Update: New Job, New Cat, New Worries

After a long time, I am updating this blog. I am really not sure who reads it still and that is partially my fault because I rarely update it. But life is pretty routine and nothing exciting takes place so I figure why bore people with accounts of day-to-day life?

I am about to close my 3rd year in India and at this job. I was promoted in March – can’t remember if I wrote about that. I was promoted to the role of quality lead, a new role on the team. It is not new to the industry – most companies in the same field have quality leads and checks. But because this was a new role for the team, there were a lot of things which I needed to build from scratch including procedures, processes, tools and training the team. The role is basically streamlined now with only a few hiccups – time to see how I might take it up a few notches!

I am not sure when I will come back to the US for my annual visit. I even played with the idea of not coming. For some reason this year, it feels wrong to go – a little wrong. It could be that I felt that way because the cats have been falling sick lately and two weeks in the US away from them seemed a bad idea. But now they are fine (knock on wood) so that is not it. And I do feel a little better about going back. Sometimes, it feels like the more years that pass, the stranger I feel in US. My family’s lives also carry on and they cannot drop everything because I have come home. So it can be lonely – lonelier than when by myself in India because in India I have my cats, work and my own life going on. But going I will and must – I need to do the clothes run (can’t find clothes here that fit and the tailors are usually not very good at making western wear). I also want to narrow down my things in US – I keep thinking of all the boxes and things there which could be reduced to very little because I am obviously not using them!

I also want to make a will – mostly for my cats. I want people to know what needs to be done for them if I should die or if I suddenly cannot take care of them. In a way I feel nervous – when we tried to make a will for mom and dad, both died before they could sign the final documents. Seems like a family curse?

I am on the last day of five days off – a vacation that came from having two festivals (Ramadan and Ganesha Chaturthi), taking off on another day between those and the weekend and then the weekend itself. I have been productive. I got Bobby neutered.

Oh – I should tell you about Bobby. He is the third cat to join my household. He came from Mumbai. There is a mother/daughter team there that rescues street cats, cleans them up and re-homes them. Bobby came to them as a small kitten with a maggot infested wound and some mouth injuries. They healed him and started looking for a home for him but because his jaw is crooked, they worried that they wouldn’t find him a home. So I decided to adopt him. They flew him via Jet Airways cargo and I went to the airport to get him. He is a little ginger and white boy, very naughty and playful. At first Squeeby and Lucy were not happy but after some time, Lucy started to play with him. Sometimes Squeeby does too though more often than not, Squeeby tries to lick Bobby when Bobby would rather bite.

So I got Bobby neutered during my vacation and had to have one of his teeth removed. Lucy also got a check up because on the very first day of my vacation, she started coughing – randomly and badly. A dry, raspy, harsh cough that doesn’t do anything and seems very distressing to her and me. But the vet couldn’t find anything wrong with her and said I should deworm her again in case the new cat brought worms into the house. I have done that and for nearly 2 days she didn’t cough. Just now she coughed  She is hiding under the bed actually. I am trying not to worry – it could still be worms. She will be re-dosed in two weeks. But a part of me is really worried it’s the start of a bigger more terrible problem. I am trying not to worry – I will say that again – but it can be so hard when I am attached to them like I am. If something happened to these cats, I would be very sad. And angry if the vets here couldn’t help her – they are mostly incompetent with cats!

So that is all the news I guess:

1) I was promoted

2) I got a new cat

3) Lucy is coughing and I don’t know why

4) I will complete year three soon

5) I will be coming to the US soon