Weekly weigh-in this morning, and I'm down another 3.4 lbs. The good thing about bad news is that it helps put other things like food into perspective. I had a couple of days where I went over my 1.2k calories per day goal, but most of the time I stay close to 1k. Sleeping when I would otherwise stay up and snack is a big help. Ah, for the blessing of sleep where everything is beautiful all the time.
Besides the weigh-in, which brought good news, Friday also means the last weekday of "detente". I promised myself I could have 1 week to just chill and get my head together, and that's what I had. Monday means having to figure out what I'm going to do not only for the rest of the month, but going forward. That's the bad news.
One thing I'm putting on the list for March is to create a short puppet show, and see if I can't volunteer somewhere like Children's Hospital or elsewhere. Lester always cheers me up, so even if I get turned down for some volunteering possibilities, I can at least get myself in a better space. Maybe I'll get Lester a blog. That's the new news.
Do you remember Ramptha and Jonathan from the 80's? It seemed like there were channels to spirits but they were always the spirits of some powerful warlord or Queen of Egypt or something, but Lester channels a common man - Joe. Lester's full name is Lester J. Hugworthy III. He got the trey when we went to Palm Springs for the first time, and he wanted to add Commodore to his name, but he doesn't know anything about boats or ships so I put my foot down. We compromised on the designation III. Lester, well, that was just his name. Hugworthy came because, well, aren't we all?
Yes, I think the time has come for him to get his voice back. Poor thing hasn't been active since 1989. His time has come. I'll add the link here when his blog is up.
BTW, great blog entry that Shtreimel turned us on to in his blog (A Hasid and A Heretic). It's not apropos of anything going on with me now with the layoffs or anything, but it's great:
http://hillyinthecity.blogspot.com/2009/02/mazel-tov.html
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
First Thursday
Still getting used to the fact that I'm soon leaving my job. I'm remarkably calm right now, but I think that's probably just a level of denial, but the intensity of prayer is also higher, and I think that keeps me calmer than I would otherwise be.
I'm on a mailing list called "Torah Thought of the Day" through http://torahbyemail.blogspot.com/ and one came up yesterday:
"Rava taught: Lifespan, children and livelihood depend not on merit, but on mazal."(Talmud, Moed Katan 28a)
When I thought about mazal, I thought of "Mazol Tov!" -- and the idea that the Talmud would say it was just "luck" reminded me of a something a Buddhist teacher once told me when something hard happened. He said, "Congratulations!" His feeling was that it is only through difficulties that we grow, coming closer to becoming our authentic selves. That development can only occur when there's something to struggle against or confront in "battle".
In meditating on this thought of the day, I also reached out to friends who are more learned in Torah/Talmud, and I may find as I absorb what they shared that it will be useful to put some of it up here on my blog -- thinking out loud in the blogosphere to better comprehend the information, rather the meaning of the information that I received from them.
The gist of what I understand so far is that mazal isn't luck in a magical thinking way, but rather destiny - something that isn't because of something I did or didn't do as much as something that I need to do. I still have to figure out what that is.
What's next? I have no idea.
I'm on a mailing list called "Torah Thought of the Day" through http://torahbyemail.blogspot.com/ and one came up yesterday:
"Rava taught: Lifespan, children and livelihood depend not on merit, but on mazal."(Talmud, Moed Katan 28a)
When I thought about mazal, I thought of "Mazol Tov!" -- and the idea that the Talmud would say it was just "luck" reminded me of a something a Buddhist teacher once told me when something hard happened. He said, "Congratulations!" His feeling was that it is only through difficulties that we grow, coming closer to becoming our authentic selves. That development can only occur when there's something to struggle against or confront in "battle".
In meditating on this thought of the day, I also reached out to friends who are more learned in Torah/Talmud, and I may find as I absorb what they shared that it will be useful to put some of it up here on my blog -- thinking out loud in the blogosphere to better comprehend the information, rather the meaning of the information that I received from them.
