Taking time out = happiness

I haven't written here in a while, most likely because I'm finding that I'm trying (without really trying) to simplify my life. We lived wthout wifi in our house for several months and while I missed being able to pop onto twitter and check out the lives of my friends as I made dinner, or walked down the hallway to another chore, I can now say I could* live without that stuff. It's not that I no longer appreciate lordvoldemort's cheeky tweets chiding muggles for incorrect grammar, or that I don't want to hear which kitchen necessity so and so requires to build out their cafe, but that's just it. I don't really.

I've also thought about all the great things I could share here, but have opted instead to do other things instead of actually loggin in and writing them down. For example, I've take advantage of my time at work to be productive, spent time with my husband, competing against each other along with the newlywed game on tv, or simply read a book outside while watching the dogs play. I've unplugged a bit, and don't mind so much. I have a feeling that there will be more for me someday to care about, and starting now isn't a major sacrifice. I doubt, that while I've really enjoyed the new friends I've made online, I will look back one day and really remember all the days or hours I spent chatting it up or checking out the latest fashion trends on some crummy website. Just trying to appreciate and grasp at what things are most important. I think I have enough going on right now as it is to fill my time. Here's to being less wired, less frenetic, and less web-tired.

* could, meaning would do it if I had to, but would prefer to keep it around, you know, just in case.

Lazy Sunday

Here I am, 8 am on a Sunday morning, hanging with my puppies. I've been awake for over an hour-I slept in 'til nearly 7! We had a very nice dinner at a German restaurant last night with a whole group of friends. It was the usual, guys-side, girls-side of the table, complete with odd looks from each side, when some bit of conversation was ear-catching. I'm pretty psyched that we're seeing most of the group again in a couple of weeks for a clam bake. The guys are currently in the midst of making selections for the most important event of the Fall- fantasy football. Good thing I enjoy football and (almost) take more interest in his team than he does (shh!).

And so, (don't we love that heinous example of sentence construction?) I plan to spend my day reading, changing the sheets, putting dishes away, at least one load of laundry, and perhaps a little shopping out on the town. When husband gets back, I'm very certain we're planning to catch a matinée of Inception, since we've heard how good it really is. Yay for lazy days, complete with movies! That's the latest, see you on the flip-side.

What's with Today, Today?

Several things:

I feel slightly ucky after eating a roast beef sandwich from Jimmy Johns. Perhaps it was because I heated it up. Unless it's a PB&J, I can no longer tolerate a cold sandwich- fact of life now.

Our home is falling apart. Fan no longer works without the fan's light being on due to an over-pulled chain. We now have a hot bedroom in perpetuity. The kitchen overhead blew out about a month ago and because we hate the fixture, we've never bothered to replace the bulb. We're operating using counter-top lamps. Cozy, but inconvenient when there's a light-switch right there on both sides of the room. We also have a leaky roof vent that was flooding our kitchen by dripping down the backsplash under our microwave yesterday. Yippee- weekend projects!

I also was changing my desktop google background theme and giggled when I saw one for Justin Beiber and actually thought, "Wouldn't it be weird if I used that?!" Until about two months ago, I had no recollection (perhaps for the best) of who this girl was, and her name was Justin.

My stomach just growled sooo loud and I'm slightly embarrassed.

Anyway.

Perfect day for a sleepy nap

I may not make it all the way through today. I am struggling with whether I'd like to take vacation time this afternoon or not. I'm going to stop accruing it if I don't take some in the next few weeks, so I do need to take some time, but no one else is today, and I feel like I will be a bum if I'm the slacker leaving early. I also think I want to reserve it for the next two weeks, just in case. I'm really leaning towards leaving early today. My brain needs a break to find some clarity.

