The Crab Chronicles

Up and Down Day, and a Recipe

I took Michael to school and when I came back I watered the gardens and putzed around in the kitchen a bit.

I came upstairs and read my favorite blogs, and scanned my job search sites. Same old same old. Nothing was happening.

I contemplated cleaning my room. Nah, I decided I wasn't that bored yet.

I arranged for a company to come out and clean the family room carpet and Mother's carpet tomorrow. They are the only two rooms carpeted. The kids and I just have rugs on the hardwood floors. Coco has incontinence issues. That's all I want to say about it.

We have beautiful tile in an elaborate pattern in the entrance hall. Some of the tile pieces are coming up. I cannot afford new entrance hall tile. I got a throw rug and put over the bad place. It's kinda crunchy sounding when you step on it. So that's item #4 on a list I have in my head entitled Stuff I Need to Get Done Once I Get a Job. The tile situation depressed me. I don't think Mike can repair it with Gorilla glue. He offered.

I was getting quite depressed, and suddenly the phones went crazy. I have two interviews on Thursday. Yay!

There's no guarantee I will get either job, of course, but my spirits picked up.

Alesia missed the bus, she claimed, and got a ride home with a friend's boyfriend. The boyfriend burned rubber leaving out of here, and ticked Mother off royally. I told Alesia a bit later that she better NOT accept a ride from that boy, because he obviously is an idiotically bad driver. "But it's a new car!" she argued. "It will be a wrecked car soon, unless he straightens up," I said.

Alesia wanted to argue about it. She was quite hostile. When she got home from school, I had asked her to mop the laundry room floor and she acted like it was a terrible imposition.When she is annoyed she acts like a mentally challenged 2 year old. She saw a blanket on the laundry room floor, which we need to launder, and said "WHAT IS THAT?!" - to Mother, whose room is right next door. Mother wanted to throttle her.

Later, I told Alesia she had no call to be so ugly to her grandmother. Instead of just saying "I'm sorry" she wanted to argue. It has never occurred to her to just admit when she's wrong, be humble and apologetic, and get me out of her hair. She won't admit she's wrong, except under extreme duress.

I finally left her room before I lost my temper. Grrr.....

On a positive note, I made an excellent dinner, Spicy Chicken and Rice. Here's the recipe:

Spicy Chicken and Rice

4 chicken breasts

1 large red pepper

1 onion

1 can black beans

1/4 cup red wine

chicken broth [enough to cover everything well]

2 fresh garlic cloves, minced, or 2 tsp. garlic salt

salt and pepper

pinch basil

1 1/2 cups rice

Take out 4 chicken breasts, and wash them. Lay them on paper towels, and salt and pepper them on both sides. Let them sit for at least 20 minutes. Chop the pepper and onion up fine. Put everything in the crock pot and cook on high at least 8 hours. It will seem like thin soup. About 2 hours before time to eat, throw in rice. It should cook in the time. Or you can make it on the stove top and just mix it in, if you're uncertain if the crock pot will cook it sufficiently.

It's good served with some fruit.

 

Healing Our World, Healing Ourselves

My cousin Lesleigh, a psychologist and Reiki healer, is offering the workshops below. If you are in the Atlanta area, I highly recommend these.

Dee

Remember how you felt September 11, 2001?

In Part 1 of this 2 Part Workshop, we will use current issues in the world that are causing us the most fear and anger as a catalyst for our own healing and growth; and in the process, contribute to the healing of our world. Taking back your power is not only your right, but your responsibility, when you feel overwhelmed by the challenges around you.

In Part 2, we will focus on the “Spiritual Survival” skills we all need to develop to keep ourselves centered and “on the path” during these interesting times. This class will be especially helpful to those who are sensitive to the energies around them and find it difficult to stay balanced amidst negative and chaotic energies.

Come with plenty of paper and a pen, and prepared to work. This is a great opportunity to take our metaphysics to the next level and help lift our planetary consciousness!

