Thursday, November 30, 2006

Picture Post: Shocked It Worked Edition


Happy Holidays, Fyfers. I dolled up my wreath with bulbs on Tuesday, and only now get a chance to share the magic. I added the ribbon last year. Do I get to call myself a "Crafter" now?


The view from our window at Casa De Parental Ps. Pretty, no?


Fifth Avenue Episcopalian Church. Too lazy to Google-stalk for name. (Credit: Hubster)

Speaking of google-stalking, I looked up my uncle's college (he's a prof) and called him up about a possible Argentina trip next year. Nearly wet myself, but I pulled through. I'm buying travel books and building castle in the air, people, ARGENTINE CASTLES, BOOYAH. Maybe I'll get me some wander-satisfaction next year. (Oh, and I think I said I'd called them in my last post, but I was GOING to call them, and I can't believe I'm clarifying such an inane detail. MOVING ON!)


Lady Liberty by sunset. (Click to expand if you think I'm making this up.)


NJ view of NY skyline. Sparkly lights. (Credit: Hubster)


Hubster catches the kids in the act. (Credit: Hubster)

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Word of the Day: Wanderlust

Okay, Blogger is giving me fits again, so instead of your regularly scheduled photo essay of dubious interest comes a short little essay of indubitable DISinterest on the subject of Erica needing to leave the country STAT. We apologize for the inconvenience and are dutifully looking for someone to strangle or, you know, SOLVE THE FREAKING PROBLEM with Blogger's image uploader. Thank you for your patience.

I've got a real bad case of the PDSDs (Passport Disuse Stress Disorder). I've wandered the INTERWEB looking for destinations willynilly. I've focused on one particular destination and hashed and rehashed financing schemes. I've stared at hotel websites. Yes, you read that right. I am cracking up over here. LOSIN' IT!

Bee and I were discussing this today on the phone, and it made me feel better. She, too, has been making international journeys, even alone in her teens like me, and misses them. Sure, we both came from unmoneyed middle-classers, but we managed to eke out cultural experiences that most kids our age would have avoided had their families been able to afford them in the first place. International cultures, languages, and foods were an everyday part of life and were encouraged, even in her white-bread Indiana family. My family drank and ate weird things all the time, and I grew to realize they were a part of me, not just of my home melee. And now I miss them like all get out.

It seems like so many Americans could not care less about the rest of the world. I cannot sit at home anymore. There are coffees I've never tried in cafes all over the world. There are local greetings I've never witnessed. There's local dress and dance and food and music I've never experienced and it makes me feel . . . well what? Wanderlust is the only term I can conjure - "A very strong or irresistible impulse to travel." It makes me want to dust off my passport and go far, far away.

Of course CharlesPierce handed me The Best American Travel Writing 2000 and 2002 before we left his house a few weeks ago. Remember "Don't feed the bears?" Well, "DON'T FEED THE WANDERLUST!" Now I have to add Cuba, Northern Australia, and Bhutan to the list, thank you very much! And I'm only halfway through the first one, so things are looking good for my Achievable Goals List.

Argentina is chief on the list of Places To Go, and the ache to see it, taste it, hear it, and smell it - oh, that smell - has been a literal ache today. I'm going to look around at real, actual, non-imaginary options for a trip perhaps sometime next year. I've called my genius traveling uncle and aunt for help. I'm trolling the web. I'm going to be put together projected price and itinerary. I'm going to make the ache just as unbearable as possible, and hopefully, I'll finally get to assuage some of that wanderlust before I die of it.

Maybe by then, Blogger will have fixed its image uploader.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Picture Post: Thanksgiving 2006

It's been an entire hour. I've tried to upload pictures for ONE HOUR OF MY LIFE.

I will try this again when I won't have to waste that much time on it because of stupid, stupid Blogger.

Sorry, sports fans. Hasta mañana.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Thanks Given (Oh yes, I went there.)