The gist of what I understand so far is that mazal isn't luck in a magical thinking way, but rather destiny - something that isn't because of something I did or didn't do as much as something that I need to do. I still have to figure out what that is.
What's next? I have no idea.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
I'm a Statistic
Just the other day when we went to see Memphis at the 5th Avenue Theater, a friend told me that he was "a statistic". It took me a minute to catch on to what he meant - that he'd been laid off. Well, I'm a statistic, too. It's very odd to be at work every day knowing that I have 1 month to work there, and then I'm out on my fanny.
When faced with crises, I look for the metaphor. It's just the way I roll, so bear with me. I will be working from now through the end of March. Then we have plans (and, luckily, airline tickets) to head to Scottsdale, AZ for Passover. When I was praying last night, I asked for help in understanding the significance of being "freed" from a job I love in time to share a Seder with my uncle and aunt. The Jews were freed from slavery - but I'm being freed from a job I enjoy, working with people whom I love.
Then I thought about Moses leading such a large group, among whom were those complaining "We should never have left Egypt". Maybe I have something to learn from the reticent folks. Or maybe there are a number of definitions of slavery. Maybe I need to discover and free myself of something to which I've become enslaved. More prayer needed, obviously, but until I find a metaphor that works more efficiently, I think that's the track I'll follow.
Well, off to savor some free espresso...only 1 month left for that perk (no pun intended).
When faced with crises, I look for the metaphor. It's just the way I roll, so bear with me. I will be working from now through the end of March. Then we have plans (and, luckily, airline tickets) to head to Scottsdale, AZ for Passover. When I was praying last night, I asked for help in understanding the significance of being "freed" from a job I love in time to share a Seder with my uncle and aunt. The Jews were freed from slavery - but I'm being freed from a job I enjoy, working with people whom I love.
Then I thought about Moses leading such a large group, among whom were those complaining "We should never have left Egypt". Maybe I have something to learn from the reticent folks. Or maybe there are a number of definitions of slavery. Maybe I need to discover and free myself of something to which I've become enslaved. More prayer needed, obviously, but until I find a metaphor that works more efficiently, I think that's the track I'll follow.
Well, off to savor some free espresso...only 1 month left for that perk (no pun intended).
Friday, February 20, 2009
Heading in the Right Direction
Weigh-in was this morning, and I am delighted to report that the nasty little arrow is heading in the right direction. The scale I have is an old crappy one, and I have my doubts about it, but it even looks like I lost more than the 2 lbs I was hoping to lose. I'm being conservative, though, and calling it 2 lbs for now. I will pick up a more readable/reliable scale this weekend and see what it says.
Dieting is easy right now, actually. For once, we don't have a million dinner engagements, parties, etc. so I can just treat food as something I need to keep going during the day. That is not the way it will always be, given that my DH is a dream in the kitchen and is always coming up with something delicious. Hopefully, by the time we get to the next occasion, I'll be better prepared with portions and a little more in control.
I think that's what made me start getting serious about dieting - the complete lack of control I was having. I couldn't have cereal in the house because I treated the box like a serving. Same thing goes for ice cream. Just completely out of control - and the compulsive behavior just had to stop.
I still need to get serious about working out. I'm up to one day a week right now, but aiming for two and so forth. I just need to get into a routine where it's what I do at a given time, and that's that - like a theater date or something I'd actually enjoy.
Speaking of theater, the Mozart was lovely last night. They did feature a soloist on the double bass during a Vanhall piece (not a composer with whom I'm familiar). He got a standing ovation, but I didn't think it was all that great. The Schubert was pretty, and the Jupiter Symphony was outstanding.
Since my DH has his weekly role-playing (a D&D derivative) game on Saturday night, I may have to run over there on Sunday to see him. I want him to see Eating Raoul, which I have from Netflix, and I don't want to clog my queue holding onto a film when I could be getting through my Inspector Lynley mysteries!
