Between This and That …..

After the brilliant kickstart to the reading year, March so far seems to be an off book radar kind of month. One too many things taking up time and energy, but mostly in the words of Mark Manson, these are good problems.

I am trying to diversify my interests and while it is enriching, it is also time consuming. I am exploring a few different opportunities within the local community, supporting local women entrepreneurs who do not have formal education through mentoring in management and helping them developing business models that are sustainable. I have also been involved in some Rising Cancer Awareness initiatives and that has also been keeping me busy. All of this along with BAU day job! 24 hours is really not enough!!!

There have have also been several mini home renovation projects, which are also eating into my non existent time. The water pipes of our apartment needed fixing as did the smaller bathroom and many such non glamorous home improvements that will never feature on architectural digest, but are critical for a comfortable living.

The Chinese Robe by Richard Emil Miller
Source http://www.artistsandart.org/2010/05/richard-emil-miller-american.html

Between these projects and the fact that I had several doctor appointments and tests lined up this month, reading has been really slow. I am trying to read In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova translated by Sasha Dugdale and there are parts I really like, but it is book that needs focus and focus is currently in short supply! I am also struggling to complete The Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens; I think the violence of the real world is making me shy away from a narrative set in similar conflictual backdrop! But I will get to it, sooner rather than later. I did manage to complete, The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles and I hope to share a review soon. Every other reading is between this and that and the only thing I have been reading consistently and eagerly are Tintin comic books! I hope to find my reading groove soon and must at times remind myself, I read because that is my “thing” and do not need to stress about so called “lack of progress”. I am sure I will soon find “the book” to shake me out of my reading slump.

The highlight of these last 12 odd days has been that I had my first full body scans and extensive blood works done since I completed my Chemo cycles in Nov 2021. And the great thing is, it all came clean!! I have fatigue – sick days as side effects still, but overall I am doing very very well. This alone makes me so grateful and count my blessings.

So here’s to good health and good problems and good books!

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Filling the Blank…..

I know I have been away and have not posted a blog in a while, but way too many things were/are crowding in my life so, I had to stop and breathe a little bit, before I got back on the treadmill!

So what has been happening you ask? Work to begin with! Some weeks ago I had spoken about a position I wanted to apply and had to study for? Well, I REALLY had to study and study and study some more! It was all Six Sigma and Project Management and Leadership and all that! Not that I minded the studying but it was on top of working nearly 14 hours a day! But I plodded on and on and ….I got the promotion!!! I made it!! The new position is effective July 15^th and though I know that I will have more work than ever now, I am super excited and super relived to have moved out of my old role, where things were getting really rotten and it was kind of heartbreaking to see what I had worked so hard to build, fall apart! Anyway, the company is not mine and if the powers that be cannot see the rotting roots, well, there is not much I can do. I tried and failed to show them reality and now I have done my part and it’s time to move on!

The second BIG event which kind of made all my blogging initiative take a back seat was the fact that our house is getting revamping up! I have selecting wall paint colors, having debates about the kind of wall lamps to buy and generally figuring out which wau to most effectively manage this home improvement project. There are carpenters and painters all over the apartment and my flatmate and I are confined to one room, so despite our infinite comradery, we are ending up treading on each other’s toes! Needless to say that I will be glad when all this over – a more comfortable apartment is a thing of joy, but the path to that end is threaded with thorns!!

Reading naturally has taken a back seat because of all the professional and personal chaos. However with the house refurbishing slowly winding down this week, which also happens to be my time off from work, before I take up new position, I should be able to make some huge leaps in my reading!

That’s all for now folks! I will back with more in-depth posts soon.