I have a million excuses why I havn’t posted in days. Top of the list: sick kid, fussy fussy baby, post-op husband, and me trying to fit a shower in there somewhere.
So here, have some strawberries!
I don’t get it at all, but I have been to the grocery store 3 times in the last week and strawberries are about all I have to show for it. How does that happen? But damn are they so yummy? I love this time of year, I get all giddy with fruit and vegetables. Have you seen the asparagus or strawberries in your store lately? Sooo freshhhh and yuuuummmy (in my best Homer Simpson voice). This is it, it’s all I have right now. My god am I tired, baby no sleep me no sleep me so tired me veg out now…byebye
I’ve been fairly busy in the kitchen the last few days. I recently tried easy brown bread from Vegetarian Family CB and it was splendid. The first time I made it with maple syrup, the other night I tried it with molasses, way better. The recipe calls for rye flour and cornmeal which I was a bit skeptical about, but yum…
It’s a bit crumbly but absolutely delicious right out of the oven. I made my current favorite soup, tomato tortellini. What isn’t good that pasta is in though?
Well this post wouldn’t be complete without cupcakes, right? Pumpkin chocolate chip with cinnamon icing cupcakes to be precise.
You might want to look away now.
Pete has had a locking finger for as long as I can remember, it would take him exerting force with his other hand to unlock it sometimes, it was that bad. He finally got surgery for it Friday. They went into his hand and removed some large callous-y object and then sliced the tendon sheath to give it more room to move.
I love broccoli, but it definitely does not love me. I have been living the consequences of eating this dish I am about to showcase for the last 2 days. We absolutely are not meant for each other, but I always try and usually enjoy while I am eating it. So, I made a creamy tofu and broccoli skillet. Yum! It is a very simple dish in taste, but complex in texture. It included baked tofu, broccoli, garlic, red pepper, a little Monterey jack cheese, olive oil, soy milk and flour.
Is there anything better than the smell of garlic in hot olive oil?
It was on the table in less than 30 minutes, have to love that. Pete sided it with Hempler’s hot dogs (for those of you that eat meat, Pete swears by these guys, they are no-nitrate too), and I thought while eating it that soy hotdogs would be a nice accompaniment to it for me. Too bad there won’t be a next time *sigh*.
Definitely an eye pleaser dish, good for company, well maybe not my company unless they like sitting in a death cloud.
I thought this was an appropriate song for this entry, at least the title…
I have a skin disease, specifically Ichthyosis. I had an epiphany in the bathroom this morning while I was getting ready to take Owen to toddler school. My thought process went like this (as it always does before exiting the house into public, minus the epiphany)…
Ugh
OK what can I do to hide all this peeling
scrub face? or is it too far gone and will make it worse?
too far gone
load on Aquaphor and hope it holds
how do I hide the shine Aquaphor has created?
don’t
I wonder what the other mom’s think at his school
why doesn’t anyone ever ask me about my skin when it is so obvious?
That one mom always stares at my hands, WHY WON’T SHE JUST FUCKING ASK ME?
Why am I getting pissed?
This needs to stop
Maybe I will make a t-shirt explaining my disease
sigh
I should get this off my chest and expose my feelings to the internet
epiphany, something I always try to hide….out in the open air of the internet might lead me to be open about it in public
So that is a typical thought process, it can vary for all kinds of reasons.
I want to talk about things that I think and feel as I go through life with this affliction, I also will describe, in detail, my disease. You might think I am playing the worlds tiniest violin, but I am not looking for sympathy at all, I have received sympathy my entire life to do with my skin, it makes me sick to get it actually. So, The details of it first. I was born with it, it is not contagious, I apparently have a mutated gene as it is no where else in my family history (at least as far as I know), it is basically VERY dry skin all over my body, as for appearance the bottom of my feet are the worst, my hands a close second, my neck third. In the winter I crack and bleed in places that fold or rub on clothing, my feet get big deep fissures that fucking kill with every step. The only part of my body that sweats is my upper lip, this causes me to overheat very fast when ever I am in a situation that causes my core to heat up (exercise, hot days etc, I once passed out from being too hot thanks to a negligent gym teacher). If I am not careful in the summer…well you know what could happen. That is about it in a nutshell.
