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Happy New Year!

For the third consecutive year we spent New Years’ Eve with the Fonsecas. It was a low-key event featuring Chinese food, a party in a box, and a live performance of the off-Broadway version of one of the High School Musicals. I just can’t bring myself to get all dressed up and go out partying and then drive home with all of the other drunks. I can only remember two New Years’ Eves when I went out. When I was single I used to pick a home-makeover project, get all prepared before the big night, and work on it for NYE and New Years’ Day. Yes, I know I was (am) a nerd, but when everyone else was nursing a hangover I was enjoying my newly painted/wallpapered bathroom/bedroom.

Here are some pics from the Fonsecas’ house:

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This is the face Norah makes when she’s imitating me:
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De Ja Vu

I can’t remember how long it has been since someone in this house has had an ear infection, so that’s my excuse for why Norah spent most of last night night tossing and turning and crying before I figured out the problem. She usually goes right to sleep and stays asleep most of the night, so it was very unusual for her to still be up at 2 a.m. She wouldn’t lay still even with me laying down with her. I asked again what was hurting and she said that her right ear hurt. I gave her some Tylenol and she was asleep in 15 minutes and slept the rest of the night.

This morning we went to Framingham Pediatrics and confirmed that she does have an ear infection so she’s on her way back to health with the help of Amoxicillin. I also talked to Dr. Rosselot about Norah’s stuttering. It started around Christmas, and it’s to the point where if I can’t see her, I have no idea what she’s talking about. The doctor confirmed that it’s normal for an early talker like Norah to go through a stuttering phase because her mouth can’t keep up with her brain. Let’s hope her mouth catches up before I go insane.
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Minor Flood

The other night, Ben made the offhand comment on his way upstairs that the dishwasher was leaking. I went to investigate and there were soapsuds oozing out around the door and all over the floor. Ben, in true Ben-fashion, had thrown down a dish towel and called it a day. This picture was taken AFTER I scooped up a ton of the suds (check out the sink). This is a symptom of someone using regular dishwashing liquid in the dishwasher, but the detergent I used was still sitting on the counter and it’s the right stuff. One of the Moroccan habits is to put dishwashing liquid in a small bowl with water when they’re handwashing dishes, so I wondered if the bowl ended up in the dishwasher with too much dishwashing liquid left in it. I guess we’ll never know but Ben spent the night in the doghouse. The kitchen floor has never been cleaner so I guess that’s the silver lining to this cloud.
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We had a visit last weekend from Uncle Jeffrey, and Auntie Monica came for couscous too. Uncle Jeffrey lives in Albany, and Auntie Monica is married to Uncle Brady and lives in Framingham, if you’re trying to keep the Greene/Benabderrazak family tree straight. The couscous was a masterpiece!
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TIMBERRRRRR!!!

I was driving down Route 9 yesterday and I could see black smoke ahead. Everyone else kept driving so I figured it wasn’t a terrorist attack or imminent explosion and I followed along like a good little lemming. When I got close to Lee Volvo I saw a cell tower on fire and tons of emergency vehicles. I didn’t see the tower fall because a building was in my way at that moment, but by the time I reached Lee’s driveway, the tower was gone. Luckily, someone posted this video on Youtube.

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/multimedia/x1278516165/Cell-phone-tower-collapses-in-Wellesley
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