Booo for my late-streak

Boss had to be a boss today and I got "yelled at" for coming in 10-15 minutes late each day this week. Granted, it was exaggerated by my cube-neighbor who always comes in late and leaves on time, so we both were tut-tutted. I fall into a crack with my levaing time. If I lived 10 minutes closer, my timing would be perfect because I could leave on an even time- like, "leave by 7:30". The problem is, if I leave at 7:30, traffic is horrid. If I leave at 7:40, traffic is okay but I get here late. If I leave at 7:15, #1, I'd get to work about 7:40, and #2, it'd be wicked early. Dumb traveling time and traffic. I suppose it will be early days for me then. I may be lazy, but it's annoying because I have to spend today and tomorrow, and early next week feeling guilty about my behavior that I can't do anything about now, yet still irritated, because "the man" (not just my boss) indicates I be here by 8 am everyday. We don't even open until 8:30. I'm going to need to figure out what to do now with all my spare time in the mornings. :(

Quick Chat

Got a notice that Linger is waiting for me at the library, so this saturday I will be cruising by there. Hopefully I will be able to finish The Power and the Glory prior to then, especially since it's due after a renewal (plus I've been talking about it forever- for shame). They have a cozy reading room that overlooks the river, and I'm going to go for a "me-calmed-down" phase.

Dinner last night was ruined because even though it cooked all day, it wasn't plugged in. I love coming home to $15 worth of meat and veggies that have sat out for 10 hours AND the added bonus of nothing to eat when you discover it. I scrambled to make myself some pasta with cheese and mope around a bit before passing out for a nap. The plan was to go to the gym but husband didn't get home until almost 9 and I had decidedly less desire to go traipsing through the gym after I had been cozy and sleeping. The plan is to make it there tomorrow night, when he'll be home earlier. We're both supposed to make it there on our own today, but we decided last weekend that we actually like making each other go and exercising next to each other. Weird, because I never really thought that would be a comfort. Turns out, it is.

Now I must plot out where inside the cool building I can secure a safe napping spot during lunch since my car is an oven the last few days. I have the choice of being caught in a bathroom, meeting room, or trying to get shut eye in a locker room that has a single wooden bench (with no back) and lights that don't shut off. It's times like these that nap-booths need to come to America.

Thar she blows! Gonna be another long one

Nearly everyone is gone today at work. Not that I need people to be here to do my work but it's a motivating factor and without it, the day drags. Luckily, I put more awesome music on my ipod, so I'll be entertained by new songs. Among those on my latest go-playlist:

Brandi Carlile; Christina's new (rather trampy) album; Club 8; A Fine Frenzy; Fleet Foxes; Florence + the Machine; Gossip; The Swell Season; Ingrid Michaelson; Grizzly Bear; La Roux; Leaves; Lenka; Marie Digby; John Mayer; Real Estate; Norah Jones; She & Him; Seal's "Soul" album; The Temper Trap. I know some of these aren't "new" but I still like to rediscover old classics.

Last night we ate a really fab crockpot dinner consisting of that steak I jabbered on about yesterday. (Toss some chopped onions under a flank or top round steak. Top that with a mixture of 1 can salsa, 2 tsp chili powder; salt, pepper, oregano. Top that with a can of drained black beans and cook for 7-9 hours on low. Pop in chopped red & yellow peppers for 30 min. on high. Wa-lah!) It was pretty tasty and is supposed to be healthy too. We're really on the Good Ship Healthy-Eats these days.

Now, I just have to get back into the swing of visiting my old friend, the gym. We've kind of been on the outs because I find him pretty boring and I don't like to call on him more than a couple of days a week because there are more interesting or necessary ways to spend my time. I begrudge Mr. Internet, Stevie Clean, and Ms. Library much less, and have recently become very partial to spending time with my latest most-favourite friend, Sally Napsalot. Just like Stella, I'm certain I will get my groove back soon and update on this sometime in the near future.

Insert Jeopardy Song Here

I can just tell today is going to go on forever. It's supposed to rain, and for once I'm not so tired that I feel like taking a nap at lunch in my car. I'd much rather be at home cuddling with my puppies, reading, and enjoying the smell of the crockpot cooking up what I assume is going to be a stellar southwestern steak and peppers meal.

I'm listening to Shanghai Girls by Lisa See as I drive to and from work. I used to be really irritated by the characters- they were so selfish and ignorant. They've had so many bad things happen to them by the halfway point that I can't help but like them, so now they're just slightly ignorant. Not to say it's not worth reading, because it is. Surprisingly, these stupid, selfish characters are worth investing in, if only for the fact that the book explores the experience of Chinese immigration to the US (California) in late 1930's. I'd say it is worth taking a look.

