Ten Years On

I had dinner last night (with my husband, you remember him) at a restaurant where I once had dinner with you. It was strange. It has been so many years since I have been anywhere that smelled even faintly of you, and thinking back I believe that was the only time we ever had dinner together, at opposite ends of a very long, very crowded table. Mostly it was cigarettes, with a view of the parking garage, and drinks, coffee and sodas to make it through the work day and beers on all those Friday afternoons when we stole away from friends and loved ones who expected to be invited and had our kindred hour together.

I don't talk about you anymore, other than those rare times when my daughter (she's six now, can you even imagine) asks how she got her name and I tell her a simple story from when we were young. I hardly even think about you anymore, and when I stop to think about that it makes me sad, because I swore, as we all do, that I would never forget, and yet I have. I have forgotten so much, so many details, all of the conversations, other than a bit here and a word there. I wish I could remember it all, but maybe I had to forget so that I could forgive you for dying.

I wish you were still here. I wish your kids could play with my kids and we could still sneak off, once or twice a year, for that quiet beer that nobody else ever quite understood. Or even if we wouldn't be friends anymore, I would like the world just a little bit better if you were still somewhere in it.

Secret Word

Mia has a secret word, let's say it is Tulip. If someone she is not expecting shows up to pick her up from somewhere and says "Hey, your mom asked me to come get you" she knows to ask them for the secret word and run screaming in the other direction if they can't tell her it is Tulip. (Clearly this is for someone she knows, for strangers she knows to run screaming immediately.)

Owen knows the secret word too, but doesn't totally understand its application. So when we are playing Tickle or Wrestle or Chase or Trap Owen (his favorite) and Owen is done playing the game, he shouts out Tulip! Tulip!

So yes, my three-year-old has a safe word. As you can imagine, I am quite proud.

Question from Owen

Owen (three and a half, in case you have lost track) has an important question that I am unable to answer, so I offered to ask you.

"If The Hulk was frozen in carbonite, would he be able to use his strong muscles to break out?"

(There's more, but it gets even more complicated after this one, so I've decided to stick to the basics, such as they are.)

First Day of School, Child 2

First Day of School, Child 1

She can read, write, add, subtract and do some basic fractions. She can swim, ride a two-wheeler, make her own lunch, carry a tune, hit a baseball, and tell a joke that is actually funny.

She's six. She's awesome. She's a first grader.

I was at Trader Joe's today, without my children, chatting with the ever-friendly cashier, and I made a comment about school starting next week. He asked me what grade I was going into. Blink. Blink. Now, my 20th high school reunion is next year and I only get carded for booze anymore out of pity or hope for a better tip, so all I can think is that they didn't have drugs that good when I was, you know, more than vaguely aware what the current illegal drug choices were.

Unrelatedly, good things to eat that are fast and cheap if not necessarily low-fat.

Leaving Home Penne Rigate, with thanks to Amanda L. for the recommendation, is yummy and easy and acceptable even to those people like my husband who think au gratin vegetables are Satan-sprung. We did it once with pecorino and I liked it but the aforementioned husband was not so into the sheepiness and once with parmesan which said husband preferred and I found a bit bland. Most any mildish-cheese would likely work, even cheddar if you are not married to a man who hates cheddar on pasta.

Tuna Pasta with Peas is what to do with the can of tuna that has been in the back of the pantry for too long. You don't actually need a recipe for this - can of tuna, box of pasta, some frozen peas (canned peas gross me out) and alfredo sauce to taste. But if you, like me, cannot prepare buttered toast without a recipe, this recipe is for you.

So, how is everybody anyway? Good summer?

Dork vs. Geek

I was literally in the middle of writing an actual post, and then Chris and I started having an argument about which of us is a geek and which of us is a dork. We cannot agree, so I submit it to you.

Dork vs. Geek, what say you all?