7ToF: I got nothin

I've already written two posts this week, and I've been sick, and whine. I'm not very confident that I'm going to actually think of seven things to talk about. But here goes.

1. I called back in July to get an appointment for Sam's senior portraits. The first opening she had was October 20. So, yup, have to figure out what we're doing pretty soon. But in an unusual moment of thinking ahead, I remembered that he needed to get a haircut early. This was not an easy sell. Sam doesn't like haircuts, and long hair is in right now. It took a bit of negotiating, but the deed is done. Haircut accomplished this afternoon. Part of the deal is that I will never in his life make him get another haircut. I figure that's pretty easy, though, because he's 18 now and his hair is now adult hair on an adult head. Go, my son, and groweth thy hair at thy pleasure.


2. yeah, see? I'm already stuck. OK, what has been happening. Oh. The reminder letter for turning in course descriptions for Spring semester came today. They're due in a couple of weeks. I think I'm going to do Short Stories by Montana Authors and maybe one other. Let me know if you have an idea.

3. Ummmmm. OK. Exercise. Usually I enjoy the moderate amounts of exercise that I do-- walking lots, yoga/stretching, minor strength training. But since I returned from the cruise, I've barely gotten up off the couch. We'll blame that on illness, but you know, I haven't been that sick. My jeans are starting to feel a little tight. I really need to get re-motivated.

4. Recipe of the week: Pasta Carbonara, otherwise known as Bacon and Egg Pasta. This is a totally bastardized version, I'm sure no true Italian would be caught dead eating it. You'll need 3-4 pieces of cooked bacon. Then cook a pound of pasta, preferably linguine or thin spaghetti, I've also done it with medium shells. While the pasta is cooking, you combine in a 2-cup measure or small bowl:  1/4 C of olive oil, a couple of tablespoons of whole milk or half and half, two large eggs, salt and pepper. whisk until smooth. Chop up the bacon. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and then immediately return it to the pan. Pour the oil/egg mixture over the hot pasta and stir like mad. When the egg mixture is evenly distributed, return it to the burner (with the heat turned off) and stir some more until the sauce turns creamy. Stir in the bacon and about a cup of parmesan cheese (I would tell you to use the good stuff, but you already know that).

5. One of my beloved nephews is getting married in November, the first wedding among the children of my sisters and me. He's 23, and oh my gosh does that sound like it's TOO YOUNG to get married. But Doug was 23 when we got married, and I was 22. They'll be fine. And we get to go to the wedding! Woot!

6. NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is in November. I've started it five times, kept writing through the full month three times, and actually finished 50,000 words only once. Last year I promised myself that if I didn't write for the full month, I was never doing it again, and I didn't even come close. I'm so entirely relieved not to be doing it this year. But November is also NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month), so I will have plenty of chances to write.

7. Ah! I thought of something. Remember I told you that the whole family read The Martian this summer? So we were excited to go see the movie last weekend. It is really, really good. The movie fixes all the things I didn't like about the book (and I really did like the book, so it wasn't much). Highly recommended. Matt Damon is great as Mark Watney, the poor dude who gets stranded on Mars. I thought it would be really cool to see the special effects in 3-D so we sprang? sprung? for the extra $14 and went to the 3-D version. Probably not worth it. I wasn't aware at any point that it was in 3-D, except for one space walk scene.

Done. Have a great weekend.