 

Saturday, September 11, 2010, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.  and Saturday, September 25, 2010, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Cost: $45 for each class or $80.00 for the series

Meditating Mantis Bookstore

Roswell, Ga

(770) 645-6936

ABOUT LESLEIGH

Lesleigh has an M.A. in Psychology in Marriage and Family Therapy, and is a graduate of the Institute of Psycho-Structural Re-Balancing in San Diego , as well as the Omega Point Institute in Spiritual Direction. Lesleigh also lived and trained with a family of shamen and healers for a number of years  She is available by appointment for spiritual  direction and healing work.

Medical Chart Bloopers

I am sure you have likely seen some of these before, but I still think they are funny, particularly #21. I would like to meet that guy.

We were watching a movie yesterday and the word "bris" was mentioned. I found myself trying to explain it to Michael. He stared at me in absolute horror. That isn't done in Kazakhstan routinely. I quickly changed the subject.

Remember the photos of Rod Stewart I put in the post the other day? Turns out he goes to the same church as a friend of mine who lives in L.A. She said various people who know him describe him as a "foul mouthed pig" - but not in church, fortunately. LOL

Anyway, here are the funnies:

(Actual writings from hospital charts)

1 . The patient refused autopsy.

2. The patient has no previous history of suicides.

3. Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.

4. She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband states she was very hot in bed last night.

5. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.

6. On the second day, the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.

7. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.

8 The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.

9. Discharge status: Alive but without permission.

10. Healthy appearing decrepit 69-year old male, mentally alert but forgetful.

11. Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.

12. She is numb from her toes down.

13. While in ER, she was examined, x-rated and sent home.

14. The skin was moist and dry.

15. Occasional, constant infrequent headaches.

16. Patient was alert and unresponsive.

17. Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.

18. She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life, until she got a divorce.

19. I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.

20. Both breasts are equal and reactive to light and accommodation.

21. Examination of genitalia reveals that he is circus sized.

22 The lab test indicated abnormal lover function.

23. Skin: somewhat pale but present.

24. The pelvic exam will be done later on the floor.

25. Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities.

Socializing

It occurred to me there may be folks out there who are wondering what I've been up to these last few days, since I haven't posted much information. I've done a little socializing, which was great. It's very isolating, just sitting in my room at the computer, constantly job searching.

Friday afternoon Michael spent some time at the pool with his buddy Colton. Friday night, Colton and his aunt and uncle came over for dinner. I like his aunt and uncle very much. We have very similar outlooks on life, and they are both writers and creative folks.

I served spaghetti and meat sauce, and sautee'd some fresh spinach in garlic and olive oil and parmesan cheese, for a veggie. Mother made garlic toast for me and I burned some of it. Oops. The dinner was yummy, though.

Last night, cousin Lesleigh came over for dinner, and we had a good visit. I made french onion soup, and a cauliflower/cheese casserole. Alesia was babysitting. I made some blueberry/orange bread out of blueberry muffin mix. You just put in some orange extract. It calls for orange zest, but I hate zest and it causes stomach issues.

Michael is becoming wuite the little charmer. He told me very proudly today he got a little girl's phone number. I seriously doubt he will ever call her, but man he was tickled about having her number in his phone! LOL

I had to tell the kids yesterday that right now we are having to watch every penny of our money, so movies and eating out [our only real money vices] are out, until I can find a job. I was not happy about telling them that but they took it well.

Alesia babysat last night and made some money, so she's a happy camper. The little girl she babysits was adopted from China the same summer I brought Michael home. She adores Alesia, and Alesia adores her. When Alesia talks about how cute she is, you can see a real maternal side to her. I explained to Alesia that it's so good for children to have babysitters they like and trust, because then the parents can relax.

My parents had to do a lot of socializing when I was small and we lived in Augusta. It's a very social little town and Dad was a prominent banker. So they went out sometimes 3 times a week. We had a babysitter when I was small that I just loved, Mrs. Lord. When she wasn't available though, we had some real whack jobs. One lady tried to scare me and Bruce into behaving by telling us the "Booger man" was going to get us. We told her there was no such thing, and she couldn't scare us. mom fired her right quick. Another babysitter, a teenaged neighbor girl, ignored us and we ran wild, at one point getting in the kitchen and cooking up some strange inedible glop and putting it in paper cups all over the kitchen.

