On the phone with therapist as we speak..

Your Inner Child Is Sad

You're a very sensitive soul.

You haven't grown that thick skin that most adults have.

Easily hurt, you tend to retreat to your comfort zone.

You don't let many people in - unless you've trusted them for a long time.

How Is Your Inner Child?

Chuc Mung Nam Moi! Happy Year of the Dog!

It's Asian Lunar New Year and in Viet Nam, it is called Tet. It started at the stroke of midnight on the 28th. We celebrated Tet with other folks who adopted from Viet Nam. We were in Chinatown having a faboo luncheon at Vietnam Palace. After we spent some time strolling around giving Alex a chance to play tour guide for our friends. Alex was chomping at the bit to get into the Shanghai Bazaar, which is one of the newest places to shop in Chinatown. After trying to figure out how many door boarders to get, we went onto the clothing section. They have great outfits for most sizes. Of course, not mine. It's a mall that's not the usual touristy stop, though I'm sure it will soon be. They carry some beautiful things. After checking out the knockoff pocketbooks, it was across the street to the supermarket. I was out of some of my favorite snacks. I'm addicted to Pocky. Pocky is a cracker stick, like an animal cracker, slightly sweet, then dipped in chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, some with nuts. They're yummy. But alas, it seemed Pocky was very popular that day.

So I saw Hello Panda, made by Meiji Candy. They're Pocky

in reverse. Little teddy shaped filled cookies with an imprint of playing pandas. They were worth the purchase. And in convenient snack size, so I don't go eating the whole dang box.

Links for Tet:
The Meaning of Tet

Tet

Sites of Interest Today

Take the fair face of Woman by Sophie Anderson
Some days, GBR, I need inspiration or I just need to look at some artwork that originated on canvas.
One site fills that need ArtMagick. From the site's intro page:ArtMagick is a virtual gallery dedicated to the continual quest of seeking out obscure 19th century artists and long-forgotten paintings showing a "magic world of romance and pictured poetry". The majority of the content in the archive covers the Pre-Raphaelite and Symbolist movements.
You can send artcards there as well. Beats always sending a Hallmark ecard.

Fortune Telling Chicken on Antique Iron Stand
Another site that I love to look at is A Case of Curiosities. Grant it, that the idea of taxidermy is not up most folks' alleys, but the way the site's owner reworks these animals into another realm, is nothing sort of remarkable.

And while we're on the subject of candy...

A friend sent me three boxes of Turkish Delight from Ireland. Turkish Delight, Gentle Blog Reader, is the candy that the White Queen used to entice Edmund. It's also a holiday favourite and it's so sublime.
Called rahat loukoum (rest for the throat, which the word lozenge probably came from here), it is made from cornstarch or gelatin, sugar, honey, and rose water. Lemon is a popular flavor. Chopped pistachio, pine nuts, almonds can all be a part of the variations. If you've never tasted rose jelly, your mouth is in for a treat.

All the lokum you can stand!

Bring Me Mozart's Head!

Mozart's evil candy
Well, not actually his head..just these candies from Germany. They're eeeeeeeeeeeeevil.
Mozart Kugel Delights have a smooth hazelnut nougat center, surrounded by marzipan and pistachio marzipan. THEN it's double dipped, first in milk chocolate, then in dark chocolate. Oh I want them NOW.

"We're available for Bar Mitzvahs, Showers..."

A quickie here. A gift from my "twin", Denise. She shares my sense of humour. And they have a website. Just Lyp Service And she knows that I'm trapped in the body of a straight woman and my inner drag queen wants to come out!

My mind is traveling back to Viet Nam

Diaper Check!

Just recently, I joined a yahoo group for folks whose children came from a certain orphanage in Viet Nam. And there were photos of the children there. Pictures from their Christmas party. All these little faces, bright and smiling.

So naturally, I tortured myself by going through the pictures, my eyes looking for a pair that remind me of The Boy. (For you gentle blog readers, The Boy is from Viet Nam)
He knows that he's adopted and we've been as honest as possible with his questions. In fact, I'm the one that's a wreck telling him what we know. My little man. He was at the same school my husband taught at and one of the kids in his kindergarten class, told him he couldn't be Mr. S's son, cause he didn't look like him.

First Family Portrait, taken 3 days
after coming home, 1999
The Boy, ever ready, rolled his eyes and said, "Duh!, I'm Viet Namese."

When he came home that night he was a little more quiet than normally and thoughtful. He asked me about his birthmother. (again, GBRs, we use the term "birthmother" as opposed to "real mom")

The Boy: Did she love me?

Me: I think she did, she made sure you're were taken care of, someplace safe.

He pauses.
The Boy: Mommy, you're my mommy, and daddy is my daddy, right? Forever?

At this point I'm done in, I can't stop crying and he's patting my back, leaning into me. My husband is pacing slightly.

Me: Yes, you are our child, forever and ever.

The Boy: Ok, can we watch SpongeBob now?

He goes as long as he is comfortable and is very good at switching a subject. Part of our adoption story has always been that we wanted a family and he needed one and we traveled to bring him to his new home. But Viet Nam will always be home.

Happy New..something..

So Gentle Blog Reader, we've made it to 2006. ~cue party sounds and toss confetti~ Having Christmas and Hanukkah at the same time wore me OUT. I need like a week coma to recover.

This image pretty much sums it up.

“The Absinthe Drinkers”
By Edgar Degas, 1876











The Absinthe Drinkers - Edgar Degas, 1876

"You know what you are? You're a beard with an idiot hanging off it."

Recently, BBCAmerica ran the series Black Books starring Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey, and Tamsin Greig. Moran is Bernard Black and he owns a bookshop, though he is someone that should never deal with the public. He's frequently in his cups, disheleved, opens and shuts on his schedule. He refers to himself as " a loveable little scamp."

Bill Bailey is Manny Bianco, formerly an accountant that stumbled into Black's shop frantically looking for the "Little Book of Calm." He leaves his job to work for Black as a gopher, whipping boy and drinking partner.

Tasmin Greig is Fran, friend to both and the owner of a shop next store that sells arty..things. It's a bizarre triangle.

The chemistry between them, makes the show. Moran goes into these little rages that are extremely funny and poor Manny tries to appease him. I had a hard time catching jokes because I couldn't stop laughing. Go here for a taste:Black Books