Tuesday, November 29, 2011

california

These are the things I don't love about California:

1. It's so far away.
2. It gets an ocean and we inlanders don't.
3. Lots of stuff there causes cancer.
4. Only one season.
5. There's probably more.


These are the things I love about California:

1. The Californians.
2. It has an ocean.
3. There might be more.

Friday, November 25, 2011

yes we did a 12 and 1/2 hour drive today

But tonight, just before she went off to bed, someone sang a love song to me that went something like, "I love you, I love you, I love you, because you care for me, and I love you, I love you, I love you, because you do nice things like give us baths and I love you."

Accompanied by many kisses and the jingling of a tiny little silver bell.

Seriously. The drive was totally worth every minute.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

dinner before the feast

Tonight, for dinner on the eve of the feast day, we had mac and cheese. Not homemade, cheesy, lovely mac and cheese.

No. We had Kraft mac and cheese.

There. I admitted it.

In fact, I am now about to post all of the reasons why I like Kraft mac and cheese. Right here. Now.

1. It's easy. Duh. Of course.
2. Dinner in less than 15 minutes. Possibly not truly dinner, more like warm stuff on a plate, or in a bowl because it's much easier to eat from a bowl than chasing it around on a plate, right?
3. The way the mac sticks to the bottom of the pan when you first pour it into the water and then you stir it up and in just a few moments all of the little macs are boiling and rising and falling. I like that.
4. The smell of the cooked pasta when the timer goes off. A smell from my children's childhood.
5. Less than five ingredients, which according to an article I read today in Glamour magazine while waiting to see the eye doctor (pow! I made a funny) anyway, the article was about a big size woman who had spent years telling people to love their big bodies but eventually realized that it is also important to help your body be healthy and big...anyway, one of the ways she recommended losing weight was by eating food with less than five ingredients. That took a while to get to now didn't it?
6. Watching the dogs leaping about me and the mac and cheese pan in the kitchen begging me to let them lick it out.

Which I did. And tomorrow we'll eat real food and feel thanks.

Hope you have a happy one.

And then, the next morning, Jack and I will hop into his truck and head west because two mornings ago on the way to work I said I was going to miss seeing the Californians at the Thanksgiving table and Jack said, "Well, why don't we go see them?"

So off we'll go.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

and then i kinda teared up

On my test from my teacher the judge:

"So when are you taking the bar? What are you doing in my undergraduate class?"

Sunday, November 13, 2011

looking so much better today

1. We have heat once again. Well done Jack and Jr. I can feel the natural gas bill dropping now that the boiler and its flue are no longer completely clogged with soot.
2. I finished my homework for last week. Finally. All eight discussion posts, two quizzes, seven assignments, one massive test, and three group assignments. There may have been more. I've left my brain someplace and can't remember. But I don't have anything due until Tuesday night. Yes this semester is.killing.me. all over the place.
3. We had a big pot of homemade chili with hunks of bread and fresh veggies on the side for dinner tonight. What, I ask you, says autumn and comfort more than a pot of chili in a warm house?

Saturday, November 12, 2011

well there's this, but there's this

On the complaining side, there's this:

Broken boiler for the past week means no heat in the house,

The repair of the boiler required the turning off of the natural gas--twice--which meant no hot water for morning showers because that pilot light thing that happens when it goes out and has to be relit or you get no hot water happened,

The repair of the boiler was interrupted this morning when the something something valve blah blah blah broke, so the water had to be shut off all day because Jack and Jr had to go buy parts and more parts and even more parts,

Oh and the garage door closer only works when it wants to, which is unrelated to the broken boiler, cold water, and no water, but a pain just the same and would be more so except that we can't park a car in there anyway because of the heap of Halloween decoration debris that has filled up the car parking spaces,

And for some unknown but apparently somewhat related reason, the internet was down for a couple of hours today too.



But then there's this:

The water is back on.

The water heaters are heating water.

The gas fireplace in the dining room is still--cross your fingers--blowing out hot air, even though it has been given quite the workout this week and it feels like it's at least 80 degrees in there so you have to decide, 80 degrees in there or 50 degrees anyplace else in the house.

The internet is back.

We discovered a La Frontera just two miles from our house. Oh yeh. Almost makes up for the lack of heat and warm showers.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

when you don't post

Friend,

When you don't update your blog, is it because:

1. You're too tired?
2. You don't have time?
3. You can't think of anything you think I want to read?

Or is it like me--some of all that, plus who wants to hear that my boiler--i.e., heating system in the house--has busted so we have only the fireplace for heat?

Well. Whatever it is for you, hope you're doing okay. And maybe it's time for lunch? Or pancakes?

Saturday, November 5, 2011

oops--i forgot to post these

These dollies (including their momma) showed up last week for Halloween--



and then there's this oddball...

drinking out of the tub...
his usual old man pose

and her sweetheart pose...


and there you go

Just like that I got 43 out of 100 on my information systems midterm. Long story, but mostly I didn't prepare adequately. And now I've documented that too.