Thanksgiving Yum Thursday November 26, 2009

2009 marks the first exclusively Toad & Professor Thanksgiving.  No travel, no RVs, no .  Just the four of us.  It worked out this way bc Toad is on call, which we wouldn’t have selected, but today I’m happy with it.  She was at the hospital this morning reading chest x-rays, but by 11 she was home and the pager hasn’t gone off once.  We spent the afternoon outside at the lake and although it was overcast, it felt good to be outside.  Since getting home and cleaning up, we’ve been cooking.  This week we’ve been hunting recipes for dishes that say “festivity” to us.  Here’s the menu we decided on:

• Pistachio Crusted Salmon
• Roasted Butternut Squash
• Asparagus with Confetti Vinaigrette
• Spiced Gingerbread with Coffee & Molasses

Tuesday Daybook 11/24/09 Tuesday November 24, 2009

Outside my window…. the day is calm.  It started dark, got sunny for a few hours and then turned overcast again.  That seems to be the way of things these days.  Moments of sun are treasured.

I am thinking… that a decade long math sabbatical wasn’t such a good idea.  I don’t remember ANY of this s&^t.  Grrrrrrr.

I am thankful for… Bella’s good report from the doctor, last weekend’s get-away in the mountains, and a few days AWAY from work.

I am wearing… blue sweatpants and a grey t-shirt with a superhero on it.  Lovely.

I am reading… Strange Piece of Paradise by Terri Jentz.  It is a long book.  Long, but good.  I finished Dark Nights of the Soul and was sad to see it go, but I started Incantation by Alice Hoffman on the elliptical this morning and was immediately sucked in.  I’ve never been all that excited about Alice Hoffman, but I’m into this.  

I am hoping… even when it’s hard.

Around the house… we are all together again.  Baker is back from his grandparents, we’ve managed to keep Gadget off the streets (not easy) and Toad is finally home from work.  She was moonlighting out-of-town,which makes for a long day.

One of my favorite things… is pumpkin bread.  Toasted with butter.  Delicious and nutritious.  Well…..delicious. 😉

A few plans for the rest of the week…. Well, it’s Thanksgiving and we are staying in town.  Toad will be either moonlighting or on call for much of the holiday, but I’m sure there will be some festivity around here.  We will be having our first just-us Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, so we are working out the menu which is fun.  Aside from dinner on Thursday, we don’t have any concrete plans.

A “picture thought I’m sharing… bc in spite of the fact that I do not know these dogs, the picture entertains me.

Reason # 5,658 Why I Love My Wife Wednesday November 18, 2009

We are going to see Neko Case tonight.  How cool is that?!  And on a Wednesday night no less.  It’s almost like we aren’t thirtysomethings.  Almost.

Last night while I was grading tests on the couch and listening to Oprah chat it up with Sarah Palin (how weird was that?!), Toad was planning a weekend getaway.  She managed to work out an academic day on Friday, so when the bell rings on Thursday we are headed to the mountains.  We’ve got two nights of hotel reservations in Asheville and we will spend Saturday night with the in-laws.  I CAN’T WAIT!!!!!  The weather looks good, so we are going to spend as much time as we can outside.  The forecast looks good for it.  Hiking and eating yummy food and wandering through bookstores and getting out of town.  Happy.

 

Tuesday Daybook 11/17/09 Tuesday November 17, 2009

Outside my window….the sun is trying its best to shine.  It’s been a cloudy, cloudy morning, but no rain.  Now it seems to be brightening up outside.

I am thinking… about math.  This is actually true.  I have a month to reaquaint myself with math.  It’s been awhile.  Hopefully, a month will be enough.

I am thankful for… my family.  I just shared a weekend with my wife and both sets of our parents.  The six of us spent three days together in the same house.  I have ALOT to be thankful for.

I am wearing… a long-sleeved grey t-shirt, a fuzzy maroon vest, jeans, and purple wool socks.  No class today!  Three cheers for a weekday in jeans.

