I'm still around

Haven't fallen off the face of the earth, just busy. Or perhaps boring. Did I run out of things to say? GASP!

Anyone have any questions for me that they've been desperate to know the answers to? Like what are the weirdest things I've eaten this pregnancy? (If you ask my family/friends, they'll say rye toast with grape jam or matzo with sunflower butter, bananas, and chocolate syrup. However, I must admit I've eaten those things plenty of times without being pregnant.) Or, what's the most annoying question you get asked regularly as a mother of twins? (Do you watch Jon and Kate Plus Eight? NO!!!! I loathe that show! They're awful, and I saw Jon speak at the last Mother of Twins National Convention and he, excuse my language, came off as a total wanker. Despite that, though, I hope the current rumors about them aren't true...). Or, have I ever ridden a unicycle? (Yes, poorly. Mostly I fell off said unicycle). Or, what's the most recent odd ailment I've diagnosed myself as suffering from, thanks to the internet, boon to all hypochondriacs? (Mal de debarquement syndrome, to explain why I feel sick for days after flying, and to add to my fear that next time I fly, the awful feeling will last for the rest of my life instead of just a few unbearable days).

See, I'm full of randomness, and free to answer most any question!

So bring it on! (Number of Bring It On movies seen? Three. Number of Bring It On movies enjoyed? Embarrassed voice: Three.)

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I just finished Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. It was super, and I hope to get a review up on The Book Nook soon. Funny, enjoyable, and probably my favorite book I've read this year. The kind of book that's going to make me seek out all the other books Christopher Moore has written, so be prepared to be subjected to the likes of author-fandom you haven't seen since the days of my obsession with Michael Chabon's novels...

Many thanks to Alyssa for recommending this one. As an aside, have you checked out her (and her husband's) photography blog? The pictures are amazing, and it's really funny. They took pictures of B-man and N-man this January when we were visiting WNY, and they're my all-time favorite pics of the boys. Thanks again!
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A number of my favorite bloggers also seem to be on a hiatus, or at least posting less frequently. Is it something in the internet-air??

Paging Dr. Google

Hypochondriacs shouldn't be allowed on the internet. I know that perfectly well. In fact, I have pretty much totally managed to avoid googling anything about my boys' health. Well, except I broke down in the middle of the night when B-man was having his first asthma attack and became totally freaked out with all times "death" is listed as a complication of asthma. That made for a relaxing night with hardly any calls to our pediatrician!

Anyway, while I can keep myself away for the boys, I just can't seem to do it for myself. I've had a cough for the past few days. Why? Because I *always* have a cough if I get even the slightest cold. Why? Because I have asthma. Yes, Maggie, clearly my asthma isn't under control any more. I know. I should take care of that.

So, I've been coughing. And coughing. And coughing. Annoying, but nothing major. Then last night my elbow started itching and had a little bit of a rash. That's weird. Time to google! Cough and rash, what could that be? Of course the main hit I keep getting is "asthma and allergies", but that's far too boring and incredibly probable. I could have gone to a real doctor to get that information. Come on, I expect more from Dr. Google!

So, on wrongdiagnosis.com, a site with a name that really fills you with confidence in their content, they suggest Alveolar Hydatid Disease, a rare disease caused by a microscopic tapeworms. Wow, that's pretty disgusting. Luckily, I don't fit most of the other symptoms, so I guess I can stop worrying that tiny worms have invaded my body. Way to go, wrongdiagnosis, you've totally lived up to your name!

On Medscape, I got an exciting hit for Monkey Pox. The fact that it is exceedingly rare in America and is normal only transmitted via a bite from an infected animal doesn't really slow me down from examining the other symptoms, which again, I don't present. I'm happy to report, that according to Dr. Google, I'm Monkey Pox free!

