Friday Tapas: The Sweet and Savory Edition

Among the best tapas I’ve ever tasted were dates wrapped in bacon. Which may sound like a strange combination, but oh my GAH, were they yummy; an oddly delicious blend of salty and sweet.

It would be fair to say that my mood this week has also fluctuated between “salty” and “sweet.” As has Lil’ Bit’s.

It’s been fun.

Yeah.

So, in homage to this most perplexing dynamic, this week’s nibbles reflect both the savory and the sweet. Because sometimes the two truly do complement each other.

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• First, I’m so glad the Giants won the Super Bowl. Well, not glad – my husband is a Jets fan, after all, and therefore despises both teams. In fact, we both boycotted the game altogether (though I did tune in for the halftime show).

Still, Hubs had said he would jump off the roof if – and here I quote – “God smiled upon Tom Brady one more time.” So, I’m very happy that God seemed to know in advance what a sore loser Gisele Bundchen is (I mean, He is God), and thus decided not to grant her sappy prayer request for “her Tommy” to lead the Pats to victory.

Because honestly, the last thing I need right now is my husband jumping off the roof. I mean, he fixed our garbage disposal last weekend for the second time in a month, and that’s the kind of shit I just can’t do on my own. Especially since I’m irrationally terrified of the garbage disposal.

Sorry, Gisele. I am, however, quite confident that, if necessary, you could afford to pay someone to fix your garbage disposal, should your Tommy require some time to wallow in his loss. Because one can only imagine that you know as little about home appliances as you do about football.

Tom to Gisele: “God was on to you!”

• Back to that halftime show: Lip-syncing or no lip-syncing, Madonna was wildly entertaining and exceeded my expectations. Although I could have done without the brand new, age-inappropriate, cheerleader-themed, and altogether crappy new single. I’m a child of the 80′s – just give me old-school Madonna and call it a day.

Still, I’ve gotta hand it to her – awkward choreography aside, she is impressively lithe. I can only hope to move that well when I’m 53 years old. But considering I’m only 36 and my hip hurts after a two-mile run, I’m thinking this is doubtful.

• Speaking of which, why am I having hip pain at almost-but-not-quite 37 years old? WHY? I am too young for Bursitis.

Me by age 40

• Lil’ Bit has realized the quiet bliss that lies in solitude. “No talk right now, Mommy,” she says whenever I get too chatty during our afternoon commute. Hey kid, I hear ya. There are several people to whom I would like to say the very same thing on a daily basis. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all express our feelings as openly as toddlers do?

• “No smile right now!” is another one I seem to hear lately whenever I get the urge to go all mamarazzi. So. At least she’s not vain?

Stating her demands

• In fact, Lil’ Bit is currently experiencing what I’m referring to as a “defiant phase.” Because that sounds much nicer than saying, “My kid is being such a PILL!” Indeed, I can actually see the subtle change in her demeanor at the realization that I’m unhappy with any given behavior; the normally mischievous-yet-harmless glint in her eye suddenly gives way to one of steely, almost sinister resolve, and I can practically read her mind as she thinks, “Oh boy, am I going to eff with you now!” It’s like staring into the eyes of a wolf right before it pounces. And I’m pretty sure she can smell my fear.

• Lil’ Bit also became angry with the sun this week (lest I feel personally offended by her recent ire). After denouncing the fiery orb with a firm, “Go away, sun!” when it shined directly into her eyes during our morning commute, she informed me that she needed sunglasses. ”Sunglasses, huh?” I said, amused. To which she replied, “Dat sound good, Mommy.”

She may act like a pill, but she sure is a cute pill. I think I’ll keep her.

• Speaking of the wonderfully wacky world of toddler communication, I adored Taming Insanity’s post entitled Punctuation Matters this week. And I shit you not, a mere 10 minutes after reading it, I asked Lil’ Bit if she wanted a red or orange vitamin (because purple was all gone) and she replied as follows: Red No Orange. Oh, dear God. Was that, “Red. No, orange!” or, “Red. No orange!” Talk about panic-inducing moments.

• I also had to laugh while reading Jessica’s account of nearly getting sucked into the DIY Valentine vortex on Pinterest at My Time As Mom. For Pinterest nearly sucked me in this Valentine’s Day as well. But then I came to my senses, had a good chuckle, and remembered that occasionally I think crazy thoughts.

• Tracy from Sellabit Mum and I were on the same wavelength this week as we each lamented the sad state of our society. While I focused on its collective lack of empathy and compassion, she noted how its excesses are contributing to an overall sense of ingratitude and entitlement. But in the end, I think we were both attempting to make the same point: We’re all generally becoming assholes.

• But lest you think the the week was all bemoaning humanity and parental pessimism, fear not! Because on Monday, the The Kir Corner‘s Kirsten Piccini proudly celebrated her 42nd birthday with a compilation of musings from what seemed like the entire blogosphere about exactly what makes birthdays so special. Running the gamut from the funny to the nostalgic to the poignant, the entire anthology was a truly heartwarming read. Happy Birthday, Kir! And may your enduringly cheerful disposition continue to assuage my increasing cynicism toward mankind.

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With that, I’m off to prepare for some exciting happenings on ye olde blog next week. Intrigued? Good. That’s what keeps ‘em coming back for more.

In the meantime, have a fantastic weekend! And I hope it’s more sweet than salty.

What’s on your mind?