Though the traffic about killed me, Hubster and I had a fantastic Thanksgiving with his family. We had a good portion of the crew on hand for the festivities. I only managed about 0.75 good conversations for each of the heavies, but it was still great to (partially) catch up. Thursday we lazed about and ate, much like the rest of the citizens of this great nation. Friday the older kids went in to New York City for a little wandering. G-man drove us to Soho for some delicious pizza at Pomodoro with their fantastic vodka pizza sauce. We watched the sunset at Battery Park and snapped ooodles of pictures which I am too lazy to upload at the moment. (And here I've been promising you the rest of the wedding snaps from the weekend before, too. Yeah, I'll get right on those!) We didn't accomplish much, but it was a lovely day in the city. The next day Mumsie-in-Law took both of my sisters-in-law and myself to The Container Store. I still can't believe how fabulous I felt after hitting that place up, but FABULOUS is right. It brought out all the OCD in me, and I LOVED it. I bought some cute stuff including but not limited to a new wine rack and some magnetic spice jars. I got the best coat hooks ever from Mumsie as an early Christmas gift. Check it: "Mr. and Mrs. Hangup" rock! Between that and her back issues of Real Simple magazine and treating me to coffee and whatnot, I told her she's my new dealer. We drove home on Sunday and didn't manage much of anything else, except that I thought about my next trip to the Container Store because seriously, it's a drug.

Today? Was Monday. Nuff said. More later, kiddos. Missed ya.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Linking Wednesday

1. I like to make fun of Lifetime Movies with the best of them (that is, if the best of them ignored them 90% of the time, but hey). This Television Without Pity article does a fantastic job for one of the best named, Mother May I Sleep With Danger?.

2. Go Fug Yourself - so much link fodder it's almost a copout to post them. Good one here. Ooo, and another one here.

3. In the weird and amusing category, "Who's the richest fictional character?," asks Forbes magazine in this news item. The results are good for a few chuckles. Econ/Biz peeps critique at will.

Abbreviated for the purposes of getting out of dodge AGAIN. Not sure if/when I'll be posting. Hope you have better things to do with your holiday than check my website obsessively just to see. Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

All because they were out of cranberries.

My mom has made cranberry relish for Thanksgiving for years now. She buys Ocean Spray cranberries and follows the recipe on the bag which is just an orange, 1 lb of cranberries, and sugar. And it rocks my face off. I can't even LOOK at the cranberry sauce in the can without condescension anymore. Like it's even edible after you've had real, fresh, homemade relish! The best part is that it's so easy - the most complicated step is cleaning the stupid food processor.

But the grocery store is out of cranberries, and if I even have to see a can of cranberry sauce MUCH LESS PROVIDE ONE FOR THE FEAST, I will PUNCH the stupid food processor.

Boy, am I just full to bursting with holiday cheer! I might need to get that checked out.

We're going up to Hubster's parents' house for the holiday. The last time we had Thanksgiving with his side, we had to drive the 10hrs out to Cape Cod. Everything was fine (especially the part about us only bringing dinner rolls and pickles - yay for easy shopping!) UNTIL: 15hr drive home. Say it with me: FIF-TEEN-AH-WERS. In the car. I had to drive the entire way with a manual transmission and an entire thigh's worth of muscles screaming in protest with every depression and release of the clutch through the ENTIRE state of NJ. It was awful, yet it was also the first time Hubster and I ever managed to refrain from marital arguments on a trip. We were happy. Well, all except my sore left thigh. True story.

Anyhow, the familial residence is in NY state, so we're happy because we only have to drive about 5hrs. We'll see everyone gratefully, eat yummy food gratefully, share one shower with 7 people gratefully, and miss my family (also gratefully), and remember that this excuse to get out of work is state-sanctioned AND delicious. As long as I find some damn cranberries.


Persephone finds this all a tad big boring. Definitely not worth clearing her stretched-out napping schedule.


Loki pointedly ignores me while I desperately wrestle with the autofocus, remaining all up in her grill until I get this shot.

Monday, November 20, 2006

Clown Car Weekend

Such a full weekend! The centerpiece was the wedding - with 6 hours each of driving Saturday and Sunday mornings - but we managed to jam the schedule with a movie Friday night. I have so many pics, I think I'll upgrade my account at flickr to prevent having to choose among them because my friends? ARE HOT.

