Eventful past weekend

We went to New Jersey to give a surprise baby shower for our friends. Four families with the help of the father-to-be as the organizer, it was fun to get there, pick up the food, decorate the home and wait for the mom-to-be. As she entered the home, we all screamed 'SURPRISE'! This was followed by baby shower games and finally the opening of gifts by the mom-to-be. It was all fun until every one left one by one and we were the last. Nithin has warmed up so much to these folks that he started saying : "Can we stay here today?" and started crying. We thought of waiting for 5 minutes until he calmed down. After 5 minutes, we got dressed for the winter night drive and got into the van - only to find that the van would not start. B tried repeatedly, but no luck. We walked back into the friend's home and spent the night there.

Sunday was probably the most eventful day in the recent past. Our friends had to go to the Lamaze class, so B went to drop them so we will have their car during the day. I called AAA and the guy came within half an hour. While I stood with him, kids inside the apartment, B on his way to us, I was shivering literally. It was freezing. I asked him "Can I go inside, please call me when you have finished checking the batteries". He said "yes" and as I walked back, it slipped - the pavements were icy. I managed not to fall and walked back in. He called and said "it is not the batteries, your vehicle has to be towed." I waited now for the towing truck and thank God, B was here before they came! I clicked some pictures of the van being loaded into the towing truck. We were told that automobile shops do not work on Sunday, so we had no option of getting it fixed the same day.

We decided to rent a car and go back home. Home which was 2 hours away seemed like the destination we were dying to reach. We were comfortable at the friend's place, can't imagine getting stranded in the middle of a highway. But still we were forced to be away from home for a reason not within our control. So we all longed to be home!

The major part of the day went off in driving to the rental place, getting a car, me driving our friend's car to the place where he was attending Lamaze class. If you know me, you can imagine how frantic I get about driving in rain/icy roads - not to mention unfamiliar roads. I managed to survive and dropped the car to the very hands of its owner and it was a sigh of relief!

The kids were hungry by this time and they wanted to go to McDonald's. We searched for one near where we were and drive towards it. Alas, the GPS said that there is no McDonalds in the location when we reached there and asked us to turn around. My sharp eyes caught the name board of 'Dosa Gril'' on the way to the non-existent M. Within minutes, we were all inside Dosa Grill. Quite satisfied by the yummy dosa and coffee which is no match to any chicken nugget in my dictionary, I was thanking my lucky stars. Kids were also happy with the dosa.

Rest of the drive as B drove and I relaxed which is how I would desire it to be always. We wondered at the interesting experiences life throws at us and worried whether the problem with our van will be easy/hard to fix. We were back home FINALLY - one day late, yet safe, but waiting to go back to get the fixed van.

P.S. It ended to be a battery issue and needed replacement. B went on a weekday and got it back.

Real taste of vacation in India

• Listening to Appa talk about his favorite movies and songs
• Playing 'Aradhana' songs and Hemant Kumar hits and enjoying them in the car
• Listening to Kamal songs in car
• Watching 'Avvai Shanmugi' in DVD at home and discovering new hidden jokes
• Eating spicy Andhra meals in banana leaf
• Recovering the collection of old photo albums and looking at young Appa and Amma, good old friends and listening to Nikhil scream at my old pictures with long plaited hair!
• An impromptu visit to a movie theatre in the near by mall to catch the next available movie and a McD's nuggets meals for Nikhil
• Waiting for my close friend from school days to reach Bangalore to meet me

This is going good, Thank God!

A Spinster's Day Out at Barnes and Nobles

I am not really a spinster, but it was nice to act like one. It was a day Nithin was supposed to be home and not go to school. Thanks to having grandparents at home, I could set out early morning to Barnes and Nobles. It was B's idea and his own dream to spend an entire day there browsing through books. Only that I got to do it.

