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My sister is off being a missionary in what is basically Siberia but I just discovered through my blog stats she still checks out my blog occasionally. Or there is a Russian person who likes paper circles and cat stories. Hi Cara! Miss you lots. Can't wait till you're back in the states.
Love you.
I had to go to the dentist last Thursday. It's been probably 12-18 months since I last went since it took me a while to get set up on my own insurance/find a dentist/make an appointment after graduating and getting a job. And in those 12-18 months turns out my teeth staged a silent mutiny inside my mouth.
The dentist told me I have six cavities. SIX CAVITIES. I don't have teeth anymore, I have Swiss cheese! The dentist also told me that it's kind of not my fault, because I have abnormally deep-pitted teeth, making me much more susceptible to cavities than the person with average-sized pits in their teeth. And I guess he would know. But still. SIX CAVITIES. AND I have to get my wisdom teeth removed. Ay yi yi!
So the cavities may not have been entirely under my control, but as the hygienist was chatting with me, turns out I haven't been helping things because apparently I ingest a lot of sugar each day. Like, I might as well just eat a cup of sugar with a spoon and wash it down with a glass of honey. I thought I was doing all right by avoiding Cokes and such. Did you know orange juice has about 30 grams of sugar per serving? It is not unusual for me to drink 3 glasses of oj in one day. Plus my twice-daily mug of hot tea with milk + sugar. Plus my oatmeal with a big spoonful of brown sugar.
Luckily I am still in the new-year-new-habits mindset, so I am trying. I had a mug of plain green tea this morning, instead of my customary milky-sweet lady grey. And actually, it wasn't so bad! I'm chugging down sugar-free pink lemonade instead of oj. I'm going to do some research to see if there are any sugar substitutes that don't cause mutate your DNA and give you cancer. (If I have to choose between cancer and cavities, I'm going with cavities.) And I put a toothbrush in my purse for those sticky-sweet emergencies that I can't avoid. Like flavored lattes. And brownies. Because the dental hygienists always tell me I have pretty teeth and for vanity's sake, I would like them to still be saying that in five years.
So that's my PSA for the day. Be grateful you have normal-sized pits in your teeth, and drink less oj.
All of these pots used to hold thriving plants. Slowly, torturously, I killed the plants. As each died, I tossed its brittle body and the dirt it called home over the railing of my third-floor balcony. I like to think the clods of potting soil that sporadically appear on the ground are a source of ongoing mystery to the first-floor tenant.
Currently, I have two plants doing well, one plant doing not very well, and six or eight empty pots. I'd say I'm about halfway to my goal of a lush and overflowing plant table -- all I need now are plants. And to not kill them.
I'm eager to get started, but I will be moving again soon after I get married in May. Historically, my plants have not fared well in my moves. My favorite plant, a tall spiky poisonous thing named Alberto, died a slow and painful death after he was knocked over during a move and never quite recovered, despite several months of my best life-saving effort. So, though my move is still 5 or 6 months away, I'm hesitant to make my apartment a greenhouse knowing I'd get all attached to the plants and then they'd die in or immediately after I move. Although with my track record lately, they might not even make it that far, if we're being realistic. Despite all that, prime flower-shopping season starts soon and I so hate to miss out on that! And honestly if I wait till I won't be moving in the next year to start gardening in earnest, I may never get to start, so I might as well get going. I'll keep you updated.
This is a stack of the heaviest things in my living room:
Underneath that stack of books, dominoes, and the first bulb I've ever tried to grow, are some yellow polka-dotted envelope liners. They were cut from paper that was very tightly rolled. They remained very tightly rolled after cutting, and after 12 hours under this very heavy stack. Luckily there are still about 3 months before I have to put these liners in envelopes and mail them out. I think they will have to stay there for the whole three months. Which is really a bummer because the plant is really in the way of the tv and the table's too heavy to move with that big pile. But if I'm getting married, it will be without rolled envelope liners.
One of my favorite recipes from my favorite cookbook. (It's not available anymore, but this is probably a close substitute.)
Last night I passed a significant milestone on my journey to becoming a culinary master. As I was cooking up this delicious vegetarian chili I realized I had forgotten to buy the requisite 2 cans of stewed tomatoes at the grocery store. How can you make chili without tomatoes? Well. I did have one can of tomatoes in the pantry, though they weren't the exact kind specified. So I dumped those in there, but quickly realized that was not going to be enough liquid to make the chili. Let's go over what I may have done at an earlier point in my chef's career:
Last week Chris played Scrabble online while I read review after review after review of resorts in Mexico. Finally, after hours of searching, I found one that seemed perfect. It matched my three criteria: beach, swim-up bar, and complimentary bathrobes. It matched Chris's criteria: beach, Mexico. It fit our price range. "CHRIS LOOK I FOUND IT I FOUND IT!" He glanced over, asked if it had a beach, and said "Cool. Looks great." And that was that. I booked it, and we're good to go.
