Category Archives: Life

That’s when it jumped in!

Posted in Fun, Life by

Oh my goodness!

So I’ve been quite computer-screen focused these past couple weeks. Just banging away at the key board, working to help a great client with her vision, and getting really productive while Zsolt is away. (I sound really cool and calm while writing this, but right now I actually feel very: “!!!” and you’ll soon hear why.)

Right, so working and staring at the screen and concentrating for periods that are unwise

[On an aside note, I’m realizing I need to work on my time management skills, because whenever I get deep into one project, my other projects suffer – and meanwhile my ultimate baby, the fiction portion of my life, goes neglected. . .well not 100% neglected, but I won’t be happy until it starts receiving more time, which, I think, means I need to schedule more strictly.]

Anyhow!

So having stared at a screen for way too long, it seemed that post-lunch before dinner was a great time to enjoy the luxuries of living at my parents. There are pros and cons to living at home for a married woman who is nearly thirty, as you can imagine, but the pros are really quite substantial – and one of them, that is the hot tub in the back yard, is also very tempting.

Right – take a break and take a soak. Life is good.

I change into my two piece (yes!) sans false boob as always, and grab my ‘newest’ Terry Pratchett, The Last Continent, which is really quite ancient and it’s probably my third time reading this particularly novel . . . stop to help my dad choose glasses online at his favourite webpage, 39dollarglasses, and finally head outside to the tub.

Open the tub. Sink into the water.

And, oh baby, that’s good.

Relax. Breath. Enjoy.

Then *splash* something dropped into the tub and I look at this thing thinking it’s a fish that’s fallen from the sky – except NO. It’s a freaking chipmunk swimming around with me in the tub.

Basically I gasped and rose up (no screaming, interestingly) and the little chippy turns a circle and scrambles out of the tub lick-ity-split, and I’m left there partly in shock, and partly debating over whether to stay in the tub – cause I still need that break, and the water is divine.

Fortunately my Dad comes out with a print out of possible glasses frame and as I tell him the story, he suggests I get out of the tub. Clear thinking.

So, my mom  is going to freak out. But I had to tell this story because it’s ridiculous and I’d never be able to keep it a secret anyhow. A freaking chipmunk!

And there you go. Break time is over. 🙂

Daydream fallout

Posted in Fun, Life, Love by

Funny story, today my father lost the car keys. So I’m in the kitchen minding my business (mixing brownies, boiling eggs and prepping some curry) as he runs around the house huffing and puffing over ‘where the heck are they keys’.

And I think to myself, Should I help him? And I answer myself, “Don’t worry about it.” Because I know 100% that they will turn up. Key always turn up, hardly anything ever gets lost, and ‘misplaced’ is not a reason to stop what I’m doing.

Except my Dad feels differently, and he’s pulling up the bed sheets and remaking the bed; he’s going through the newspapers and shaking them for that ‘jingle’ sound; he’s going back to the car and retracing his steps; he’s checking the kitchen (and I am mostly ignoring him, except for suggesting he leave it alone for a while so the memory can float up in his brain) and having no luck.

So I slip into my little pre-Easter world. There’s loads to do, plus I have all kinds of side work I ought to be focusing more on . . . this whole ‘multi-tasking without over loading’ thing is posing a bit of a challenge. I have work to do. I do it. But then sometimes I can’t calm down, and photo booking isn’t always the answer.

Today I had to walk away from my computer because it was making this ‘whirring’ sound so loudly I thought it might crash. Crashing computers suck. So do crashing brains (like my brain last Tuesday after two meetings and a nerve-wracking viewing of the Hunger Games, which was good, but not exactly the post-exertion cool down I should have followed.), which means this upcoming Easter weekend in general is going to be awesome. Family, food, and chocolate – hello, heaven on earth!

But thank goodness for the weekend . . . and yet there’s still so much to do . . . and the brownies aren’t looking their best because I overcooked them by about five minutes. . . but the curry looks divine.

“ARE THESE THE KEYS?” my dad declares, heading into the kitchen and waving them around.

“Yep,” I reply, still lost in my world and trying to be Zen with my food.

“They were in your coat pocket!” he tells me

(Now he wasn’t furious or anything like that, actually he was relatively cool headed considering he’d spend a good deal of time thinking he’d gone crazy, searching the house and getting nowhere.)

And all I can say is:  “Hun?” Because I didn’t drive the car today, and I sure can’t remember picking up those keys.

But there you have it – totally my fault. Apparently I’m the one with too much on my mind and absent-mindedly picking things up and placing them elsewhere.

(Once I put a container of milk in the cupboard with the dishes, but I was distracted by a boy so maybe that’s okay.)

So Dad, I apologize. You are not crazy. I’m crazy. Poor man was put through the ringer and all along I was totally nonchalant, and all along it was totally my fault.

But at least the curry is delicious. And he seems pretty happy eating it right now, so I guess all is forgiven.

Moral of this story . . . Sometimes it’s better just to stop and help others, despite being wrapped in ourselves . . . next time he loses his keys (and he will – and it will not be my fault), I’ll help discover where they were mislaid. It’s basically the least I can do!

 Happy Easter!!

Going KALE Crazy

Posted in Food, Fun by

I’m sitting here in my kitchen nibbling on kale chips and reading over  Journey Beyond Breast Cancer’s latest round up of posts  . . . and I’m thinking isn’t this just perfection? Okay, add in  a cup of tea and all the world becomes a pinch more lovely, but I won’t brew a pot right now since friends are coming round later, and I don’t want to get a premptive caffeine buzz.

But you should know about these chips. Firstly, kale is awesome healthy for you. It’s a tough leaf, no doubt, and normally it takes considerable baking or slow-cooking to break it down . . . but with this chip trick, it’s just so darn easy (and so darn delicious) I can’t think of any reason we’re shouldn’ all be snacking on kale right this moment.

So here’s what you do:

Buy kale

Go home and turn your oven onto about 375 degrees.

Slice the leafy bits off of the stem (don’t cut yourself!) and stick the stems in your compost (or whatever, save them for later if you’d prefer – and let me know what you’re doing with them, please. I’m totally curious).

Clean the leafy bits.

Put leaves into a dish and drizzle with oil, and add some salt.   Mix.

Stick the kale onto a tray with that silicone sheet thing, or some parchment paper. (Or maybe directly onto the tray, but I haven’t tried that method.)

Stick into oven for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, take out and check . . . then stick them back in for about 4-6 minutes depending on your oven. I generally cook for at least 6 more minutes, totallying about 11 minutes.

Take out and make sure it’s all crispy, if not then stick it back in for another minute.

Take out.

EAT.

And bask in the glory of  kale chips. 🙂 Healthy and delish!