Besides answering the common question, “What are you up to these days?”, this now page is a good reminder of my priorities.
UPDATED 2018-12-30
Health
I was at home at the end of December, recovering from a thyroidectomy. I had scheduled surgery on 17th Monday. The surgeons were concerned about my elevated heart rate and body temperature.
My surgery was pushed back while the surgeons conferred. I was moved to a monitoring room to monitor my temperature, pulse and blood pressure and put on beta blockers to reduce my heart rate. I woke up in the recovery room.
My heart rate was still elevated, my surgeon had me stay in the hospital 48 hours for observation. My neck and throat area were in intense pain and my through hurt. But I was recovering quickly. I was home by Wednesday afternoon.
My neck was sore (pain!) and I was on painkillers until Friday 21 December but I was back to work by the following Wednesday. I was not allowed to drive until I could easily turn my head so I worked remotely that week.
Life has its trying moments.
Family
Shaan had a tough year adjusting to being away at college in 2017 but is adjusting well in the sophomore year. Shaan switched to psychology.
Kiran is now 18 and preparing for college. I’m filling out financial aid forms and feeling anxious about the future. Bhavna and I have discussed what to do when it’s just the two of us. We plan on taking more trips. Once the kids are finished with college we are considering a move to a cheaper state.
My wife’s brother and his wife welcomed a new baby into the family. She is 19 years younger than Shaan.
Work
I no longer consult for the New Jersey Courts. I joined the information security team at CLS Bank as an information security architect in June 2018.
Travel
Bhavna and I took one item off our bucket list this year. We booked a hot air balloon ride over Letchworth, and we spent a weekend at Seneca Lake, hiking along the trails lining some beautiful waterfalls. We had so much fun. Our only regret is that we did not do these sooner when our kids were younger.
Photography
2018 was a bad year for photography. My trusted Nikon D5100 was dropped and the mirror mechanism was broken. I borrowed a Canon 5D Mk III and lens form a friend but I wanted my own camera. After much consideration, I sold all my Nikon gear and purchased a Fuji X-T2 + Fujinon XF16-66mm F2.8 WR OIS lens.
I started a photo project where I post the best image taken with my camera that week. The image will be posted on the Sunday of the week. I can take one or 100 photos for the week but I will post only one, the best one.
Web Tech
In 2017, I started the process of adding IndieWeb features to my website by installing and configuring a set of IndieWeb WordPress plugins. These have greatly expanded the ability of the blog with a more sophisticated commenting system and integrations with social media.