:::2010 Review:::

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before? I moved into my own apartment in a big city.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Didn't make any last year, will probably make some this year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My bffers Brittony.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Nope.

5. What countries did you visit? None.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010? An idea.

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? March, when I tried to move to Texas and failed oh so miserably. 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Moving myself into this apartment with zero help. Go me!

 9. What was your biggest failure? My failed moved to Texas.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? A massive panic attack in Texas, the worst in years.

11. What was the best thing you bought? My iPod was a gift, so I didn't technically buy that. I'll have to go with my air filter.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Mine, in reference to work situations.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? People at work.

14. Where did most of your money go? Rent and UHEAA. Some day that education is going to pay for itself, some day...:)

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Winning my iPod! Yeehaw!

16. What song will always remind you of 2010? Laudate Dominum sung by Emma Kirkby.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? 
b) thinner or fatter? 
c) richer or poorer? Sadder. Same weight wise. Poorer, ha!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Used my super powers. Honestly, I've got nothing for this one.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Interneting.

20. Did you fall in love in 2010? Nope.

21. What was your favorite TV program? Inspector Lewis, Doc Martin, Wallander, Roger & Val, Sherlock, and Wipeout. Yeah, I said Wipeout.

22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Myself, for seconds ago breaking two things that I just purchased, one of which I can't replace because I don't have a car. Really?!!

23. What was the best book you read? I went back to Chick-Lit this year to raise my spirits. If you're interested in my recommendations, we can talk.

24. What was your greatest musical discovery? La Roux.

25. What did you want and get? An apartment.

26. What did you want and not get? Divine guidance. Maybe next year?

27. What was your favorite film of this year? Blurg. Um...?

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 28, and I stayed home from work, made crafts, played in the snow, got my eyebrows waxed at the Red Door in the Willard, and had dinner with my friends at the House.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Help from abooooooove. Some WD-40 in the cogs of life.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010? Work clothes and pajamas.

I'm tempted to go down this route.

31. What kept you sane? My iPod!!! My nursery kids! Bishop + ward. The Mater. Friends at work. Family. My iPod!!! Internet that runs smoothly. YouTube for British shows. Netflix streaming. Cooking again. Taxis. Eternal perspective. Pretty little things to buy. Jokes. Fireworks. Restaurants.

:::Have You Ever...:::

eaten your lunch hours before your lunch break?

:::Christmas Music Recommendations:::

Christmas with Roger Whittaker
Roger Whittaker has such a rich and deep voice. "Darcy the Dragon" was my favorite Christmas song as a child. I also love "Momma Marie," "Hallelujah, It's Christmas," and "Christmas is Here Again." I'm going to warn you that if you download the whole album, skip "The Governor's Dream." It's fuh-rea-ky. Scared the jingle bells out of me when I was little.

The Christmas Gig
Um, the Target Christmas Album rocks the block, and is completely free to download or listen to. My favorites are "Electronic Santa" by Blazer Force," "10,000 Watts" by Crystal Antlers, and "Toy Jackpot" by Blackalicious. You've heard all three of these songs on Target's very fun Christmas commercials.

We Three Kings
Love The Roches We Three Kings album. Download the whole album because you get 24 songs for $11.99, but don't add "Frosty the Snowman" or "Winter Wonderland" to your playlist. They sing both songs in these weird Laverne and Shirley accents that I don't get. However, their rendition of "Good King Wenceslas" is very cool and 70s groovy.

Songs for Christmas
Of course, Sufjan Stevens. "Lo How a Rose E're Blooming" is one of my favorite carols, and his pared down version is powerful yet sweet, almost like a lullaby. I also love his versions of "Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella", and "Once in Royal David's City." You can listen to the album for free on his label's website, or you can pay cash money for it on iTunes.

:::1 Mile of Walking + A Bunch of Escalators + Two Trains:::

You don't tell me what I can't do, baby.

"...And I Shall Not Be Shamed"

Love it.

:::Hairy Chested Swedes Doing Dishes in the Rain While Listening to Their iPods:::

The screen protectors and silicone case thing-y for my iPod finally arrived. No more flour in my home button.