The worst babysitter we ever had was actually a maid. Mom had left me and Bruce in her care and run an errand, and while she was gone the maid locked us out of the house and proceeded to drink all the liquor in the house. Then she decided to take a bath, and flooded the bathroom. Meanwhile, Bruce and I were outside, alone, and Bruce stepped on something in the yard and needed to go to the hospital. I was about 3 or 4, so he would've been 6 or 7. I can't remember how it all came out, but Dad came home and rushed Bruce to the ER, and the police came and finally got the drunk woman out of the house. It was quite a fiasco.

 

We had a Skype call last night with Pasha. He will be in the states soon for a visit. He will be in California for about a week, then with us for about 10 days. I am excited he is coming. He said he won't be shopping so much this time. LOL He spent most of his trip last March shopping, but he's hard to fit in Russia, being such a big guy. Now he has a decent wardrobe, and shoes, so he wants to do some different things, like playing tennis with Michael, and maybe going to a museum or up to the mountains.

Mind Work

There is nothing more fascinating to me than the study of human behavior. Since I have become a mom, I have naturally become passionately interested in what has shaped behavior in my children. Because I wasn’t present for their early childhood, and they both suffered neglect and abuse, it has become the ongoing quest of my life to try and figure out:

How early neglect and abuse affect behavior

How one can overcome the effects of early abuse and neglect

There is a popular notion among some adoptive parents that LOVE is enough. Our kids need love, vitamins, and maybe a good vigorous soccer practice and they will be just fine. However, those of us who see baffling and disturbing behavior in our children understand that ignoring the irregularities in a child’s behavior and not digging for answers is the worst sort of denial.

I was one of those people, for a long time, who was an ostrich. I buried my head in the sand and hoped that I could just love my kids and give them a “normal” American life, and things would right themselves. I was wrong, of course. Seeing how they blossomed under the care of the therapist taught me so much.

I’ve recently seen behaviors in my kids that upsets me, but much of it is “unbloggable.” I walk a fine line between my need to spill my guts here and my kids’ need for some privacy. As they get older I am trying to respect their privacy more.

The hardest part of mothering older adopted children is to pull back from your own hard-wired emotional responses and try to be detached and cool about discipline. I was raised by parents were who strict disciplinarians. My father simply didn’t put up with disobedience or disrespect. My mother was less harsh, but there were lines in the sand that my brother and I knew better than to cross, ever. As we grew up, they relaxed a bit.

However, I never would’ve dreamed of telling my parents “No” when they asked me to do something. My kids tell me “no” all the time. Then I have to try and decide how to respond. My first instinct is to yell and scream. The therapist said to just remain calm and say something in a sad voice like “Well, I’m sorry you can’t help me with this, because now you will not be allowed to go to the pool” – or whatever. Easier said than done.

What got me to pondering all this is that I am reading a fascinating book called “Mindsight, the new science of personal transformation,” by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. The jacket blurb says the book is a way to “focus attention on the internal world of the mind in a way that will literally change the wiring and architecture of the brain.”

You should look the book up on Amazon if you have any interest in it. http://www.amazon.com/Mindsight-New-Science-Personal-Transformation/dp/0553804707/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283027158&sr=1-1

I fully believe it is possible to re-wire your own brain.

I know this to be true in my own life: what you tell yourself becomes your truth. I have to remind myself of that occasionally. I used to have a tape in my head that ran frequently, and went something like this “you’re short, fat, and stupid. You will never amount to anything. Nobody will ever love you.” Finally I decided to just stop that tape, and stop beating myself up emotionally. One reason is that I would hear that tape a lot in the car on the way home from work, and I would stop and buy a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and a bag of potato chips, and that was dinner. Controlling my weight was never really possible for long.

