Went to Papaya for dinner. A fun little treat on a night away from the kids.
Had a pork chop that was so wonderful, and it came with a whole steamed baby bok choy. I actually ordered the dish for the bok choy!
And then fried plantains on the side as well, but to be honest, I'm not sure it was fried plantains. It wasn't anything like the fried plantains I've had at Puerto Rican restaurants. I think what I actually got was more like a banana fritter. Like gently mashed banana lightly breaded and fried. It was tasty, but it's not what I was expecting. You restaurant people - do you think it's possible they didn't have plantains and did a little quick improvising?
Maybe I'll go out for Puerto Rican tomorrow night and get some real fried plantains with some tomato garlicky dipping sauce!
Janelle's Journal
My Podcast Link
10/29/2010 21:00 #53032
Papaya09/22/2010 23:08 #52816
The disabled oneOne of our kids has a disability. It's really not noticeable - at first glance. At the playground, parents smile at him approvingly. He's a cute kid. Then he stomps his feet and yowls in his funny way. Parents look at each other knowingly, nodding their heads and neatly categorizing him in their mind as disabled. And that's okay. He does have a disability. But he's cute, affectionate, a source of joy, and the best camping partner I've ever had. And the fact that he has a disability all melts away for me.
Today, I picked him up at his afterschool program. He had an accident. The messy kind. In the program room, he put on his socks and shoes, while a preteen girl made gagging noises to indicate how bad it smelled. Yup, poop smells bad. Nothing new about that. As we moved away to collect the rest of his things, she and a friend began to giggle and laugh. Clearly, the joke was my kid. I felt pretty angry. For me, for my child. I thought about being mean and snippy. I thought about sitting her down to have a talk about disabilities and the likelihood that she could end up with a child like ours. Would she laugh then? Instead, I grabbed him close and hugged him hard. I announced loudly how much I loved him and walked off with him hand in hand, the both of us happy and smiling.
Today, I picked him up at his afterschool program. He had an accident. The messy kind. In the program room, he put on his socks and shoes, while a preteen girl made gagging noises to indicate how bad it smelled. Yup, poop smells bad. Nothing new about that. As we moved away to collect the rest of his things, she and a friend began to giggle and laugh. Clearly, the joke was my kid. I felt pretty angry. For me, for my child. I thought about being mean and snippy. I thought about sitting her down to have a talk about disabilities and the likelihood that she could end up with a child like ours. Would she laugh then? Instead, I grabbed him close and hugged him hard. I announced loudly how much I loved him and walked off with him hand in hand, the both of us happy and smiling.
metalpeter - 09/23/10 18:34
Well Girls are meaner then boys. That being said with out knowing all the facts I'm guessing they where mocking the accident and not the disablity. I think if it was the disablity there would be other things that had happened and your post would have reflected this. This might have caused more problems and maybe I have watched to much reality tv and and Jackass movies but I think I would have (if I could have thought of it at the time I'm great after the fact and not in the moment). "Hey Hun are those the two cute girls you are all ways talking about" then quiclky say "oh they are go give them a nice big hug for Me" then give him a little nug that way. It isn't so funny when he tries to hug them.
Sounds like you handled it very well. School is tough for everyone and at some point I think we are ass holes to other people and get picked on also. Right now it is tough but maybe he will learn from it or grow from it?
Well Girls are meaner then boys. That being said with out knowing all the facts I'm guessing they where mocking the accident and not the disablity. I think if it was the disablity there would be other things that had happened and your post would have reflected this. This might have caused more problems and maybe I have watched to much reality tv and and Jackass movies but I think I would have (if I could have thought of it at the time I'm great after the fact and not in the moment). "Hey Hun are those the two cute girls you are all ways talking about" then quiclky say "oh they are go give them a nice big hug for Me" then give him a little nug that way. It isn't so funny when he tries to hug them.
