Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Lemon Grass Chicken Wraps

I readily admit I'm an addictive/OCD personality. And a lot of this is transferred to food. I find something I like, and I generally eat it every single day for a good 7-14 day period until I'm really tired of it. Right now, I'm at the tail-end of a "Edy's Whole Fruit Popsicle w/Splenda" eating binge http://www.edys.com/brand/fruitbars/flavor.asp?b=136&f=2141.

However, I made something yesterday on my day off work that I know is going to stick with me for a while. It was so good, I thought I'd share.

Snewo's Lemon-Grass Chicken Wraps

Chicken:
frozen boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins
lemongrass stick (Try Whole Foods or your better produce market)
green onions
cumin
chili powder
white pepper
pinch of sea salt

Wraps:
spinach wraps (whole wheat will do in a pinch, but spinach wraps rock)
big stalk of romaine
Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese Wedgies (Spreadable) http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lowcarbandmore.net/images/products/041757011062.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lowcarbandmore.net/productinfo.php%3Fupc%3D041757011062&h=480&w=480&sz=37&tbnid=myetuez1SPGRuM:&tbnh=126&tbnw=126&hl=en&start=2&prev=/images%3Fq%3DLaughing%2BCow%2BLight%2BSwiss%2Bcheese%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D

Pico De Gallo:
3 decent tomatoes, semi-firm (I like heirloom tomatoes, I buy them at the farmer's market)
1/2 white onion
cilantro
lime juice
chili powder
white pepper
pinch of sea salt

Chicken Prep:
Defrost chicken. I used frozen chicken because the juice is necessary for the marinade. Trim the ends of the lemongrass stalk, and shave the outside a bit. Discard. Sliver off long threads and set aside. Grab a mallet or a mason jar or a kindergartener's head and smush the lemongrass so the oils begin to come out. Throw it on top of the chicken.

Dice the green onion and smush it a little bit too. Throw it on top. Add cumin, white pepper, chili powder, and sea salt to taste. Mix it all up, throw it in the fridge with saran wrap on top.

Marinate overnight.

Next Day Assembly:
Preheat your oven to 350 F. I don't like to cook chicken much hotter than that - it dries it out. Pop your chicken in and cook with the marinade. I think my chicken was done in 30 minutes.

After chicken comes out of the oven, set it aside to let it cool.

Make Your Pico De Gallo Now:
Cube tomatoes and onions. Chop up cilantro leaves and smush em. Add a dash of lime juice. Throw in chili powder, white pepper and sea salt to taste. This won't be very hot, I had to make it Z and Charky friendly. Mix it all together.

Your chicken should be cool to the touch. Throw away the lemongrass shreds, unless you like crunchy grass in your sandwich. Shred the chicken, and throw away those nasty parts.

Wrap:
Lay a wrap on a plate. Spread one wedge of light swiss cheese on the wrap (35 calories so don't freak out) Tear off the green parts of your romaine leaves ( I hate the veins) and layer on top of the wrap. Spoon pico de gallo in a strip, lengthwise, at the first 1/3 of the wrap. Throw shredded chicken on top.

Wrap and eat.

I'll post pictures when I find my stinkin camera cord. I promise it's good... Z won't eat most of my food (he says it is California/Asian/Italian, and he doesn't like any of those cuisines) and he liked it.

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Project Censored

And in more happy news, read the top 20 news stories that weren't covered by the media in 2005. Ugh. Now I really want to go home.
http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/0127-01.htm

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Anxiety, Zen and Apathy

I took a much needed personal day yesterday. Yes, I may be ill. However, I am more inclined to believe that I am just depressed.

I'm not really sure why. Over the past month, all I look forward to is going to sleep. Yes, typical trials and tribulations are bothering me, but nothing unusual. I can tell I'm depressed because I usually respond to environmental stress with hyperactivity. In a way, I'm more apathetic now. Who cares if the bills get paid? Who cares if pseudo-teen stepdaughter runs away? Who cares if my daughter is having a horrible time adjusting to the public school system? Who cares if there are boxes to unpack- a garden to plan- carpets to vacuum?

