On running out of tupperware...

So, I have officially become a baking maniac. I believe I now have five different kinds of cookies in the house, and I have completely run out of receptacles into which to put any more cookies. So either I need to get some more containers or I need to stop baking. At least I know I can bring a lot of these cookies to Christmas at my brother's house, but I really wanted to try 3 more recipes I read in my last issue of Cooking Light. I know, can a cookie listed in a "healthy" magazine really be good? In a word, YES. I have made anise tea crescents, Lebkuchen (a kind of German gingerbread), peppermint cheesecake brownies, and peanut butter-chocolate chip cookies from said magazine, and not only are they delicious, they are relatively low in fat and calories. So I don't feel quite as bad eating too many of them. :)

That said, I need to spend more time with my wonderful husband. So I'd better stop writing and pay him some attention. Adieu.

Completion...

I have officially finished my work for fall quarter. I am not "done," however, since I have to produce that annotated bibliography for the first week back in class. 

I am proud to say I already got one of my grades back for the two classes I took, and it was an A. Hurrah...I felt worse about that paper than the other one I wrote, so hopefully that bodes well for the other class. Unfortunately, the professor who grades that paper did not produce a grade for my previous class with him until May, and I took the class in fall quarter. I hope he does not repeat that pattern again. Maybe he won't since I am going to work with him as my thesis advisor this year. 

I am irritated about people not shoveling their sidewalks. Unless the weather is truly heinous, I try to get out on a walk with my kid every day, but today was truly a challenge. There were several stretches where it was a job just to keep moving forward and remain upright, since there was several inches of mushy slush underfoot. At least it made it more of a workout since I couldn't stay out as long as normal due to the cold. I feel bad for the baby sometimes in that sort of weather, though I hardly ever hear any complaints. I have a giant, adorable fleecy snowsuit for the babe that keeps everything as toasty as possible. 

The other irritating thing is when people shovel their sidewalk, but leave a thin layer of snow that nearly instantly forms a sheet of impossibly slippery ice. That, to me, is WORSE than not shoveling at all. Sigh.

Soon I will produce as a Christmas present for my 3 readers: a top ten list of the worst Christmas song performances of all time. I am a self-proclaimed music nerd, and I am particular about my Christmas music in particular, so I am offended when good songs are murdered. I shall do my best to provide links to listen to the crappy carols if you feel like having a good ear-bleed.

So, until next time!

By popular demand...

Status report: one paper down, one to go. 

December weather:

on top of our sparkly snow,

bucketloads of rain.

Baby tricks galore--

babbling, giggling, pulling up,

playing with his face!

Winter "break"

Well, I've survived the fall quarter classes I have been slaving over, and am currently trying to motivate myself/ psych myself up to write my two papers for said classes. You can judge how well that is going by my posting a blog instead. Even after I turn those papers in (which I hope to do by the end of next week), I will still have some work to do; I need to produce a 10-item annotated bibliography for my master's thesis by the time winter quarter starts, all too soon after New Year's. 

Also fast approaching is my little one's first birthday. I can't believe I already have a 10 month old. This year has gone incredibly fast. We are currently waiting for the latest batch of teeth to appear, patiently wiping a runny nose and drooly mouth and comforting sensitive nerves. I just hate seeing my baby in so much pain. I guess this is why our teeth come in so early; at least we don't remember how uncomfortable it was.

I just thought I'd check in. I'm not feeling terribly inspired to write anything creative today; maybe after I am done with my papers. Until then.

Moments of failure...

My husband and I had some dear friends over for dinner last night. I asked them to bring dessert and I would make dinner. I have a stack of largely neglected cookbooks from which I chose a never-before-attempted recipe to try on them. I was feeling pretty good by about 5:00, with 2 1/2 hours before they were due to show up, and most of my prep work done. However, I didn't count on my crappy range top failing me yet again. We have gas appliances, and this particular range and oven seems to be the bottom of the line. Several burners tend to go out entirely when you are merely trying to turn them down, and the oven doesn't even have any sort of alert to tell you when it has reached the temperature you are trying to get it to. Last night I discovered that the fume hood is also crap. I was sauteing my chicken breasts and the bottom of the pan slowly began to blacken. I was a bit worried about this development, but they were really fat chicken breasts so I knew they had awhile longer to cook before they would be done in the middle.