For the first time in a very long time I feel pretty good. Life is quite nice right now. Friends and family are doing well, and except for a few things I need to take care of like seeing my Dr. to make sure that my glucose level is nothing to worry about and that my arm pain is really just a pinched nerve that a chiropractor or some such doctor can handle, things for me are good as well.
Nothing to report regarding recipes from last night, since the pork will last me quite a while. I'm one of those people who can eat the same thing every day (as long as I like it) and enjoy it. It's probably the reason I can re-watch films I've seen a hundred times if I love them - like Laura, which I watched again just the other night.
Looking forward to finishing my latest Nero Wolfe mystery and getting to bed early tonight. Fridays are the best days for catching up on the sleep I miss all week.
Dieting is easy right now, actually. For once, we don't have a million dinner engagements, parties, etc. so I can just treat food as something I need to keep going during the day. That is not the way it will always be, given that my DH is a dream in the kitchen and is always coming up with something delicious. Hopefully, by the time we get to the next occasion, I'll be better prepared with portions and a little more in control.
I think that's what made me start getting serious about dieting - the complete lack of control I was having. I couldn't have cereal in the house because I treated the box like a serving. Same thing goes for ice cream. Just completely out of control - and the compulsive behavior just had to stop.
I still need to get serious about working out. I'm up to one day a week right now, but aiming for two and so forth. I just need to get into a routine where it's what I do at a given time, and that's that - like a theater date or something I'd actually enjoy.
Speaking of theater, the Mozart was lovely last night. They did feature a soloist on the double bass during a Vanhall piece (not a composer with whom I'm familiar). He got a standing ovation, but I didn't think it was all that great. The Schubert was pretty, and the Jupiter Symphony was outstanding.
Since my DH has his weekly role-playing (a D&D derivative) game on Saturday night, I may have to run over there on Sunday to see him. I want him to see Eating Raoul, which I have from Netflix, and I don't want to clog my queue holding onto a film when I could be getting through my Inspector Lynley mysteries!
For the first time in a very long time I feel pretty good. Life is quite nice right now. Friends and family are doing well, and except for a few things I need to take care of like seeing my Dr. to make sure that my glucose level is nothing to worry about and that my arm pain is really just a pinched nerve that a chiropractor or some such doctor can handle, things for me are good as well.
Nothing to report regarding recipes from last night, since the pork will last me quite a while. I'm one of those people who can eat the same thing every day (as long as I like it) and enjoy it. It's probably the reason I can re-watch films I've seen a hundred times if I love them - like Laura, which I watched again just the other night.
Looking forward to finishing my latest Nero Wolfe mystery and getting to bed early tonight. Fridays are the best days for catching up on the sleep I miss all week.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Tomorrow is weigh-in
Well I haven't written since I got on the scale because I was so disappointed with myself that I let it get this far. I'm limiting my calories, eating portions that I would have considered "tapas" just a month ago, and no drinking. Those wonderful full-bodied reds are a thing of the past, but I still hope to splurge on a Guinness come March.
March? No, not St. Patty's Day, but The Moisture Festival here in Fremont. It's a festival of wild and wonderful burlesque, comedy, music, and fun in Fremont (a.k.a. "The Center of the Universe") and the ACT theater downtown.
Tonight it's Mozart at Symphony hall. We have divine seats for this series - right above the orchestra on the left side (from the audience point of view). We can read the music that the 1st Violinists are playing. We sit to a very nice couple, and it's just our favorite series there. Now, if Itzhak Perlman comes, then we want to sit as far front and close to the stage as we can, but for the Mozart, we love these seats. Tonight, it's the Jupiter Symphony.
