Good Children

Missing

My laptop is in the shop -- trying to beat the warranty expiration of 12/11. We are left with using our dinosaur desktop which will or will not start depending on the day. My work, shopping and bill paying is suffering. The Husband is suffering too now that he can't play his Facebook games.

Over the weekend Adelaide and I went to an event sponsored by the French Consulate where we watched several French animated films and ate cake (insert revolution joke here).

The first film that we saw was the one that stuck with both Adelaide and I the strongest. I nearly cried at the end. Les 3 Inventeurs by M. Ocelot. Here's a clip:

Eccomi

Hello internet! I just took a brief vacation sans computer and it was great. I had Thanksgiving at my brother's house which keeps kosher so that meant no milk with meals and I literally had silverware snatched out of my hands at one point because I plucked them from the wrong drawer. I offered to bury the offending fork and knife in the backyard but they said it wasn't necessary. If only someone would have explained the rules to me beforehand ...

It's difficult navigating through a Jewish household when my primary exposure to Judaism is Larry David.

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

I haven't felt right in the head since having kids -- who does, really? In retrospect, this could have been going on for longer but I can't seem to remember life WITHOUT kids. Anyway, I woke up one morning about a month ago and felt NORMAL. I wanted to listen to music again, buy new clothes, get out of the house and talk to people (well, some people).

I stopped yelling, stopped wanting a divorce every other day and started breathing. My day was no longer something to get THROUGH but rather something to enjoy.

This was a pretty minor transformation -- this was not a personality change, I'm still cranky and introverted but the switch in my head got flipped and it definitely felt chemical.

I'd been exercising for several months so although I know there are benefits from that, I don't think it caused the lights to come on. All I could contribute it to was the fact that I started taking supplements. I have been taking vitamins D3 and some Omega 3 every day to ward off the flu for a few weeks.

What I didn't know was that both vitamin D and Omega-3 fatty acids are suspected affect the brain and mood. Taking these are the only changes I've made within the past few weeks. I am now a believer and I wish that I had tried this sooner.

I am not one to pop pills and follow strict vitamin regimens. The bottle of acetaminophen in my medicine cabinet is expired and I pretty much 'suck it up and deal' with ailments that come my way. If it hadn't been for the flu paranoia this year, I wouldn't have even picked up a bottle of vitamin D3.

So after all this babble, I guess that I'm trying to say that if you don't feel "quite right" in the head, pick up some vitamins. It can't hurt.

From Sushi to Po-Boys to Burritos

Y'all Carrollton is finally getting a Mexican restaurant in what was formerly "Streetcar Sushi" and then "Big Shriley's" at 1434 South Carrollton.* 

I cannot tell you how happy I am to see this. The Husband and I are keeping our fingers crossed for good food and low prices.

Necessary Naptime

Daisy has really been protesting naps the past few months. I had given up with Addy by this point but I'm insisting that Daisy continue her afternoon snoozes.

I wish that I could convince her that she's not missing much. It's not like I sit on my butt for two hours watching TV and eating brownie sundaes.

Oh wait, yes I do.

The Rough with the Smooth

I got leered at twice last week. This, I am ashamed to admit, is not as unwelcome at 33 as it was at 23.

The fact that I am holding the extended glance of cashiers and public works employees tells me two things: my stomach is slowly shrinking and unfortunately, my boobs are not.

I'm still T-Tapping away but after frustration with my slow inch loss (I'm still not down a size after six months), I contacted the office for some of that "customer support" that comes with the DVDs. Well, customer support I did get. I was kindly told that essentially I have not been doing the exercises to their full extent for the past six months. I was taking an easier road to complete the workouts when I should have been pushing harder (kinda like my academic career).

Anyway, I have added some tweaks and can barely get through ten minutes of the workout now which is *good* but also leaves me feeling like a failure. [I know I'm not a "failure." I'm getting my ass off the couch, blah, blah, blah.]

SO, maybe big things are in store for me over the next few weeks like shopping in the juniors section of my favorite department store or ordering from the J. Crew catalog. You know, the finer things in life.