Sounds like you handled it very well. School is tough for everyone and at some point I think we are ass holes to other people and get picked on also. Right now it is tough but maybe he will learn from it or grow from it?
libertad - 09/23/10 11:19
Kids can be so vicious. I wish more schools would focus on the negative effects of bullying and talk about diversity like the school that I spoke at last year. Often schools are afraid to take away from instruction time and are also afraid of complaints from bigoted parents so they don't talk about these issues. :::link:::
Kids can be so vicious. I wish more schools would focus on the negative effects of bullying and talk about diversity like the school that I spoke at last year. Often schools are afraid to take away from instruction time and are also afraid of complaints from bigoted parents so they don't talk about these issues. :::link:::
lauren - 09/23/10 06:52
I think you handled this in the best possible way. I think that what matters is not, unfortunately, what you can teach those girls in that moment, because they are probably still too young to care or understand the ways that this may effect their life in the future. What matters is your son and how he remembers this day as he grows older, because these moments, I think, are the kind that shape who we are as adults. So your child will remember not that you made a scene and make him feel even more the center of negative attention, but that you simply reassured him that he is who was important and loved.
I think you handled this in the best possible way. I think that what matters is not, unfortunately, what you can teach those girls in that moment, because they are probably still too young to care or understand the ways that this may effect their life in the future. What matters is your son and how he remembers this day as he grows older, because these moments, I think, are the kind that shape who we are as adults. So your child will remember not that you made a scene and make him feel even more the center of negative attention, but that you simply reassured him that he is who was important and loved.
james - 09/23/10 04:39
You are a beautiful and wonderful person.
You are a beautiful and wonderful person.
paul - 09/23/10 01:46
Wow, you handled that way better than I would have. I would have a hard time not having it out with those girls. I think you did the best thing though.
Wow, you handled that way better than I would have. I would have a hard time not having it out with those girls. I think you did the best thing though.
leetee - 09/23/10 01:31
nothing like having a child with a disability, but i know that look that adults give, the knowing, sudden realization one. saw people look at a resident of the group home i work at that way today -- the look from contempt to pity once the realization hits.
nothing like having a child with a disability, but i know that look that adults give, the knowing, sudden realization one. saw people look at a resident of the group home i work at that way today -- the look from contempt to pity once the realization hits.
09/03/2010 08:37 #52639
Really?
She's the Secretary of State and this apparently is the most newsworthy discussion we can have in regards to her? Her impact on the choice of older women to have long hair?!
tinypliny - 09/03/10 17:53
I think if the Buffalo News had a style section, I might consider subscribing.
I think if the Buffalo News had a style section, I might consider subscribing.
james - 09/03/10 17:35
It is fine to have such articles in certain places in a paper. The Buffalo News does not have a style section, nor should it. This article anywhere else is just fluff and not a conversation worth having.
It is fine to have such articles in certain places in a paper. The Buffalo News does not have a style section, nor should it. This article anywhere else is just fluff and not a conversation worth having.
jason - 09/03/10 08:54
Don't know how I feel about that article. Women can have whatever hair they like, as long as they like. Don't know whose place it is to tell women it's time to go with the "post-50 bob" or the "gramma perm".
Don't know how I feel about that article. Women can have whatever hair they like, as long as they like. Don't know whose place it is to tell women it's time to go with the "post-50 bob" or the "gramma perm".
09/03/2010 08:35 #52638
About TimeThis action is one of few by Brown that generally thrills me. Terminating the human resource commissioner, Ms. Thomas. A little too late though based on the fact that the city continued to lose hundreds of thousands after she ignored a directive to buy social security data that would have assisted in identifying deceased individuals who should not be receiving benefits.
She should have been fired the moment the phrase, "TMI", dropped from her lips in resonse to the auditing report.
james - 09/03/10 17:32
Hm... Councilmember Smith said that Ms.Thomas was given six months to fix a problem that has plagued the city of years.... how hard is it to check your health records against payroll? Or, you know, death certificates that are kept just five floors above. I know! Work with the IT department to create an automated process. Well, they would, you see, if they weren't busy doing fuck all.
