Homemade

Today is the morning before David's 30th Birthday.  And, because I want to make this birthday special, outstanding, and memorable for my love, I have decided to take care of him all weekend starting with a delicious homemade breakfast sandwich: Croissant,  organic eggs, organic cheddar, and the best bacon ever "Nature's Rancher."

While this is not for David's birthday.  It is the beef provencal I made on Monday.  Talk about a delicious, savory meal that warms the soul.  It is super easy and the flavors demand attention.  Saute an onion and six garlic cloves, brown two pounds of chuck beef, add a can of diced tomatoes, a cup of wine, and tie a celery stick, bay leaf, and some thyme together.  Cover this for two hours.  After 120 minutes prepare yourself for a fabulous meal that will definitely make it into your regular rotation!

Bookstore

My favorite stop on the weekend is this local bookstore.  Every time I go in with David, we lose hours.  Browsing possible titles, stories, and characters is consuming.  It is always hard to leave (without an armful of books!).  Today was a different type of visit. Instead of simply book shopping, we spent time browsing the kitsch section for Christmas stocking stuffers.  There were amazing finds to be found. It was a productive, imaginative, and exciting weekend excursion.  Walking home hand-in-hand, all the way home, we drank hot chocolate, laughed, and enjoyed the last moments of the weekend before the reality of work came creeping in to steal each of us away.  Two days home together is just never enough.  But at least visits to the bookstore can be savored.

Spanish Moss

My second term class just started.  This is always a weird time of year for me.  I feel comfortable and content with my students from the first term.  We have a rhythm together.  The good, the bad, the mischievous are predictable now. But, now there is this new crop of kids who seems so unfamiliar. It will be a curious experiment as the eighteen of us journey through American History.  At first unsettling but hopefully soon a similar comfort will arise from this group despite first impressions. The irony is we are starting the course all over again: 1492, Columbus, Native Americans, Spanish Moss.

Breakfast

Sunday Guilty Pleasure: Apricot & Almond Tart

 Gooey, sweet, flaky, and delicious

Thanksgiving in the Woods

Drive Down from Boston to Florida.  Two sleepy heads did not help drive.

Soon to be Stuffing. My favorite side dish.

Alyza

Turkey in a Beer Keg = 3 hour cook time

Miniature Wolverine Bite

Target Practice

Tom Turkey

Local Cows and Donkey ringing in the holiday

Warmth

Kitchen Nightmares

Funny that it should happen on Halloween.  Last night, our perfect cooking streak came to a disastrous end. My night at the helm and I totally bomb it. I should have known there was something wrong in the air when neither David nor I could decide on even the genre of food we wanted for dinner.  We were perhaps not hungry at all but compelled to eat out of a nightly habit. Regardless, I thought it would be delightful to cook my favorite restaurant dish, Pad Thai. In the back of my mind, I thought, if this works and I become a master Pad Thai chef then we will never have to eat out for my Asian noodles again.

It started out so promising.  I sauteed the bite sized chicken in a skillet with some peanut oil, salt, and pepper.  Placing it aside, I cooked up three scrambled eggs and added it to my chicken.  Next, came the sautéing of the of the shrimp with garlic. Finally, I sauteed the scallions and bean sprouts.  This mixture all together in a bowl looked like the makings of a delicious Pad Thai.  I cooked and drained the noodles and then fried them in a skillet with fish sauce, tamarind paste, and sugar as the recipe called for.  The house smelled delicious and I had not made any unintended mess as is my usual custom in the kitchen.

Finally, plating my noodles it was time to taste it with David.  I was giddy with delight imagining how delicious and accurate it would taste.  I spun some noodles onto my fork, stabbed a chicken piece and took my first bite. It was disgusting!  That's right, it was practically inedible. The dish smelled fine but it tasted sour, spongy, and just plain unappetizing. What a major disappointment!  We ended up tossing out about half of the dish in the trash which was so tragic.  But, I just could not force myself or David to eat that dish.  Instead, we headed over to Whole Foods and bought a carton of Rocky Road ice cream.  It was Halloween after all so why not permit ourselves the treat!  At least our nightmare had a sweet end...

