Today and Everyday

I wish I were home more. Even better, home with less to do. My having an extended break for maternity leave left me with new insight to the joys and trials of being a stay-at-home or part-time working mom. I also just finished reading a week of entries on one of my more favorite blogs, A Cup of Jo, where she featured a segment on new mothers who work at home and how they juggle their schedule. It seemed like where everyone was still very busy, their set-up gives them what seems like infinitely more time and more flexibility to spend with their kids. This leaves me feeling jealous, even though I chose my profession and choose to keep it. This has led me to thinking of what I like most and least about the stay-at-home thing.

When home, you get to see your child almost instantly. If really truly needed, you can walk through a door and scoop them up. I understand that this is not practical for productivity, but it's possible. I did attempt to ignore the wails coming from the other room when I worked at home one morning, and I am semi-happy to say that I was successful.

When home, you can schedule how you like, and do what things need to be done. The laundry, emptying the dishwasher, vacuuming, make sure bills are paid, read at your lesiure, etc. The downside of being at home, is that there's no real urgency, and your schedule is primarily determined by what your child needs at the moment. I'm really big on chores early in the day, when I feel most productive and doing those things at night after 9 pm doesn't rank high on my enjoyment scale. This is why I now love weekends, and hate when they're filled with planned activities. If I'd be home, I could also spend the day running around town with my baby, either doing things that need to be done, or taking her out to expose her to fun and interesting things, teaching this tiny absorbent person all about life. I miss the opportunities to hang out for even an hour without needing to feed her, or other necessities of just getting home for the day. I hear about how she started to laugh and jabber away, or make funny faces that day when I pick her up, but I don't get to see much of those things until 3-4 days later, when I get to keep her for the day. Every parent envisions the way their kid should be raised, and even when left with family, it's hard to give up that control to how someone else does it, even temporarily.

Benefits of working full time are really my having a break from home-life, and being able to afford to come home to everything we need. I've said since I was home on leave that if I could make the same amount, still do what I enjoy, and work just 5-10 hours less a week, I'd be thrilled. Best of both worlds. It's not to be, for now. Le grande sigh. Really, do you choose to be away, so that you can provide a stable home for your children, or do you provide a "loving" home where material and opportunity are not as important, as long as you're happy? The dichotomy of this ever-lasting question is what I believe most mothers struggle with, even if the decision has been made for them by circumstance.

All told, there are many new ideas I'm working through and will continue to parade through my head, in and out of my husband's patient ears, and back to contemplation again. Anything in the name of improvement! March on...

Notes from the underbelly

Wasn't that a TV show at some point? I figured I have no "flip side" to account for these days, so I went with something more devious sounding. This entire first segment of this post is ridiculous, so Onward!

I finished Pride and Prejudice yesterday. It was fine. It took about 70% of the book before I became interested enough to really want to see what happened, and the writing finally made sense to me. Discovery 1) I am not a Jane Austen fan. Everything I've attempted to read has bored me and I only try to keep reading because people say they're classics. Discovery 2) why is the Darcy-Elizabeth thing such a big deal? Yes, they were trite to one another, and certain misunderstandings occurred, but that happens in a lot of relationships. Discovery 3) I found it most shocking when he proposed the first time. I've yawned through the movie and mini-series (looking at YOU Kiera Knightley) so I had no real idea of the storyline. Why then, is this considered so great? Enough. I did like it enough to not hate it, but I'm not going to be punishing myself with more Austen. I've since moved on to the Victorian era, and am reading The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. This writing is beautiful and eloquent and actually has a developing story, rather than obnoxious over-development about characters that mean nothing. I'm also listening on audio and am hoping to whip through it, so I can re-start The Stand. I promised myself that I would finish Woman in White (a free kindle book) before I bought anything new. I did technically purchase the book yesterday, but I'm keeping to my self-imposed word and not switching to that one just yet. I figure, I have all these classics I do want to read, so why not alternate with non-free so I can save some money (and library trips).
Bored, reading about my reading habits yet?

We're slowly making progress on the house, and I finally chose and purchased wallpaper for our basement powder room. It's only been a year and a half that we've been looking at what my husband calls "sickening" walls dotted with Green Bay Packer helmets. The previous owner was a serious fan, and unfortunately, this was the one area of paraphernalia that was permanent. Hopefully it will be cuted-out (yes- cute-ed) by the end of July. Lots to do, harder to do with a baby, but hoping this weekend will be productive.

Boring, boring, boring. Thanks for reading!

Life with an infant: How did this happen? (and reasons why it still somehow works for me)

It's been entirely too long but I feel like writing today, over other things I should be doing. Yesterday I ate my very first nectarine of the summer. Organic, of course, and it was delicious. Could've been just a tad more ripe, to be more sweet, scrumptious, and delectable, but it was still pretty good.

Husband and I embarked yesterday (after a majorly long visit at the grocery store Tuesday night- with a baby, no less) on our efforts to cook more at home. We made a lentil and sausage soup and it was pretty darn good. We decided it's probably best, after seeing what our weeknight schedule is like, to prep as much ahead of time as we can. It'll be sort of like on Top Chef, only our fridge will be the cooler and we won't be hauling things off-site to cook them. Hopefully by way of cooking our own food, we will get used to using and eating foreign vegetables and fruits, and will end up a might healthier as a result. If we can spend more time together, eat healthier, (and somehow because we're awesome and have prepped everything ahead and only take a few minutes to cook things), find time to work out, it would be the ultimate trifecta.

