Potatoes in the Mist

You always appreciate your health the most right after you have been sick. Recently I got tonsillitis. My tonsils swelled up and developed white spots. I could barely swallow. So the doctor gave me some antibiotics. They took two days to kick in. Finally I have my appetite back and had enough energy to go to the grocery store this morning. The moment when you start feeling better...is like when Dorothy steps into color. Without the Munchkins and the yellow brick road, of course. (Can you tell that Eric is addicted to the Oz series right now?)

So a while back I got a small blender, basically personal size, and I have been making smoothies in it. My standard "recipe" is strawberry, banana and soy milk. Today I threw in some blueberries on a whim. I had always resisted them in drinks because blue drinks aren't very appealing. But they give the smoothie a piquant lift. I recommend it :)

Winter drags on. I keep looking forward to March - we are going to Hawaii - for the very first time. Sleeping in L.A. so we won't have to do an 11-hour flight at once. We'll have one 6-hour leg, one 5-hour-20-minute leg. Manageable. I think. Am on my third book in the Vish Puri series - very enjoyable detective books by Tarquin Hall. Despite his British name, he *must* have lived in India for a while, to give his writing all this great local color.

So I'm trying out a new series about an Indian detective, written by Tarquin Hall. Nothing deep or profound, but fun, and a clever glimpse into another culture. This one is about the "Love Commandos" who help young Indians marry outside their caste. I just saw a commercial for Blacklist...and James Spader is bald now...and that is just not a good look for him. I hope he grows his hair back (if he can). Still, he has a certain charisma.

So I tried watching a movie that a Facebook friend described as just about perfect. It was called The Deep Blue Sea. The customer reviews on Amazon all said it was slow, though some said it was worth it. God, it was terrible. I don't mind "slow" meaning no car crashes and lots of conversation. I DO mind "slow" meaning no one talking and lots of long shots of nothing. At least I didn't pay anything for it, I get free instant streaming with Amazon Prime. In other news, Z got into nursery school (the one E went to). That was easy!

Listening to the Smiths...I have not listened to them in so long. I love their lyrics: Girlfriend in a coma, I know, I know, it's serious... Do you have a vacancy for a backscrubber? She said, when you were hopelessly bored, I just liked you more...

So I moved Zoe to a different ballet slot. One of the other moms told me she was going to change her daughter to that slot because it's for kids who are 24-36 months, and our kids turned 2 a couple of months ago. It's also a little bit later in the morning, which is always a good thing. So I decided to try it. Some of the kids are older and taller and a little bit better at following directions, but the younger kids (Zoe, Zelda and Celine) were catching on. "Parent participation is optional," the teacher said. She meant that we no longer have to model everything for the kids or move their limbs for them. And Zoe did seem eager to imitate the older kids. Another change: the last 15 minutes of each class will be devoted to tap dancing. They had a little box of shoes for kids who didn't have them yet. After class, I went online and found a cute pair on Amazon. The size 7 1/2 shoes she wore in class were a little too big, so I ordered a size 7. And I didn't hav...

I hate winter so Snow, cold, frost, rain, and shivers They dampen your soul

We are back in NYC. Mom ended up staying in the Sheraton in Florida...her flight was put off until tomorrow. E said, "Why can't we live in Florida?" I kind of feel the same. I guess the solution is to take lots of vacations in warm sunny places.

What a mess. Our flight back to NYC got canceled, but they promptly put us on another one. Mom's flight got canceled too, but she is having trouble getting a new one. Apparently it's impossible to fly into Boston right now. And there's another storm coming...

So tomorrow we are going home. We had to change our flight to avoid a horrific storm that descended on New York and Boston. It was a really fun trip. You can definitely get tired traipsing around the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. But the weather was lovely and everyone was more relaxed than they are in Manhattan. I guess what I need to remember is, you can stay relaxed even when people around you are stressed out. Zoe loved one ride called "Triceratops Swirl" where the dinosaurs moved up and down. We all liked "Soaring" in Epcot, where you honestly feel like you are hang gliding over California. And my mom watched E and Z so D and I could have a relaxed dinner. I felt much younger afterward.

Father: Why are you crying about a leaf? What's wrong with you? Son (sobbing): I WANTED TO GIVE IT TO YOU! Father: I can get a billion leaves. (To us) Whew, that was fun. Is there any Disney vodka? My mom did say that Disney is a good place to go to see "ill-tempered children." Though they do have fun too. I think. On New Year's Eve we ordered a feast from room service: noodles with tofu and vegetables, pizza, Hawaiian pull-apart bread with macadamia nut butter, chocolate cake and beer. It was as nice a way to spend NYE as any. The food tasted especially good. And the weather is lovely. Why don't we all just live in Florida?