A happy coincidence – finding Hong Kong House in Knoxville (gratitude #49)

December 21, 2008

My sister used to live in Marietta, GA. I was reading a great food blog about Atlanta, the Blissful Glutton, which reviewed Tasty China, a restaurant in Marietta that served Sichuan style food. They specialized in cooking with Sichuan pepper, which provides a numbing experience/taste.

The food at Tasty China was delectable. We enjoyed several items, [...]

Job changes, once removed (gratitude #43)

November 19, 2008

My husband changed jobs. He wasn’t unhappy at the old one, just the opposite, but he got an opportunity for growth from a former employer and, after a fair bit of reflection, decided to take it. I’m happy for him and proud of him and all that. Really.
I have also been anxious about it, and [...]

Grateful for dial-up – the pleasure of not being connected (gratitude #41)

October 29, 2008

So, this past weekend we went up north with some friends. It was a brief trip, much too short for the length of the drive, but it was nice to get away, get up north and relax.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Appreciate the scenery. Repeat.

In the summertime, we share DSL and a wireless router with the [...]

Things to bring on a trip to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

July 23, 2008

General items:

raingear and sturdy shoes
binoculars
bird identification guide
flowering plant field guide
trees field guide
something to do if it rains (or go to Baadeck Yarns for knitting supplies)

For a trip where you’ll have the wherewithal to cook your own dinner:

crab/lobster “crackers” to crack the shell (depending on the season: lobster season, snow crab season)
a big ol’ pot to [...]

Happy Anniversary, Janet & Nate! (gratitude #32)

July 22, 2008

My in-laws are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary.

True to form, they wanted to celebrate together with us: their daughter and their son and daughter-in-law. After a little bit of discussion, they decided on the location for the celebration – Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. It’s a fitting destination, the family camped here together often. Prior to [...]

Grateful for a class action lawsuit? Rediscovering personal history (gratitude, week 6)

February 10, 2008

So, I got some paperwork in the mail on a class action settlement for foreign-exchange surcharges and conversion fees for credit and debit transactions. This settlement covers the period from February 1996 to November 2006. There were 3 ways to submit a claim:

Easy refund $25.
Total estimation refund. 1% of typical foreign transactions. Input needed: # [...]

Grateful for time alone – gratitude week 3, 2008

January 19, 2008

This past week my husband was overseas on business. He’s back now, I’m grateful for his safe return and the chocolate he brought, of course, but I’m also grateful for the time apart.

A Sailor’s Suitcase, originally uploaded by Bob AuBuchon.
I am grateful for the little pleasures of having the house to myself: sleeping diagonally across [...]

A doctor’s kid goes to the medic

December 25, 2007

“Never tell them where it hurts. Keep your bullet safe inside.” Richard Buckner, Devotion and Doubt.
I’m a physician’s daughter. Any shred of hypochondria was ridiculed out of me. My dad treated even minor injuries with disrespect.
Dad: “You twisted your ankle? Let me see.” (takes ankle and wrenches it)
Me: (whimpers in pain)
Dad: “Not broken!”
I twisted [...]

Cruising in the Caribbean

Dave’s grandfather John loves cruise vacations. He has been on something like 30 cruises with his wife. They couldn’t cruise at the end, her Alzheimer’s made traveling challenging and unsafe. Since her death, we’ve gone on two cruises with him. The first was especially hard for him, as all the memories of their time [...]

Thanksgiving highlights

November 23, 2007

My nephew
My niece
My brother-in-law’s deep fried turkey
My sister’s homemade non-canned green bean casserole (from Cook’s Illustrated – subscription required)
Hot and numbing beef roll in our take-out meal from Tasty China in Marietta
Dave’s bacon, avocado, leftover turkey sandwich, a play on Zingerman’s Tarb’s Tenacious Tenure. Hingerman’s Barb’s Tenacious Tenure anyone?
Going to the Marietta YMCA with my [...]