Medlineplus suggests Histoplasmosis, an infection caused by inhaling fungus spores. Sure, the fungus normally is found in soil along river valleys and I haven't been hanging out at any rivers recently. But, the fungus is transmitted via bird and bat droppings. I did see some bats at the zoo, and there were seagulls flying around the parking lot at the supermarket. Hmmm, I wonder. This site contains the especially great advice on prevention: "Avoid contact with bird or bat droppings." I was going to run right out to find some bird and bat poo to touch, but this convinced me to avoid it. You can always count on the government; thanks, Medline!


Well, the rash is now gone, so I guess this is just a case of a plain ol' cold. But Dr. Google, I did enjoy our consultation. You're far more interesting than a real doctor, you never make me sit in a waiting room filled with sick people, and you don't even charge me a copay.

Totally related thought: Here's your chance, all you closet-hypochondriacs out there: what's the craziest thing you ever thought you had? I once told TK, way back in the day when we were in college and just dating, that I thought I had scurvy. I was serious. He laughed at me, but refrained from telling me I was crazy. Well, now that I think of it, he might have said I was crazy in between the laughs. But at least he was good-natured about it, and he did go out with me to get some fruit.

1K Wednesday, Foodporn edition

I should have added bacon to my list of foods that improve nearly every dish. Here's an awesome pasta and veggie dish that, with bacon, becomes outstanding. Sorry all you vegetarian readers, this one isn't for you!

Here's my version of this recipe for Penne with Garlicky Broccoli(ni):

Ingredients:

8 oz penne pasta (1/2 of a 1 pound box)
5 slices of bacon
2 broccoli crowns (or one bunch of broccolini), cut into small florets
6 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 pint of grape tomatoes, cut in half
Parmesan cheese to taste

Directions:

1) Cook penne according to directions on the box. Drain.

2) Meanwhile, fry the bacon until crispy. Move to a paper towel to drain.

3) Add the garlic to the bacon grease* and saute for 3 minutes over medium low heat. Add the broccoli(ni) and cook for another 4 or 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the pasta and grape tomatoes. Stir or toss to coat and mix.

4) Remove from heat. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese, and top with crumbled bacon.

*Okay, fine, I couldn't do it. The recipe called for using the bacon grease. I'm sure that's delicious. I drained most of the bacon grease and used some olive oil.

This recipe originally called for broccolini. I've made it with both broccoli and broccolini, and quite honestly, prefer the broccoli. Of course, I'm in love with broccoli. I should probably marry it. So, my opinion is to use broccoli, but feel free to try it with broccolini.

Random unrelated thought: Bad blogger! I've been sick. Not sick enough to actually get any sympathy, just an unrelenting cough that lasted from 10pm every night until about 3am in the morning. Needless to say, I wasn't getting much sleep. No sleep doesn't make me particularly lucid so it's probably for the best I wasn't blogging. At best, my posts are barely coherent some days anyway :)

The sorry state of the future

I wouldn't say I'm a pessimist, but sometimes I wonder about the future of the world.

I've always been a fan of dystopian literature. The Handmaid's Tale, Oryx and Crake, Brave New World, A Friend of the Earth and heck, most everything by Kurt Vonnegut. Those are some of my favorite books. For my 2007 NaNoWriMo novel, I ended up writing a dystopia.

No, I'm not pessimistic.

So, on this most recent road trip we took to Buffalo, I was reminded of something. Something that I believe irrefutably proves that the future perhaps isn't all rosy: Dippin' Dots. You know, the ice cream of the future (circle R).

I'm not saying Dippin' Dots are bad, but really, is that all the future holds for us? Why can't Ben and Jerry's be the ice cream of the future? Or even Hood's Fenway Fudge. Those are futures I could embrace. But Dippin' Dots?

I hate to say it, but I don't have a lot of faith in a future where Dippin' Dots is our ice cream of choice.

Random unrelated thought: Whenever I get the hiccups, I worry that they'll never go away. Like this guy. Although, technically, his hiccups did eventually stop, after sixty-eight years.