Anyway, during this trip I had to tick-off a shopping list given by my wife. The list included among other things a feeding pillow for twins and a battery-operated breast pump, things that are not easily available in our part of the world. I first tried to get them in Zurich; I never got beyond the breast-pump. Typically, it would take at least five minutes to make the person opposite me understand what I wanted; me in English, using my breasts and some silly actions to show an instrument that can express milk and the lady opposite me, speaking only German, trying to understand me.

In Zurich, the only kind of breast pumps available were manual. They had electric ones, but they were big and only for rental. I called WFM and told her that I probably would have to come home empty-handed.

But sometimes I can get lucky.

In Erlangen, after having finished with my meeting, I took a stroll on the main shopping street. I found a shop that seemed to be a cross between a pharmacy and a lingerie store and decided to try my luck there. I again had to go through the same combination of words and actions that I had mastered so well in Zurich; I was a pro now, without even the slightest hint of embarrassment. The counter-girls were amused no doubt, but they made an effort to understand. The concept of the breast pump was not difficult for them to grasp and they first brought me a manual one. When I asked for one "mit baatterie" they actually got me a small, portable, battery-operated device. Success!

Elated, I decided to try for the feeding pillow. Miming two kids in my arms in the feeding position, I tried to show them that I needed a base on which to rest them. They could not understand what I wanted for quite some time, until one of them led me to an area of the shop that had nothing but feeding pillows. Huge, big, feeding pillows in different sizes and shapes with an equal number of pillow covers in a bewildering array of designs. I checked out one of the pillows by putting it around my waist. I presumed this was what WFM had wanted and asked them to pack it up after having selected a pillow cover for it. With two items down, I felt emboldened enough to ask for one more item from the list; feeding bras.

Imagine me trying to mime the act of opening the front of a bra for the purpose of feeding. Surprisingly and luckily, the girls understood this part pretty quickly and got for me what I wanted. And the sizes actually turned out accurate when I got them home.

The last eight months have been so interesting that I have decided to chronicle them. I am now doing a new biweekly column, called "A Father's Diary" at a site called www.indiaparenting.com.

The expected delivery date is 12 March. We finish 35 weeks on 05 February, after which WFM need not continue the bed rest that has been enforced on her. It is unlikely that she will be able to deliver normally and we are getting geared up for a C-section sometime in the third week of February, probably on the 21st.

We can see our lives changing. Mike's last piece helps so much (thanks, Mike, I hope you note the sarcasm here). I wonder how we will cope though. At work too, we are working on a new project involving a new machine and scanner and things are going crazy.

And I thought I hated roller-coaster rides.

I believe that there is nothing more important to one's happiness than habit. No matter how free your spirit or how wide your wanderlust, I really think we constantly erect the guardrails of habit to keep us safe and sane as we try to make our way each day.

For example, I've only recently gotten into the habit of eating and drinking while sitting at the computer, for instance. But it's already a great comfort to me to have something to nibble on while I wait for a program to download or an idea to form up or a web page to arrange itself on the screen. In fact, I reach for a sip of soda or tea every time I hit the "save" button, even if there's no glass or mug on the coaster in front of me. Clearly, my stomach is calling the shots.

The interesting thing about habits, especially at this time of the year, is that you only tend to think about them when you want to break them. This can be very frustrating, as any dieter or smoker or heavy drinker or abuser of any substance already well knows. Habits are so very, very comforting. Comfort is so very fleeting. Why would any logical person seek to make herself uncomfortable? Right?

So, the secret to "breaking" a bad habit is to trick your psyche entirely. There will be no breakage in this household. Instead, we're going to make a brand new habit and let it overwrite the old one. Simple, eh?

Let's see. In one of the more interesting spiritual books I've read this year, The Craft of the Warrior by Robert L. Spencer, the author talks about a concept he calls "energy sinks." These are all those places in your day where you mindlessly go through an action, lose your train of thought, and of course lose the feeling of alertness that accompanies the true being-in-the-moment moment that we're all looking for. Typical energy sinks will occur when you are brushing your teeth, for instance, and zoning away to another place and time ... hmmmm ... swish and spit and where was I?

If you want to have some fun with yourself and reawaken your mental processes, just try brushing your teeth with your "other" hand. Suddenly, you're vividly aware of the whole process of the act, every step of the way. (It's good for your teeth, too. Gets some loving attention to the forgotten side of your mouth.) But you can grasp the idea. Put your pants on -- wrong foot first. Cross your legs the other way. Walk to the bathroom with your eyes closed.

In every case, you've suddenly become aware of a whole new set of feelings about the everydayness of things. Things that are always there, but that you don't see or feel or realize anymore. Your new awareness creates a new burst of mental energy in the same place that the old grove had worn your mental wheels down to a slick. And then suddenly, you have an energy surge instead of an energy sink.

I think that's one of the reasons that people eventually bounce back from an injury feeling so much stronger. They are forced, by unfortunate circumstances, to hobble slowly and smell the flowers instead of sprinting by the scenery.

So, I'm trying the old switcheroo when it comes to my eating habits. Chopsticks instead of forks. Move the mouse to the place on my desk where the coaster usually sits. I've even brought my mending basket here to the machine so that I have something to do (beside eat) when I'm engaging in another session of the world wide wait.

I wonder how long it takes to establish a new habit? And every time you fall back into your old ways, do you have to start all over again on the reprogramming? I'll let you know how I progress. I've already failed tonight, by the way. Failed miserably.

While I was trying to figure out how best to phrase my words for this column, I broke down and brought in a fattening snack from the kitchen and ate it before I knew what I was doing. Now I'm drowsy, of course, and unable to concentrate properly. But luckily, I had begun this piece earlier in the day, so I had something to work with.

And why did I begin it a little earlier? Could it be ... force of habit? After just over two months of writing every week for a Monday publication, I've finally established a little bit of a habit, glory be. It may not be much, but it's certainly a small comfort, to be sure.