A Six-Year Old's Wisdom

It was family day at my aunt's house for a total of 15 adults and children this time around. We were there for a goodbye lunch for Nan's sister-in-law, Aunt Wilma. My aunt made a mouth-watering feast as usual. I saved up so I could sample everything and ended up taking some of it home to enjoy later.

I did have one plan which was to get clips of Carter since he always provides spontaneous entertainment. You can hear my voice interviewing him in the middle of our meal. This six-year old is priceless.

>>> Watch the volume please! <<<

CARTER BEFORE RICE:



CARTER AFTER RICE:



CARTER KNOWS FILIPINO:



As the family party wound down, my cousin Ida and her husband left me to take their kids home later. Ended up helping my goddaughter's twin, Crystal with her homework which she was finishing up at my uncle's computer. My cousin's printer had been acting up and needed to print out her homework.

Drove the kids home around 5pm and I drove myself for some Caramel Macchiato at Starbucks. My aunt's home has the power to sap my energy for some strange reason. Got home and took care of Cabal before e-mailing the pictures and videos taken from the party.

My friend Jill called me to demonstrate for her how skype works. She has some new computer challenged clients who need a quick tutorial. Her video was streaming, but mine was static. My webcam hasn't been properly calibrated since...nevermind. I'd better get some more usage out of it for the good money spent.

I keep looking at Carter's videos and they just make me smile with his charm. Kids are the greatest, aren't they? How can you not have a Happy Sunday after spending time with him and the other kids. They remind us that life is still...livable.

A Six-Year Old's Wisdom

Walk and Chew Gum

Played skypee with Yummy first thing this morning. We had some fun googling each other's city and following hybrid maps (satellite photos with regular street map labels) of where we live. I found out this week online via BBC that Brighton has been properly done on Google Maps. They showed a picture of the Palace Pier from a certain vantage point looking like a pendant dangling from the shoreline necklace in the English sea.

Getting to the part where I showed him which parking spot I usually occupy took a bit. We'd have to work on our giving directions and listening skills before we ever took a serious hiking trip together. It was a great exercise in communication. Knowing me, we'd have a handheld GPS unit with us. Why stress out?...Yummy said the nicest thing to me before we hung up, See you tomorrow. I can't wait! (AGOL smiling secretly.)

Two of my girlies, Kimmee and Kristey, joined me this morning in The Saturday Four. I just made that up. Tawny couldn't make it thanks to nasty and painful blisters she developed while walking with new sandals this week. The gals and I were able to shave off 15 minutes from our time which meant we walked four miles in one hour 15 minutes (18.75 mins./mi.). Yeah, baby!

I felt tremendous triumph that the heat and humidity didn't kill us too much. Stopped for a minute a few times so I could properly drink my water instead of trying to maneuver the water bottle while walking and chewing gum. Too afraid to choke on the gum. We hustled along the shared path while trying not to get run over by the Lance Armstrong wannabes on their bicycles.

In the afternoon, I picked up Tawny earlier than agreed upon to drop off something to her husband in the art studio downtown and then attended a Pampered Chef cooking show at Lisa's house. The consultant did not work my nerve as they usually do. She was very upbeat and funny as she quickly demonstrated the products while preparing two dishes for us to eat later. We saw Jill there, too, with her mom and daughter. It was a very entertaining afternoon for the ladies.

I've been reading more of The Essence of Style by Joan DeJean which is her account of attributing the culture of high luxury living to the French, more specifically Louis XIV. Just this morning on public television, I was reminded that the neckties were initially invented in Croatia, but it was the French who elevated it to new heights of fashion. The French seem to take almost hedonistic pleasure in food and fashion. Certainly no one can fault them for their joie de vivre.

Walk and Chew Gum

Afternoon Delight

Chasing sleep was easier today. Sleep found me instead dozing for a few hours. My eyes didn't care that bright sunlight flooded my bedroom. I set my alarm clock just in case I slept the afternoon away...

Today's technology makes it easier to communicate in a long distance relationship. Using a microphone on skype is a great way to talk to your boyfriend (or anyone overseas). You can talk for hours and also utilize the Internet, instant messaging and e-mail to share links, pictures and information you would normally share in person. It makes the unconventional relationship more conventional somehow.

Yummy learned to speak some Tagalog from the youtube link found in the entry earlier today. I also taught him two words that are not polite to repeat in company or in a blog. Sent him links on businesses that have interested me. I've dabbled in the idea of starting a cupcake bakery and also starting a home based business of Lil' Princess Tea Parties. Being an event planner has always held high appeal, too. Things of this nature are as easy to me as breathing.

