Provisioned

Few things give me as much satisfaction as a stocked pantry and a fridge full of prepped and cooked food. We washed, chopped, mixed, sautéed, fried, steamed, and boiled up a storm, and have to show for it:

• ready-to-eat fruit
• potato salad
• "good things" salad
• spicy eggplant
• stir-fried greens
• rice
• baked oatmeal
• potstickers (for freezing)

Plus take-out spicy fish from our favorite Chinese place. We should be good to go for at least a couple days!

Better than expected

This last book club selection was the worst - written in the voice of a hateful and antagonistic caricature of an insult to neanderthals, repetitive, unrelentingly annoying, with no silver lining in sight... The best thing I can say is that the message, however painfully delivered, is important, and that the book itself was mercifully short. However, it turns out that those elements make for great and juicy discussion, probably the best we've had so far! Everyone had something, quite a bit, actually, to say, and hearing other viewpoints helped flesh out our own (well, mine anyway, can't speak for the others). Lively discussion +  delicious food in our usual spot = overall great time. Hating is better when you do it together!

*****

Baby let us go out to dinner! We got to have our anniversary dinner out in a nice(r) place! Despite a few indignant squawks, he was so generally charming and adorable that we braved and enjoyed a 3-course meal (yes, are total eating-out-with-baby amateurs). We let him participate fully, sitting up in a high chair (where we had to steady him the whole time - he still is just a wee tot), eating and drinking, looking around, and being held when (minimally) necessary. We thought we'd outrun our luck, but he fell asleep in the car so we didn't even have to pay the screaming-in-car-on-the-way-home tax! It really couldn't have been more delightful and was lovely to spend an anniversary all together. Loving is also better when you do it together!

Not getting enough done

Must get it together, sit down, and work. These "fractured attention" and "I'm tired" and "this is boring" excuses are wearing thin enough that I'm sick of them. I have a great thing going and I don't want to risk losing it. Time to nut up and shut up. 

Satisfied

When the 2nd book in a trilogy is < the 1st book, but the 3rd book is > the 2nd book and almost = to the first, with a satisfactory, albeit seemingly temporary conclusion (with a set up for the next book, if not the next trilogy), I'm pretty happy. Especially when it's a total young adult genre book - in that case, it's practically all you could ask for. While I'm annoyed that the ending is only temporary, the resolution for this set of characters at this time is enough - bittersweet, without many (if any) loose ends, characters mostly staying true to to their development thus far, adequate and yet not-overreaching number of quotable snarky lines, etc. If anything, there are too many pairings all of a sudden - not everyone needs a partner for the end of times! It's nice, but a little much to swallow. Still, for a YA trilogy featuring a kick-ass teenage girl set in a magical near-earth, it was good enough that I read all three books in a week. This time pretty much came directly out of sleeping time, which is quite precious at the moment, so it's just about the most flattering endorsement I can make right now. Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I can't wait till there are more of you!

A better day away

Over the hump towards being done, and things are looking up! Of course, that mindset is helped immeasurably by a magnificent meal of dumplings, dumplings, and more dumplings, plus some surprise spicy cabbage.

*****

Being away from the boys is so much better managed with regular picture updates. It soothes me in the feels.

Don't want to be here

The work day is tedious/fine but man, "family" dinners with a pile of picky eaters is the worst! Especially since we are SO CLOSE to Asian food heaven (aka the San Gabriel Valley) so I am resentful that I can't go off on my own. If I can't be with my actual family I should at least be able to eat what I want! Even good burritos aren't really my thing. Tomorrow we feast!!

Don't want to go

Although I enjoy business travel - getting out of the office routine, seeing new places and people, and eating as well as possible - the day or so before a trip, I always dread leaving. The logistics of moving myself about the earth and saying even a temporary goodbye to my person were daunting enough to make me clingy, teary, and snappish (such a charmer!). That was before, and now it's at least an order of magnitude worse. Last time (the first time!) I felt guilty but 3 adults per one cranky baby is a pretty great ratio for coverage and breaks. This time, leaving the boys alone…eek! I'm not afraid - I actually think they will be fine, if somewhat tired of each other by the time I return - but I am so sad to leave them behind and on their own. It just doesn't feel...proper :(

A day just like before we had Baby!

"Except, you know, with more feedings. And diaper changes. And hiking with him strapped to my chest is kinda warm. But also, more cuteness."

Not a bad trade!

Ouch

And this is why we do not do workouts-harder-than-walking on back-to-back days, remember??!!