Anthems !

This morning, NPR featured a small segment on the state of Colorado voting on a second (?) state song – a John Denver tune. That was news to me – I did not realize that states actually had official songs, especially ambiguous, trippy ones like "Rocky Mountain High". Here are my suggestions on state songs for places I have resided in:

North Carolina: The Rolling Stones, “Time Is on My Side” – Things don't exactly move quickly down there.
Massachusetts: Yes, “Roundabout” – what tourists are flummoxed by, also called rotaries
California: Pink Floyd, “Money” – seems to be the topmost item on most people's mind in the Bay Area
Alabama: The Moody Blues, “Nights in White Satin”— I would spell it Knights, and remember that the satin sheets have eye holes :-)
Georgia: R.E.M., “Losing My Religion” – Not !! They have Baptist churches on every street corner
Ohio: The Animals, “We Gotta Get Out of This Place”. – Sorry, but I felt that way and took off after 6 months..
New Jersey: Nirvana, “Smells like Teen Spirit” – Plenty of teen spirit along the chemical/industrial stretch of the NJ Turn pike.

and finally

West Bengal, India: Woody Guthrie, “This Land Is Your Land”. The State Govt. has moved on to the second line -- this land is MY land.

Abraham and Isaac sitting on a fence

I did not blog the day I became a father, but I expressed my feelings through pictures. Today, four+ months into fatherhood, I can say that it has been quite an experience. It did not change my life the day it happened, and even now the same holds true. However, there is no doubt that our lives have become full of very joyful experiences, despite a perennial feeling of tiredness that hangs around our shoulders.

The mailbox at home now has 3 different last names on it - गंगोपाध्याय, गांगुली & लाहिरी - practically a village (Any resemblance to names seen in The Namesake is purely coincidental) ! The only mail I get in Oyon's name are bills, so maybe we were premature in sticking his name up there। We should have at least waited till he could read !