While apathy may be a zen-like state, in my case, I may be on the other edge of normal. On the far left you have my typical Type A anxiety. In the middle is zen contentment. And I'm on the far right....

Give me 90 degree temperatures on a beach, please. I would probably sleep into a really nice sunburn.




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Thursday, January 26, 2006

Smiling

okay...back to the "I need to be grateful" stage.
Here are the things that made me smile today:

1. Z's wonderful momma is coming to visit! And are we excited! Yay!!
2. Charky is getting an award tomorrow for being an "Advanced Reader". And she read her first book to me on Wednesday...the whole thing...by herself. I'm so proud!
3. Thinking about that little girl from North Carolina who completely wow'ed me on American Idol on Wednesday...she sang this Billie Holliday bit and I got the creepy crawlies up and down my arms. She's only 17! Wow!
4. My boss asked me to help him take this survey, for his own boss, about his job. Spur of the moment and I didn't stick my foot in my mouth! Yay!
One question:

"What is the one thing your employees can't stand about you?"

IS THAT A FREAKING LOADED QUESTION OR WHAT?????

5. I promised my daughter a surprise for her "Advanced Reader" award. I suggested a basket from Bath & Body Works, since she wasted all of her pseudo-step sister's body spray on the cats. Charky seemed to like the idea a lot. YAY! For the first time, she actually is acting girlie!
6. Speaking of which, she made me smile last night when I put her to bed. I told her to dream of princesses and unicorns. She curled her lip, a la Elvis, and said, "Mommmmmmmyyyy....that's so girlie. I wanna dream about Batman...and Robin...and Flash....and Superman...."
7. Very soon, I will have extra income in the house. Provided I don't have to spend it sending my daughter to private school so she can escape the neo-fascist Georgia public school system, I will be able to start saving wedding money! So start saving your change...we're going to the beach!
8. My mean ol' one-eyed Koi named Z (Charky's idea) hasn't eaten the cute new Koi named Charlotte....YAY!
9. Oh yeah, my lovely "the faery patch" friend got one of those weird piercings on her lip....and she looks beautiful! She just started a MySpace page...when I gather the link I'll post it! She's a doll!
10. I haven't taken a sick day yet even though I'm dying to....I have to save five days this year to rollover for the wedding next year....Wish me luck, I'm trying really hard....

Love you all.

XOXOXO
Snewo



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Hell No

I'm a Chevrolet Corvette!

You're a classic - powerful, athletic, and competitive. You're all about winning the race and getting the job done. While you have a practical everyday side, you get wild when anyone pushes your pedal. You hate to lose, but you hardly ever do.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.



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Wednesday, January 25, 2006

The Original Brokeback Mountain

And yes, Tom Cruise did invent Pink. Vin Diesel invented all the other colors. Especially black.

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/2006/01/barebacktopgun.html

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Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Finally. Someone gives Vin Diesel his due.

And yes, I do watch "The Chronicles of Riddick" on a religious basis because I lust after Vin Diesel.

Vin Diesel invented black. In fact, he invented the entire spectrum of visible light. Except pink. Tom Cruise invented pink.

There is no theory of evolution, just a list of creatures Vin Diesel allows to live.

When Vin Diesel goes to donate blood, he declines the syringe, and instead requests a hand gun and a bucket.

Vin Diesel is the only man to ever defeat a brick wall in a game of tennis.

Vin Diesel can set ants on fire with a magnifying glass. At night.

Vin Diesel can divide by zero.

Vin Diesel's hair is too afraid of him to grow.

When Vin Diesel jumps into a body of water, he doesn't get wet. The water gets Vin instead.

In fine print at on the last page of the Guiness Book of World Records it notes that all world records are held by Vin Diesel, and those listed in the book are simply the closest anyone has ever come to matching him.