I am reading… Strange Piece of Paradise by Terri Jentz.  My book club picked this, so I had to set American Wife aside for awhile.  I am so glad to have run across this.  It’s a non-fiction/true crime/introspectively interesting book.  On a cross-country bike trip with a friend, this woman survived an axe attack.  Doesn’t that sound like a great read? 😉  It actually is.  I am fascinated by the whole thing.  I would definitely recommend this.

I am hoping…for good news on Thursday.

Around the house… we are a man down.  Baker is staying with his grandparents for the week, so things are quiet around here.  Not a “woo woo”  to be heard.  A little good, a little not so good.

One of my favorite things… is how easy it is to get things done in this town.  There are things I miss about life in a big city, but mostly I LOVE life in a smaller town.  This AM I got my new social security card (the name change is official!!!) and I waited for LESS than 10 minutes.  That is unreal.  Little things like this make life so much more pleasant.

A few plans for the rest of the week…. We’ve got a date with Neko Case on Wednesday night.  A few years back we saw the New Pornographers (and they were great!!!), but we’ve never seen just Neko.  What a great mid-week trip! We’ll be back with Toad’s parents at some point this weekend so that we can pick up the boy.  We may make it a whole weekend or we may just grab and go.  We’ll see.

A “picture thought I’m sharing… A little family togetherness from the weekend.  Unfortunately Dad was taking the picture, so he’s missing.  From left to right, there is Professor Mom, Professor, Toad, Toad Mom and Toad Dad.

 

Tuesday Daybook 11/10/09 Tuesday November 10, 2009

Outside my window…. it’s raining.  Lots of umbrellas, wet leaves and students moving much more quickly than usual.

I am thinking… about what the future holds.

I am thankful for… the fact that sometimes I can be brave.  It takes me awhile to step out of the boundaries of what I think I am expected to do, but I’m getting there.  This AM I put my money down for the GRE.  I will be taking it (again, grumble, grumble – why do scores have to expire?) in December.  I am doing this so that I will be able to apply to counseling programs in our new place.  Should I decide to do that.  Yeah.  Baby steps.

From the kitchen…. there is much conversation.  We watched Food Inc with the Grabs last week and things have been dicey ever since.  We’re on the healthy eating train for the most part, but we do eat meat.  Well, we did.  Since watching baby chicks getting smashed in conveyor belts and cows stumbling around on the kill floor, we’ve gotten as far as shrimp in the animal flesh department.  I can still eat fish and seafood without significant reservation, but dammit if the chicken, cow and pig guilt isn’t giving me hell.  I don’t know what this will mean for Thanksgiving.  Toad is looking into local, grass-fed options.

I am wearing… brownish-grey pants, a blue and grey striped button-down shirt, a brown belt, grey socks and brown stacked penny loafers.

I am reading… American Wife and GRE Test Prep.  I bought the quant book.

I am hoping… that tmw goes well.

Around the house… Thanksgiving is almost here.  Well, our family celebration at any rate.  This weekend my parents, Toad and I will be gathering at Toad’s parents house.  The call schedule demands that we be in town over the actual holiday, so we are creating a do-it-yourself event.

One of my favorite things… is calm Baker after a bath.

A few plans for the rest of the week…. tonight we are meeting T&J for dinner and then we are headed to the mountains for family weekend.

A “picture thought I’m sharing…

Happy Birthday Holly G!! Saturday November 7, 2009

I am a lucky girl.  I could make a long list of all of the reasons why this is true and at the very top would be the fact that this woman is my mother.  You don’t realize when you’re kid that you’re seeing the world largely through your parents eyes, but when it sunk it that the rest of the world wasn’t just like my family, underneath the adolescent “how come my Mom doesn’t let me x, y, z”? was a deep feeling of gratefulness.  Like I must have done something pretty great in my last life.  My Mom showed me that the world was beautiful and exciting and filled with wonder.  That the littlest things can bring the greatest joys.  That everyone and everything has value.  She has always believed that I am the coolest person she knows and that I am capable of absolutely anything.  I’ve also learned that the really big things that seem scary are not, but that daily anxieties (driving in traffic and over bridges, conflict with people you love, bugs) are what are more likely to trip you up.  The more years go by, the more I realize that so much of the way I see the world has been shaped by this woman and for that, I am grateful.

