Randomitis

I saw Alan Hale (Skipper from Gilligan's Island on an old episode of The Andy Griffith Show last night. He called Barney "Little Buddy." It made me wonder if Alan was the one who made the Skipper call Gilligan that all of the time, instead of it being written that way.

J and I painted the back wall of the front porch this weekend. It looks really good now. I still have white paint on and under a few of my fingernails.

I have a headache.

I baked my first ever homemade loaf of banana bread this weekend - meaning, it wasn't from a mix, but was from scratch, using real ripe bananas. The recipe said no mixer was required, but I don't like gooey chunks of banana in my bread, so I mixed the hell out of those bananas.

I had to work at the State Fair yesterday. I was dreading it, but it wasn't too bad. All the same, I was very happy that they didn't need me today. I missed my desk, my computer and my comfortable desk chair. I did not, however, miss the people who give me work all day long.

J and I might go to the State Fair for fun on either Thursday or Sunday. I hope we do, because I think it would be fun to wander around with him and see what's there, and maybe eat some greasy, fattening foods.

Speaking of fattening foods, I'm on day nine without chocolate. I'm not really missing it much, and once I started adding some non-chocolate sugar into my daily diet, I stopped hating the world, even. Hmmm.

I might need to address that sugar addiction at some point. But not right now.

I ate too much banana bread this afternoon (the last of my homemade), and now I have a bellyache to go with my headache.

I want to go home, put on my PJs and relax while I wait for J to get home.

I had never eaten fish before I met J. We eat it about three times a week now (maybe twice). Salmon is my favorite.

I am addicted to my Sims 2 game. But you knew that already.

I'm very much in love with my J. But you knew that already, too. :)

I had half a bagel with jelly for lunch today, because I didn't bring anything, and the place I went to wanted $4.50 for a turkey wrap. Uh, no. Tomorrow I'll go to a different place for lunch.

My feet are hot.

And I am now done telling you random things. Thank you, and good-bye. :)

101 Update and a Movie Review of Sorts

Today I watched From Here to Eternity while I was at home alone, playing the Sims (and doing laundry and vacuuming and trimming some grass, etc.). I am perfectly aware that splitting my attention between the game and the movie like that makes me not give full attention to either, so I'm sure I missed some things in the movie that I might have caught if I had been just watching. Still. I liked it.

When J and I were on the way to get dinner and groceries, I told him the movie was mostly about relationships. That's not wrong, but the more I told him the more I realized it wasn't just about the boy/girl relationships. There were a lot of soldier/soldier relationships, a lot of Army stuff, of course every person in the story had their own stuff going on, and there was a boxing thing and really, there were a lot more layers to it than I originally thought. I kind of want to watch it again, now.

(The previous two paragraphs, by the way, are why this is a review "of sorts." I am no movie reviewer, and usually can't pin down exactly what makes me like or dislike a movie beyond a general feeling.)

Anyway. I would definitely recommend the movie, if only for the fun of picking out who all the people are who are in it. I was halfway through the movie before I realized Burt Lancaster was Dr. "Moonlight" Graham from Field of Dreams, and didn't figure out who Claude Akins was until I looked the movie up online.

This was the 28th Academny Award Best Picture winner I have seen out of 80, by the way. Fifty-two to go! (And Unforgiven is sitting on my desk waiting for me to find the time to watch it.)

101 Things Update

I thought I'd give a quick update on how I'm doing with my list. So far I'm doing really well on some things, and need to work harder on others.

First - I started going chocolate free on Monday, which I think I wrote about. So far I'm still chocolate free, and haven't had any serious cravings yet, which is a good thing. I did crash a bit on Monday night/Tuesday morning, apparently because I didn't eat much sugar at all on Monday, since I skipped my usual lunchtime candy bar. But some Advil and some non-chocolate sugar, and a little bit of time, and I was fine again by Tuesday afternoon.

I'm thinking about adding a ticker to the sidebar to count down how long I have left until I can eat chocolate again. The official date, by the way, is September 28th. Two days down, 38 to go! Sigh.

