Prediction

Predictions on pizza are the safest kind: There's a new Olympia Pizza going in on Delridge. If it's owned by the same people who own other Olympia Pizzas in the city, I'm betting that it will not only be successful (i.e. stay open longer than a year), but it will spur along revitalization of that run-down strip. Olympia Pizza was my neighbor on Queen Anne, and a very nice neighbor indeed.

Turn, turn, turn

Life and death, young people and old people are blurring together lately.

My aunt died last week after struggling through cancer for the last year or so. My uncle has progressive dementia, so her illness was really difficult and confusing for him. Now that she's gone, my cousins are trying to figure out options for care for their father. Right now he's in a geriatric/dementia ward of a nearby hospital and they're working on finding the right combination of medications for him. He'll be moved to a more permanent residential arrangement soon.

I chatted with my dad about assisted living facilities, about the range of quality of care and the expense of it all. It struck me how similar these choices are to looking for daycare, since we've been in the thick of that lately. Better ratios, better trained staff and less staff turnover = higher costs, which must be true for assisted living too. And consistency is important for both kids and adults with dementia: disruptions can be really distressing.

My aunt's memorial service will be held mid-April. Interestingly, my sister-in-law's due date is also mid-April. Maybe this is perfect timing.

The old lady and the pineapple

I made a pineapple upside-down cake today to celebrate the end of Lant. I wasn't as good at avoiding sugar this time around...let's just say I came in for a gentle landing. The cake was sure good though.

Anyway, pineapple reminds me about being a kid, on one day in particular:

Vindication

One Sunday after church
When I was but a tot
We potlucked in the church basement
(We did this a lot)

My mother had told me
"Don't eat too many sweets"
I said that I wouldn't
I reluctantly agreed

The table was laden
With all sorts of goods
Brownies, pies, cakes
And big cookies too

Nearby the sweet eatings
In a big bowl piled high
Glistening, bright yellow,
the (pine)apple of my eye

I dearly love pineapple
(Or I did back then
Now it makes my stomach ache
it's no longer my friend*)

I ate a few pieces
I went back for more
I ate a lot of pineapple
until I didn't want anymore

An old woman watched me
Mrs. McCready her name
But she assumed I ate cookies,
and more of the same

She then told my mother
I was pigging on sweets
My mother was peeved
She went straight after me

"I didn't! I didn't!"
I emphatically cried
"I was eating pineapple
And my tongue feels...wide."

My mother didn't believe me
Not initially
But one look at my tongue
Was all that she'd need

It was red, raw and swollen
My stomach, in a bunch
But tongue told the story
Mrs. McCready's couldn't touch

My mother believed me
She did not punish the girl
Who ate too much fruit
And then wanted to hurl
___________
* I can now only eat pineapple in small doses

Oh dear

My psyche

Fun fun dream last night. I just emailed my friend Miss D about it...

"...You had just got the latest gadget, kind of like the latest iPod, except this one didn't play music. Oh no, it was kind of like a sea plane, except the size of a cool little handheld device. (Don't ask me how a plane can be this small...dream logic, y'know.) So you were showing it to me and took me for a spin. It was really fun...we made a water landing and everything. I think you even let me fly the thing. And in the dream, the best thing about this gadget was that it was also...wait for it...a video camera! Wow. Imagine. Who cares about a tiny flying machine when you can record video!"

Screw the iPhone...let's see Steve Jobs come up with the iFly.

Grease

I got to thinking while puttering around the kitchen today: I've never liked the ending of Grease. Nice girl Sandy becomes the slutty bad girl to win her man. And Danny had already become less of a bad boy by lettering in track...he would've met her at least halfway on the goodie-goodie/rebel continuum. Sandy, you sold out!

It's a product of its time I guess. If made now, Sandy would've been geekier and stayed that way.

It's done

Just gave UW $50 to process my application for grad school. It's nearly official -- I'm going down the doctoral rabbit hole.

See any similarity?

House call

A clean-cut man with a dress shirt, tie and overcoat knocked on the door this morning.

Me: Can I help you?

Him: Yes, I--
<He's holding literature saying something about 'The Greatest Love...'>

Me: No thank you.

Him: Okay.
<He turns and walks away.>

He probably took one look at my red, raw nose and the circles under my eyes and decided I wasn't worth the effort. Good call.

Haven't left the house

I've gotten a really bad cold and haven't left the house since Friday. The weekend was a bust. Slept, drank hot things, finished Atonement (the silver lining of the weekend), watched Women of Ninja Warrior while trying not to breathe on August and Ray. Miserable stuff. My immune system must still be depleted? repressed? or something from being pregnant. This is one of the three worst colds ever, all contracted in the last 12 months.

I think I'm on the downside now. Feeling slightly better, and less like I want a head transplant.

7 months today

Can't believe it's over

But at least we have this (thanks Shawn)...

Whatta weird baby

August has been less and less interested in her bottle since starting solid foods. This morning when I fed her, she stopped before draining the thing. I unscrewed the lid and let her drink out of the bottle like a cup. Voila! she finished her formula.

This just doesn't seem normal.