… is what my Assistant said at the end of the day, as I was mentioning to her some of the items on tomorrow’s agenda.

Before she could say any more, I interrupted her with:

“take off this uniform and leave the show”

I waited a few seconds while scanning her expressionless face for a sense of acknowledgement. I then politely looked up at her and said, “do you know that song?” And as I expected, she had no idea. Now maybe it’s because I’m not exactly singing it like Pink (though I was trying), but still… I can hold a tune well enough for THAT lyric to be recognized. Nevertheless, her naivety, or unfamiliarity, of the song wasn’t really surprising at all.

However, then I inquired – “do you know who Pink Floyd is?”

She said, did they write “man on the moon” (or something like that). I said “uh, no.” She said, “well, I don’t know them, but I have heard of them.” Hmmmm (I thought to myself), I sort of have my doubts about that. It’s nothing against her, and again, it’s no real surprise. Or at least, I shouldn’t be that surprised. There are many Russian/Ukrainian groups (well, nearly all, actually) that I’ve never heard of. So if she said the same to me about one of her favorite bands, I’d likely be equally naive. But then again, Pink Floyd is one of the most popular rock bands, ever – world wide.

I mentioned it to my wife when I got home, and she thought that was ridiculous (because she had listened to Pink Floyd for many years – and she’s 100% Ukrainian as well). But then again, my Assistant is 25 (10 years younger than my wife), and hasn’t necessarily traveled much.

Still… as I sat in my office, alone, for then next 10 minutes, I just wondered and wandered a bit…

I came to the conclusion:

I have lived a lot of my life through the music of Pink Floyd – and their music means a lot to me.

I have been places that make me think of their music. I can go places when I listen to their music. I have pondered their lyrics over and over. I have recorded myself singing Pink Floyd songs. I have learned David Gilmore licks on my guitar. I have watched Pink Floyd videos, and I have seen Pink Floyd live in concert 3 times. I have experienced significant mood altering episodes while enjoying their music. I have watched The Wall at least 20 times. At least! I have listened to some of their albums well over 100 times – and Animals – dare I say a thousand. I’ve lip-synced to Pink Floyd, and I’ve karaoked to Pink Floyd. I used to have a tie-dyed Pink Floyd wall covering – which traveled with me and adorned my walls for well over a decade. In the 80′s I wore out my Pink Floyd tapes, and I had their bumper stickers on my VW bug, and have had too many T-shirts to count them all.

And this woman, my Executive Assistant, that works for me and sits next to me every day – has never even really heard or appreciated this music.

I was stunned. It reminded me of how much I have actually lived, and all of the places I have been when enjoying their music. Sometimes laughing, sometimes crying, but always loving that music. Music that has so much meaning, it never stops making sense. It is timeless, and genius – and there’s nothing else quite like it – nor will there be, in my opinion. Not to get overly philosophical or anything, but sometimes I forget about those days gone by – and I find myself getting too caught up (or trapped) in the daily minutia.

Well – I think it’s healthy to reflect upon some of those memories from time to time – lest, we forget some of our most wonderful and cherished memories = some of our best moments, in life. Indeed, this is what just that one line got me thinking about.

Stop
I wanna go home
Take off this uniform
And leave the show
And I’m waiting in this cell
Because I have to know
Have I been guilty all this time

I’m back!

Wow… I think I aged 5 years in this one year. What a long, strange trip it has been.

Most importantly, my son is now [just over] 1 year old. What a transformation this has been. He is both happy and healthy – touch wood (no, not your wood).

Anyhow, I’m now a “Master” in Biotechnology Management from IE Business School. I suppose it’s another notch in the proverbial belt of education. Admittedly, though, I learned a hell of a lot this year! It was more challenging than I had anticipated, which I suppose is a good thing.

Finally, my job is both demanding and arduous – but I’m apparently doing a pretty good job at it. From this perspective as well, I have learned quite a lot about business and corporate project management, not to mention maintaining my connection with the scientific community and science world. All good and interesting stuff…

So — I’m going to just catch my breath for a few more days, but then I will be getting back to blogging a bit more routinely about [just] one American’s life (and times) in Ukraine.

Here’s a pic just before we cut his hair. Looking forward to the next year!