So I don’t say those things to myself any more. Sometimes I hear a faint echo of that in my head, but I squelch it. I am still fat, but I am not unloved or unworthy. Becoming a mom gave me a real reason to live, a purpose in life. My secondary purpose, but one I am still passionate about, is to advocate for the adoption of older kids.

The thing that I keep wondering is how I can help my children to stop feeling unloved or unworthy, or whatever it is that keeps them from being confident and contented. They both suffer from a lack of confidence. I had to punish Michael for not talking to his teacher the other day, but when he found the courage to talk to the man, it went well. I said to Mike about 6 times over the course of several days “He is there to help. He wants you to succeed in English. He is not going to be mean.” Michael had to learn that for himself, though.

Michael is profoundly frightened by ALL new experiences. I had to fuss hard at him to get him on the bus to summer camp the first summer, and he was furious with me. Then he had a great time.

Watching my kids learn things for themselves is really hard. Michael is trying to teach himself to do a flip off the diving board. He keeps coming home sore and bruised and abraded, but he insists he is going to keep trying to learn.

I had to say to Alesia the other day after a run-in, “There are two ways to learn, Alesia. You can listen to me, or you can learn from Experience. Experience is a much meaner teacher than I am.”

I cannot draw any really satisfactory conclusions here. I just wanted y’all to know what occupies my mind a lot right now. I will probably post about this book again, as I go through it.

If anyone else wants to read the book and trade notes or ideas with me, I’d welcome that.

 

[The secondary thing I keep thinking about is how much I need to give my room a thorough cleaning and that’s not such an interesting topic, huh?! I have so.much.junk.I.don’t.need. I am a closet hoarder. Don’t tell anyone.]

Michael and School

Michael and I had a run-in yesterday, which is unusual. He's normally such a good kid, I rarely have to discipline him.

Day before yesterday I was trying to help him with his English assignment, and he had no idea what to do. The assignment he had written down didn't make sense to me. He was being asked to analyze a story and write about it, and he has never done that. I gave him a lecture about the fact that I can't help him if he doesn't clarify what the teacher wants. I told him yesterday morning to be sure and TALK to the teacher. He is intimidated about talking to teachers and telling them he doesn't understand. Really intimidated. I don't know why. I told him, the teacher's job is to help the kids, not yell at them or berate them.

Mother reminded me that when my brother was in 8th grade, that she went to the school every single day and got his homework assignments from his teachers. I reminded her that I hope to return to work soon, so even if I wanted to do that it would be impossible to keep up. Plus, it doesn't teach Mike responsibility.

So when I picked him up from school yesterday I asked him if he had talked to his English teacher, and he answered vehemently NO. I said "Fine. We'll go right back to school and you can talk to him."

"NO!" was the answer.

"You do not speak to me rudely and refuse to do anything. So we'll go home, you will not go to tennis practice, and you will spend the rest of the day in your room, doing homework," I snapped.

He stayed in his room, fooling around, listening to music, napping, etc. until about 6, at which time he informed me he needed the computer to do his homework, and he was hungry. I had given him some cheese and crackers, and a banana, for a snack. So I let him go downstairs to do his homework at the computer in the family room.

I gave him some more cheese and crackers. He informed me he had brought home no textbooks because all the books are online. However, the math teacher had arbitrarily removed the link to the online textbook so he couldn't do his math. He just didn't do his Science.

This is another recurring theme - he doesn't write down the usernames and passwords for his online books, and he doesn't like to lug home the heavy books.

I was only informed at dinner time that yesterday he was out of lunch money and had only eaten an orange for lunch. So he was probably very hungry when I picked him up. He also said he had tried to talk to his English teacher but he was with another student. When Mike doesn't eat he becomes totally unreasonable.

I had quite a discussion with Mother about this just before bedtime. We don't entirely agree on how to handle it. She thinks I ought to intervene with the teachers, and I pointed out that he will then not learn to be responsible for his assignments and books. I have told him I am available to help, but his homework is his JOB.

