Posthumous Soup

I’m all alone, so I figured I should write.

I don’t remember what we did Thursday and Friday last week. I think Ellen and I went to the laundromat on Friday, very exciting stuff that. Thursday may have just been lazy day? I think that was possibly the day I was slouched on the couch the whole afternoon, barely able to stay awake. So weird, the past week, every second day I have been EXHAUSTED.

On Saturday, we had plans to go to New York City. We were going to do 3 things – Dylan’s Candy Bar (a staple for NY trips for us, mmm candy), Central Park so Ellen could see squirrels on this trip, and the Bronx Zoo. However, these plans required us to drive to the train station, and then sit on a train for an hour and a half or so. Ellen wanted to get  a train before the 10:16, which would require leaving here probably about 9:15 to make sure we got there on time. I woke up at 9:15. Oops.

I did have a good reason for sleeping in so ‘late’, I was having an awesome dream! A dream in which I had my little newborn in my arms instead of in my belly. I didn’t want to wake up because I didn’t want to leave her just yet. (side-effect of that dream: my boobs grew what felt like a signifigant amount and were in my way all day. Amusing.) So because we wouldn’t get into the city by midday at the very super-earliest, and because Ellen wasn’t feeling well (she kept saying her head was full of goo) and Jake wasn’t 100% either, we just drove to the Bronx Zoo. Still got there at about midday, but if we had gone the public transport option we would still be an hour away at best by the time we got there.

This zoo, huge. I mean, yeah, it’s probably the same size as the other zoos I’ve been to, but it was all hilly and also, it’s harder for me to walk up inclines and such now. And there was little things that amused me that had nothing to do with the zoo. I know I have extra weight keeping me warm, and my companions weren’t perfectly healthy, but still… I was amused that they were wearing their hoodies all day and I removed mine the moment we got there. In high school, I think Ellen wore shorts every single day. I wore pants and a jumper pretty much every day. (We had to wear a uniform.) So after 6 years of that, it amuses me when it is reversed.

You want me to stop typing and start showing pictures? Okay.

  
  
  
  
  
 

I’m not sure why there were Lego animals all over the place, but there was, and I couldn’t NOT get my photo with the tiger one. That would be silly. Also silly – ALL our tiger photos came out not-great. Mine are overly pixelated, Ellen’s are focused on something other than the tigers. Of course, on the one exhibit I really want super awesome photos. We saw more animals than these, but I doubt you want me to post 103 photos.

I think we left at 4pm, after we went to JungleWorld, because Ellen wanted to see the gibbons. The gibbons that either weren’t there or were so severely hiding that we couldn’t find them after lots of looking. That was a touch disappointing because we had to pay extra for that exhibit, but we did get to see langurs and tree kangaroos and a tapir’s butt and a panther.

Once we were home we bought a gallon of OJ (terrible tasting, very unlike that brand normally is…) and I made toasted sandwiches for dinner so the sick ones could just rest and de-goo and watch Cash Cab.

Sunday was a super-rest day. My entire body ached from the hours of non-stop walking the day before, Ellen and Jake were a little better than the day before but not much. I almost said I don’t know what we did with the whole day, but I do know! Ellen and I made chocolate lava muffins. They were… ok. Because they were pretty much just uncooked batter in the centre, and I’m not allowed to eat raw batter at the moment (raw egg. Man I miss not-completely-fully-cooked eggs, I want runny yolk bammit!) it just didn’t feel right to eat them. I mean, yeah, I had 2. But still. No more. I think if I was going to have a muffin with a runny chocolatey centre again, I’d just make it with chocolate sauce inside. Much better, and less weird once it cools down.

Sunday dinner was tomatoey, beany, pasta filled soup. It was meant to be spicy, but even though Ikept adding more pepper flake, it kept not being spicy at all. Except when I flaked my individual bowl, that worked. Mmm, soup that tingles the tongue. Jake asked in the late afternoon when I was going to make the soup, while I was playing bejewelled. So my answer was "as soon as I die" which got a response from Ellen as "mmm, posthumous soup…" Maybe that’s why it wouldn’t spice up right? You can’t spice the dead. As good a reason as any.

This picture amuses me, I love how Jake and Ellen are so almost-perfectly coordinated. Good thing I demanded to be in the centre.

Anyway… Monday (yesterday) was the day of Ellen-departure. We didn’t leave until 4pm, but that just gave Ellen time to be stressy-nervous about her travelling to Copenhagen, and me time to stress about driving to the airport and back. I know how to get there, I’ve driven there so much, AND I have a GPS to tell me how to get there, but it still stresses me out.

Months ago (or maybe just month ago…) I had sent a letter down with Jake stating the days he needed some time off for all the trips to the airport and/or doctor with me. I think the note said Jake could work until 2pm yesterday, so when we went down in the afternoon saying he could work until 3:15 Barb (the female boss I think is how he describes her) was so happy he could work that late. Made me happy to hear that because I feel bad dragging him out of work so I don’t have to go long drives/doctors alone.

As soon as Jake was clean and not in work-clothes, we grabbed a waitress from downstairs to take the above picture of us. There were some taken on Ellen’s camera which is WAY better than my shitty polaroid camera, so they may be even betterer. Then it was a quick upstairs so Ellen could pack her backpack (camera lives on the bottom so that had to be a very-last-minute) and we were OFF! A bit before 4, I think, because we needed to get petrol (we needed the exact amount that we used, that amused me). Ellen had wanted to get there at 6:30, and we got there just after 6, because I am awesome at being a chauffeur apparently.

After Ellen was checked in, we went and had dinner at McDonald’s. Good, nutritious food, I know. But I had been craving it (the maccas in the next town is HORRENDOUSLY BAD but at the airport, it tastes like aussie-maccas!) Jake and I reminisced of the time we were stuck in that terminal for 5 hours when we went to Ireland. I was amused that they replaced the deadly-uncomfortable cement ‘seat’ that we had waited on for actual chairs and tables. Anyway, not the point. Maccas was dinner, and my happy meal filled me up. I can’t remember the last time it filled me. Baby has obviously given me a child’s size stomach and thinks that is all I need. After eating, we wandered to the other end of the terminal and Ellen left. Next time we see her, I’ll have a baby on the outside rather than on the inside of me!

If you’ve been reading me, or if you know me, you know how much I adore KFC back home. Mmmmmmmm, goodness. Anyway, up until last night, I had not even dared to TRY it here. But there was a KFC at the airport, so Jake and I got some popcorn chicken to share – something we’ve had many times at home but is new here and so there have been SO MANY ADS making me want to eat it. We actually had to wait for it to fry up so it was nice and fresh. We had to wait until we were outside before it was cool enough to eat. MAN that was amazingly delicious. I think it helps that baby has Jake’s tastebuds, so it tasted even better than I remember KFC ever tasting. Mmm. At least, until burps started, but I blame that on the fact they were probably popcorn chicken mixed with cheeseburger.

We got home at 10pm. Europe flights are LATE, man. Mum’s flights are a bit earlier thankfully. Jake and I consumed a little something each so we wouldn’t feel so disgusting in the morning from our dinner, and then went to bed.

This morning was weird. For the first time in almost 6 months, there was no other living creature in the apartment. No friend on the computer to say hi to when I wake, no cats climbing up for cuddles or already snuggled up on top of me, making getting out of bed undesirable. I was just… alone. And it was lonely. I’m not so lonely now, possibly because I have music playing, but it is weird. I’m glad Mum will be here in less than a week. Then I’ll have just under 2 weeks of having company again. And by then the little one should be kicking, and I won’t feel alone. WOO!