With no kids to trouble me and husband at office (away from my trouble), it was a day where I could be myself and focus on reading technical books and prepare notes. I bought a coffee and climbed up the escalator to the technical section smiling to myself. Kappi okke vangichu..ini joli kittumo? It all entirely depends on how best I utilize my time there! I picked a book that interested me and made myself comfortable in the huge plush chair there. It was not crowded and I felt at home, muttering the words in the book and taking notes.

One of the incentives of this exercise was to have lunch from a nearby shop and return back to studies. At 11.30, the lady in the bookstore who helped me in the morning saw me and she asked 'You still here". I said :" Fear not, I will be back after lunch :-)" . I did not say the whole sentence, but just a part of it.

It was a bright sunny day. I walked to the Mexican fastfood near by and had a Sonoroan Quesadilla , once recommended to me by Laksh. I spoke with a friend on the phone and walked back to B&N. The rest of the afternoon was not as productive as the morning. I got distrubed by other people sitting in chairs next to me and the music on the air. Can't do much about it since I dont' own the shop, can I? But I managed to read something, so I enjoyed the stay at the shop overall. I finished my day by visiting two other shops, got some shirts for kids for good prices (am not a shopaholic and am very much behind in getting good deals, so this time I felt good doing it!). That was the day that was!

Holiday Party

When I got the invite to our office holiday party weeks ago, I was excited and very motivated to go with B. Problem is that kids are not allowed at all. Last year, we had B's parents at home so we left the kids home, dressed up in formal clothes and went. This year, I was not sure what to do. So eventually my enthusiasm drained out and I was looking for more reasons to skip it than to make it happen.

Yesterday was the party day and B and myself decided not to go. During the day, I made a call to my friend B who inspired me to attend it. R from work also tempted me to come. I thought let me give Miss. B (Nithin's babysitter) a call. If she says she can watch my kids for couple of hours that evening, I could probably go. I gave her a call and apologized for the last minute request. My mind was prepared to take the answer that comes in the right spirit. After all, I had not been keen in making arrangements in the beginning!

Miss B said a cool Yes! This is a first time for us - to leave the kids with a baby sitter for any event and go! I was both thrilled and nervous at the same time. The rest of the afternoon went by in going home and visiting the beauty parlor lady in our neighborhood for a clean-up (oh my God, it is so hard for women to dress up for a party, I tell you!). I did not want Nithin to spend a continuous 12 hours away from home, so we picked him up , brought him home for couple of hours. Then we dropped both the boys at the baby sitter.

We made it to the party. Kids were safe and there was peace of mind. We missed the first hour, but got to meet friends and have dinner. We started soon after dessert and headed to pick the boys up.

While we were driving back, I realized that more than the fun I had the party, I was more amazed about how quickly the kids adapted to the situation. When I saw Nikhil at home and started to prep him emotionally, he said 'I know. I know we are going to Miss B, and you both are going to an office party'. His dad had mentioned and he was just fine with it. Nithin became fine with it since big bro was with him. As we got the kids back, I felt a sense of accomplishment - having tried out leaving kids with a sitter for the first time in life!

This incident made me realize two things:
1. It is just a matter of making the start. Sometimes we hestiate so much for a thing, and we are surprised it was not that difficult after all.
2. Quoting my Appa - If something is destined for you, it will happen. I tried so much not to make this event happen, but, in the end, it did anyway. This is debatable but there is some thrill in quoting Appa's theory! Gives me a magical feeling about life!

Nice break from the routine

The long weekend was extra long with the one vacation day I was able to take on last Wednesday.The plan was to spend the day one-one with Nikhil - just mom and son! Dad had work. As we dropped the younger one to the baby sitter, I went through my guilt pangs - my babysitter consoled me and asked me to have a great day with the older one.

So, stop 1 was a restaurant for breakfast. I ordered a veggie omelet and Nikhil was excited to see an item called Chocolate Chip Pancakes in the menu. He ordered that and was already on top of the world - with the powdered sugar, maple syrup, butter and cream. The atmosphere is really homely there and the waitresses are middle-aged ladies who are really friendly. I sipped my coffee and called B to give an update of where we were.

