Anouchka Talks

"Happiness is actually an art of living, which is in us." - Yogi Tea Bag A street artist, the day after Saint Patrick's Day in Dublin, Ireland mindfulness, bitches: quotes and images that remind me of the important things...with just the right amount of profanity to keep it from getting sappy

When Habibi and I moved to our current home with Jammy and the kitties in 2014, one of the first things we realized was that we had neighbors.  Yes, I'm aware that I am stating the obvious, but let me clarify: we had unusual neighbors.  To avoid belaboring the point (too late), there is a colony of feral cats that lives behind our home, down the back alley a short distance, and up inside of a man-made rock face.  Over the past few years, we have gotten to know the residents of Kitty Mountain (as we have lovingly christened it) without ever actually getting near them; they are 100% feral and will NOT approach a human.  They do, however, know at what time one of my neighbors -The Cat Whisperer- will come out to feed them.  At 5 pm sharp , they are outside his door. New litters have been born and it is always exciting to see five or so new, adorable, little kittens emerge.  Among these furry neighbors have been Outside Dave, Donut, Mama Ramos, Hopsco...

Well, there's no denying it: I've been slacking.  But, to quote myself, " This blog is basically a diary that you are allowed to read; I make entries whenever I feel like it".  So I'm not apologizing. That being said, I'll simply address the giant elephant in the room and answer your burning question.  Where have you been for the past five months?   Slow down, please.  One at a time.  I'll get to it, young Padawan.  Here, in a kind of particular order, is what I have been doing since August... August Habibi and I celebrated our tenth anniversary (early - we were actually married in October) with a trip to Destin, Florida.  We wanted to travel before school started to avoid having to arrange drop-off/pick-up with the grandparents.  Anyway, it was a baller trip.  All we did was sit on the beach and I made Habibi a sand gator as an anniversary gift because I am awesome.  Jammy started kindergarten and I started loathing the Ameri...

Sometimes I like to watch the news.  In a realm of toddler things and kindergarten life, it somehow has provided me with a connection to the world outside.  Despite the tragedies that occur on a daily basis in our country and around the world, there is something about the news that pulls me in.  Most of the stories are either mind-numbingly boring or positively frightful, but at least they are someone else's, and there is intrigue in that. On the other hand, as I mentioned, many of the stories reported on the news are downright tragic:  shootings here, destruction there, devastation in that hemisphere, loss in this one...  I have -at times- had to turn the news off because either the story is not appropriate for the ears of my young coloring partners or because the story is just too damn sad for me to cope with at that given moment.  It is times like these when I fear for the future, when I wonder why, among all of His beautiful creation, did God choos...

Recently, someone very dear to me made some racist remarks. Because of my affection for this person and the value that I place in our relationship, these comments were particularly stinging. This is certainly not the first time this person has said such things, knowing full well that I am of mixed heritage, but most of the time, I choose to ignore these words in an effort to maintain the peace. Some arguments don’t deserve my attention. I know that this is not the first time I have written about my frustrations with race and ethnicity here, but there are a few things that have continued to resurface in recent weeks that have got me feeling all the feelings again. I wish I could clearly articulate these feelings to you, but unless you have experienced bigotry or under-representation yourself, it’s hard to describe. When I was in my mid-twenties, the US Census came around and was getting some mild coverage in the news. On a particular NPR show that I was listening to at the tim...

"Live righteously and love everyone; you will build up around you an aura of light and love." -Yogi Tea Bag Silverthorne, Colorado, USA mindfulness, bitches: quotes and images that remind me of the important things...with just the right amount of profanity to keep it from getting sappy

I like passing judgment.  In fact, I have even been called judgmental on more than one occasion.  It used to bother me, but now I embrace it.  Call me judgmental all you want, just know that I am very openly judging you. Today, however, I am judging a movie: Disney's most recent live-action remake. After some debate with myself, I finally decided to take Jammy to see this movie without first previewing it.  Let me say this: Best. Decision. Ever. Not only did she love it... I LOVED IT!!!   Getting to experience this with my little girl -who is just a smidge younger than I was when the original animated version came out- was nothing short of magical. In a way, I was able to relive that moment of my childhood through my daughter. Remember how much I loved the 2017 remake of Beauty and the Beast ?  Yeah.  Same with this one. Most of my feelings can be summed up right here , by Lincee at i hate green beans .  She reall...