A Real Analysis of The Buick Anniversary Celebration
“When I get my masters degree,” I thought at the time, “I’ll find a job. I’ll have my own private office and my own administrative assistant. I won’t have ‘my’ desk stuck in a huge room full of desks.”
Aside: I got my private office and a very capable administrative assistant in my first job after graduate school (which ended with a Ph.D.) Unbeknownst to me, it was the end of an era. The rest of my professional career was a mad race to get promoted fast enough to maintain one of the ever-shrinking jobs that warranted a ‘private office’. It was a race that I eventually lost as my employers went from offices to cubicles to open plans to hoteling. The apex of my career, measured by job title and compensation, was a return to graduate school: a desk in a huge room full of desks. Except it wasn’t even ‘my’ desk, it was a general use desk that I captured if I got to the London office early enough. But back to Georgia Tech.
One lovely autumn day in Atlanta, I discovered an advantage of the bullpen arrangement. Arriving, as usual, mere minutes before the class I was teaching, I was astonished to see a lovely young lady with a big smile talking to one of my office mates. At the time, ladies were rare at Georgia Tech. (Lovely ladies were rare everywhere.) Uncharacteristically, I barged into a discussion about Real Analysis, a graduate level math course. (Real Analysis was the reason I switched from the Math program to Computer Science. Well, — part of the reason. I also wanted to find a job.)
I determined that the young lady was Persian (and, unlike my bullpen colleagues, I knew something about Persia). I committed her name (but not the correct spelling) to long-term memory. And I missed the start of the class I was teaching. That evening, with administrative access privileges (the skills learned in the computer program were very helpful) I located the correct spelling and, importantly, the phone number associated with the happy smile.
A couple of years and an “asking for your daughter’s hand” phone call with an Admiral) followed before that young lady, Shahrnaz (Nazy) and I were married. Many years later we’re still celebrating that wonderful event. Our offspring are unique and happy. Our ‘grandspring’ is cheerful and wonderful. And we continue to celebrate anniversaries — most recently this week
Flashback
Hanover, NH 1997
I was on the phone with my Dad.
“… and, Dan,” Dad said, “I just want to say: ‘Happy Anniversary’.”
“Why Dad, you old romantic, I’m amazed that you remembered.”
“Yep, Dan. 25 years. You were married the year we bought the Buick. I’m sure glad your marriage worked out better than that car.”
End Flashback
Nazy and I have had many memorable anniversary celebrations…
“Like the time you were enjoying yourself in Nigeria while I was in The Hague.”
“For sure I wasn't enjoying myself in Nigeria…”
“Or the time you were in Amsterdam while I was in Zurich.”
“I made it back on time — with a bottle of Champagne”
“You only had the Champagne because the KLM flight attendant remembered that you had an anniversary. And what about just a couple of years ago when you were in Geneva and I was in Santa Barbara?”
“I was trying to get home. The flights were disasters.”
“If you really wanted to get home, you wouldn’t have chosen United Airlines.”
“Touché!” I thought. “Surely, Nazy, you’ll agree that I didn’t miss all of our anniversaries?” I said, secure in the knowledge that I’d been around this year.
“Of course, not, Dan. Not every one…” Nazy replied.
“I’m not perfect.” I replied. Imprudently.
“ …. there was the time we went to Sicily. That was an anniversary to remember.”
“It would have been better if your purse and our passports hadn’t been stolen.” I recalled.
“And remember Palermo? The city tour highlighted ruins from a World War II bombing.”
“Of course I remember! That’s why, for the last 10 years, we’ve been staying near home to celebrate anniversaries.”
We were treated to a wonderful dinner at Tydes overlooking the ocean and then to the really funny movie ‘Inside Out’.
As you can see from the photos in this edition of The Weekly Letter, family is an extremely important part of our life together. In the middle of my (office-less) career, I spent a lot of time traveling. In fact, while we were living in Zurich, I almost never actually worked in Zurich. I flew to London or Amsterdam or Frankfurt or New York almost every week. In fact, for ten years, I never slept in my own bed more than 4 days in a row. Retirement gave me the opportunity and pleasure to live at home. And Nazy and I continue to have fun together. Grandparenthoood is our newest adventure.
For last week's letter, click here
Dan and Nazy
