The Last Week, In a List

Here is a chronicle of the week's notable developments, which fall into two categories... Awesome and Not Awesome.

Awesome : The chartreuse velvet rocker/recliner we picked up for $18 at our local thrift store. (Bless those Adventists.)

Not Awesome : The long black ballpoint pen mark Mazzy promptly added to the seat cushion.

Awesome : Mazzy's piano skills, now being refined by weekly lessons.

Not Awesome : The incessant piano playing, plus the number of times each day my 3-year-old sings "If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it."

Awesome : Daddy working from home, lovely for so many reasons.

Not Awesome : Daddy working from home, for other reasons.

Awesome : Last Saturday's date night, which included hanging out with friends at a bar!

Not Awesome : Waking up on Sunday (after hanging out at a bar) to discover some sort of allergic reaction on my lips from eating raw oysters.

Awesome : Rockstar (pictured here ----> )

is still alive!!

Not Awesome : Rockstar is the only one of our nine hens that is still alive. (We cross our fingers every night and have yet to identify the wily chicken killer.)

Awesome : Spending the majority of the last three days with my five year old snuggled in my lap, her head in my hands, running my fingers through her hair.

Not Awesome : The infestation of lice that brought about the aforementioned tender closeness.

Awesome : Everything in my house being clean and freshly washed and smelling of Tea Tree Oil, also because of the lice.

Not Awesome : Our cat's ever-expanding repertoire of midnight shenanigans, which now includes the nightly breaking of at least one bedside water glass.

Awesome : The growing eagerness for the movies of March. Specifically Ponyo, coming out on video March 2nd, and Alice in Wonderland, in theaters March 5th. Neither Tim Burton nor Hayao Miyazaki can do any wrong in our eyes.

Awesome : Speaking of movies, Jon miraculously improved my mood last night ('twas a very irritating day, again the lice) by suggesting the perfect 80's B-movie: Dead Calm. I usually don't go for scary movies, but I was in no mood to laugh or feel sentimental, and this movie was more amusing than scary, with the most amazing payoff at the end. I did wind up laughing after all.

And, finally, one more Awesome...

Awesome : The culinary craftiness of Marshall Brainstorm, whose homemade(!) hot sauce and curry now rank #1 in the JLF kitchen. Keep it coming, Mr. There's-Nothing-I-Can't-Do-Better-Myself.