I hate to resort to a bulleted list, but there has to be some way to impose order on the chaos of topics at hand, and I refuse to take the high road, a.k.a., editing myself. So, here goes:
- Sportimint Club: What is the Sportimint Club, you ask? What does Sportimint even mean? Naomi and Muriel have formed a club. The clubhouse is their room. There is a sign on the door, made by Naomi. There is a secret knock to get in (which I will not reveal, though I am lucky enough to know it). Other than that, people, I am as in the dark as you are. I *think* it's some amalgam of sports and experiments? Or something? Who knows.
- Little fish: Naomi passed her first round of swim lessons and was presented with a pink cardstock skill assessment and a piece of Laffy Taffy in a ziploc bag. My heart swelled with pride. More so when she shared the Laffy Taffy with her sister with no admonishment from me.
- Other little fish: I watched Ponyo with the girls on Friday night. It is a weird, delightful movie. Of course the girls' favorite part was the beautiful sea goddess (or whoever she was), Ponyo's mother. Those girls are a little predictable.
- Bagels: The first time I tried to make bagels (after declaring my intentions here), the dough was too goopy, and I gave up. I tried again this past Saturday, with semi-success. The process was fun, but the bagels browned too quickly and were not all that tasty. They were good enough to convey some cream cheese and smoked salmon to their final resting places, at least. I will try again, for sure.
- Egg Hunt! We were just late enough to the Easter Egg Hunt at church that we managed to miss all the chaotic coloring and egg hop and whatnot, and get straight to the egg hunting part. For the tinies, this process is much less hunting and much more gathering, so they just walked from room to room and harvested ten eggs (the limit). Fortunately, this year, there were no florescent permanent ink stamps for Muriel to decorate her face with.
- Five Miles: Also Saturday, I ran five and a half miles! Woo! Is this a good time to mention (did I already mention?) that Jim and I are half-planning to run a half-marathon in November? Of course, five miles is not even half-way there, but still, a long run for me.
- Cold water: Saturday night there was a loud noise in the basement, and since I had just been down there fetching up Easter basket supplies, Jim assumed I had knocked something over. But no, it was the hot water heater blowing a something or other. There was a fear-inducing burning smell and a little leakage. So now, NO HOT WATER. Which means, as it turns out, NO DISHWASHER. I never knew how keenly I loved my dishwasher, also, until I spent the whole afternoon cleaning up our breakfast dishes. Bleah!
- Mom of the Year: Only a truly awesome mom would be clever enough to enclose her two-year-old, AND her bag of Easter candy, in her room for a nap. I was so happy to hear how quiet it was for twenty minutes, and then Muriel emerged, a big ring of chocolate around her mouth. I said, did you eat your candy? And she said, just a little bit. Ha! She had eaten about two-thirds of her chocolate bunny and had somehow made a little hole in the carrot-shaped bag of orange Reeses Pieces. The worst part, of course, is that I couldn't act mad at her because I was laughing too hard, and I couldn't even really BE mad at her, because I am the dummy who left her chocolate in there in the first place. Naomi, even at two and a half, would never have helped herself that way, and thinking about that somehow makes me love both of them even more. They are so Naomi and Muriel, respectively. Hee.
This will be a hectic week, as we are leaving town halfway through for a more Vitamin D-friendly destination. More on that later... have a lovely week!
LATE BREAKING NEWS~ Jim had someone come and fix the water heater today. I am listening to the dishwasher whirring away in the kitchen. Happy!
Monday, April 05, 2010
Thursday, April 01, 2010
The Face of Healthcare Reform
April Fool's! Naomi really got into the spirit of April Fool's Day today, though her trickery was hilariously straightforward. "Mom, you've got a bug in your ear....April Fool's!" Hee.
We froze a couple of bowls of cereal last night, and served it up this morning. It was a good gag for about twenty seconds.
Then there was just a lot of scraping and chipping to try to eat the frozen milk...
Happy Easter, you all! Have a great weekend.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Kitchen Dispatch
Jim has been on the ball with his camera lately, and apparently we spent all week in our kitchen, so this photo essay is the result.
I forget what was going on here, so, this is our kickoff picture.
This is the pizza dough we bought at Trader Joe's, inspired by a recent pizza night at our friends' house.
Muriel ate quite a lot of it, which is noteworthy only because of the very birdlike dinners she normally consumes.
OK, yes, the lighting in this is a little bit Touched By an Angel, but I include it to emphasize that if you are ever wondering why the poor Khooler children always have such sloppy hair, consider the source! Yikes. But we also liked the pizza.
This morning's conceit- pretending our worn-out saucepans were guitars. I was going to make a jam session joke, considering that Naomi was wearing a considerable amount of the stuff on her face from her morning toast, but instead I will relate that Muriel would actually check inside her pot to see if the audience-requested songs were in her "guitar" or not. Rad.
After dinner tonight, the kids shared a strawberry milk box. Naomi is pretty good at the sharing when she has a sense that it's her responsibility to be fair. But mostly they were just being coocoo. It really is too bad this isn't a video, because part of the fun is listening to them laugh when they really get going.
Tomorrow, in this same kitchen, I am *maybe* going to try to make bagels, my first time! If I do, there will be some pictures of that. In the meantime, have a beautiful weekend, friends!
I forget what was going on here, so, this is our kickoff picture.
This is the pizza dough we bought at Trader Joe's, inspired by a recent pizza night at our friends' house.
Muriel ate quite a lot of it, which is noteworthy only because of the very birdlike dinners she normally consumes.
OK, yes, the lighting in this is a little bit Touched By an Angel, but I include it to emphasize that if you are ever wondering why the poor Khooler children always have such sloppy hair, consider the source! Yikes. But we also liked the pizza.
This morning's conceit- pretending our worn-out saucepans were guitars. I was going to make a jam session joke, considering that Naomi was wearing a considerable amount of the stuff on her face from her morning toast, but instead I will relate that Muriel would actually check inside her pot to see if the audience-requested songs were in her "guitar" or not. Rad.
After dinner tonight, the kids shared a strawberry milk box. Naomi is pretty good at the sharing when she has a sense that it's her responsibility to be fair. But mostly they were just being coocoo. It really is too bad this isn't a video, because part of the fun is listening to them laugh when they really get going.
