Smelling the Roses

I enjoy smelling the roses along the path of life – i.e., I take time out for important things no matter how busy I am!  Sure, I still work a lot of hours, but my life is satisfyingly balanced.

I am spending a lot of time on the phone or driving to meet my cigar friend.  Notice I said driving, not actually spending time with her when I get there!    This is because many times the time spent in the car is equivalent to the time I actually end up hanging out with her!  It is just absurd.  But it is what I do.

Lots of things have happened.  My cigar friend and I have had “semi” fights.  We are not sure where we are in the relationship, not having had the talk about that, but we are mosing along.  There is a general compatibility foundation that exists, there’s no question about that.  We have some issues but we’re working through them (I hope!).

Every once in a while, I feel like life is a bit of deja vu.  Or, more appropriately, you get the feeling that someone knows you more than they are letting on.  Why would they do that I am not really sure.  It’s almost like my cigar friend knows me and my family.  Either that or the similarities in a few peculiar ways of our families is very uncanny.  It took her until about 10 days ago to mention to me that she and I know someone in common through another friend.  One of her really good friends’ sister is married to a person I know through my university’s alumni association.  I found it a bit weird she didn’t mention it before.  Was there something to hide?  Is she not telling me something else also?

On another topic – summer is here in Delhi.  It’s getting hot!  I moved the air conditioner from a room which we don’t use (it was supposed to be my office) to the living room.  Now, that room is very comfortable.  My house has two weather centers now, depending on where I am.  One room is cool and comfortable (not cold mind you, just perfect) and the rest of it is hot hot hot!  And I say depending on where I am because my mom is out of the country now.  She is visiting the UK and the US.  And she’ll be gone for a while!  So I’m all alone in the house.  It’s been a couple of days and so far so good.

I am not worried about being alone.  I can live by myself as long as I can interact with people in other ways.  In some ways, I even prefer being by myself.  This is partly because I tend to work a lot (for now, the hours are 15 to 16 hours per day quite a few times the last few weeks, but averaging around 10 to 14).  I also can keep myself occupied.

There are some issues I have to get reacquainted with though now that my mom is not here.  Namely: laundry, cooking, and cleaning.  I can do the laundry, that should not be a problem.  Cooking is a different issue though.  I’ve never really done it on a consistent basis.  It’s just eating out.  Being in India is simpler because I can order food and they’ll deliver it (Indian food that is, which is what I normally prefer to eat).  I can also order Domino’s or Pizza Hut.  The question is how long can I sustain it.  I’ve been making pasta recently.  I know, quite an accomplishment you say.  Trust me, it can be!  I’ve also been doing better at the snacks thing.

I’ve also been cleaning – well, the dishes so far!  No, in India, you don’t even need to do that.  I suspect in the next few weeks I will be domesticated!  I have to buy one of them squeegie brooms you can put in a bucket of water.  The girl who comes to clean in the mornings isn’t going to be coming.  I told my mom I can pull it off.

I make myself sound really bad, but I’m not so bad.  I do it if I have to or if someone else isn’t doing it.  When in the US, I did all this myself.  So I’m back to it again.