Anouchka Talks

Happy Holla-days, y'all! I hope you had a meaningful Thanksgiving last month, and are on your way to an even better Christmas and a  próspero año .  I don't know what you celebrate, but I hope you enjoy it. Last month brought a few new experiences to the Anouchka household.  To start, back in October, I was summoned for jury duty .  What an interesting -and mind-numbing- experience!  I was to report to the city's courthouse on the Monday morning following the Thanksgiving weekend, convinced that I was going to be asked to determine whether an eccentric old man was Santa Claus, as he claimed to be .  As it turned out, there were two cases being tried at that time: one civil, one criminal.  I was among the pool of thirty jurors for the criminal case. About two years ago, Habibi served on a jury for a criminal case.  Prior to my report date, I had questioned him about the process and what to expect.  I had some kind of idea as to how the ...

I usually try to have each New in 2018  post published by around the tenth day of the following month.  But I didn't this time.  Sue me. Before I launch into the new experiences I had in June, let me first play a little game of catch-up.  I realized that, in the frenzy to get caught up on April and May (especially with our little trip out of town), that I left out a few things.  So, here is what I forgot to add to the previous New in 2018  post... New in 2018 - May Catch-up For my birthday (early part of May), I got an essential oil diffuser .  I am relatively new to diffusing, though I frequently use essential oils to clean.  I even use them topically, on occasion.  However, diffusing is an absolute treat!  As you know, we live in a small rental, and that sometimes means that things can smell a little musty and stale.  It's frustrating when maintenance's idea of fixing a leak in the ceiling is to slap another coat of paint o...

Hello again. I almost wrote so many posts last month that had absolutely nothing to do with this series.  I had so much on my mind that I wanted to talk about!  However, it was an insanely busy month and honestly, I have no idea why.  Where did it go?  What on earth was I doing?  Whatever.  I can't be held responsible for my actions under any circumstances.  Unless they were good actions...those are all me. Anyhow, here is a rather long list of new things that I tried last month.  Some were (much) better than others. In March, I tried two new hair products.  The first one was a new hydrating conditioner by Moroccan Oil.  Honestly, I have used this company's products for years, and have always found them to be rich and luxurious.  (I used to use their hair oil until I switched to Kenra's Blow Dry Spray.  I also use their hydrating cream on occasion.)  Unfortunately, this conditioner was total garbage, especially for...

I don't make New Year's resolutions.  They're corny, cliché, and -well, frankly- kind of lame.  Now, I'm not knocking people who make them...I just don't understand why someone would (a) try to come up with something for the sake of coming up with something for a resolution or (b) wait until January 1 to start something that they could just start now . Wanna lose weight this year?  Congratulations, you have the same resolution that all of last September's fat people had a year ago.  Plan to start spending more time with your family?  What are you waiting for?  It isn't like you'll have more  free time in a few weeks.  How about unwinding more and living in the moment?  You know, seize the day and all that?  I hope you've saved a lot of cash because you have to get a prescription for all of that Xanax. Sorry, y'all.  I'm just sayin'. I do, however, appreciate the freshness  of a new year, and the feeling of rejuvenation t...

Here we are again at the start of another year.  I can honestly say that I feel as though last year passed the most speedily of those in my adult life.  I know we all say that time flies, but I really feel like it did in 2017.  A lot happened.  I mean a lot happened.   We became parents for the second time at the end of 2016 and spent the bulk of Bathrobe's first year in 2017; I had major surgeries in mid-spring; Bathrobe's adoption was finalized this summer; Habibi and I went on a little getaway road trip together; Chicky started pre-school; we went to a gala; we added extra French classes at work, altering my teaching load; our family planned a few staycation weekends; I read a lot; we discovered they sell my favorite kombucha in giant bottles; my grey hairs multiplied exponentially; I had a much needed girls' weekend with my mom and sister.  For real, these are just a few of the big events, highlights, and major activities of 2017. Without sharing eve...