Cab ride in the ra-hain.

Last week, Cuff Link Fred told me that he loved my pink chest hair. Hardy, har, har, Cuff Link Fred.

Waaaallander. I just want to give him a hug and tell him everything will be o-tay. Bless him.

Too much of my life.

:::Nurseryyy:::

I am thankful that the parents of our nursery children take the time to thank us for our service. It is quite a bit of work, and we're always wondering if we're doing enough, or making any lasting difference in their lives.

It makes me particularly happy when they let me know that their children talk about nursery all week long in a positive way. Imagine that! One mother took her daughter to an art class near our chapel this week, and when they passed the church the little girl said, 'I want to go to nursery!' When they were done with the class, she said, 'Mom, I just want to to go nursery,' in a 'That was nice, but let's stick with what works' sort of way.

Today one of our regulars didn't show up to class. During the last half hour of church he busted into the room with the biggest smile on his face. We were so excited to see him, and all the kids cheered when he ran in, but a minute later his mom came rushing after him. It turns out he had a runny nose, so she was keeping him out. When she lead him away his little face twisted up and he started wailing. So sad, but it made me happy because he used to hate coming into class each week.

Then we had another parent come and pull out his daughter because she had been coughing, and she cried as well.

Then another little girl cried because her family had to leave early. She used to have zero tolerance for nursery and her mom had to stay in with her every week for both hours. Sometimes she wouldn't come at all. Now she runs in each week talking and smiling and has no problems at all.

It's so nice to see the children enjoying church, and we really are boosted by the appreciation of the parents. I love watching the children grow. I remember when some of our kids were born, so I've seen them develop and change over time. I love that.

One last story. I was sitting in the foyer before church, and one of my little boys was out there with his grandpa. When he saw me he pointed at me and said, 'Dats my nurswy techer.' Oh man, it makes me feel so good when they remember who I am!

I've been in nursery for two years now, and I hope I have at least two more years ahead of me. I love all my little nut job nursery kids. Serving in Primary is the most honest work I do all week.

:::Merry Christmas!:::

And there's Christmas candy at Safeway.

:::Reading Isn't My Backup Plan:::

Book open, head down does not mean 'Please come talk to me, I have nothing better to do than read this dumb book.' 

It means, 'I'm trying to read. I want to be engaged in this activity. This is what I want to be doing right now. Please stop talking to me. I'm already doing something.'

It's not that I'm anti-social, it's just that when I'm reading, I'm reading. Reading.

Reading.

:::I Live On the Hell Mouth:::

Today is the 28th of October, 2010.

We are 36 days into Fall.

There are 28 days until Thanksgiving, two months until Christmas. 

 

It is 80 degrees outside.

The humidity was in the 90s this week.

It's been like this for most of the month.

And drum roll please...

They turned off the air conditioning three weeks ago. 

Awesome.

I don't believe in cold anymore. I don't believe that it was ever cold here, or that it will ever be cold again.

:::A Series of 'Are You Kidding Me?' Events:::

1. Today at work I realized that I still hadn't returned some books that we didn't need to the publisher. West has a 45 day return policy, and the 45th day was on Saturday. Fun times. I got to spend my lunch hour strongly discussing the situation with a customer support rep. Living here has made me much more assertive. Also, my behind was on the line.

Once the situation was finally resolved, I spent the rest of the hour packaging the books and putting together a FedEx pickup because I had to get everything back to them within 10 days or we wouldn't be credited. Blurg. Double blurg. I couldn't risk messing with the USPS. I wonder how much that shipment is going to cost us.


2. There were too many people on the platform tonight for the first train that I take, so I couldn't make it into any of the cars. Thankfully, I got on to the second train that came.

When I got to my transfer station, the board said that the next three trains coming were all for my line. At some point, however, those trains magically changed color into the other line. All three of them. Seriously?

I decided to take the train in the opposite direction because I had a wait ahead of me and there were no free benches on the platform. Plus, there's a better chance of getting a seat if I take the train to the next stop up the line, then catch my train down from there.


