Something's growing ...

I'm in a family way, have a bun in the oven. I'm knocked up, with child. I'm pregnant, okay? Well, I think it's good news. I had been trying to become pregnant (with some help ... ahem). And apparently, it took. Now THERE'S some scary news just in time for Halloween ...

Things that are fun to do

Have you ever thought about what makes you happy? I mean really happy, joyous even? Here are a few things that I would highly recommend --they work for me:
1. Skipping work;
2. Standing facing full sun and closing your eyes;
3. Cooking for friends and family;
4. Watching a movie that makes you laugh so hard your stomach hurts (like Little Miss Sunshine or Showgirls);
5. Learning enough of a new language to be able to eavesdrop on passersby;
6. Yelling at political debates on TV (use sports matches, if that's your thing);
...

I can't think of anymore at the moment. I apologize if you try these and find that they are not at all fun for you. Everybody's got their something, you know ...

Testing, testing ...

Let me preface this by saying that I have just taken an html class. I apologize for yelling if this font change thing actually works.

Now, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. But it is necessary to try new experiences every once in awhile. Find a novel way of thinking and of doing things. To say I know next to nothing about computers is ... well, it's not an exaggeration. I look at computers the same way that most people look at cars --just get me from point A to point B. I don't need to know about engines and tires and oil and stuff. So, to shake myself up a bit, I took a class.

Initially, the instructor might as well have been speaking Turkish. It was totally foreign to me. It still is largely foreign to me, but at least I got a peek in. It's rather like beginning to decipher a secret code or to work on a puzzle. The picture is fuzzy, but it's light years ahead of where I was just two days ago.

Thanks for your patience.

Remembering Paris

I just sent my friend Babs an e-mail describing my memories of Paris. Here's an excerpt ...

"I went by myself when the Chunnel first opened up because ... well, because I could. I was in London studying then and I went for a weekend. As I seem to recall, there was a fire in the Chunnel and we were stuck in the train with no lights for about an hour. They gave me a refund for that leg of the trip and I ended up bringing home two Americans and a ... French girl? Mexican girl? I can't remember which (I met both types during that trip). Anyway, I brought three strangers home with me and they had to sleep in our hallway. My flatmates were totally cool with it --which is amazing if you think about it. On a tangent, why is it that I always experience disaster when I try to leave France ...? I also got stranded when the students were striking when I was trying to take the ferry back to Ireland, if you will recall. When I left you in Germany. Then again, I did also luck out, so I can't complain. And my mother had an extremely interesting story about trying to leave Italy, going via Paris, that would take WAY too long to explain. Suffice it to say, it ends with her driving from New York City to Virginia with a carload full of non-English-speaking Corsicans..."

Nina Simone

I went a little crazy at Borders the other day --it was teacher appreciation weekend where they give a 25% discount for educators. One of my purchases (which ended up being only 20% off as it was a CD --always read the fine print!) was Nina Simone Sings The Blues. I've really been in a Nina Simone mood lately, so I decided to give into it. Ain't no use trying to fight off Ms. Simone.

So what exactly is a "Nina Simone mood"? I know what a Ramones mood is, but a Nina Simone mood is a new one. I guess I needed something earthy and warm and tranquil but full of feeling. And that piano work! Ah, wonderful...

Cooking is Wonderful

How lucky are we to have access to adequate food? I'm assuming that if you're reading this blog, you have access to the Internet and, thus, have access to sufficient funds to keep yourself from starving. Not only do we have access to adequate food, we have access to a variety of foods. Preparing meals for one's self and others --for me, it is a very rewarding experience. It provides exactly the right balance of pragmatism (well, you GOTTA eat) and creativity.

Now that I'm not working crazy hours anymore (or at least until the week begins again), I've had the opportunity to cook. Today, I prepared a pasta dish with chicken and grapes in a gorgonzola sauce, sushi rice, peppers stuffed with lamb, feta and rice, pizza dough and herb rolls.

Here's my herb roll recipe, in case you feel the urge to bake and eat delicious food:

2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast in 1/4 c. warm water
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. other dried herbs, like oregano, dill, or thyme
1 egg or 1/4 c. egg substitute
1 c. cottage cheese

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter. Add liquid ingredients and knead. Cover and let rise. Punch down and let rise again. Bake for 10-12 min. at 375 degrees.

If you read this blog, please post a response containing something I can try.

So Tired

Heed my words, children: the cycle of getting up, going to work, coming home, going to bed, and doing it again is a bad idea. It makes you very, very tired and, frankly, not pleasant to be around. It is true that we have to work for a living --starving is an alternative, but not very realistic. So, the question is how to balance the need for food and shelter with the need to be an individual and do personally gratifying things like ... well, blogging.

Let's break it down into percentages:
33% of your life is spent sleeping, if you get 8 hours of sleep a night. And I had better get 8 hours of sleep a night or I'm going postal.
That leaves 67% ...
67% for driving to work and working is too damn much. I think 33-40% sounds more reasonable. It certainly sounds like more fun. That leaves 27-34% for personal gratification. Much better than 0%, no?

*This blog has been inspired by an e-mail from my friend KHK in Germany. She said that she wasn't much of a writer and felt more comfortable with more technical matters. It doesn't get more technical than turning your life into a pie chart.