Of course, right before bed he tells me for the hundredth time that he hates school. He said he had decided to be a gravedigger. I didn't tell him that's how Rod Stewart started out. I pointed out that if he doesn't go to college he will have few choices about what to be in life.

I did email and ask that he be allowed to drop Spanish and take ELT [extended learning time] with his English teacher, so he can get some extra help. I hope they will let him do that. He's been in school almost 3 weeks. He likes Spanish, but it feels overwhelming to him. He pointed out, it's the second foreign language he has had to learn in 3 years, the first being English of course.

He's a good kid, but motivating him is an issue.As I've mentioned, the words "hurry up" just tick him off. He does everything in his own time.

He did say he liked the poem. I knew he would "get it." Not so sure about Alesia, although she has been known to write poetry in Russian. Sometimes it's the only way I can express myself. I started writing poems when I was about 4 or 5, when Mother had to write them down for me.

Out of all the many poems I've ever written, the one below is the only one I've ever memorized. It's just elegant and simple.

ROLLS [as in, Parker House dinner rolls]

Rolls, rolls, are soft and white,

but best,

Rolls go good with chicken breast.

I liked Rod's early stuff, but the newer, hoarse Barry Manilow stuff makes me want to hurl.

Mea Culpa

I was informed a little while ago by my mother that I was a total pill yesterday. She's right. I was awful. I yelled at Alesia and Michael. I was a Bad Mommy and a Bad Daughter. I didn't do anything right.

I was doing what I swore I would never do - taking my stressed out state too seriously and lashing out at the people who love me.

I feel lower than a snake's belly.

The only thing that has kept me out of the loony bin for much of my life has been my ability to write. So here's a poem I wrote this morning.

 

For My Children

 

These are some things I want you to think about.

When someone says they are a friend, it may last forever, or it may only last a short time. You must not grieve over the lost ones, even though they hurt you. Or if you must grieve, acknowledge the pain and move on.

When someone acts very friendly, they may only want you to buy something from them. Be wary.

Crying is not weakness. Tears wash your soul clean.

You don’t have to do things perfectly. You do have to try your best. Make it a habit early, so you will not have regrets.

There’s an Italian proverb you need to ponder: “Those who don’t love you make you laugh. Those who love you make you cry.”

When I yell at you, it’s not really your fault. It’s a flaw inside me, and I am not a patient person. I always regret it later. I ask God to help me be a better mom all the time. I fail all the time. I still love you both more than my life.

As time progresses, I will yell more. I will say things that upset you, even though I don’t mean to. Try to remember that behind it all is fear, my rotten, old, rancid fear – and it’s not about you at all. When you can do that, you will have a valuable life skill, called Not Taking it Personally.

 

You must venture outside what is comfortable, or you will have a stagnant, unhappy life. Take chances. Risk.  Love with abandon. Try things.

Fail at things, but never call yourself a failure.

If I had not gone to Russia in 2003, we would not know each other. I had to take a risk, do something scary and uncomfortable. My reward – the two most important people in my life, you.

People will hurt you. I cannot prevent that. Never let them make you feel you deserved to be hurt. You do not deserve that. You endured a lifetime of hurt in your youngest years, and any hurts that come now need to be processed and abandoned. Feel the hurt, cry your healing tears, then let it GO.

Remember, God brought you to me, and God will never abandon you. Never.

Even if you can’t believe in God, believe in love. They are one and the same.

 

You have seen two kinds of lives-

Biting cold, poverty, dirt, hitting, shame, vodka, nudity, cigarettes.

And another life – warm days in January, green grass lawns, bicycles under blue skies, English homework, family dinners, and a small dog who likes to play kiss kiss.

It takes strength and courage to turn away from those early imprints. You are both stronger and braver than I have ever been.

You are survivors.

Remember the past and its pain, but don’t let it define you.

 

And I want you to understand and remember this, if nothing else -

You get to choose your own life.

Choose to seek God.

Choose to learn, not just from books, but from people.

Choose to feel your pain and keep going anyway.

Choose to love and be loved.

Choose.

