Playing Catching Up...

Thursday, May 2, 2019
Bombay

Playing Catching Up...

     Namaste from Bombay!
      I cannot consciously ignore the fact anymore that I have reached the last month of my tenure as a Fulbrighter in Bombay. But today I received a text from my landlord with whom I signed a lease until the end of May. I verbally informed him that I would be occupying this studio till the end of June. He needs to get some paperwork together if I wish to have an extension--hence, I was jolted into accepting that sooner rather than later, I will be out of her.
     I will be sorry to go---for many reasons. One: I am not sure how Dad and Russel will cope in my absence. Two: I have not quite tied up the loose ends of my research. A few interviews need to be rescheduled and I hope I can do them soon. Three: I need to seek an official extension to keep my research project going--it was cleared for a year of field-work. Seeking online extension requires some focussed work. Four: I have had such a good time here...it will be hard to say goodbye to my friends here and to family members whose issues are complicated. Five: I dread what I will do with all the stuff I have accumulated in the past 9 months despite my best intentions to avoid clutter. How everything will fit in the three suites with which I came to Bombay is beyond my imagination.
     All that said, life has to go on and as this month creeps forward, I am trying to focus on the next round of surgery that Russel will need to undergo really soon. With all those thoughts whizzing through my mind, I awoke at 6.30 am and began blogging--it was a short blog post. I had breakfast of a broon and spreads with coffee and had a quick shower. I am deeply grateful for air-conditioning in my small studio as the place stays pleasantly cool for a long while with just the fan on even after I have switched the AC off. I am also sleeping really well as the temperature is very conducive to curling up and staying asleep.
     Next, I revised my April newsletter and checked it for spelling errors and sent it off to the folks on my mailing list. That took a small chunk of time.
     Next, I began work on changing the elastic on a bunch of Russel's shorts that have loosened so badly that they scarcely stay up. Replacing the elastic is not a problem--it is ripping off the stitching from the waistband to enable the new elastic to go through that it absolutely driving me around the bend. You have to see the way these readymade shorts have been stitched. Multiple rows of stitching hold the elastic together--it takes me hours to create a channel so that the elastic can pass. I have resolved to do just one pair a day as I simply do not have the time to do anymore.
     That done, I began to organize Dad's birthday party which is tomorrow and which I am hosting entirely. It has been many years since I have been present for his birthday and this year, since I am here, I decided to  make it a bit special for him. He chose the guests and told me whom he would like to include. I sat at his place yesterday and made calls to all of them and to my utter surprise, almost everyone has accepted! We will be about 20 folks in Dad's living room and I cannot for the life of me imagine where they will all fit. Dad is confident, however, that all will go well.  He says that they have had parties for far more people and there have been no problem.
     I also planned the menu this morning--the entire dinner will be ordered from Bandra Gym. I decided to pick up items that Dad has never served before--I have tasted many of them and they are very good. I consulted with Dad, then consulted with Samir, the catering chap at the Bandra Gymkhana to estimate the quantities of food we would need for 20 people and then I stopped to have my lunch: Valerie has resumed her meal service and I received meatball curry, gherkins, noodles with chicken and vegetables and chapattis. While eating, I continued watching Hinterland which has become really dark as Season One ends. It is difficult to watch these shows alone--so I need to switch to Grace and Frankie to offer myself some comic relief.
     After lunch, I got down to filing my report for my Fulbright stint in Uzbekistan. There is a standard feedback form and I was required to send it over to Delhi--which I did. It took much longer to draft my responses than I imagined--but I was done and could tick another item off my To-Do List. That done, I was able to stop for a pot of tea and nuts.
     I then called Theo Broma, the fancy French patisserie off Linking Road and ordered Dad's cake--a Dutch Chocolate Truffle Cake which we shall serve for dessert. I will pick it up tomorrow.
     Not long after, I walked down the road to Bandra Gym to pay Sameer by credit card for my order. I then carried on further down the road to the home of Rosemarie and Chris--they are physician friends of mine whom I had been meaning to visit for a long time--but had not gotten down to. Chris, unfortunately, was not at home but Rosemarie entertained me generously with a cold Sprite and the most delicious croquettes that were made by her cook. We gabbed for ages until it was time for me to return to Dad's place to drop off one of the pair of shorts that I had altered for Russel. I sat there for just a little while, finalized all other arrangements for the birthday party and left. Dad told me that he needed Doritos to serve as snacks as well as paper plates and plastic spoons. I told him I would pick them up tomorrow.    
     Back home, I continued watching Hinterland while I ate my dinner--a repetition of lunch. I fell asleep pretty early again although I did try to read a bit more of Jame Green's Falling--I simply cannot seem to find the time now that I have returned to the routine of my daily life.
     Until tomorrow...