3. The escalator at my home station was out of order. I had to w-a-l-k up the equivalent of like five flights of stairs at a steady clip without stopping. My legs were jelly by the end and I almost collapsed three steps before the top. Seriously? Breathing wasn't too much of an issue, thank goodness.


4. When I was right outside the gate to my complex I realized that I had left my keys at the office. NO!!! My worst fear realized. I was able to sneak through the gate with a group of people, then follow them into the building. We have electronic cards that we have to swipe at both points.

Once inside I ran over to the office, but it looked like no one was there. When I finally saw someone, I tapped on the glass and made a key turning motion. The lady shook her head no. BLURG! They have a policy that they don't do after hours lockouts, but it was like 3 minute 'til! I stood there stunned, then started rifling through my bag again to double check that my keys weren't there.

She eventually came back and mouthed for me to go stand by the maintenance office. When she opened the door she agreed to give me a key so I could go unlock my apartment, saving me an expensive call to a locksmith, or a panicked call to a friend for a couch to crash on. This is why I'm always soooooo nice to landlords.

I ran upstairs, unlocked my door, grabbed some tape and covered the lock catch (learned that at BYU), triple checked to make sure that all my locks were unlocked, then ran back downstairs and turned the key in.

I would have gone back to the office to get my keys, but the electronic key that I need to get into the building, make the elevator work, and get past the security door upstairs is, you guessed it, on my key ring, which is on my desk.



I'm hoooome now, sitting on my couch, eating eggs and potatoes. What a weird day. I was in a rare, 'It is what it is, just roll with it,' mood throughout all the transportation and key issues. I credit this to my new iPod and the three relaxation CDs that I loaded onto it this morning. Ah...goodbye commuting stress and chest pains.

:::Cooking Apps:::

Man, I am loving this iPod. I've downloaded just a few apps, my two favorite so far being Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, and Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. Last night I stopped by Safeway after I got off the metro, connected to their wi-fi network*, and found a simple, quick, and delicious pasta recipe from Martha.

Spaghettini with Lemon Zest and Chives

Serves 4

• 1 pound spaghettini, or thin spaghetti (I used linguine and it worked very well. In fact, I think it worked better than thin spaghetti would.)
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 stick butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup ricotta salata cheese, or Parmesan, coarsely grated
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, or scallion greens, thinly chopped
• Salt and pepper
• My sinful addition -- 1 egg to add to lemon sauce

Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook 1 pound of spaghettini, or thin spaghetti, until al dente according to package instructions.
2. Grate the zest of 1 lemon into a large pasta bowl. Juice the lemon, and add juice to the bowl. Stir in 1 stick butter, cut into small pieces, and 1 cup coarsely grated ricotta salata cheese or Parmesan.

• 2a. If you decide to add the egg, first scramble it in a separate bowl, then temper it with a ladle or two of the boiling pasta water. Then, add to lemon sauce. When the hot pasta is poured on top of the sauce, it will finish cooking egg.

3. Add drained pasta to lemon sauce, and sprinkle in 2 tablespoons thinly chopped fresh chives or scallion greens. Season with salt and pepper. Toss well, and serve.

I ate some of the leftovers today for lunch with the addition of some grilled chicken and a couple tomatoes. Reheat the pasta in a pan over low heat, then toss in the chicken and diced tomatoes. Yum.



This evening I made the most delicious Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Pancakes based on a variation of Mark Bittman's Basic Pancake recipe.

Basic Pancakes


Think of this as a nice, old fashioned pancake recipe that your grandma would have kept tucked in her recipe box on a faded index card.These pancakes weren't too light or too heavy, and cooked beautifully. I hate pancakes that are too light and foamy, but the hockey puck type aren't preferable either. This is my new go-to recipe.

Serves 4

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 or 2 eggs
• 1½ to 2 cups milk
• 2 Tbsp. melted and cooled butter (optional), plus unmelted butter for cooking, or use oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla (optional)

For Chocolate-Chocolate Chip variation add the following to the dry mixture --

• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 handful of chocolate chips

1. Preheat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat while you make the batter.

2. Mix together the dry ingredients. Beat the egg(s) into 1½ cups of milk, then stir in the 2 tablespoons melted cooled butter and vanilla (if you are using them). Gently stir this into the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to moisten the flour; don’t worry about a few lumps. If the batter seems thick, add a little more milk.

