What Ana Does

I was here at Round Lake beach in Clifton Park, NY where Alice and I were staying for a week of sightseeing while Leah was at camp in the Berkshires. This was my view when my cell rang and David gave me the news: he got the Paris assignment; we're moving to Paris. Of course I wanted to jump and holler and cartwheel and high-five everyone on the beach, but we decided to keep the news under wraps. Let's not tell the girls yet, either. Even though we'd been talking about it in an abstract, "maybe someday" kind of way since he interviewed for the job in May. But we needed to review the offer and accept first. Wait until it was official before spilling the beans. So instead, I squealed into the phone while Alice was out of earshot. And walked into the lake as far as I could go and told the water: "Hi, I'm going to live in Paris. This has been my dream for years. And now we're going. We're going to live in Paris." Even as the words left my...

Eight years later, I finally get my Pearl Jam shirt. From a show I was able to attend. And it fits ... Totally Wearing It At Work Right Now P.S. The show was absolutely brilliant. Eddie Vedder is a rock god.  Rocking Out!

First, you should know that when we got married I made a deal with Dave; "Buy me a house, and we'll get a dog." This was back in my 20s when homeownership seemed a million miles away and nearly impossible. Our path was leading into New York City, so this deal, on my end, seemed pretty empty. Our path lead west instead, and we're in our second house bought together. And he looks at me and says, "now can I have a dog?" Truthfully, I am not what you would call an animal person. We had one dog in my family and that was when I was in kindergarten. He was a huge German Shepard and I was terrified. Terrified! Ever since, I've really disliked dogs, especially when they do stuff like sniff your crotch, lick or bark -- oh, and drool. Gross. But, okay, some of them are kinda cute. In Rhode Island, I babysat a dog for a week and I loved it. Her name was Zoomie and she had a horrible, abused past, so she was especially kind and sensitive if play got too rough...

Bottoms Up! As I've mentioned, I'm often very tired. Working full time, taking care of my family and pursuing all the projects (most chronicled in this blog), keep me running around all day. And I've also mentioned that my relationship with caffeine has been tenuous, at best. I'd get shaky, tremors and then hit a big low (nap!). But, lately, I've been introducing my system to white and black tea  -- rising my threshold for caffeine. And enjoying the extra jolt of energy I get. So, last week, I got a latte. And I loved it. I didn't stop moving for hours, and I got SO MUCH DONE. Yes, I like me on coffee. Related posts: More of my Coffee journey

I thought I was done with this caffeine test, but I was wrong. After a long night with Alice refusing to sleep, I'm trying a new form: White tea! It's got antioxidants, no milk and I can control the amount of caffeine I get by how long I steep the bag. It's a good start, at least. Wish me luck! Tea Test Related posts: More of my Coffee journey