I promise I'm not delusional. I know that with an infant (she's 12 weeks on Saturday- whoa!), you can only do so much. Taking things one step at a time is my preferred method. I pray that lifting things much heavier and for longer time spans than I ever have before will keep me active and slowly get me back in shape. When I say carrying "things" I mean: an 11 lb baby on her own for 10-40 minutes, or said child in a 3-6 lb carseat basket, a bag full of clean cloth diapers, a diaper bag, a lunch bag, a pump bag, possibly a purse or grocery bag, and any mail I might have collected on my way into the house. You know, carrying them all at one time. Yes, I could take two trips, but again, hello, baby in my hands and when else will I do it? Just easier to suck it up and deal, and then put things away all at once. I know I'm working my muscles when I was still laying in bed this morning, felt slightly like I got hit by a car while I slept.

Despite me realizing six hours of (uninterrupted) sleep (I know I'm blessed over some new parents) is not enough for me, and wishing I really liked coffee or caffeinated tea, being a mother is great. We do get stressed, and there were a couple of teary, tricky days at the beginning, but they're just part of all of this learning experience. Time's flying by, but I am at this point, really very happy.

Latest and Greatest

This week has been filled with baby-ness. For instance, my movement is more restricted now, beyond simply having a hard time putting on socks. It's now a little harder to dress. Or, new and different, is the insistance of baby to get a couple of really good leans into my bladder and pelvic region, so I'm not sure if I'm going to pee my pants in the grocery store or if I relaly don't need to go, like a normal human being. She's also taken with growing really big all of a sudden and using her new-found appendages to jab into me at indiscriminate times. I really do enjoy seem to be enjoying pregnancy for the most part, but feeling like someone is crawling up the inside of your stomach is a freaky experience.

We're avidly trying to coordinate spending and saving to maximize what we've got in the bank right now, in anticipation of future necessary purchases, inevitable house repairs, replacement appliances and cars, and upcoming wedding trip to California in late summer. Airfare to LA area is ridiculous right now! Eep.

I've basically had very little interest in reading many books. I've been reading several pages of Les Miserables at lunch. I'm enjoying it but there are sections that I just don't care about. It's like that at home too. I just can't focus on looking at a book, and prefer magazine articles and my audiobooks on my commute.

I'm prepping for my extended absence at work but it's a little tricky to figure all of the details behind what I do, and making sure people either know how to do them or where to get the info.

I'm done for now I think. Short attention sp... ooh shiny things!

It's been 5 months. Sorry.

Really, if you have any interest at all here and have been disappointed in my lack of blogging, that's about all I have to say about it. Sorry. Life is just too busy, too big, too complicated lately to remember to come back here unless I feel like writing a whole bunch. That's what today feels like, so here I am. I've also been attempting to maintain a baby blog for relatives and friends who don't live nearby to catch up on all the "doings". That's right, we're now nearly 8 months into having a baby and it's all been going okay so far. Lots of doctor appointments, naps, trips to the bathroom, and attempts at eating some healthy food. I'm just starting to get into a grumbly, "this isn't feeling so hot" phase. I'm hoping it doesn't last another two months. Like, if I could keep the baby baking, and go back to how I felt about three weeks ago, with as small a belly as I had then, life would be fabulous!

I've pretty much been relegated to getting exercise from walking up and down our staircase or taking the dog outside in the backyard on a leash. Baby is just scrunching my lungs now, and that's not super fun. I hate being out of breath. My family somehow is putting together a shower, which we're grateful for, and semi-surprised it came together. My friend Bri is helping, and I'm relatively certain that is why it's come together. Looking forward to a nice little party up here, and my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are throwing a small fete down state as well in a couple of weeks! I will be glad when those things are finished though, because we have very little in the nursery, aside from a glider and ottoman (thank you in-laws!), a re-finished bookcase (thank you me- more on that later), a bunch of baby books and decorative items, and about four baby outfits in the closet. The rest of the room is still filled with our junk, an old computer, and boxes. Not baby-ready whatsoever.

Aside from a work trip to Vegas that husband had to take, and my judging dance competitions nearly every weekend in Jan.-Feb., we're enjoying our time as we can. Being and staying in love despite the addition of children is a major life goal of mine. Plus, if our kid sees a healthy relationship in front of them just about every day, I think that their thoughts and feelings will help them develop healthy relationships for themselves.

And, my boss just caught me writing this. He didn't say anything, but it's still embarassing and you can't click off the screen once it's there, so I just had to leave it and hope he'd stop glancing at the screen. Yuck. Guess I'll be gone for a while again. I'll try to make my big comeback at home instead.

Final thoughts for today:

1) I'm upset that I forgot my oatmeal today. I just started to like it and now (even though I still don't like the texture) I'm a fan because of the health benefits and the flavor.

2) I've been itching for some exercise the last few days. I'm actually looking forward to lunch not just because I get to eat, but also because I'm hoping a treadmill is open upstairs and I can get in a 20 minute walk session. Yay for exercising for an easier labor and baby's health!

3) I am so thankful that of his own admission, my husband is volunteering to help clean up the house more. Our dogs make the house tough to keep liveably (is that a word?) clean, and his help will make a big difference in my attitude and energy level!

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.