3. If your skillet or griddle is nonstick, you can cook the pancakes without any butter. Otherwise, use a teaspoon or two of butter or oil each time you add batter. When the butter foam subsides or the oil shimmers, ladle batter onto the griddle or skillet, making any size pancakes you like. Adjust the heat as necessary; usually, the first batch will require higher heat than subsequent batches. The idea is to brown the bottom in 2 to 4 minutes, without burning it. Flip when the pancakes are cooked on the bottom; they won’t hold together well until they’re ready.

4. Cook until the second side is lightly browned and serve, or hold on an ovenproof plate in a 200-degrees oven for up to 15 minutes.



 My favorite thing about having these recipe apps is that it will help me avoid wandering around the market trying to figure out what I could possibly make for dinner. The funny thing is that last week I thought that I should print out a few go-to recipes to keep in my wallet, but now that I have my iPod I have a variety of recipes at my disposal!

I've heard good things about Epicurious's app, so I'll be sure to check that out soon.

Hope your weekend is going well.


*Martha's Everyday Food app requires internet access to run. I don't think Mark Bittman's app does, which is awesome.

:::A Great Thing:::

Sometimes vendors will come to the firm to do training sessions or introduce product launches. If it's a product launch, they bring stuff for us -- pens, mousepads, water bottles, flash drives, etc. They want us to sign up for their new service, so they try and butter us up.

Westlaw came today with ice cream and a raffle. One of our partners won a laptop case.

I didn't want the laptop case.

Here is my story.

At the beginning of the meeting I carefully wrote my name on an entry slip, rolled it up as neatly as I could, and dropped it in the jar. I said a silent prayer and pleaded to Heavenly Father for a badly needed tender mercy, a break in the gray.

Suddenly, I knew what I needed to do on my end. I had to make a promise. I had to promise to do something, and I knew what that something was. It was already in my mind, as clear as day, so I said it, I made that promise. Then I whispered amen, and tried to focus my positive energy. It's the same set of steps each time I know Someone is about to step in and bend the course of fortune for me.

But I was still nervous. I could feel the delicate threads of fate dancing in the air, brushing against my face like teasing whispers. One prayer, two prayers, three. Please let this go my way. I need something like this. You know how it's been lately. Please.

My hands were fidgeting, which led my nervous fingers to land on one of our account rep's business cards. In that very instant, I knew what I had to do to seal the deal. With the tips of my fingers on the front of the business card, I swept it towards me, turned it over, grabbed one of the free pens spread out on the table, and wrote my promise on the back.

Then I tucked it under my camisole, right above my heart.

Then I prayed again, and waited.

I won.

:::From the Drafts Folder -- Just Believe and Believe:::

I'm not sure why I never pushed the publish button on this one. It seems to be complete to me.

I wish I could say that I feel this confident and secure today. Things rolled down hill fairly quickly after I wrote this and haven't really picked up yet.

***********************************

Originally written on August 19, 2009

Some quick thoughts that I'm not going to smooth out and make glossy, or entirely readable for that matter.


I ate lunch with my Mormon friend at work today. We have both read (I'm so close to finishing) Sister Oaks's book A Single Voice. It is the very best of books and I encourage you, whatever situation you find yourself in, to read it. It is a book all women should read.

Well, we got to talking about marrying later in life, plus marrying a widower, and I said, "I don't think I could handle being a step mom to grown children who don't really need a mother mother anymore. I don't think I could walk into another woman's family and try to carve out a place for myself." This is something that most single women fear. We don't want to feel like we're sloppy seconds, or the poor man's fill-in-the-blank, or that we have to share a man since we weren't good enough for a husband of our own when all the regular or blessed people were getting married. We're afraid to show up on the other side of the veil and have the first wife look us up and down and say, 'Go back to the little league, sweetheart.'

So that's one of the things that single women worry about when we're worrying about being single.