I continued to ignore the building smoke as I prepared the rest of the meal, until the security system alarm started going off. Apparently it has a smoke detector portion as well, and the chicken-smoke had set it off. I punched in the code to cancel it and returned to my range top. I kid you not, less than a minute later it went off again. This happened at least 4 or 5 times, and then the security monitoring center called the house to ask if everything was OK. This call was fragmented since apparently when your alarm goes off (and it kept going off while I was trying to talk to the guy), it cuts off the call. That's about the dumbest thing I've ever heard. When I finally assured the guy everything was OK, he said he'd cancel the fire department call, but they were already outside. I was still in the kitchen but I heard the fireman laugh when my husband explained the situation, saying, "Oh, she can't cook, eh?" To Bill's credit, he defended my cooking skills.

Happily, the evening worked out well, but as the fire truck was pulling away from our house I had a moment where I felt completely and hopelessly inadequate. My child was screaming in terror from the impossibly loud alarm, my dinner looked to be burning, and I was in tears. I feel fortunate not to have more of these moments, but pardon my diction when I say they suck big time.

As I was writing this post, my husband had turned on the oven to heat a frozen pizza, and the alarm started going off again. Apparently the infinitesimal bit of drippings on the oven floor gave off just a hint of smoke...so now I can't use my oven. Lovely. Sigh.

Quick update

So, I fear that I will not be able to write again for awhile, as I have 125 pages to read by Tuesday for one class, and a good 20 poems to read for Wednesday for my other class. I love being a student, but I don't read quickly and I don't have time to do it until my little angel goes to bed for the night, which usually isn't until 7:30 or 8:00, and I sometimes still have to eat dinner after that. This mom stuff isn't easy. As I was telling my own mom the other day, it's "tricky." To say the least.

I have been struggling with getting my little one to go down for his naps. Even though he is clearly tired at certain times of day, he is a sleep fighter. He also refuses to nap in his crib, he prefers snuggling on me while I lie on the couch. This is sweet and all, but destroys any chance of me getting much done during the day. Ah well, I realize that he will not still be doing this when he is in high school, or even when he is five. So I'll try to appreciate it for what it is. 

I had a rather ludicrous dream this morning while napping with the little one, which involved a really odd food item. Maybe I'll try a ditty about that.

Lying on the couch

dreaming of ground eagle--tastes

just like chicken? Hmm.

Yes, I have probably the most bizarre dreams ever. Once I had a dream about a beach party in which all the revelers were dressed in different colored dog costumes.

And with that, I take my leave...the little one is ready for his nap.

A new poem

Here's a first draft of a poem I started today. I was actually intending to make this more oblique, and I may do another version that is less obvious eventually, but I kind of like how this is turning out so far. I appreciate any constructive comments. As yet it is untitled.

The angel nestles in close to me,

so near that distinguishing the line between us

becomes impossible.

The process began as a sort of awkward fumble,

both of us willing but not sure how to begin.

These days it can even be accomplished

when one or both of us are asleep.

There are no words for the warmth 

of the feeling of providing for one so small.

The cares and the worries of the day disappear

and there is only me and him,

him quickly fading,

me trying to memorize his face,

his sweet and sometimes sour breath,

his flawless ivory skin,

his untroubled expression as he gives in to sleep,

the breathing becoming deep and peaceful.

(Ah, to sleep like that again!)

I am trying to hold on to a moment

that I know will be all too fleeting.

I will blink and he will be going to school,

going to college,

getting married and moving away,

having an angel of his own.

But for now, I lean back

and snuggle in closer,

resting in the moment I will never have again.

Prima

Well, here begins my foray. I am a busy woman just now, with classes and parenting my 8 month old child, so I am going to begin with a modest goal of a poem every few days. If I am particularly busy, a haiku will have to suffice. I find their restrictions oddly freeing anyway. This is primarily to keep my writing skills relatively sharp, but I welcome any constructive comments as well. I do hope to someday publish my work, so any opportunity for improvement is greatly appreciated.

hours fly too fast

sleep becomes a stranger, then

a small voice cries out

why is it that I

procrastinate just when I

need to get work done?