Stuff and Such

So, I haven't done this in a bit, and my last entry was pretty damn introspective.  Let me assure you this is far less likely to be so.

I made stew today.  For those of you who don't know me well, I make stuff in large batches.  Last year I was in charge of the football dinners--feeding 70 kids about every other week.  This was right up my alley. I have big pots.  I cook big--chili, pasta, meatballs, you name it really.

So, stew.

This afternoon I said to Alex and Gavin (Devin was at work) "What would you like for dinner?"  Alex had no input (sometimes he is super specific, most times though, he really would rather skip the whole conversation), but Gavin said "Beef stew."  So, while I was out running errands today I picked up the fixins'.  Beef, onions, potatoes, carrots, broth, peas.  All good stuff.  Now, Alex hates stew.  Doesn't understand why anyone would take perfectly good ingredients and boil them before eating them.

Now, skip to the good part.  The boys left at ten minutes after 7 tonight, and the stew was ready at 7:45.  This means there is a giant pot of stew on the stove, Alex and I ate some (one of us had two bowls....bet you can guess which one), and some will go to the various folks I take food to--my Grammy, my Mom, the boys boss, and I will take some to work for lunch on Monday--might even have some to put in the freezer.

So, this is forcing me to think about the fact that the boys have lives.  There, I've said it.  They have lives.  One of them even has a (gulp) girl friend.  I separated the words on purpose because I don't know if that term is official, but they are certainly dating.  I'm guessing that as they get more and more independent I will have more and more dinners that are eaten by two of us instead of four.

My question--should you choose to answer it is this:  Does it get less annoying?  Easier?  Normal?  Okay, that was three questions, but you get the picture.

On a side note, the stew was really yummy, and Alex actually ate it :)

I told you this one wasn't deep.

Who I am versus Who I Want to Be......

I have had nothing but half-asleep, half-drugged time on my hands for the last 10 days.  For those who haven't been following along, I have been sick for a week and a half, and haven't been to work since January 28th, and haven't done much but lay in bed feeling horrible, watch bad televiision and movies, re-read Little Women (total classic, love it!) and think, and think, and think.

Much of my thought has been scattered and bizaree, but part of what I have come up against is the question of who I am versus who I want to be.  I want to be glamorous, sexy, well-spoken and accomplished.  I am frumpy, total PTA mom, crass and have a good career, but I'm not sure those are the same thing.  So then the question becomes how to get from here to there, and here is what I have come up with.

1)  Low maintenance isn't working for me, high maintenance seems like a lot of hassle, therefore I am going to strive for mid-level maintenance.  This is also known as doing the best I can with what I've got :)

2)  My husband thinks I'm sexy, and that is enough for me.  If I work on number one, he is likely to think I am sexier, and that can only work out better for me, right :)

3)  I am not as well-spoken as I would like to be.  I swear way too much, I am far too sarcastic.  I sometimes sound like a moron.  I need to think before I think about speaking, and then I need to think again before I open my mouth.  This is something I can work on and be in charge of, and I need to take charge of it.

4)  I am not accomplished in any of the ways I ever planned to be.  I thought I would be a published author by now.  I thought I would have graduated law school.  I haven't done either of those things.....and I'm not interested in the law school thing anymore (I've now worked with enough attorneys that I feel I have a good grip on the spectrum, and I like my little niche in the law--for now).  I'm not sure if I feel a need to be a published author, but I do want to start writing again--which is part of why I started this blog.  To that end, I will write for at least 30 minutes per day--if not here, I will be working on some sort of fiction, or, Heaven forbid poetry (oh my gosh, I am a horrible poetess, but as a younger woman poetry really helped me work through a lot of my angst).

So, that is where my thinking has brought me.  I am a middle-aged woman with a fantastic husband, two adult children (by the way, that's still hard to say or write), a career that is good--not great, not always as fulfilling as I would like it to be, but good.  I work with people I really like, and I do something that I really believe it.  I'm not sure I can ask much more than that.

There it is.

We have the plague.....

Seriously.  Alex started it (I'm not just saying that, he totally did), and shared it with me.  He's generous that way.  There wasn't a whole lot of notice on this one--Alex was fine one hour and sick the next.  He's had it since Wednesday, been on antibiotics since Friday.  I got sick Saturday, worse on Sunday night and Home on Monday.  Headed to work this morning, and made it an hour.  They applauded when I left--apparently the coughing was a little bit annoying.

Let me tell you some observations I have made being sick this last couple of days:

1)  There is actually such a thing as too much sleep/rest.
2)  Alex is a better sick person than I am--I hate to admit that, and I would deny it in most circumstances, but he is.
3)  Hot and sour soup really is better than chicken noodle or won ton when you are congested--had some over the weekend, made some today (easier than you might think).
4)  You can fall asleep with one set of Real Housewives and wake up to another if you leave the TV on Bravo.
5)  Our animals like someone being home in bed.  I think it makes them feel less lazy.

Really there is no point to this posting, just that Alex is sick, I'm sick and I don't care for it.  That's all for now, wish it were more interesting for you.