Tomorrow, in this same kitchen, I am *maybe* going to try to make bagels, my first time! If I do, there will be some pictures of that. In the meantime, have a beautiful weekend, friends!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Can You Tell I Started This on the Weekend and Lazily Didn't Finish It Until Today?
What a long, strange week it's been. Well, not that strange, but long and a little strange. Here are the two weird parts:
- Dead racoon. Fun fact! I am kind of creeped out by racoons. They are bigger than you think, they RULE our neighborhood at night, and occasionally we hear multiples of them thumping and scuttling around on the roof. It makes my skin crawl. On Thursday morning, Jim did a "Psst, c'mere" and asked me if I knew what was about this big, has stripes, and is DEAD. Ha! and AUGH! I sneaked out and threw a few pebbles at it, through the fence, to verify that it was truly dead. When I came in I did a creeped out jump around dance, which made Naomi ask just what was going on?! Jim and I both said- "It's COLD out there!"
Which it was. But Naomi is a subscriber to a nature magazine that features a little racoon and his friends (a mink, a skunk, and a beaver) who have good times in the woods and learn about nature. And who am I to pass along my prejudice? I didn't want her to see the thing. Jim used our neglected, lonesome snow shovel to move the remains. Lucky for us it was trash day!
- Creature from the Black Lagoon. The other day Jim called me and told me he was on his way to REI to buy something, and he wasn't going to tell me what it was, because he wanted to see my reaction to it, whatever it was. He had seen a guy at the mall with it, and asked him where he got it, and was now off to start making his own impression.
It turns out his instinct was right on, because when I saw what he bought, I laughed and laughed. And kept laughing every time I saw it. "It" was a pair of...shoes? Feet covers? Jim is mildly obsessed with the notion of barefoot, ball of the foot-first running. He has been trying it out, reading up on it. It turns out they make special non-shoe shoes for this kind of runner, and it looks like a scuba diving toe sock. I will take a picture of that soon- I realize it is irresponsible to describe this and not give a visual.
And now the good- on Sunday, for the second party of a two-birthday-party weekend (the first one was great, as well), Naomi went to a bowling alley! First time ever! She wasn't bad- on one frame, she even bowled a spare. Of course, this is kiddie bowling we're talking about- there are bumpers blocking the gutters, making it more like slo-mo pinball. It's the ultimate Zen exercise- the kid starts the ball rolling, you go and order a burger, eat it, make a to-do list, call your mom, find out what's new, run to the bathroom, and just when you return the ball has finally made contact with the pins. Cue enthusiastic cheering! Naomi was totally into it, not because she liked the bowling, but she loved the turn-taking and the scoring. And I reverted right back to my amateur woo-bowler persona, cheering raucously for every kid on every frame. High Five!
Naomi is also taking swim lessons. She is really enjoying it, and this seems like a good time tout the "lazy parenting is its own reward" method that I default to, I mean, espouse. Before I even thought about potty training Naomi, her pediatrician said I could start any time, but if I started earlier, it would take longer. Which meant, of course, if you wait to teach a child something until the child is really ready to learn it, the child will learn it lickety split. Which was true when she was potty trained (at the somewhat late age of three), and true now as she takes on swimming lessons, a newly fearless five-year-old. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that her scarcely-teenaged boy teacher is named Ryker. I am sure that really is his first name, and that it is not the case that his real first name is Commander and he just goes by his middle name. Make it so, Mom and Dad!
More good! Luna's lame owner finally got her to the vet for an update of inoculations and a nail trim. We went to a new vet, whom I like very much- no aggressive upselling based on horrible infliction of pet owner guilt! Now I am more than willing to take her back for the dental cleaning. She has been sick, poor girl, from eating trash, about which perhaps the less said the better, and has lost a lot of weight. But she seems to be nearly recovered, so, hooray! More good!
Everyone's getting some specific air time, but I don't have anything for Muriel. Oh wait- today on the way home from school, at the intersection near our house where we always have to stop for a light, she watched a crow swooping around, landing on the median, swooping back to the grass across the sidewalk. She said, "I wish I was that bird." Yeah! I love that so much. I asked her what she would do. She said, "Fly up to the top of that tree, and then swoop back down." She actually said swoop. She also was rocking a funny Three's Company sloppy high ponytail today, just as a bonus.
- Dead racoon. Fun fact! I am kind of creeped out by racoons. They are bigger than you think, they RULE our neighborhood at night, and occasionally we hear multiples of them thumping and scuttling around on the roof. It makes my skin crawl. On Thursday morning, Jim did a "Psst, c'mere" and asked me if I knew what was about this big, has stripes, and is DEAD. Ha! and AUGH! I sneaked out and threw a few pebbles at it, through the fence, to verify that it was truly dead. When I came in I did a creeped out jump around dance, which made Naomi ask just what was going on?! Jim and I both said- "It's COLD out there!"
Which it was. But Naomi is a subscriber to a nature magazine that features a little racoon and his friends (a mink, a skunk, and a beaver) who have good times in the woods and learn about nature. And who am I to pass along my prejudice? I didn't want her to see the thing. Jim used our neglected, lonesome snow shovel to move the remains. Lucky for us it was trash day!
- Creature from the Black Lagoon. The other day Jim called me and told me he was on his way to REI to buy something, and he wasn't going to tell me what it was, because he wanted to see my reaction to it, whatever it was. He had seen a guy at the mall with it, and asked him where he got it, and was now off to start making his own impression.
It turns out his instinct was right on, because when I saw what he bought, I laughed and laughed. And kept laughing every time I saw it. "It" was a pair of...shoes? Feet covers? Jim is mildly obsessed with the notion of barefoot, ball of the foot-first running. He has been trying it out, reading up on it. It turns out they make special non-shoe shoes for this kind of runner, and it looks like a scuba diving toe sock. I will take a picture of that soon- I realize it is irresponsible to describe this and not give a visual.
And now the good- on Sunday, for the second party of a two-birthday-party weekend (the first one was great, as well), Naomi went to a bowling alley! First time ever! She wasn't bad- on one frame, she even bowled a spare. Of course, this is kiddie bowling we're talking about- there are bumpers blocking the gutters, making it more like slo-mo pinball. It's the ultimate Zen exercise- the kid starts the ball rolling, you go and order a burger, eat it, make a to-do list, call your mom, find out what's new, run to the bathroom, and just when you return the ball has finally made contact with the pins. Cue enthusiastic cheering! Naomi was totally into it, not because she liked the bowling, but she loved the turn-taking and the scoring. And I reverted right back to my amateur woo-bowler persona, cheering raucously for every kid on every frame. High Five!
