Operation Tubetop

Officially back at work after a few days off. I don't count those days as holidays. Oh no. My holiday will hopefully come in a week or so if the Husband can bribe the in laws to take the Kid for a couple of nights so that we can hit up Graz for some romantic alone time. And by romantic alone time I mean watching TV and drinking wine in a hotel bed. And maybe going to a museum. If the museum has TV. And wine. Hey sexy. Mind if I drink some Merlot on you and watch German dubbed Gossip Girl? Yesterday a friend came by with her adorable 18 month old daughter. The Kid, not a fan of other kids, tried to lock her out of his room. He brought both moms in and then closed the door on the little girl. He's adult-oriented and a bit of a jerk. Treat em mean, keep em keen. Amirite? Only after a couple of hours did he realize she was not his replacement and warmed up a little bit. He's never aggressive to other children, he just avoids them. Kind of like me and those Greenpeace peopl...

It is the dawn of day 4 of potty training. The household is silent save for the ticking of the pewter clock on the windowsill. The sun rises to an overcast day. Even the birds seem melancholy this morning. When will the sun shine again? I don't know. Potty training; a reason there should be a boarding school for toddlers. Shoot me now. The Husband and I have talked about potty training for a while now. It just never seemed like the right time. But now, since I am off until Thursday, we figured this past weekend would be a fine time to start. And start we did. What is potty training our child like? Well, it is like chasing a 3 feet tall naked pissed off Chucky doll with a plastic potty for 10-11 hours a day while once in a while slipping in his pee because even though you have asked him every 20 minutes "do you have to go pee pee" the answer is "NEIN!!!" For the most part, Saturday and Sunday weren't so bad because the Husband and I were in it to...

After last week's tragedy and the stress that led up to it, I have been eating my feelings. No, really. If sadness was a food group, I would have gotten about a bazillion per cent of my daily requirements. And of course it is a cycle and even though I have gotten walks and Bikram sessions in, my eating has been disastrous. Last night in a fit of not fitting (I'm brilliant with the wordplay) into my jean shorts, I decided to make a vow to myself, and on Facebook, as one does, that I was breaking up with booze, cheese, bread and sugar for the next week or so. Sounds doable. FOR LIKE A MINUTE! But I really need to try and do it. I've been in a bit of a carb fog the past week and it makes me groggy and sluggish and mean. Oh, so mean to the Husband. And demanding. And just all round bitchy and not fun to be around kind of gal. A kind of grumpy over weight hamster. Almost lizard-like in my demeanor.... I digress. You better have ordered double cheese on that pizza, G. So s...

My dear friend's husband passed away on Wednesday. It was peaceful and he was surrounded by his beloved wife and three of her sisters and a short Jew who pushed her way into the room (I hope that makes you smile, my dear Debra). It is a memory that I will never forget and will oddly cherish. There isn't much more that I can write because it isn't my place to do so. My place is to be there for my friend who has shown such dignity and strength during this dark time. I mourn for her, for his brother, for his family, for his friends and for my husband who lost a dear friend. I mourn for her because she lost the love of her life, her partner, her everything. Christian was a man of spirit, integrity, heart, humour and love. He was an egalitarian and a believer in people. He respected all who he met and would have fought tooth and nail for a friend.  He loved his wife to the moon and back and the pride he showed when he talked about her was inspiring. I mourn the loss of this...

Hello everybody. I am sorry for the lack of posting recently. As some of you know, one of my dearest friend's husband is currently in critical condition. I ask please for your prayers - for him and for her. I cannot even describe how amazingly strong she has been through this time. I won't go into detail about the situation because it is not my story to tell but I ask for your positives thoughts and vibes. Thank you. So, since I haven't written since last Monday, here is what has been happening: Saturday: We were invited to friends who have an amazing new place in the 5th district. It is a house with a garden in the middle of the city which for Vienna is a rare and wondrous thing. It was hot that day and we camped on the grass in the shade lest we go poof like Kirsten Dunst in Interview with a Vampire. 90's film references foreva! We drank, we ate, the Kid kvetched because he was hot and tired. I sprayed him down with a water bottle throughout the day because you ju...

