Crisis Averted

Once in a while, The Boy and I would exclaim that we haven't fought yet despite going out for x number of months. I find it really cute that we do that. It's also extremely pleasing to know we haven't fought yet.

In my last relationship, I knew we weren't going to last from the very beginning. Why did I get into it knowing that anyway? Um, "learning is a lifelong endeavor" is my excuse. Hehe. Two months into the relationship and I was already crying many bitter tears. What did we fight about?, friends asked. Really little things, I'd answer. It wasn't like we were of different religions or had opposing political views (how can that be when I have none? haha!)... it's just really little things.

Last night, The Boy and I almost got into a fight. Well, we got into a mild argument, but we both made a conscious effort to drop it, and really, it made all the difference. Over a round of beer, he chuckled at what almost occurred and he exclaimed, "So that's how it begins..."

It's all about butting heads and not letting the subject drop. I admit, I started the whole thing when I mentioned I was displeased by something he did, which he followed by a rationalization of doing what he did. Sometimes, reason is not what we're after, but emotion. Arguments break out when you *think* you're right. It pays to step back from your head-butting to realize you're going head-to-head over such a little trifle. And then you wonder, is it even worth it? And then you realize it's not and that time is more well-spent enjoying a nice cold bottle of beer (each!) hand-in-hand. :)

Baker's dozen

It's been 10 years since we last had an oven at home. I used to bake oatmeal-raisin cookies by the batch, pineapple-upside down cakes for my grandmother, cheesecakes for my brother. And then the oven conked out and I never baked anything ever again. Until this week.

I had recently acquired a trusty little oven, not quite big enough for a batch of cookies, but spacious enough to accommodate a 9-in pie plate or a roasting chicken. Definitely better than nothing! I started off by trying my hand at baking food, like roast chicken and fish. And then 2 days ago, I was craving for Lemon Squares, one of my favorite desserts. Thanks to Google, I was able to whip up a crumbly little tart buttery (a little bit too buttery, methinks; must modify that) cookie which I must say, wasn't too bad for my first attempt at baking after a decade!

And yesterday I was craving for brownies. Dark, sinful, fudgy little squares. Google and my trusty little oven delivered.

It doesn't help that I've been reading up on nutrition and have calculated my calorie intake to be 1800 at the most, but I'd like to keep it down to 1600. That's per day, and not per meal! A Quarter Pounder w/ cheese at McDonald's is already 510 calories! That's just for reference. I don't eat there often, and I hardly ever order the Quarter Pounder w/ cheese, much to The Boy's dismay. Hee.

So yesterday I gave The Boy a few squares of each, and asked him to comment on them, my first foray into baking in this millennium. "But it's my job to do the cooking!" was his response. It ain't easy to please someone who cooks wonderfully and whose mom bakes the most delectable goodies! He did say the lemon squares were good, but he'd prefer them with a thicker crust, and the brownies were a tad bit too sweet and could use a bit more chocolate. It just really slid by me though, because I was still grinning over my guy who insists that he does the cooking.

Now if only I could get him to do the ironing. :)

5.0

That's my ring-size.

I measured it YEARS ago with my good male friend G. He asked me to accompany him to a jewelry store because he wanted to approximate his then-girlfriend-now-fiancee's ring-size, which he guessed was close to mine.

Now there's a ring on her finger, and there's none on mine.

WAIT A MINUTE.

No, I will not fall into that I-want-to-get-married-NOW trap. Call it denial, but I'm really not married for that. Er, I meant ready. Freudian slip! I really did type it out that way.

I am, though, jolted by the sudden reverberations of wedding bells.

Last week, I learned that my college friend and his fiancee were getting married (civilly) this month. Last Saturday, I attended the wedding of another schoolmate. Ten minutes ago, I received an email from a former close friend of mine. Her then-boyfriend-now-fiance had just proposed to her.

On the downside, one good friend just broke up with her beau and another potentially might because of the LACK of wedding bells in their relationships.

Whether they're amusing peals or deafening knells, I really can't escape these wedding bells!

And sorry, I honestly did not mean to rhyme there.