I sit next to a neuropsychologist every Tuesday and Thursday night during my training class for the NOPD Crisis Unit. I can't help but think that he's analyzing my handwriting as I take notes.



This is what one might call a paranoid delusion.

Mitch?

The Husband just got a telephone survey about Mitch Landrieu for mayor. Could it be he's testing the waters?

Now in Print!

I just submitted my first print piece for a local periodical, Nola Baby. It was a bit piece for a bit magazine but hey, it's going to be published and the editor stroked my ego quite nicely.

I've always envied people who have a passion -- artists who need to create, actors who do audition after audition because they must. I have a varied work history and I've accepted the fact that I'm simply a Jack of all trades ... master of none.

Once thing that I do need to do though is write. I currently have FIVE journals and a blog that I write regularly (well, fairly regularly). I have no plans for a novel or even anything longer than 1000 words but I'm lucky and happy that I have found an outlet that pays for my obsession.

Touching back on the "Jack of all trades thing, " The Husband was remarking about my varied employment history this morning. He said that it was a testament to my ability to pick up things quickly. Perhaps, but I have a feeling that future employers see me as unreliable and a bit impulsive. Have a look for yourself.

Here are my occupations and/or employers since I was sixteen (with some wacky volunteer work as well):

Dairy Queen
Kinney Shoes
JC Penney
Secretary, Development Office
Hollywood Video
Stitcher (Seamstress), Guthrie Theater
Telemarketer, Guthrie Theater
Educator, Everywoman's Center
Stitcher, Costume Department
Bus Driver
Cook, pizza restaurant
Assembly line worker (one night)
Camp Counselor
Cumberland Farms
Bus Driver, Boston Crusaders
Snack bar worker at the fair
Telemarketer (2 days)
Secretary, Howard Johnson
FedEx courier
Accounts, appliance store
Secretary, real estate firm
Victim Advocate, Rape Crisis Center
Secretary, brokerage firm
Secretary, evil Catholic high school
Barista, Starbucks
Bead Hander Outer, Commanders Palace (it was a one-day gig)
Secretary, evil personal injury firm
Cook, Mexican restaurant
Bean Counter, Girl Scouts
Mother
House Cleaner/Assistant
Babysitter
Professional Blogger
Freelance Writer
Producer
Technician, NOPD Crisis Unit

Am I missing something?

Everyday Cooking

Beth has been writing about what she cooks for dinner and that in part inspired me to do some home cooking. The other inspiration was guilt. I've never really cooked dinner routinely in our six years of marriage. Menu planning bored me as my repertoire consisted of pasta, tacos and frozen pizza. We ate a lot of takeout.

The husband often complained when I cooked at the lack of meat in the dish. There are some people in the world that believe that a meal isn't a meal unless blood was shed and the rest of us have to deal with them.

When the kids were born, I would make lunch for them (often quesadillas) and skip dinner or have a light snack. The Husband would then drive down the street for McDonalds or Burger King. Every night. I would in turn feel guilty for not keeping up with my "wifely" duties and grow frustrated with complaints when I did decide to cook.

Enter Martha Stewart and Everyday Food. It's a monthly periodical that gives tips on what's fresh and has tons of meal ideas inside. My favorite feature, however, is one where they TELL you what you'll be eating that week. There are five nights of meals and a shopping list completely eradicated the need to plan a menu. Most meals take only 30 minutes from start to finish.

Eating from Everyday Food has expanded our palates. In one week we ate kale AND leeks. In every week there are usually two or three vegetarian options so I don't feel too meated out and The Husband gets some animal protein. Plus, if The Husband doesn't like a dish, he can blame Martha. [If it sounds like I live with a tyrant, I do.]

I have enough back issues now that I can combine weekly menus to make it through the month. My only issue now is that meals are four large portions and that's too much for us right now so I usually have to tweak the amount of ingredients. I love cooking fresh foods for myself and my family. Go Martha!

In other news, a stroller ate my baby. Must read for Maclaren owners.

Rumor Has It

For those of you who care about this sort of thing ... a little birdy told me that a certain local actor who was fired from Sterling Cooper this season is under contract for Season 4. Hooray.

In slightly related news, I've been seeing those oh-so-funny signs in my neighborhood again.