It was the 11th day of May 1997. My dad and I were going to embark on our first ever NBA playoff game between the visiting Chicago Bulls and the hometown Atlanta Hawks. I knew I was going to see future hall of famers like Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dikembe Mutombo play ball. What I did not know was that those who entered the arena three hours prior to tipoff had a chance to stand courtside and watch players practice as long as they had a lower bowl seat.

I remember entering the Omni and seeing Toni Kukoc practice free throws. It just seemed natural to walk down there from our 17th row seats and watch these guys shoot and pass to each other (you know, as long as we stayed behind the yellow rope).

What I did not expect was the opportunity to meet a sports broadcaster who would later be known as a beloved, legendary, awe inspiring individual. The funny thing about running into Craig Sager on this day was that it was CRAIG who was walking towards me and my father. It was as if this guy wanted to eagerly greet this father/son duo. Perhaps, he was thinking of his own children while walking towards us.

As we were walking to the designated “viewing area” , Craig was standing directly in front of us, and my dad looked to me and said joyfully, “Recognize this guy?”

Then Craig extends his hand and says very proudly, “Craig Sager, TNT Sports!”

My reply is quite simply, “We know who you are. You’re a great announcer.” I joyfully said these words as I was shaking his hand. He replied in a humble manner, “Thank you. Thank you.”

Craig shook my dad’s hand as well, and he walked to another area. And my dad and I made our way to the “viewers’ area” behind the basket to watch Toni Kukoc, Steve Kerr, the late Brian Williams (he would later be known as Bison Dele), and Luc Longley practice.

At the time I was only 17 years old, and I had no idea at the time how those few seconds I spent with Craig Sager would impact me on a day such as today. Having gone through the rigors of medical school and residency and losing my own mother during medical school, I do know that death is an inevitable part of life. Craig Sager passed away today after a long hard fight with leukemia. If it took Craig only a few seconds to inspire me and touch my heart, I can only imagine the sense of anguish and grief his family and friends are experiencing today.

The one thing people point out when I show them the pic I took of him that day is that Craig Sager is wearing a “normal” business suit. Craig was always known for wearing colorful clothes during his assignments. NBC was covering the game that day. Hence, it was Craig’s “off day”, so maybe he wasn’t in the mood to look all glamorous.

Craig didn’t need the flashy clothes to be glamorous on that day. He warmed my heart as well as my father’s. I remember watching him interview Michael Jordan a week later in Chicago (surprise, surprise, the Bulls won the series in relative ease and were playing in the eastern conference finals) and thinking to myself, “I met Craig Sager. I met the guy who is interviewing Michael Jordan. This feels so special.” Having such a low self esteem as a teenager with brown skin growing up in south Georgia, Craig will have had no idea how much those precious few seconds with him meant to me.

I was 17 years old at the time and already felt as if I met a truly unique, special human being. And this was still the late 90s and WAY BEFORE Craig Sager would truly become the iconic sideline reporter we would all come to know and love.

I turn 37 years old next month. As the days go by and the years go by, people will eventually leave us. That part is inevitable. I know if my mother were still alive today, she would probably enjoy my reflections of Craig Sager, even though she never had a clue about sports.

We didn’t lose anyone today. We only gained another angel– a very colorfully dressed angel at that. Maybe he’s giving my mom some pointers about basketball.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his beloved family and friends.

#SagerStrong

I had a good stay in Las Vegas but am really happy to be back in Colorado.  Snow is falling over the mountains and I am ready to ski the entire weekend away.  The air is cold which make for a refreshing change when you go outside. Yeah, I’m a winter person.

I’ve been traveling too often during the past few months. Hence, I am looking forward to staying put in Colorado for some time.  I am traveling to Mexico City in March to see Metallica, but that is a ways away and of course I am looking forward to it.

Looking forward to making more winter memories here.

The above lyrics were written approximately 30 years ago but resonate today more than ever. Today is a day which many in the USA will regard as a day for thanks and a day to eat turkey. Many will regard today as a day which marks the beginning of the genocide of the Native Americans.

One thing is certain.  Today is a day we should be grateful that Freddie Mercury and his band Queen gave us such wonderful music. Today is the 25th anniversary of the day Freddie Mercury died.  Personally, I’m going to use today to be grateful for what I have and, moreover, find a way that I can be a better man and a better citizen for this planet.

We’re still waiting for “The Miracle”, Freddie.  May you live forever through the precious gifts you gave us in your music.

 

Well, wasn’t that a fun few days.  Yes, I know what happened in the U.S. election. Yes, I know who our next President is.  Yes,  I still stand as a proud Libertarian.  What am I going to do about this?

I am going to live my life.  Racism, injustice, Nazi graffiti, and everything else that comes with it existed long before this election even started and will continue to exist long after I am gone from this earth. Did any of that stop me from becoming the multilingual world traveling doctor and outdoor adventurer that I am today? (Hint: it didn’t. Not even by a long shot.)

