the Ents go marching one by one

I made what my cookbook calls "Salmon Cream Sauce" last night. I think I'll rename it "Milk-Based Soup with Salmon Bits" and it would be a lot more accurate. Somehow it never thickened.

I also made a chocolate-chip torte, which was made more difficult by having to chop dates, chocolate bars, and walnuts by hand, as I have neither chocolate chips nor a nut grinder. It turned out okay, I think...I'll find out tonight at the Y's. I'm spending the night there tonight...Valera had asked if I was going to spend the night again next New Year's Eve, and it didn't seem necessary to wait that long (plus I won't be here). So it's sort of a belated birthday celebration.

I'm worried about Valera. He's falling behind in English (I think he has some learning difficulties), and he keeps saying , "I don't care if I get bad grades." I know it's hard for him, and he doesn't do well with Scream and Translate teaching. I understand that he has trouble learning...I just hate to see him developing a "who cares" attitude about it. I see enough of those in the older forms.

Ran into my friend Natalia after school today, who I hadn't seen since before Christmas. She invited me to come to a performance (?) of Balaklia's writers on Tuesday at the college where she works. Of course, I'm also supposed to read a poem in English (whether or not one I've written I couldn't tell). Should be fun.

I've been watching The Lord of the Rings this week. It's scarier than I remember. Also scary but in a different way is how much of the book dialogue is lodged in my brain...as I see a scene approaching, the book dialogue plays through my head. A mis-spent childhood, I suppose... :)