So life has been pretty crazy here for the last nine days. One thing we thought people wanted to hear, but never got time to share with everyone, is the “How Miles got born” story. Maybe it’s a little late, but here it is anyhow. (I’m going full, “I might want to remember this one day” detail. You were warned.)
I had meant to update the blog more often during my pregnancy, but I suppose no one should be surprised that I have not.
Since my last post, we have found out that we’re having a boy! He’s going to be named Miles Barrett but we have yet to decide on a middle name. Read the rest of this entry »
I imagine you know by now … we’re pregnant! I still can’t believe it’s real sometimes, but we’re really excited.
Baby is due on October 15 (Todd’s birthday!) and I am currently 15 weeks along. I’m finally starting to look pregnant, which is exciting and yet scarier than I thought it would be. I’ve been waiting to get big, but now that I’m the slightest bit obvious it feels weird. I’m sure, though, that as I continue to grow, being big will start to feel normal and the weird thing will be when I come back down to normal size.
I plan to update the blog occasionally throughout the pregnancy, so keep an eye out if you’re interested. Next big news should be after my next ultrasound in 3 weeks. In the meantime, check out my preggo belly!
Posting bonanza!
Ruth and I took a photo field trip to Thousand Steps beach a couple of weeks ago. I was going to let her process and post her photos first, but now she’s in Tahiti, so I’m going ahead with a couple that I liked.
[So, I probably shouldn't post about Blackmarket Bakery again, because I don't want to get too boring. Oh well, I am who I am. Bear with me.]
On December 30th, I Reader-shared this BMB blog post, in which they announced that they would no longer be selling pre-decorated cakes. My serious, considered analysis was, “Uh, what?”
Read the rest of this entry »
Was disappointed looking around Kean today, because nearly every customer sitting at a table was drinking from a paper cup. The baristas default every order to a to-go cup, and charge a “here tax” of something like forty cents if you ask for ceramic. Apparently it’s much more expensive to wash and maintain dishes than to buy paper in bulk.
This is, to me, sad for a couple of reasons. One is that, while I obviously haven’t the expertise to say for sure, it’s hard to imagine that even recycling paper cups is better for the environment than the amount of water and soap that go into washing a mug.
But the scene is the same every time I go to Starbucks, and I never go and write a screed about how sad that is. Which gets me to the second reason I was sad: so many people are drinking such outstanding coffee in maybe the lamest way possible. Coffee tastes better when it’s not dribbling out of the hole in a plastic top, and when your lips don’t begin every sip tasting cardboard.
I expect more from Kean as a proprietor of the coffee experience than Starbucks, but they have to compete for many of the same customers, and if paper keeps costs down then they can’t be expected to give up that ground. So, they made a business decision that it’s better to default to paper than, say, raise the price across the board. Can’t fault them much for that. But I can urge you to pay the tax. Drink good coffee, and in the way that allows it to best represent itself.
(On a happier note, they’ve also added pastries from Blackmarket Bakery, my other favorite small business. That is some delicious synergy.)
(That’s the last time I’ll ever use “synergy” in even a semi-serious way, I promise.)
We had brunch at Break of Dawn in Laguna Hills last weekend. An took this pretty picture there, and we are always interested in new brunch spots.
Ruth had corned beef hash, which was tasty. The poached eggs were pretty much perfect, the cabbage was flavorful and exciting.
I had mac & cheese, which was probably my mistake. When I stop and think about it, I can’t imagine a pasta dish I would want to eat for breakfast. I like eggs, and pastries, and waffles, and I like them a lot.
So, nothing on the menu spoke to me, and the waitress had come back after we’d asked for more time once, so I rushed to a decision, and I thought of the magical things that can be done with mac & cheese, and she assured me that it was going to be a reasonable thing to eat for breakfast.
I think the mac & cheese could have won me over. It did not. The egg on top was perfect. The rest was pretty meh, except for the tomato sauce, which tasted like the stuff in a can of Chef Boyardee. But, as I say, I set myself up for disappointment, so perhaps my review is tainted.
Anyway, Ruth disagreed about the Chef Boyardee thing. She thought it tasted like the pizza sauce at Pizza Hut.
I invented the dinner party scene at Bard College.
Also, it’s nothing to joke about. I continue to struggle with dinner party dependence to this day.
(The best part of that article is, “It’s almost impossible to walk the campus of this 2,000-student college on a Friday night and not hear the sound of Yellow Tail Pinot Noir bottles uncorking.” Truth.)
Todd and I took a field trip today to take pictures at the beach. Pictures will come soon, but I can’t wait to share the crazy eel thing we saw. It was about 5-6 feet long and had a pink/orange fin along its length. What is this thing!?