Like a Man

Tonight we cooked up the first recipe from our newest cookbook, Eat Like a Man by Esquire Magazine. While I was busy all evening working on my lesson plans for tomorrow, grading essays on International Trade/Globalization, and preparing quizzes, David was busy being the home-maker. Taking the dogs out for a walk, doing the laundry, and cooking dinner were David's activities on this cold Sunday in Boston. Of course, he squeezed in some time on the X Box too.

In the Middle of my essay grading, I began to smell it.  The delicious steak and potatoes recipe adapted from Tom Colicchio being prepped just around the corner from me.  When I finally finished my work after 7 hours, the house was filled with the aroma of roasting meat, baking potatoes, caramelized onions, crisp bacon, and balsamic glaze.  I highly recommend this recipe for a hardy meal like a man (that a woman can enjoy too!)

Adapted from cookbook: Season a 10 oz skirt steak with salt and pepper and add oil to a skillet. When the oil is hot, sear the meat on both sides for about 4 minutes. Add butter and some fresh thyme and baste steak while cooking it for another 3 minutes. Remove steak from heat. Wiping the skillet clean, cook the bacon (torn into bite sized bits) until crisp, put a handful or so of fingerling potatoes cup in half flesh side down in skillet with the crisped bacon for 4 minutes. Then stir the potatoes and cook for another 4 minutes or until golden looking.  Add some sliced red onions to skillet until caramelized 10- 15 minutes, stirring the mixture together throughout that time. Lower heat, add some garlic cloves and once you can smell them cooking, add 5 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and reduce.  Top the mixture with the steak and serve it up for a delicious flavorful meal!

Sunday Treat

My favorite place to go for breakfast on Sundays is Athan's Bakery in Brookline.  Grabbing a seat next the big floor to ceiling windows while gazing out to the street creates the feeling as though I was sitting in a cafe in Europe somewhere.  Some days, I pretend it is Paris and others Florence.  But, each Sunday I don my comfy yoga pants and riding boots and stroll over to the cafe with David. Today in particular was delightful.  Snow on the ground and our breathe visible in the air, the walk to the cafe was exhilarating. Our cheeks rosy from the chill, we enter to the smell of coffees and pastries. There is simply no better way to spend a lazy Sunday morning then sitting together over delicious, flaky chocolate croissants while sipping our hot chocolate and vanilla latte! Afterward, not quite ready to head home we took the long way....

Cooking Mania

It has finally come, David's cooking hobby!  I am super excited about this one.  Every couple of months, David is consumed in a new hobby.  So far I have seen: chess, guitar, lock picking, watch work, application development, rock climbing, knitting, bread making, halo on X box, learning braille, learning ancient Greek, finance/stock market studies and learning Italian.  But, finally we have arrived at general cooking. Unlike his other hobbies which have at times irritated me as a result of his obsessive desire to commit to each activity all night long, cooking is something I can get behind.  Last weekend, after making our delicious lunch, we took a walk to a nearby bookstore and bought three excellent cookbooks. I purchased Power Foods by the Editors of Whole Living Magazine.  So far I have prepared two of their breakfast treats.  To add some crunch to my Greek yogurt, I toasted quinoa in the oven for 15 minutes with honey and safflower oil.  And, today I prepared a delicious protein berry shake made with a cup of mixed berries, silken tofu, pomegranate juice, flaxseeds, and ginger.  It was fabulous.  David purchased the book Eat Like a Man by Esquire Magazine.  We have yet to try something from this book, but I was able to convince David to buy How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.  This is seriously a fantastic book!  The size of two dictionaries and filled with literally every recipes you could imagine, David has been cooking up a storm in the kitchen.  I am so excited because we are finally committing in a real way to our healthier eating.  And, to be honest, it is so much fun seeing how happy he is when the recipes are ready to taste. Each one has been delicious. One of my favorites of his so far was a Chicken, Sausage, and Shrimp Jambalaya.  Like I said, I am keeping my fingers crossed that this hobby lasts for a long long while. It is delicious, fun, and finally making the right changes in our home together =)