But then, here's the thing that my friend and I have realized-- As we've started moving towards the end of our 20s, being single doesn't feel that awful anymore. In fact, maybe it isn't awful, just difficult. We've transitioned to this point because now our testimonies are stronger, we have a firmer grasp on the reality of eternal blessings, and we have a better understanding of the purpose of life and Heavenly Father's love for His children. All these things have calmed us down.

Add to that the fact that we've reached a point where we aren't at our first jobs anymore, we're starting to get a small taste of what it's like to be an adult with the salary of a grown-up full-time job, and we see that there are a million great opportunities, expectations, and freedoms that we have because of it.

Anyhow, my friend and I were talking about this unforeseen shift in attitude, and I said, "After a certain point, like, 50, I just don't know if I would see the point in getting married anymore." I didn't say it with bitterness, but in a ruminating sort of, 'why would that option be attractive to me?' sort of way. Think of who I would be by then! Meaning that after I'm out of my childbearing years, and after I've spent so long building and living my own life, and considering that I would be closer to the end of my life than the beginning, would I really want to switch gears so drastically just to become someone's second wife for a few years, then face an unknown set of circumstances in the hereafter?
What my friend said back hit me square in the heart, and I knew that her words were true and that I needed to spend some time thinking about their significance. She said, "True, but you don't know what you'll feel like at 50."

And that is the point. I don't know what I'll feel like at 5o. I had no idea that I would feel the way I feel at 27, no idea at all.

Doctrine and Covenants 98:12 -- For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith.

This is a beautiful concept. At 27 I know what I need to know. At 50 I will know what 50 requires. Do you see why this is so great? We will always be prepared for what we need to do. The situations that frighten me now won't necessarily frighten me later in life.

This is the meaning behind my friend's words -- any time that we're doing something that God ordains, it will bring us happiness, and anytime we are part of something that God ordains, we can be hugely happy in a way that we can't understand right now. It's like trying to conceptualize heaven. Sometimes I look at beautiful landscapes and wonder how you could possible improve upon what we have here. But as my sister told me once, you just have to believe that the next life is amazingly better, even though we have no way of seeing it now. You just have to believe because it's true, we just don't have the capacity to understand the fullness of it yet.

If you read Sister Oaks's book, you could not deny that the woman is over-the-moon ecstatic about her life. She doesn't feel cheated or sad because of what she missed out on in this blip of mortality because the deepest desires of her heart are wrapped up in her faith in the Savior. She knows that every good thing will come her way at some point in a future that isn't as far away as we imagine it to be.

That's the point. Done and done.

:::Have You Eaten Recently?:::

Because my family told me that these pictures almost made them vomit. Got the same reaction on Monday when I showed off my cool new bruise to everyone at work.

This is what happens when bags of potatoes are on sale buy one get one free, and so are bags of onions, and you have to carry all four bags home along with a gallon of milk, some canned goods, a blender, and some other things that you need for a small dinner party the next day.

My best guess is that as the bags started slipping off of my right shoulder, the weight of the groceries puuuuulled and stretched one of my veins until....snap.

*Pop*

:::iPods:::

Can one of you geniuses explain iPods to me?

That wasn't a rhetorical question.

Yes, it's late September of the year 2010, and I'm thinking about getting an iPod. I don't really want to, and I still think they're stupid (on principle), but I need something to keep me entertained while I do my (hypothetical) fitness regime. Staring at myself in the mirror for 30 minutes ain't gonna cut it. 

Let's just start with the basics...

My criteria --

1. I want one with those cool screens that you can move around with your finger. Zoom!

2. Storage wise, it has to have enough memory for 1 podcast and 2 songs. 

My questions -- 

1. Do iPods have internet on them? Do I have to pay extra for it? (that'swhathesaid) Can I 'surf the web' on an iPod?

2.Do you get apps on iPods? Do you need the internet to use apps?

3. How do I get my 2 songs off the computer and onto my iPod?

4. Just to reassure me, I don't need a Mac for this, do I?

5. I saw that you can watch videos on some of these bad boys. How does that work? Can I watch videos off of Netflix? Can I only watch videos that I buy from iTunes? Are there any free videos anywhere that I can put on my iPod?

Once again, folks, these questions aren't rhetorical. I am truly am this ignorant, or this awesome, depending on how you look at it.