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Monday, January 23, 2006

I'm Tired

Of being a Mom. Because:

- I can't even remember the last time I went to a bar.
- I can't remember the last time I wore makeup, outside of work.
- I can't remember the last time I had sex without internally flipping out because my daughter likes to burst in on us.
- I can't remember the last time I went to the beach sans kids.
- I'm broke and I'm trying to figure out how to make myself broker by having more kids.
- Instead of treating myself to Nordstroms for my birthday, I'll probably treat myself to a stain-resistant, cat-resistant couch.
- Instead of waking up at noon on the weekend feeling righteous and blessed, I wake up feeling guilty.
- When I control what my daughter eats, I feel my mother nagging and controlling my own eating habits.
- My daughter puts her hands on her hips and sasses me. I feel just like I did in third grade when all the mean girls were naughty.
- Because my pseudo-stepdaughter's teenage tales of mischief don't make me feel like a disciplinarian. I feel like I'm missing out.
- Because I forgot how to see out of a child's eyes a long time ago.
- Because I don't provide rewarding experiences for my daughter.
- Because I'm emotionally depleted and I just fantasize about drugging myself.
- I avoid baby departments because they make my eyes glisten.
- I dream of a house that doesn't have to be kid proofed.
- If I drink too much while I'm with my daughter I feel bad.
- Because our conversations only rarely provide me with joy.
- Because I'm constantly obsessing, thinking she's lying to me because of some genetic precursor.
- My hair is only now recovering from post-natal depression.
- Because she yelled at me for eating her Froot Loops this weekend. I didn't have Froot Loops as a kid, dammit.
- Because she eats weird things. And doesn't crave fruit. What the hell.
- Because I'm constantly discovering stickers she has stuck me with when I hide in the bathtub.
- Because I can't afford to send her to private school.
- Her sleep doesn't look angelic anymore...it feels like escape.
- I hate the way she treats cats.
- She asks too many questions during movies.
- She already knows how to nod and say "uh-huh" to placate me.
- She already feeds me the answers she thinks I want.
- She isn't willing to try new foods.
- She can't stand to have her hair touched, and runs around like "nell".
- Because she spells letters backwards and I'm afraid she's dyslexic.
- Because her stinkin crabby ol kindergarten teacher thinks she's abnormal even though she's just acting six.




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Sunday, January 22, 2006

Meme

I've smacked other bloggers with this, so you'll see their results soon. This meme is a bit old school, I apologize. I am unable to keep up with my "blog fodder" folder.


Four jobs you’ve had in your life:
Drug Dealer, Caterer, Pastry Chef, Restaurant Manager
Four movies you could watch over and over:
L.A. Confidential, Dead Again, Gia, and Tootsie.
Four places you’ve lived:
Loomis, CA, Toccoa, GA, Florence, SC and Danville, CA.
Four TV shows you love to watch:
CSI Las Vegas (because William Petersen is hot), American Idol, The Apprentice, and The Office.
Four places you’ve been on vacation:
Don't get me started. All I think about is vacation.
Four websites you visit daily:
San Francisco Chronicle www.sfgate.com, The New York Times www.nytimes.com, Go Fug Yourself www.gofugyourself.typepad.com, Newsgator www.newsgator.com.
Four of your favorite foods:
Shrimp, Sushi, White Pizza, and a Subway sandwich I make myself (Ask for steak and chicken at the same time...it's yummy).
Four places you’d rather be:
Swimming with my sharkies at Isla Guadalupe, Mexico; Carmel, CA; Fiji; Chinatown, San Francisco.
Four albums you can’t live without:
Depeche Mode "Violator", Pink Floyd "Pulse" (Listen to 'High Hopes'),"Salsa from Around the World" , if that freaking Garth Brooks tape is with me then so is my sweetie so dammit, it's on the list....

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Deciding to Enjoy Your Life

DISCLAIMER: I have a hookup everywhere. You'll notice that the language is a little "12 Step" centered. No, I am not a friend of Bill W. But I like the thoughts below.

I heard a speaker on the radio this morning talking about "deciding to enjoy your life". It was excellent. She was talking about "wishing our lives away" when we think we'll be happy when, we'll be joyful if, and so on. This is my life, what I'm doing right now is my life: I may as well enjoy it.

That's what makes life so good these days, the decision to enjoy it. Truth is truth without my permission. Acceptance of truth and reality is real recovery to me. To quote a favorite philosopher of mine: "You can't go wrong by doing right."

