in other news...

I'm making a supercute, little, soon-to-be-felted purse for my niece Maya, who turns 5 on Monday. it's got a frosty green yarn for the main purse part, a pastel multi-colored yarn for the flap and strap, and i'm gonna make a big pink flower applique for the front.

Unfortunately, it's not going to be complete in time for her actual birthday, but I'm hoping it'll be no more than a week or two late. Pix to come later.

I know, I suck.

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J is eating yummy chocolate peanutbutter banana cake and breathing rather heavily right now. hehe. that's cause it's goooooooooood. i'm sure i breathed like a sonuvagun when i was shoving a huge piece down my cakehole earlier this evening ;-)

so, believe it or not, the "eating better" non-resolution i made is actually kind of working out overall, despite large infusions of chocolate peanutbutter banana cake and two black-bottom cupcakes yesterday. i haven't given up dessert, true. however, my main meals are far healthier than they've been in quite some time. lots more vegies, lots less meat.

lots less? meh. you know what i mean.

also, i have been doing fairly well on the gym thing this week. already been twice, and planning on going again tomorrow.

however, on the spending less front? BADBADBAD. bought a bunch of clothes over the weekend (but there was a party to go to! and a wedding coming up next month! and and and and...) i guess i'm sort of lucky a lot of the clothes didn't fit so well, necessitating returns and refunds.

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strangely, i'm feeling more love for my parents recently. just this evening, i was thinking that it might be nice to hang out with them pretty soon. where in hell did *that* idea come from?? i haven't thought such things since I lived in Marin, about 10 miles south from them. weird. (now that i live in the city again, it's about 30 miles away, and across a bridge and everything. hard! far! excuse!)


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i've got some dinner parties coming up, and I'm looking forward to them. first one is this weekend, for some of J's fellow expat friends who live in san rafael. we usually go up there (yes! we cross the bridge!) because they have a pool and two cute portuguese water dogs, and trish is a budding pastry chef specializing in chocolatey goodness. but it is long overdue for us to play host, and so i still need to figure out what i'm cooking. eek!! i do have the appetizer fairly decided: salmon and shrimp ceviche (raw fish marinated in lemon and orange juice and tossed with roasted chipotles, avocado and red onion. yum.)

the second dinner is for a fairly sizeable group of friends. i'm thinking of just ordering a big sushi platter for that one, rather than trying to cook. we're finally going to "show off" (aka bore everyone silly with) our photos from Japan.

finally, K's dad and his fiancee are coming to visit in mid-Feb, and I'll be making a dinner for six of us. can't wait!!