Here's the painting that kept me focussed and occupied for about 5 hours... I am glad for such hobbies, for what would life be without painting, music, scrapbooking, reading , writing, et al, especially when they are your sole companions for the most part of the day?

Namaste! Aloha! Hola! Bonjour!
And so, my brief hibernation comes to an end. A lot has happened in the last couple of months. Here, let me fill you to the brim with the tidbits.

Utah trip was fun. May be not so much for A, who was in training most of the days. It was a much awaited vacation for me. You know, days when you wake up only when your eyes refuse to stay fused shut, when there is hot breakfast waiting for you in the kitchen downstairs (make your own waffles, toast and scrambled eggs, oatmeal, OJ, muffins and of the sort), when the housekeeper changes the towels, makes the bed, scrubs the bath and vacuums the carpet, when you get to play unlimited literati online, when you just laze around with a book and read it from cover to cover in one sitting.....sometimes this kind of a break is very rejuvenating. We managed to see most of SLC and the scenic loops during the weekend. A picture is better than a thousand words. I will do a seperate picture post.
Somehow, the food we eat when we travel ,seems to linger longer in our memories, than the travel itself. And here it was Mazza, the lebanese restaurant. As usual, the food and the flavor (and the waiter, ofcourse ) knocked us off our feet. I highly recommend this place to anyone visiting SLC.

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The house was throngging with visitors. Mom and Dad are staying with us for a couple of months. Sis and family visited for a week. Kids, food and touring added to the fun.
And my birthday swooped by. Balloons, cakes and cards. Felt like a little girl again.

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A's office has moved to downtown Seattle. He trots off by bus early in the morning and gets back by 6pm. Not too bad, huh? Especially when I get to keep the car :). But I wish his office didn't move. It was so much easier to just call him up and say "Hey, don't forget the spinach from Whole Foods, milk from Fredmeyer, curry leaf from Mayuri, Yogurt from Trader Joes, blah blah", than make trips to the said stores myself. Sigh, the downside to everything!

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Summer has brought with it lots of sunshine, heat and picnics. Saturdays are when we pack food and troop off to the lake. Was quite amazed to see the ducks' love for potato chips! Seaward Park and Green Lake have been the best so far.

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A got me acrylic painting tools and an easel for my b'day. I am finally done with my first painting. Shall put it up in a seperate post for you lurkers to delurk and say something nice (only nice!) about the painting of a novice.

That's it for now. Will be back with more news soon. Ciao!

Saturday, April 4th. The sun crept up. It was in the 60s. And, that usually calls for celebration. People swarmed out of their houses, like bees, trying to absorb all the sunlight they can, as if that was the only day the sun was ever going to show up. It's amazing, what sun can do the the people of Seattle.

Here A and I were in true Seattlite spirits. With A's leg still healing, we could only do the "sit in the open and chill out with a pint" kinda stuff. Whatever suited the occasion. After some extensive shopping at Kohls and Sears, we drove down to Rock Bottom. A sipped (actually, slurped) some pints while I devoured the chips and guacomole. And then some babble.


A: Uggggh.....the chips have a sour cream flavor to it.. what the hell!
Me: Oh c'mon...I can hardly taste it...
A: The menu didn't say "sour cream flavored chips.....".
Me: (chuckle) I think sour cream is the only thing you HATE so much.
A: It is the same way you feel about coconuts....or cinnamon....or....okay, c'mon, now tell me the list of things that you hate and that I love.....you have one min and your time starts now........
Me: .........
A: ...........


and more babble.


We then trotted off to Mediterranean Kitchen for some mouth watering Lebanese fare. Lentil soup, pita bread with hummus and some rich spanakopita. Unlike the Greek version of the spanakopitas, these are more garlicky and come with flavorful saffron rice on the side. Every visit to Med. Kitchen is like a trip to heaven. We left the place feeling stuffed and sated.

Sunday, April 5th. The sun crept up again. A blessing, no doubt. And this time we went to the other side of the city - Alki Beach.





It felt like everyone in Seattle was heading there. There was so much traffic and so much more challenging to find parking. We parked the car and walked for a good 20 - 25 minutes along the beach to Duke's. A did the routine of downing a pint while I munched on the sweet potato fries. It was then our turn to take our table on the deck. Bright sunshine lit our faces. The beach right beside us. It was an awesome day. We were given bread to start with. We ordered the only vegetarian dish on the menu, the veggie burger. And that is one of the best I have ever had. The bun was toasted with butter and the pattie grilled to perfection with the cheese melting on it. Yumm yumm. Another heartening meal and we started walking back to the car.


What could be more fun than having nothing to do, but just sit on your ass, prattle, devour yummy food, chug a pint and stare at the beautiful beach?

Completely insane, but turned out to be true for me :)

You Inner Gender is Female

You're sensitive, caring, and willing to connect with anyone who's open to you. You make friends easily, and you enjoy all sorts of conversations. You understand most people you meet - better than they understand themselves. You're totally a woman... or at the very least, your soul is female.

A comes across a notepad on my lappy. The notepad has this on it:

44a
36a
39d
42a

A, who tends to use the left side of his brain more often than the right, stares at it for half a minute.

A: 44a, 36a, 39d, 42a........what are these numbers, hon? Are these bra sizes?
Me: (blush! blush!) They are the flight seat numbers!

Now, tell me, who other than A could be so creative (err....perverted)?

Holi 2009 will be remembered forever, not fondly, but with extreme animosity. A slipped on ice and broke his fibula. Rushed to the doc and after an X-ray, the doc confirmed the broken fibula. It will take 4 to 6 weeks to heal, said he. So, A now has a cast/walker fitted to his right foot and walks with crutches. Poor baby. The aloo chaat that was wholeheartedly made for Holi, was consumed heavy heartedly.

We spent the weekend at home, catching up with FilmFare Awards, talk shows and some movies - Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye! , Luck By Chance and Karma Aur Holi !! The first one was a conman kinda movie, the second was nothing great - comman man's struggle to become a star and the third one, put me to sleep :).

The TV hunt continues. A has apparently decided on a 58" Sammy, but wants to check out the newer models that may come out this summer. Nadia was called for again. Once you get used to it, maid addiction gets worser. Sigh.

Taking on the duties of the man of the house has induced blogstipation in me. Shall try to be more regular. Gotta go now.... Necessito ir al bano.

Growing up in India, we had a maid come home twice a day to do the dishes, wash clothes, sweep/mop the floor and sometimes even run some errands. After moving to the United States, it has been different. Weekends are the days we clean the house and do the laundry. All by ourselves. We have to clean up the mess we sometimes make. One way the slipshodiness has vanished and we are becoming more meticulous. We have become the DIY guys (not the American punk rock album!).

The remodeling has left behind a lot of dirt. Unfortunately my DIY skills are not sufficient to get great results in a relatively short time. So, for the first time I hired a housekeeper. Nadia. An adept Russian, who is good at what she does and is very reasonable( $20/hr). Reasons why I will hire her again if need arises:

* No language barrier; can speak good English.
* Reasonable rate.
* Brings all the cleaning supplies - one for the granite, one for glass, one for stainless steel appliances, one for the sink, one for the wooden floor, heavy duty cleaning agent for highly stained surfaces.
* Displays the same enthusiasm even at the end of the day.
* Cleans until am satisfied :)

Me: I want you to first wipe the counter tops....then wipe all these things coated with dust and place them on the counter. Next, clean the cooking range, the cabinets, the windows, patio door, bla bla bla......

Nadia: Alright.Let me get all my stuff from the car and get started!

And in five hours, my house was habitable.

Aaah, the luxuries of having a maid!