The Lazy Blogger

I hate how many people keep coming up to me and asking me how I am doing. I want to shake them and say "What do you think you moron, my father is DEAD." But I don't, I hold my tongue and try to say something polite about how it is hard or complicated or both. It's so incredibly hard, just so hard. If you've not lost a parent, I don't think you can have any idea. I keep expecting him to call, I keep wanting to call him to share something stupid from my day, and I can't and it sucks.

We can't find my dad's college ring. He use to wear it all the time when I was a kid, but somehow, no one can find it. We can't find his old wedding band he had stopped wearing as his relationship with my Mom fell apart. We can't find the mezzuah my Aunt gave him which he use to carry with him all the time. We can't find his ugly Democrats mug he use to love to drink coffee from. I'm starting to wonder if these things will ever found and what it means if they're not.

On a lighter and only tangentially related note, I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I've taken up jogging. I'm not really looking to lose weight, so much as I want to be in better shape. I don't want to have type 2 diabetes or heart issues because I never exercise. I am hoping of course I will lose some weight because of it, but it's a secondary goal to just being physically fit. I started jogging in January when I was stressed out and ready to scream. I like jogging because you don't need another person, you don't need expensive exercise equipment, and at least here, I can just do it whenever someone else is watching Adina by just going out. I like having time alone to think when I jog and just look around, it helps me work out stress and better ground myself. Of course the problem with jogging where I live is, I live on a hill. My street, and the two other streets that come off of it all dead end. One is relatively flat, but the other one climbs about 200 feet in around 1/3 of a mile, mine goes down about 200 feet in about 1/2 mile before it ends, but of course getting back you have to run back up those 200 feet. Originally, my goal was a Mother's Day 5k in my town. I use to run 5ks without too much training back in High School, so I figured with training I should be able to do a 5k. Now, my goal is a 10 mile race at Disney. (The pluses of Disney is FL is completely flat and no snow.) Right before my Dad died I got to 3.5 miles. I did 3.5 again today. So I can easily do my 5k now and I'm about 1/3 of the way to my 10 miles. I'm as slow as a herd of turtles, but I will do it.

Look, I am alive.

As 2011 ended last year, I felt down, I felt like I had not done anything creative or interesting outside of being a mother, which when it comes right down to it, is sometimes tedious and not all that creative. So I decided in 2012 I was going to do a series of 12s for 2012. Originally, I wanted a total of 144 (12 for 12) but that didn't happen... So as it is the 12th month and I am running out of time...

My lists:

Lose 12lbs (Result: FAIL. There is no way I am going to lose 12 lbs by the end of the month. Heck, at this point I would be pleased to lose 1. >>; )

Cooking: 12 new recipes, adding chocolate chips to a muffin recipe I've made many times before does not count, trying a brand new brownie recipe does, since there are no guarantees it will be tasty.

1) Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
2) Feta, pumpkin and phyllo dough triangles (so hard, but so delicious)
3) Graham Crackers (unlikely to do again ~.~ )
4) The Eggplant w/tomato sauce dish I love
5) The Winter Squash with Dill Sour Cream from House Beautiful I love
6) Cinnamon Rolls
7) Challah (I've tried it before but it always came out sort of meh, until this recipe!)
8) Pasta with Garlicky Broccoli Rabe (in general I have come to love Smitten Kitchen!
9) Tempeh with Tassajarah Honey Mustard sauce
10) Cake pops!

(I've probably made 2 other things but just in case I will leave myself with two more to complete my 12)

Creativity!
1) Drew picture for Snupin February Fest
2) Drew picture for Snupin letter/postcard exchange
3) Wrote Snupin for Snupin Santa. (I'm super nervous about this as I don't feel as strongly connected to Snupin as I do to say Geass, where I have very set views on the characters and their characterization. I'm so much more open with Remus and Severus.)

(Doubt I will be getting in the remaining 9 before the close of the month.)

Books! (after realizing that other than on-line I just don't read anymore, and OK not including children's books... I realized I needed to read real books, so that toddler breath can see that Moms and Dads read books for fun!)

