The Rosette nebula from Monoceros constellation at 5K light years is one of the brightest nebula in the sky. The cluster of young stars (~4mil yrs) in the center provides the energy that makes this cloud glow. As always the streaks of dark dust are the striking features. #astro
My son will be going off to college in North Carolina this Fall. We have a few months to wrap our heads around the fact that he will be going outside of this nice New England bubble that he grew up in. I am sure the transition will be stressful for him/us but, hope it will not be toxic.
May 1st is college decision day. It is final. This Fall, my son will be joining the class of 2027 at Davidson College in Davidson, NC. He is currently thinking of majoring in Physics. Let’s see what direction the liberal arts education takes him as he starts taking classes.
OMG! Just realized that my streak on Day One is longer than one year.
Thanks for getting me started, @pratik !!!
This Eastern Redbud is absolutely the most favorite tree in our yard. I planted this as a little sapling more than 10 years ago. Happy to see it thrive over the years.
On grieving
I grew up in a religious household but, in my current life, I am not religious and am a non-believer. We do celebrate Hindu festivals as a tradition (food and merriment) but not their religious aspects. Two weeks ago, when my father passed away my bother and I rushed back to India to be with my mother. When I learned about all the religious ceremonies I was expected to participate in as the elder son, I was in two minds. I didn’t want to do all that as I no longer believed in it. At the same time, my dad was moderately religious and although we never talked about it, he would have wanted me to do all the rituals for him. Also, I didn’t want my uncles, aunts and other relatives to say to my mom (or behind her back) that her kids didn’t do any of this for their father to ensure his safe passage into the afterlife.
After some thought, I decided to go through with all the prescribed rituals on 5th, 10th, 12th and 13th day after my dad’s passing. The 13th day marks the end of the grieving period with a big meal with family and friends. It is time to move on even though the void left by loss of a loved one is hard to fill. As I look back at the process, I am glad that I did all that. It was good to have this schedule of events. It helped with the grieving process by providing it a structure rather than us just sitting around and not feel like doing anything.
As I talked with friends and relatives, I found a silver lining to this shocking loss. Even with some age-related issues, my dad was mobile till the end and was proud that he took care of himself. He passed away peacefully in sleep with no sign of pain or suffering. I think one has to be very fortunate (lot of good karma) to go like this. I hope for the same when my time comes.
One thing I like about Apple Music is that when you search for a song by its name, it finds all the covers as well. Currently, I am obsessed with Bob Dylan’s “Don’t think twice, it’s alright”. It is fantastic to find 30+ covers of this song. Listening to this for more than an hour already.
If you are planning to buy I-series savings bonds, do it today. You can still get 6.88% interest rate for the next 6 months. From May 1st, the interest rate will go down to 3.88%.
“In 20 years, this country will be run by people who were homeschooled by day drinkers.”
Saw this sign somewhere. Sad but true.
My dad passed away last night in his sleep, just a few months short of his 80th birthday. It was such a shocking news as he was doing OK and had no serious illness. I am glad that he didn’t suffer and was at home with my mom next to him when he passed away. Also, he was mobile and took care of himself till his very last day.
He was a very good father who supported his kids (sons, nephews and nieces) in all their adventures in every way. It was always nice to hear his excitement when we shared with him all our achievements - big and small - academic, professional and “other”. He loved spending time with his grandkids - always ready for a game of cards or chess.
He was an excellent carrom player who won many tournaments in his college days and was also a big fan of cricket until recently when he thought that IPL destroyed cricket.
He enjoyed traveling and all good things in life. Even as age related issues and the pandemic put restrictions on his travel since 2019, he came to visit us in the US last year and we got to spend 3 months together. That was very nice and we will fondly remember that visit.
On my way to India to support my mother and do the needful. I won’t get to see him as cremation is already done.
The number of pickup trucks outnumber cars on the road in all 50 states. I really wonder why! People complain so much about high fuel costs but they make the wrong decision while purchasing a vehicle that gobbles up large amounts of that said expensive fuel.
Mars and M35
Mars visiting Gemini on March 30, 2023. Open star cluster M35 at the bottom is at 2600 light years away and made up of young stars that are only 100 million years old. At the bottom right, the cluster of yellow stars (NGC2158) is made up of stars that are 10 times older and 6 times farther.
One of the Tennessee legislators that got expelled, Justin Pearson, is a Bowdoin graduate. My daughter is proud to be associated with him that way and seems like a lot of chatter about him on campus.
Not sure if it is allergies or if I caught a cold, but it surely isn’t Covid. That is what the test said.