Burn Baby Burn.....Pasta Inferno

It's been a hectic week. I just finished off my first week at work. Tony was responsible for dinner tonight. On the menu, pasta with anchovies, red pepper flakes and lots and lots of garlic. I always tell him "Don't be cheap with the garlic." Tonight was no exception. He chopped up a whole head of garlic, chopped up the anchovies and for the final touch, was supposed to add some red chili flakes. He wasn't paying attention and half a bottle went into it. It changed the color of the oil to a nice shade of red. What to do? Do we trash it and just have it with garlic and oil or do we suck it up (literally) and experience the loss of sensation to the mouth?

We ate it. Matthew threw in the towel after about two bites. Tony ate it but kept drinking water. I ate it, finished it and am now able to call them wimps. I don't understand what the problem is. Perhaps because I can't feel my lips now I have no sympathy for them.

Celebrate!

Matthew is one very lucky kid. Most kids have to contend with just one birthday party, this kid usually gets to celebrate his birthday at least three times, if not more. We got together with Deborah tonight to have dinner at Brasitas, Matthew's favorite restaurant. Though I must say, Deborah and I can categorize it as one of our favorites as well. We all love the fried plantains with fresh salsa. Mary joined us as well. It was a great reunion. Deborah and Mary haven't seen each other in a while and since I'll be working with Mary at Pitney Bowes, I got a chance to pick her brain about the office.

We had a great dinner, caught up with all the gossip and then we celebrated Matthew and Deborah's birthday. The restaurant sent over three different types of desserts to celebrate and the staff sang to Matthew and Deborah. Pretty special.

Happy Birthday Matthew

It's hard to believe that my baby, Matthew is now 12 years old. The time has flown by so quickly that it's been a complete blur. Yet, all my memories are so vivid, it is like it just happened moments ago. The teenage years are around the corner and though I don't want it to happen, he is truly growing up too quickly. I know the next few years will be the battle of the wills but he'll soon be off to college before we know it.

Matthew had a really tough day at school on his birthday. Three exams, a religion project due, two classes where the English and religion teacher spent the entire time yelling at all the kids in class. He wasn't feeling well and to add insult to injury, his best friends in school forgot it was his birthday. He went to school expecting to find notes stuck to his locker (apparently this is the thing that kids do to acknowledge birthdays) and he found nothing. He felt so abandoned. It didn't matter that he received birthday wishes from his favorite teacher, Mr. Monteith, our friends from China and our friends and family in the U.S. He was very, very distraught. It was pretty damned hard to watch as he expressed his disappointment in his friends. Though Tony and I tried to explain that middle school is completely different from the elementary school, teachers aren't constantly reminding you of the daily activities and yes, kids CAN be insensitive. It didn't make him feel better. So, to boost his spirits, we went to dinner at Dave & Buster's (the ultimate Vegas for kids) and May and the kids joined us. It worked, since it did get him out of the funk. He won over 6,200 tickets and happily went to cash in his tickets for his prize.

We had another celebration today at home with extended members of our family. He got the Indiana Jones cake that he wanted, I got the sunny day that I requested and all our loved ones were there to shower him with love and best wishes. He is definitely in better spirits than yesterday and I hope that he can return to school on Monday and be able to forgive his friends. I just know that this is one of the many lessons that he will have to learn during these next few years. I only hope that it will help shape him to become a fine young man that I know that he will become.

Screeching Halt

Well, my days as a "tai tai", "woman of leisure", "kept woman" will be coming to a screeching halt.  After months of searching for a job, I am very, very happy to say that I have found one, and it is in town. I will be working at Pitney Bowes. The best part is that I will be working with my former colleague, Mary from International Paper, I will be able to be home in less than 20 minutes and most of all, I can be there for Matthew in case of an emergency.

I will start my new job on Monday the 16th. My days of wearing flip flops, jeans and tee shirts will be limited to weekends only and not on a full time basis as I have been practicing. It's time to get squeezed back into the corporate suits. My suits will go for a ride now instead of sitting in the closet collecting dust. I am happy that I will be gaining some financial independence. Don't get me wrong, Tony has been keeping me in style but it is always nice to be able to contribute to the pot. The sad part is now that I am going back to work, the daily gourmet meals will come to a screeching halt and be limited to weekends only. Maybe that's not such a bad thing.

I am really grateful that in this dire economy, I was able to find a position. I was not happy being a kept woman and most of all, I tip my hat off to my friends who have adapted to the lifestyle of being a stay at home mom. I, for one, can't stay in the house and it was really starting to grate on me. Two years in China was one thing, but being home in the U.S. and not have a job, uh, that doesn't sit well with me.

So, now that I will be earning a paycheck, I look forward to stimulating the economy!