Cheese steaks and Zombies

I am SO ready for these muggy days to be over and for autumn to be here! It hasn't been quite so hot these last few days, but overcast and still very humid. Not porch sitting weather at all.

My relentless pursuit of a job continued, all day. I lost count of how many resumes I sent out. I used to be rather picky. Not so much now. I am basically applying to anything that doesn't involve heavy lifting or the word "accounting."

I got an email today regarding a job that sounded good and they asked me to give them my name and phone number, and attach a resume. The funny thing was, my resume was in the body of the email. Hmmm....

I went to Publix to pick up a couple of items around lunchtime and was pleasantly surprised. They have added a full salad bar and soups, ready-made, and even about 6 selections of hot Chinese food, in addition to the deli sandwiches. I got a small carton of shrimp bisque. It was a bit bland, so I brought it home and added some onion powder and garlic powders. Very yummy. I like going to Publix now and then because they carry the Plugra butter that's so wonderful.

I also got the makings for milkshakes. Mike has a hard time with choosing after school snacks. For the moment, he is liking milkshakes that are mostly milk and banana, with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream. Pretty nutritious. Both the kids are back to eating bananas, which delights me since they are so nutritious. It goes in cycles though - sometimes they won't touch bananas.

Alesia was in a good mood after school until I told her I wouldn't pick her up at a friend's house after dark Friday night. I didn't forbid her from seeing the girl, but she lives in some apartments that are rather rough, and I will not go in there after dark. I think she's a sweet girl, but the family is poor.

I took the kids to Starbucks after school because I got a gift card and I was trying to give them a treat. When Alesia was informed she couldn't get anything but decaf coffee she refused to eat or drink anything. Lord, I get so tired of the teenaged attitude.

I don't know about anywhere else, but I was sort of astonished that the Starbucks in Tucker had no empty tables. A variety of people were sitting there looking like extras from a zombie movie. What is it about Starbucks that attracts those people?!

I made Philly cheese steak sandwiches for dinner. I cooked a beef brisket in the crock pot all day, then shredded it. It got quite tender. Then I sauteed onions and chopped yellow bell peppers in the skillet until they were soft. I added some warm kaiser rolls and cheese and voila, yummy sandwiches. The meat was a little stringy. I have a weird obsession with producing the fabulous Philly cheesesteak sandwiches I have found elsewhere. I am not there yet, but closer...

Finally, a cute funny email is reproduced here, entitled Complaints to Councils. Obviously it's English but I still thought it was a riot:

Extracts from letters written to local councils:

1. It's the dog's mess that I find hard to swallow.

2. I want some repairs done to my cooker as it has backfired and burnt my knob off.

3. Their 18 year old son is continually banging his balls against my fence.

4. I wish to report that tiles are missing from the outside toilet roof. I think it was bad wind the other day that blew them off.

5. Will you please send someone to mend the garden path. My wife tripped and fell on it yesterday and now she is pregnant.

6. 50% of the walls are damp, 50% have crumbling plaster, and 50% are just plain filthy.

7. I am still having problems with smoke in my new drawers.

8. The toilet is blocked and we cannot bath the children until it is cleared.

9. Our lavatory seat is broken in half and now is in three pieces.

10. The man next door has a large erection in the back garden, which is unsightly and dangerous.

11. I am a single woman living in a downstairs flat and would you please do something about the noise made by the man on top of me every night.

12. Please send a man with the right tool to finish the job and satisfy my wife.

13. This is to let you know that our lavatory seat is broke and we can't get BBC2.

14. My bush is really overgrown round the front and my back passage has fungus growing in it.

15. He's got this huge tool that vibrates the whole house and I just can't take it anymore.

 

Green Bean Salad

I feel compelled to post a recipe for a "salad" that has become a staple of our family meals. After dinner last night, I was eating a piece of banana bread, and we were watching a DVD, as always. Michael had eaten a great dinner. He quietly got up and fixed himself a HUGE bowl of this green bean salad, as "dessert."