No dinner reviews right now, since food is the least interesting of things going on, but, if you use a slow cooker, here's a wonderful way to cook up a pork tenderloin - no muss, no fuss. The original recipe is called "Amazing Pork Tenderloin" on the CDKitchen website. Here's my version:
Garlic Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients:
Pork tenderloin
3 TBLs garlic minced
3/4 cups wine (I used white because I had it; original uses red)
1 pkg dry onion soup mix (I used Carb Options because I had it)
1 cup water
3 TBLs soy sauce
Spray non-stick pan with Pam (or use just a touch of oil) and brown pork tenderloin. My slow cooker isn't huge, so I cut the pork tenderloin in 4 good-sized pieces and browned those. Meanwhile add the water, wine, onion soup mix and soy sauce to the slow cooker. Add the browned meat and slather the top of the tenderloin pieces with garlic.
Cook on low for 3 hours. Turn the pork over in the "soup" and let cook for 1 to 2 more hours.
The pork will pull apart like Hawaiian pulled pork. You can use it on salads or sandwiches or just serve it over rice. I added the "soup" to the rice pot to infuse the flavor into the rice as it cooked.
That's as interesting as it's gotten around here with food of late. Tomorrow morning I weigh in and find out if I've lost anything this week. Results to follow.
March? No, not St. Patty's Day, but The Moisture Festival here in Fremont. It's a festival of wild and wonderful burlesque, comedy, music, and fun in Fremont (a.k.a. "The Center of the Universe") and the ACT theater downtown.
Tonight it's Mozart at Symphony hall. We have divine seats for this series - right above the orchestra on the left side (from the audience point of view). We can read the music that the 1st Violinists are playing. We sit to a very nice couple, and it's just our favorite series there. Now, if Itzhak Perlman comes, then we want to sit as far front and close to the stage as we can, but for the Mozart, we love these seats. Tonight, it's the Jupiter Symphony.
No dinner reviews right now, since food is the least interesting of things going on, but, if you use a slow cooker, here's a wonderful way to cook up a pork tenderloin - no muss, no fuss. The original recipe is called "Amazing Pork Tenderloin" on the CDKitchen website. Here's my version:
Garlic Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients:
Pork tenderloin
3 TBLs garlic minced
3/4 cups wine (I used white because I had it; original uses red)
1 pkg dry onion soup mix (I used Carb Options because I had it)
1 cup water
3 TBLs soy sauce
Spray non-stick pan with Pam (or use just a touch of oil) and brown pork tenderloin. My slow cooker isn't huge, so I cut the pork tenderloin in 4 good-sized pieces and browned those. Meanwhile add the water, wine, onion soup mix and soy sauce to the slow cooker. Add the browned meat and slather the top of the tenderloin pieces with garlic.
Cook on low for 3 hours. Turn the pork over in the "soup" and let cook for 1 to 2 more hours.
The pork will pull apart like Hawaiian pulled pork. You can use it on salads or sandwiches or just serve it over rice. I added the "soup" to the rice pot to infuse the flavor into the rice as it cooked.
That's as interesting as it's gotten around here with food of late. Tomorrow morning I weigh in and find out if I've lost anything this week. Results to follow.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Last Monday
I can hardly believe that it's the last Monday of January already. Is the rest of the year going to go like this? It seems like just a day ago that my DH and I were snowed in at our home in Kirkland. Celebrating the holidays, yes, but also trapped!
It did snow - a little bit - yesterday, but not enough to keep me from heading home to be with my honey. He thoughtfully taped the NHL All Stars Game, and let me watch it while he cooked an amazing gourmet feast. We had a marinated pork tenderloin, with red potatoes roasted with garlic, and fresh asparagus. What a wonderful meal!
Since I last wrote, I have a few updates:
In Bruges - a film starring Colin Farrell, was lauded by the critics, and called a "sleeper". Well, it should have stayed asleep. I'm one of those people who needs to see something happy on a Sunday night, and there was nothing happy in this film. There were times when I thought they might pull out of the muck long enough to give us a modified happy ending, but, no. It was death and destruction to everyone we liked, and even those we didn't. It could have been a David Lynch for all the blood. The dialog was clever, and we did laugh once or twice during it, but this was not a winner. Afterward, we watched an episode of 2 and 1/2 Men to have a giggle before heading off to bed in preparation for the work week.