Tuesday Daybook 11/03/09 Tuesday November 3, 2009

Outside my window…. it’s dark.  It has been beautiful day, but now it’s done.  Grateful for the sun.

I am thinking… Dexter is a great show.

I am thankful for… information.  Preferably in writing.  Contractual agreements.  That kind of thing.  Put your money where your mouth is, that’s what I say.  At least that’s what I say today.

From the kitchen…. vanilla ice cream that a neighbor made us is calling my name.  Loudly.

I am wearing… stripy pajama pants, a light blue pajama top and purple wool socks.

I am reading…this and that.  Going slow with Dark Nights of the Soul, mostly listening during long walks with Baker.  Also reading a chapter every few days in Martha Beck’s Finding Your Own North Star.  Nothing wrong with a little self-help people.  My fiction of the moment is American Wife (Curtis Sittenfeld).  I’ve been wanting to get to this for a while.  I LOVED Prep and this one feels good so far.

I am hoping… that this peaceful, calm feeling continues.

Around the house… we are playing our own version of dueling laptops.  Everyone who lives here is currently on the couch. This is not a particularly large couch.  Cozy though.  I like that.  Toad is investigating the medical licensure process in the new state and I (quite clearly) am blogging.  The boys are making sleeping sounds.

One of my favorite things… is writing every day.  Finding myself on the page.

A few plans for the rest of the week…. Tmw night we are meeting our new lesbian couple friends (T&J) for dinner.  I’m thinking Latin food.  On Thursday night LG is coming over for pizza and a movie.  Netflix will be delivering Food Inc. and we will be watching.  At some point over the weekend we are going to celebrate the big job and Toad is eager for a major organizational overhaul.  Excitement afoot.

A “picture thought I’m sharing…this ladies and gentlemen is Mr. Max Peacock.  On Halloween he likes it if you call him “Darth Max”.  I just spent my 3rd Halloween with this guy and I think he might be starting to mellow.  A bit.

 

Taking the Good with the Bad Monday November 2, 2009

The Good

• We have a contract!  Toad is flying home on a jet plane tonight with a job offer.  HOORAY!!  Toad and the Professor will be moving this summer.
• House hunting will be shifting into high gear.  Fun, fun, fun.
• Only six more months in my crazy-a*s job

The Bad

• I have not a clue what I will be doing in this new place, but I’ve got almost 10 months to figure that out.  Not so bad really.

The Ugly

• The head of my department informed me that we will have an armored guard on our floor tmw.  Why?  Well, bc the tenure and promotion committee has made their decisions and made those decisions known.  Apparently at least one of my colleagues is not pleased with the outcome.  Yikes.  Always an adventure.

Putting a Period at the End of the Sentence Sunday November 1, 2009

I’m a …….. kind of girl.  Always have been.  It’s hard for me to close things out in my mind.   Everything is so connected and interwoven and who-knows-what-all that remaining open has always seemed like the best plan.  I’m currently rethinking that.  Looking ahead towards new city, new name (we are pursuing the name change), new family structure, potentially new career, I am realizing that I need to develop a new skill.  I am thinking of that skill as the ability to put a period at the end of my sentence.

 

Moving forward into something new makes me reflective about where I’ve been.  In lots of odd ways, where I’ve been has been surfacing more than I would like lately.  In unexpected ways.  I guess that is the way of change.  Cycling back while moving forward.  Still, I feel like there is a lesson in there.  An opportunity.  A way to see where I am going from a new perspective.

A Little Late but “Happy Halloween” from Gadget