Naomi is also taking swim lessons. She is really enjoying it, and this seems like a good time tout the "lazy parenting is its own reward" method that I default to, I mean, espouse. Before I even thought about potty training Naomi, her pediatrician said I could start any time, but if I started earlier, it would take longer. Which meant, of course, if you wait to teach a child something until the child is really ready to learn it, the child will learn it lickety split. Which was true when she was potty trained (at the somewhat late age of three), and true now as she takes on swimming lessons, a newly fearless five-year-old. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that her scarcely-teenaged boy teacher is named Ryker. I am sure that really is his first name, and that it is not the case that his real first name is Commander and he just goes by his middle name. Make it so, Mom and Dad!
More good! Luna's lame owner finally got her to the vet for an update of inoculations and a nail trim. We went to a new vet, whom I like very much- no aggressive upselling based on horrible infliction of pet owner guilt! Now I am more than willing to take her back for the dental cleaning. She has been sick, poor girl, from eating trash, about which perhaps the less said the better, and has lost a lot of weight. But she seems to be nearly recovered, so, hooray! More good!
Everyone's getting some specific air time, but I don't have anything for Muriel. Oh wait- today on the way home from school, at the intersection near our house where we always have to stop for a light, she watched a crow swooping around, landing on the median, swooping back to the grass across the sidewalk. She said, "I wish I was that bird." Yeah! I love that so much. I asked her what she would do. She said, "Fly up to the top of that tree, and then swoop back down." She actually said swoop. She also was rocking a funny Three's Company sloppy high ponytail today, just as a bonus.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Thirty-Two Oh Five
This morning Jim and I got up and dragged the children over to the local health club, where the first annual St. Paddy's Day 5k got underway at 8:15. The kids stayed at the "child care" facility at the club, at which, we discovered, $5/hour for two kids (and a not-really changed dirty diaper) later, you kind of get what you pay for. Oh well. Also, what gives with the St. Patrick's Day-related fun runs? What is it about St. Patrick's Day that makes people want to run five kilometers?
The point is, Jim and I ran a 5k this morning, and it was great. The weather, threatening showers, turned out to be sunny and clear and cool- just perfect. We puffed a little going up a particularly steep and long hill (probably neither, just seemed like it), but overall we did fine, and when the timekeeper read our time out loud (32 minutes, 5 seconds for me, 2 seconds later for Jim), I was pleasantly surprised. I assumed my pace would be around the 12 minute miles I can comfortably and pokily sustain on my occasional treadmill runs. So, yea!
After the run, we came home, and Naomi suggested she and Muriel should have a snack on the front patio, because it was just so "gorgeous." Hee. I couldn't argue with that. We went to brunch at our friends' house- a pair who met when she was teaching English in Turkey and he was just... in Turkey. So the brunch involved feta-inclusive brunch treats and Turkish tea. Mmmm. And the kids enjoyed playing with their adorable son (Naomi's age), but especially their older daughter, who is eight, and a sweet enough girl to make time to play with two little chicks who are much younger than her. It was a long, luxurious, very delicious brunch; I am almost worried we overstayed our welcome.
Our afternoon was actually kind of short after that. At dinner time, our friend and babysitting swapper came by, and Jim and I headed to Seattle for dinner. It was another long, luxurious meal, with a brief and wonderful interruption when an old friend stopped by the restaurant to show off his super duper cute 7-month-old daughter. Salt cod fritters, squid kebab, lamb, moussaka, and coconut cream pie. And now it is too late, and we have to spring forward, and I have to be awake and ready to teach Sunday school in a scant few hours, so I cannot even properly end this post. But thank you, Saturday, for being so delightful. The end.
The point is, Jim and I ran a 5k this morning, and it was great. The weather, threatening showers, turned out to be sunny and clear and cool- just perfect. We puffed a little going up a particularly steep and long hill (probably neither, just seemed like it), but overall we did fine, and when the timekeeper read our time out loud (32 minutes, 5 seconds for me, 2 seconds later for Jim), I was pleasantly surprised. I assumed my pace would be around the 12 minute miles I can comfortably and pokily sustain on my occasional treadmill runs. So, yea!
After the run, we came home, and Naomi suggested she and Muriel should have a snack on the front patio, because it was just so "gorgeous." Hee. I couldn't argue with that. We went to brunch at our friends' house- a pair who met when she was teaching English in Turkey and he was just... in Turkey. So the brunch involved feta-inclusive brunch treats and Turkish tea. Mmmm. And the kids enjoyed playing with their adorable son (Naomi's age), but especially their older daughter, who is eight, and a sweet enough girl to make time to play with two little chicks who are much younger than her. It was a long, luxurious, very delicious brunch; I am almost worried we overstayed our welcome.
Our afternoon was actually kind of short after that. At dinner time, our friend and babysitting swapper came by, and Jim and I headed to Seattle for dinner. It was another long, luxurious meal, with a brief and wonderful interruption when an old friend stopped by the restaurant to show off his super duper cute 7-month-old daughter. Salt cod fritters, squid kebab, lamb, moussaka, and coconut cream pie. And now it is too late, and we have to spring forward, and I have to be awake and ready to teach Sunday school in a scant few hours, so I cannot even properly end this post. But thank you, Saturday, for being so delightful. The end.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Birthday Party Redux
As I type this, the girls are summoning first one parent, then the other to their darkened, supposed sleep room for various nothings. They had late naps (even Naomi!) and an exciting day, and I think I will be hearing screaming and laughing and squeaking and "Mommmmmmmy. Mommmmmmy." for another forty minutes or so. Oh well.
In the past, we had talked about the tendency, which can come more easily than you think, to overdo birthday parties for kids. So we agreed that every five years we would throw a big one, a kid party blowout, and then the other years, not so much. Since Naomi turned five this year, this was the year for it. A few months ago we went to a birthday party for her friend from school at a "play gym." I would never have thought to have a party at a place like this, but Naomi had a fantastic time at that one, so we finally decided to shamelessly copy that shindig. Getting a reservation wasn't easy, which is why we ended up having Naomi's to-do at 12 on a Sunday, a week after her actual birthday.
