Week 4, April 18th, 2011: the bed

What have I made this week?
The Bed.

That thing I was coming down with on Saturday was viral.  That of course didn't stop the super sketchy Dr from prescribing me the largest antibiotics known to man.

 But that's the way the cookie crumbles when you don't want to be someone's second wife or at least private language tutor-- creepers!

Yeah, it's been a fun six days of bed rest.
I've had mom or dad take me out each day to either get a strawberry milkshake or just do something.
In bed, I have: Watched every episode of Phineas and Ferb. Shopped for bathing suits- no full meals for five days is making summer season looking a little less scary. Listened to my Billy Currington Pandora station like it's going out of style. Looked over the Yankees line up and stats so far this season and checked out Scranton Yankees. Had super scary nightmares. Tried to figure out how to fix the camera on my blackberry.

And of course, I've messaged just about everyone in my contacts nearly three dozen times.
My parents deserve canonization after the two wake up calls this morning when the neighbor's tree guys started the chain saw in my back yard at 7:50 and then, at 9, when the neighbor woke me up again to apologize. My mother explaining to me that 'hop poops jelly beans' and singing the Pina Colada song with me this afternoon. That and Cup's grilled cheese emporium is absolutely astounding.
Sabrina, Char, Seems and Miss have also been amazing with the emails and txts...

And little miss buttercup was down for a few days with shots-- gorgeous even as a little sicky!

And of course, some of the messages may be getting the sender one of these 

 in his truck bed.

I've got some papers to work on to finish up the semester... let's see what we can get done today/ tomorrow.

So, productive week... in bed.
Happy Easter or Passover.
Talk to you soon!

a sad Saturday

I'm trying to be positive... I really, really am, but I'm tired and irritated and upset.

I was supposed to be enroute to seeing my little funky monkey, but I'm stuck in a Saturday class.

I was supposed to be heading to K&Ms after class, but I feel like I got hit by a truck and I'm coughing up all kinds of nasty stuff.

I was supposed to have hit my 3 mile times and be working towards my 4s, but I have a jacked up back so I'm walking.

I was supposed to be starting my brewing experiment, but I'm not going to be able to pick up the carboys.

I'm expecting far too much from people and becoming extremely disappointed in them for not meeting and in myself for being selfish.

It's been rotten, but I'm also stuck on several delightful things.
I gave an hour long presentation on Wednesday on Aesthetics and Knowledge Creation and I'm still trying to figure out where that paper is going to go.  It's a fascinating idea, how we have these exciting and fulfilling experiences while we're creating things.
I finished up my two interviews for this class and I've got to write them up tonight so that I can be completely done with it except for my final presentation.
I got to transplant over half of my seedlings... only the eggplants and the habaneros need more time.
And there's a little cross-eye Asian woman in this class wearing a Canadian tuxedo with a blue leopard print shirt. I know it's mean, but I'm trying so hard not to laugh that my eyes are watering.

I've been musing over the ideas of hope, faith and love.  The link comes from I Corinthians 13:13: "There are three things that last: faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love."  I never agreed with this: mostly because I found my contemporaries insipid and onerous.  I used to think that hope was the most important, that no matter how bad things got, as long as you had hope for something else/ something better you'd be fine... you'd be able to make it.  And then, you'd come back rich and be able to rub it in everyone's face.

I got over caring what others think several years back and decided I've changed my mind.  I think that hope really doesn't get you anywhere.  You need hope when you're in survival mode or building castles in the air.  Hope isn't pouring the foundation, hope isn't saying who we really are or where we are actually going to go and I don't think that hope and imagination are synonymous.  I think imagination is far more important and helps generate possibilities.

You have to love people.  You can not like them, but you have to love them, in that you need to want the absolute best for them all the time.  I see myself as part of the whole, I see meeting the needs of those important to me and letting the unimportant stuff slide.  I see faith as coming to the table in trusting people to do what's best for all of us and then, trusting myself enough that if they don't, I can, without hating them and without becoming bitter.
I'm working on that.

Week 3, April 11, 2011

What a week, what a week, what a week!

Guys, I'm busy playing-- Thanks Miss!

I was busy this week too. My final presentation is due in one class and parts of my paper were due last week- the last portion of it is due today, but it just won't come out of my head, so I'm taking a break and doing this.

The weather is gorgeous here right now. It's looking like thunderstorms tonight, which are my absolute favorite on earth. It was 81 this evening, so I drove from work with the windows down, sunroof open and cowboy music blaring. The only thing better than the weather has been the garden planning and events.

My first flower popped up on Friday. WOO!  I'm thrilled to see any since it looks like the deer, chipmunks, skunks, rabbits and whatever else gorges itself on my compost had ats with the hundreds of bulbs I planted around the garden... and then pooped everywhere. Lawn work was on the agenda for the weekend, but I was thoroughly satisfied with my pilgrimage to Lowes. The high-water, skoal ringed, aviator shaded employee pointed me in the direction of the 20 gallon yard clipping totes and they were.... cue fanfare... PURPLE. I know, I know, it's like the gardening gods are smiling.

