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This picture is from June of 2007, the summer before
I turned 30 and saw my life change quite dramatically.
I was working at a job I loved, and it was a job that loved me back. That's Rian, Connor, and Eduardo, with little Jack on my lap. (And then some rando stranger kid who kept barking at the marine life. It was so uncomfortable.) My hands gripping the fence in view of the camera is a textbook example of how to hold children who are not your own. A Social Work professor told me that it was used in graduate school textbooks everywhere, and for
a short time, I believed her. I went so far as to order one.
In college, my frat bros played sports.
I was lured in by a H.S. buddy on the
volleyball team, and the nicest guy I met
is now Tom Brady's agent. Don Yee + 1. Another kid had me carry his b-ball bag around while pledging, so people would go out of their way to befriend me, only
to be disappointed with their findings.
By contrast, another peer had me wear anything with "Smithtown" emblazoned
on it, figuring people from Long Island
would stop me on the street to chit-chat. From there, connections would develop and blossom. Now, I didn't need the help,
but 9/10 recommend. The 90s were wild. Also, that's not a staged photo, nor did I play a Varsity sport in high school. Those are Cousin Sita's hoodies and tiny medal.
The email button doesn't work for everyone, so you can write to me at neerajkatyal at gmail. Also, I put up an Instagram to sell books to the nice people I meet, though mainly for personal pleasure. I enjoy writing the captions, but delete the comments as a matter of course.