The Finished Product

Lunch

Today, David and I decided to have a "healthy" and homemade lunch.  The afternoon meal is always hard for us.  I have no problem eating a sandwich or a salad but for David the lunch time meal needs to be something more than that like chili.  This afternoon, we decided to make a "bruschetta" with a salad and some hard salami as an appetizer.  We were both satisfied and delighted by our shared meal =)

Salad:
Baby spinach with halved cherry tomatoes, some goat cheese marinated with red chili pepper and olive oil, topped with chopped walnuts and fresh lemon and lime juice as a dressing.

Salami:
Sliced hard spicy salami from Whole Foods

"Bruschetta":
Halved small french baguette, topped with fresh slices of tomato  and basil, and topped with fresh buffalo mozzarella.  This was baked together for approximately 8-10 minutes until the cheese was well melted in a toaster oven.

Fresh, easy, delicious, pretty, healthy, and a repeat for tomorrow!

Be Kind & Drink Wine

Yesterday and today have been funny days.  Parent-teacher conferences are a bizarre ritual and dance in which both parties desire to be understood, to be heard, and most importantly not to be judged.  The teacher sits there with a perceived authority on matters. Yet, I am a work in progress myself.  Never did I think that this occupation was that of a judge.  But, today, as with yesterday, my role is murky.  There is all of this data.  From papers, to projects, to presentations, to effort, to observations, to anxiety level, to work ethic that I have collected like a scientist. Sitting at the end of a long desk waiting to deliver my diagnosis, I wait for the parents to come in.

Sometimes in sets of two, sometimes just one, they enter the classroom and lose 20-30 years of their own identity.  Instead of two adults meeting, at times, it seems like they revert to their own high school identity.  The anxieties from their experiences bubble up to the surface.  Sitting across from each other is always an awkward start. But, thankfully this is not my first year.  I am no longer that scared, nervous, sweating, heart-racing teacher who feels a panic attack cut off my throat with every new set of parents.  I have learned a valuable lesson in my short three years: Be Kind. 

Both of us are extremely vulnerable.  I am baring open my oftentimes private class to the eyes of these parents. Am I doing a good job?  Am I reaching their child?  Do they believe in me as the teacher? And, they, not even thinking about my fears, doubts, and worries, ponder: Does this person care about my child?  Does she understand my child? Does she realize that this child is an extension of myself and to which I have placed all of my love and hopes for the future?  While I don't have children of my own,  each year, I only learn more how important these young men and women are more and more to their parents, their community...and me.

I try in every meeting to be kind to the parents and to be kind to the students during the term they are in my class. Is it a perfect system...no. But, every now and then a parent comes in who is totally focused on how the emotional health of their child is playing out and I know that kindness and support are more important to the success of their child than knowing any date(s) in History.  If a student feels supported, feels kindness, and is genuinely challenged based on their needs, I really do believe they will do well and grow as an individual learner.  It is so hard setting standards for letter grades then, and grading becomes harder and harder every year for me.  I do not like the judgement role I oftentimes am forced to take as a teacher.  I prefer the experiences in the classroom far more. 

Perhaps that is why these two days are particularly draining and challenging for me. I want every message home to be: You are able to do this.  I don't know yet in my own personal development as an educator if I am doing this well. The anxiety of perfection and seeking approval is still very much a part of my experience. I can only imagine how much so it is for my students. But, I am trying to listen well, do good work, and be kind along the way.  Hopefully this outlook will bring not only success to me but to my students. And this will hopefully put their parents at ease too.

