This weekend D and I celebrated our 10-year anniversary. I came across pictures of us the year we met and we look shockingly young. I, Mint Chutney, was once 23 without a wrinkle on my face nor a trace of a toddler's breakfast on my shirt. For the big anniversary extravaganza we went for a fancy dinner AND a movie. This place was so fancy they had cloth napkins and served sorbet to cleanse our palette before the entree. Unfortunately by the end of the night my stomach wasn't feeling well. D decided THAT'S why he doesn't take me for fancy meals; my stomach's not used to such fine cuisine and he wants to spare me the abdominal distress.

We saw Transamerica. (Take one guess who got to pick the movie.) I liked it a lot. Felicity Huffman is phenomenal as a pre-op trans-sexual man who meets the son he never knew he had. The weekend before we saw Brokeback Mountain which I thought was a sweet love story albeit in a fairly weak plot. D asked if I was getting a discount from GLAAD to support all the Oscar nominated gay-themed movies out there. OK smart-ass..next up; Capote.

I think I've taken procrastination to an art form. I'm so behind on a particular function of my job yet I still can't muster the energy to get going. I was so incredibly restless today. I needed to reset my mind and body but for the life of me I just couldn't. Today I felt an emotion that I loathe; disappointment. In the end I realized I wasn't disappointed in anyone except myself.

The kids have been sick all week so my biggest wish for Valentine's Day was that no one throw-up on me. Today everyone was gone and I had silence at my house for the first time in a long time. D went along to chaperone the Boy's field trip to see a play. Apparently the Boy has a crush on several girls in his class. A few weeks ago one of the dad's came up to D and said "So you're the Boy's dad huh? Apparently we should get to know each other well since your boy told my daughter he's gonna marry her."

Chatted the other night with the lovely Rat and Lavi who laughed when I described my love for my new washer-dryer. Hmph! Just look at it:



It's got a control panel like the Starship Enterprise and unlike my old dryer, I can leave this one on when I'm not home without fear it will explode and burn my house down.


Here's the only decoration I put up for VD. I just wrote VD because everyone else seems to shorten it like that but I wanted to mention that VD also stands for venereal disease and nothing says unromantic like gonorrhea.


The Boy and the Girl looking out the window.

I have no idea what to do with the Girl's hair. It's curly but some of the curls are nappy looking. I have pictures of what I call her little afro. Until it grows out I've been putting it in little pigtails.






Work is fine. I've been fielding calls with recruiters about some other home-based positions within my industry. The money sounds awesome but I feel like I'm finally hitting my stride with my current company. I wish I could reinvent myself without disrupting my life. I got my hair cut recently but it wasn't enough to appease my need for change. I'm probably a little restless because it's been very cold so I tend to stay home and eat comfort foods. The other day I thought something was following me but when I turned around I realized it was just my fat ass. A few more months at this pace and my butt will need it's own postal code.

I've been tagged by Tablemannered. At first I wasn't going to do it because I believe there's no such thing as a perfect lover. Perfection is meant for dreams and fantasies and sometimes when reality seeps in you either realize how little you know about yourself or how much you are willing to accept about the other person. But for the sake of blog fodder...

The rules of the tag (simply copy-pasting from her blog):
1. The tagged victim has to come up with 8 different points of their perfect lover.
2. You have to mention the sex of the target.
3. Tag 8 victims to join this game and leave a comment on their comments saying they've been tagged.
4. If tagged the 2nd time, there's no need to post again.

My perfect lover is a man and he:

1. Should be fair- - -Take it as much as you give it. Hold yourself to the same standards as you hold others to.
2. Should be willing to step out of his comfort zone- - - Willing to try new things, willing to experience new places and foods, willing to whatever. This willingness should also cause him to take the lead and drag me kicking and screaming on occasion.
3. Should never forget I'm his lover- - - I may play different roles in his life (hypothetically; his wife, mother to his children, woman who folds his laundry, etc) but he should never forget I am his lover and he is mine.
4. Should show me respect- - - Pay attention to the finer details of our conversation. Know when I'm in need of 100% of your attention. Look me in the face when you say something you know I won't like. I'll never ask for more than I can give but know up front that if I'm in love with you I'll give everything I have.
5. Should know a little bit about a wide range of things - - - Example: Know how many provinces are in Canada (10 + 3 territories). Know how to lay new kitchen floor tiles. Know how to change a tire. Know where on my body to rub if you want me completely relaxed.
6. Should not spend more time in the bathroom than I do- - - Nor should he have more "products" than I do.
7. Should be passionate - - - It may be about a sport's team or music or food or writing or something that may seem completely random to me. It doesn't matter, just be passionate.
8. Should have a sense of humor and an amazing wit to match- - - Make me laugh (but don't be "on" all the time). Keep my interest as much as I keep yours.