Here's where I win a prize for my fabulous planning skills. Instead of just getting the cake and the sandwiches from the same place, and preparing the takeaway beforehand, I had to order the sandwiches from one place, the cake from another, and decide rather at the last minute to have balloons instead of goody bags, meaning, a third stop on the way to the party. And also: a car JAMMED full of balloons. Cuckoo!
Somehow, despite the many crazy stops, we still got to the party place too early, and had to wait outside in the March chill (yesterday's weather was a one-day only engagement, sadly), in order to save Muriel from further complaining about the balloon crowding in the car. When we got into the place, the balloons commenced with some kind of suicide pact- at least ten of them popped. Jim ran out to get more, kids started showing up, and the party got under way.
Our no-presents-please invitation request was roundly (sweetly) ignored. Also, every foreign-originating parent congratulated me and shook my hand (on the occasion of my child's birthday). In fact, one of the mothers, who is Russian, brought me tiny, sweet-smelling, yellow mimosa flowers, since it is nearly Mother's Day in Russia, and that is the traditional flower on this holiday. (I haven't felt inclined to fact check that one.) But of course, it wasn't about me! There were obstacle courses, games, a swing, a trampoline, and all manner of running around. I think the kids had a really good time.
I felt a little bad that there was only enough food for the kids (especially when I realized how hungry I was). The astronaut theme was...under-realized, I guess, but the cake was still cute. At the end, there was a frenzy of balloon grabbing, which I will freely admit was super gratifying. And then we went home, put the kids in bed for a nap, and ate the leftover deli sandwiches. And tonight, the girls have finally fallen asleep, I am eating Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies, and the birthday season has officially come to a close. Ahhh.
In the past, we had talked about the tendency, which can come more easily than you think, to overdo birthday parties for kids. So we agreed that every five years we would throw a big one, a kid party blowout, and then the other years, not so much. Since Naomi turned five this year, this was the year for it. A few months ago we went to a birthday party for her friend from school at a "play gym." I would never have thought to have a party at a place like this, but Naomi had a fantastic time at that one, so we finally decided to shamelessly copy that shindig. Getting a reservation wasn't easy, which is why we ended up having Naomi's to-do at 12 on a Sunday, a week after her actual birthday.
Here's where I win a prize for my fabulous planning skills. Instead of just getting the cake and the sandwiches from the same place, and preparing the takeaway beforehand, I had to order the sandwiches from one place, the cake from another, and decide rather at the last minute to have balloons instead of goody bags, meaning, a third stop on the way to the party. And also: a car JAMMED full of balloons. Cuckoo!
Somehow, despite the many crazy stops, we still got to the party place too early, and had to wait outside in the March chill (yesterday's weather was a one-day only engagement, sadly), in order to save Muriel from further complaining about the balloon crowding in the car. When we got into the place, the balloons commenced with some kind of suicide pact- at least ten of them popped. Jim ran out to get more, kids started showing up, and the party got under way.
Our no-presents-please invitation request was roundly (sweetly) ignored. Also, every foreign-originating parent congratulated me and shook my hand (on the occasion of my child's birthday). In fact, one of the mothers, who is Russian, brought me tiny, sweet-smelling, yellow mimosa flowers, since it is nearly Mother's Day in Russia, and that is the traditional flower on this holiday. (I haven't felt inclined to fact check that one.) But of course, it wasn't about me! There were obstacle courses, games, a swing, a trampoline, and all manner of running around. I think the kids had a really good time.
I felt a little bad that there was only enough food for the kids (especially when I realized how hungry I was). The astronaut theme was...under-realized, I guess, but the cake was still cute. At the end, there was a frenzy of balloon grabbing, which I will freely admit was super gratifying. And then we went home, put the kids in bed for a nap, and ate the leftover deli sandwiches. And tonight, the girls have finally fallen asleep, I am eating Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies, and the birthday season has officially come to a close. Ahhh.
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Monday, March 01, 2010
Picture Catch Up
Urge to post....late at night...too strong...cannot be ignored. OK, just a handful of shots of the birthday bonanza.
Traditional birthday pancake face. She requested this one, so I guess it is now a birthday tradition? I give credit where it is due: Jim is responsible for this year's pancake face.
Naomi decided to wear all the mardi gras beads Grampa brought. You can't see it in this picture, but she has one gold string of beads around each arm. Fancy!
I just think Naomi is trying to prove how grown up five year olds are simply by making this grown up smirky five year old birthday face.
Naomi's cake is a big old mess, as you can see, but it tasted pretty good. And she said it was just what she wanted, though I think she was probably being charitable. I'll take it.
Traditional birthday pancake face. She requested this one, so I guess it is now a birthday tradition? I give credit where it is due: Jim is responsible for this year's pancake face.
Naomi decided to wear all the mardi gras beads Grampa brought. You can't see it in this picture, but she has one gold string of beads around each arm. Fancy!
I just think Naomi is trying to prove how grown up five year olds are simply by making this grown up smirky five year old birthday face.
Naomi's cake is a big old mess, as you can see, but it tasted pretty good. And she said it was just what she wanted, though I think she was probably being charitable. I'll take it.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Date of Birth
I think it is outright irresponsible of me to not post photos tonight, but I had to help Muriel fall asleep after all the excitement, which led directly to me falling asleep, and then waking up to discover it is nearly eleven. I am not inclined to hook up the hardware to make pictures move apartments from the camera to the server, but when I do, tomorrow, you will see Naomi wearing her flower girl dress (again), blinged up with mardi gras beads that my parents brought along, and basically cranked up to eleven. She had a really good time.
I had fun, too, actually. We put the extension in our newish dining room table for the first time, so in case you are wondering, 12 people total is about the best we can do at one seating, and that's if four of the twelve are kids. After dinner, Naomi seated herself on the ottoman as though on a dais, and waited patiently for everyone to find a seat so she could begin the present opening performance. Yikes. She was not, shall we say, appropriately slow and appreciative, which makes me glad we have asked for no gifts at her kid party.
Then there was the moment, when I had lit the candles on her cake (which she insisted on placing herself, after a fairly dignified acceptance that I did a terrible job writing her name across the strawberries in Reddi Whip), and we started singing, that I got completely choked up and could not finish the song. I can't begin to summarize my feelings in that moment, but I wonder if you ever stop time traveling back to the beginning when you celebrate the birthday of your children, or any child you have known since the day they were actually born. Beautiful, tiny baby Naomi is now beautiful five-year-old Naomi. Thanks, Universe!
