Kyle Banerjee's Blog

Groucho Marx had it right, so I’m stealing his quote for the title of this post. I’ve been on vacation for the past week while I wait for my new job to start. It’s really flown by, but I must say it’s the strangest vacation I can remember.

I was hoping to rest, tinker with my bicycles, and goof off. In particular, I really wanted to ride my new bike pictured here.

Things haven’t quite worked out that way. I spent my first day of vacation attending a committee meeting. The past two days have been spent working at a conference (I made the commitment before I had any idea I would be changing jobs or going on vacation). And it turns out that this new book I’m writing requires more revision than I expected. If someone had told me a year ago that this would be how I’d spend my vacation, I would either would have told them they were insane or that I hoped they’d have the decency to have me committed.

The good news is that things are starting to return to normal. In a few hours, my work at the conference will be done. And I will ride my new bike tonight. Tomorrow, we go to the beach for a whole week — we’ve never been for more than a couple days before. And I’m hoping to be bored, because the only way to be bored is if you have nothing to worry about.

This past weekend, I celebrated my 40th birthday. Without any exaggeration, I can say it was the best birthday I can remember. Although a few people I would have liked to see couldn’t make it to my party this weekend, most of the people I wanted to see the most were there and we had a great time.

40 is an interesting milestone. The body and mind still mostly work, and you’ve had enough time to figure out what’s important to you acquire the resources to make those things come about. I can’t think of an age I’d rather be.

Having said that, I understand why some people go through a midlife crisis. As time passes, you get past your prime and the virtually unlimited range of options you once faced narrows considerably. Hair falls out and turns gray. You realize that if you’re going to do something, you need to make it happen before the clock runs out.

All I really wanted for my birthday was some good company and for Keiko to still be well enough to enjoy it too. I got both of my wishes and more. I start a new job in just a few days, a new book that I coauthored comes out soon, and I have a lot of great rides planned for the year. Doesn’t get much better than that.