Madness. Madness, I Tell You

Just back from a couple of days in the Jerz where I:

- decorated 16 cupcakes with specially tinted pink icing *and* finely chopped raisins that spelled 'EAT ME' (Alice in Wonderland birthday theme...don't ask.)
- was the special helper at pre-school for 16 hyperactive three and four year olds
- changed a gazillion diapers (approximately)
- played about 10 billion games of 'Naughty Barbie' (Ew, no, not like that. The 4 year old version. Pervs.)
- helped to make The Peanut a special birthday breakfast

and, last but not least,

- continued my unbroken streak of reverting to a surly teenager immediately upon spending more than an hour in my parent's home.

Wiki Wiki Wiki Waaaa

I have a new addiction and, OH GOD NO, it's Pinkberry. I had successfully resisted the craze until Tuesday, and since then, I've stopped each night on my way home to get progressively larger sizes. (To add to the madness, going to the closest Pinkberry necessitates using a slightly farther subway station, with a longer walk home.)

So, my favorite is the green tea flavor but certainly not with any healthy fruit, as pictured above. No, there's some secret not-on-the-menu ingredient called "mochi" that is sometimes described as rice cakes by my new best friends at Pinkberry. I don't know quite what they are (but they are delicious!) and since there is no published information on them, I did a little Internets research.

And found this on Wikipedia:

Mochi is very sticky and somewhat tricky to eat. After each new year, it is reported in the Japanese media how many people die from choking on mochi. The victims are usually elderly.

Awesome. So now I have a new habit which along with being somewhat expensive, could eventually result in death.

I might as well take up smoking again.

Adults

Last night, a small miracle took place in my apartment.

Here's how it went down: B and I had a slight disagreement on Sunday that we were able to calmly, coherently, and respectfully talk through. We both came out on the other side of the conversation feeling that we had been heard and understood, *and* that we were happy to have had said conversation.

There may be hope for emotional maturity yet.

Update

Been a little busy lately, watching BabyTV.

Is It Lame...

...to talk to your sister-in-law about how exhausted you are and how difficult it is to adjust back to east coast time/daylight savings time after your vacation when, just 7 days prior, she has given birth (via c-section, no less) to 2 babies, and is breastfeeding every 3 hours?

Never mind. I don't need an answer.

Vacation - Day 6 - L.A./Dana Point

Eating at In-And-Out Burger was a priority.

So was gawking at rich people (at least their houses).

At the end of the day, we very happily turned in our rental car and checked into the resort that was hosting MC & JJ's wedding. Above, the view from our room.

Vacation - Day 5 - Santa Barbara/L.A.

We had lunch in Santa Barbara (no pictures, for some reason) and drove the rest of the way down the coast to Los Angeles. Stopped for "dinner" at Neptune's Net where I became acquainted with the poor man's version of a chelada - Bud Light and Clamato in a 24 oz. tallboy. It was DELICIOUS.

We made it to our hotel in Venice just in time to walk out on the pier and watch the sunset.

Vacation - Yurt Gets Its Own Post!

The Yurt remains my favorite part of the trip. It's hard to describe just how peaceful it felt there, in between the ocean and the mountains in our own little perfect circle...gazing up at tree tops through the skylight.

Vacation - Day 4 - Hwy1

What could I possibly...
...say about Hwy1...
...that these pictures dont?

Vacation - Day 3 - S.F.

We happened upon Ghirardelli, who happened to be having a sale of a 50 piece bag of chocolate. Chocolate for breakfast! Chocolate all day!
Heading to "The Rock"
Welcome to "The Rock" (I bet everyone who visits Alcatraz says that when they arrive, and btw., my Scottish accent? Sucks.)
And a return to the Hotel Del Sol for a nap following our day-long chocolate sugar buzz.

Vacation - Day 2 - Napa/S.F.

Working it and owning it at Clos Pegase.
The view from Sterling Vinyards.
Not that this picture is any indication, but we had lunch in Calistoga.
Sunset, taken from the car on the way into San Francisco.

Vacation - Day 1 - Napa

B, stylin' and profilin' as we played bocce at G&B's friend's house in the hills overlooking Napa Valley.

Unsurprisingly, my team won both games.

The Greatest Invention of Our Time

Seriously. Bud Light and Clamato? Genius.
(Platter O' Fried Food? Not bad either.)

Present

Back in NYC, after a week in Cali and a brief stop in The Jerz to meet my twin nephews!

Well, That Settles It

I think we have to move to California.

California Bound

Don’t worry, hey, no need for you to hide among the trees
Come into the light and you’ll be free
Don’t scurry, hey, it’s such a lonely life up in the hills
The valley’s gonna cure your every ill
Don’t worry, hey, I know that you are lost but you’ll be found
God willing we are California bound
God willing we are California bound

No, I never will hate you
I just want to show you the one truth
And spread my love all around

Don’t worry, don’t bring yourself down
Don’t let your mind chase you like a hound
Don’t worry, don’t bring yourself down
We’re coming today to save your town

No worries, heys, I know tomorrow brings the golden sun
Where there’s wine and olive fruit for everyone
Do hurry, hey, now spread the news from there upon your mound
God willing we are California bound
God willing I won’t put you in the ground

I'm Going With Insanity

So, as of 4 pm, B and I have called each other approximately 37 times to make weird noises, laugh hysterically, and then hang up.

Insanity? You Decide.

That pre-vacation too-little-time-too-much-to-do thing is kicking in, which is resulting in not a whole lot of sleep, which then leads to:

- Me prank calling B at work, making ridiculous noises and hanging up
- B and I laughing hysterically over the concept that we are sleeping in a "monkey bed". (Don't ask, it's a long story involving Tim Gunn and our inability to change our sheets.)
- B pretending to be Tim Gunn (voice, mannerisms) for an entire night
- Exploring how many ways we can use the word "yurt" in a sentence
- Laughing hysterically over that
- Making up conversations that either one of us is having with the dog re: his religious choices

I'm Annoying, It's True

Lately, I've taken on a slightly nagging tone with B, as I've harassed and harrangued him regarding our upcoming trip. There seems to be about a million odds and ends to clear up, and we're leaving Saturday. Conversations in our house sound like this:

r: "Did you book the rental car"?
b: "Ya".
r: "What about doing laundry before we go"?
b: I'll take care of it".
r: "Do you know where your swimsuit is? Do you think you should get it out now? Let it air out?"
b: [eyeroll]
r: "What about L.A.? What do you want to do in L.A."?
b: "Ummmm, eat at In N' Out Burger?"
r: "That's it? That's all you want to do in L.A.?"
b: [shrug]
r: "Well, when are we going to pack? How many suitcases are we bringing? Should we bring my laptop"?
b: [starts rocking back and forth and crying]
r: "I'm really excited for our first vacation together..."

This morning, I found myself debating whether it was more important to go to my ENT doctor to check the congestion/wheeziness I've ignored for the past 2 months *or* go get my hair cut.

Off Track

Just ran 3 miles, in my first running effort since being crushed by food poisoning/the flu last week. I'm way off my training schedule, and wondering if the half is going to happen.

Damn digestive system...