Defiance - Did I already kvell about this one? Even if I did, it's worth saying again. It is the best movie I've seen in a long time. The critics complain that it tried too hard, and pulled too many heart strings. What? Yes, I cared about the people in it, which must be something critics disdain, and I felt uplifted at the end of it, which must also be a no-no. Bah! Forget them. This is fantastic!
I received an extra movie from Netflix this past week because it had been at the top of my queue for a while with a status of "short wait". They finally found it somewhere else, and had it sent to me even though I already had my allotment of films. It was a series of concerts by Bill Hicks (comedian who died of cancer back in the 90's). I remember loving his work, and wanted to see it again. I found it most interesting that I no longer enjoyed him at all. There were a few chuckles, but, for the most part, he was just ranting without humor.
That has happened to me before - where something I remember as touching or funny just doesn't have the same appeal it once did. I was surprised this time, though. My friend, Ravi and I used to enjoy him so much that I thought for sure it would be the same this time around - but it wasn't...not by a long shot.
King of Hearts, though, seems to have unlimited appeal. I watched it again with the same enjoyment as the first time I saw it - or maybe even more. What makes it even better is that it was a free, "play now" video through Netflix, so I just pulled it onto my Roku machine and have it there to watch anytime I want (along with Star Trek TOS and the current seasons of NCIS, and Numb3rs seasons 3, 4 and 5).
The street was paved with ice this morning, as if someone had used a powdered-sugar glaze over everything. My sweetie drove me to the P&R because I didn't set the alarm correctly. It's currently set to go off at 5pm instead of 5am.Anyway, it was good he did that because walking to the bus stop could have been treacherous!
Tomorrow, we're heading to a production of one of my favorite plays - The Importance of Being Earnest. We'll meet up with friends and go to a show on a Tuesday night! That's not our normal behavior. Weekdays are normally too tiring to consider going out, but this is a special event, and I wouldn't miss it for the world.
Wednesday will be my first Weight Watchers' meeting in a very long time. I have to get serious now, or I'll be miserable when we go to NYC in June. I think it is so much worse to be stuffed into clothes when it's hot and sticky than when it's cold and rainy. Not that it's great any time, but I would just hate having to feel either exposed and embarrassed or sweltering in too many clothes while we're back there. If I can just eat sensibly, and NOT snack at night (I'm a late-night nibbler) I should be okay by June. That's the goal, anyway. I'd love to be motivated enough to start running again, and train for the Vancouver 1/2 marathon, but I don't think I'll pull it together this year. Maybe next May I will be in a better place with daily exercise.
My sister is the Queen of Physical Health. She's been working out daily since the new year. What a star! She's amazing, anyway, but this is a poke for me to remember to keep up (uh, get up is more like it).
More later after we head to the theater. I'll give updates on my WW meetings, too. There's one next door to work right now, but they need 10 more people to keep it going. I hope they get them because it'd be a lot easier to get there than at Westlake, which is 1/2 way home. Hard to come back to the office when I've escaped that far! Also, the blog can keep me honest, since I'll report losses and gains, so I'd better be good!
It did snow - a little bit - yesterday, but not enough to keep me from heading home to be with my honey. He thoughtfully taped the NHL All Stars Game, and let me watch it while he cooked an amazing gourmet feast. We had a marinated pork tenderloin, with red potatoes roasted with garlic, and fresh asparagus. What a wonderful meal!