It's a beautiful thing to use my heart, mind, soul and body to practice the presence of God. To have purposeful joy because that is God's good plan. To simply decide to have faith, to simply trust that "God can and will when sought" is the great lesson in my recovery. My first sponsor used to say: "except for this minute, your life is none of your business" and at first I thought she was crazy. Today I understand.

I am only where my feet are, I am never anywhere else. Since that is the only place I ever exist, that is where I focus my purposeful joy. Whatever is in front of me to do IS MY LIFE at that moment, I may as well have faith and carry on. To simply do my best to do my best and trust God for all results is the easier softer way of living for me today. Another thing she used to say is that: "All results belong to God." And she emphasized ALL. There are no results which are mine to make happen. When I feel as if I need to "Make Something Happen" I am out of my part. My part is to do my part, the results from that action is God's plan. That's why I can't say I've had a bad day because things didn't go my way. How in the world do I know that "my way" is according to God's plan. So many times the results from what I perceive as a terrible situation turns out to be better than my wildest dreams.

I have no idea what God has planned for me, but I can see already that when I turn my life (thoughts) and my will (actions) over the care of God as I understand God, then I am consistently enjoying a life better than my original plan. My life gets better and better as I become more and more accepting. "Thy will, not mine, be done" is the mantra of my day. I do trust God and my faith grows because of it.

"Don't think and go to meetings" is another good direction from sponsors. I don't have to understand or figure everything out. I only have to know what to do next. I ask God to lead me, to guide me, to direct me. I ask God to help me do, say and be according to God's perfect will. I want to serve God's purpose. I do hope each of you is full of joy and hope today. Trusting God is the path. Choosing joy is the way. God bless!

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Saturday, January 21, 2006

Teenagers via Mastercard

Omigod. For those of you with teenagers, or thinking of having kids, or in the midst of anxiously awaiting for these horrific teenage years, this video clip is for you...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5864097001633806354&playerMode=embedded

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Wednesday, January 18, 2006

http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2004-11-05-white-collar-sex_x.htm

Conference Sex

Sorry, but I've been stuck at a conference in Atlanta all day. Did you know that conferences/seminars are the new white-collar hook up spot? I sat with this nice gentleman with two kids and a lovely wife that he obviously missed in Allentown, PA. While chatting, we noticed and overheard two different couples, at the two nearby tables, hooking up prior to lunch. It went a little like this:

" Sooooo. Are you staying here at the hotel?"

Focused gaze.

"Umm...yeah. Next door, actually. South Tower."

Pause. Pause. Man shifts in seat, adjusts his tummy. You ever notice that men are always wiggling their torsoes when they are getting worked up?

"Soooo. Do you really eat the crappy catered lunches they provide at these things?"

Pause. Pause. Man looks down at the naked white tablecloth, as if he is contemplating the growdy hotel food he desperately wants to miss. He also knows how difficult it will be to sit through another 5 hours of boring conferencing after having gotten laid and without a meal.

"Ummm, no. I can't stand hotel food."

Watch them as they pretend to focus on the presenter. Every once in a while, make eye contact and avert their eyes quickly, as if they are still not comfortable with the idea of a one-lunch-lay.

Exit two couples 5 minutes prior to lunch. My table companion and I look at eachother and grin ruefully.

After lunch, couples missing for a full extra hour or so...both couples begin entering the conference room casually. One at a time. Woman looks like she just swallowed a canary. Man looks ready for bed. The two women make their way to the front of the room, near the presenter - picking out the two lone seats at the full tables. Men glance around, looking for their new companions. Sit by themselves at two tables towards the back.

Women. Now wearing the belt/pants, and increasing their notch holes one conference at a time. I'm a little grossed out.














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Sunday, January 15, 2006

Celebrity Jihad

Pee your pants funny. Like "The Onion", but about celebrities.

www.celebrityjihad.com


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The Best Wedding Announcement Ever

I went through a phase where I read obituaries incessantly. I consider it a marked change that I now read wedding announcements.

Wedding announcements, especially in the South, are incredibly loquacious pieces of filth, complete with the trappings of learned etiquette. I'm sure if you were to pair a wedding announcement from '06 to a wedding announcement from 1906, you would find a lot of similarities. They are absolutely ridiculous, for the most part.

