What a lovely dinner we had at our little French restaurant. We invited friends to join us and a good time was had by all. We enjoyed good food, good wine, good friends.

We hadn’t gotten together with them in awhile and had much to catch up on. We don’t go out much, but when we do we we generally make it good.

Dinner was so quiet that I shot my peas across the table for excitement and yelled “food fight!”  It escalated as Jim retaliated with a shower of peas and carrots of his own which stuck to my hair and caused me to spill my wine. Damn, that was fun but messy!

Oh, yeah. That was only in my head.  We’re not really a slapstick kind of couple.

We did engage in some quiet conversation, but for whatever reason, there was no fire in the air tonight.  Maybe last week’s road trip finally caught up with us and we just need to recharge our batteries.  Jake’s been feeling a little off these past few days, as have I.

Tomorrow is a new day.

“Where’s the centerpiece?” Jim asked during dinner. I never realized he observed such mundane things. I explained that I had removed the “autumn” centerpiece and packed it away for the season and that I had not yet unpacked the Christmas decorations. Thought I’d give the house a good cleaning this weekend before bringing in more clutter. Nice that he noticed, though.

We also talked about the blogging opportunity which has come my way. It’s an exciting adventure I can’t wait to embark upon. Naturally, when the ink is dry on the contract, details will follow on Conversations Over Dinner.

All in all, a very pleasant dinner with a wonderful man. Tonight we’ll watch an episode of “House” and no doubt indulge in some popcorn. It’s the little things in life which bring the most contentment.

How wonderful it was to be back at our own kitchen table with our simple, healthy meals!

Now, back in our comfortable kitchen, with the two cats, we enjoyed our meal and sipped our wine in the peaceful atmosphere of our home.

I received an email today which knocked my socks off!. I’ve been offered a blogging job with a high profile site. More details will follow when the signature is on the contract, but right now, it’s exciting enough that someone thinks my writing will add interest to their site.

Our economy is facing difficulty in the housing market, the stock market, the price of gas in turn driving up prices on many other products and services, the dropping value of the dollar, the rising cost of health care….the list is a lengthy one. Then there are the endless recalls on toys just before the holiday shopping season.

Perhaps the time has come to rethink the whole thing. Perhaps the madness of going into debt in order to over-indulge ourselves and our children with material possessions should be reigned in. Gifts are a wonderful part of our Christmas ritual, but maybe the economy can help us put things in their proper perspective this year.

Sometimes less really is more.

Dinner was not unpleasant, but my continued MS related symptoms kept things subdued.

We have an electric stove with a flat surface, and while preparing dinner, I placed our dinner plates on the front burner of the stove and the vegetable steamer on the back burner. In a senior moment, I put the front burner…on high…rather than the back burner. This resulted in an explosion as the dinner plates became overheated, cracked and pieces literally flew across the room. This did nothing to help my poor self image of late.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING !

Did you know that “most of the nearly two–billion children in the developing world are inadequately educated, or receive no education at all. One in three does not complete the fifth grade.”

Those are sobering statistics. One group, called ‘One Laptop Per Child’ has set out to do something about this situation. Led by their founder and chairman, Nicholas Negroponte, OLPC has a mission, and it’s pretty much just what it’s name states. They want to give a laptop computer to each and every one of those children. Sounds crazy, huh? Well, it’s not.

OLPC has developed an absolutely incredible laptop that, if you could buy one, would sell at a fraction of what you would expect. Ruggedly built, incorporating software specifically tailored to help a child learn, to expand their minds beyond their immediate situation, this laptop… this company… has begun their mission.

The holidays are here and One Laptop Per Child needs your help. They’re making you an incredible LIMITED TIME OFFER.

Between November 12 and November 26, OLPC is offering a Give One Get One program in the United States and Canada. During this time, you can donate the revolutionary XO laptop to a child in a developing nation, and also receive one for the child in your life in recognition of your contribution.

Go to LaptopGiving.org to learn more. What a great gift to give the world.

Thursday, November 8, 2007, Dinner: 6:00 pm, Blog: 6:45 pm

At last, a palatable dinner was served! (At least I think so. Sometimes I’m not sure until I read Jake’s post.) Since I’ve been been having such a hard time in the kitchen lately, I decided to reach for that old reliable standby — pasta! What else would you serve an Italian?

With our cabinets all but bare, I was hard pressed for ingredients for a decent meal. So, some boneless, skinless chicken breasts got sliced up and sauteed in olive oil, garlic, onions, basil and black pepper. Meanwhile, Bairlla Pasta Plus, a multi-grain pasta, was boiling away. Put it all together, add some grated cheese, and voila — a successful meal at last.

I drank a glass of wine with dinner, but I think I’ll have to cut that out soon, with my MS acting up. I need every ounce of strength I can muster at this point and wine is too relaxing.

Conversation revolved around the French restaurant website and some other web work Jake has found himself involved in. He’s looking great today and seems in high spirits, though he spoke about the economy and his concerns for our investments. Such is life.

