Friday, September 9, 2011

Paranoia and chocolate cake

The title for this post is fully inspired by a book I read many years ago; the delightfully titled 'Prison and Chocolate Cake' by Nayantara Sahgal. Much like the author of the book, who came to associate chocolate cake with prison because of an incident in her childhood, over the last month and a half I've developed a morbid sort of paranoia for chocolate cake myself. It all started with a trip to Nikki's pediatrician around the same time, when I decided that waiting for the doctor in his clinic was probably not such a good idea given that Nikki, who now recognizes the doctor's clinic rather well and associates it with jabs and other unpleasant things, is given to start bawling her head off anytime we're near it. There's a cheery looking cake shop right under the doctor's clinic, specializing in chocolate cakes, so I decided to wait there instead and distract Nikki with the assorted goodies on display till the doctor showed up. It seemed like a good idea then, but thanks to a series of illnesses that saw us going back to the doctor again and again and, would you believe it, yet again and then a few more times, beyond a point that cheery cake shop just made me want to barf. There's something quite tragic about sitting in what should be, and is for other people, a happy place, a place where they come to treat themselves, when all you can think of is that next report from the pathology lab or what the doctor is going to say and whether your poor little sick child is going to have to take another dose of nasty antibiotics. Of course Nikki was quick to associate the cake shop with the doctor soon enough and the whole thing just blew up in my face, so I was back to waiting at the clinic again.

Anyway, so we've been battling a series of illnesses over the last month and a half. Nothing major, but its just been one thing after the other. Poor little Nikki was the worst hit, because she also ended up missing a lot of playschool and then when she was fully recovered she didn't want to go back. Anyway things are back on track now and life is slowly limping back to normal, even though the slightest sneeze, or the hint of a cough is enough to make me start shaking like an aspen. Oddly enough the advent of any new illness was always on a weekend. By the end of it I had become so paranoid, I had come pretty close to sitting in the prayer room fingering beads each time a fresh Friday dawned.

In the meantime, life went on as usual as it is wont to, and even though I realize I've been painting a pretty gloomy picture (you always knew where Nikki gets her drama queen genes from, didn't you?)there have been other cheerful things that have been happening as well. For one, my book finally saw the light of day, erm, bookstores and its already been around for nearly a month now. The initial response has been pretty encouraging and lets just say I don't have to spend the rest of my life sniveling under that cover anymore. You can read some of the reviews here, and I will post other updates soon. Have any of you had a chance to read it? Let me know what you think!

In other news, all this illness made me re-think my own fitness levels and I realized a drastic pulling-up-of-the-socks was in order. Too many late nights, cheese loaded pizza binges and not enough working out was simply not on anymore. Since it had mainly been Nikki and P who were ill, and I was the sole caregiver, I'd also begun to feel rather Florence Nightingale-ish what with all the late night bedside vigils and administering of medicines. With cries of 'I must be a hundred percent fit! I owe it to my family!' ringing in my mind, I threw myself on the treadmill in a bout of misplaced zeal and began to workout like I was training for a marathon. The tryst with fitness lasted only a couple of days because in my enthusiasm to nullify many weeks of living slothfully in just a few days, I ended up straining a muscle and found myself laid up in bed for a change. Thankfully both P & Nikki were well on their way to recovery by then so no major harm done, except to my ego and my dreams of being super fit. Just when I had pretty much memorized the 'how to max your treadmill workout' primer, the doctor has advised me to, in fact, stay as far away from the treadmill as possible. Oh well, at least I'll have more time to blog.

8 comments:

Vandana said...

Hello there! Good to have you back :) And good to hear that young Nikki is well recovered now.

MRC said...

Eyschuse me Nikki,

Artim sends lots of sanitised kshishes to you and the mommy woman (only because his mommy woman is making him!) and his mommy woman is glad to know that all is well with y'all.

Plans are now afoot to acquire a copy of your book, and one wonders if the asked nicely,would the author sign it too!

Diary Of A Stardusted Dreamer said...

Hey Artim, what's with these mums and the sanitization huh? The Mommy Woman has taken to prowling around the house with the can of Sterilium, I have a feeling she will start spritzing it on guests soon by way of a welcome.
Yeah, yeah the Mommy Woman is an otter now. Don't ask her to sign the book though, she gets all excited. Quite embarrassing you know! I have a reputation to maintain after all.

Diary Of A Stardusted Dreamer said...

Vandana...Yes all good now, thanks!

MRC said...

Manasi Vaidya,

You are responsible for one sleepless night, the first two hours spent speed reading THE BOOK, the rest wondering just how autobiographical it is! :D

And boy, have you hidden your "pedigree" on this blog!

Diary Of A Stardusted Dreamer said...

woof woof! arf arf...

Its not autobiographical, unfortunately :( I think I'm in love with Yudi and he doesn't even exist :(

MRC said...

Ahem,

Does the P man know about the real reason behind the faraway smile and the glazed look on your face as you think about Y'knowwho ;) I mean now, that the kid is sleeping better, you'll have to come up with a better excuse ...

Diary Of A Stardusted Dreamer said...

MRC...Lol I think he'll pass it off as a chocolate induced haze what with all the pre and post Diwali bingeing. Does nobody gift the boring old sweets anymore?