DISCLAIMER: The post is ridiculously long even for my standards, continue at your own discretion. Just kidding.
Ahhhh - the joy of July!!!
4th of July weekend, a trip to NY/NJ to meet who else - you guessed it. S, S, Y and A {identities protected as these folks are VIPs and are in the witness protection program of a high profile case}.
With that out of the way, K and I left town on Friday night in a highly tension-filled ride to Milwaukee with traffic problems ensuring that we almost missed our flight to LaGuardia. But, of course we made it to the airport on time (got to say, Kirti ran like a deer to the terminal) and we were on our way.
Flew with Frontier for the first time and must say, in spite of staying true to the words "Discount Airline", the warm and delicious chocolate chip cookies was a welcome surprise.
An hour's drive from LGA to Mahwah gave the 4 of us some much needed face time. It is always fun to meet Sam and Such and this time was no different. After a great dinner (chicken biryani), we sat down (or should I say stood up) for some play time on Sam's newest toy - the Kinect. Thank God for my experience with the Wii, the games were fun, add to it the 55" Samsung flat-screen, it was an awesome night. Called it a night a little past 2:30 AM.
The next day, after picking up Y and A from Newark, the 6 musketeers (or should I say, proud members of T-Group) were off to Edison for lunch. Next stop - Manalapan, NJ for some outdoor Laser Tag. The greatly forested area seemed like a training camp for the US Army with folks in fatigues and the guns resembling the real deal. After a good 2.5 hour fire-drill, without knowing where folks are firing at you and you pretty much staking out your post, it was time to head back home. Overall, the experience could have been better had the playing field been smaller. But if you are not into regular workouts, this was a great way to lose some of the unwanted "areas of ridicule".
After a smooth ride back home with Captain Sam at the controls of the flight a.k.a The Highlander, it was time for some great food (Thank you Such, again) and a round of Carrom. Its been nearly 10 years since I last played, but it was good to get the fingers have some fun as well. Called it a night well past midnight with a promise to get out of home early for our planned trip to the Poconos.
And it was Sunday, clearly 2+ hours behind schedule and the heavens wanting to explode. And explode it did, with the 2 hour journey to the Poconos (Bushkill Waterfalls, in particular) almost sabotaged by the downpour. It was deja-vu all over again (Re: Memorial Day disaster) but this time, nothing was going to stop the determined group. With the plans to go river-tubing washed aside, we concentrated on our efforts to enjoy Bushkill to the max. And boy, it did not disappoint. Great hiking trails and a terrific waterfall (I am talking to you, Bridesmaid Falls), it was a fantastic way to spend a rain-drenched holiday weekend. All 6 of us took turns underneath the tremendous power of the falls, with the boys spending some extra time right near the feet. Looking at us, a few more folks braved the water and jumped in. Normally it would be Sam taking the lead, but this time it was Yog who egged Sam to join him. K's constant pestering about me being careful in the rains (considering what happened last time around I was getting all macho) was to no avail as I too had no reservations about taking a dip.
Thank God, my health stayed the course and I was not a nuisance to the rest of the gang. After completing the 2 hour trek, we went to a shooting range where we actually fired real weapons. Another first for me and K, we shot a 44 mm revolver and were just about to fire an AK-47 when it was time and the range closed. So close, yet so far. The recoil from the 44 mm Magnum Research was so powerful that it was unbelievable at first but then the "macho" in me brought back a sense of control.
It was time to head back to NJ and cap off the night with some Malaysian food at Penang (when K insists, all the horsemen bow down to the queen).
Next day with our return trip to Chi-town looming, we headed to NYC and explore some unvisited locations, namely Wall Street, Ground Zero and Central Park. With those in the bank, we bid adieu to Y, A, Sam and Such and spent another 2 hours at LGA with our flights delayed.
We finally got back home and dreaded the next 4 days of work. I was praying that the workload be light and guess what, the Lords up above listened. While starting tomorrow, the pains of a grueling schedule will try to take its toll, the weekend trip with these guys gave us a much needed break and a fresh start to July.