How this has played on my personality and insecurities, you can probably imagine. I thankfully wasn’t incessantly teased as a child for it, I was fortunate to go to the same school for many years and therefore all my classmates just got used to it. There was the occasional tease, but I would say that didn’t affect me as much because at least they were acknowledging it. That has to be the worst part, people staring and not acknowledging it. To this day it happens and I hate it so much. I was talking to the pediatrician (not our regular) and she was looking at my hands and neck and everywhere but my eyes while talking to me, it is so painfully obvious when someone is looking at me in wonder, but she should have asked! it is so incredibly rude, I wanted to fucking stuff her stethoscope down her fucking neck, yep! I sure did. She never asked me, a doctor never asked me. There are a few fucked up things people have done to me but I don’t want to go into them simply because I don’t feel like re-living them. The social aspects of this disease just about suck. I live in a world where skin should be perfect, every girlfriend I have struggles with and makes comments on their own skin afflictions, too oily, too dry, acne, blotchy, broken capillaries, combination skin, I nod as if I understand, I don’t. The skin care industry is insane, they must make money hand over fist. Me? I use Aquaphor, $14 a pop and insurance won’t pay for it because it is not prescription and being born with it makes it a pre-existing condition. Aquaphor is the last thing most people would ever lather across their face, I have to use it on my entire body. It is the only thing that keeps me comfortable, especially in the winter. I have spent my life trying to hide my skin however possible. All my clothes pretty much cover me as much as possible and I dread summer fashion. I have a bunch of tattoos, I suppose I thought they would distract from my skin condition, the opposite happened, go figure. I understand why I am insecure about my skin, it’s this fucked up image driven society we live in. But lately I am so tired of feeling this way, I want to magically have the courage to wear a tank top and shorts in public. Sadly I don’t think I ever will, as much as try to not be affected by people staring, I am. I’m not trying to hold a pity party, seriously, I realize that there are many worse things I could have, but I don’t, this is what I have and this is how it affects me. I thank my lucky stars daily that I have a husband that helps me put lotion on my back, tells me how sexy and beautiful I am on a daily basis and doesn’t care how I feel to the touch. He is sometimes my only confidence.
I know that this is something I will never be able to just ‘get over’, but I am trying to accept it for what it is, I am trying really hard.
Next time you meet someone with an obvious affliction that is not the norm, kick that fucking elephant right out the room, you have no idea how much they will thank you.
I met Grechen for coffee today in Georgetown, a nice little neighborhood in south Seattle. The neighborhood sits directly next to Boeing Airfield and the planes were eerily close as they landed. Fantagraphics is next door so we perused the comics, I ended up purchasing a new Acme Novelty book. The sun decided to rear it’s seemingly non-existent self and we decided to take a walk. I’m such a sucker for an urban setting with camera in hand, so you are graced with another picture heavy post.
Exhibit A: Lovely felt knitted stacking cups, made for me by Grechen. They are absolutely precious and I don’t throw that word around lightly. She also made me a cupcake scarf that I will photograph and post sooner than later.
Exhibit B: A forgotten little stencil in a tucked away corner window of the Coffee Shop.
Exhibit C: The god damn fucking boogie man.
Exhibit D: Machinery that someone cared enough about to make even more beautiful with painted flowers. Those were the days, eh?
Exhibit E: Holy Mother spotted with easter bunny!
Exhibit F: Khalo’s got your back.
Exhibit G: had to crop it just right to get this type of humor
giving Owen flour and empty containers so I can make Blueberry Coffeecake. I assembled a box of cheap kitchen utensils from the thrift store a while back, one of the best investments I have made. Not only does it keep Owen out of my hair, August watches in wonder, 2 birds 1 stone. The one draw back, flour and hardwood floors don’t mix, I have almost eatin’ it twice in the last hour, yeesh that shit is slippier than ice.