Mother and I can only speculate that there's comething in it that his body craves, so I will continue to make it until the kids say they are tired of it. I think it's a bit like the composed salads they were used to in Russia and Kazakhstan, so maybe that's why they like it so much.

GREEN BEAN SALAD

3-4 cans green beans [or use fresh]

1 medium cucumber, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

fresh dill or dill weed [McCormick's]

ranch dressing

 

Drain the beans well, or cook them and drain them if you're doing fresh beans. Should be about 4 cups of beans. Peel and core the seeds out of the cucumber, then dice it up. Peel and dice up the onion. Put everything in a large bowl that can easily be refrigerated. Add the dill - LOTS of it. Add some onion powder and salt, to taste. Toss with ranch dressing - please only use Hidden Valley Ranch original recipe dressing, it's the best. Tossing and mixing ingredients is key here. There should be plenty of dill flavor in every bite.

Interviewing, Lecturing, Cooking

Well, my first full day back home in a while was eventful.

I had a meeting this morning with yet another legal recruiter. It went pretty well. I am hopeful she can steer me to some good job leads. I'm also available for temp work for them. Filling out the paperwork took forever.

I actually got some reading done this afternoon.That's rare, but I needed it to unwind.

I am reading Rosanne Cash's autobiography, titled Composed. She writes very well. My dad was a huge Johnny Cash fan, but that's not why I bought the book. Rosanne is a gifted wongwriter in her own right. I listen to her music all the time. She also writes well. She studied Creative Writing at Vanderbilt. I am also reading a thriller called Firefly, by P.T. Deuterman. He writes well, and has a lot of fascinating detail about internaitonal terrorists, but there's too much about Washington DC politics, to suit me. I get pretty impatient with thrillers that don't move along quickly. I've read too much James Patterson, I guess.

I'm reading a terrific book with Michael called The Magician, by Michael Scott. We missed the first book in the series, but I was so fascinated with this one I didn't want to go back and hunt down the first book. His book has a lot of fantasy elements, which I usually don't like, but it's really well-written and rich with detail. If you liked Harry Potter, check it out.

Michael came home not wanting to do his homework or go to school. I had to have quite a talk with him. I pointed out that he will start high school at 16, and he can quit then, legally. However, he would never get a decent job without even a high school diploma. He said he thought being a bag boy at Kroger would suit him fine. I went through the exercise I've done with Alesia several times now, about how hard it is to have a decent place to live and a car when you are only making minimum wage. I don't think that's what turned him back to the books, though. I pointed out that he wouldn't be able to support a wife and children unless he had a good job. He finally got through the homework, after several hours. He dawdles so bad, I can't let him do anything after school besides tennis. He'd never get his homework done.

 

I made what I thought would be a great dinner, but it fell short. I sauteed beef tips and portobello mushrooms for stroganoff, then forgot to make noodles. Nobody much cared.

I made turnips au gratin. You boil turnips until soft then slice them and put them in a white sauce with a lot of cheddar cheese and garlic powder. Problem was the turnips didn't get as soft as I'd like. These had been in the fridge a while and needed to boil a LONG time. I let them boil about 30 minutes. They were not holy enough - I hadn't really boiled the hell out of them. Old joke.

I made some banana bread for dessert and it turned out pretty well. It should be called banana cake, though, really. Nothing bread-like about it. It's pretty nutritious though, filled with bananas and walnuts.

Instead of a movie, I had ordered some Seinfeld TV episodes from Netflix. I had forgotten how funny he was. We watched the first 3 episodes and the kids loved them. I remember watching the show, but not until the third season. It was fun seeing the show from the beginning. It's a very wry, sarcastic show, and I love that. I remember his slogan - no hugs, no learning. It's also fun seeing the retro clothes, and remembering a time when nobody had a cell phone, and people wore their pants at their waistlines. There was a joke made in the second episode about Jerry having a tattoo - outrageous then, unfortunately commonplace now.

Anyway, I let the kids watch and yada yada, they love it. More will be ordered.

BTW, I did another post on Bad Date Stories. Check it out: http://deescribbler.typepad.com/bad_date_stories/