With only 3 more parents to go, I am beginning to feel relief.  Just a few short hours until I can finally unwind.  At least the tension in my neck has stayed away.  Perhaps this is a sign of personal growth. And, tonight I am happy to have a glass of wine after these long, reflective, and quirky days....

Columbus Day

October in New England is a beautiful time of year. This weekend was an "Indian Summer."  My parents flew in from Ohio and we had a truly wonderful weekend together.  It is amazing how much we were able to do in just two days and then again today.  It has been a wonderful long weekend.

A stroll through Harvard Square

Apple pie from Russell's Farm

Chatham, MA

The biggest lobster roll ever!

The Lighthouse

Look out point

The dunes

Sky

New England

The Awkward Cowl

The first knitting project of the season is complete. I have worked on this peice on and off for about a month. Cowl's seem to be "in" this winter so I made one. It was fun to make but I am not sure exactly if I like the cowl. It looks good and I made few mistakes with this piece, but cowls are sort of awkward. But, hey it is homemade so I am proud.

Chubby

This happens often.  I like to pretend that I least expect it. But, I have been in this very place before.  It is called chubby.  That's right, currently I have the feeling of chubbiness.  While it is hard to describe, I often feel full around the middle and uncomfortable in my clothes.  Ten pounds plus is usually when I feel it.  That feeling that nothing but my yoga pants are comfortable.  Sometimes, I think it is a punishment.  Was I judgmental to someone?  Is this why I am currently weighed down by my extra pounds.  Is it the psychic? Did he in his rant on yelp.com put a hex on me?  No, it is none of the above.  The culprit is always the same.  They usually come as a pair: Restaurants and noodles.  Yes, I am a glutton for noodles.  The craving runs deep through my Italian blood down to my very DNA.  There is never a day I don't crave them.  It's twin evil is the restaurant.  Tired from work I tend to avoid cooking. I love to cook.  I truly enjoy it despite my numerous disasters and meltdowns in the kitchen.  But, from Monday to Friday I see myself weaseling out of this integral task.  The Publick House, Jimmy's, Athan's, Chill, Tasty Burger, and Brown Sugar taunt me on my drive home from work with their easy ways. And, I succumb to them.  Then usually after two or three weeks of this binge-fest, I awaken from my comma of carbs and realize my pants don't fit. Ten pounds goes on so quickly and comes off so slowly.  I always tell myself today is the day to stop eating like it doesn't matter.  But something usually sets me off.  Friends can be trouble too.  I love them all, but often our hanging out involves food and my good intentions go down with my scoops of ice cream. Today though the wall of determination was struck.  Like in previous times, I need to get to a certain point where I simply cannot take the discomfort any longer.  I usually feel this way in the bathroom drying my hair in front of the mirror.  I rush out into the living room and demand that David and I start caring again about our intake.  Particularly since it is so connected to our overall health and perhaps my darling cervix. We pinky swear to eat veggies all week and to cook for ourselves again. We pinky swear to go for a jog regardless of the weather conditions.  And, I know that we are on the upswing from our downward spiral.  I know this because we have been on that upswing before too.  We are good partners for this part just as we are good partners in our bingeing. Hopefully, fingers-crossed these good eating habits will stick this time!

So good bye delicious frump from last night's dinner party & good-bye delicious rocket pizza from yesterday too.  You are too tasty but too plumpish-making for us to continue our friendship.

Rich

I am a bit of a stalker.  I went to school once upon a time with this girl Nicole.  It is hard to place her.  Perhaps she was not in my high school after all.  In high school, I never thought it was possible to forget a single one of those kids.  How would I ever forget their names?  Yet, here I am struggling to place Nicole.  I know that I went to her sweet 16 celebration.  But, I remember that at that point she went to her local public school and wasn't at my Catholic High School any more.  Did I know her from some extracurricular?  Regardless of where she exists in my past, I am her Facebook friend.  The newsfeed two weeks ago showed a picture of her recently made and totally delicious looking dessert.  Since seeing this image, I have been following her blog "Truffle Honey."  She posts fairly frequently.  But, I feel somewhat like a voyeur. Along with her images of food are photos of friends and family.  It is funny how I know that I knew her, but now I only "know" her through her posts on food.

