My Teary Valentine

Today something is in the air, or at least the chocolate at work. Many tears being shed in furtive corners. My guess is that many different stresses are coming together in a perfect storm. Overall, I'm not too involved in any storms so relatively tear free until listening to the lovely musician, Songs:Ohia, and caught myself getting verklempt over the following lyrics:

you said every road is a good road
between the next road and your last road
every love is your best love and every love is your last love
and every kiss is a goodbye


Tonight I have to stay late for work and Nick is helping me out by giving an 11th hour lecture for the meeting (the other speaker I had lined up dropped out quite suddenly). So I owe him many coconuts and promise not to make any snide comments over his bike riding in the next few weeks.

Tonight? Reaching for a mai tai. Maybe one for each hand.

Keeping the Peace

So this morning I was going to get up at 6:30am and go for a run. Just like yesterday morning and yes, the yesterday before that. What these mornings all have in common is that I woke up, thought "What the f? Tired. Must slee...." before dozing off.

This drives Nick understandably crazy. I have always loved to set alarms for 10, 15, 20 minutes before I actually have to get up. Something about waking up and knowing I have this blissful period of time to wallow in warm morning sheets marveling over the pattern of colors that stream behind my eyelids, listening to the roosters out under the mango tree, contemplating old aretha franklin lyrics or trying to remember the name of the girl I sat next to in third grade who smelled like peanut butter (Casey Waltz).

One of the biggest realizations I've made about long-term relationships (marriage, de facto, etc) is that sometimes compromise is necessary. In this case it's a simple cost benefit analysis. The benefits of my bed wallowing do not outweigh the benefits of my honey getting undisturbed sleep.

So Nick, as an early Valentine's Day gift, in a public forum, I vow to never set my alarm earlier than I need to again (while you are home-when you're doing field work doesn't count).

Deal?

A perfect Saturday

1. Getting the news (i knew it the moment i saw the missed call on my cell phone) a great friend is getting hitched. Congrats Cherlyn!

2. Eating a tofu breakfast wrap and soy chai at the Kalaheo Cafe with my mister while trying to explain how a caucus works (hurrah for February 19th Hawaii Primary!).

3. Taking my new heart rate monitor (valentine's day gift from Nick) out for a nice three mile run. Also, how did I EVER run before I bought my cute (it's purple) ipod shuffle.

4. Watching Rome in bed (2 politically backstabbing, ripe-with-intrigue, toga disfunction episodes) with Nick in the middle of the day.

5. Finding the internet is working again.

6. Cleaning the shower curtain..at last.

7. Having the house to myself while Nick's on a bike ride to sing old Wilco songs at the top of my lungs.

8. Prepping curried lentils and kale for dinner.

9. Wikipedia-ing the Caesars.

10. Reading a passed along New Yorker (thanks Pauline).

Conversation over a bowl of cereal

"If I had a zombie I wouldn't call it Fido."

"What would you call it?"

"I think just Zombie. What would you call your zombie?"

"Lea."

Another Delerious Post-Midnight Conversation

"Goodnight matey I love you."

"I lovumph mooumph too."

"You are my best friend."

(silence)

"You are my best friend."

(more silence)

"Are you my best friend?"

"No."

(silence) "Who is?"

"A dolphin."

"What dolphin?"

"I don't know him yet."

Thanks Nick

Taken from The Fail Blog

A Big Bowl of Satan

Last night I came home in a funky mood. Not funky in a george clinton/james brown kinda way...funky in a little dark raincloud dumping on my head way.

First I found out there is admin problems with my University of Hawaii application. Namely they can't find my transcripts which they had a mere month ago.

Than I went to my math class (i'm taking a "math for educators" prerequisite) at the community college only to discover halfway through the class that I need to go to math therapy. I had a panic that my years of fumbling in math might have left me unable to be the kinda teacher that all my future mini Stephen Hawkings will require to flourish.

Than I drove home grumpily pondering what I was going to make for dinner. To my surprise when I walked into the tree house, the kitchen was lit up and my mister was in there busily hovering over a wok teaming with veggies, cilantro and seitan.

Seitan (also known as buddha's food) is essentially gluten. But tasty, tasty gluten. I'm actually not quite sure how to pronounce it so I spent dinner marveling at how "delicious is satan" and "i'm really impressed by the versatility of satan."

But that big warm bowl of "satan" was the happy bomb that exploded on my otherwise grey tinged day.

Our Conversation This Morning After I Forgot to Hang Up A Wet Towel

"You are like a betrayal slug because you betray."

"What?"

"If there was a Council of Animals you'd be the slug. And you'd say I can fly, watch I'm gonna fly right now. Then the other animals would say 'what? you can't fly.' And then you'd forget all about your big promise and say 'oh look, lettuce'.""

"Well what animal would you be?"

"A winged lion."


Trying this tonight, looks simple yet delightful:

Roasted Kale with Sea Salt

4 cups kale
1 Tbsp of quality olive oil
1 tsp of sea salt

Preheat oven to 375f. Wash and trim kale. Toss with oil. Roast five minutes. Turn kale over and roast another 7-10 minutes until kale turns brown and becomes paper thin and brittle. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve immediately.

Yesterday made a sprightly dish of chard and garlic gnocchi. The bitter chard went well with the basil, lime and pine nuts I included.