Step 2 was to catch the new kids movie 'Bolt', but when we reached the theater, we were too early. The doors had not been opened yet. So we had about 1 hour to kill and I called B again. "What do you think, can we catch a quick game of bowling before the movie begins" and he said that sounds possible. We drove fast to the bowling lanes nearby and paid for exactly 1 game and played just that. Mr.Niks was all excited and I too was. We compete with each other on Nintendo Wii and I occasionally win a bowling game or two in that. But real bowling was not that easy.
Anyway, Nikhil managed to beat me and was happy yet again.

It was time for the movie. I had no idea about the story, except that there was a dog with super powers. I went there only for my son's sake, but I ended up enjoying the movie so much so that my eyes were filled with tears!

After the movie, we headed home. We were tired by then and felt like being at home for an hour before heading to Nikhil's swimming class. It was a nice day spent with my boy! Would love to do that again!

Rest of the weekend - we went for two thanks giving get togethers - one with friends and one with family. We also watched the James Bond movie in theatre - all 4 of us! It was an adventure which went quite smoothly as Nithin slept on my lap. Sunday went by in preparing Idli/Sambar for the Xmas Carols folks who came after church. Carols was over and we were chitchatting with friends who stayed back. It was a great weekend and here we roll again!

Rental Car experience

Last weekend, I went away from home to stay with a set of family friends leaving B alone. Me and Kids went with another family to NJ, spent the night there and returned back Sunday evening. This is the best gift I could give B - since he I know he would love to have the home in solitude and peace, so he can study for his upcoming test. All went well and here I come back on Sunday evening realizing that the next morning, I have to leave my vehicle for repair and take the rental car.

Little changes like these make me nervous - I worry about what if the rental car does not start up when I try to start it, what if the controls don't behave the way I expect them to, and before that...what if I cannot figure out where each control is etc. I was on my own, since B has to drop the kids off and go to work. I got the rental car and I sat inside - telling myself "it is only 3 days the repair will take, it should fly away"!

The next 20 minutes I took to get accustomed with the vehicle - contemplating on whether I should drive 40 min to work in this new car or not. I drove slowly in my area - the cold air would not stop, my feet were freezing, I pressed some buttons , hmm..no luck. OK, indicators work fine. It was a brand new all white BUICK LUCERNE. There could be nothing wrong with the car, but that itself made me nervous. It was like wearing a costly silk saree and not being able to enjoy it! The worry of harming the silk threads and tearing them off would prevent one from moving around freely!

My Camry is black with a dust coat on it (!), which I felt so comfortable squeezing into the narrow right turn lane even when a huge van stood to my left! I knew mine would squeeze in..but this new car, I can't take any risks with it!! As such, the rental company guy warned about the case when something happens to the car when I am driving it. 'Apashakunama pesathe da' - I felt like telling him ( meaning 'dont jinx it, man'!).

Day 2:
Next day, was my WAH day (work at home!), so I escaped from driving till evening kids-pick-up time.

Evening, I was kind of looking forward to driving it. The drive was smooth and by now, I had a feel for the car's size and I got used to driving it. When I unlocked the car from afar and it was getting dark, I was amused to see the headlights light up. Ithu kollalo! Little things I discovered made me appreciate the car!

Day 3:
Around evening, I got a call from the Auto Body shop that my Camry is ready for pick up.
I started at around 4 hoping to make the whole journey smooth and tension free. I looked for my sun glasses when I entered into the car. I had left it in the compartment to the right of the driver's seat. Where has it gone? I fished for deep into the compartment. I remember leaving it on a flat surface though. Hee..Hee..there was flat portion on the top of this compartment where I left my sunglasses and it had got joined with lid - so now I could hear the glasses move around within it, but could not see it. Oh God, how am I supposed to drive in the sun glare now? After shaking the top of the compartment like a mad girl (I know, you are asking, LIKE?) for 5 minutes, I looked calmly and found a way to open the latch...hurray..got the kannadi..what next now!