Other miscellaneous things:

• Should finish random movie quotes or music lyrics that I throw out there
• Should be able to spend hours in IKEA without complaining that we've wasted our day
• Should know how to kiss properly
• Should realize that chocolate is not a treat... it is a way of life

Addendum: Motheater pointed out I forgot to tag people so I am officially tagging my link list. Conveniently Motheater no longer maintains her blog. : )

I was out "in the field" yesterday (as they say in my biz). Too busy during the day and too exhausted at night to post. I think this week has gone well blog-wise. I notice that the same group of commenters have visited me. I'm not good about responding to comments but that certainly and most definitely isn't from lack of appreciation. Here are a few cryptic messages for you guys:

• He had a good thing in front of him and he let it go. It's his loss. ( I just realized that this message is for 3 people in 2 countries).
• Congrats of your upcoming wedding! Can't wait to see the pictures (hint hint) (This is for 2 people, one of whom has a birdloving roomie who loves to salsa. *waves* Did you ever find out what your flickr account was??)
• I rarely sign on my yahoo messenger so I always miss your instant messages. Would love to catch up real soon.
• Yes, February has whizzed by! I like how your blog went from going to move to moved to living. BTW did you guys ever get my postcard?
• I go to that Whole Foods so perhaps we've seen each other. Do you live in the building across from the library parking lot?
• LOL. So you're saying inside you there is the soul of a toddler demanding undivided attention. I TOTALLY see that.
• D is a non-vegetarian so he felt at home in Kerala. Hope you're having a great time.
• I shall wear red today too. (I wish it was health reasons but really it's one of the few clean shirts left. Lucky tomorrow is laundry day)
• I imagine lingerie with cartoons and fairytale characters and laughed.
• I love being part of the Legion of the Funky Brown Chick (LOFBC).

My best friend just called and convinced me to take the afternoon off and see a movie with her. Since I don't have time for a proper post I'll leave you with one of my favorites of the week.

Have a good weekend!

Exactly four years ago today my friend A gave birth to her second child. A and her husband are a bohemian couple. She is the daughter of a very prominent, high profile lawyer. She has her Master's in Public Health and works in setting up healthcare in inner city schools. Her husband has at least a dozen tattoos all over his body and rides a Harley. A gave birth at the hospital we used to work at. I left work early to visit her and see her new little boy. I stopped Little Italy and picked up some of her favorite treats including a huge cup of fresh Italian ice. She looked tired but relieved. I held JoJo (as I affectionately call him) and marveled at how precious his tiny fingers were. As visitors streamed in and out, the mood was so light and wonderful. I left her room feeling great and went to pick up the Boy who at the time spent Friday's with my dad. At one and a half the Boy had my father wrapped around his finger. Friday's were their days and I'm not sure which one of them loved their time together more. D called my cell and said he was running late so he wouldn't be able to make our traditional Friday dinner at my parent's house. (My parents used to live 5 minutes from us). He said he would meet us at home.

Exactly four years ago today I came home with the Boy and found D standing at the door with the phone in his hand and a stunned look on his face. His only brother had died suddenly. There were little details as T lived in another state. The next few days were a blur of activity as D flew with his mother and sisters to Arizona to bring home T's ashes. D cried only once during that entire time. It wasn't when he found out. It wasn't as he sifted through his brother's belonging trying to piece together the details of a life no one really knew anything about. It wasn't even during the funeral. The only time I saw D cry was when my dad saw him at the funeral home and gave him a big fatherly hug and held him tight.

To mark February 1st, we had a Fantastic February Feast (D picked the name). We made pancakes and scrambled eggs and sausages for dinner (the Boy picked the menu). I made a cake which tasted horrible because I was so distracted with work that I forgot to add eggs to the mix. D and the Boy said it wasn't that bad while the Girl gave me a look like "you can't make me eat that crap." The Boy has taken to annoying me by inserting the word "butt" whenever possible while he and D will talk about the Solar System just so they can say "Uranus" and collapse into uncontrollable laughter. Meanwhile the Girl struts around like she's the Queen of England giving one word commands: Milk. Up. Down. And her personal favorite; NOOOOOOOO. Our dinner was originally meant to celebrate the fact that January was over and we are one month closer to Spring. In the end I think we just celebrated being together.

(Footnote: For our March Madness Meal (March 1st if you wanna mark your calendar) I've already added vodka to the menu.)