So, what else is new?

Enough (more than enough) about the difficulties converting a baby who isn't even born yet.  What else is new in the life of Mim?

Because I know you were all staying up nights wondering.

I hope not.  You might be disappointed.

So I will bring my vacation to you in brief scenes:

Scene one, Thursday afternoon: my beloved grandmother comes over for lunch.  Mainly she drinks coffee (teaspoon of Nestle instant and a heaping spoon of powdered creamer), reheated at regular intervals in the microwave.  I don't believe she's ever actually finished a cup in one sitting.  She tastes and proclaims good my coconut-milk based soup.  (I threw together onion, carrot, celery, cooked in fake chicken broth with cumin, cinnamon, ginger, etc, then added coconut milk and chopped spinach and red lentils.)  My attempt at imitating the Cheesecake Factory avocado egg rolls was slightly less successful.  Maybe next time.  Anyone have a good recipe?  And then we are in the library, moving Husband's double-sized desk into the alcove once a closet in the houses's former incarnation.  Except we're short about an inch on either side thanks to moldings.  So I find myself in the basement hunting for a hammer, and then my grandmother is attacking the moldings.  Score: grandmother 2, moldings 0.  Abridged is a description of the tumult once tucked neatly in the alcove, now spread over the entire floor of the library, including but not limited to every letter I've received since I was twelve and a milk crate full of photographs.  Finally, however, we have everything rearranged, electronics plugged in, and the room looks fantastic.  We take a step back and imagine how perfect it'll look with the armchair moved out and a sofa bed for our guests instead.

Scene two, last Monday afternoon: three siblings at the movies, watching Disney's Frozen.  My brother has the extra-large popcorn which passes between us over the course of the movie.  My sister's seeing the film for the second time, except she missed several bits the first time around.  I try to resist analyzing the plot and the animation, but -- English major.  We do that sort of thing for fun.

Scene three, repeated several times over: my basement treadmill (about the only article not in our basement for storage), Hopkins Internal Medicine modules (power-walk your way through hypertension and dermatology for the internist), and some great music.  The satisfactory post-workout sweat at the end of 5.75 miles is impossible to imitate. 

Anyway, just a few scene from my vacation.  Looking forward to another work-free week!

To everyone celebrating next week, I wish you a Merry Christmas (or a Happy Christmas if you're British) and to all, a happy and healthy 2014!