The language is absolutely awful. You cannot tell me that anyone, outside of a bridal dress designer, can envision "yards of belgian lace were hand appliqued to the sateen overlay, which in turn covered the pockets of antiqued russian tulle". It also means little to me what alma mater the bride and groom claim. I just want to hear how they met, what led them down the path to this, where they will be married, and where they are honeymooning. Not hard.

So for kicks I opened a wedding editorial found in the NY Times this morning. I was knocked off my feet. They need to make a Jennifer Lopez cum Jennifer Garner romantic flick about the writer behind those editorials. They are beautiful. I almost cried reading this morning about the journey one couple went upon....full of missteps and blunders and reconciliations, etc...

"Heather Wolfe and Quindi Franco" by Lois Smith Brady:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/15/fashion/weddings/15vows.html



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Saturday, January 14, 2006


"Can I pick up that stapler underneath your desk, Governor?"

You know, I was more bothered by the Clinton/Lewinsky affair because of his lying. Now, as I get older and more cynical, I suppose, the idea of a man/woman in power who needs some sexual gratification while intellectually compartmentalizing their true feelings of love/kinship with their equally powerful spouses - OK I get that. Refer to "Primary Colors" for a reference guide.

Anyway....Tim McGraw may run for something or another in TN. The idea of Tim McGraw as Guvner is much hotter than the idea of Arnold as Guvunator. Sorry. And as the Republicans make stupider decisions by the day (refer to their proceedings as they try and replace Tom DeLay...they can't get their shi& together) I'm more inclined to be turned on by the idea of a centrist democrat.

Am I too old to be an intern? My qualifications are pretty respectable.....

"Country Singer Tim McGraw Eyes Politics"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060113/ap_en_mu/music_governor_mcgraw;_ylt=Al9uNfrMv.Eggu.mv80fG9us0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3YXYwNDRrBHNlYwM3NjI-

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Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Lincoln is Saved

I'm really big on news that makes me laugh. It seems very few journalists have that capability anymore. For example, I recently clicked on a blurb from my RSS feed that discussed another teacher getting busted for nailing a student. Not only was this FL teacher hideous, making me feel incredibly sorry for the kid and permanently maiming any possible bragging rights he could've gleaned, but the rest of the headlines on this particular page were equally groan-inducing:

* Gator Swallows Two-Year Old, Spits Out Hairbow;
* Retired Couple Die in Fiery Arson/Suicide - Only
Dentures Remain;
* Cruise Ship Leaves Cubans in Dinghy - "Drunken Cruise"
Radio Listeners Vomit In Water;
* Serial Rapist Captured - Suspect Caught With Blow Up
Doll in Sex Shop

And so on. You get the point.

Anyway, today I burst out laughing at this article regarding Lincoln Motors. Apparently Lincoln has figured out why its sales have been in a muggy slump. It's the names of the cars, you see.

Read the article, and laugh:
http://www.forbes.com/2006/01/09/lincoln-ford-names-cz_jf_0110flint.html?partner=commentary_newsletter

Am I the only idiot out there who can't remember acronym letters for new car models? I'm a vintage car buff, I admit. Very few modern vehicles make me cream. There is something nostalgic and awe-inducing about old cars...even their names symbolically evoked the beauty of the design...Catalina...





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Monday, January 09, 2006

Thank Your Parents (Because You Were A Shi#)

At times like these, when I am utterly confused about parenting, I feel awful about my parents.

I was a truly bad teen. There isn't much worse than having your child, once precious and pure and precocious, turn into a whirling dervish spewing flaming balls right before your eyes. That was me.

Part of it was being the gazelle child. I've always been tall. When I was in third grade, and I towered over the other kids, the doctors told my parents it was a natural side effect of insulin therapy. Insulin is a pseud0-steroid, you see. My body grew tall because it was trying to avoid growing fat.

Anyway, by the time I hit twelve I looked like a 17 or 18 year old. And that was the beginning of the end.

I am now dealing with the whirlwind of teenage tragedy that is caused by my pseud0-stepdaughter. She's sixteen and lacks knowledge of self, like most sixteen year olds. Her path through this world is unblinking, unseeing....truly unsympathetic.

