Hec,

Are you still working near me?

Are you still working near me?

Not at the moment. Though that means I'm free to roam all over the place and could just as easily meet you downtown for something.

But if you're wanting to drop off French couture for Matilda you just might have to see her in person.

Also: I was in North Beach yesterday and decided that you, me, Juliana, Matilda and JZ need to go to this place called Melt. Traditional Fondue! (Also Welsh Rarebit) It looks super Neuchfatel.

I do remember brocolli and baked or mashed potatoes tasting awful when I was a kid. While I'll cop to having been a picky eater, those things specifically changed flavors when I hit my late teens and became favorite vegetables. Yellow squash and asparagus became tolerable too, though I still wouldn't sit down to a full plate of them like I would the former two.

I wonder how much childhood finickyness was due to texture issues, as a lot of the things my mom fixes to this day are odd consistencies and textures compared to what you'd get in a restaurant. Though that difference is a plus with foods that improve with overcooking like ham, meat loaf, and okra. (And I myself have never gotten the knack of cooking hamburgers or cornbread like she does, despite having been taught by her and performing every step in exactly the same fashion.)

ION...This past weekend I got to see my "baby" bother! I hadn't seen him or his wife since Jan 2007 as they are presently living in Edinburgh while John is working on his PhD at New College. I miss them so much and am so jealous that they've been living over there.

The big news is my s-i-l is expecting their first baby in September! (of course it will be at the same time John's dissertation is due) Right now Angela is in the 24/7 sickness stage. We are all hoping that gets better for her, soon.

So, it looks like they will be extended their stay in Scotland by at least 3 months. They figure taking advantage of the health care offered there (especially since Angela works at the Royal Infirmary in Radiology) is also to their advantage. By January 2009 they hope to be ready to return to the states and John will start working.

D drinks canned carrot juice. No, not carrot juice that comes in a can, but the juice from canned carrots. And green beans.

I can't STAND canned carrots and beans, and the juice?! Forget it! So gross.

He's an odd child.

He'll try just about anything (like his dad, not his uber-picky mom.) Before he had much in the way of solids, when he was barely crawling, he discovered salsa unattended. HUGE hit. He'd dip handfuls out and shove it in his mouth. And it was the hot kind!

He even tried crocodile (alligator?) at the meat'n'three my brother loves.

Sushi, however is a no go. He ordered it once, insistently. After one bite, he rejected it. My brother told him he orders, he eats. So he did. And it all came back up 10 minutes later. So my brother now has had to revise the eating out rules.

But if you're wanting to drop off French couture for Matilda you just might have to see her in person.

Yes, that is why I was asking (although it's summery and size 18 months so I suppose it can wait).

Also: I was in North Beach yesterday and decided that you, me, Juliana, Matilda and JZ need to go to this place called Melt. Traditional Fondue! (Also Welsh Rarebit) It looks super Neuchfatel.

This is also a good plan!

Congrats GG and family-of-brother-of-GG! (And, dude, perfect excuse for a trip to Scotland if there ever was one!)

Thanks, amych!!

perfect excuse for a trip to Scotland if there ever was one!

I thought so! Hmmmmmmm, Christmas in Edinburgh sounds good to me!

Yay new baby!

I totally outed my brother as a slacker at a seminar today. I'd sent him an email entitled "resale value" knowing full well he'd think it referred to a car or computer. The contents referred to my head now having a resale value. He started laughing in the middle of the hall.

Congrats GG on impending auntdom! And amych is so totally right. It's only natural that you go to Scotland in '09!

Did you guys know that this year is the International Year of the Potato?

I celebrated with French Fries.

Mmmmm. . .