Talk about dropping the ball — I haven’t written or posted these notes in almost three weeks. In my defence, there was a lot of life to be lived and not enough time to document it, but I am happy to have a quiet moment to reflect today, and get this week notes train back on track.
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING
1.
It was Amber’s birthday this past weekend, and despite being quite tired, we tried to make the most of it. On Saturday, we ate brunch at Fig at Malcha, a restaurant we had been thinking of revisiting for months, and then made our way to The Bookshop Inc. and Bahrisons Booksellers for an afternoon of book browsing and purchasing. We finished a couple of errands from our to-do list, grabbed a coffee and then headed back home. On Sunday, we had my parents and Purneetha over for a snack and some cake. Purneetha ended up spending the day with us, and we capped if off with some chaat and samosas at the local market.
2.
Through late June and early July, I was in Penedès, about an hour away from Barcelona, for the annual TypeTogether get together. Like always, it was an intense week or so of work and socialising. I liked the house we were staying in. It had lots of spots for working together and alone, and an open courtyard that was perfect for al fresco dinners. Building on the tradition that Elena started last year, I put together a quiz for everyone one of the nights, which was fun. As was watching football, and even a spot of cricket during the World Cup final. I find that as the years go by, I am more comfortable with being myself at these long meetings, even when it means hitting the sack when everyone is still drinking and chatting.
I saw two lifers in Penedès — the European bee-eater and the Common Starling.
There were a lot of midges at the house and I’ve come back home with dozens of bites. Unsurprisingly, I had an allergic reaction to the bites, and I am still on a medication regimen to manage the itching and burning sensation that has continued to persist.
3.
I was not looking forward to the flights to and fro from Barcelona since there is no direct connection between India and Spain, and it turns out all my fears were well-founded. I was flying Lufthansa, and I don’t think I’ll be doing that again. Each of my four flights was delayed. I had to be rebooked on one of the connecting flights, and barely made it for my flight from Frankfurt to Delhi. Frankfurt airport was a nightmare with its multiple security checks and long immigration queues for non-European travellers. The whole experience was very stressful, and I wouldn’t want to put myself in one of these situations again.
4.
I’ve been back home for a few days now, and it is nice that the monsoon arrived while I was away. It is such a relief after the terrible heatwave, and we’ve been trying to spend some time outdoors every evening. My sleep cycle is still messed up, and I am hoping that it will be fixed by the weekend. I had to jump right into finishing a grant application that was due soon after my return, so I haven’t had the kind of rest I would have liked. That doesn’t take away from my joy with eating home-cooked food again. Not that food at the TypeTogether get together is bland, but it definitely doesn’t pack the flavour punch I am used to.
5.
Time away from home always makes me think about everyday life with some much-needed distance.
I need to think clearly about the rest of the year and how much work I want to take on, apart from my regular TypeTogether hours. The first half of the year has been a lot, and if I want to stay sane, the second half cannot be anything like it. I’ve agreed to take on a couple of small writing assignments, but I’m saying no to some events. I have, however, been struggling to make a decision about a conference whose call for proposals ends next Friday.
While contemplating a move away from Delhi that didn’t end up happening, I feel like I had focused a lot on the negatives of living here in the last five or six months. I am looking forward to reorienting my thinking now, otherwise I’ll just be miserable. The monsoons, I find, are a great time to do that. To make myself fall in love with the city once again, I picked up Bulbul Sharma’s Sunbirds in the Morning, Grey Hornbills at Dusk last weekend, and scarfed it down in a couple of hours. Sadly, the book was terribly underwhelming. But then again, I probably don’t need a book to remind me how I have discovered my love for nature while living in Delhi.