Outside of the audio-experience, I'm reading The Power and the Glory, which to my surprise as I got through the first few pages, is about a renegade nicknamed 'the whiskey priest'. If that's not cool, I'm not sure what is. I feel like Graham Greene has a lot of elements of Christ-personified in his books, and my guess would be that it happens here too, but I'm happy to read and find out.

Little Charlie has been on a record-streak for non-bathroom accidents in the house. Streak broken yesterday, and it was all my fault. I ignored him because I just couldn't get my ipod updating to work. Low and behold, not more than two minutes later, I hear a sharp, high powered spraying of liquid on the floor. He only squirted a bit, to tell me it really was time, poor guy. He wanted to go outside, he really did, and he told me, but dogs are apparently only as smart and wonderful as their owners. I guess this gives me something to shoot for.

I sure wish it was Rex Manning Day

Title comes from a blog post I just read by See Frankie Write about how Empire Records should be a Young Adult novel. I adore that movie and have been pondering why I don't own it, or my other favorites, including Scream and possibly, The Craft. I'm too busy these days and have a sick dog, which throws things off even a bit more. I just relaly don't know how the next few days will shake out and what nightmares could await us. I think the only cure for my mini-blues/stress/sleep-deprivation is a roof-top dance party.

Busy Bee buzz buzz

I found myself with a larger stack of work than I anticipated earlier when I was listing my responsibilities. I'm not quite in the mood to hang out and laugh at the video of last night's plan commission meeting, so I'm here, doing this for about three more minutes. I need to write the minutes for a meeting where no one showed up. The joys of public disinterest...

I'm smack in the middle of The Year of the Flood (companion novel to Oryx and Crake which I LOVED) by Margaret Atwood. I can't wait to dig into her other stuff. It's difficult to explain, but it centers on the lives of two women who are segregated from the outside world because a waterless-flood (an airborne plague of sorts) was released months ago by a pharmaceutical company. Pretty much everyone who wasn't locked in an airtight space was killed, animals and animal/human gene hybrids are running rampant, the whole semi-apocalypse deal.

I'm also in the middle of The Eight, by Katherine Neville which is a mix of historical and regular fiction and is about the fantastic world of Chess. I'm not joking- that's what it's relaly about. I've heard that the ending either blows your mind or is kind of "eh". I'm a fan of chess, especially when I'm winning, and therefore am hoping it will be the prior.

In other news, I met with two HS buddies and one of their adorable babies. Lots of fun. Looking forward to meeting up with gard school friends for pizza at our cute little riverfront Italian place on Saturday. Note to self: Remove majority of dog hair from home and stock the liquor shelf. Off to punish myself at the gym. I might just go sit on a stationary bike with my book. At least it's something, right? {slight cringe and guilty face} Iiiiiiiittt's Taco Night!!!

My library stack is sick! (and other ramblings)

Recently I have been really stuck on that saying that never reeeallly caught on 10 years ago. Anyway, I mean that my (sadly ever-growing) pile of library rentals is sky-high and ALL things that I want to read yesterday. I still have many of the books I listed the last time I had a major list. Thank goodness I can renew books, and check-outs are a month because I am going to be selfish. I have a record 27 items (eesh) checked out right now. Granted, 1/3 of them are CD's that I can't burn yet (for my own listening pleasure only) because our itunes computer cracked out on us. Technically it was the mouse that began leeching battery fluid, but it was a "good excuse" to upgrade. Yay for (not-so) new technology I need to learn to use! Therefore, I still have a staggering 18 books that "need" to be read by the end of July. Among those I am eagerly anticipating when I'm done with the current reads:

The Power and the Glory. It's old but I adored the Quiet American, hated The End of the Affair, and am curious as to which side of love/hate Graham Greene I'll end up on.

The 13th Hour. Dude is accused of killing his wife, he's innocent and is given the chance to go back and find out what happened & re-do things.

Les Dangereuses - The original Cruel Intentions. Catherine and Mr. Valmont? Yes please. Blame me being a teenage product of the 90's...