I cannot wait to see my friends in Denver tonight and cannot wait to get on a plane to Texas to see Black Sabbath this Saturday.  I have been going to too many big rock concerts in stadiums and arenas lately, and I hope that I can attend smaller club/theatre shows in the next year which have a more intimate vibe with bands/performers.

I know that I live in a volatile environment, but I’ve known this ever since I was five years old. I will continue to have one eye over my shoulder as usual, but I won’t allow it to be an impediment. Life is a thing, and I’ll continue to do my thing the way I know how to do it best.

 

I’m obviously very excited to be in San Antonio next weekend for the final Black Sabbath concert in the United States, and I do have to admit, it will be a nice distraction pending what happens this upcoming Tuesday regarding our presidential election.

I said from the very beginning of February right after his announcement to run as a Libertarian, that my support would go whole heartedly to Governor Gary Johnson, and I could not be any prouder to have lended my time, financial contribution, and, moreover, my vote to him and Governor Bill Weld.

I can pretty much accept that Governor Johnson is not going to become President and that it’s either going to be Trump or Clinton. What I CANNOT and WILL NOT accept is this notion that Governor Johnson is an idiot or that a vote for him is a wasted vote or even a vote for Trump.

Governor Johnson only has $12 million at his disposal from mainly donations while the other two major candidates have hundreds of millions of dollars at their disposal to buy the media and get pre-rehearsed questions in advance. Governor Johnson has had to work 1000 times harder than anyone for any coverage and out of the hundreds of hours of media coverage and the lack of sleep and comfort, he is going to be judged because of a mistake about “Aleppo.”

I’m a board certified, licensed doc who has delivered babies and saved lives, and if I ever get my entire livelihood judged by a minor slip up, I would be devastated.  It’s sad and it’s hurtful that our society and political process has become a reality show about trending tweets and 10 second video flubs.

We had a candidate who has ALWAYS been for gay/immigrant/black/hispanic,etc. rights.  We had a candidate who supported stopping the useless wars, stopping government taxation and corporatism, and stopping the death penalty. Moreover, we had a candidate with a willingness to admit he is wrong and be humble.  We had a candidate who would be willing to listen should he be wrong about an issue and would be willing to change his mind for the better and learn something from it.  And now he’s been thrown away because of “Aleppo.”

We had a candidate who is a fitness enthusiast, a mountain climber, and avid skier.  He was a two term governor who ran as a Republican (Libertarian in Republicans’ clothing) in a Democratic state. We had a candidate who created opportunity for those in New Mexico, and when jobs and opportunities came about for those people, Governor Gary Johnson merely said, “I did not create one single job in New Mexico.  I simply cut regulation so that the people would have a chance and create their own opportunities.”  This is the candidate that the United States of America, a supposed democracy, has thrown away.  A humble, dedicated individual who put everyone before himself and never took credit for the well being of his constituents.  This is the person we “as a people” deemed not qualified enough to be President.  Rather, we should elect a narcissistic, sexist, egotistical maniac or a person who has used “philanthropic” organizations to funnel money and give political favors to greedy corporations and rogue nations.

I could have had a President who is a health and fitness enthusiast.  I could have had a President who would have closed Guantanamo Bay. I could have had a President who would make it easier for someone to work in the U.S., regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, what have you.  I could have had a President who would have fought for congressional term limits and stopped government lobbies.  I could have had a President who would have eliminated the IRS and made it easier for American citizens to be in a more well off position rather that have the government take more money so that the useless wars and military industrial complex would continue.  If you have ever paid taxes for the U.S. government, you have blood on your hands, and you should be furious about it.

Due to the exclusion by the corrupt Committee of Presidential Debates, the general public did not get to hear Governor Johnson’s and Governor Weld’s points of view. This more or less showed that the United States is NOT a democracy, but rather an autocracy.   And most American citizens just looked the other way and accepted this as business as usual.

For once in my lifetime, I could have had a President, who pretty much represented everything I would have wanted in a President.  Alas, he was never given a fair chance in this rigged system.

And I will never forget this.

And just like that we made it to the end of October with two months left to go in 2016.  Where did the time fly and, moreover, how fast did all of this really occur?!

I still feel very fortunate that I was able to see Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, The Who, and Roger Waters in California over a week ago.  Seeing the Stones and Paul McCartney on the same weekend was my main highlight, but every one of these legendary artists on the same bill will have a place in my memory for a very long time.

There is already snow in the mountains here in Colorado, and I am REALLY looking forward to my second season of skiing.  I’ll get out on the slopes in the middle of November most likely after my trip to San Antonio, Texas to see Black Sabbath.  I already can’t wait and am ready to immerse myself in the endless patches of white snow.

I hope to end 2016 in a great way.  I’m already looking forward to the new year and turning 37 years old.  I hope to get to Argentina some time next year, but we’ll see how everything goes.  In the meantime I’m looking forward to camping again this weekend and doing some rock climbing.

Yes, Colorado really is the best place to live.