[aside] In between that first paragraph and this one, I've realized just how many pictures I took. And I realized why downloading pictures from my camera has taken on the emotional quality of swimsuit shopping - long, nit-picky, but with less cleavage. I take tons of pictures now, many of which are decent so sifting/editing is increasingly a problem. I don't really want eight pictures of the same thing, but arbitrarily dumping some seems really rash, like, what if I need #8 more than #34 because it's got a slightly warmer cast and GASP, I deleted it? "Ay," I say, as I run toward the hills. "Maybe I'll clip my cats' nails instead."I guess I'm saying I need to work on my workflow, peeps. [/aside]

Friday night, Hubster and I got tickets to see Casino Royale (good review here). And it rocked our faces off, partially because our faces became numb from staring up at the screen from row #2, like who WANTS to sit that close that they stock theatres with them? We landed in said seats because we waited until about the last 120 minutes possible to buy a gift for the wedding. We picked up tickets at the theatre at 7 for the movie at 7:45 and dashed mere yards away to Bed Bath & Beyond to get the gift. They did not have what we wanted to give because they suck and, I love BB&B as much as any bride who registered there and promptly returned frivolous wedding gifts for cold hard cash, BUT: why is it so traumatic to print the BLEEPING registry exactly? I can print things in mere seconds at home, no problem. It takes ages and ages at the store. And then they don't have the stuff you want so you kinda settle on something else and it takes forever to purchase. Then you ask them for gift wrap materials so you can do it yourself because you know if you ask for the labor on that, it'll be 9:04pm and they'll be on bow #5 and your husband will be forced to murder people because BOND, WE MISSED BOND. You make it out the door, PHEW, and dash to the movie theatre were hubby is CONVINCED the movie's started but you think they're still on previews. You trot into the PACKED theatre to hear Judi Dench on screen and your husband stifles the largest exasperated sigh ever to befall mankind until you realize it's a preview for another movie. The movie starts and the case could be argued that it's the Best Bond Flick Ever, and he finally settles down because although we spend some time staring up in the nostrils of the actors which encompass our entire field of vision, it's totally worth it. If you love Bond, go see it. If you don't, consider it. (Maybe I'll write a post about my love/hate relationship with the franchise sometime. Just to bore you further.)

Good times.

That night we stayed up way too late because the Equal Opportunity Procrastinators so the packing wasn't done. We hit the hay at 1:30. DUMB DA DUMB DUMB.

The next morning we're out the door at 8am and driving to Charlotte, NC where it's 60° in the afternoon and it's lovely. We ran into so many old friends. It's so elating every time - even if you were never that close that familiar face and voice just makes your heart jump. Best. Thing. Ever.

We got ready for the wedding without event, except for the part where none of us brought the invite and those with directions failed to give us directions and OOPS, we got lost on the way to the ceremony. We made it with ten minutes to spare, however, so alls well that ends with us making the ceremony, if you will. AND YOU WILL.

The ceremony was lovely. The church was simple and the altar diving with calas and ornamental grass framing the altar area in large, rock-filled vases. Dan said "awesome" when the pastor told him he could kiss his bride, and everyone laughed in delight. Linds and Dan were so happy and adorable I wanted to run up and hug the daylights out of them. Except that sounds disconcerting and my emotions were all positive. And not at all crazy. See? Look at how cute they are at the end of the night:


The groom zealously clutches his bride.

The reception was held at Tutto Mundo, a great bar/club with rattan couches on one side and a long, stately bar on the other side of a long room. The DJ was in the back and the entire place held the small crowd well. The drinks were AMAZING. Hubster made me the Designate Driver for the night, but not before I had a delicious Cosmopolitan assuming he'd do it. Throughout the night, he enjoyed a glass of Macallan 18 as well as several other drinks which he will describe in excrutiating detail if I don't elbow his ribs vigorously because WAY TO RUB IT IN, JERK. We danced to the fabulous DJ, and Hubster and I took copious pictures.


Erica half-sulks about the lack of top-shelf liquor that has tickled her tastebuds but is having altogether too much fun to make it stick.


Dance, Grovers, dance!


For one perfect moment, the suite was back together, as God intended it.