In other news, Husband and I watched Brick last evening. It had a good storyline, but the high-school scenario meshed with a 1940's Detective/Police Chief scene and language that No One (other than perhaps modern Shakespeare) would use was a stretch. I just see Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who still rocked this movie) as the weepy kid from 10 Things I Hate About You. Again, I was still a teen in 2000...

I probably have way more to share, including the tornado-like uprooting of our only backyard tree, my new affection for women singers who to me sort of sound and look like fairies, my pee-hazardous dog-child, and my excitement at completing the paint job on my thrift-store nightstand find. I have a very exciting life- just livin' the dream.

OMG a oh oh oh oh I hate this Usher Song...

I didn't realize I was so funny until I went back and read some of my first blog entries. I am ridiculous. I've been trying to avoid snorting in my cube just now. No wonder my husband wants me to put it into a little book.

On other accounts, everyone who comments on my blog uses foreign characters and I can't read them. I appreciate the gesture, but do other bloggers get this? Is my blog hacked or just especially popular in Asian countries?

PS. The nightstands I planned to paint over two weeks ago are still stacked in my garage, un-painted, un-sanded, and just barely wiped of insects & dust. I feel at this point, if they ever get completed, they will signify my largest accomplishment of the year. I am making BIG plans- Way to reach for the stars!

These pretzels are making me sleepy

I know that's not the right line, but I am sleepy. This continued need to nap is making me delirious! Again, not really, but it could be at that level. I'm just stopping in because I have been feeling the pull to impart my random words of "wisdom" upon the interwebz and all of you lovely readers.

Last weekend our massive back yard tree was uprooted in the 50-60 mph winds that attacked just before the driving rainstorm. We're waiting on estimates from tree removal services and thank goodness insurance is covering it. I'm sad now though, because we will be lacking shade and cover, which won't lend kindly to our currently low utility bills. The best part of the episode I suspect is the fact that we can now start the yard from scratch and do exactly what we want with it. We need to rip out all of the insect-attracting plant-weeds from around the house and then I think we'll actually be okay, yard-wise.

In books, I'm nearly done with the ever-popular (?) The Bell Jar, and am hating most of it. I just don't get Esther's whole deal. Not thrilled and moving on. What IS thrilling, is the ending of The Shining! I've been listening to it on my commute for weeks and it's been very good. It's not my favorite book, but the more Stephen King I read, the more I enjoy his work. It's odd because the book is pretty different than the movie, and I'm having difficulty picturing anyone but Jack Nicholson and (the ever creeeeepy) Shelly Duvall. I also spent the entire book waiting for the twin girls to show up and freak Danny out but (SPOILER) that part never comes! Dissapointing, and even more-so disapointing that for me as a supposed adult that the lack of the little ghost girls is the major downer for me. Tony, in the book is less scary than in the movie, and led me to a sort of less-threatening version of Jodi, from The Amityville Horror (which I totes recommend).

I'm pleased that the Husband is on a reading kick, and has mentioned that he wants me to get another library book for him. I may have already discussed it here, World War Z? He just finished The Boy Who Climbed Everest by Bear Grylls and seemed to like it. We agreed that it's kind of a "boy" book but definitely packed with info about climbing.

Outside of this arena, I am teaching myself how to play the cello and getting it all wrong. My fingers are too short to get the notes right, and I may call the rental shop to see if I should switch to a 3/4 size, even though I'm an adult. :-/ Trying to not be too hot as July rolls in slowly.

About that cello playing...

I'm really awful. Granted, I know it was officially only my second day playing around, but I'm terrible. Perhaps it's the way I'm sitting, or the height of the instrument, or a misplaced pinky on my bow hand. I feel more though that my weakling arms and super-short fingers (I'm so incapable as a "pianist" are really what's hindering my ability to play for more than 10 minutes. That being said, it does take a few sessions to feel more comfortable with playing. I know when I picked up my violin again it took a few practices before I wasn't physically exhausted and feeling like I needed to ice my biceps and fingertips. To this, I say, play on, Mr. Tambourine Man. Play a song for me, since it will be at least a few weeks before I can make somethin' happen. ;)

So what'dya know?

