My brain has been very busy lately. Of course, there are the atrocities happening in communities, people terrified of ICE agents snatching them out of the street as they leave school or work or the store.
I’m grateful that I get to work from home, because we have been totally slammed with snow and temperatures below zero in Indiana.
I’m pleased that my interpreting business is doing well. I don’t often think of myself as having a business, except now it’s tax time, and I have to think about it a lot. I also recently secured a new contract that I’m excited about. It had to go through lawyers and everything, which feels so grown up. Of course I’m grown up. I’m 40, but you know what I mean.
In March, I am retaking what is called the BEI test in Michigan. I “failed” the test last May by one point. I use quote marks not because I didn’t pass (I didn’t pass) but because I don’t feel like a failure. I was told that it was unlikely I would pass that test the first time because I was so newly out of school. I’m confident this time that I’ll pass it with flying colors. I believe in myself.
The other big news around here is that I have a surgery scheduled in April. I’m not supposed to work for 2 weeks, but I can’t really swing that. Instead, I’m taking off one week and then trying to work 1 or 2 hours per day the following week, separating the hours so they’re far apart. So, my goal would be to work something like 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., and then 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m..
And this is what I mean by a busy brain. All this stuff is sort of piling on top of each other and swirling around in my dreams, making for some pretty sleepless nights, and some pretty irritating mornings.
🥕 Finishing a silly jigsaw puzzle.
🥕 Cooking new recipes.
🥕 Crouton the Croton hanging out with Nick in the shower.
🥕 Breakfast went at Wendy’s with my friend Ray. The breakfast biscuits are so good; don’t sleep on them. Also, afterwards we’re able to sit and color. Is anyone else into those adult coloring books that are basically like a paint by number situation?
🥕 The first horror book club of 2026 went excellent at the new location, and we even had more attendees than usual. People ate, and drank, and laughed.
🥕 My childhood best friend asking my mom for my phone number, and now she and I text back and forth about scary movies all the time.
🥕 My brilliant, wonderful friend Taylor, whom I adore. She’s a PhD candidate at the University of Notre Dame in biochemistry, and she also reads spooky books.
🥕 I gave my African violets little haircuts, and now they look like toddlers doing uppies.
What are your carrots this week?
Grab the Lapels 
First, I loved this “Of course I’m grown up. I’m 40, but you know what I mean.” I’m decades past that, but I do know what you mean.
I have had many carrots this week, because we are back here in Melbourne with family, and I have had wonderful interactions with so many of them, including of course the grandchildren. The first one was the day we arrived. We met them for dinner, and our grandson jumped out of the car clutching a book I’d given him for Christmas, saying “remember this book you gave me?”, and wanting to tell me about it. Another was a really enjoyable conversation with a 40-something Iranian couple – they met here but both migrated here in their adulthood (she 19, he 27). We talked about Iran, the Middle East, migration, and easier subjects like travel to Japan and being gluten-free. (It was at our granddaughter’s 4th birthday party, and these people were the parents of our granddaughters BFF at daycare!!)
Oh, and I loved watching the Australian Open tennis finals on the weekend!
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Good luck with the surgery.
My carrots have been hanging out with my grandson, who is learning to walk and say a few words, and celebrating his first birthday this weekend. I made a yellow cake with chocolate buttercream icing, and he enjoyed his first taste of chocolate.
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