It was a weekend of grump for me. It was nice, it was chill, we had no plans and ergo I was fidgety and unable to relax. It was the first weekend in a long time that we haven't had real plans regarding hosting, brunching, parties or projects. I have realized, after a few sessions of therapy, that I need to be busy lest I get stuck in my head and confront any chapter of misery lurking down below. This, I am assured, is normal. Wonderful. But when I wasn't busy kvetching over the weekend, there were definitely some highlights. The Kid, as usual, was a blast. He makes me laugh and he makes me cry because deep down inside is a person ready to say "Hey world, I AM FABULOUS!" He has such a sense of humour which is not lost on me. When he finally begins to talk in an understandable language, I just know that I am screwed. And screwed in a good way. Last night, as I believe, he was trying to go to the toilet in my closet (a) he is a cat and (b) he is still in diapers, we had ...

Woot! Friday! It felt like an oddly long week that went by quickly if that makes any sense. If we are friends of Facebook you probably saw once again a rant about the daycare. If not, here is the quick summary: picked the Kid up at lunchtime, was told by two ladies there that he was an absolute terror and nightmare, I cried and got angry and ranted about it to my awesome friends. I'm calmer this morning after wine last night. At least I know that today the Kid will be at the Mother in law's having a blast. Every day he is not at the daycare is a good day. (Update: due to the rain, the Mother in law is at our place. Still a good day) Last night the Husband and I had a chill night. We ordered pizza and watched Melrose Place and for the first time in a week, the Kid only got out of his bed twice. This past week has been a test of patience with him at bed time. He loves to go to bed but then after a few minutes, he wanders into the living room silently, shuts the door behind him ...

Good morning everybody! Well, I did it, I did my first Food Inspired by Films dinner. And it was fabulous. Bellissimo! Bella! Che meraviglia! I chose Under the Tuscan Sun because it is one of my favourite films. And the book is fantastic! The book and film are however, nothing alike and yet they are both special to me. Just like my sports bra and push up bra. Totally different, but both very very special. When I first watched the film it was just when I had moved to Vienna in 2004. I was thrilled to be back in Europe and this film cemented my decision to stay. I wanted a vineyard, and a three hundred year old house called Bramasole and I wanted to cook fabulous dinners and drink amazing wine! Well, for 10 years we lived in a 1970's apartment with brown carpeting. And it definitely did not have an official name... But now, 2014, we live in a 110 year old apartment, overlooking a park and I get to cook fabulous dinners and drink amazing wine. Three'ísh out of four ain...

So, as I wrote yesterday on the Operation Tubetop Facebook page (like my page, it makes me feel good), I have decided that once a week I will make a dinner inspired by films that I love. This isn't about films that are just about food, but rather, films that will inspire a dish. I'm pretty excited about this idea because I feel like I have been in a bit of a rut food wise. There is only so much I can do with a bagel. This idea came to me as I picked up my old dog eared copy of Under the Tuscan Sun . The book is filled with recipes and I thought to myself  "I should try these" and then I thought some more and said out loud "By George! I have a splendid idea!" and then I had some more wine and then planned to start this "challenge" the next day. And now it is the next day and I have to follow through. Oh God Rebecca, she is going to do another challenge and we are all going to pay. As we watched Brazil get pummeled by Germany in the World Cup, I...

Wellity wellity. Here we are. Two weeks have gone by. Ten weeks to go. Thank God. Last night, as you may have read, I was out. I ate cake. I ate cake before my weigh-in. Am I stupid? Jury is still out on that. But the good news is that I am down half a kilo even after my bread/lasagna/chocolate cake/wine orgy of last night. So here are my stats. I'm not jumping for joy but I am feeling pretty good. The best part is that I am down 1.5 kilos in 2 weeks and that ain't bad. Now that two major events of the summer are over, I can focus more on not giving myself cirrhosis of the liver and work more on making healthier choices - better life choices if you will. So, to kick off week 3, here are my exercise goals: Tuesday: Long walk home (missed my walk this morning because, wine) Wednesday: Jalk and long walk home Thursday: Jalk and Bikram Friday: Jalk and Bikram Saturday: Walk Sunday: Bikram Monday: Jalk How are you all doing? :)

