Well, Anyway

You know, I love my computer, and I love blogging, but lately, it just hasn't been the same. I feel I've lost my touch. Things don't seem funny anymore. I don't know how Heather does it, but every time I go to her blog, she's written a new post that makes me laugh...well, almost every time. I know you know what I'm talking about if you go there. All I do is sit down and tell my Dear Readers what's going on, kinda like a play-by-play. I think most of you like that because you like to know what's going on over here in the city of roses, but for me, it's a bit drab and boring. Part of it is because I'm stuck in this damned chair, and it's really not all that comfortable. But I'm not wasting the money to buy a chair I can't take home. I'd rather complain, thankyouverymuch.

November is supposed to be the month I try writing 50,000 words, thanks to a headsup from Dan. But I am less than motivated. I wonder if I've gotten into a routine that I don't much like. I was soooooooo excited to retire and make my time my own, but lately, I feel like I've wasted it. I've been here over a month now. I'm not exactly homesick, though I'm catsick. I feel like I'm in the way at home, though Wiley assures me I'm not.

I just went to John Mayer's blog, and it appears he's hitting the 30-mark soon, which he thinks is a good time to lose touch and he doesn't want that to happen, so he's listening to top-40 stuff. I have to snicker because I felt the same way right around that time, but being on the other side of 30, I have to say that I don't care. I used to try and tune into what the kids were listening to so I would feel young like them, perhaps relate to my nieces, but I have to be honest and tell you that some stuff out there is just crap...I would listen to it when I was younger because one of the things that makes you old is resisting change. Now, I realize that there are just some things I don't like, and that's just the way I am. So be it. I will forever love my Weird Al, which will keep me as young-feeling as I need to feel. But that little post from Mr. Mayer makes me question if I have lost touch with, well, not reality necessarily, but my old life, and if that's made me a bit rudderless and restless. Maybe I just need a haircut or dye job. But I suspect that introspection is what's needed, which means you could be reading a few things that are just a bit different, perhaps a bit darker, or maybe I just won't write quite as much. *shrugs* I don't know, Dear Reader. I feel a need to change something; I just don't know what. So there you go. Stay tuned. Come with me down an unfamiliar road. You can explore with me.

Frump

Ever have one of those days where you feel worthless? Welcome to my day. I hope I can blame my mood on the rain.

Adventures in Cooking: Lasagna

We made something that tastes fairly close to the original! Wiley made his spinach lasagna. We found cottage cheese that really looks more like ricotta and is a bit more sour, mixed it with something resembling pureed spinach, then put it in the dish with these noodles that are really quite different than what we're used to. They're thin and completely flat, and I think they were egg noodles. After 20 minutes, we took it out of the oven, and it looked a little soupy, but it tasted just fine. How about that?

Jumbled Conversations

Last night, Wiley and I hopped the tram to Dobrinje (Dough-BRIN-yay) to visit the cell phone shop of Student, the guy who wants me to help him with his conversational English. We got there a little after four. The shop is nice. It's very small, but there's an upstairs where we went to sit and chat. He can read English very well, but he doesn't comprehend all of it. So after I talked about the alphabet and we went over pronunciation, we started chatting, and now I can tell you what he looks like when he doesn't understand my questions - I got the blank stare a lot. He speaks German and Italian, so the evening was a mix of the very few Bosnian words I know, English, and German...Italian not so much because I again am lacking. I got three hugs and a "You be my friend" gesture of goodwill when he pulled out a little purse to hold cell phones. I politely refused, then Wiley came and we left. The ride home was much better. We actually got seats.

This Was a Surprise

Wiley just informed me that he eats his POPCORN in his LENTIL SOUP. "It's the only way to eat popcorn," he said.

My mind is reeling. Surely he didn't eat his popcorn in his soup the last time we ate it. I didn't notice. This time, I'll be watching, and then I'll be bleching. What a way to RUIN popcorn!!!

I've Got Mail!!!

Auntie Em sent an envelope to us and we got it today! Woo hoo!

We've also begun Christmas shopping. We trekked down to the Bascarsija today - that's somewhere between 4 and 6 miles - to take a look around. People walk too damn fast here.

Toot Toot

I might have landed a small gig. Today Wiley and I met a guy for coffee who wants to work on his conversational English, and he could use a little help in his cell phone store. His store is near my ENT specialist. So, on Saturday, for about five hours, I'll be wondering how in the world a guy who doesn't speak much English will understand a girl who doesn't speak hardly any Bosnian. Should make for an interesting time!