Billions of Blue Blistering Barnacles: June 2012

It has been months since I had a weekend at home doing nothing. Either I had been away or meeting people, or shifting houses or constantly worrying about something. I finally got to spend one weekend at home doing nothing and actually thinking about nothing (probably I was too tired to do so). The forthcoming weekends are going to be filled with activity as I go from one metro to another meeting folks.

My latest visit to the US was filled with longing to return back home mainly because of the number of unfinished things here that required my presence to be finished. In a series of quickly progressing events, I shifted home, bought a bike (motor one). The new apartment is brilliant what with a vista view of the Tennis court from my bedroom in the tenth floor and 2 huge pools to swim in. Since the giant window in my room faces the east, I get woken up so very early in the morning. The "thwangs" of the balls hitting the centre of the tennis racquet is a very relaxing and a pleasant sound. It gives me a sense of satisfaction that someone is actually playing good tennis. On a side note, I was wearing my Google Cricket League shirt around in my US office and I had to assure one of my team-mates that I did not play in the league and had signed up for it to get the T-shirt. When I was asked what game I played, I laughed and said that my childhood was spent in music, dance and keyboard classes than learning to play anything at all. Awesome tennis court mandates I give another shot, but my last tryst with the said game was not at all assuring, especially when the 4 year old kid who joined the classes with me progressed faster than I did. I don't think I can pick up anything with complex control or co-ordination *now*, which is why running seems to be the most uncomplicated athletic pursuit.

I also have a new dogless jogging track to run and I have been either running 5 KMs every day ever since I moved in. This walking/running business is so soothing, except that I keep expecting a dog to appear out of nowhere because of past experience. For example, today, I mistook a very frisky kid and a football to be dogs from a distance and actually jumped off the jogging track.

I have also learnt to float on my back in the pool. Whenever my swimming instructor shouts "chin up, chin up", the following picture (Ophelia by Everett Millais) keeps flashing morbidly in my mind.