The Group Shot - because we're all not hard enough to corral individually. Also, my stance is really odd. Like, don't stare at my posture too closely or you'll think I've been hitting the yoga a weeee bit hard.

ENOUGH. I can't take any more photo editing and lengthy describing, and it's been three hours, so I gotta go. I'll try to post more pictures later. Lemme sum up, Inigo style:

The wedding was awesome.
The drives uneventful.
The peeps were enjoyable.
The bloggers represented? LVS, inimmortality, Cap'n Ganch, kokanut, T, GracefulPeacefulGermanFisher, bb2, neil, Hans, Rachel, and trey. Yes, half my blogroll.
The missing them now unbearable.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Linking Friday: Gettin Out of Dodge Edition

1. Maggie Mason is always good for a pithy entry. This entry, though? Fantastique! What would you expect from a big-time blogger who's tagline is "Famous Among Dozens?"

2. Share my pain. See, I just read this article on alcohol and its effect on body chemistry, and therefore weight gain, and the news ain't so good. Oh, and if ONE MORE PERSON tells me to "swap club soda for tonic" in my Gin and Tonics, I will CUT THEM.

3. I found this interesting source of information on weather-proofing your house. They describe a way to figure out where your house is leaking air and how to plug those holes so that you keep more of your heated/cooled air in your house and get more bang for your thermal buck. Some of it sounds kinda complicated, but I'm hoping it'll help us a bit. Hey, if I can use less energy and still keep my house warm, that would rock. Now, if I could actually get around to doing it . . .

4. You've probably found this from other sites, but this Wired article entitled "Very Short Stories" is hilarious. Famous authors write short stories in six words. Sweet imaginative action, Batman! How's this one for a sneak peek:
I’m your future, child. Don’t cry.
- Stephen Baxter
. . .

Epitaph: He shouldn't have fed it.
- Brian Herbert

That's all, folks! Tomorrow is the wedding in North Carolina, so tonight Hubster and I will pack clothes, sandwiches, and roadtrip essentials for the trip. We'll also be sneaking in a showing of Casino Royale, the first Bond flick that's intrigued me in ages. I'll tell ya how it goes.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Have Migrated to Beta; Hold Me.

I am e-scared. (That's supposed to be "short-'e'-scared" like how a native Spanish speaker would pronounce "scared" not "long-'e'- scared" as in virtually terrified in some way. And now it's lost whatever crumbs of humor were there to begin with. Awesome!)

I switched to Blogger Beta and it's all I can do to prevent twitching and muttering doomsday pronouncements under my breath every few minutes. You see, despite my experience with working bugs out of Blogger, I am still seriously spooked by changes of this magnitude. This is the woman who considers migrating to a hosting service and buying a domain name about once a week. My grip on reality is slipping, y'all.

Also, my grip on blogging has slipped this week. Brother P, henceforth known as Fraternal Fregal Nut because this "Brother" convention is bo-o-O-ring. The "Fregal Nut" part of his name comes from playing some game in Youth Group when we were younger and freer of cares. Anyhoodle, he left Tuesday. The last time I said goodbye to him, he had broken up with his girlfriend of two years the night before and he was looking forward to 24 hrs of travel back to Korea where he would be away from family and friends working his tail off for 8 months with all his leave used up for the year. Oh, and he would later leave for the Middle East and not see me again until now. This time we'll see him for Christmas at the family homestead in D-town in a month. The contrast was not lost on me. I am very happy for the contrast, let me just say.

Still, I did say goodbye, so I was feeling a little mopey and blogging was right out. Then last night we managed to wedge a ton of things into our evening, so I preferred to detox over less strenuous pursuits of reading magazines. Today, well, Bee decided to migrate to Blogger Beta over the phone with me yesterday, so I felt like a real chicken not doing it my own self. And there I was, trembling at my desk seat while Blogger told me it would email me when it was done. I waited an hourin that state. Hence "hold me."

Now? Now I'm looking forward to finishing work, making dinner, picking up dry-cleaning, and going to choir rehearsal although frankly, I'd much rather cut out and sew this blouse I want to make so I can wear it to LVS's wedding which? IS THIS SATURDAY, WOOOO-HOOO.