I had fun, too, actually. We put the extension in our newish dining room table for the first time, so in case you are wondering, 12 people total is about the best we can do at one seating, and that's if four of the twelve are kids. After dinner, Naomi seated herself on the ottoman as though on a dais, and waited patiently for everyone to find a seat so she could begin the present opening performance. Yikes. She was not, shall we say, appropriately slow and appreciative, which makes me glad we have asked for no gifts at her kid party.
Then there was the moment, when I had lit the candles on her cake (which she insisted on placing herself, after a fairly dignified acceptance that I did a terrible job writing her name across the strawberries in Reddi Whip), and we started singing, that I got completely choked up and could not finish the song. I can't begin to summarize my feelings in that moment, but I wonder if you ever stop time traveling back to the beginning when you celebrate the birthday of your children, or any child you have known since the day they were actually born. Beautiful, tiny baby Naomi is now beautiful five-year-old Naomi. Thanks, Universe!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Five Years Old
I started messing around with this blog post before I looked at the clock, and now that I do, I see that I'm about five minutes past the actual 5 year mark. Five years ago almost right this very minute, Naomi was born. When she (finally) came out, the nurse said, "Well, Dad, what do you got?" And Jim said, "It's a girl!" I said, "Really?" That's all I could come up with. I was so sure she was a boy. "Does this girl have a name?" the nurse said. "Her name is Naomi," he said. Just like that, Naomi was here.
Two years later, on the morning of Naomi's birthday, our friend Sochi was born. It's a good day to be born! We had a fun time at her house tonight, eating chili dogs and cake and ice cream. Tomorrow is Naomi's party, I should say, her first party (not the awesome kid paradise party- that's next weekend).
Care to guess what her dad put together, and we then sadly, pathetically improvised wrapping for?
Two years later, on the morning of Naomi's birthday, our friend Sochi was born. It's a good day to be born! We had a fun time at her house tonight, eating chili dogs and cake and ice cream. Tomorrow is Naomi's party, I should say, her first party (not the awesome kid paradise party- that's next weekend).
Care to guess what her dad put together, and we then sadly, pathetically improvised wrapping for?
Friday, February 26, 2010
More Visitors Have Arrived!
I don't know whether to make this cooking focused or child focus or visitor focused. What I know for sure is that it is late and I am sleepy, and this is likely to be not a bit focused as a result. OK, so I worked from home today, and took advantage of this fact to make a pork roast in the crock pot. I have never done this before, and have in fact never cooked a pork roast at all before. But the recipe was super simple (except I did have to go to the store- can you believe I didn't have a jar of apple jelly in the pantry?).
Also, let's say, over lunch hour, I made oatmeal cookies. I never remember to remove the butter from the fridge with enough lead time to have it be all perfectly softened when it's time to make the dough, so I checked with my friend the Internet, and sure enough, lots and lots of people want to tell me what to do about it. I tried one idea on the first stick- rolling it between wax paper with a rolling pin. It was tremendously unsuccessful. The other idea was to grate it like cheese, which I did, except that it kind of went all over the place, and unlike grated cheese, you can't just pick it up and move it around without getting a bit buttery. Of the two, I'd say the grating method is better.
Anyway, my parents' plane was a bit late, and we held dinner for them, so by the time they arrived, it was past bedtime. The girls were Super Kooky, especially Muriel, who could not stop narrating and making dramatic faces. They both did the kind of easily lampooned "look what I can do!" kid behavior. My parents were amused and overwhelmed, I think. For two small granddaughters, they can really make some noise.
Anyway again, the pork was pretty tasty. The cookies were pretty tasty. I'm pretty sleepy. Happy Weekend, friends!
Also, let's say, over lunch hour, I made oatmeal cookies. I never remember to remove the butter from the fridge with enough lead time to have it be all perfectly softened when it's time to make the dough, so I checked with my friend the Internet, and sure enough, lots and lots of people want to tell me what to do about it. I tried one idea on the first stick- rolling it between wax paper with a rolling pin. It was tremendously unsuccessful. The other idea was to grate it like cheese, which I did, except that it kind of went all over the place, and unlike grated cheese, you can't just pick it up and move it around without getting a bit buttery. Of the two, I'd say the grating method is better.
Anyway, my parents' plane was a bit late, and we held dinner for them, so by the time they arrived, it was past bedtime. The girls were Super Kooky, especially Muriel, who could not stop narrating and making dramatic faces. They both did the kind of easily lampooned "look what I can do!" kid behavior. My parents were amused and overwhelmed, I think. For two small granddaughters, they can really make some noise.
Anyway again, the pork was pretty tasty. The cookies were pretty tasty. I'm pretty sleepy. Happy Weekend, friends!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Not Quite By The Numbers
I was going to do a by-the-numbers post, but the only ones I could come up with were:
5: Number of samples I got during my Costco lunch outing. Sourdough bread, pancake, cheese on cracker, chicken chimichanga, chocolate. Stupid bread and pancake for messing up my alliteration.
30: Number of minutes later that I finally responded to an instant message from my boss sent while I was at Costco. Oops.
Oh well. Tonight Naomi and I put together her "goody bags" for her school chums. I was going to say I exercised considerable restraint in the goody selection, but that is only half-true, since in fact I am a cheapskate. That makes it easier to not go overboard. The whole tradition is so fraught, like so many parenting things, because I find goody bags to be extremely problematic (as does, I am sure, the garbage patch in the Pacific ocean), yet I don't want my kid to be disappointed. I should put a little more effort into working this one out, instead of just going with the flow.
Anyway, tonight when we were packing the bags, she worked out a system where she set out three sets of goodies, then got three bags, and packed them up. I gave absolutely no direction on this, she just did this because that is the way her awesome, systematic little mind works. I love it.
Tomorrow, she will be wearing her flower girl power dress to school to hand out the goodies. Ah, to be a fly on the wall, with a camcorder. Tomorrow night, the grandparents arrive. I am researching pork roast crock pot recipes and wondering what else I can manage to clean before they show up. We'll see!
5: Number of samples I got during my Costco lunch outing. Sourdough bread, pancake, cheese on cracker, chicken chimichanga, chocolate. Stupid bread and pancake for messing up my alliteration.
30: Number of minutes later that I finally responded to an instant message from my boss sent while I was at Costco. Oops.
