Being on various cold medications since the first weekend of October has its repercussions. Broncho dilators, as sweet as their original call of duty is, inadvertently are also vaso constrictors. Less blood flowing around leaves one feeling drained and sapped out. Breathing shallow or not, while the antibiotic fights valiantly at the plethora of bacteria festering inside your sinuses, the body succumbs to all those gears shifting inside.
War will take its captives in all forms.
The physical line of defense, the drain from the limbs, the voice, the eyes, and ultimately the mind.
The mind still thinking it’s the boss of it all, continues to trick itself.
Humor chugs along till it gives up too.
I drove in to work today and after scavenging remnants of energy from the some hidden pockets, and hoping that a little creative surge would help propel things along, I now sit here tapping slowly at the keys.
Am drained.
I feel the need to give up. Holding on is just not much of a challenge anymore.
Physically at all that bind me down to this life, and emotionally on all whom I hold on to dearly.
..and I thought only viruses could do that to you! This bacteria seems quite virulent.
With halloween coming up tomorrow, I was torn between posting this fun ‘ghost’ song from the telugu movie – Geetanjali
and the scores of ghost songs and movies on the paranormal that bollywood produces, loves and thrives to a large extent. This song, however captures the essence of how the western world makes fun of the ones that cause nightmares and cold sweats.
Playing dress up is so much fun and we most certainly enjoy it as a family. Every year all of us at home make an effort to put on a wig, some paint or something comical to be someone else. Since a couple of years, the older kids are on their own, putting costumes together by just being necessary accessories than buying a whole costume kit. The munchkin has been a ladybug, a princess, a tinkerbell and this year declared she wanted to be a vampire. Till last evening when she says quite nonchalantly over dinner:
Mom, I think I changed my mind. I am going to be a fairy for halloween.
Daughter declares: Yes, mom, I need a tiara and those long white gloves, am going for this halloween party and am being a princess. Then she chuckles.
Son: Mommmy! I donno what to be for halloween, and o btw, should I be going to Francoise’ party?
Daughter: *bursting into giggles* Just go as yourself. She’ll like it.
Son decides he needs another day. His choices are “Illegal immigrant” ; “Nerd”; “Poor Indian Graduate Student (basically jeans and bata chappals – husband’s pictures from his school times helped) and “himself”
Mom has to scuttle to get those fairy wings and the white gloves and in the bargain decides she’d pick up a pitchfork. A long bought red horns, a pitchfork and a red fishnet stockings to go witha red and black gown will be her cotume for tomorrow.
Definitely not as fun as being Joker of last year!
Husband decided he’d play the ‘man of the house’. In other words, responsible, mature and dressed in his own sensible self. Someone needs to be the guardian after all.
In teh meanwhile, last week we got “‘boo’d” – it’s a neighborhood fun tag. You pick a home, land some candy at their doorstep, and they pass it along to two other homes. Like creep up to their home in the dark and ring the doorbell and RUN! No one should know who tagged whom and you place a sign on yoru door stating you got ‘BOO-d’ Nice? As daughter helped explain to us in her usual satire: “Mom, we are finally accepted into the community! Hurrah!”
Here’s our boo bags and instructions, I thought it was a nice touch.
So what are you doing for halloween? It’s Saturday, though there could be some rain out here. No party, but I’l be dressing up as the devil (actually that should take no effort, coz well, am quite teh devil myself!) and hand them out goodies.
to posting every day:
- Write at your choice of quiet times – it’s nights for me.
- Write about everyday stuff, ones you can relate to, it’s a while lot easier than laboring through some thesis or political notion (unless that’s your thing)
- Write small if necessary, every post doesn’t have to be a masterpiece (not that anyone’s aiming for even one!)
- Create a schedule if that helps, like every Friday as a song day, or a joke day to end the week on a fun note or every Tuesday as a tag day (I got rid of 3!)
- Write about current events. Every day the newspaper is full of whats happening at your neck of the woods: pick one that you can relate to.
- Write about a forgotten art form, tradition or a ritual that you once took part in and don’t anymore. Better yet, write about a family tradition, based on culture or just something that you’ve started.
- Bursts of writing happen, while some days are bleah. When you do feel chatty, write more than 1 post, and if you have a tendency to ramble, break it down!
- post an interesting picture you took or saw, your take on it. Make it your own, add a dimension to it, the effort shows.
- Write a review of a book, movie, a play or even of a product you’ve used. Once again, add your voice to it.
- Always schedule ahead. Helps lessen stress (frankly, if blogging’s a hobby, there shouldn’t be, but if we are committed to wanting to post every day, it helps to plan ahead). I’d scheduled all my tags (Tuesdays) and the Friday (song) ones. Set it to post at the same time everyday. Consistency is a good thing when you are doing a series such as this.
Write freely, write for yourself (not always for your readers or entertainment value), and write what you are most familiar with. When one labors through a passage, it shows. Lessen expectations for yourself, not every post need be your best, it is practice that helps in the long run, and most importantly, make your posts yours. It should be distinct and spell a style that’s uniquely you.
If you can’t post everyday, give yourself a break and take that break. This isn’t a do or die, but more to exercise your writing skills. Whoever said ‘practice makes perfect’ surely knew his stuff.
The more you write, the better you get at it, even if you weren’t really trying!