And I'm reminded how horrific my own whimsy must have been for my parents. What it must have been like to have your 16 year old disappear for four days...then watch her arrive home looking like a sweaty concentration camp survivor, telling tales of "two ten-strips"....

Ugh. This must be karma. Although my pseudo-stepdaughter has yet to eclipse my own misbehavior, I can glimpse it in the future based on her actions from today. And I am afraid.

I'm afraid of caring. I'm afraid of the worry to come. I'm afraid of the incredible, heart-wrenching hurt that comes with loving someone deeply. I'm afraid of the disappointment that naturally arises when you see one's potential fall into the ashes. I'm afraid of the looks of disgust - because someone as old as me surely knows nothing about being a teenager.

Z reminds me that it wasn't that long ago that I was my pseudo-stepdaughters' age. In fact, when you get down to it, the age divide between her and I is less than it is between Z and I. My retort was that when I was 18, I became a 35 year old woman. In a way, I think that is because I did so much hard livin' between 11 and 18. I don't deserve a twenty-something stage.

Bless me buddha for I have sinned. I know not what trespasses I committed against those that loved me. Only now, in this karmic stage of reckoning, will I truly see.

I'm afraid.





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Thursday, January 05, 2006

100 Most Annoying Things of 2005

Soon, we will actually move on to '06 news. However, in the meantime check out: http://retrocrush.com/archive2006/annoying2005/index.html
(Be sure to run ad-aware afterward. That's my friendly warning for today.)

They list the 100 MOST ANNOYING THINGS FROM 2005.

And are completely on point.

Who didn't hate:

- Ann Coulter
- Prussian Blue
- Anne Rice and her fuc&ing Jesus Book
- The Black Eyed Peas
- TV shows that aren't on DVD


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Monday, January 02, 2006

End of Holidays 2005

As I sit here, the long three day holiday weekend is nearing a close. In a moment, my freewheeling laziness will disappear as I begin writing my paper that I have procrastinated-off for two weeks. When I begin working, I know this holiday will really be over.

What a year. So much happened, both good and horrible. When years like this past one happen, I realize how rich life can really be. A few years in my past went by and I seem to barely be able to recall them. The misery endured during those 365 days is difficult to recall, you see. Somehow my protective emotional self has dumped a lot of those times into a faded, far-away memory. It tastes metallic and bitter, but the harsh vivid memories are gone.

2005 was not a year of misery. My family has grown stronger, deeper. I have a house that is ours now - it will contain the gleeful experiences, along with the bad times to come. I have a whole list of things to accomplish in 2006, but I'm not in that mode yet. I'm still waxing nostalgic about the time that is now gone.

My best friend gave me a book for Xmas. "Marley and Me", by John Grogan. I ended up picking it up yesterday afternoon, and finished it in one sitting.

The book is about a man and his love affair with a dog. Not a romantic adventure, mind you, but the story of what happens when a person becomes soul-intertwined with an animal. Reading it yesterday, and today, seemed to fulfill this need I had to feel the theme of family.

Family is what I am appreciating now. My daughter has messed my new house with her strewn toys. My cat-dog, Mouse, just fell off the window blinds, shredding a few on his descent. My Z is comatose in bed, body open like a pair of thrown scissors. Oh, snap. Charky just yanked the window blinds off, and scared the piss out of me as they fell in one resounding crash.

Motherhood. It's a true pain in the ass, but it's an unforgettable job.

Lover. It's difficult at times, but when you are wrapped in an unclenching, unyielding embrace you are reminded how your lonely life has been redeemed.

Animal lover. My life has always been more satiable with the affection and companionship of my fur-friends.

Many warm wishes for 2006. I'm not a big believer in New Year's Resolutions, as it strikes me as shallow and frail to commit to new beginnings only one per year. Challenges present themselves to us that require our attention. It seems better to face them with a keen eye every day of the year, not in one doomed, hyper-active focus that rarely lasts more than a few days.

Love and peace to you all. May you find that warm feeling in your tummy also. Like a candle flickering softly in a dark room, it reminds me that I am at once content and discontent. And that seems the best way to be lucid and alive.


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