I’ve been swamped, more than usual, at work, so bullet points you get:
- Is it just me, or are allergies especially crazy on the east coast this winter? I’m guessing the mild temperature to extreme cold cycle is just keeping some stuff alive that normally just dies off, and as such, my eyeballs feel like they’re twice their normal size. Seriously, it hurts to blink sometimes.
- Based on the fact that it seems that everyone & their mother has just either started or finished The Hunger Games trilogy, and because the movie is coming out soon, I’m re-listening to the audiobooks. I forgot just how much I got drawn into the second book – when I first “read” it (listened to it while running), I finished it in five sittings . . . three half-marathons and two epic spinning sessions, each with a day of rest between them.
I’m still fearing getting to the end of Mockingjay again, though, as I really didn’t like the way things ended. Maybe things will change this time around.
- I worked from home yesterday. My company has a pretty lenient policy on working from home – basically, you have a laptop, so just make sure people know where you are, and that you’re accessible, and you can work anywhere. Trying to work from home with two toddlers is . . . difficult. But, my mom came over to help me out, and it was nice to be able to see the guys play when it wasn’t a weekend.
- I set up the Wii for the family. With two kids under three, video games aren’t really high on the list, but we recently signed up for the Netflix streaming service, and the Wii enables us to watch that the family room. Seriously, all episodes of Shaun the Sheep and Curious George, on demand, is pretty freaking awesome when you’re trying to understand the issues that a team of pricing analysts are regurgitating to you.
Of course, once you set up any gaming console, you get the urge to play it . . . all of the time. So, after installing Netflix, I made the mistake of playing Lego Star Wars (my son is an absolute Star Wars fanatic). Ever since then, he demands to hold & operate a Wiimote as he controls Queen Amidala in the Mos Eisley cantina, causing mayhem and shooting anything that moves (he likes the sound that hitting the trigger on a blaster makes). - On that topic, though, I was playing Wii Tennis last night when CJ decided that the Wiimote must be a lightsaber. So, he pulled his plastic lightsaber out and swung it to meet the Wiimote, and hit my elbow. As far as I can tell, the tip of the lightsaber made contact with the underside of my elbow, very near the funny bone, where the ulnar nerve passes through. After my accident, I have
duct tape & bubbleguma plate and some screws holding my elbow together, because they had to remove a ligament and get my bones back together. Whatever happened jarred me just the right way that I only have partial feeling in some of my fingers, and it looks like I’m trying to smuggle a large grape in my elbow. The pain, last night, was pretty intense – vision went white for a second and I dropped to the ground, but I’ll be fine in a few days. In the meantime, though, I won’t be lifting weights . . . so lots of cardio sessions. - They’re doing construction at my office, and the noise is driving me crazy – I may be revisiting the work from home policy until they’re done dropping bowling balls & drilling, directly above my head.
- The kale/spinach/tomato/raspberry smoothie that I made over the weekend was much tastier than my first smoothie attempt, even if it looked even worse than my first smoothie attempt, but that might just be because I’m a true sucker for raspberries.
- My kids are growing way too fast.
- I made the most kick-ass peanut-butter bread over the weekend. Waking up on Sunday morning, with still-warm, freshly-baked bread that’s ready to eat is reason enough to own a breadmaker. I’m not usually a baker, but this turned out really well.
- Jessica is an absolute goddess and sent me a belated birthday package of homemade goodies . . . so far, I’ve only had the spicy beer mustard, but it’s the yummiest mustard that I’ve ever had. It looks like my constant “you know what’s easier than making this super easy recipe that you posted to your blog? Sending it directly to your readers” comments paid off! Seriously, though, thank you, Jessica, that was very kind & very yummy, and I am going to try making the buttermilk cheese sometime soon.
- I need to find time to work on my fiction . . . there are moments, in the middle of the night, when I can feel the words trying to spill from my head.
Catching Fire was my favourite too and I didn’t like how Mockingjay ended either.
Perhaps next week I will challenge you to a fiction writing week. Stay tuned.
I’d be up for such a challenge . . . I feel like I need to get a short story out of my head, or something.
details on this peanut butter spread you made, please!
Recipe will be posted tomorrow or Friday, I promise 🙂
Peanut butter bread? Damn. Now I’m hungry and I just ate lunch.
I have to tell you this because my sister and I almost died laughing. This weekend, we went out to Palm Desert to celebrate my grandfather’s 93rd birthday. He and my 88-year-old grandma read my blog religiously and follow all the comments.
Of all the people who have ever left comments for me, you are my grandmother’s favorite.
No joke. She said, “Now tell me. Who is this John person? I really LIKE him.”
I’m guessing she doesn’t *get* half of what you’re saying, especially the innuendo. Or maybe she does and that’s what she favors. Either way. If you’re ever in Palm Desert California, Renis Anderson will bake up some peanut butter bread for you.
Pretty sure.
Julie, if I know anything, it’s that you’re always, at least a little bit, hungry. Or thirty. Or in need of wine.