:::From the Drafts Folder -- The Desires of Our Hearts:::

"What we insistently desire, over time, is what we will eventually become, and what we will receive in eternity." 

- Elder Neal A. Maxwell

(According to the Desires of Our Hearts)

:::Potato and Pepper Frittata:::

Here is the recipe for the first frittata that I ever made. I was a quiche person before this foray, but afterward I became a committed frittata person (I don't like pie crust, I think it's distracting waste of calories and fat in an egg dish). I think I made this four or five times in a row over the next two weeks because I loved it so much.

Even though I discovered this years ago, I'm sharing it with you now because...I don't know. Who cares. It's by Lidia Bastianich. I copied the text below from some random website. You can see an image of the recipe in the cookbook Lidia's Italian-America Kitchen here. I'm unmotivated to type that version out for you, sorry. The only differences are stylistic.

Potato and Pepper Frittata

Frittata di Patate e Peperoni

This simple and satisfying dish, can be made even simpler by using a leftover baked potato instead of boiling a potato as a starting point. A cast iron skillet is perfect for making the frittata, but filled with frittata and right out of the oven it is a hot and heavy handful. Work with two heavy oven mitts or pot holders when lifting the frittata from the oven. And take a tip from restaurant kitchens: leave one of the pot holders or mitts draped over the skillet handle as a sign to all that the handle is very hot.

Makes 6 servings

1 large (about 10 ounces) Idaho potato

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, cut into 1/2-inch strips

1 each, red and green bell pepper, cored seeded and cut into 1/4-inch slices

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

12 eggs

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 1/3 cups cubed (1-inch) day old bread

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Place the potato in a medium saucepan and pour in enough cold water to cover by at least 4 inches. Bring to a boil and boil until the potato is tender, about 25 minutes. Remove and let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel the potato and cut into 1/2-inch slices.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 10-inch cast-iron or non-stick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add the peppers and cook until and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, add the sliced potato to the skillet and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Beat the eggs, heavy cream and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Add the bread cubes and let soak until softened, about 15 minutes. Fold in the vegetable mixture.

Wipe out the skillet and place it over medium heat. Add the butter and remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet and heat until the butter is foaming. Add the egg mixture to the pan and cook, without stirring, just until the bottom is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. There should be a few bubbles at a time around the edges- any more than that means the frittata is cooking too quickly and the bottom will be too brown. In that case, remove the skillet from the heat, reduce the heat and let the skillet sit a minute or two before returning it to the heat.

Transfer the frittata to the oven and cook just until the center is set – firm to the touch – about 25 minutes. If the edges are set and beginning to brown before the center is set, remove the frittata from the pan and finish the frittata under a preheated broiler.

If you’d like to serve the frittata hot, let it stand at room temperature about 15 minutes; if you prefer it warm or at room temperature, let it stand longer. Shake the pan gently to free the bottom of the frittata.

Either serve the frittata directly from the pan, or invert it onto a serving platter as follows: Hold a plate larger than the width of the skillet upside down over the frittata. Working with oven mitts or a dry cloth, firmly clamp the plate and skillet together and invert them in one quick motion. Slowly lift the skillet from the plate.

:::from the drafts folder -- goodbye mums (semi-finished):::

While I was messing with my blog today, I realized that I have a lot of drafts in the bullpen that I never posted. Hmm. Let's clear some of these out over the next few weeks.

First up, ':::goodbye mums:::' back from July 3, 2009, when I was still lower-casing. I never fully finished this post, but I think it stands up enough as it is, so, here you go.

