This month, school started again for my kids. Every time back after a long vacation from studies, be it summer, spring, or winter break, my kids complain that they are still hungry after eating the school lunches that I pack for them every day. Their stomachs get used to good, warm, filling, home cooking during vacation. Quite frankly, I’ve grown tired of hearing their pleas. What else could I give them in addition to the typical sandwich, chips, drink, and fruit? Anything I can think of is too messy or requires a microwave and a refrigerator. I’ve read around for brown bag lunch ideas and the Readers Digest provided a wonderful suggestion: cheese and crackers!

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Recently, on a Sabbath afternoon, my sister and I went to a friend’s house to have lunch. When we arrived, our friend asked me if I knew how to cook fried rice and I said, “Yes.” In the back of my mind I was thinking, “In fact, it was the only thing I knew how to cook when I was a kid. So, call me an expert!”

I gave her a couple of pointers on how to cook it. While she was talking to my sister, I wasn’t paying attention to her cooking or to anything at all for that matter. I mean, I just woke up. It didn’t even phase me when she cracked open the eggs and put them in the skillet.

Then, my sister asked her, “What are you doing?”
“I’m making fried rice.”
“Allan, You didn’t tell her about the eggs?!”

It was then that I finally realize what just occurred. While the rice was in the pan, she put in the eggs. I felt (and I still feel) quite bad about the whole incident. Because of my mistake for oversight, I will reveal how to cook fried rice correctly.

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Warning: Spoiler Below!

I just read an article about an interview with Marc Cherry, the creator of Desperate Housewives. In it, he reveals that this second season, Bree Van de Kamp will be “starting her descent into alcoholism.” Cherry pointed out that this was planned and has been carefully building up since the first episode.

Causes

Now that I think of it, there have been numerous indicators of this. First, her husband cheated on her. Later, he suddenly died. She broke off her engagement with her boyfriend who killed himself and admitted to poisoning her late husband. To top things off, her kids are getting out of control! I wouldn’t blame her for drinking!

Signs

We can see subtle signs of alcoholism in the first season. Bree always grabs her wineglass when something is wrong. One example is the Guilty episode. The Van de Kamps were trying to cover up Andrew’s DUI and hit-and-run crime. So, they took his car to a bad part of town and hoped that the poor would steal it. We can find Bree with a wine glass at the beginning and the end of this episode to cope with the tension and guilt that she is feeling.

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