I tried her recipe on cookie dough truffles this weekend.  They looked so decadent and the recipe seemed simple enough to follow.  I felt like a pro watching the travel channel's baking competitions while baking myself.  There I was melting the rich dark chocolate, rolling the cookie dough balls, and waiting for everything to settle in the freezer.  They were delicious but so rich.  Half of a truffle and my stomach felt full, warm and complete. Now, how long will it take to eat through all that I have made?  Thank you Nicole, my long ago friend, for a delicious treat.

Bella

Outside this morning with Bella reminded me of how much she has grown.  Nibbling on the acorns that have just begun to fall, a stranger asks how old she is and is surprised when I say two years old. My perpetual puppy is anxious like me, cuddly, neurotic, and playful.  Right now she is beside me on the couch. Possessively gnawing on her bone. This is her favorite pastime. Her neurosis will keep her exactly like this for hours. Just another Saturday morning...

Sucker for a Cure

Finally after almost 3 weeks of being back to school, I have a moment...that is right a moment, to write a blog post. Allow me to give you the obligatory update on life at school before diving into the topic I am more keen on writing about.  This year, I am powering through two eleventh grade classes and one freshman class.  For the first time ever, I am feeling "confident" in the classroom.  I know as I write that word, I am nervous.  As though if writing it, it will make that feeling disappear. Perhaps what is better to say is that I am appreciative, genuinely appreciative of the students.  Having 9th graders, I am able to see how vulnerable they are.  So many pressures await them everyday.  From walking the halls, to participating in class, to the most intense pressure of them all the lunch room, they must make decisions that navigate this social jungle. During today's class meeting, this became so evident to me.  The candidates talked about how they would work through student council to help their classmates feel less intimidated by the upperclassmen. I appreciate this honesty and this reminder that while they are students, confident and capable, they are also children seeking approval, support, and kindness. This is something that they don't always get from their peers, but I hope is always demonstrated by their teachers. And, which I feel more confident this year in providing.  Not having to merely keep my head above water, I am looking forward to a year that is full of work but hopefully full of connections too.

Part of why I feel as though I am no longer merely holding my head above water day to day is because I have started working with Healing Roots Acupuncture of Watertown. Usually, by the end of the day, I feel as though a spool inside of me is spooling up so quickly, tightening my left shoulder into stiff, uncomfortable knots. These knots and anxiety were exhausting. Each day the spasms in my neck would get worse and I felt like I was slowly becoming more and more debilitated. I felt I could not thoroughly enjoy my work because I was too worried about doing my work each day. And the reminder in my shoulder blade did not help this situation. Then I met Terry, my acupuncturist/pharmacist. Initially, I sought her out to assist me in my quest to end my cervical dysplasia, but now as we work through my emotional blocks, I see that in order to heal a piece of me, I must work through all of me. While David thinks this is all hocus pocus, Terry practices Nambudripad’s Allergy Elmination Technique (NAET) and Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET).  Pretty much, I go in and lay down.  I raise my arm and she asks me a series of questions to which my arm will have various reactions and will indicate if I need an adjustment to my spine, an organ, or to breathe through and isolate a feeling or emotion.  I feel so much more relaxed and in control of myself than ever before which may be why I feel more confident in my class and which may in some way trickle down to a healthier internal network of organs, too. 

Avery

I miss my niece so much today.  I just wish she lived closer.  Vancouver is quite a far place when I wake up in Boston everyday. It is amazing how perfect she is. One day she was swimming around in her mom's belly and the next day she was a part of my family. While all people believe their baby-relatives are the best...I must say Avery IS the best.  I have never seen such a delicate face and such a pleasant disposition on such a little lady.  Being married now for three months has David and me questioning when we will be ready to start a family.  Holding Avery in my arms, I feel like I could do it. I could be a mom.  It is scary to take that step.  For now school work, friends, and just growing up are occupying us.  And, thankfully we have little Avery to keep us happy and content.....for now.

