Catch-up #13

I know, I know. It's been ages since I last blogged.

I have been crazy busy.

I mean, I have always been crazy busy. I have loved keeping myself crazy busy. But this is another level altogether. I am crazy busy.

This is the first time in my career that I have been bringing work home and sleeping late and doing all the things that I have never done in 16 years and chided other people for doing. It's partly to do with the fact that I need to dash out from work at 5 pm so I can get to Xena's after-school studentcare to pick her up before they start charging me. (No, I'm not kidding. If parents are late, they treat the kids like parked cars that have overstayed their welcome and start charging late fees by the minute. I think it's a dollar a minute for the first 15 minutes and then two dollars a minute thereafter. Or something like that. No, I would not like to find out the exact details.)

So I spend all day in meetings and discussions and when it's time for me to get to my desk and look at some proofs or answer some emails, it's 5 pm. So now I gather all my proofs and dash out, and work on them after putting Xena to bed at night. I answer emails from the bus (but not for too long because I get motion-sick if I look at my phone for more than 2-3 minutes; it's a blessing actually).

But this is all temporary. At least that's what I am hoping. Once I find my groove, it will get better. A full-time job with strict time constraints is new to me and I'm still kinda finding my footing. On the brighter side, I'm loving being back in the office, in the thick of things, amidst all the action, so that's really awesome.

In other news, Xena turned 8 last weekend. I still cannot believe it. How can I have an 8-year-old? It's supposed to be the most obnoxious age, isn't it? Smart-mouth brats is what they all become at that age, don't they? I once had an 8-year-old watch me cut a heart-shaped cake and dryly remark, "That's not how you cut a heart-shaped cake." "I made this cake and I'll cut it exactly how I want to cut it." I told her. Seriously?! Hmmmph! I'll cut my cake with a hammer if I have to! (Hopefully not; I'm not that bad a baker.)

But it's true. From my experience with countless annoying 8-year-olds, it is the worst kid age. I'm really hoping that Xena skips the obnoxious stage. After all, she did completely skip the terrible twos and threenage. Oh well. Fingers crossed.

In other news, I bought myself a cool knee brace online which has helped me get back to skating with minimal pain. I have a few more skills and stunts left to pass before I graduate!

This is me trying my hand (feet?) at the most difficult level 5 skill (toe-heel transition).



I thought I was being such a badass, until my coach told me this is just step 1 of the skill. The full skill involves skating forward on one toe and one heel, spinning on the spot and continuing to skate on one toe and one heel, but backwards! This emoji sums up my feelings towards it very well. 

But I am trying hard, and if some day I am able to do it, I hope someone's around with a camera.

Continuing the sporty news, Viv has embarked on something very cool in our neighbourhood. He has started a girls' football club! Basically, it's for girls who want to play football but don't want to play with the boys because they are too rough. So now he's got a full paltan of girls aged 5-9 whom he coaches every Tuesday. (I get asked this all the time so I'll answer: yes, these are free sessions.) I hang around to help him because sometimes the group gets so big we have to split it up to do the drills. But frankly speaking, I'm quite useless when it comes to actual football knowledge or skills, so I let him do most of the work.

But I have to say that watching him and the girls gives me major Chak De vibes.

Except that this is him, the cool coach...

...And I suppose this is me, the sarkaari lady.

So Tuesday evenings have now become absolutely insane as both of us rush back from work/school, change, get Xena ready, pick up all the props and dash for the field. A friend of mine shared this picture the other day and I could NOT relate it to MORE. 

THIS.IS.ME.EVERY.TUESDAY.

But like I said before, it will get better. It's just a case of finding my groove. I will draw the line at this. I won't take up anything else at the moment. After all, April's coming and Viv's going to be away for his annual teerth yatra to the U.S. and I don't know how I'm going to get three dabbas (they are all for Xena, by the way) and one kid and myself ready and leave the house by 6:35 am without him to help me. So yes, I will not take on anything else for now.

But oh, there's just one little thing.

April is coming and with April comes... the A-Z blogging challenge.