Oh, I need to fill gas to make it equal to 3/4 the total capacity - the way it was handed to me.
Of course, what I dreaded most happened. At the gas station, I opened the tiny door to the fueling portion (what do you call it! I don't know now!), but could not figure out how to open the knob. Again after 3 minutes of trying, I sought help from a gentleman who was fuelling his car. I was reminded so much of India where you could always find someone to help you out - where ever you go, you are not alone and it is so normal to approach people for help in public places!

The gentleman was nice and he did find out the way to open it after with it. OK, filled the gas, stopped it, checked the indicator, hmm, not enough..filled more and oops..overfilled it..well,. Whatever! As I drove to the rental place, I was worried about them closing the shop and going. I would be left stranded there coz I wont have a ride to my auto body shop. Thank God, I made it to the shop and returned the car.

The guy at the rental, talked like a recorded rebot. He drove me back to the Auto body shop talking to me about the sunny weather and asking me about how my car landed there etc. For my jokes, he laughed like a robot too. Was reminded of the airport ticketing officer girl who types non stop and smiles/talks like a machine in the movie 'Meet the Family'.

Signed the papers and paid the bill and got back the keys. When I opened the trunk of my Camry, and put my laptop bag in, I felt I was HOME. When I drove back home, I felt like that car is an extension of my body. I dont know if others are like me, I find comfort so much in the things I am used to. Well, there ends the story...thanks for driving with me..TATA!

Adventurous dinner

After work, I went to pick up Nikhil and Nithin from the baby sitter's place. It was time to take him swimming again. Life has changed all of a sudden so much. Up until last week, I had the luxury of not having to worry about managing the younger one when the older one goes to an activity. But now I am alone with 2 kids till B comes back from Kuwait tomorrow.

I know , you guys are going, thank God, she will have to stop this 'alone with 2 kids' dialogue at least tomorrow! Ha Ha Ha! I think I am enjoying all the sympathy and attention I am getting from people for this reason!

Back to the story! It was a new instructor, a giant man, who looked to me exactly like the genie who appeared when Aladdin rubbed his lamp. He snubbed at me when I went to him with my usual 'please deal with my kid like this..' and told me 'lesser said the better'. Having convinced my son who watched me from far away, that I DID warn the instructor about not letting him under water too much, and feeling sheepish, I waited with Nithin on my lap. The class really went very well. The old man knew his way to work with kids.

The class was over and I was super hungry when we started our ride back. I was tempted to go to my favorite restaurant (Devi vegetarian) for dinner. I asked myself.
"Am I crazy venturing to go to a restaurant all alone with these 2 kids?".
The younger one I know would play with the water on the table, try not to sit in the high chair and for all you know, when I get my food in front of me, who knows if I can even eat once piece peacefully! I know B would not dare to take them.

On one side, was this fear. On the other side, were my hunger and the "yummy-veggie-South-Indian-food" thoughts.

I looked to Nikhil for some courage.

I tried to entice him. "Nikhil, do you want to eat pooris"
He replied quickly : "Yes, yes, yummy"

That was it. I will deal with the problem when it comes. There are 2 people now in the car wanting to eat out.I am going to Devi. Period.

We parked a bit far and walked when the wind almost blew us down. It was cold and so windy.
I kept my fingers crossed. We placed our order and the food came.
Contrary from usual, Nithin also did some good job with the food. Nikhil ate his pooris as a good boy. I ordered a dosa which was served in an oval plate as big as new born baby! Everything was good. And I thought 'everything is going so well. Ek coffee order karne ki gusthaakhi karoon? '
And I did. Nikhil got his usual mango lassi.

We left the place contented and not stressed out. Mission accomplished. Thank God for the adventure well done!