The routine weekend trip…..

It is Wednesday already!

In my current job, unlike my previous one to which I used to drive to, I take the company shuttle. What it translates to, is that I get to relax and watch the people, shops, signs and boards. I do not have to concentrate on my drive, my car, the road, the traffic, signals, police, autos, two-wheelers and pedestrians.

When I am sign and shop watching, I mentally note down the stores that have a sale on, those which have something interesting on display, some place that I want to dine in, some salon which has opened up, some new boutiques that have sprung up and yeah, you get the idea. I also wonder if the family store that I saw would have stocked up XLs or of I would be able to fit in their Ls, because they are an international brand….I actually think so much more. I have this new found time to think, to dream and to imagine so many things. When I am home, I tell Sri what the coming weekend we would have to do, our chores left undone, bills to be paid and other ‘duties’ and also add to the list these new stores, places that I want to go to. Of course, we will do them all, he says.

I have been in this job for about 3 months now, and the last one month has been the lesser hectic month of them all - which is four weekends. Most Wednesdays I’d mentally chart out a plan and by Friday morning, we have it ready – our ‘to do’ list for the weekend. And all these weekends none of them have happened….yes, n.o.n.e.

Not without a reason though, I have to admit. One weekend, I was unwell and we also had guests at home. We had our daughter’s vaccination to do. We had to visit a new member in our family, a cute little baby girl in our cousins’ family. Weekend well spent, it was. The next weekend, my husband was unwell, so bad a diarrhea, poor guy. Couple that with my maid’s sudden absence from office – my in-laws and I had so much work to do, that I wished we never had some weekend like that at all, ever. Another weekend, we had so overworked ourselves during the week, that we spent most of the weekend just sleeping through. But I wouldn’t complain, because I was much happy and satisfied with my kitchen stint. Good food and good sleep was all that seemed to matter then. Last weekend, my parents came down from Chennai, while my in-laws left for Coimbatore. My dad is just recovering from his by-pass surgery and has come down to our place for a much needed change and of course, the prime attraction being the time he could spend with Aditi. Saturday was sad, as the old man was tired from the journey, but Sunday we had some good time, showed my mother around the locality and all.

When we were doing beginner’s Spanish, we would crib on some weekends that the classes were taking all our time with none left for some indulgence and all. We’d imagined that with the classes out of the way, we would be able to spend some more quality time with each other and Aditi. Now, we find that we are nowhere close to achieving what we thought we could. We are lazy bums. But there have been some amazing weekends. Our plan, albeit minimalistic, would have been all done.

Here I am, on another Wednesday already. I have begun charting out lists in my mind – like I could never stop. I am like that. But lately, I am adding some prayers, and at the same time sighing, as if I already know what’s in store this weekend as well.

I had so much to say

Harder as I may try, I am not getting enough time to blog….or is it enough dough? Bit of both actually. But I have been reading blogs, discovering new ones and all that. The thing with me is that I am not creative enough like many out there to make an interesting post out of mundane daily things. Not that anyone wants me to, but I feel what I write should be interesting to me at least. Don’t you agree?

I have also vowed to myself that I will blog more regularly. This year so far has been pretty busy for me. Jan started off pretty decently and the going was good until mid-Feb. That was when I was told that I may no longer be required in my then company and that all they have is a temporary one month project for me and they will take a fresh look at things after one month. I was over three years old in the company, settled in the system and was not looking to move elsewhere either. That shook me and my family up a bit. And what followed was a maniacal job search – I was ready to take up something, anything, interested, uninterested – it was like I didn’t have the power to choose. That was the time we realized how much our home loan weighed on us. If it weren’t for that I needn’t have scurried that way desperate to land myself a job. And I did find a job to my liking as well in about three weeks at no hikes that usually come with jumps. I mean, I knew I was desperate and they knew it too. For now, it doesn’t bother me. I am happy to be under the same roof which we have bought for us.

So, by then we were in mid-March when I got a job, in which I had to join by mid-April. My ex-boss (the new one for the temp project) made a huge fuss about letting me go easily. Having given me a no-guarantee chit for my stay there, I had a great deal of difficulties in getting away. While I hate to admit it, I broke down at a meeting with my boss (I know, I am embarrassed to bits now!), but such was my mental state then.

End of April, I got to know that my dad has to get operated for multiple blocks in his heart, then mid-May to end of the month was hectic with all that. I had gotten away to Chennai without my daughter for about 10 days and returned to find her down with fever. The entire family –my husband (Sri), my daughter (Aditi), my in-laws were all down with viral attacks, one after the other. I got it last. Aditi had run fever at 103 and I was there in Chennai crying and praying for her. My tense mom wanted me to get back right away, but thanks to my sister-in-law and Sri, I managed to stay back to take care of my dad in the hospital. Dad is fine now.

My daughter started school even with fever, for she had wanted to for as long as the entire last year. Our neighbor’s daughters go to the same school by bus, even if the school is just 10 minutes away. Aditi had longed to go by bus to school. She is doing well - learning new stuff; picking up vocabulary like mad, that I wonder how kids’ minds absorb things so fast; brining home friends to play. She is, in her own words – ‘a big girl’ now.

Here it is, July – more than half of 2009 is also done. I had wanted to blog like crazy. Things at home swung like the Indian Sensex, but all is well. I hope and pray that even if nothing gets better, nothing for no one should get worse – for the rest of 2009.