And now back to your regularly scheduled coherence.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Captain Distracto

So my brother's in town, and I can't focus. We spent all day today touring the monuments and talking. It's been months since I saw him, and I'm so happy not only to see him now but to have Christmas just around the corner to see him again. Brother P makes me happy.

In other news, we slept over Friday night with CharlesPierce and WifeOfPierce in good ole VA. We braved rush hour with nary a ruffled feather and arrived in time for dinner at Bonefish. My Longfin Tilapia with Lime Tomato Garlic sauce was AWESOME. The garlic mashed potatoes were top notch with garlic slivers in the mash. I also enjoyed the Raspberry Martini I had. I think we laughed more like people on drink #4, not 1, but the conversation made the night as we moved to the party to a coffeehouse and chatted on. We don't make an effort to get together enough. (And we always mention that but seriously, this time we TOTALLY mean it more. >;) Also, they knew I'd be blogging this, so they wanted to pull out all the stops - CP and Wife? You win the FyF Seal of Unqualified Approval. At ease.

Saturday morning after a huge breakfast, we set off for Manassas battlefield were we enjoyed a leisurely walk and more talking because, frankly, if we're not gabbing, we're asleep. It was November 11th and it was 74°. Ah, the flipside of our hellacious summers smiles upon us! It felt a bit odd to be sweating in the November sun, but I'll take it over snow anyday.

OKAY FINE, I'LL SHARE:


I loved this tree. The historical whatsit behind was just gravy.


Memorial to the Union artillery corps that gave it their all in the First Battle of Manassas/Bull Run. I failed to capture the giant munitions arrayed around this obelisk. Really, it was a thing to behold.


The Stone House - that's what they called it. It fits, no? Lovely white-bark trees, though. If the Fyfdom extended to the real world, there'd be a whole lot more of them.


Sweet cannonical goodness!


It's Autumn, people, and I LOVE IT. Someday, I'll be able to express just how truly, madly, and deeply I love this season, but for now, just stare at this picture and pretend it means as much to you as it does to me. (That is, a lot.)

Saturday evening we picked up my brother and then enjoyed his company over beers and Mission: Impossible III which, meh (actiony but I think I wasn't really in the mood for a thriller because I was kinda bored). Sunday we did more of the same because it was raining. Today, we hit up the Monumental Tour and wandered by the ground-breaking ceremony for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial (now) under construction between the FDR and Lincoln Memorials. However, my dogs are currently barking, so I'm off to put them up on the coffee table and enjoy an evening with my boys. Later!

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Squash Soup Symposium

So I made a soup tonight of butternut squash and just a few more ingredients. And it was kinda blah. So here's the recipe, and all you chefs out there help me out. What does it need?

Bear in mind this comes from Cooking With Just Four Ingredients, so it's supposed to be a minimalist approach to the dish, but let me know what you think or if you've got a better recipe. Okay, here goes (for real this time):

Winter Squash Soup with Tomato Salsa

1 large butternut squash or small pumpkin, halved ad seeded.
5 tsbp garlic-flavored olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4-8 tbsp tomato salsa


1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the butternut swuash or pumpkin on a baking sheet and brush with some of the oil and roast for 25 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375°F and cook for 20-25 minutes more, or until the squash is tender.

2. Heat the remaining oil in a large, heavy pan and cook the chopped onions over a low heat for about 10 minutes, or until softened.

3. Meanwhile, scoop the squash out of its skin, adding it to the pan. Pour in 2 pints/5 cups water and stir in 1tsp salt and plenty of black pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Cool the soup slightly, then process it in a blender or food processor to a smooth purée. Alternatively, press the soup through a fine seive with the back of a spoon. Reheat without boiling, then ladle it into warmed bowls. Top each serving with a spoonful of salsa and serve.


I didn't have a good salsa for this recipe and the typical "chips and salsa" kind struck me as a bad match to the squash, so I skipped that step, which I now realize cut down on the flavor. Next time, I'll make sure to compensate or just have some real, non-Tostinos salsa on hand. Also, the author suggested that you could add fresh chopped marjoram or oregano. I didn't have any, so I opted for dried marjoram, but I think I didn't add enough.

