spool up the ftl

Good Gravy does time fly.  Every other day I think to myself, "Self, you really need to update and document some of the events that have been going on in your life before your cheesecloth brain forgets it all."  But then Self gets busy with living and doesn't have time for writing.  Until now.  My work computer is misbehaving and so I'm taking a moment to jot a few things down.  Um.  Hm.  Bullet Time!

• AP is four months old today.  She is still such a dreamboat.   She sleeps pretty nicely through the night for the most part.  She likes to sit in someone's lap while ZP performs various antics to her great amusement.  She prefers, however, to view him from above, i.e. peeking over someone's shoulder as she is standing so that she is out of swiping range.  She doesn't mind being left alone and sometimes likes it better.  She has now mastered the mega-wattage smile.   Exhibit A is the smile at its lowest setting.  If I uploaded the highest setting, your monitor would explode.
  

• ZP is two years old and despite his horrid eating habits (or lack thereof), he is full of energy, naughtiness, and information (from what is hot ("coffee!  fire!  outside!") to who is bad or mad or sad (the majority of the cast of Thomas the Tank Engine)).  He enjoys reprimanding folks young ("no finger in la boca, baby ziza!") to old (upon viewing TP standing on the chair to get some BBQ equipment from a high shelf, he excitedly exclaimed, "NO STANDING!") alike.  
• TP and I have returned to work and are so thankful that we can avoid much of the slaughter at the gas station since TP can walk to work and I am working from home.  It has been bittersweet to start working again because on the one hand, I ache whenever I hear one of my babies in distress downstairs while the nanny watches them; but on the other hand, I am back to doing more than breaking up fights, I get to give my spine a rest, and I can catch up on other life stuff.    I just need to find some time to work in some exercise so I can recover from my Dunlop's disease.
• Movies:  thanks to Netflix, I have managed to catch a few here and there.  Too bad many of them are just "meh" -- Michael Clayton, Darjeeling Limited, and The Namesake come to mind.  Good thing there are some thumbs up material mixed in though - Flight of the Conchords Season One, Eastern Promises, The Presige to name a few.
• Music: Wah!  Nada!  Someone rescue me!
• Books:  The only ones I have time for anymore are graphic novels courtesy of KG: Batman-  The Dark Knight Returns, The League of Extraordinary Gentlement, and the latest Buffy installments.  Next up:  The Watchmen and possibly The 99.
• TV:  Thanks to AP's erratic feeding schedule, I am up anywhere from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. at which time the old reliable 80s shows are on.  I think I've seen every episode of "Roseanne" and "The Cosby Show" at least two or three times.  "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" is working its way onto the roster.  Once the fall season starts, I have promised KG I would get a DVR so I can watch some shows from this century.  Wish me luck.
• Travel:  Armchair traveling these days but looking forward to our trip to Georgia (despite lugging TWO kids through the dead of August) for the big wedding and then to J'ville for Thanksgiving.
• Food:  I just made Chhote Kofte and rice last night and the best review possible is that ZP actually ate it with no fuss.  Wow.  Just call me an Iron Chef.  Also, figures that now that rice prices have sky-rocketed, that's all ZP wants to eat. Well, that and peanut butter crackers which he calls, "cookies."  Nando's has finally come to DC and Wagamama is not far behind.  Can't wait!

That's about all I can remember for now.  More to come as I think of it. And am awake enough to report.  Post script:  anyone still out there or am I just going to be documenting stuff for posterity and/or the kids' sake?