If You Missed It Live . . .

. . . you can see Zach's episode of Grey's Anatomy online by clicking here.

Catching Up

Last week passed without my trying a new recipe, so tonight I tried two.

The first was inspired by the pomelo at our farmers' market and necessitated a couple of changes. Instead of Lobster, Avocado, and Grapefruit Salad, I made Shrimp, Avocado, and Pomelo Salad:

(The shrimp and avocado are hiding under the baby arugula in this photo.)

The second was inspired by a ripe mango at Trader Joe's and some ripe strawberries and raspberries left over from last week's farmers' market.

The recipe couldn't be simpler: Seasonal Fruit Salad with Fresh Mint. You prep a bunch of ripe fruit, and finely chopped fresh mint, stir, and enjoy.

We enjoyed so much that I didn't get a chance to snap a photo first. Next time!

(And there most definitely will be a next time!)

Zach on Grey's Anatomy

We didn't factor in March Madness when we guesstimated the date of Zach's appearance on Grey's Anatomy.

It's now confirmed to be next Thursday, March 25, at 9PM on ABC.

Tune in and enjoy!

Jolted

I woke up to a 4.4 earthquake at 4:04 this morning.

It's always very disorienting to wake up that way. It typically takes me a minute to figure out what happened. (Zach telling me there was an earthquake usually helps.)

I'm shaken awake fairly frequently, given that I share a bed with a somnambulist, so earthquake isn't the first thing that pops into my mind—especially when I look up and see Zach already out of bed.

We froze for a moment, tried to figure out where we were supposed to stand, gave up on that, then went downstairs and checked the U.S. Geological Survey site.

Once we saw that it was a minor quake, we went back to bed.

It's very strange—kind of like hearing a toddler fall down, waiting to see if there's going to be any wailing, and then going about your business once you know that nothing earth-shattering happened.

Even if something earth-shaking did.

Salvaged

I promised myself this weekend that I'd make sure to get enough sleep—a direct result of coming to the end of two incredibly busy months at work, which have left me more than a bit droopy.

I didn't set an alarm on Sunday and ended up sleeping later than I expected, even factoring in the forward leap of the clocks.

Not surprisingly, I wasn't especially tired last night when the clock struck the reasonable hour I had decided would be my bedtime. I ended up turning in at midnight.

But I promised myself enough sleep, so I set my little travel alarm for 7:30 (later than I normally sleep during the week).

When I woke up in the morning, I instinctively looked over at the wall, where our cool bedroom clock projects the current time. It said 6:00AM.

I was awake, but I knew that six hours of sleep was not going to cut it, so turned over, closed my eyes, and fell back asleep.

I have no idea what happened to my alarm, because when I woke up again it was 8:15.

Then I realized that we hadn't reset the projection clock, so it was actually 7:00AM, not 6:00, when I woke up the first time.

Damn that Daylight Savings Time!

But . . .

fast-forward to the end of the day. I left work at a highly respectable 5:20 and got home before 6:00.

With more than an hour of daylight left, Zach and I were able to take a long walk around the Silver Lake Reservoir before dinner.

No sit-ups for me tonight.

Thanks, Daylight Savings Time!

Verboten

Apparently, the CEO of Tribune Co. has issued a list of 119 words and phrases that are not to be uttered on the air of WGN, Tribune's flagship radio station.

Say what you will about whether the CEO ought to be focused on bigger issues (the company's bankruptcy, for one). I still love the list, which includes:

• “Two to one margin” . . . “Two to one” is a ratio, not a margin. A margin is measured in points. It’s not a ratio.


• Completely destroyed, completely abolished, completely finished or any other completely redundant use


• Eye Rack or Eye Ran


• In the wake of (unless it’s a boating story)


• Literally


• Mute point. (It’s moot point, but don’t say that either)


• Utilize (you mean use)

Check out this attempt to use them all in one sentence.

We Do NOT Have a Winner

Pea Dip with Parmesan
This sounded good but really wasn't. Zach, not a pea-eater, bravely gave it a go and had to be hurriedly supplied with a couple of pita chips to get the taste out of his mouth.

The picture makes it look like guacamole, which would have been an infinitely better choice.

It's in the fridge now, on the off chance that an overnight chill will work some kind of miracle.

In case you're wondering, that slash in the top is where I dropped my phone while trying to take this photo.

So the current tally of things that needed to be cleaned out is three: the blender I used to purée the dip, my iPhone case, and Zach's mouth.

Excellent.

The Itch

Lately I've been feeling a pull toward doing more writing/editing/teaching, and I've begun to brainstorm a bit about what I might be able to do around my more-than-full-time job.

I'm thinking about working on a couple of stories, taking on some editing projects, and doing some teaching and coaching—even on a volunteer basis.

Starting slowly will be key—I know that I won't be able to do all three at the same time.

But I'm hoping to do at least one over the next couple of months, and build from there.

Stay tuned for details, and please feel free to send any suggestions my way!

Nine

I received my first diagnosis nine years ago today.

At the time, I couldn't think nine minutes into the future. Nine years was unimaginable.

It's a good reminder that life goes on—and on.

I'm grateful for every day of those nine years—even the hardest and saddest among them, and there were many of those.

And I'm grateful for all of you.

In a few hours, I'll begin my 10th year as a cancer veteran. Thanks for keeping me company.

Cautiously Optimistic

I spent almost two hours at the Title Nine store in Berkeley on Saturday, where I tried on 14 different styles of bras, of which six fit well enough that I felt it was worth buying them.

A couple fit so well that I even bought them in multiple colors!

Now it's quite possible that something that looked and felt good during a test drive (aka in the dressing room) will look and feel not-so-good out on the open road (aka during a full day of work, or the equivalent). So I'm not tossing my other bras just yet.

But I am hoping to be able to do that in a couple of weeks' time, once I have worked my way through the rotation and can better judge my new unmentionables' real-world performance.

Fortunately, TItle Nine has a no-hassle return policy, so I have up to a year to trade in any of the models that don't meet my body's exacting standards.

In the meantime, I'll be getting dressed without a grimace for the first time in a long, long while.