Since I last wrote, I have a few updates:
In Bruges - a film starring Colin Farrell, was lauded by the critics, and called a "sleeper". Well, it should have stayed asleep. I'm one of those people who needs to see something happy on a Sunday night, and there was nothing happy in this film. There were times when I thought they might pull out of the muck long enough to give us a modified happy ending, but, no. It was death and destruction to everyone we liked, and even those we didn't. It could have been a David Lynch for all the blood. The dialog was clever, and we did laugh once or twice during it, but this was not a winner. Afterward, we watched an episode of 2 and 1/2 Men to have a giggle before heading off to bed in preparation for the work week.
Defiance - Did I already kvell about this one? Even if I did, it's worth saying again. It is the best movie I've seen in a long time. The critics complain that it tried too hard, and pulled too many heart strings. What? Yes, I cared about the people in it, which must be something critics disdain, and I felt uplifted at the end of it, which must also be a no-no. Bah! Forget them. This is fantastic!
I received an extra movie from Netflix this past week because it had been at the top of my queue for a while with a status of "short wait". They finally found it somewhere else, and had it sent to me even though I already had my allotment of films. It was a series of concerts by Bill Hicks (comedian who died of cancer back in the 90's). I remember loving his work, and wanted to see it again. I found it most interesting that I no longer enjoyed him at all. There were a few chuckles, but, for the most part, he was just ranting without humor.
That has happened to me before - where something I remember as touching or funny just doesn't have the same appeal it once did. I was surprised this time, though. My friend, Ravi and I used to enjoy him so much that I thought for sure it would be the same this time around - but it wasn't...not by a long shot.
King of Hearts, though, seems to have unlimited appeal. I watched it again with the same enjoyment as the first time I saw it - or maybe even more. What makes it even better is that it was a free, "play now" video through Netflix, so I just pulled it onto my Roku machine and have it there to watch anytime I want (along with Star Trek TOS and the current seasons of NCIS, and Numb3rs seasons 3, 4 and 5).
The street was paved with ice this morning, as if someone had used a powdered-sugar glaze over everything. My sweetie drove me to the P&R because I didn't set the alarm correctly. It's currently set to go off at 5pm instead of 5am.
Tomorrow, we're heading to a production of one of my favorite plays - The Importance of Being Earnest. We'll meet up with friends and go to a show on a Tuesday night! That's not our normal behavior. Weekdays are normally too tiring to consider going out, but this is a special event, and I wouldn't miss it for the world.
Wednesday will be my first Weight Watchers' meeting in a very long time. I have to get serious now, or I'll be miserable when we go to NYC in June. I think it is so much worse to be stuffed into clothes when it's hot and sticky than when it's cold and rainy. Not that it's great any time, but I would just hate having to feel either exposed and embarrassed or sweltering in too many clothes while we're back there. If I can just eat sensibly, and NOT snack at night (I'm a late-night nibbler) I should be okay by June. That's the goal, anyway. I'd love to be motivated enough to start running again, and train for the Vancouver 1/2 marathon, but I don't think I'll pull it together this year. Maybe next May I will be in a better place with daily exercise.
My sister is the Queen of Physical Health. She's been working out daily since the new year. What a star! She's amazing, anyway, but this is a poke for me to remember to keep up (uh, get up is more like it).
More later after we head to the theater. I'll give updates on my WW meetings, too. There's one next door to work right now, but they need 10 more people to keep it going. I hope they get them because it'd be a lot easier to get there than at Westlake, which is 1/2 way home. Hard to come back to the office when I've escaped that far! Also, the blog can keep me honest, since I'll report losses and gains, so I'd better be good!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Long time no blog
Finally feeling somewhat normal after the holidays. Time to get back to a regular routine - the food, the exercise, the work...everything. Once I get my habits reset, I'll be okay, but now everything seems so forced and strange. Normal living seems dull in comparison, and yet the holidays lacked something this year, too.