Until next time, Good Night and Good Luck!!
Ahhhh - the joy of July!!!
4th of July weekend, a trip to NY/NJ to meet who else - you guessed it. S, S, Y and A {identities protected as these folks are VIPs and are in the witness protection program of a high profile case}.
With that out of the way, K and I left town on Friday night in a highly tension-filled ride to Milwaukee with traffic problems ensuring that we almost missed our flight to LaGuardia. But, of course we made it to the airport on time (got to say, Kirti ran like a deer to the terminal) and we were on our way.
Flew with Frontier for the first time and must say, in spite of staying true to the words "Discount Airline", the warm and delicious chocolate chip cookies was a welcome surprise.
An hour's drive from LGA to Mahwah gave the 4 of us some much needed face time. It is always fun to meet Sam and Such and this time was no different. After a great dinner (chicken biryani), we sat down (or should I say stood up) for some play time on Sam's newest toy - the Kinect. Thank God for my experience with the Wii, the games were fun, add to it the 55" Samsung flat-screen, it was an awesome night. Called it a night a little past 2:30 AM.
The next day, after picking up Y and A from Newark, the 6 musketeers (or should I say, proud members of T-Group) were off to Edison for lunch. Next stop - Manalapan, NJ for some outdoor Laser Tag. The greatly forested area seemed like a training camp for the US Army with folks in fatigues and the guns resembling the real deal. After a good 2.5 hour fire-drill, without knowing where folks are firing at you and you pretty much staking out your post, it was time to head back home. Overall, the experience could have been better had the playing field been smaller. But if you are not into regular workouts, this was a great way to lose some of the unwanted "areas of ridicule".
After a smooth ride back home with Captain Sam at the controls of the flight a.k.a The Highlander, it was time for some great food (Thank you Such, again) and a round of Carrom. Its been nearly 10 years since I last played, but it was good to get the fingers have some fun as well. Called it a night well past midnight with a promise to get out of home early for our planned trip to the Poconos.
And it was Sunday, clearly 2+ hours behind schedule and the heavens wanting to explode. And explode it did, with the 2 hour journey to the Poconos (Bushkill Waterfalls, in particular) almost sabotaged by the downpour. It was deja-vu all over again (Re: Memorial Day disaster) but this time, nothing was going to stop the determined group. With the plans to go river-tubing washed aside, we concentrated on our efforts to enjoy Bushkill to the max. And boy, it did not disappoint. Great hiking trails and a terrific waterfall (I am talking to you, Bridesmaid Falls), it was a fantastic way to spend a rain-drenched holiday weekend. All 6 of us took turns underneath the tremendous power of the falls, with the boys spending some extra time right near the feet. Looking at us, a few more folks braved the water and jumped in. Normally it would be Sam taking the lead, but this time it was Yog who egged Sam to join him. K's constant pestering about me being careful in the rains (considering what happened last time around I was getting all macho) was to no avail as I too had no reservations about taking a dip.
Thank God, my health stayed the course and I was not a nuisance to the rest of the gang. After completing the 2 hour trek, we went to a shooting range where we actually fired real weapons. Another first for me and K, we shot a 44 mm revolver and were just about to fire an AK-47 when it was time and the range closed. So close, yet so far. The recoil from the 44 mm Magnum Research was so powerful that it was unbelievable at first but then the "macho" in me brought back a sense of control.
It was time to head back to NJ and cap off the night with some Malaysian food at Penang (when K insists, all the horsemen bow down to the queen).
Next day with our return trip to Chi-town looming, we headed to NYC and explore some unvisited locations, namely Wall Street, Ground Zero and Central Park. With those in the bank, we bid adieu to Y, A, Sam and Such and spent another 2 hours at LGA with our flights delayed.
We finally got back home and dreaded the next 4 days of work. I was praying that the workload be light and guess what, the Lords up above listened. While starting tomorrow, the pains of a grueling schedule will try to take its toll, the weekend trip with these guys gave us a much needed break and a fresh start to July.
Until next time, Good Night and Good Luck!!
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