July and August

July and August are my worse months here because of allergies which manifests themselves in the form of red eyes. Mornings these days find me squinting against the light, and hastening to the bathroom mirror to see which of the two got lucky. Yes, it's always only after sleeping and it's always only one eye. The sneezing starts soon after. What follows is a desperate hours-long ritual with water, popping Vitamin C tablets like skittles and eye drops to get it to go away. Usually, and this is the best it's gotten in years, it goes away by afternoon and I can regain my normal expression without looking like am impersonating Clint Eastwood. The moment I step out of this place to somewhere , anywhere, even a stone's throw away to Seattle, and it goes completely away.

I try hard not to scare the lil one.

Incidentally, the little one is picking up stuff from me. The other night, she drops her yogurt and says ' ooh maaan'. This, I realize, is her first 'curse' word. And she's only two.