Bananas

The first day of school is QUICKLY approaching and while I am swimming in my need to lesson plan and get preparations underway, I find myself instead immersed in Bananagrams!

And for the first time I beat David too!  Now, while this may be childish of me, my new discovery of bananagrams will be my reward for powering through these lesson plans.  I don't think anyone but teachers or family members of teachers quite understands this beginning of school year sprint I am about to undertake.  It is a test of every ounce of me. Hopefully, Bananagrams will help me get through the pre-season training!

Tomato

Uncensored Food Porn. Living next door to Whole Foods makes me feel this way.

Knit wit

This is so exciting.  Finally on September first, the day I like to consider the start of Fall, the craving has hit me.  I am ready to start knitting again.  As a seasonal knitter this is extremely exciting.  There is nothing like looking on ravelry.com for a new pattern and walking through a "hip" knit shop like "A Good Yarn" in Brookline Village.  The array of colors, textures, weights, and overall warmth tingles my senses down to my toes. I am not the best knitter by far.  Therefore, I particularly like knitting scarves because there is not too much thinking that needs to occur and I can almost always nap right after a thirty minute session with my needles. But, despite my lack of expertise, it is the one hobby I can say I am working on as adult.  This season the goal is to knit socks and gloves. This hobby helps me to appreciate the value of clothing, to question the cost of retail merchandise, and to just quiet my mind.

I will be going on the ninth grade orientation trip next week and there will be a two hour drive in what I am assuming will be an uncomfortable yellow school bus. This will be a perfect time for me to practice my craft.  Now, I just need to find time to run out for the yarn!

Nan

6:30am the alarm goes off. "Really?" I think.  This is the start of the school year and I cannot believe how quickly it has crept upon me. In an odd way, I have been excited for this moment.  Routine is always something I enjoy. Yet, perhaps despite my craving for more cognitive activity, I am sad to roll out of bed and into the shower.

The first stop once things are in place and my bag is packed up is Starbucks.  It is a ritual I enjoy.  I love going into the dark cafe, smelling the coffee, seeing the same local old men holding court over the tables, and standing in line pretending I don't already know what I am going to order. Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte is my drink of choice. Ah, to hold it in my hand is delightful.  I can practically taste this beverage.  Am I an addict?  I like to think my addiction to coffee is not an addiction to the caffeine but to this whole cafe experience. It makes me feel chic and puts me in a good mood to face the day.  I just wish Starbucks wasn't so expensive per cup. Downsizing to a tall might be the answer, no?

Coffee hand, I head to pick up a co-worker on our way in for Teacher Boot-camp.  Coming down his block this little, black animal comes walking out into the street.  It's movement is erratic and it might be a raccoon.  Slowing down to a roll, and then to a stop, the animal walks into my tire. I get out and along with Robin, we quickly assess the situation. It is blind, tiny, stray dog that has wandered away from home.  We decide we will be late for work and begin our detective mission.  The dog has tags but none of them have its name or home number.  We call the vet number from its rabies tag and bingo!  The dog's name is Nan and surprisingly the address the vet gives us is for the house across from the car (from the yard she stumbled away from).  But, no one is home.  We drive little, old, stinky Nan to her vet and know that no matter what happens she should be in good hands now.

In a funny way, going back to school can feel like being blind. You sort of show up, stumble around, listen to everything around you but feel separate from it all. In the darkness you fear the unknown year that is about to begin. Then someone reaches out a protective hand or maybe makes an important connection for you to your course and your stumbling stops.  You can relax and feel like you are home and no just stumbling in the dark down some random block in Brookline. 

