Tidbits of randomness

Randoms...and still nothing about New Orleans...but I will get around to writing about it...one day soon...

-Christmas, celebrated on Christmas Eve, with Mom, Dad, Sarah, Seth, Abby and Alex was nice and relaxing. We saw Avatar in 3D and ate chili and cornbread for dinner before we opened gifts. Sixty dollars to Sephora from Abby and Alex, a knock off Chanel purse from Seth, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist on DVD from Sarah and $350 and assorted books and CDs from Dad. Mom plans to take us shopping for clothes as our gift on Monday. I saw Nine yesterday with Sarah (OMG I love Marion Cotillard) and Sherlock Holmes today with Alex's parents, Alex, Abby, Mom and Dad. I love family and free movies.

-A gynecologist yelled at me about my diabetes earlier this week. He was an older man I'd never met before who clearly didn't understand the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. When I sat down in his office, he blatantly said, "You're not gonna live to be 50 and if you do, it's not gonna be a healthy 50." He also insulted the job done by my endocrinologists, who know far more about diabetes than a gynecologist does. I left his office in tears. My dad jokingly offered to slash his tires.

-My purple insulin pump is here, sitting in a box in the kitchen. Before I can use it, however, I'm to take a "refresher" course at Children's Hospital to relearn how to work it. When I told Trevor how ugly I'm afraid it will look, he responded, "It looks sexy and I love it." But what I'm dreading the most is the onslaught of people who will be asking questions about the device that's attached to me, making my illness even more visible. I hate that I have to wear this thing again....but I will get over it in order to be healthier.

-I have an appointment on Monday at the post office to get my passport. Belize, here I come.

-I need to buy something ridiculously sparkly to wear on New Years Eve. Along with fake eyelashes and those fake gemstones that stick to your skin. I'm 'bout to go all out.

-I'm going to audition for Women's Glee Club at school, if they have space. If not, I'll try out in the spring. This Glee Club does not dance, thank God.

-I probably drank an entire bottle of wine by myself last night and for some reason, I woke up at 7:30 this morning. I need to go back to bed now.

A case of writer's block

For his Christmas gift this year, my dad has asked for only one thing: a letter. That's pretty simple, right? Not for me. On several occasions I've sat down at my computer to begin...and I just can't seem to find the right words. Not because I don't have wonderful things to say about my father but because I'm completely overwhelmed by all of the wonderful things I could say.

I have an incredible father. He's always been there for me when I need to talk. He's always reminded me that he loves me. He's always advocated open-mindedness in dealing with people and situations. He has stood behind me every step of the way in my struggle with juvenile diabetes. I mean, the man rode his bicycle across the United States to raise money for the illness! And there's so so so much more than that.

How can you possibly put into words how grateful you are to a parent for raising you to become a happy, well-rounded person?

"Cocina Sabrosa"

An e-mail from my Uncle Ned on how to cook his famous dish:

"Here's how I cook it: I start out sauteeing the onions, and when they're just getting brown, I add the garlic and mushrooms (and if you can find mushrooms with a lot of flavor, like shiitake, it's worth the extra bucks). The garlic and mushrooms get brown quickly, then I add tomatoes, broccoli and zucchini (I just cut up the tomatoes into small chunks and let them kind of boil down into sauce). When everything else is ready, I throw in the marinated artichoke hearts just to heat them up -- they lose their flavor quickly if you cook them. I cook the sausage separately (cut it up into small pieces and sautee it or broil it) and add it with the art hearts, cook the pasta (al dente -- just past rubbery) and then mix it all together."

Uhh, sounds easy for a beginner cook with experience only in pouring cereal and making grilled cheese.

As part of Adam's Christmas gift, I want to surprise him by cooking a romantic (and edible) dinner. And Uncle Ned's pasta dish - or, as we like to call it "cocina sabrosa" - came to mind as the perfect meal Adam and I could share together.

I'm going to give it a trial run - with my mother close at hand, prepared with a fire extinguisher - just to see how badly I screw it up. Then, hopefully, it will be perfect by the time Adam gets home for Christmas!