However, one problem arises with the water - isn't a pint only 4 cups, not 5 as the recipe indicates? The author is great about giving all measurements in metric and English and other random equivalents, but I still think that's a mistake. That definitely would have made the soup richer. Still, should I add dairy? Does it need more spicing? I'm so inexperienced with both squashes and soups that I feel a bit lost. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Soups are a good choice for us because I can make a bunch at once and save half (or more) for later. Most of the other meals I made I halve automatically so I end up with one portion of leftovers at best and end up cooking every night of the week. I'd like a break that didn't cost as much as eating out and still included good food. (I'm advocating leftovers here; no one tell my dad or he'll die of shock.)

Anyway, your eyeballs and tastebuds are much appreciated. I'll be over here wondering what in the world happened. Hubster didn't like it, and he was so deflated to have to tell me that. Because he's a fantastic husband, he made sure to emphasize that this rarely happens since he loves almost everything I cook for us. Is he not dishy and sweet?

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Todavida Leyendo

I haven't been reading as often as I was there for a while in the Spring, but I'm knocking back a few as I go. I'm stuck in some books right now and kinda unmotivated, too. As I used to do with food, so now I do with books. I ate my entire side of broccoli before attacking the pasta; I read all of Neal Stephenson before commencing with Nick Hornby. It's logical and yet not because authors different novels can vary enough to make at least some of their works uninteresting to me. It's not their fault, but there I sit, stuck on page 200 of an 800-page monstrosity, out of steam.

So instead I run to the library and find a diversion and continue finding diversions until I'm stuck in Emma for 8 years. Still haven't finished it! True story!

Happily, I finished The Constant Gardener after work today. I loved it. Le Carrè's style is so fluid that he can incorporate all the elements of a good novel seamlessly. His plotting, pace, and especially his character development are beautifully rendered and a delight to read. The story itself is inventive, and much more nuanced than most other thrillers. It's funny to think of it as that, but it has all the makings of a John Grisham novel, but it manages to be more than just a clever conspiracy theory. You meet so many different people along the way, and some who start out being clear-cut antagonists later get a chance for partial redemption, or at least some sympathy. There are layers to most of his characters, even some of the minor ones. Some have said that obviousness of who's behind the conspiracy is a minus, but I think it leaves the focus on how they pulled it off, usually the most difficult part of a plausible conspiracy plot. Personally, I thought it was quite good and worth reading, even if you've seen the movie. If you loved the movie? READ IT RIGHT NOW. Forget about your Emmas and forget the guilt until you finish.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Listing Tuesday - Election Day Edition

1. Today, I voted. (Pats own back.) While I can't claim to be of the hushed-reverent-before-our-awesome-responsibility school, I happen to think that, even with the huge responsibility, voting is fantastic. I mean, here I am, a Joe Schmo, and I have said my piece about how my government shall govern my slice of the planet. (Well, that is if no one took it upon themselves to hack the Diebold machine I used.) Plus I even got to choose if I would do it, unlike my compatriots in Argentina where voting is compulsory. Fun times!

2. This Saturday, my brother P will touchdown at BWI and stay for a couple of days. I am, let's be frank, geeked. This is my brother who is in the army, who's been in Korea for two years followed by being in the Middle East for most of this year. I haven't seen him since March 2005. Obviously, I Am. So. Pumped.

3. My house is cold. Hubster and I are trying to save money with the heating bill and save the planet with by being Energy Scrooges. It's currently 63 degrees in the house. I kinda like my house at 70. I am wearing a sweater and a scarf and warm socks and shoes. I am a wimp.

4. I seem to have a HUGE aversion to grocery shopping right now. I have no idea what my problem is, besides the inherent drudgery of grocery shopping. It's the next thing on the list after I blog, so of course this entry is taking for-ev-er. Honestly, if we weren't out of my mood-elevating English muffins I doubt I'd set foot into the wild at all. Ah, but I must have my English muffins. Toasted. With Sancor dulce de leche or Honey. Sweet morning delight!

5. I've all the best cat photos right here, and failing to share would be irresponsible.


If I weren't so lazy, I might submit this to KittenWar.com. Poor Persephone! She coulda been a contendah.



