winter. The other nearest motels were in Groveland, about 15 miles away. Another couple 180 degrees spins, and driving on first gear, at 2-3 mph, for about an hour, and we safely reached below the snowline. Glad to be on even roads now, we got rid of the cables, and drove back home, stopping only to take a few pictures of a breathtaking sunset.

Winters in Yosemite valley is awesome. No tourists, empty roads, and snowclad moutains!! A 4 thumbs up! A must do. We might head back in a few weekends.

More pictures are on our flickr website at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/navjav/sets/72057594085609593/