Oh well. Tonight Naomi and I put together her "goody bags" for her school chums. I was going to say I exercised considerable restraint in the goody selection, but that is only half-true, since in fact I am a cheapskate. That makes it easier to not go overboard. The whole tradition is so fraught, like so many parenting things, because I find goody bags to be extremely problematic (as does, I am sure, the garbage patch in the Pacific ocean), yet I don't want my kid to be disappointed. I should put a little more effort into working this one out, instead of just going with the flow.
Anyway, tonight when we were packing the bags, she worked out a system where she set out three sets of goodies, then got three bags, and packed them up. I gave absolutely no direction on this, she just did this because that is the way her awesome, systematic little mind works. I love it.
Tomorrow, she will be wearing her flower girl power dress to school to hand out the goodies. Ah, to be a fly on the wall, with a camcorder. Tomorrow night, the grandparents arrive. I am researching pork roast crock pot recipes and wondering what else I can manage to clean before they show up. We'll see!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Manic Wednesday
I know, that is a flawed 80s allusion, but it was a flawed decade. I make no apologies. Today is one of those strange days where I am energetic and hyper-accomplishing one minute, and lethargic and extremely grouchy the next. I almost wish I had more days like this, though I am not enjoying the seething lethargy right this minute.
And yes, I did louse up my resolution by not posting last night, but there was nothing to say, and I felt too sorry for all four of you having to read yet another it's late I'm tired here's a tiny thing that happened today goodnight post. So, I am going to call a do-over on Tuesday. That will be covered by the Jim birthday pictures later in this post.
Before I get to that, here is the thing that happened today, at the exactly right point in the crest of my mania wave, that made me almost wet my pants from laughing. I will say up front, you kind of had to be there. I picked Muriel up from school, and as we were pulling out of the parking space, we saw her school chum's dad. "Is that Daddy's Ella?" she said. "Right, that's Ella's Daddy," I said. "I love Ella's Daddy," she said. "He has such a nice round head."
Bwah! She went on to say that his nice round head has a circle on it, by which she meant his haircut. I was laughing really hard at this (sorry, terrible, I know), which delighted Muriel, so she decided to try out the knock-knock jokes she knows. Ivana come in! Dwayne the bathtub, I'm dwowning! Ah, I laughed all the way home.
I hope that's what she remembers from today, not the part where I yelled at her for squirting tomato innards all over her dress and spitting out her dinner. Between the pair of us, we are like charm school dropouts with a bullet. Oh well. Naomi picked up the slack a bit, when I asked why she was distracting Muriel by making her laugh, and she said, maybe I just have the Giggles. She did, too.
OK, that was tonight's post, and here's last night's:
Naomi was allowed to pick one dessert from the absurd dessert bounty at Salty's on Sunday, and somehow she got the best one. These beautiful cupcakes tasted even better than they looked.
I wish I could remember the gimmick of these particular eggs Benedict- cayenne something or other. Birthday eggs!
Here, Jim displays his trophy in the protein shake making Olympics. Just kidding. I am enormously gratified that he likes his appliance.
Speaking of the Olympics, does our Birthday Crown not resemble a cheerful wreath of laurel? Check out the adoring fans.
Oh, and I just noticed that I blew past the 200 post mark earlier in the week. Zowie! See you tomorrow. For reals.
And yes, I did louse up my resolution by not posting last night, but there was nothing to say, and I felt too sorry for all four of you having to read yet another it's late I'm tired here's a tiny thing that happened today goodnight post. So, I am going to call a do-over on Tuesday. That will be covered by the Jim birthday pictures later in this post.
Before I get to that, here is the thing that happened today, at the exactly right point in the crest of my mania wave, that made me almost wet my pants from laughing. I will say up front, you kind of had to be there. I picked Muriel up from school, and as we were pulling out of the parking space, we saw her school chum's dad. "Is that Daddy's Ella?" she said. "Right, that's Ella's Daddy," I said. "I love Ella's Daddy," she said. "He has such a nice round head."
Bwah! She went on to say that his nice round head has a circle on it, by which she meant his haircut. I was laughing really hard at this (sorry, terrible, I know), which delighted Muriel, so she decided to try out the knock-knock jokes she knows. Ivana come in! Dwayne the bathtub, I'm dwowning! Ah, I laughed all the way home.
I hope that's what she remembers from today, not the part where I yelled at her for squirting tomato innards all over her dress and spitting out her dinner. Between the pair of us, we are like charm school dropouts with a bullet. Oh well. Naomi picked up the slack a bit, when I asked why she was distracting Muriel by making her laugh, and she said, maybe I just have the Giggles. She did, too.
OK, that was tonight's post, and here's last night's:
Naomi was allowed to pick one dessert from the absurd dessert bounty at Salty's on Sunday, and somehow she got the best one. These beautiful cupcakes tasted even better than they looked.
I wish I could remember the gimmick of these particular eggs Benedict- cayenne something or other. Birthday eggs!
Here, Jim displays his trophy in the protein shake making Olympics. Just kidding. I am enormously gratified that he likes his appliance.
Speaking of the Olympics, does our Birthday Crown not resemble a cheerful wreath of laurel? Check out the adoring fans.Oh, and I just noticed that I blew past the 200 post mark earlier in the week. Zowie! See you tomorrow. For reals.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Birthday Boy
There's only one boy in the house, so you may not have too much trouble guessing whose birthday we celebrated today. It was another gorgeous, sunny day, so I will consider that a gift to all of us. Jim played hooky from work, had some Seattle diner breakfast, read some (as part of his resolutions for his next year of life), did some shopping, and had a long run. Deluxe! We went together to pick up his cake and his daughters, went out for a steak (for him), and came home to play a Super Why-inspired letter puzzle that led us to his birthday present, a semi-industrial blender (to make his protein shakes!).
Jim is resilient, smart, kind, funny, good looking (see: protein shakes), I could go on and on. I can't wait to see what he does with the next year of his life- there are a lot of challenges ahead, and it should be interesting. But in the meantime I celebrate the birth of a very good man. Happy Birthday, other J. Khooler!
Jim is resilient, smart, kind, funny, good looking (see: protein shakes), I could go on and on. I can't wait to see what he does with the next year of his life- there are a lot of challenges ahead, and it should be interesting. But in the meantime I celebrate the birth of a very good man. Happy Birthday, other J. Khooler!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
What a Day!