Come on Irene

Today New England was hit with Hurricane Irene.  Thankfully, we in Brighton were safe and sound.  Just a bit of wind, rain, and lots of junk food to keep us company during our Sunday morning. While hunkering down with our 2 dogs, David and I kept ourselves busy with a little morning doomsday television broadcasting on the current weather conditions, some work, some knitting, and some puppy wrestling.  Now our little family of four is sharing some time on our yellow sofa...

 Pajama with Mr. Cuddle-Pants

 Inside our Brighton Command Station (That's right America runs on Dunkin even in hurricanes)

Tree down the block

 Matt & Alex

Dog Park: Closed

psych(ot)ic?

Walking to the studio felt eerie.  The afternoon before a hurricane, the streets of Boston are empty as the rain beats down on the old cobbled streets. Quickly walking the two blocks from the T, I felt a surge of perhaps cosmic energy. Pausing briefly in front of the old burial grounds, where revolutionary soldiers and Paul Revere lie, David and I exchange a glance and laugh, "Today is a perfect day for a psychic reading!"

Yet, somehow this enchantment was broken when I saw the psychics standing outside of the building smoking cigarettes.  In some weird way, I already felt like this was some "scam."  But I shook off this premonition and headed inside convinced that psychics were just people, so why couldn't they gossip and chat outside?  The space for the reading was not at all what I pictured.  For some reason, I imagined a dark space with thick, lush curtains made of possibly velvet and lots of pillows and even a hookah here and there. It was not like this at all.  Instead,  David, Laura, and I find ourselves in a tiny hole in the wall on the sixth floor.  The walls are painted purple which is a nice touch, but the psychics are sitting at four tables with folding chairs practically on top of each other.  There are readings going on simultaneously and you are able to hear people sharing their personal stories to "help" the psychics along.

Those employees who are not in an immediate reading, are lounging about the room gossiping, being crass, or spacing out and looking sort of sloppy.  I sit through Laura's medium/tarot card reading and knit.  During her session, there are some moments when I am impressed by what he says.  But, there are times when I cannot stop thinking, "What is he talking about?"  And, though she pays for 30 minutes she only receives at most 12 minutes of actual reading.

Undeterred though, I sit down in front of Alex, the psychic, and I feel my cheeks get warm. I am convinced I am surging with cosmic energy.  Open, excited, and eager, I am feeling silly when he says, "The cards are filled with humidity" as he passes them to me.  Am I full of energy? Do the cards feel it too? "What do you mean?" I say.  "That it is raining out and my cards feel damp." "Oh...."

He asks for my hands and I reveal my palms. "You have man hands."  He says this over and over again. Now, I do a little digging and tell myself, "you have always been told your hands are like your dad's."  He goes on to stay I will have only 1 child and then my reproductive health will deteriorate. Does he pick up on my cervical issues?  I mean this is why I came wasn't it? But, then he says I will foster 8 children and David will be a coach of some type.  He says I am intuitive, that one hand is bigger than the other, he tell me to have my thyroid checked, he says I came from a family of 4 and have been married for 3 months.  This is all well and fine.  But, then he goes on to tell me about his dogs and how they use a litter box, he asks if I am lactating (which clearly I am not!!), he picks up his cell phone and answers a text message, he talks about his ex, he googles my star-chart, he asks for my age 4 times in just moments, he reprimands a co-worker, and he seems overall either distracted or that these little acts of distraction are meant to do something....waste my time.

He does tell me that David is the Prince of Wands: loyal, has good insight, is an entrepreneur, is careful, cannot lie, has luck and fortune, is wiser than I am.  He says that together David and I have good fortune and love.  While all of this is true, I cannot help but think that flattery is a seduction. Of course, I remember this part of the reading the most and cling to it as a truth, while I try to ignore the many things that did not make sense. Lastly, he tells me I will leave my current job in January and move to Sudbury.  Knowing my current circumstance, I just cannot see this happening.

In the end, I am more inclined to call this psychic non-sense than anything close to truth. So I guess I will just have to live my life the old fashion way....and wait for my future to come like everyone else.