meisa's lagoon

this was my second 4 day weekend since khalid has been gone, and plus I had those 3 days off last week while I was sick, so I have been trying very hard to think of ways to keep myself busy. i've ended up watching a lot more tv than i would like, but i have also

1) made chicken pot pie from scratch. who does that?

2) walked to and investigated the berkeley public library - charming, but a little cluttered and crazy. but i suppose public libraries are good reflections of what the city is like, and berkeley is definitely crazy

3) did my federal taxes, a month and a half ahead of schedule! and i'm getting back a lot of money since i switched jobs mid-year. score!

i've got another 4 day weekend in 2 weeks. any suggestions on things i can do (other than my state taxes)?

Posted by Meisa at 06:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

the day my mom left i got sick. and i mean really sick. i was home all day yesterday with a fever. today i've lost the fever, but am still heavy on the body aches. and my doctor says i'll be highly contagious for another day, so i've gotta lay around all day tomorrow. as though i needed more time by myself.
i haven't been this sick for a really long time, and let me tell you - it sucks. and it sucks even more when you have no one to take care of you.
i know i need to stop feeling sorry for myself, but things just seem to be getting worse and worse. tomorrow will be officially 6 weeks since khalid's embassy appointment and he still has no word. this is after people had told us that it shoudn't take longer than a week. blah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! let this part of my life be over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by Meisa at 07:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

my mom left today and i'm alone once more.

a fortune teller called khalid's mom out of the blue and told her she would be receiving a phone call on monday or tuesday with news that she has been waiting for a long time. please let it be the news i've been waiting for too.

Posted by Meisa at 05:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

this past week on my daily evening commute, i encountered a new brand of crazy. there were 2 people seated on the train making balloon sculptures larger than themselves at super sonic speed. in the middle of rush hour! so many people smooshed on the train, and they're flinging gigantic balloon ducks all over the place.

the funniest part was that there were all these people who were just on the train who didn't even seem to notice. they just kept staring off into space. i guess when there are so many loony people around here, a couple making the world's largest balloon heart on the train during rush hour isn't really that big of a deal.

Posted by Meisa at 01:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (464)

while i don't think i'm quite loony enough to be a permanent berkeley resident, i have started to take my first real strides to fit in.

1) i was taking a blanket to the warm-up portion of my belly dancing class until i realized that i was the only woman (actually, only person - man or woman) in berkeley not to own a yoga mat. so i bought one.

2) not only have i started to eat granola for breakfast everyday, it's HOMEMADE granola. how very granola-eating-hippie of me.

Fruity Crunchy Granola
2 c. rolled oats
1 c. nuts (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans...)
1 c. seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin...)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. honey
1/3 c. canola oil
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 c. dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries, currants...)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together oats, nuts, seeds and salt. Whisk together honey, oil and vanilla. Add to oat mixture. Spread onto greased cookie sheet and bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown (mixing once or twice during baking). Let cool on cookie sheet until dry and crunchy. Transfer to bowl and add dried fruit. Store in airtight container. Yum!

Posted by Meisa at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

sometimes i feel that when i haven't blogged for awhile that i need something really remarkable to write about. and then the longer i wait to find that remarkable thing to say, it takes even longer to blog. which then, of course, means that what ever i was going to say must be even more remarkable. see the vicious cycle?
but i don't have much remarkable to say. i've been lonely. khalid is still gone and i really miss him. in the last month and a half, i saw him for one day. and that was around christmas. i know many people last a lot longer in long distance relationships, and maybe i shouldn't be complaining. but it's really just the frustration that no one will tell us what is going on, and how much longer it is going to be.
lucky for me, my mom is here for the next ten days. now i'll have someone to come home to and hang out with. i've been really amazed at the way some people have reached out to me to help me through this lonely time. but i have to say, it's nice to have someone that i'm so comfortable around to be with. i think that's one of the things i miss most about khalid being gone. there is no one here who knows me as well as he does.
well...keep your fingers crossed. maybe tomorrow he'll get the call saying he can come back.

Posted by Meisa at 09:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)