I'm actually writing an entry! Thing is, things have been great. They've been busy and crazy, and so wonderful. Of course the dogs do goofy stuff, and I forget things all over the place, and the husband is busying himself with his own self-improvements. Work's busy and I have been relishing every spare minute of life at home away from a computer. There are more things out there to do than I can count! For example, I have got an awesome selection of books from the library and at home that I am never going to be able to push through before they're due. I'm really sorry that it seems I'll miss out on or change my mind about reading a few. Take a look at the stellar lineup:
1. The Bell Jar - for June book club reading.
2. The Shining - I'm listening to this and it's pretty good so far.
3. The Power and the Glory - Graham Greene. I loved The Quiet American, hated The End of the Affair. I've always had an interest in this one, so we'll see where it goes.
4. The Monk - Matthew Gregory Lewis - Orginal gothic-era, fiction pulp of the 18th-19th century.
5. The Prince of Mist - Carlos Ruiz Zafon published his 1st YA novel in English this May. Yes Please.
6. Rebel Angels - Libba Bray - this was a impulse grab. I've been hearing about the rest of the Great and Terrible Beauty series and figured light summer reading.
7. Les Liasions dangereuses - The original Cruel Intentions. :)
8. The Castle of Otranto - A follow-up gothic piece by Horace Walpole, which oddly enough, was just referenced by The Shining. Further proof that I should be reading "classics" referenced in modern day lit.
9. Red November - A Goodreads win that I am planning to begin this week. It's supposed to be reviewed after I'm done, and then I get more books!
10. Getting the Picture - Sarah Salway. This is another Goodreads win that I am sorely behind on. It's short, so I'm trying to push through.
11. I completely forgot also, that I have to pick up Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood. I had the book checked out for nearly two months and didn't get to it but it's been calling!

As you can see, I am under some serious library pressure. Renewals, yes, but by that time, who knows what I'll be into next!

As far as other areas of life, I spent an hour this weekend renting a cello. I've played violin, recently began practicing again, and have had a long-time desire to play the bigger instrument. Mostly, I just love hearing cello music. I think the tones are gorgeous and now I want to be able to be responsible for those sounds. I figured out how to play an in-tune scale on it and then taught husband how to play. Yay for teaching something I know too-little about!

This week's rave: Daily chore cards. I broke out some index cards, wrote out regular cleaning chores for each day of the week/room of the house, and tossed them up on the fridge. Granted, things aren't all done yet (horrible papers/mail junk everywhere!) but everything seems so much cleaner and more manageable. I didn't even have to clean the kitchen or bathrooms this weekend because they were kept up in little bits during the week. How cool is it that I didn't have to do three loads of dishes in a row because we had filled and emptied twice last week?!

We ended up needing all the chores done during last week because this weekend turned into a, "let's do whatever we want with our time and not clean weekend". It was mostly accidental really. Saturday was filled with morning activities, like eating breakfast, renting the instrument, jamba juice stop, and the library. A quick nap, and then off to meet friends for INCREDIBLE tapas-style Mexican. Really really great despite the packed restaurant. I have never seen a restaurant in the suburbs that packs people in that tightly. We snagged some stools and had to eat at the bar because the people eating at 7:00 had been in line around 3:30-4 pm when the doors opened at 5. That evening turned into games and drinks at their house, and then feeding the puppies a few hours late. Sorry buddies!

Sunday was a day of indecision really. I began ambitiously trying to clean up the nightstands I need to paint, but left them in the garage and opted for a 3 hour nap. We had no food in the house, so we went out to eat and then to grocery store, followed by an evening excursion to see the much plugged (by my husband) A-Team movie. It was decent and fun.

That is all for now. (loooonnng entry.) Thanks for reading, if you made it this far. I'll try to keep things more exciting next time.

Sleeping is for Women. Wait...

This week I can.not. wake up on time. I've either turned off my alarm or hit the snooze for almost an hour. It doesn't help that my body is fighting me. It's saying, "please let me stay awake until after midnight! The other bodies do! They're going to think I'm so lame!" and my mind sort of agrees and says, "I'm sleepy but I'm going to find other things to think about, so body doesn't feel lonely." My concious thought is irritated and ready to strangle mind and body, but that would wind me up and negate the issue at hand. Even now as I write this, I'm finding myself slightly crazy. I haven't been that sleep-deprived. I have found though that my wheelhouse is about 7.5-8 hours of sleep. Going 6 or less for more than a week is stressing me out. I woke up with a cough today, but it could be on account of the continued rain.

