Cough Drops: Hazard or Help?

I am of the opinon that cough drops don't do diddly squat. I came to this opinion while in the midst of a violent coughing fit hoping that I wouldn't choke on the cough drop in my mouth.
I admit that the additional moisture in the mouth and throat must do *something*, but when I was praying that the cough drop would stay stuck to the roof of my mouth and not drop to my tongue in the midst of inhaling, it seems more like a hazard than a help.

(And yes, I am sick *again* and I am not happy about it.)

Commentary on the Computer Age

Shortly after I posted about my fabulous Valentine's Dinner, I showed it to a friend of mine who is not a reader of this blog. She in turn showed it to her husband, since he is a culinary type.
His response: "She obviously doesn't have kids."
When told of this, I was vaguely insulted, though I didn't say so to my friend. It took me a while to process this, of course. I don't consider myself particularly sensitive to insult and he certainly may not have meant it as such, but I do know I immediately felt defensive, which is a sure sign I felt attacked.
I know several people who have blogs and children at the same time. One of my favorites documents the thoughts of a new mother. I also have favorites that go on about the antics of thier cats or that review books and movies or any number of things.
I finally had to come to terms with the idea of a cultural split between those who communicate via the Internet and those who don't. There is still the misconception that those who do are geeks or socially inept or "don't have anything better to do," like raise kids, I suppose. In reality there are so many aids to Internet communication -- Blogger sets up instant blog layouts; forums provide communities gathered about the same subject; MyFamily.com gives families like mine a place to post photos and stories and then discuss things until the cows come home (as mine is wont to do). I have aunts and uncles in thier 70s comfortable with going online to put in thier $.02 as well. They can do it because there are tools that make it easy to do so.
So yes, I don't have children yet, but I'm sure that when I do, they will be included on this blog as my stripey boys are now.

My latest look

I just bought these really cool curlers at Target and I think I'm in love. They are so easy to use and produce such an awesome result.

I think anyone who sees me on a regular basis can attest to the fact that I have straight hair. Very straight hair. I have noticed, however, that when I put my hair up, either in a french twist or french braid, my hair does retain a wave due to drying in that position. So, I've been thinking about how back in the old days women used to put their hair up in "papers" at night so they would dry in curls. To my great satisfaction I discovered simple little curlers while browsing at Target. They are foam with a wire through them, all covered in soft fabric. I washed my hair at night and rolled up my hair around the foam and twisted the wires to secure them. They were reasonable to sleep in. Not super comfy, but didn't keep me from sleeping either. In the morning, I unrolled them (not without some trepidation) and viola! instant curls - my favorite kind too, big curls and waves. They weren't perfectly formed, but that actually made them appear more natural. And the best part is that though the curls lost tightness over the day, I still had waves and curl at the end of the work day. That's a long lasting hairdo.
I got compliments, of course, (one was that I looked like a 40's movie star) but I just really liked how it made me feel. I felt fun and gorgeous and I love how it adds to the variety of looks I can achieve. The problem now is how often to do my hair this way. It's fun and easy (provided I have time the evening before), but I don't want to overdo it 'cause it'll lose it's impact. Hmmm. We'll see. Maybe once per week or two.
And I'll have to get one of those little hairnets to sleep in like my grandmother used to wear.

Valentine's Dinner

It is my custom to make myself a nice dinner for Valentine's Day. This year I decided to try a vegetarian menu. I didn't have a lot of time, since I had to go to tai chi class until 8, but I managed the following in 2 1/4 hours (from starting the water until finished eating dessert).

Appetizer: Caviar w/ petits toasts, hardboiled egg, and sour cream
The chopsticks are for serving the caviar, since you're not supposed to serve caviar with silver.
This was very tasty. I love eating everything layered together. The eggs and sour cream are the perfect foil for the saltiness of the caviar.




Entree: Portabellas w/ cream and sherry, new potatoes, and asparagus
Like the caviar this was best eaten together. The sherry was a bit sweet. I think next time I'll use white wine. The asparagus and potatoes were perfectly cooked.

Dessert: Butterscotch Baked Pears
This was the highlight of the meal. It was *so* delicious. I actually made it with brandy since I didn't have any scotch, but that didn't hurt at all. I can't wait to have leftovers!


I think this is a really excellent tradition.

Brothers

Just because...

An Era Has Passed

For those who recall, way back when, in a time long past, I learned how to construct a website and the first site I ever created and maintained was a personal website to keep in touch with my family. I started "El Mundo Annie" 5 years ago, before the golden age of blogging. According to the last update date, I abandoned it 2 and a half years ago in favor of the current blog. This one's not as personalized, despite my long-standing intention to make it so, but it is definitely easier to update.
About a week ago I noticed that any pages I still accessed (namely the cute Martin and Matti photo pages) were now broken links. My school server space is gone and with it any internet presence of my old website. I still have them on my computer, but they're bytes in the wynd now.
Fortunately, I had moved my professional site over to my comcast space (see links to right). More professional, don'tcha know. I've moved M & M over to comcast too, so feel free to view those for a little pick me up!
So, adios, "El Mundo Annie." Perhaps we will see thee again.

Most Boring Week Ever

Despite the lovely revelations of Monday's Day Off Work, I've had a terribly boring week. Tuesday I tried to go to work and was less than effective. I also went to tai chi class. It was probably all a mistake because Wednesday morning I woke exhausted and with a sinus headache. So, I didn't go to work. Despite being tired, I found it difficult to sleep, but I managed to read an entire romance novel (Janet Evanovich, so it was better than you imagine). Tired of staying home, I went to work on Thursday. Once again, I over tired myself, but this time it started to show even before I went home. I did not go to tai chi and turned off my alarm clock so that Friday morning I slept well into the morning. I had a little lunch, then slept most of the afternoon as well, amazingly enough. It took just a little patience with myself. I also slept in on Saturday, but I managed to sit down and write a little, which pretty much made the week. I also had dinner with friends and dinner at a great Mexican restaurant with family.
Other than that though, it's been a long and boring week.

By the way: I'm watching Guess Who's Coming To Dinner for the first time and I must say it is a beautiful film. It walks a fine line between being beautifully optimistic and touchingly real.