The year that was ...

Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ring, happy bells, across the snow:

The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.

~Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1850

Its that time of the year again folks ...when you look back , take stock of your yearly screwups and your achievements (trying to make that 1lb you lost in the gym sound like it changed your life foreever...ignoring the 10 lbs u put on since) .

I never really did that kind of stuff, because I did'nt consider myself to be living what is called " a happening " life . It was the same year after year, college , studies, and the same old reruns of "Friends". My life was so disgustingly monotonous that it was depressing to sit back and reminisce . Or so I thought . But when you are over the hill (according to the theories of aging , your 'species propagation services' to mankind are required only till 25 ,you can age and die after that ...nature does'nt care if you did 'it' or not by then), you start acting all wierd and painting a rosy picture of your 'wonder years', the fun you had bunking that one lecture for no reason, or catching that last show because you just had to see Shah Rukh in "Chaahat" !! .

But then as always I like to look at the bright side of things however hard it may be . All is not lost ...I may be on the wrong side of 25 ...but I am still on the right side of 30 ! I can still manage to create some cool and wild memories for me to boast of when I am 50 and blabbering through my toothless mouth to my grandkids . Yup , I can bet all my molars, that by 50 my mouth is going to be as empty as a newborns , but I am not letting any dentist within 10 yards of my precious cavity filled teeth...nuh aah. One mistakenly done root canal at the hands of a totally inexperienced bimbo was enough for me (she probably had to shut down shop after I drove away every patient of hers with my screams). Anyways ...so I was talking about how hard I was working at doing fun stuff that I could talk about later. I am still going around getting them done ...but its tough when you are in a village like Iowa city .

I do like to exaggerate ...but I would'nt trade my life for anyone else's . The ride has been fun , crazy and I have so many fond memories of places and people. My only worry is my memory, that bails out on me regularly. I seriously suspect if I even have any memory cells left in my brain anymore. The result of which is I have turned into this pack rat , who will not even throw out a movie ticket stub . Maybe I should just write an book (Brainwave , courtesy ...the book I am reading by IITian Chetan bhagat called "Five point someone" ). So what would I write for this year ? Something about each of my friends, the fights over pictionary, our road-trips to chicago, the never ending bday's and endless rounds to the mall to pick that special gift. I would write about my wonderful wedding and my ever patient husband with whom I pick fights for no reason just so that we can make up and chat for another hour ( my favourite is when he claims my hair did'nt look so good on my wedding day :-).

And while I look back fondly at the year that was , 2005 is going to be the year I will be called Dr. Sarita , the year I will finally be able to be with my husband and live like a married couple , the year I am going to get my first job . Yes ...this year is going to be the year I will reap my fruits of hard earned labor. I can't wait for it to begin !!

Blah Blah Blah

Another one of those 14 straight hours of work in the lab today . And yet I felt the need to blog today of all the days :-) . Work has been exhausting to say the least . I was happy doing an experiment here and there but when you decide, rather, when your adviser decides its high time you came up with your next publication ( I was perfectly contended with two ), you realise you actually have to get all those experiments done . And when the Boss drops subtle hints that border on threats, the visions of being stuck for another year are just too disturbing to ignore and continue surfing the net !! I also realised (rather my adviser realised ...again ) , that my committee needs to be reminded that I exist , and would like to leave with their blessings . Which means hazaar emails/ phone calls , organizing their dates and fixing a committee meeting, not to mention putting together a decent progress seminar convincing them I could actually graduate this summer ! It just does'nt end !!!
Meanwhile partying has pretty much come to a lull after some major masti for bday's, job treats, moving aways and secret santas ...that came one after the other. Now that I keep reminding myself , this may be my last christmas, diwali , bday celebration before I move out , I cannot get myself to miss out on anything. I may crib about this small college town of mine, but nothing beats that feeling of being back here again , everytime I return from a trip . At the same time I can't wait to finish up and go out into the world ...after over 25 years of 'education'.