My Lady of the Lantern

 ...without a post! Isn't everyone waiting for 2020 to be over? I don't think the first half of 2021 will also be the 'normal' that the world expects.  A key realization this year is that my mouth ulcers also get precipitated by anxiety/stress.  How about you? Have you learnt something new about yourself recently? M turned 6 in November, and Figlia will be 9 in January. Such a long journey.

So, schools have 'begun' for both Figlia and M. Figlia gets work on Google C.lassroom, and M gets regular assignments which he is expected to complete.  It is much better for me this way, because kids do it on their pace, and with their mother's pace. Since a few parents are now asking for classes, I am hoping that the kids do not switch to online classes, because I would be stretched to plan the availability of the apt resources for both of them to attend school virtually. I am already four weeks into teaching the new semester, and we don't have to turn up to work every day. I make it to office on 4 days on an average. Rest of the days, I engage classes from home.  Going online has increased the work required to deliver the lectures. Content, pre-reads/cases and low-stake-high-frequency quizzes are a bundle getting prepped for every lecture being taken.  WHO has recently said that the pandemic is accelerating. I can only guess why. No one can shut down...

I thought I skipped in a couple of months, but I skipped the change of year! And 2020 has been a rollercoaster on a typhoon, right? What came from bats and pangolins or was it both or neither and what spread from continent to continent, and was something I discussed as a remote instance with my students in February, is now the reason why I have been home for a couple of months now. The lockdown. I guess the pandemic is an experience that is not like any other and so universally shared and felt across the globe. Kids are home, I am home. And well, it is not a life of dire deprivation, but things that were too accessible and available before are now precious.  I have caught up on housework, home cooking, and managing class preparation for myself, and helping both kids with academic pursuits. And I have watched a lot of movies - almost every night.  I am lucky to still have a job (though with a pay cut), and that money comes into my bank account regularly. Th...

Interesting title for a post that had no title when I began composing this post. So the update first - I haz a job. I cleared the interview about which I mentioned in the last post. I was an Asso.ciate Prof at the last institution, but here I have started at entry level again. Also, my field has changed from Mar.keting to Gen.eral Man.agement. But I haz a job, and a raise over the previous packet I got. I am sorry I keep posting from the times when I am swimming in an anxiety pocket. And I am in one now DH hasn't picked up the thing he wants to pursue next. Money is a concern. My MIL is just being her. I was sick the last week. I am not happy with the kids' school. And then you have those tiny sparkles here and there that keep sparkling from the side of the extended family. They add to the scene, but are not that important.  DH keeps threatening me with getting a job - "Imma going to get a job!" . Gee, that's scary! I don't know how I will liv...

And after a few months gone, I come back again. I actually forgot about this blog, and just remembered about posting again, last week.  So here's the cutest roundup for you all... M got his boosters, last month, and this guy is done for a few years now. Figlia is due for a booster in January 2020. I am still at my parents' place, and would shift out next week. I got a job. I teach four hours at a superb college, and get paid per class. So I have started getting some money, even if my monthly packet is 25 percent of the dots I filled in my previous job. I have an interview next week. I need the job. Let's see, how it goes, and I promise I will update about it. Just pray that I update with a positive note for the job.  My country just went through with a major policy change on an area that's been in controversy for far too long. I won't comment who I support, but I pray that it does not give rise to increased terror attacks, and I think that ...

I sound like a rabid monkey these days, but practically my life is much calmer in terms of scheduling. Kids don't have school right now (they will be back there soon), and we practically sleep when we want, and wake when we want. Or atleast I don't have to wake up sharp at 5:20ish to start the school day. I am having lunch at home, and watching flicks at whim. I also re-kindled my love for the online scrabble avatar - "Words with Friends", something I had stopped because it was too busy in my previous life. I tend to play to relax, and have to be relaxed to play.  I still don't have a job, and I am waiting for interview calls actually. Sitting at home, I now realize why a few folks I know told me I was cuckoo to not hold a 'next job' before leaving my current one. At that time, it felt right. Now, the lack of income is making an impact on me. Also, I fell victim to an online phishing attack. And I lost money. It was about a month back from now. An...

It is true. I will never finally leave the blog without saying so, unless something exceptional happens. It's been momentous and turbulent so far. Feb was my last working month. I spent March with kids at home, and was able to give undivided attention to Figlia who had her final examinations then. So did M. He has improved writing-wise, but is still a long way from getting comfortable with the writing bit. Also, in one of his papers, as his teacher showed me, he refused to complete a page of his worksheet, even though he knew it, because 'he did not feel like writing anymore'.  It was in March-end that kids and I shifted here to our home city. April was admission time, and we are in May now. Kids do have school enrolments now, but I did not get the desired school. The schools I wanted were either too expensive, or had no seats for my children. So we settled for another school, more on its potential than the actuals. Let us see, how well that goes. I sti...