I also shared the pics of yesterday's Easter festivities and he in turn sent a pic of his grandma Gwen's second wedding taken in 1959. I love the 50s. She wore white two-button gloves which charmed me the most.

After hearing Yummy recite to me several of his exquisite poems, I am convinced his voice needs to be recorded properly in a studio, etc. I could listen to him for hours and have, but wouldn't mind him reading an unabridged book while I drove. Getting all melty as I think on it more.

Ate delicious leftovers from last night and talked to Tawny for a bit to see how the Easter Bunny treated her. Her mother-in-law asked her to make lasagna to augment the meal she was serving the family. Not traditional Easter fixins', but it is all good.

Afternoon Delight

Train Envy

Okay, so this morning I was thankful that Yummy was five hours ahead of me. We began our skype conversation at 5am my time/10am his time. He heard my morning voice again which I tried to clear up by drinking some tea. What a great way to start the day - a generous serving of Yummy to go with tea!

The news today included the French breaking railway speed records. Who knew the French were trying to set records? I always thought the Japanese had the cornered the market on that one. The French TGV Train reached 356mph travelling from Paris to Strasbourg. That just shows my ignorance; there is more to France than wine and cheese...

My work is being slowed down by our Accounts Payable department. I'm beginning to really detest researching stuff for them.

Had a surprise this afternoon. An e-mail that wasn't quite complete with information made its way to my SVP thus causing a chain of cluster **** reactions. She forwarded that to my boss who in turn requested in terse tones a meeting with me in his office. The raw data compiled was never meant to be seen by our department, but you know how that goes.

For almost twenty minutes, I found myself sitting behind my boss' desk "driving" the computer screens to illustrate the reality behind the raw data which did not make our department look good. My boss was relieved to find out that the information was not real in the sense of impending doom. I helped him break down and enumerate the data which he used in his reply to his boss, our SVP. My neck was so tight and crampy after that meeting that my back seized up momentarily during my walk back to my cubicle. Nothing like a charged meeting...

Dinner consisted of me boiling some dried tortellini filled with ricotta and spinach. Doctored a jar of tomato and basil sauce with fresh garlic and simmered to evaporate some of the water for a deeper flavor. Tossed the pasta and sauce together before sprinkling some Parmesan cheese on top.

It's only Tuesday and I am feeling weary already. I could use some of speed from the French train. Do you think they can bottle that up for me?

Train Envy

Pinching and Petit Fours

Beannachtai na Feile Padraig! (Happy St. Patrick's Day!)

Woke up on time with a little Irish luck so I could walk Cabal and be on time with Yummy (he's 1/4 Irish!) on skype. We have only managed snippets of conversation the last few days so talking for a few hours got us caught up before he had to get going for a weekend visit at his mother's home...

Today is the casual dinner I have organized for my aunt's 62nd birthday. Her Filipina genes have erased a decade and half off her face so she doesn't look her age which she freely tells anyone who is curious enough to ask.

Cracker Barrel was our restaurant of choice. It is very homey and has enough for everyone to choose from no matter the picky tastes. My aunt, uncle and Nan met my cousin Dave's family and me at the restaurant. The girls were late getting back from the hair salon so my uncle called to let us know they were 30 minutes behind.

Dave did the drive around town to burn time since he was already on his way and I took my time at the grocery store to get three Mylar balloons and a pound of petit fours in lieu of cake. My thinking is we didn't have to slice a cake at the table nor did we have to feel pressure to commit to a big slice. Everyone received at least two pieces after dinner.

Normally, we go to my apartment for cake and ice cream, but because of my busy schedule, my place was not available for viewing. I haven't had the time to properly decorate and entertain. Can't do it half-assed; have my street cred to protect, you know.

Lack of the color green on your person during St. Patty's Day began a wave of pinching around our table of eight. I did have green on my bra, but that didn't count because no one could see it and I wasn't willing to prove it. My cousin Dave's son Carter enjoyed this part of dinner best, the little five-year old ghoul!

Carter and I then began our own game of pinching: hams (behind the thighs), marshmallows (tummies, but sometimes in his exuberance he misses and gets boobies - ouch!) and pies (cheeks). This was a short game since he and I grew tired from laughing too hard.

It was thankfully an early evening and I wound down from the activities of today and the night before. I received a text message from Yummy during my evening nap and texted back 15 minutes after. It was a great feeling to know he arrived at his mother's okay. Received one more before he retired for the evening.

I'm going to bed early, too. Tomorrow will require all the mental clarity I can muster. Having a girlie outing tomorrow with Tawnyia and my aunt which should be as funny and crazy as a bawdy limerick. We roll like that.

Pinching and Petit Fours