300 posts down

Thirtysixandcounting was not the original. The original was thirtysomething on a hosting platform called blogsource. Blogsource, of course, decided to give up its virtual ghost and directed me to something called Live Digital. Where I promptly transferred the entire thirtysomething blog, which then sucked up the entire archives of thirtysomething and converted it into something I didnt want to be part of. I mourned. God I mourned. I cried copious tears mourning all the posts that had disappeared into the world of junk emails and deleted trash. And then I squared my shoulders and began another blog. Thirtysixandcounting I called it, because thirtysomething had already been taken at wordpress. And I was thirtysix now. Not the thirtythree I was when I began thirtysomething. I had more candles on my cake. More lines on my face. And more inches on my waist. More shopping related angst to whine about.

Here I am, 300 posts down and wondering if I should quit while I still havent recycled all my material. I must celebrate this milestone the best way I can. This calls for a full out shopping spree, which includes the running into stores on discount and diving headfirst into cartons with the discount stuff piled in emerging only for air or when I finally find the right size. Yup, its my kind of festive season right now with the shops on full festive sales blaze, and infinite mirchi lights twinkling around fascia and disconcertening me with the halo effect (yup, all ye considering LASIK, bewarned that lights in the night will be halo like and god help you if you plan to drive), leading me to rush in and pick up stuff which is far far from the size I need, which will then lead to a return trip to exchange said item of clothing, and because I happen to spot a something that is just so very cute (Yes, I find plain round necked full sleeved black tees cute, and cannot resist them, at last count had 12 of them), pick up said cute item too. I will contribute to the booming economy and hope that the booming economy contributes to me too.

It is Dhanteras today, and by norms I should be out there buying metal. Of the precious kind. But the mater has been very generous this year and I have enough precious metal to last me a couple of lifetimes and absolutely no urge for any more. I’m more a rock and ice kind of gal. You know, those compressed carbon variety that has the spouse develop nervous tics and selective deafness whenever the TVC about perpetual love and such like stone being forever comes on. The only time I received the stones which are forever was when the stomach was all bloated out with nine month old foetus kicking hard at the distended walls of the uterus and all I could think of was when o when would I be able to last a couple of hours without the bladder bursting. Of course, a few days later, the foetus was out breathing air and screaming bleddy murder, and ensuring that I would long for the days when I could sleep for an eight hour stretch without being woken up by sharp shrill cries signaling hunger, discomfort due to potty/su su or general angst at seeing me finally drift into REM sleep, sleep I signed off all rights too since the august stomach cutting day. I did suggest to the husband that a small piece of pressurised carbon be picked up in honour of said Dhanteras and threw in the 300 posts milestone with it. I dont think he quite saw the point. I think I’ll settle for the spoons I decided on yesterday. And ensure these are inscribed with my full name. Initials included.

The SIL has a Very Good Plan. Let me add here, that she is a Very Sensible Person. She picks up a gold coin every Akshaya Tritiya and Dhanteras. By the time her daughter is of marriageable age, she will have the equivalent of Fort Knox worth of gold coins to be melted down and converted into the current in vogue designs for the daughter. All ye mothers who buy the jewellery you like, please be warned that your daughters are solemnly sworn to hate your collection. Therefore you will need to melt it all down and remake them into designs which are incredibly impractical, and therefore tis makes sense not to buy finished jewellery but instead gold coins which can later be made into designs approved by said daughters, which is if, going by current stage in fashion preferences, they dont decide to have a goth black wedding, with silver multiple piercings in unmentionable body parts. In which case silver is currently at Rs 28,000 for a kg. So they can stock up the silver bars.

Mothers of daughters are supposed to be practical about jewellery. Unlike me. Who is more likely to take the amount of money which would buy me a gold coin and run into shops to buy shoes and bags. I am Not A Sensible Person. I dont even have the wardrobe space necessary for any more bags and shoes and am rapidly encroaching the spouse and the child’s wardrobes for dumping space. Maybe I need to become a Very Sensible Person, and first create more wardrobe space.

I have a son. Thankfully. Men arent supposed to be fond of gold jewellery. And no, I’m hoping the child doesnt take Bappi Lahiri as a role model. Coming back to gold, the current rate is Rs 16,000 for 10 grams. I rather pick up a good bag. It could be a gold bag. Would get more use out of it. And it would be eye blindingly bling enough too. Ah well, given the current state of the wallet and bank account, I’m so sticking to my spoons.

Thanks for reading me through these 300 posts.