Somehow, Husband woke up at the same time today and helped me out so I could leave within 15 minutes of me waking up. After he let the dogs in, he sorrowfully announced that our little veggie plants were not strong enough to withhold torrents of rain yet and all got washed out of the pots and planters they were in. I couldn't bear to look. Honestly, by the time I left, I'd forgotten about them already. We do have some green beans planted in the mini-garden but I'm pretty sure I'm not cut out to be outside ever, including to do things like taking care of plants without killing them. I actually put them outside figuring they'd been indoors for a good two months and it really was time for them to sink or swim. Unfortunately, they did both, literally.

I keep promising a book review entry, and that will make me happy, but I type really loud at work and I better tone it down now. Much more work-typing to do yet today. Perhaps the best way to avoid this said work will be to fall asleep on my keyboard.

Embracing the Awesome

There's so much to catch up on and talk about and very little time to do it this week. For one, I've started to finally love and accept both of my dogs. It was rough-going with Charlie for a couple of months and finally, after four months and 1 and 1/2 sessions of obedience class, I feel like he's my dog and I'm beginning to understand him. He, it seems, is also growing up and has started to trust and accept us. Always good for a creature who lives in your house. Isn't that weird? That we allow these little furry creatures who can't speak, to share our dwellings? As much as he irritates me by grunting in my ear every 4 seconds after I've first hit the snooze button, I'm alright with him sticking around.

He failed as an alarm clock this morning and I woke up 15 minutes before I intend everyday to walk out the door to work. Traffic has sucked by my house for inexplicable reasons all week, and I have to drive a circuitous route to get back on track (my head automatically cues Chris Farley doing this Matt Foley-style). I remarkably didn't leave any later than usual (which still makes me about 5-10 minutes late) and chugged my first caffineated diet soda of the day. I had not the time, or desire to drink any coffee, so D.Pepsi it was at 7:30 am. Gross.

Work has been okay, but busy putting together an award application which we probably have no real chance at receiving. It's good to try though, and I can use what we did at a later time for other projects. Nothing like being told 4 days ahead of the deadline for application that you need to coordinate a project that has been released since February 1st. Aside from that, everything has been going fine.

Hopefully, the week of awesome will continue today. I've skipped the gym for three days now, in favor of other stuff thatmakes me happy. Allow me to illustrate by making lists:

Monday: Ditched the gym and instead went to a music store looking for violin accessory pieces that have worn out. That mission was a failure, but I ended up with a new scales book and music from Phantom of the Opera. Score. Ventured to the library where I picked up an intro to fiddling, my held copy of Nightlight, hilarious-looking parody of Twilight, and the gigantic doorstop of a book, Under the Dome. (I've been "reading" it on audio but I like to supplement.) I'm actually really liking it and can't wait to get back to it. I THEN went home, and found Charlie's bed dry! (He pees when I come home because he's so psyched) I took the dogs for a walk to make them smiley (they really do smile!), then I played my new music as the dogs joyfully barked at and jumped all over each other. I tossed some dinner together and happily drank the last glass of wine and danced around my kitchen to super cool itunes I just added. That genius playlist is my new favorite thing. I literally told my husband when he came home that my day was awesome. Watched the hockey playoff; our team won in a nail-biter. Cool.

Tuesday: I went rollerblade shopping and ended up buying two pairs. I found the second pair much cheaper, so I'm taking the other back. Went home to the puppies, who were again pee-free (yay!), played some more violin, and plopped down for some Glee while dinner baked in the oven. Sadly, husband came home right at the end and mocked the rendition of Turn Around being performed in a ballet studio. It's singing while doing ballet! How could I not like this?!

We caught up on other tv shows we'd missed during the week. Fab. I also managed to do laundry as we did this. An example of my awesome ability to multi-task! I also called my California friend and stupidly decided to talk waaaay past my bedtime- still a fun bonding experience.

