A tough niece and a good first chicken.
Wednesday, 01/05/05 - 2:25 pm.

To my sorrow, my niece stayed home today, because she is sick. I say to my sorrow because sometimes I can barely stomach one or two of her attitudes.

My brother and my sister and law asked me to help her with her science project, which is due on the 27th. Last year she asked me to help her, and I got some ideas, but as far as I know, she never got around to turn them into actions, let alone into a real project. See if you can help her, please. Otherwise, I know she, WE will be rushing on the 26th at night, my sister in law, Denise, told me.

I'd like to point out that a few days ago, after we went for breakfast to Denny's she and his brother were fighting over the computer. Part of the conflict was that she was going to start playing The Sims but her brother sat at the computer first and...ugh, big fight. She started to cry, saying she had an important project to work on and that school was always first. Of course she wasn't saying that when she was playing The Sims, and she hasn't said it since that day, two days ago.

I can picture that happy night on the 25th or 26th (I leave on the 25th), when she'll be making up and screaming out loud excuses, being rude and disrespectful toward her parents, and blah, blah, blah. I hope that's not the case, but I've seen it so many, many times that once more wouldn't be a surprise.

She says she has a partner. But that's about it. I don't think that partner is any more commited than she is (how do you make a project about "in which quicksand you sink faster"?). Of course I could be wrong, and if so, yay.

On lighter subjects, I cooked my first chicken this noon. Or I did 90% of the work, anyway, and it turned out ok. I really, really want to learn to cook properly. Because honestly I have trouble cutting a chicken into pieces...wait, it's notachicken, notachicken, notachicken...(I panic when I think that thing was once an animal. But I excuse myself thinking it's already dead and it doesn't feel anything, and it has good taste. Ok, yeah, so I have trouble cutting up the, um, dead...chicken).

Unfortunately, the soup got sour, because a certain vegetable was rotten, which made my mom a little sad (she made the soup). I burned my tongue while tasting it, I wanted to tell her it wasn't ruined. But sorry, it was. She was very discouraged, because the meal wasn't turning out as well as it should have. And today's lesson is that not only you need skills, you need the right tools (we have different pans at home, and some ingredients are sold in a different way, for example...it's actually enough to confuse you, which pan to use, or how much of this you'll add).

I'm going for a walk right now (I'm taking the dog). My niece is charming again, and is drawing with my nephew (the other will come from school at 4). That's nice, but I still need to get out.

I like walking in these streets, listening to George Harrison's Cloud 9 (I have a particular fondness of Devil's Radio). I just wish it was colder. Even though it's been cloudy, it's also been kind of hot. I'd hate to be in Houston during the summer.

I want cold weather. Now.

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