Auntie up!

I haven't blogged yet about the new fetuses in my life. Both my sister & bro-in-law and Mark's brother & sis-in-law are expecting babies this fall, which is exciting. My sister, Shanna, and her husband, Pat, live in Texas, and they just found out last week that they are having a girl. Which means that the baby (Caitlin) will wear silly adorable stuff like this: http://trumpette.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=391 I've told Shanna that we must web cam it up, so that I can be the TV aunt who occasionally visits in 3D with gifts and excessive kisses.

Jeff and Heather are in Chicago, so we get to see them more, which when it comes down to it is one of my favorite things about Chicago. So we'll also get to see the wee little blondie when he or she transitions from fetus to baby. There are lots of city parks that will be fun to stroll to, and we can also babysit! I haven't done that in a long time...probably since high school. But I'll brush up my skills soon enough. :)

Why are imperialists so mean?

So I began reading a book yesterday that is about India's struggle for independence, which is aptly titled India's Struggle for Independence. And I'm realizing how indefensibly crappy colonial domination is, based on just a few pages of mid-19th century accounts of Indian revolts against the Brits. It pretty much blows my mind that anyone would think it's okay to barge in, take over the land, and then levy taxes and charge exorbitant rent. Then when people can't afford it, take them to jail and oppress them even more. And let's just go ahead and establish a free trade zone and put all of your artisans out of business while we're at it. What the crap?

Foodie Almost-Fridae

So I'm going to follow Heather's lead and do a "meme" blog about food...

Ww is for wasabi that I put on my veggie sushi. I love it -- spicy and intense, but then it subsides instead of leaving burning death on my tongue like peppers do. Yum!

Hh is for honey, which is fabulous in all kinds of foods, both savory and sweet. I have always loved putting it on a slice of bread (preferably the end piece) and letting it soak in and get a little hard before eating...mmm...and it's also good in oatmeal, in salad dressing, in tea, on fried goat cheese balls, etc.

Ii is for ice cream...oh, how i love ice cream! My all-time favorite is mint chocolate chip, of which I received a 3-gallon container from my high school boyfriend when I had my wisdom teeth out. Now, one of my favorite activities is walking down to Sweet Occasions in Andersonville and getting a gianormous cone of whatever flavor strikes my fancy (Zanzibar chocolate, Espresso Oreo, whathaveyou...)

Tt is for tea, which is awesome. As someone who can't handle caffeine (I get jittery and experience freaky crazy anxiety), it helps me stay warm in winter. One of my faves is rooibos, but I really like anything that's not just silly fruity cheap herbal stuff (although I'll drink it, even if it is silly fruity cheap herbal.)

Nn is for naranja, which means "orange" in Spanish. I've been eating a lot of oranges lately, and I'm loving them, as I love all fruit. My mom likes to tell the story that when I was little, I used to ask for fruit over chocolate for a snack. Oh, but what happened to me? Now I like chocolate on my fruit!

Ee is for egg salad! I love egg salad, which I always used to make from Easter eggs that we'd dyed growing up. Just pull one out of the fridge (save the pretty ones for last!), mush it up with some mayo, a touch of mustard, and a pinch of sugar, put it on some bread, and voila! I'm in heaven.

Yy is for yellow cake -- it is unreasonably good, especially with creamy chocolate frosting. Makes me think of birthdays. Of course, what cake don't I like? Another favorite is Texas cake, and also German chocolate cake, my favorite by a lot. Brilliant.

Where have I been?

Okay, so I've been slacking on the blog...where?

• At work, training a new direct report who's located in Mexico City (which will be much easier when she has a computer and phone line of her own!)
• At home, thinking about work.
• On the train reading, actually re-reading, one of my all-time favorite books, Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. The guy's brilliant -- I highly recommend either this book or The Satanic Verses.
• Watching and listening to the Cubs with Mark, and going to a couple of games at Wrigley with friends.
• Online and other virtual places like the post office, preparing for my upcoming trip to India (Friday 5/2: submitted passport application, told that passport will arrive in mail in 4-6 weeks; Friday 5/9: passport arrives in mail, complete with freakishly hologrammed-over photo of me.) Upcoming fun includes booking flight, getting visa, and being stabbed in the arm with various immunizations.
• Watching American Idol, which mercifully ends next week so I can have two nights a week back.
• Tending to my plants, which are all excited about the warm(er) & sunny spring weather. Except the giant aloe vera plant, Vera, who decided to sacrifice succulent glory and crash to the ground twice in one 24-hour period...she's convalescing now.
• Talking to my mom and sister on the phone, and attempting to plan a trip to Texas later this year to see sister, bro-in-law, and new baby (whose sex I should know tomorrow so I can call her/him by name!)
• Forgetting that I have a vacation in the nearer future, to Seattle...fortunately that one comes with great hosts (Mark's aunt and uncle) and a loosely pre-arranged itinerary (so I don't have to do much in the way of planning.)
• Also forgetting that before I gallavant off to Seattle or India, I need to also arrange for places to stay on a fun road trip to Maine that Mark and I are taking with his brother and sis-in-law (and fetus Spanarkel.)
• Fighting spring weather-change sinus pressure and accompanying crushing headaches.
• Knitting...I can provide no further details at this time.

That's all I have in me now...hopefully that's a satisfactorily thorough update!