We are heading out to the grocery store tonight. It’s a cold autumn evening and I think I may just pull out a warmer coat. With my legs acting up I don’t know how I’ll fare on the shopping trip.

The ship listed to one side this evening when I spoke to my mother about coming up for Thanksgiving. My mom is the world’s least complaining person. You could cut her right arm off and she’d tell you she’s fine. Tonight, however, she seemed to be warning me of what to expect — her hands don’t work so well, she’s often fatigued, feels weak and lightheaded, can’t see well…..and so on. For her to speak that way means she’s not doing well at all.

She told me to expect a change from the last time I saw her one year ago. I didn’t mention that at that time I had already seen a change. As I told Jim that, plus a few other family tidbits, he starter to waiver on wanting to go up for Thanksgiving. Next thing you know we’re questioning if we truly want to move there. It’s a discussion I just don’t want to have anymore. We’ve talked about it so long that I don’t know if I even care at this point.

Then the ship rolled over to the other side when I opened that fish wrapped in aluminum foil that I thawed for dinner. Why hadn’t I read that tag I put on it? It clearly said ONE piece of tilapia. Great — one piece of fish for two people!

Then the ship’s nose took a dive when I dropped half the spinach in the sink. The sink had dirty dishes in it and I just couldn’t bring myself to serve it, rinsed or not.

So, as the ship began to take on water, I announced that dinner, if you could call it that, was ready, but that Jake had better plan on a large bowl of popcorn tonight.

Conversation was light and the mood was less than bubbly. Jim seemed completely preoccupied by the conference call he’d just finished. Guess he’s got a new client — one who will require a lot of work and will certainly challenge him, which I take as a good thing.

With the last sputtering of the ship, dinner was over.

We had lunch at 2:30 this afternoon at our little French restaurant. It was relaxing and fun and the food was heavenly. Come dinnertime, we just weren’t hungry enough to make the effort. Jim’s been talking about munching on some leftovers and maybe we’ll pop some corn later. Probably when tonight’s episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” runs.

Smokey and Bandit went crazy at 5:00 pm, thinking it was their dinnertime. We feed them at 6:00 pm, but they just aren’t privy to the time change situation. It’s really quite amazing and I’ll be curious to see if they readjust their inner clocks tomorrow.

We cracked open the wine at 6:00, a glass of red for Jim, a glass of white for me, and we’ve been at our respective macs ever since.

Dinner was…how shall I put this…interesting. At least to me.

I spent the day cleaning and was not really in the mood to cook. I defrosted boneless, skinless chicken breasts and I wished I hadn’t. So boring! Once I got in the kitchen, however, I was inspired to make something delicious out of them. I took out a frying pan and covered the bottom with extra virgin olive oil. Then I added the chicken breasts, chopped garlic, chopped onions, sliced mushrooms, black pepper and tomato paste. I topped it off with provolone. The kitchen smelled heavenly and I was really happy about the result.

That is, until I saw Jim put his third bite into his mouth. I could have sworn I saw pink. Horrors! I turned his plate around for a better view and, sure enough…pink! I, who prides myself on the safest kitchen in town. I, who should own stock in kitchen disinfectants. I, who carefully prepares meats and poultry, had just served my beloved husband undercooked chicken!

Further inspection revealed that my chicken breast was perfect. So, back into a pan went his. Jim told me to go ahead and eat mine while he heated his through. While it was cooking he indulged in a small alcoholic beverage to “kill the germs”. Ah, that felt better. Jim has a tendency to overcook things, so his chicken turned out to be a crushing disappointment.

It was good for a few laughs at my expense and I do have a sense of humor, but make no mistake about it — I’ll be even more vigilant about my poultry in the future. I’ll keep a watchful eye on Jim tonight, too!

In my internet travels today I came upon a blog called, “Women Over 40 Rock!”, by In The Trenches Productions, which celebrates the power and beauty of women over 40. I was drawn to one post in particular titled, “What Are We Telling Young Women?” Just how we did we get to the point where young, attractive women, still in their teens and twenties, are lining up for cosmetic surgeries at alarming rates. Botox injections, nose jobs, tummy tucks, liposuction and the ever-popular breast augmentation to name a few.

Nature just didn’t make them good enough. Their lips need plumping, their lines need erasing, their natural breasts are too small, their thighs too large and regular visits to the tanning booth are a must! Get out the cookie cutter lest you let your uniqueness show. It’s sad that our young women allow themselves to fall prey to the fashion industry to such an extreme. It will take a major revolution to turn the tide, and we need to get started.

I’ve committed a fashion crime or two in my lifetime, but never even considered what, in my mind, appears to be self-mutilation. Now a bit older than 40 myself, I am aware of the passage of time and changes in my outward appearance, but I’ve earned those changes! I can’t compete with a 25 year-old, but I don’t want to. I look my age and I don’t have a problem with that.

Let’s see if we can instill a sense of confidence in the young women of today. Let’s abandon the cookie-cutter and celebrate our different sizes, shapes and unique attributes. Let’s change what we’re telling our young women about beauty.

Visit In The Trenches Productions to see what they’re all about.