Wednesday: I had to attend a meeting for work about ten minutes away from my BFF who just came home from 9 months performing on a cruise ship. Since the meeting was in conjunction with my lunch hour, I called her up and she and her husband came out to eat with me. We went to this great little sandwich place and ate al fresco. Nothing like good friends, conversation, and sunshine to break up your workday. The dude wearing a Mexican flag and shaking a maraca helped the atmosphere. (It was Cinco de Mayo.) I didn't make it back to work on time, because they were re-paving the only road I used to get to the meeting, an hour away. I had to "re-route", meaning me being lost in an area that doesn't label street intersections, and swearing quite a bit at this fact. I really hope they don't record audio or something in the company car. Finally returned to work (on a low low gas tank) and proceeded to finish out the day in semi-relaxed fashion.

Little did I know that my pain-free feeling my body was experiencing was about to go away. I headed home and immediately put on my new blades and wrist guards. I made it about 4 feet down my way-too-sloped driveway and due to this new terrifying feeling, tried frantically to break. The break on my skates was so new, it did nothing, and instead, tripped me so I fell backwards while still sliding. I somehow burned up the inside of my right elbow and feel on one side of my butt. I'd rather have a bruise than a broken tailbone. I managed to get up, embarrasedly chat with my neighbor, then skate up and down the block for another five minutes. It was rather painful scraping pieces of asphalt out of my arm, but I've been bandaged and fixed up pretty well. Showerfresh and ready to hit the town, I took Charlie to obedience school. He was pretty adorable and great at heeling, but also somewhat awful at doing the things he was supposed to. 3rd game in the hockey series was on, watched and then was pretty much passing out by midnight.

Today, I plan to Zumba, and return those expensive blades. I'll be back later with a massive book review entry. Altogether this week, I've been composed and utilizing the odd combo of can-do and laid-back components of my personality. I generally like it but can't see this lasting forever. Let the awesome continue.

April...Fools?

Today has just been weird. Work was okay. Left early for a dermatologist appointment. I am pretty certain that due to my high-risk very light skin, I am prone to hypocondriasm when it comes to my skin. It had been at least a year since my last skin check, and since then, I had found multiple new moles that I assumed would have to be the start of something more serious. Doctor visit was one of the shortest I've ever had, and was out of there in less than 40 minutes. She said that as long as I continue to be smart about sun exposure, I can last a long time before worrying about contracting melanoma and other varieties of skin cancer. I promise it's a lot less gross from here on out, unless you like a good animal poop story. With two dogs now it seems that I accumulate these frequently and still counting.

I came home to drag Izzy to her annual vet visit. Everything there went fine short of some waxy build up in her right ear. She got three-year distemper, rabies, and an annual bordatella and everything seemed dandy. Went back home, and let Charlie out. He didn't even pee in his bed once today! Then he made up for it by standing at the back door and letting the tide roll in as I attempted to put on his leash. I let the dogs play as I attempted to transplant our GIANT green bean plants from the starter tray to bigger pots. This was a project in itself and I did not realize until it was too late that the shots from the vet turned Izzy's stomach and she was going to do a #2 in a not-so-great way. Too late, I realized, as I rushed to grab our poop eater from underneath Izzy's butt, that the deed was done. Too late, was I, to prevent what amounted to baby poop literally covering Charlie's whole head. Too late, was it to grab Izzy and wholely prevent the two dogs from playing and inevitably brushing up on each other. One dog to clean was enough. I got Iz indoors, and let Charlie carouse as I pulled out the hose for the first time this year. He was too smart to stand in the volcanic spray of the hose, so I got to carry a dog with a dripping wet, poop-head into the bathroom from outside. He got his first bath in our already plugged with hair bathtub. He almost fell and from then on, he stood meekly and let me attempt to get the soap I doused him in out of his piles of fur. He hops out, I let him play outdoors until I finish potting those darn plants.

6 months? Really?

I suppose I will defer to the the extremely lazy excuse: I've been busy. You know, bought a house, did the holidays, got a dog, job busy, etc. I certainly plan to come back but for now, the bug had dissapeared. I just wanted to pop on to say how busy I am. I cannot get by without creating lists of things I need to do. For instance, I just finished a work duties task list, and now I need to make a list for the things I need to do for my personal life before I really forget. I'd update here but I'm planning on being productive still today at work. Caio.