currently

Hello, friends. How’s everyone doing?

^{photo credit: my younger daughter}

Right now I’m…

Lamenting….  that I can’t run because, o woe, it appears that I’ve strained a hamstring. Ever since I started Ultimate, I’ve noticed that the back of my leg was a little sore but I just chalked it up to being out of shape. But then I kept playing, and then I tried to drop kick my husband the other night — that hurt. Then yesterday when I tried to go running, I made it from the front gate to the driveway and was like, Nope, that’s not happening. So now, for the first time in maybe forever, I have an honest-to-goodness injury. I’m hoping, if I’m real good, I’ll be better in a week or two. That’s realistic, right? (Please say yes.)

Dreading… my impending mental breakdown due to the aforementioned leg injury and the resulting inability to run, WAAAAAH. 

Watching… Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. I thought it’d be heavy, in a disturbing sort of way, so I was surprised that I ended up loving it. The acting was marvelous and it had a delightful “play” vibe, probably because that’s what it was written to be. (It actually felt Shakespearean.) It made me miss theaters. Acting, too.

Canceling… (some of) our evening plans because HELLO GAS SHORTAGE. (When I explained the situation to my younger son, his first question was about the hackers: “Are they environmentalists?”) One slight tweak and the whole world gets laid up. Or at least that’s how it feels. (Says the woman with a strained hamstring.) From what I hear, this should be resolved within a few days, but in the meantime, us country folk have got to conserve. Only work trips, for now. 

Basking… in the afterglow of a string of maskless gatherings: our small group gathering for an indoor meal where only two people, younguns who haven’t been fully vaxxed, wore masks and the rest of us were free, free, freeeeeeee; my parents popping in for a quick viz; a girlfriend from out-of-state; a weeknight supper with friends, and then last minute my older son deciding to come, too, along with some of his friends. It’s all so utterly normal — the casual invites, the mingling, the sitting around a dinner table — and yet wildly luxurious. It’s quite the buzz.

Starting… almost every social interaction with, “Can I hug you?” And then, when they say yes, squeezing them practically to death. The way I carry on, you’d think I haven’t been hugged in a year! Oh WAIT. 

Savoring… the leftovers from a sudden flurry of Indian cooking. It all started with the paneer I made on Sunday, because once you make some paneer then you need the saag to go with it (and then the rice and the butter chicken and the spicy Indian potatoes and the fresh na’an from a downtown deli). And then our friends came for supper and, without knowing we’d be having Indian food, brought a bag of frozen paratha. Serendipity strikes!

Craving… bran. I know, weird, right? But I was playing with bran muffins at work and all the taste testing and leftover mini cakes that I brought home and ate for breakfast with tons of butter just whet my appetite for more. I have three bran muffin recipes in the files, but I kinda think I might want a fourth. Something special, yet simple. Ideas?

Reading… The Memory Police. I’d heard it was a page-turner, but nope. I just can’t get into it. 

Regretting… trying to watch The Da Vinci Code for our family night movie. I somehow totally forgot about its sinister edge. We quit, but not before inadvertently scarring a child or two for life. Oops. 

Coming to the conclusion that… it’s time I splurge on a good bag. I always go for something small and then it gets way too full and bulky and I can never find what I want or carry all the things I need. I want one that will last — something like this, or this — but those prices, ouch! 

Celebrating… that vaccines are approved for children ages 12-15! Any day now, we’ll be able to register our younger son for his appointment. LET’S GO, PEOPLE!!!!!

Making… pepperoni rolls for supper. What are you having?

This same time, years previous: when there’s “nothing” to eat, prism glasses, on getting a teen out of bed in the morning, the quotidian (5.12.14), happy weekending, one more thing, the reason I got up, springy dip, for a reason.