Overheard at El Cholo

 
Chile Rellenos

The woman at the next table says to the waiter, “I’ll have the number 6 combo with the chile . . .”

She’s struggling with the next word, so the waiter says, “Relleno.”

“Right,” she says.

The waiter asks if she wants the regular chile or the spicy chile.

“Spicy,” she says.

I love Mexican food but chile rellenos are a little bit different. I’m not crazy about them. So I can see where he’s coming from when the husband asks her, “Are you sure you know what you’re ordering?”

“Number 6,” she says.

“I mean, do you know what a chile relleno is?”

“Yes.”

When the food comes, she asks the waiter, “What am I eating again?”

Twitter: 2011-02-01

 
Twitter
  • RT @ChelseaVPeretti: When people say "it is what it is" we all learn so much via this insight #
  • RT @eddiepepitone: if your life involves long discussions about flax seed than you need to take more risks. #
  • RT @eddiepepitone: I always tell children that lunatic clowns will kill them in their sleep. I want to see the cut of their jib. #

Hamlet Backwards

 

This semester’s AP English final is on Beloved, a depressing novel enjoyed by no one.

“I need an 87 on the final to get an A in the class,” my boy says.

“That sounds manageable,” I say.

“Not really. I knew Hamlet backward and forward and on that test I got an 86.”

“What is Hamlet backward? It’s Telmah, right?”

The Elevated Scrub

 
Basketball

For most of the season, my boy’s been one of the kids who only plays in the last few minutes of blowouts.

He’d like to play more but he’s never been on a basketball team before.

To me, the fact that he tried out at all is a win, making the team is icing on the cake, and whatever happens after that is up to him and the coach.

He told me he’s had some of his best practices lately, and in last night’s game, he got in for a few minutes in the third quarter and then played the whole fourth quarter.

“I’ve elevated myself from scrub to super scrub,” he said.

Twitter: 2011-01-26

 
Twitter
  • RT @yoyoha: Every woman has a tiny ball of hatred in her heart that is fed by the actions of everyone around them. #
  • RT @capricecrane: Is there a “Your Kid Looks The Same As Yesterday” button on Facebook? #
  • RT @yoyoha: I’m currently eating graham crackers in the shape of little bunnies. This can’t be helping my street cred. #

Trying Out for Basketball

 

My boy tried out for varsity basketball at Northwood this year. He likes basketball, but he’s never played on a team before.

He plays roller hockey at a pretty high level, and if you break it down to fundamentals, basketball and hockey are pretty similar: you score goals at one end, defend the goal at the other end, and play together as a team.

He practiced a lot and worked out a lot and he made the squad.

I’m proud of him for trying out. When I was a high schooler, I could easily talk myself out of trying anything where I had a good chance of embarrassing myself in front of my peers.

Northwood vs Irvine

A Good Breakfast

 
On the Ottoman

Every morning when my owner lets me out of my enclosure, I run down the hall and make a sharp left into the family room because that’s where my food bowl lives.

And every morning, because the family room has a hardwood floor, my legs slide out from underneath me like a cartoon character.

Maybe I should just walk down the hall instead of running but I can’t help it! I’m always just so excited to start the day with a good breakfast!

— Lightning paw

Count No Man Happy

 

People of Thebes, my countrymen, look on Oedipus.
He solved the famous riddle with his brilliance,
He rose to power, a man beyond all power.
Who could behold his greatness without envy?
Now what a black sea of terror has overwhelmed him.
Now as we keep our watch and wait the final day,
Count no man happy till he dies, free of pain at last.

— Sophocles, Oedipus the King