Just got back home from a brief visit in Athens and Atlanta Georgia.  Had a blast seeing some old faces and seeing my hometown of Athens. Just wish my Georgia Bulldogs would have played better against Ole Miss, but that’s okay.

I was happy to visit but was already eager to get back to Colorado.  The fall weather is upon us here and soon the mountains will be covered in snow and we will be ready to ski.  This part of the year excites me the most and I hope to be outside this weekend.

Soon I’ll be going to Indio, California for the Desert Trip concert featuring Paul McCartney and Rolling Stones.  Should be a legendary show.  Until then I hope to get as much as I can out of the Colorado fall weather.

It’s been approximately 5 weeks since I moved out to the eastern plains of Colorado and I am happy to say that I fully settled into my home and my role as a local physician here.  Over the past weekend I was able to get out west and do some rock climbing with some very cool friends and needless to say, it was a blast!

I also ended up doing some MAJOR grocery shopping as I am actually limited in grocery stores around the small town where I currently reside.  And this is where the title of the blog post comes into play.  Growing up in southeast Georgia and having an Indian mom who wanted Indian vegetables and Indian spices, we had to make regular trips to Atlanta to shop for all of these things in Indian stores and farmers’ markets.  I always enjoyed these trips because it was a chance to go the big city with all the big buildings.

After spending time with friends I shopped like crazy in Denver for things like almond milk and Trader Joe’s supplies.  I bought coffee, spices, raisin bread, brown rice, peanut butter, etc. The grocers probably thought I was preparing for the apocalypse.

I really like my situation now and am really looking forward to the winter.  I’ll be putting some snow tires on my car and drive out to the mountains to ski whenever I get the chance.  I just really want the weather to get cold now.  In that regard I think I differ from my parents, who always enjoyed the warm weather of southeast United States and India.

I’ve lately been on a BIG Queen binge since Freddie Mercury’s birthday was this past week and an asteroid was named in his honor as well.  Freddie would have been 70 years old.  It’s also really hard to believe that come November it will have been 25 years since he passed away from AIDS.  A solemn reminder that all of us are aging and doing the best we can with the life we have.

I was only 6 years old when Queen did their last tour and subsequently only 11 years old when Freddie Mercury passed away.  Needless to say, I didn’t have a chance to see Queen live, but I don’t feel bad about it, since there really wasn’t a way for a kid like me growing up in southeast Georgia to have a chance to attend a Queen show.  At the time my main preoccupation were Gobots and Transformers.

I’ve watched almost every Freddie Mercury documentary and Queen video I can find online these past few days.  I never saw Queen live or even listened to their music while they were touring, but it is amazing how one man can reach so many people and inspire them in some way.  When you listen to a song like Innuendo, it’s hard to believe that Freddie Mercury was breathing his final breaths while singing so powerfully on what would be his final album while alive.  It is inspiring that he kept recording passionate music until the day he left this world.

It might sound silly to say this about someone I never really met, but I really love Freddie Mercury and am grateful that he was able to touch so many people’s lives even after his death.  On one documentary I was watching,  his mother and sister were describing his generosity as a kid and the unfortunate experience of watching him slowly die.  It’s always a tragedy when a parent outlives his or her own child, no matter who that person is.  I have to admit, it’s difficult to not get a little emotional when watching friends and family recollect their thoughts of Freddie Mercury’s final years.

On another note, I am glad that many people are experiencing Queen in their own way following Freddie Mercury’s death, and I’m also glad there have been great advances in treatment of HIV and AIDS.  As a doctor, I also want to reiterate that HIV is neither a gay nor straight disease.  The chance of contracting HIV or any other sexually transmitted infection increases with each unprotected sexual encounter or IV drug use with dirty needles.  It’s important that all of us educate ourselves properly about this.

With that said, long live Queen, and may all of us live every day to the fullest like Freddie Mercury did.

NBA basketball players weren’t the only ones in free agency these past few months.  I have been looking for other physician opportunities these past few months and found one that will offer a great practice setting and put me in a better financial state for the foreseeable future.

I will  be leaving Colorado Springs for good next week, but don’t worry.  I will be staying in the state of Colorado.

I found a physician opportunity in northeastern Colorado that will require me to leave the western side of Colorado.  I’m excited to be starting this new endeavor, as it is the first major multiyear deal I have signed as a physician.  With that said, there of course won’t be as many social amenities as there are were I currently live, but the short work week will allow me to come out west and visit all my friends and do all the outdoor stuff I have grown to love during this past year.

I am extremely grateful for having come to Colorado and becoming an avid skier and rock climber within this past year.  I have a lot of love for the people of Colorado Springs and the greater Denver area and am thankful for the friendships I have attained in this past year alone.  Remember, it is never a goodbye, but rather a “see you soon.”

I am going to miss seeing everyone on a regular basis but am excited at the same time for starting this new endeavor in northeastern Colorado, and I am more than ready and eager to begin this great opportunity.  With that said, there are a LOT of things I need to get done between now and the beginning of August (i.e. moving and paperwork).  Let the fun begin.