Accessorizing relaxation

On my way home from work Friday, I was struck by all the different ways people were accessorizing their relaxation: A man in a business suit sucked on a cigar while driving his silver Mercedes; couples walked dogs in old jeans; groups of women slipped into Georgetown restaurants for happy hour.

My personal accessories include a martini glass, linen pants (so comfortable), and a shower. What are yours?

To drink or not to drink

Today's paper held a disturbing story about alcohol intake: For Women, the Wineglass is Half Full. For someone like me, who loves a glass (or sometimes two) of wine at night, the article suggests that such habits might increase the risk of breast cancer by 10 to 40 percent. That's enough to make me substitute my pinot grigio with club soda tonight.

It also raises the larger question of dealing with risk. There's been so much talk about the danger of plastics. How is it even possible to deal with this problem? I bring my lunch to work almost very day in a (plastic) tupperware container. On my way out the door this morning, I was frantically trying to compare the number on the bottom of my container to the chart in the paper that shows which number correlates with which type of plastic. I'm pretty sure mine was on the "do not use" list.

And now I really need a glass of wine to deal with the stress of all that.

Yikes

I can't believe I haven't blogged in almost a week! The problem is, my life has been taken over by my actual job...leaving me less time to share the details of my latest cooking, marital, and bathing adventures. Luckily, these ladies have been making great posts lately:

• 24-7 Mommy
• Trish's Dishes
• Everyday Yogini
• Just Breathe
• And my friend Kate wrote an amazing series of articles on the challenges of a difficult pregnancy (it has a very happy ending).
  

Hmm

My mom is wondering if perhaps I was deprived of baths when I was little. Hmm. Does it seem like I've overly obsessed?

Bath bliss

This purchase has significantly improved my life, so I must share... my husband bought this "bath pillow" as a surprise over the weekend while we were at Bed, Bath & Beyond, and it's pleasures are difficult to overstate -- it basically feels like a gentle neck massage in the tub.

It's never as bad as you think

For some reason, today has been a day to obsess about mistakes that I've made. Everything from social interactions to getting unnecessarily frantic at times. For example, today, I thought I completely messed up a tv appearance. The ear piece wouldn't stay in my ear, which made me feel unsettled, which made me think I totally messed up the whole thing. And while I was walking home, obsessing about that disaster, I ran into an old college classmate and was convinced I had failed to have an un-awkward conversation. But in both cases, it was fine. Or it doesn't really matter anyway. But even if it did, it was fine.

Thank goodness it's not just me.

Bribes

My husband sent me an IM today, asking if I would go shopping with him this weekend in Georgetown. "I'll buy you a latte," he added.

I love that he knows he needs to bribe me. (I hate shopping.)

Rude?

As I was walking quickly back to work from an errand today, a man with a clipboard in his hand caught my eye. "Do you care about the environment?" he asked.

I felt rude -- to him and to the environment -- saying "no," but I certainly didn't feel like stopping to chat or signing up for whatever was on his clipboard.

So I looked at him and said, while still walking, "I can't talk right now, but thanks." Thanks for what, I'm not quite sure -- thanks for caring about the environment yourself, thanks for asking if I do.

He looked disappointed. It made me feel really bad for not talking to him. But this happens every day, sometimes twice a day, and I don't want to talk to everyone. So am I an awful person? Incredibly rude? Callous to the social problems these clipboarded-people are promoting? Or is it okay that on my one 10-minute outdoor break of the day, I don't feel like talking to strangers?

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On a more positive note, check out what my friend Christine wrote about the John Adams HBO saga -- it caused her to question whether she, too, could be as strong and supportive as Abigail Adams was for her family. (Her husband says she could.)

Cooking from memory

Recently, my dad mentioned that he still remembers the poached fish my grandmother used to cook for him. He describes it like it was the most amazing thing he has ever eaten. He doesn't remember the exact recipe, but knows that it involves heated milk, white fish, and seasonings.

Tonight, I tried to recreate it. And it might be the most delicious thing I've ever had.

With guidance from a Washington Post recipe, I bought tilapia (a very affordable white fish). Because I didn't want to use up eight cups of wine, I mixed about two cups each of chicken broth and milk. Then, I added a couple bay leaves plus lots of salt and pepper, and -- this is the surprise ingredient -- a cinnamon stick. I boiled the whole mixture, which started creating lovely smells. (Meanwhile, I brushed asparagus with olive oil, salt, and pepper to roast in the oven as a side dish.)

Once it boiled, I added the fish, then turned the heat off (but kept the top on) and let it sit and cook for 20 minutes. At that point, the fish was cooked and perfectly flaky. Not only did it smell amazing, but it was the softest fish I've ever had, much flakier and more moist then frying or baking it, at least in my experience.

I so wish I could ask my grandmother for her exact recipe, but I feel pretty good about the results, and can't wait to make it for my dad, to see how it measures up against his memory.

Indulgent evenings

After a very busy and stressful March, I have resolved to take better care of myself in April. Tonight it got off to an excellent start. After a massage (a rare treat), I decided to do only things that I enjoy for the rest of the night. I had a glass of wine as I made one of my favorite dinners, pasta with sautéed mushrooms and crushed red pepper flakes, watched a chick flick (Fever Pitch), and took a bath. I even ate ice cream while doing the dishes to ease the pain of that chore. It was great -- something to practice more often.

This weekend, one of my talks with my girlfriends involved the issue of doing what makes you happy versus doing what you feel like you should do. It made me think, why not try, whenever possible, do do what you really want? Usually the "shoulds" don't matter as much as we think they do. That was part of the inspiration for tonight.