As you probably know, I adore Vienna. I heart it. I have lived here a total of 14 years - 4 as an angsty teen and 10 as an angsty, well-endowed wife and now, mother. The city has so much to offer and it seems we are in it for the long haul. And that is just a-ok with me. I must admit that as a teenager, I wasn't a fan. It was quiet, it was boring and I didn't have a fabulous time at school. But now, now that I am firmly an adult resident, Vienna has flourished into my kind of town.  Every once in a while, I will have a magical night that reaffirms my love for this city. Last night was one of those nights. These nights seem to predominantly happen in the summer. Go figure. I met a friend who I knew in high school. We didn't know each other well back in da day but now she is in Wien and it is great to catch up. She had a friend in town visiting and we all met up for dinner. We went to Medusa which is in the first district and is in an absolutely lovely spot - right by th...

Sup? It is Monday again and back to the normal grind. Well, as normal as can be. We have just a couple of weeks to go until the Kid will no longer be at the daycare and then it is going to be all hands on deck as we try to make sure we don't accidentally leave him at home alone one day. Kind of like Home Alone but instead of hilarious hijinks, we get arrested. Oh ha ha. So I will be off work from July 24-30 and then August 11-12, August 18 and August 25-26, so if you are around those days, drop on by. We can chill and watch Dora or get liquored in the park. Either or. Yay! Responsible parenting! It was a great weekend. Friday I did the Bikram and almost died. Saturday morning I did the Bikram and almost died. Saturday afternoon I helped a friend set up for her birthday party. Saturday night I partayed. Sunday morning I almost died and then Sunday evening the Husband, the Kid and I hung out at the park. I love our park and I really love that we can sit on the grass and not...

So, if we are friends on Facebook and you haven't blocked my status updates, you would have seen that this morning we got confirmation that the Kid will be attending the dream downstairs kindergarten in September. This is all kinds of amazing. It is an integration kindergarten which means that there will be a specialist on-site and since it is a public daycare, we no pay the monies! Woot! Silly us paying every month to be emotionally abused by the Kid's original daycare. Silly. In the next couple of weeks, all we have to do is drop by with the Kid and sign some forms and then we are officially in! I cannot begin to even describe the incredible sense of relief that I am feeling. I have told a few people that I found out last Saturday that the Husband had been told at the last daycare meeting that I did not attend that the Kid was the most difficult child they had seen in 20 years. I understand why the Husband neglected to tell me straight away because he would have had a hard ...

As promised, here are my stats! I was feeling kind of gross yesterday morning but this morning I woke up feeling a little bit lighter. It probably helped that I didn't eat last night and had wine. So much good wine. Last night was the Canada Day party at the official residence and for some stupid reason, I thought there would be a bbq. I should have known better. I grew up on this circuit. There be hors d'oeuvres and open bars. And the thing is, I will never eat hors d'oeuvres at parties. Why? I don't know. Maybe it is the thought that the one item I really like will disappear and I will spend the rest of the party desperately searching for that one tray being carried around. I will never forget you, pig in a blanket, New Year's Eve party 2001. Sad memory. So instead of turning myself into some kind of raider of the lost amuse bouche, I occupy my hands with wine and then I forget to eat and hello, I'm down a couple of pounds the next day. I should totally go to...

Last week I didn't get as many workouts in as I wanted to. So this week of the challenge, I wanted to write down my workout goals and to try my very very best to get them in. As I wrote earlier, I did not jalk this morning but rather took a walk to the center and back. It was actually pretty awesome. As much as I love jalking around my park (yes, my park. It's mine. All mine), it was kind of spectacular to have this view as the sun rose. #Lovethiscity. And because it is that time of the month that the Husband hides in the pantry rocking back and forth, I can't do any hardcore running for the next couple of days, so walking it is! My super duper workout plan : Tuesday: 45 minute walk Wednesday: 45 minute walk, 45 minute bike ride home (bike's hopefully still at work) Thursday: 45 minute walk, pilates and maybe Bikram if I'm still upright Friday: 45 minute walk, Bikram Saturday: 2 hour walk Sunday: Bikram Monday: Jalk Total hours:...