Catching up...

OK, first, there were a few things that I missed on my re-cap of the 3 weeks home. I think this is the last of it....

- Getting a haircut by my hair dresser Roman. I have been going to him for over 15 years!!! It felt good to get it cut and styled...

- Having to fill my own gas in the car!! Yes, frightful, I know!! Having had the luxury of not having to do it for over a year, I was a bit spoiled!

- Listening to the radio stations from home... and catching up on some of the latest tunes. I realized that I really like 93.9.... they play some songs that take me back to my college days!!

OK, I think that is it for the trip back home!

Moving foward to the 're-entry' into Bangalore....

Once we arrived, it was a comforting feeling to be back with our own things and being able unpack the suitcases. Living out of a suitcase for 3 weeks really sucks!!

The Ozone neighborhood looked pretty much the same. It was good to see the Palm trees. There is an exotic, tropical feeling that comes from seeing palm trees. OK, maybe just for the mid-westerners that only see evergreens and maple trees.

Our friends were excited to see us. Hiran and Kamal and their son Shyl were excited to see us. As was Harshal and Jignasha and their boys Grisham and Sajan. Now keep in mind, Grisham and Sajan had left for the US back in June so the kids reunited after 2 months of being away. It was good because, the kids picked up right where they left off. Milan was reunited with Shruti. She also was gone for the early part of the summer so Milan and Shruti had been apart for over 2 months! Shruti, Milan and Sajan have a little formed a little group. It is nice to see them hang out....

On Wednesday we did the trip to the bus stop so we were able to catch up with the rest of the neighbors. It was nice to see everyone. Overall the crowd at the bus stop was smaller, and a lot of familiar faces were gone. Many have moved back home due to assignments ending, in some cases assignment ending sooner that initially planned!

Our first weekend home was relaxed an low key. Due to the madness of the previous 3 weeks, I vowed to just stay put and do nothing all weekend. So this was a good thing for the driver, as this allowed him the weekend off.

Coming back to work was fine. Nothing new and exciting had happened in 3 weeks. But that was expected.

I can say that there is a nice feeling to be back.... but still an empty feeling leaving our 'other' home.

OK, Moving On..... Last topic!!

Does anyone remember the signifigance of Monday, Aug 17? Let me help you out.... no, not a birthday... or anniversary.... not a local holiday.... It is far grander than any of those.... Aug 17 is the day that Vim has re-joined the workforce!! He started his new job at CISCO. It is a good job and he already knows so many people at CISCO from Ozone (Jignasha, Kamal, Nilesh, Venu, and the list goes on.... ) which helps with the transition. So, here are some initial thoughs from Dev on the differences between 'Life at Cisco' and 'Life at GM'.

- At Cisco almost all the employees have blackberries. At GM only the 3 people have blackberries (seriously, and no, I am not one of them). While most people at GM do have have mobile phones, they are all the basic versions due to the strict rule about 'no camera phones'.

- At cisco, there are a lot of women in leadership positions. At GM, not so much. It is still a very male dominated industry.

- At Cisco, most of the employees have travelled to the US. Most of them have actually worked in the US as part of the 'IT-Boom'. At GM, most people have never been on a plane!

- At Cisco, there is a full campus environment with multiple buildings and restaurants that are all Cisco. At GM, we occupy several different floors of buildings of a Tech Park Complex. Definately lacking the 'campus' feel.

- At Cisco, Vim knew over a dozen people there before he started, at GM, I probably knew 4.

So, those are my initial observations. Is it obvious that Vim got a good deal, and again.... I got the short end... : ) But it is all good!!