And, thank you for the story about your grandparents . . . it absolutely made me smile & laugh & feel special all over 🙂
I bought lego star wars (completely for my 34-year old self) a few years ago. Definitely fun.
Good luck with the elbow!
I truly love the scene where Darth Vader shows Luke that he’s his father. Most every cut scene in the game cracks me up.
I’ve never heard of the hunger games. You should totally find that time to work on fiction. I have evernote on my cell so if I wake up in the night and something comes to me I can write it down real quick.
See, the problem is that, once I pull up my cell phone, there’s a billion things – checking email, checking blog comments, checking Twitter, checking Facebook that, by the time I think “oh, yeah, I was going to jot down what I was thinking,” the thought has passed.
I especially like that last one.
Yeah – I’ve got to work on that last one, especially.
Definitely like the raspberries in that smoothie, but not so sure about the tomatoes. But then again, on my cleanse today, I “drank” carrot, celery and lemon juice that was all pureed together. It was so foul I added a banana to try and sweeten it up a bit. Not really. Therefore, I like my smoothies with raspberries too.
Today I made a kale, spinach, avocado, tomato, carrot, yogurt, and raspberry smoothie. It looked putrid, but actually tasted ok . . . that might have been because there were as many ounces of frozen raspberry than everything else mixed together.
I was thinking about reading The Hunger Games before the movies as I listened to them previously. I don’t think I can handle it emotionally.
When John went down from the light saber injury, CJ ran behind the coffee table and hit the floor. He watched his poor dad on the floor through the coffee table. Two-year-olds don’t feel guilty very often, but when they do, it’s power stuff.
The beer mustard is awesome. Totally.
The peanut butter bread is awesome. Totally.
We’re going to fiction challenge each other one of these weeks.
I do envy your ability to actually read — it really seems that, when I’m home, the moment I stop moving, my body says that it’s time to sleep, so “actually reading” just can’t happen.
I’m okay with the ending of Mockingjay… though it still disturbs me why Katniss votes the way she does… unless she’s already thinking of what she does later and how she ends things… but that seems like it was a spur of the moment decision for her.
And could this comment sound any more vague? But I don’t want to ruin it for someone who didn’t read it.
Right, without giving anything away, I see no way that Katniss votes the way she votes . . . I enjoyed her decision to switch (which, I agree, was a spur of the moment thing, though I think she was thinking about it for at least a few hours before she did it . . . but there was no way that she was thinking about it when she made the decision).
And I believe we’ve now thoroughly confused anyone looking to read The Hunger Games and following these comments.
I felt really bad when I said something on Twitter about Rue dying in the first book . . . but I maintain that it wasn’t actually a spoiler, because by the time Rue is introduced, it’s obvious she’s not lasting until the end of the book.
Yes, time. I’d like a lot more of that, too!
That and your peanut butter bread recipe. Written in bullet points. WITH footnotes.
Please.
🙂
Thursday or Friday will include pictures, bullet points, and footnotes for the very yummy, very simple peanut butter bread.
don’t think i didn’t notice the reference to lots of ‘cardio sessions’ 😉
HOORAY FOR SEX!
😉
The last one is something I haven’t found time for either.
I need to do more cardio too.
I just read the Hunger Games last summer – the first book was my favorite.
I cannot work around construction. Or think. Or not go postal. I think working at home with children would be more productive.
I suddenly want a Wii.
Toddlers have uncanny aim.
Good luck finding balance for everything!
The last two days at work have included lots of sudden noises of things falling, leaving me cringing and wanting to find something to stab.
Yeah, working at home with the kids would be more productive, which is a truly scary thought.
I’m actually really thinking about starting the Wii Fit regimen all over again . . . I used to do it for 30 minutes a day, whenever I couldn’t get to the gym.
Netflix on demand is one of the best things ever. I still haven’t read the Hunger Games because I’m lazy and because they haven’t fallen into my lap. And I’m terribly envious of your ability to work from home.
Sitting around, waiting for books to appear in your lap is no basis for a government.
if you can do audiobooks, I can hook you up with a copy.
And working from home with two toddlers is, an oxymoron. But I’m quite grateful for the opportunity to try.
Man, the reasons to track you down in person just keep growing!
I’ve got Psych on autoplay on Netflix [where autoplay is my saying, “Hey, turn on that game thingy and put on Psych”] and it is marvelous.
Please, the recipe for peanut butter bread.
I started listening to the Hunger Games and then . . . I’m not sure what happened. I guess I’ll revisit it. I’m almost done with Pride & Prejudice, and need something for the commute.
Hope your elbow is better.
I’m thinking about doing Pride & Prejudice & Zombies next. But, we’ll see.
Peanut Butter bread recipe will be posted in the next day or two.
(Raises hand) I think I am the only one who hasn’t read those books. Oh the joys of reading for fun….I miss that.
I didn’t “read them” read them. I listened on audiobook, because music just doesn’t cut it for me when I’m running.
If it weren’t for audiobooks, I fear that I’d have next to no “reading” in my life. Though, if it weren’t for audiobooks, I’d probably list reading as a near-necessity.
I like to lose myself, every now & then.