6.05.2008

Bits and Pieces 6-5-08

Days Until Christian's 25th Birthday: 42

I can't believe Christian is turning 25. That seems so old to me. Especially since it's Christian. Twenty-five is a ridiculously advanced age for a person to be when I'm married to them. We seem so young when we're together. Twenty-five just doesn't factor into the mental image that I have of us. It's just crazy, okay? It's crazy.

(As a side note, please no one read the above paragraph and lecture me on how young 25 is, just because you're 25 or older than 25 or are married to someone older than 25 and have been for years. I get it. Most people are older than 25. Reminding me of that fact is cliché and irritating, so, double irritating. The point is that I'm having a moment, contemplating the fact that my husband is almost 25. Not that it's freaking me out or anything. I'm just having a moment. Let me have my moment.)

I actually didn't come online to talk about Christian's birthday (although I am compiling a list of presents he wouldn't mind getting, in case anyone is interested). I didn't come online to blog at all -- I came online to get my mom's Judy's Brownies recipe, which I knew I e-mailed to Heather years ago, and would therefore be somewhere in my Gmail archives. In case anyone wants to try the recipe out, here it is:

Judy's Brownies

3/4 C cocoa
1 C oil
2 t vanilla
4 eggs
1 1/3 C flour
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 C sugar
1 C chocolate chips or walnuts (optional)

Mix ingredients together in order. Pour into a greased 9x13" pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips or walnuts on top if desired. Bake 30 minutes at 350˚.



It's a super-good recipe, I promise. Oh, and something else before I forget: Christian and I have a problem. Our problem starts with the fact that Christian doesn't like shopping. Christian doesn't like to buy clothes for himself and has consequently convinced himself that he doesn't need any more clothes than he already has. This is a mistake. Because he has a limited amount of clothing, we do the laundry more often than would otherwise be necessary. When we do the laundry, we eventually come to a point when we need to put the clothes in the dryer and turn it on. There would be nothing wrong with putting the clothes in the dryer and turning it on except for one thing.

The one thing? Once heat gets into the second story of our townhome, it never leaves. We can't figure out how to open our windows, which would let the stifling heat out and let the cool (if humid) night air in. Not being able to open our windows wouldn't be a problem except that the air conditioning never seems the reach the second floor. Thus, Christian and I often find it too warm to get a good night's sleep. And that's a big problem. If anyone has any suggestions as to how we might cool things down, please let me know.

*photo by jslander

6 comments:

  1. I completely understand having a moment. When I turned 25, I had my own moment. I felt my life was practically over. It was just so old. Elizabeth and I were dating at the time, and she got me a card that said "I see old people!" - Happy Birthday. Luckily, I got over my moment after a few weeks. Turning 30 this year suprisingly didn't result in another moment. It rolled by pretty smoothly. --Erik

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  2. Mary-Omigosh, I so totally know how you feel. Bryan & I slept down stairs in the summertime because the air NEVER reached our 2nd floor EVER. It was SO freaking annoying. My suggestion is turbo fans and a futon. This is what got us through 2 1/2 years of living in a two story. In the beginning you love the "house" feel but then you get a heat stroke and that sucks. That's why we got a one story apt this time. Try and hang in there and let us know if you to borrow our futon!

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  3. I will not comply with the directive to not tell you that 25 is not old (yes, I've been watching old episodes of Star Trek Voyager and have begun speaking like 7 of 9. Sadly, I haven't begun looking like her).

    25 is not old. 30 is even notter old. Yes, I'll be 30 this year.

    The solution to your housing problem is simple. Move to Utah.

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  4. PS - I'm all caught up. You can blog more now :)

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  5. Dear Sir or Madam,

    Skuze me, but do you know how young 25 is? In human years, its pretty doggone young. And in metric its even younger.

    How would I know? Because I happen to be very close in age to someone who is considerably older than 25. Oh yah. I'm a card-carrying member of that prescription-coloured, Sensodyne-flavoured MAJORITY who remembers gas at $2.50 a gallon and DVDs that weren’t loaded up front with 6 minutes of commercials for movies coming out in the Fall of four years ago.

    By the by, are you aware how statistics prove that most people who have lived more than a quarter of a century are over 25? That's MOST people, which is certainly more people than are on your side of the line. In fact, if we went to war against you and those of your ilk we'd probably win. Assuming that we didn't first end up accidentally shooting each other.

    Do you get it? Probably not. But your husband might, because he’s finally ONLY 25. So tonight before you give him his warm cup of Metamucil, ask him about the good old days. Providing he’s not suffered some frontal lobe trauma, more than likely he'll be able to tell you a story or two. And you will listen. You'll listen with an unquestionable quiescent intensity and for reasons that you do not even yet fully understand. You will listen and you will find yourself even more in love with him--if that were even possible. That is, if you can bear the sight of his leathery old prune face.

    (P.S. If it appears that I am lecturing you, please disregard my comments.)

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  6. Dear Restless in Raleigh,

    There is a process known as "thermal inversion" which I've decided not to try to explain to you, particularly since the mechanics of opening a window seem to mystify you guys. Anyway, I purport that a comfortable night's sleep shall be achieved by harnessing that process.

    (P.S. Secondary benefit: it will quite reasonably result in a full paper in J. Chem Eng.)

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