How's your friend-brain doing lately?

[Emma Bull]

I've never roasted an avocado; heck, I'm not sure I'd heard of the roasting of avocados previous to this. 350 degrees, ten to fifteen minutes, got it.

Must acquire avocados posthaste.

[nebula]

Dude, the absolute topper was that people thought they could touch my belly when I was pregnant. 

Without asking, of course.

I kind of snapped one day and reached out and grabbed the offender's ear. Then I gave him a slightly manic smile and whispered "I have a two year old at home, I'm seven months pregnant, and my lower back feels like it is on fire. One woman on the jury and I promise you I'd never see a day in jail for ripping this off and feeding it to you."

I let go, he back pedaled out of reach and started to open up to give me what for. That was when his female companion took him by the arm and told him they were leaving right now because he was unfit for human interaction. She was giving him a very pithy lecture on Do. Not. Touch. as they left.   

Fantastic - I wish I'd done that. It's funny how when I was pregnant, the only people who felt it was okay to grab my belly were men that I didn't know particularly well.

All the personal remarks - "My God, you're huge! You're like a whale! Are you sure it's not twins?" - I wonder why people feel able to say what they like to you when you are pregnant?

[dancing crow]

I was just admiring the piece Tylik's sister did - there were some moves I haven't seen before! She did a great job.

Where is she taking classes?

[Cole]

I humbly beg all y'all's pardons.  'Specially Cole's.  It was the Sudafed made me do it.  Sudafed ain't fit for man nor beast, and I'll be darn thankful the day I don't need to take it no more.

But it was right good chocolate.  Not white.

Well, so long as you really, really enjoyed the chocolate, I suppose I'll let it go this time. . . . 

[ValMarie]

Dude, the absolute topper was that people thought they could touch my belly when I was pregnant. 

Without asking, of course.

I kind of snapped one day and reached out and grabbed the offender's ear. Then I gave him a slightly manic smile and whispered "I have a two year old at home, I'm seven months pregnant, and my lower back feels like it is on fire. One woman on the jury and I promise you I'd never see a day in jail for ripping this off and feeding it to you."

I let go, he back pedaled out of reach and started to open up to give me what for. That was when his female companion took him by the arm and told him they were leaving right now because he was unfit for human interaction. She was giving him a very pithy lecture on Do. Not. Touch. as they left.   

As a currently pregnant woman, I'm dealing with this on a daily basis. Strangers who touch my belly without asking don't get acknowledged: they get their hand removed or slapped down while I go about my business. If they say anything in response to my "rudeness", we then have a discussion. It normally doesn't go further than that.

Acquaintances tend to need reminding that they have to ask first. Only my mother and my husband have touch any time rights.

[Bunny M]

I've tended to be a cap with just enough of a brim to keep the rain off my glasses person. Such caps also double as emergency mushroom carriers. (Other people have this problem, right?) But a lot of the fondness for the caps is that they accommodated long hair, so my taste might evolve.
My sister and I are close, and have a lot in common, but are in many ways very different. For instance, she's six inches shorter, and while she's done a fair bit of martial arts, she recently has been mostly working on being an aerialist. Our baby brother is six inches taller than I am. It's kind of the stair steps of evil.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjcFe3q5aDM <= because she's awesome.

Wow, your sister is indeed awesome. A few of the moves looked slightly less than utterly polished, however this made her routine even more impressive. *applauds enthusiastically*

Whereas I devote an awful lot of time trying to get my mind to slow down...

Well, I do a lot of both. When I'm at home, and especially when trying to sleep I want to just stop thinking, but when at work I need that caffeine/sugar boost to help me deal with the never-ending onslaught of customer calls.

Dude, the absolute topper was that people thought they could touch my belly when I was pregnant. 

Without asking, of course.

I kind of snapped one day and reached out and grabbed the offender's ear. Then I gave him a slightly manic smile and whispered "I have a two year old at home, I'm seven months pregnant, and my lower back feels like it is on fire. One woman on the jury and I promise you I'd never see a day in jail for ripping this off and feeding it to you."

I let go, he back pedaled out of reach and started to open up to give me what for. That was when his female companion took him by the arm and told him they were leaving right now because he was unfit for human interaction. She was giving him a very pithy lecture on Do. Not. Touch. as they left.   

You - and she - are made of pure awesome.