It is not quite rational how the gorgeous and uncharacteristically enduring sunshine has made every day seem to be dipped in gold. I am used to the clouds here, it's normal for me. But seeing the mountains and the water and the evergreens all shining so brightly really is a tonic for the soul. My friend and I walked down to the lake early this chilly morning and watched the mist rising from the sunny water. It felt like a different life, somehow.
Of course it doesn't hurt that we then spent the late morning stuffing ourselves at Salty's. We met our friends (and brought our visitor along) to celebrate Jim's birthday, a little early. I was impressed by how committed Jim and our visitor were to getting our money's worth at the oyster and crab bar. Mmmm. Naomi had the most beautiful cupcake for dessert (I'll get a picture of that up sometime). Muriel ate bacon with gusto, and about a hundred strawberries.
After some sleepy stomach-clutching, I took my friend to the Bellevue botanical garden, which even in the pre-spring explosion phase was an extremely pleasant place to be. I overheard the beginning of some "old rose" association meeting in the visitor's center, and someone who had driven from Spokane quipped that they had left in February and arrived in June. Hee. After a stop at the airport (thanks for coming, L!!), I took the girls to the "good" park, with the two separate playgrounds. Home for soup, bath, and bed. And now here I am, thinking I had better end the day right by not staying up past 11. Yawn. I wish this weekend had about five more days in it.
Of course it doesn't hurt that we then spent the late morning stuffing ourselves at Salty's. We met our friends (and brought our visitor along) to celebrate Jim's birthday, a little early. I was impressed by how committed Jim and our visitor were to getting our money's worth at the oyster and crab bar. Mmmm. Naomi had the most beautiful cupcake for dessert (I'll get a picture of that up sometime). Muriel ate bacon with gusto, and about a hundred strawberries.
After some sleepy stomach-clutching, I took my friend to the Bellevue botanical garden, which even in the pre-spring explosion phase was an extremely pleasant place to be. I overheard the beginning of some "old rose" association meeting in the visitor's center, and someone who had driven from Spokane quipped that they had left in February and arrived in June. Hee. After a stop at the airport (thanks for coming, L!!), I took the girls to the "good" park, with the two separate playgrounds. Home for soup, bath, and bed. And now here I am, thinking I had better end the day right by not staying up past 11. Yawn. I wish this weekend had about five more days in it.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Saturday Night!
OK, this is going to be short. Today was a beautiful day- sunny and amazing, breakfast out at the 5 Spot in Seattle, a trip up the Space Needle and lots of other fun things. Now I am racing the clock to get a post up before the day is over, and I admit that I don't have much. But I had a fantastic time with my friend who is visiting from NYC, and instead of having a rockin' night out in Seattle, we had a kind of rockin' night out on the eastside. Woo!
Tomorrow, a surprise (for the other J. Khooler) with a birthday brunch. Mmm. Updates from that tomorrow. Happy Weekend, people!
Tomorrow, a surprise (for the other J. Khooler) with a birthday brunch. Mmm. Updates from that tomorrow. Happy Weekend, people!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Innovation Friday
Maybe it is the fantastically sunny and beautiful weather, the visit from my smart friend, or the gracious refutation of my locked down non-creative character type by mommytude, but I am feeling happy, peppy, and bursting with love. And good ideas. Here are my innovations for the week.
capslock (verb, To type in all caps.).
This neologism sprang from an email conversation with my homegirl in which I had to cop to the fact that I overuse the all caps for emphasis convention in my messages. Of course, though, I didn't really invent it. Here's a little article about it from three years ago. Furthermore, a neologism about emailing is about as innovative as a neologism about shoeing your chariot horse. Oh well. Next try.
Choosing your clothes the night before
I didn't invent this, of course. Naomi did! All on her own, she determined that we should choose her clothing the night before so as to get the big argument out of the way and save precious morning minutes for playing with her sister (or telling on her sister). She reminds me almost every night. This is kind of an obvious strategy, I know, but it is working for us, especially because of the next one.
Giving in completely on wardrobe disputes
OK, maybe not completely, and to be honest, this has sort of developed over the last few weeks, but I have determined that it is a lot easier to just let Naomi wear ridiculously girly outfits if that's what she wants than it is to attempt to get her to agree to wear the clothing I have misguidedly purchased for her in the past that doesn't fit this model. If she wants to wear tights and be cold (it's not that cold here, don't worry), let her wear tights! So I have picked up a few extra pairs, including some "footless" tights that are a big welcome back to the 1980s, but in size 4-6x. Anyway, the point is, we are now on a team together, developing her wardrobe choices (the night before), instead of small child vs. authoritarian rule maker determined to make small child wear every piece of clothing in her drawer no matter
how unhappy it makes small child.
Internet filters
OK, I know these filters already exist as a way to keep the wrong content out of the hands of children or employees at work. And I know you can already block emailers, callers, and texters. But what I want to know is, can I still visit the sites I normally visit, but have all news related to Tiger Woods filtered out? Because THAT is the kind of filter I want.
Hmm, that's it for innovations. The slaw came out too sweet, which seems to be a theme with my old family recipes, so maybe I should start cutting out some sugar, eh? It's going to be another wonderful weekend, spending time with an old friend (known as Old Sol), visiting with my visitor, going out on the town, and a special surprise. I can't stop smiling!
capslock (verb, To type in all caps.).
This neologism sprang from an email conversation with my homegirl in which I had to cop to the fact that I overuse the all caps for emphasis convention in my messages. Of course, though, I didn't really invent it. Here's a little article about it from three years ago. Furthermore, a neologism about emailing is about as innovative as a neologism about shoeing your chariot horse. Oh well. Next try.
Choosing your clothes the night before
I didn't invent this, of course. Naomi did! All on her own, she determined that we should choose her clothing the night before so as to get the big argument out of the way and save precious morning minutes for playing with her sister (or telling on her sister). She reminds me almost every night. This is kind of an obvious strategy, I know, but it is working for us, especially because of the next one.
Giving in completely on wardrobe disputes
OK, maybe not completely, and to be honest, this has sort of developed over the last few weeks, but I have determined that it is a lot easier to just let Naomi wear ridiculously girly outfits if that's what she wants than it is to attempt to get her to agree to wear the clothing I have misguidedly purchased for her in the past that doesn't fit this model. If she wants to wear tights and be cold (it's not that cold here, don't worry), let her wear tights! So I have picked up a few extra pairs, including some "footless" tights that are a big welcome back to the 1980s, but in size 4-6x. Anyway, the point is, we are now on a team together, developing her wardrobe choices (the night before), instead of small child vs. authoritarian rule maker determined to make small child wear every piece of clothing in her drawer no matter
how unhappy it makes small child.