1-10) Re-read all ten books of the Belgariad and Mallorean
11-13) First 3 Nightrunner books by Lynn Flewelling
14) Bet Me by Jennifer Cruise ♥
15) Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grance (sort of meh, will see if my Mom wants it or it is getting swapped/donated.)
16) Issac's Storm by Erik Larson (Loved Thunderstruck, did not get into Devil in the White City, am looking forward to his Lusitania book. Prophetic his concern with the NYC subway system flooding in a hurricane, though fortunately the subway was closed so no loss of life there.)

Next book, depending on what I find... GOAL COMPLETE!

Movies

1)Thor
2) Avengers
3) Mulan more times than I can count
4) Aladdin at least 2 times
5) Beauty and the Beast see Mulan


T.V.

Lots of Deep Space 9, definitely got in 12 there XD;

Sales
1) Yo SD Mimi
2) LaTi Yellow LPP Miel
3) LaTi Yellow SP LPP Momo
4) Blue Fairy Somang
5) The Pukifee

(Not the things I was hoping to sell, I was hoping at least 12 doujinshi but there is a possibility I could get this one!)

To the greatest and most amazing "Terrible Two" in the world.

So we sort of have another bid in on a house. The seller wants us to go higher. I can't decide if we should. Pluses on the house, amazing yard (it's only 1 acre but a mostly flat and sunny 1 acre), good (to me) property taxes, nice flow to the rooms, beautifully updated kitchen and decently updated bathrooms, decent location, and plenty of room (holy heck 1800 sq feet can go really far when well designed!) Negatives are: it's more than I wanted to spend and I am worried my desire to get out of here is coloring me, If I wait maybe I will find something better, but if I wait maybe I won't.. And teh husband wants to do some of the work we would do fixing a place up ourselves which would mean it would take forever vs this is all ready to go...

Edit: I just want to clarify, to a normal person the stairs to the lower level/basement are perfectly normal. If you wanted to spend the money you could carpet them because they are full stairs, not the type with the open back like our old basement stairs, I'm just anti-stairs right now because I worry about them with the toddler. Right now she couldn't access them because she can't open doors, but it is something I need to think about since laundry is currently down there.

So...

What would you do, fair reader?

[Poll #1869043]

So for those who don't know we have an offer in on a house right now. Or rather it is currently a counter counter counter counter offer in on a house. We placed our first offer on Monday of last week and have been going back and forth with the sellers since then. The house has many pluses: location, flow, size of rooms, good yard, and central air.

It also has a few negatives: outdated kitchen, shag carpeting, ugly ugly ugly bathrooms and.....the house next door was the location of a grisly murder in 1986!

POLL TIME

[Poll #1861190]

Toddler attack!

( teh baby has found my English language manga collection )

So real life has eaten up any chance I've had to post to LJ. If anyone did wish me a happy birthday at the start of the month, thank you very much! I spent my birthday in Walt Disney World where I gained weight and ate lots of free cupcakes. (seriously) I also left my laptop at home to try to be as internet free as possible to make it a true vacation.

I saw the whole LJ kerfuffle. Unsure what I will do because importing all my posts to DW seems like a pain (but I still might do it) and I mostly use LJ to check on other people's lives now and to sell crap. I would like to at some point start journaling again, but I suspect I shall go back to the old fashioned sort of blogs where you get to use html and create a layout and most posts will be about teh baby err toddler (not that they're not now...)

2011 has been momentous. It's the first year I've not been to Japan since 1998. I still hope that somehow in 2012 I will make it back. A lot will depend on teh toddler.

The toddler is well toddling, a lot. She walks quite far when she feels like it and rarely crawls now. She makes lots of sounds which she possibly thinks are words and attempts at communication but unfortunately are not for us because we are fail as parents.

I love reading about all of your lives, even when I don't have time to post or comment. But please know I am thinking of you all and wishing you a happy 2012!

Thank you for all the birthday wishes for my sweet little one. I hope to respond to everyone soon. I need to share more pictures of my almost toddler. I truly can't believe how big she has gotten. She had her official 1 month weigh in and is 16 1/2 lbs and 28 1/4 inches. To put that in proper perspective, that makes her bottom 25% for height and bottom 3% for weight.