My feet were also smiling and the garden looks ready for fun after the ravages of winter... I wish I could say the same about my grapevines... stupid deer!
Also happy:


My Christmas/ Easter Cactus and African Violet.  Both came with post it note requests not to kill them and voile!

So, we had yard work, work work, school work and then...
It was Cupcake's birthday on Saturday!

Cup (aka Daddy) and Mom really are in a class all their own. Having dinner with them reminds me of why I don't teach middle school: they still do all these little things to get the other to laugh. Case and point, him trying to put the raspberry pie in her face and her trying to figure out where to stick the candles. Cup works far too hard, has an affinity for popcorn, root beer floats and JRR Tolkien. He's into the nerdy stuff, but in a respectable way, not in a "no guys, that's not my dad dressed up like a hobbit" way. So... I had to get a gift cert to his favorite pizzeria (which coincidentally, so did both of my siblings) and then made him two pies.

Cup is a big fan of chocolate, but it's lent, so I made him his two favorites: pecan and raspberry.
What I love about pecan pie is that its basically candied pecans in a pie crust- brilliant.  I did the karo syrup bottle recipe and it was five minutes to prep, 60 to bake and done.

I got all kinds of fancy with with the raspberry pie and the cherry pie I made for work today.  I attempted the lattice.

Pie crusts were from scratch, Nan's recipe.

But I did cheat on the filling...

The crust wasn't my best, but the birthday dad didn't complain.

In other baking, I made some pusties for Lovely Rita's benefit-- I hope they were ok. I spoke with Lisa's husband at work this morning and he said that the benefit went very well. I'm hoping they have more aprons available!

I need to take a minute to discuss stove-top chocolate pudding. After ever having it (like anyone who's tried it), how on earth can you go back to instant? I know it takes like 10 minutes to prepare on the stove and you have to stir, but it's so worth it. It is the shortened litmus for delayed gratification. It's creamy, and just chocolatey enough without any of that icky residue-y flavor. It feels right in your mouth. Cooked chocolate pudding is happiness on a spoon and it was just what I needed after a kick you in the teeth kind of week (there was some disappointing running news and lots grading, papers and awful changes at work).

My three other points of consolation/ gratitude:

She just gets cuter with age... and Missy and Kerry's captions get better and better.

There is a Tim Horton's on campus. I must have done something very right in this lifetime to get a treat like this.

I've got the pre-planning done on the brewing project. I may still need a bit of equipment, but I'll take some shots when we get underway.

 Have a lovely week! Hasta Pronto!

The Big 3Oh

Who else can say that their most recent family picture looks like this:

That's right, they put my little miss Emerson in a carebear outfit.  My sister crimped my sister-in-law's hair, Ker went tennis prep- and his shoes were brilliant, mom was Cyndi in black and Dad did the rolled up blazer and high tops.  I have the best family ever.  And an excellent college roomie, who flew up from DC, helped mom, made sure I ate and took this lovely family picture.

And what a couple of weeks it's been.  Emers and Missy sent me a message pre-flight of that naughty Kevin saying they'd see me soon and as soon as she got to mom and dad's, they put her to work.  You should have seen her taking care of the potatoes...

She helped grandma soooo much!

The party was just what it needed to be-- we were all together.  Mom and her minions outdid themselves on the food--it was absurdly delicious, Lau's playlist was sublime, and there was just enough 30th decor to be obnoxious.

I know that I spend a blog out of every few reminding myself to be grateful, but I think there's another important thing that I realized.  It's something that my parents have been trying to hit home for the past thirty years: life's about what you give, not what you get.

I've given a little time and effort to bake something for some people I care about...

 Nan and I did a lemon meringue pie the day after the party with Nellie's assistance-- someone had to read the pudding box



I've taken a little time to learn some family recipes... Nan's pie crust is something that no one can do-- so I'm going to the master to get a little remedial work.



It really is so little that I've given.

 Flour, eggs, sugar and shortening...

And I've gotten so much...

 
Rice cereal time with Emers...  and seeing her wear my favorite outfit for her sixth month pic.

 A pandora bracelet with gorgeous charms in my favorite color.

Cake and chocolate covered pretzels from the kids and their families.

 The best cake I've ever eaten, ordered by my faculty friends- chocolate chiffon with marscapone layers and chocolate ganache frosting.

 The cards and gift cards...

 The presents-- gardening and cooking... my friends and family know me so well...

 And the vino.

And from the nurse and PA, a break from the cakes.

I know that the joy is in us, not things, but I'm still floored by the thoughtfulness...

On the burners for this week-- did a chocolate pie for fac on Monday, but didn't have time for pics.
Have the pleasure of making pusties for Lovely Rita's benefit this weekend, a pecan and a raspberry pie for dad's birthday...

I'll have more party pics for you all when I get the ok from the subjects in question.

I'll be going back to completely from scratch after these last two papers are in and I'll be updating you on the beer as soon as I've figured it all out and the running as soon as I hit my three mile times/ have any other news!

Be well.  See you soon!