Seriously, there are a couple of department heads who know what they are doing and are good at their job (I am looking at you, Commissioner Stepniak. MWA!) but the rest is just filled with absolutely incompetent people.
But, it isn't really fair to blame commissioners. The administration wants people that are both good at their jobs and are also political. But, you really can't bring a qualified person from outside the area and expect them to play politics the way you want. You can't get qualified people from the area when you alienate half the city by playing games with block grant funding.
It is all a fucking mess.
Hm... Councilmember Smith said that Ms.Thomas was given six months to fix a problem that has plagued the city of years.... how hard is it to check your health records against payroll? Or, you know, death certificates that are kept just five floors above. I know! Work with the IT department to create an automated process. Well, they would, you see, if they weren't busy doing fuck all.
Seriously, there are a couple of department heads who know what they are doing and are good at their job (I am looking at you, Commissioner Stepniak. MWA!) but the rest is just filled with absolutely incompetent people.
But, it isn't really fair to blame commissioners. The administration wants people that are both good at their jobs and are also political. But, you really can't bring a qualified person from outside the area and expect them to play politics the way you want. You can't get qualified people from the area when you alienate half the city by playing games with block grant funding.
It is all a fucking mess.
paul - 09/03/10 10:57
Ya, that whole thing really blows my mind. It seems like such an obvious way to save money, not paying dead people!
Ya, that whole thing really blows my mind. It seems like such an obvious way to save money, not paying dead people!
janelle - 09/03/10 10:04
"I didn't want to have a knee jerk reaction to this"
I know that's crazy, right? He'll fire the police chief and fire chief at a drop of a dime, but doesn't want to have a knee jerk reaction to an employee who demonstrated gross incompetence by being unwilling to even listen to results of the audit of HER DEPARTMENT!
"I didn't want to have a knee jerk reaction to this"
I know that's crazy, right? He'll fire the police chief and fire chief at a drop of a dime, but doesn't want to have a knee jerk reaction to an employee who demonstrated gross incompetence by being unwilling to even listen to results of the audit of HER DEPARTMENT!
jason - 09/03/10 08:56
Did you read what Brown said??? "I didn't want to have a knee jerk reaction to this"..........This city will be screwed every way possible until the City has real leadership.
Did you read what Brown said??? "I didn't want to have a knee jerk reaction to this"..........This city will be screwed every way possible until the City has real leadership.
jason - 09/03/10 08:55
Eh. Too late for me as well. Brown is horrible but we'll never get rid of him.
Eh. Too late for me as well. Brown is horrible but we'll never get rid of him.
08/14/2010 23:07 #52447
Jammy goodnessCombining my new found love of canning with my old love for blueberries and blackberries....I spent the day making blueberry and blackberry jam ...
And I tossed in some pesto to freeze. I have a gigantic basil plant in the garden and I think all in all I can freeze 10 1/2-pint-containers of pesto-ey goodness!
Much thanks to (e:Matthew) for allowing me to borrow his equipment. (e:matthew) wins a pint jar of dill pickles and a 1/2 pint jar of blueberry jam for his kindness!
And I tossed in some pesto to freeze. I have a gigantic basil plant in the garden and I think all in all I can freeze 10 1/2-pint-containers of pesto-ey goodness!
Much thanks to (e:Matthew) for allowing me to borrow his equipment. (e:matthew) wins a pint jar of dill pickles and a 1/2 pint jar of blueberry jam for his kindness!
I saw zero veggie stuff, Tiny. It's really not the place for vegetarians.
Niagara Cafe does good, inexpensive Puerto Rican food and as an added bonus does chicken fingers the kids would eat
I thought it was somewhat expensive and their vegetarian section when I went there was limited to 1 eggy-smelling noodle dish. Did you see any veggie stuff?