So, I feel better.

Husband was extra nice this weekend. And I said things like, "I'm going to the movies with my friends this afternoon and no one's stopping me!" And Husband said, "Great, honey. Have a good time." And the girls were like, "Can we come?" I said, "HELLNO! I mean, I'm gonna see a grown movie with subtitles." And they said, "What about dinner after. Can we come to that?" And Husband said, "Well, I'm going to the toystore." He threw the bait away from my general direction so I could make a break for it.

I saw Volver. I thought it was excellent. Lovely and tough and touching; just how strong women know how to be. And then Quan and I ate a nice, relaxing dinner at my fav SM/LA restaurant, Real Food Daily. I had nachos with cashew "cheese" and Quan had the Thanksgiving Teaser: Faux turkey breast, corn sage stuffing, gravy, mashed spiced sweet potatoes, steamed chard, cranberry sauce. . . .So Good! They're offering this meal coupled with Butternut Bisque and vegan pumpkin pie in a take-home box for Thanksgiving so you can take your veganism wherever you end up on Thanksgiving Day. I can't wait to put my order in. We don't have Maya this Thanksgiving. That leaves us a little sad and lost on holidays sans Maya, but we're scrambling for an idea. I like our Road Trip Thanksgiving idea, but we spent that money on Hawaii. Maybe we'll just eat out of take-home boxes and watch football. I'll save my strength for Christmas.

This morning, after laundry and cleaning, I said, "I'm gonna workout, and you're not stopping me now either!" And Husband, who was working on a spread sheet, said, "Uh, cool." Even the girls were like, "Later." It was 85 degrees today. I rode my bike to run The Stairs. These stairs are famous in Santa Monica for getting and keeping all types in shape. Climbing or possibly running 170 stairs does that real quick. A group of firefighters showed up to run them as I was leaving; a few personal trainers were raking clients over the stairs. My legs were like rubber when I was done, but I felt great. My bike ride home was spectacular. It was hot, but somehow still felt like fall. The sun glittered off leaves, and the tree shadows in the side streets felt like a reward as I cruised along weaving around them.

Friday, Mina said, "Do you want to know what I learned in school?" I said, "HECK YEAH." And I couldn't wait for Mina to drop knowledge. She said, "Did you know that when the moon is full, it can rain down babies?" For real though? She said, "Did you know the sun is a star and the moon is a rock?" Cool, I did know that one. She said, "Did you know that if you can climb a rainbow, that's good luck?" That's hard-earned luck, I thought. Apparently Mina goes to a part public school, part Witch School. Which is awesome.

And my life has found equilibrium again.