Vacation

This week we've been out of school, along with the rest of Massachusetts (maybe New England, not sure). I love February vacation. Unfortunately, the longest and hardest stretch of the school year is the time between now and April vacation. It's the end of winter, and it's like 8 solid weeks with no days off. I know, all of you with regular jobs do it all the time, but I'll say it again... teaching is a whole different ballgame. Remember Arnold Schwarzenegger collapsing on the bed after his first day in "Kindergarten Cop"? Yes. Yes, yes, and yes.

Anyway, I've been slacking on the blog. Not much going on. Dieting is a boring storyline because it is slow as molasses. It's also part of the ugly side of being an American woman. European women don't talk about their weight. It's disgusting that we do as much as we do. I am convinced that body image is America's answer to the burqa. It's just a more subtle way of keeping us disempowered.

I've had to let go of the endeavor recently anyway, due to a horrendous cold I've had. It's been awesome to eat normally again. Back to the grind next week.

Let's talk about the kid.

She ROCKS MY SOCKS. We took her to the aquarium in Boston today, and she killed me with cuteness. Afterwards, we went to the North End for pizza. After an inital tantrum and time-out (which was me taking her outside-- it worked!), she was great. Great when we got home. Great all afternoon. She has started doing this thing where she lifts up her leg behind her and says "ballet!" thanks to Zoe on Sesame Street. When we read books to her, a lot of the time we'll leave the last word off each sentence for her to complete. Tonight at bedtime, she was reading the book to me the same way, so that I would say the last word. Funny. Kid has a sense of humor already. She still has enough of a temper to remind me that she's the same kid I gave birth to, but if she didn't, I'd be skeptical. She is actually turning into someone whose company I enjoy.

I realized how far I've come when we had to make sudden plans to go out of town this weekend. My lovely, funny, snarky aunt died yesterday morning and her funeral will be on Saturday. She'd had cancer for years and it finally got the best of her. It is so sucky and unfair since she was only 58, but somewhat of a relief since she was suffering so much at the end. Anyway, the question was whether we would all go down (it's a four-hour drive) or if I would go with my parents and Nick would stay here with Sascha. Against my better judgment, because I knew she would hate the long drive and sleeping in a strange house, I lobbied for them to go (and lost)... because I will miss her too much. Six months ago, or even two months ago, I'd have been all "oh, sorry Nick, I have to go" and be secretly happy about getting away for a few days. Now, we haven't even left yet and I already miss her. I never thought I'd get to this point.

This is unrelated, but I have to throw it in: I am so excited about Carla on "Top Chef." I haven't mentioned this before, because I didn't think she'd get this far, but she was in the class before me in culinary school! I know her! Not well, but I know her. I remember that she was very nice, very classy, and about six months after graduation she was already an executive chef at some hotel in DC. It is so fun to watch her succeed on that show, to know where she learned how to do certain things, and imagine how proud our instructors must be. L'Academie!! Represent!! Go Carla!!