Agreed. It never ceases to boggle me that people think an obviously pregnant woman is open season to touch. Although several of my female friends claim that women are even worse than men at this.

And Bear? I like your version of the litany much better.   

[tylik]

I've never roasted an avocado; heck, I'm not sure I'd heard of the roasting of avocados previous to this. 350 degrees, ten to fifteen minutes, got it.

*wide eyed*  Uh-huh. My mind, it boggles.

Though there's this amazing Thai avocado curry I've had a time or two...

[tylik]

I was just admiring the piece Tylik's sister did - there were some moves I haven't seen before! She did a great job.

Where is she taking classes?

Versatile Arts in Seattle.

Wow, your sister is indeed awesome. A few of the moves looked slightly less than utterly polished, however this made her routine even more impressive. *applauds enthusiastically*

She hasn't been at it very long at all, but she's pretty serious - starting to TA and stuff, just got her first paying gig. It's been a lot of fun to see her improve - I've worked with her a lot in the martial arts space, and I'm used to expecting (and when I was tutoring her pushing for) a higher degree of polish... but she's been getting better really fast. (And in the general trend of all those worlds colliding, she's now giving private lessons to a close friend of mine who is also one of my Taiji students and who more recently started studying with the Chan group... and they're working on some kind of human marionette project.)

[Cole]

Though there's this amazing Thai avocado curry I've had a time or two...

Is there a recipe for this Thai avocado curry? Because that just sounds like heaven!

[tylik]

Is there a recipe for this Thai avocado curry? Because that just sounds like heaven!

No, and I haven't had it for about a year, so my recollection is fuzzier than I'd like. I've had it at Sea-Thai, which is a funny little hole in the wall Thai restaurant in Seattle, known for their take-the-top-of-your-head-off Southern curries. It's a green curry with, I think, a fair bit of coconut milk, it has all these chunks of avocado. I think they're added fairly late in things. Honestly, it's a little rich for me - I don't tend to eat food with that much fat in it, and my digestive system want peace and quiet so it can give the curry it's undivided attention.

It's not even my favorite of their curries - they do this one seafood curry which is then cooked in a young coconut that's pretty incredible.

[Cole]

No, and I haven't had it for about a year, so my recollection is fuzzier than I'd like. I've had it at Sea-Thai, which is a funny little hole in the wall Thai restaurant in Seattle, known for their take-the-top-of-your-head-off Southern curries. It's a green curry with, I think, a fair bit of coconut milk, it has all these chunks of avocado. I think they're added fairly late in things. Honestly, it's a little rich for me - I don't tend to eat food with that much fat in it, and my digestive system want peace and quiet so it can give the curry it's undivided attention.

It's not even my favorite of their curries - they do this one seafood curry which is then cooked in a young coconut that's pretty incredible.

Next time I'm in Seattle, I'm totally going there. It sounds amazing! (I don't tend to eat fatty foods, either, but I'm a sucker for a good avocado dish.)

[txanne]

If it weren't for that one line there, that would fit nicely in the Episcopal Hymnal. Dangit.

The shower bringeth enlightenment! (And no angels, hurray!)

So, we of the liturgical churches may sing:

Coffee seals our union
Post-Holy Communion.

[tylik]

BTW, I don't mean the comment about not eating much in the way of fatty food to carry moralistic implications at all - fat can be a wonderful thing, there's just not a lot of it in my diet, and my body gets weirded out if I eat much at one time. And really weirded out if I eat much and then try to train within the next few hours. (This is more or less why I'm vegetarian - left to my own devices I'd probably eat meat a few times a year, otherwise, but I have to eat it more often than that if I want to retain the ability to digest it well.)

[Cole]

BTW, I don't mean the comment about not eating much in the way of fatty food to carry moralistic implications at all -

Don't worry, I didn't take it that way.  If I had my druthers, I'd eat mostly fruits and veggies, with some good homemade bread and cheese. Meat once in a while, when I felt like it. (But still sushi regularly. I love that way too much to not eat it!) And that's just based on listening to my body about what it needs and doesn't need.

[will shetterly]

All the personal remarks - "My God, you're huge! You're like a whale! Are you sure it's not twins?" - I wonder why people feel able to say what they like to you when you are pregnant?

I think they mean it as praise: big equals healthy when people think of babies and babies-to-be. It's a culture clash, I suspect.