Internet filters
OK, I know these filters already exist as a way to keep the wrong content out of the hands of children or employees at work. And I know you can already block emailers, callers, and texters. But what I want to know is, can I still visit the sites I normally visit, but have all news related to Tiger Woods filtered out? Because THAT is the kind of filter I want.
Hmm, that's it for innovations. The slaw came out too sweet, which seems to be a theme with my old family recipes, so maybe I should start cutting out some sugar, eh? It's going to be another wonderful weekend, spending time with an old friend (known as Old Sol), visiting with my visitor, going out on the town, and a special surprise. I can't stop smiling!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
What's (Not) Cooking
Alright, here's my recipe for dessert:
Ingredients:
1 graham cracker
1 spread of "Decadent Fudge Sauce"
1 squirt of Reddi Whip
My parents sent us a gourmet gift basket for Christmas, or New Year's, I guess, this year, and one of the treats was a jar of decadent fudge sauce, which is really only sauce if you heat it up. When it sits in the fridge, it is spread. Or, decadent fudge spread.
Anyway, this weekend is February's dinner for the Tent City (provided by the people at our church). I signed up to bring a salad, and the woman actually asked me if I would make potato salad. It was pretty recently that I admitted to myself that I can't make decent potato salad (how hard is it? But I have never made good potato salad). So I counter-offered slaw. And that is how I found myself in the kitchen tonight, with the food processor and a head of cabbage. The machine works great on cabbage and pretty well on celery, but green peppers do not love the shredding blade, and I am not even sure where the scallions went. Oh well.
It's a recipe my mom used to make once in a while, sometimes if my dad had a potluck at work. It makes a lot, that's why I thought of it. And I remember that she would store it in one of those giant glass pickle jars, later to be known as sun tea jars. Also, I remember not liking it, when I was a kid, but really, what kid likes cole slaw? The dressing is sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, celery salt, garlic salt, and salt. I left out most of the plain salt, because three teaspoons of salt in any recipe, even if two of them have prefixes and are not just straight up salt, seems like too much salt.
Anyway, with the word "Overnight" in the name of the recipe, I have to assume that I can't really judge it until tomorrow. I'll let you know how it comes out.
Slaw for the homeless! I hope it's good.
Ingredients:
1 graham cracker
1 spread of "Decadent Fudge Sauce"
1 squirt of Reddi Whip
My parents sent us a gourmet gift basket for Christmas, or New Year's, I guess, this year, and one of the treats was a jar of decadent fudge sauce, which is really only sauce if you heat it up. When it sits in the fridge, it is spread. Or, decadent fudge spread.
Anyway, this weekend is February's dinner for the Tent City (provided by the people at our church). I signed up to bring a salad, and the woman actually asked me if I would make potato salad. It was pretty recently that I admitted to myself that I can't make decent potato salad (how hard is it? But I have never made good potato salad). So I counter-offered slaw. And that is how I found myself in the kitchen tonight, with the food processor and a head of cabbage. The machine works great on cabbage and pretty well on celery, but green peppers do not love the shredding blade, and I am not even sure where the scallions went. Oh well.
It's a recipe my mom used to make once in a while, sometimes if my dad had a potluck at work. It makes a lot, that's why I thought of it. And I remember that she would store it in one of those giant glass pickle jars, later to be known as sun tea jars. Also, I remember not liking it, when I was a kid, but really, what kid likes cole slaw? The dressing is sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, celery salt, garlic salt, and salt. I left out most of the plain salt, because three teaspoons of salt in any recipe, even if two of them have prefixes and are not just straight up salt, seems like too much salt.
Anyway, with the word "Overnight" in the name of the recipe, I have to assume that I can't really judge it until tomorrow. I'll let you know how it comes out.
Slaw for the homeless! I hope it's good.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Hooray for Visitors!
This is a big month for us, not just because it's Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year and two birthdays and...oh, right, President's Day. We are also having two sets of visitors! I love to have visitors because it means we are seeing someone we like but don't normally see. Also because we tend to clean up the house a bit more than usual. Not this time, sadly. My friend from NYC arrived today, and has already been treated to the sight of a bit of worn-out pizza lying in the middle of the table. Classy!
Anyway, woo hoo! Visitor! More tomorrow. Peace out.
Anyway, woo hoo! Visitor! More tomorrow. Peace out.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Be Yourself
This is a random spot for this anecdote, but what the heck. In a recent training at work, I took a Myers Briggs personality type assessment, and although it was revealing, certainly, it kind of bummed me out a little. They write the type summaries like the most gentle and loving of horoscopes, of course, but it was hard not to read between the lines. My type is NOT creative, NOT spontaneous, NOT insightful. I don't like to endlessly puzzle over things to come to the most innovative or interesting solution. I LOVE to have a decision made, past tense.
Also at play in this source for musing is the book I'm reading, The Happiness Project. In her quest to systematically make herself happier (and write a book about it), the author discovers that you really do need to just be yourself. You can choose what you do (it goes something like this), but you can't choose what you like to do. So quit pretending you like to see art movies, or watch football games, and do something you actually like instead.
The sum of these two inputs, for me, is that I feel a little trapped in myself. I want to be a creative problem solver! I want to have intuition about things! The point, of course, is to learn to accept what you have been given, rather than glumly bemoaning the fact that you are not more intuitive and creative. I will endeavor to celebrate my mind-made-upedness, my straightforward data gatheringness, and so forth (short-cuttingness!).
Also at play in this source for musing is the book I'm reading, The Happiness Project. In her quest to systematically make herself happier (and write a book about it), the author discovers that you really do need to just be yourself. You can choose what you do (it goes something like this), but you can't choose what you like to do. So quit pretending you like to see art movies, or watch football games, and do something you actually like instead.
The sum of these two inputs, for me, is that I feel a little trapped in myself. I want to be a creative problem solver! I want to have intuition about things! The point, of course, is to learn to accept what you have been given, rather than glumly bemoaning the fact that you are not more intuitive and creative. I will endeavor to celebrate my mind-made-upedness, my straightforward data gatheringness, and so forth (short-cuttingness!).
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