When I turn the camera on Tiny, she just glares at me and the camera seems not to function like the smooth machine I know and love - you can't see what she really looks like at all. This is almost good:



Here where we're trying to hold her in place to take a portrait and she's backing out of it. Literally. Grouch!

Monday, November 06, 2006

Lazy Weekend

Three Crappy Monologues, by way of Weekend Review

#1
I was Erica's Friday night, which for once wasn't spent watching her husband doze and wondering if this constituted license for a prank or if she should let him sleep (hint: she always chickens out). I guess I was the whole day, but frankly, no one ever gets worked up about their workday when there's fun to be had in the evening. She finished up on time, took her shower (yeah, she showers after work, the lazy slob!), and got ready to head out for the evening. She took her iPod and braved stupid Beltway traffic, but she seemed to think arriving at Betty's house was worth it. Betty made a delicious dinner, which she enjoyed with a Pacifico. Instead of falling asleep on Betty's couch and pulling a move reminiscent of her much-maligned husband, she and Betty walked up to a pub for some bread pudding and Irish folk singing. The drive home was long, and she looked beat as she climbed into bed at one in the morning and forgot all about me. So much for painting the town red.

#2
I'm the friend she's got all day to enjoy. Or so you think. She usually spends the whole time surfing online and doing a couple of chores and that's Saturday. Oh, she doesn't plan to fail but, true to clichés, fails to plan and therefore devolves into YouTube and Web Sudoku. She awoke lazily, thinking she'd outstripped recent sleep-in records of 9am to almost make it to 11. Unfortunately, her brain doesn't go to 11; her husband's clock had escaped the Daylight Savings Clock Update. Even with an extra hour, she managed to fritter it away on yerba mate and The Constant Gardener. Later she did on online errands, paid bills, but kept her focus on hardcore lazing about. Despite an attempt to go out for the evening, she and the Hubster managed to miss that crucial window of opportunity, and instead opted to pick up Chipotle, rent Lord of War, which she was surprised to like quite a lot (despite several friends recommending it in the span of a week). She's hopelessly lazy considering we only have one day of the week together.

#3
I was her busy day. She got to bed on time Saturday so she would be well-rested for her solo work at church. Sundays are half weekend/half work in her mind - church looms large and seems to consume the day, although it's just her laziness that makes it so. The other two must have mentioned that from the knowing way you're nodding right now. Church itself, though lovely, was long what with the baptisms, the extra-full service, and the practice time on top of it. She and Hubster got home and made pizzas, spent the afternoon in useless endeavors like with Saturday, and managed to finally make it out the door for a showing of The Prestige in the evening. She also cooked two full meals, which is rare with my day of the week. She usually cops out with a bowl of cereal or some leftovers. The movie intruigued her. It was very entertaining and good quality, but she still seemed glad to settle in for some sleep and a full day with Monday.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Food Fight . . . to the Death

Hubster: Which should I buy pita chips or animal crackers?
Moi: I don't know! Buy whichever one you want.
Hubster: Okay, two foods enter, one leaves. In a fight to the death, which wins - the pita chips or the animal crackers?

My husband is a weeeeee bit obsessed with nutritional value, no?

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Picture Post: Backlog Edition, Take 2


Is she not terrifying? Spooky! I just wish I could catch her in the classic black-cat-stretching posture. Money!



Behold Hubster's awesome and terrifying pumpkin. It has TEETH, people. Such dedication!



Now The Poops does not like Halloween's general "undignified nature of the proceedings" (her words, if she could have them), preferring instead to be stunningly gorgeous year round.



And I, in my scarf, prefer to be derelict.


Happy All Saint's Day, everyone!

P.S. A tip for my fellow beleagured Blogger users: I got Picasa in order to make this post happen without the web-based Blogger Picture Uploader crashing on me. Apparently my new, shiny, and large-image-sizing camera is wreaking havoc with this feature. It was easy as pie to upload with Picasa, even if it DID require another program on my harddrive. Just a suggestion if you find yourself in the same position in which I found myself, namely "Keyboard To Forehead Repeatedly."