Last week I asked reynardine to give me some questions for a meme and I'm finally getting around to answering them lol Also, reynardine, while out for a walk with the baby we saw a red fox cross the road right in front of us and I thought of you!

Comment to this post asking for a list, and I will give you four things I associate with you. They might make sense or they might be totally random. Then post that list, with your commentary, to your LJ. Other people can get lists from you, and the meme merrily perpetuates itself.

Here is the list she gave me:

Subaru/Kamui

I admit, I have to thank isachi for my love of the pairing, and her version of the pairing is far from the WAFF most people want to envision. And let's not even get into the one time I was involved in a Subaru/Kamui fan-fic since it never went happily. It is a pairing I can enjoy, though oddly enough I'd say Kamui is the more mature and together one of the pairing. I am open to most Kamui pairings though (even het ones like Kamui/Kotori) if written in the right way. XD; Funnily enough it took R2 of Code Geass to both give me a greater appreciation for Subaru and to give me an appreciation for Seishirou/Subaru. lol

Connecticut

It's funny, growing up I always thought of CT as full of rich people, because most of the communities near the shore are extremely wealthy *cough*Greenwich*cough* But at the same time, I knew my great grandmother and some of her family had a farm out in Colchester, CT. Hubby and Baby were both born in CT and it's funny but I've come to really love living up here. For me Danbury was always associated with the mall and its indoor merry-go-round, but now I appreciate so much more. I honestly am not sure I would want to live somewhere else, despite difficulties and the fact I will always have my NY accent. lol

Kosher

Growing up we use to keep Kosher in the home and not outside the home. So, yes, I've had a lot of those non-kosher meats at one time or at least had the opportunity. But keeping Kosher always gave me a strong awareness of food and what was in it. It also set us apart, particularly at Passover. I still remember being 6 or 7 and not being able to get ice cream from the ice cream man with my friend Maria because it was Passover. Now we're vegetarians, so we keep a certain level of Kosher by default. Having kept Kosher before really helps with being vegetarian because it helps you to be aware of some of the things to look for on packages (i.e. gelatin.)

Blue Fairy

Blue Fairy is probably my favorite maker of ABJDs. I can not think of a line of theirs I do not like. My first BF doll was actually a PF Choco I overpaid for because at the time BlueFairy was on sabbatical and PFs were selling for insane amounts. Dolls in general were much harder to come by back then. I still remember when I placed my first BF order, I had to pay via bank transfer which was such a pain! I do like some other companies (LaTi and I sort of like my Pukifee more than I ever expected.)

So, with all this talk of Nanowrimo, I know I am not writing anything, with the baby my computer time is more limited, but I think I am going to try to work on getting 5 items for sale every single day. It's not the fastest method, but I need a kick or I am never going to have room to break out the sewing machine and save my vintage Barbies from the must. >>;

I am a sad sad sad sad person. I have come to realize that when I grow up, I think my new goal is to be one of the girls in Girl's Generation. They're just so cute and that is how I want to look... except I am old and plump and pushed a baby out of me about a year ago... *bitterness* OK pushing a baby out was sort of awesome truth to be told If anyone knows where I can find their sadly addicting songs as mp3s in either Japanese or Korean I would be most appreciative. I'm not picky. Adina is also a huge fan, though her taste is somewhat suspect because she likes the Rebecca Black song.

So, for those who haven't heard, I'm selling lots of my anime crap. I have too much and with the baby now, it's mostly sitting in boxes taking up space and making me feel claustrophobic. There is enough of it that I need to go through it in stages so, first the Catchers. I figured I would post them here first before hitting on other LJ comms to see if anyone here wanted any... I should note now, I have some for series I've never watched and even series I hate, so what I have might surprise you. All are Japanese releases and most were bought in Japan.

( HOLY CRAP! I had no idea you had so many Catchers?!? )

This is not Japan. We are not supposed to have earthquakes in CT.