Weekend List - Me, all me!

Carve jack o'lanterns  - Not our best this year
Roast pumpkin seeds - Yummy
Pay bills
File financial documents Q3  - Stabilized, hoping for solid by end of the year :-)
Do laundry
Put it away
Bake banana bread - Delish, with walnuts and chocolate chips
Swim 40 minutes
Buy apples and cider at farmer's market
Early Vote!
Shop for clothes/shoes  - Success!
Eat out Saturday night - My second lobster roll this week!
Laze around in bed, drinking coffee, reading paper - Indulgence
Short hike
Swim 30 minutes - Again!
Return boots, exchange shoes
Trick-or treat
Begin London packing/piling
Go grocery shopping  - Oh well, it's a short list for tomorrow, and we have milk for coffee
Make food for the troops for the days, I'm gone - Didn't happen

Phew, what a weekend...very productive, and I'm tired.  It's not always like this - but it sure was satisfying.

Top 10 Reasons I Haven't Blogged Lately...

1. I've been busy writing strategy memos for work - about 1-2 per week - and it's sucking up all my writing bandwidth.
2. I'm tired in the evening, making me incoherent and inarticulate.
3. I'm not particularly inspired these days.
4. When I am inspired, it's at the wrong time, and I lose the occasion to blog.
5. I'm confused - not all in a bad way - and so my thoughts are coming out all jumbled. 
6. My blog has lost some of its anonymity, so to protect the innocent....
7. My own version of ADD is acting up...I am easily distracted these days.
8. I'm busy -  booked with some obligation or other from 6:45 in the morning to 9:00 in the evening.
9. The few waking hours not booked, are reserved for chilling and doing nothing, so my poor brain can get a break.
10. I'm not really sure where this blog is going.

Sigh...oh well...in general, this is an immensely therapeutic and creative outlet for me, so hope to get back soon!

Beirut Grocery Shopping List

Hummos (tinned)
Baba Ghanouj (tinned)
Tahini
Bottle of red (Bekka Valley, Liban)
Sesame candy
Date cookies
Sumac
Honey with pistachios
Olive oil
Licorice candy

I think I might have overdone it, but it was all local!  And irresistible...(Ummm...maybe I have food issues?!?!).

I go home tomorrow, and after all these feasts (coming home from the most recent 3-hour dinner at 11:30pm),  I'm actually looking forward to a little de-tox fast from overindulgence.  It was quite a wonderful visit (and business trip).

A pretty good day!

All Souls, see Michele
Fill fridge with fresh, healthy food
Swim 40 minutes
Do laundry
Put it away
Book ticket to Paris!!!
Do first cut of taxes
Look for new job

New Year's audit

Lists
It's always nice to start the year with my home affairs in order (even if it doesn't last too long).  Thus, the list for the first day of 2010 (yesterday) was something like this:

Undo Christmas  - (usually I wait until the weekend after New Year's or to get through Orthodox Xmas, if possible, but with the help available and the time on my hands, Christmas was undone by noon on New Year's Day :-) / :-(
Write thank you notes
...find addresses and mail them
Pay bills, settle year-end accounts

Assist with air ticket fiasco, so I could sweep ex out of house (bittersweet)

Stock fridge with fresh, healthy food
Do laundry
... and put it away (have since generated more)
Set up laptop computer wi-fi!  - (Hurray!)
Buy flowers to cheer up quiet, emptier house (and cheer up G who has had sad eyes since her dad left this morning)