I hadn't realized until this year how much I appreciated lighting the menorah for Channukah. We're non-traditional to say the least, and enjoy a mixed experience of both a single gift-giving day on xmas, and lighting the candles for each night of Channukah. We say a blessing each night - not the standard brachot by any means - for something for which we are thankful. The first night is for our health, and the nights following each remind us of another aspect of life for which we are grateful. During a time as hectic and crazy as the holidays, having 8 nights where we light the candles together, and spend some time in reflection and appreciation for each other and our life together - that in itself is a blessing. This year, we didn't have Channukah candles, and I couldn't find any anywhere. You don't realize how xmas-centric the world is until you try and find candles for the menorah at the last minute. I bought a case after the holiday so that I will NOT run into this problem again. We ran through the holidays without a break, and they were over before we knew it. We had fun giving presents to the children in our lives, but we missed having the intimate holiday with each other that I've come to anticipate and love.
We were forced to slow down a little bit, though, because we were snowed in at the house in Kirkland. It looked like Tahoe out the window. Driving was impossible, and walking was difficult. After 4 days in the house, we pushed the car out of the driveway and into the ruts created by the mailman to get out to a movie - Tales of Despereaux. I loved the movie, which had some of the most beautiful animation I've ever seen. Evidently, the book is sadder than the film - so I'm glad I saw the film!
This xmas I got a patriotic banner instead of a flag. I mentioned before that I never even wanted a flag for the condo because the Bush administration did not engender even the smallest amout of patriotism in me. In fact, I never felt so alienated from my own country. However, as of last November 4th, all of that changed. Still, it's hard to figure out how to put a flag up on the deck of the condo. My creative DH found a banner - one of those ruffled red/white/blue banners you might see on a dais during a political speach - and I'll be using it quite soon. I will put it out for Tuesday - Inauguration Day for our 44th President, Barak Obama. Talk about something for which I can be truly grateful! A president for all of us.
Here's to meeting our personal goals (bah on "resolutions") and living a life filled with love, peace, and prosperity in the coming year.
I hadn't realized until this year how much I appreciated lighting the menorah for Channukah. We're non-traditional to say the least, and enjoy a mixed experience of both a single gift-giving day on xmas, and lighting the candles for each night of Channukah. We say a blessing each night - not the standard brachot by any means - for something for which we are thankful. The first night is for our health, and the nights following each remind us of another aspect of life for which we are grateful. During a time as hectic and crazy as the holidays, having 8 nights where we light the candles together, and spend some time in reflection and appreciation for each other and our life together - that in itself is a blessing. This year, we didn't have Channukah candles, and I couldn't find any anywhere. You don't realize how xmas-centric the world is until you try and find candles for the menorah at the last minute. I bought a case after the holiday so that I will NOT run into this problem again. We ran through the holidays without a break, and they were over before we knew it. We had fun giving presents to the children in our lives, but we missed having the intimate holiday with each other that I've come to anticipate and love.
We were forced to slow down a little bit, though, because we were snowed in at the house in Kirkland. It looked like Tahoe out the window. Driving was impossible, and walking was difficult. After 4 days in the house, we pushed the car out of the driveway and into the ruts created by the mailman to get out to a movie - Tales of Despereaux. I loved the movie, which had some of the most beautiful animation I've ever seen. Evidently, the book is sadder than the film - so I'm glad I saw the film!
This xmas I got a patriotic banner instead of a flag. I mentioned before that I never even wanted a flag for the condo because the Bush administration did not engender even the smallest amout of patriotism in me. In fact, I never felt so alienated from my own country. However, as of last November 4th, all of that changed. Still, it's hard to figure out how to put a flag up on the deck of the condo. My creative DH found a banner - one of those ruffled red/white/blue banners you might see on a dais during a political speach - and I'll be using it quite soon. I will put it out for Tuesday - Inauguration Day for our 44th President, Barak Obama. Talk about something for which I can be truly grateful! A president for all of us.
Here's to meeting our personal goals (bah on "resolutions") and living a life filled with love, peace, and prosperity in the coming year.
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