****************************************************

my mom and i had a great time during her visit. since we have very similar personalities, our time together is always calm and relaxed and we just sort of do whatever. it's always important for me that the focus is on what she wants to do, since she spent most of our family vacations doing things that would keep us interested.

this trip was the first time that i had the power of the purse during one of her visits. it felt good to finally be at a place where i can viably handle the fun extravagances of a vacation. what a confidence boost it was to show one of my parents that even though i am still dumb with money, i still had enough to treat them to things. that confidence has been a shot in the arm and has led me to greater appreciation for my ability to work and provide for myself.

she now understands why taxis are a necessity on some days. she saw how much i walk and how wearisome commuting by foot, then train or maybe bus can be on a regular basis, especially when i'm dealing with any kind of weather and/or i have to carry things home. while i do have a weakness for cabs, some days i'm at a point mentally or physically where i can not handle trudging myself home.

i took her to work and she was able to see where i sit and meet all of my coworkers. i like it when my friends and family see my living and work situations for themselves. it makes me feel safer that they have a physical reference for the places where i spend all of my time.

since she stayed with me during most of her stay, she was able to spend time in my room and see how i had set things up. i always like showing my mom my domestic situations so that she knows that i do know how to run a household. i guess all daughters want their mothers to know that the womanly arts have been passed down to them, like a legacy of nurturing and home building continues.

{tangent -- when i went down to texas, my mom said one of the reasons she wanted to come was to see me interact with the kids. i thought it was interesting that even though she's seen me interact with a million children throughout her teaching years and my years as a babysitter, she wanted to see me with the kids in our family. i think all mothers want to know that their girls have the nurturing skills to take care of family, and they want to see familial love continue. i thought that was sweet.}

:::But Where is Hobbiton?:::

Unless you find mildly thunderous music offensive, here's a fun little Sunday video* for you.




*(Damn**, that's two posts in a row that were nothing but videos. Sorry. I spent an hour writing another post, but then erased it because it exhibited a lack of Job-like faith.)

**(My use of the word 'damn', however, was not Sunday appropriate. Sorry.)

:::Metro Song:::

The guy that did the Arlington Rap just posted a new video about riding our beloved Metro, and it's awesome.



Mom and Auntie, I will post later about the inside jokes so you can laugh as well.

:::I Am Too Excited About My New Air Filter:::

I beg your pardon, I forgot to introduce you to my newest friend --

My IQAir HealthPro Plus HEPA Air Purifier - HyperHepa Filtration - Air Cleaner with Gas and Odor Filter.

Ha, ha! Yes!

My awesomeness grows.

Luckily, I was reimbursed for this nine...

(teen?)

(ty?)

hu-hundred dollar expense by some health care funds.

I do not have that kind of money.

At. all.

:::Daddy Boy:::

Whilst talking with my parents one night last week, my dear mama informed me that she and papa were eating pasties for dinner. :( = sad face.

Have you ever had a pasty? They are one of my top five favorite foods. Ever.

There is a shop close to my home in California that makes and sells nothing but pasties, and every once in a while my dad would come home with gigantic, delicious pasties for dinner. Mmm. Pasties. Pastiiiiiiiiiiiiiiies.

So, I told my mom that dad should send me one.


Wuh?

Um, he actually did.

And not just one, but two.


My dad bought two pasties, froze them, wrapped them in his signature foil+plastic bag wrapping, boxed them up with freezer packs, and sent them FedEx overnight all the way across America, from one edge of the country to another, all the way to me.


I called my sentimental father and told him that I hadn't smiled so much in months. I think he thought that I was exaggerating, but I was dead serious. I've been in desperate need of smiles lately. I smiled so enthusiastically that my big, fat cheeks (which love big, fat pasties), hurt. And then I cried hot tears of happiness/sadness right there at my office desk.


I miss California. I miss my mom and dad, my Aunt and Uncle and my cousin TyTy. They think I'm funny, and they make me laugh. They think I'm doing well in life, and that makes me feel like a winner.

I miss knowing that the beach is just 10 minutes away and smelling the salt in the air wherever.

I miss the weather, I miss the sky, I miss the citrus, I miss the houses, I miss my old libraries.

I miss jeans and flip flops always.

I miss Ralph's, and then the ethnic markets.

I miss knowing Bolsa Chica and Edinger and Warner and PCH.

I miss the food... chicken and beans at El Pollo Loco, chicken fajita pitas at Jack in the Box, pickled turnips at Zankou, dim sum in Little Saigon, Mexican by real Mexicans, and on and on and on.

And I did miss pasties, but then my dad sent me two.


One less thing to miss. A little piece of delicious, potato-y home.

Thank you, Daddy Boy. :)