Second - I've been flossing nightly. Woo! My dentist will be so proud.

Third - I've written down a couple of the things that have made me happy, but I need to get better at it. I'm forgetting to do it on as many days as I'm remembering.

Fourth - I haven't been spending half an hour per day on my crocheting at all. Sigh. I need to work harder on that. Winter will be here before I know it, and Gabrielle WILL have her baby blanket by then! That is my vow.

Fifth - I tell J I love him every day. :) Of course, I always did that anyway, so it probably wasn't a good thing to put on this list, but oh well. One easy thing out of 101 is good.

As for the eating healthier stuff - well, I got bananas this week, and I've had one every day since Sunday. I have three left at home, but they're a bit too ripe now (or will be, by tomorrow), so I think they're destined to become banana bread. Cutting out the chocolate is a huge step in the healthier eating direction, too. I haven't replaced it with too much non-chocolate sugary stuff, so that's okay.

In non 1001 Things news, I went to the eye doctor for my final contacts visit, and it all went well. I now have a three month supply of them, and I am wearing my beginning pair now. I'm going to keep them on all day, if they don't start to annoy my eyes. The longer I wear them, the sooner I'll stop feeling them in my eye. (I feel them less now, but I still have a ways to go before I forget I have them in.)

Also, work is going to be crazy busy for the next couple of weeks. Sigh. I hate it when the kids come back to school. Why can't summer last longer? Oh well. By the time the semester is a week or two in, things will be calmer again.

And that's all I have to say for now, I guess. Later, people!

Tested Already

When I wrote that I was going to go 40 days without eating chocolate, I meant chocolate in all forms. No candy bars, no chocolate chip cookies, no cookies with fudge on them, not even any chocolate cereal. I knew that I would face a lot of challenges during these 40 days - a lot of tests of my strength - but I never expected the first test to come on the very first day I'm going without chocolate. But take a look at what just showed up on my desk.


One half-pint of chocolate ice cream. I needed the container so that I could take a picture of it to use on a poster to advertise it (we're selling it at the State Fair). I expected an empty container - I got a full one. And I get to keep it and enjoy it, in the words of the person who brought it.

Uh, it'll keep for 40 days, right? :)

(The ice cream is made where I work, so identifying information is rather clumsily blocked out to protect my secret location. Which makes it sound like I work for the CIA or something, but really I just don't want the whole Internet at large to know where to find me, you know?)

Day One

Well, if you read my 101 in 1001 post, you may have seen that I wanted to try giving up chocolate for 40 days. Well, my friends, welcome to day one. I admit that I am addicted to chocolate (or maybe to sugar, but whatever - my sugar usually comes in chocolate form), so I expect at least the first couple of weeks to be VERY difficult. I'll let you know how it goes.

In other areas of that list, I'm starting to record daily something that made me happy that day. I'm going to post my week's list on Saturday. I didn't post one this past Saturday, because I had just started my 101 things list on Friday, and honestly I had already failed by not writing something down on Friday. But I'll cast my mind back and get it for you now.

Hmm... Friday... Let's see if my memory goes back that far. Okay, it doesn't really. So I'll say that I was happy to go home from work, and have two days off in front of me.

For Saturday what made me happy was... um, I guess I'll say seeing a bunny when I was mowing my lawn. I saw it twice (I scared it with the mower twice), and it was very cute and made me smile. Plus mowing is really rather relaxing and calming, so I guess that was kind of a happy experience, too, even though I wasn't looking forward to doing it (and even though due to rainstorms, I only got half of it done, and the other half is still waiting for me to finish it).

This promises to be a very busy week at work for me. Actually, a busy two or three weeks, sigh. I'll be happy when the semester is under way and we all go back to normal, work wise. That should happen by week three, I guess.

I did start my day off right, however. I got some strawberry frosted mini wheats with groceries this weekend, and I had them for breakfast. They are YUMMY. Mmm. I almost forgot I was eating healthy.

Now I have to go get to work. Happy Monday, people!

Crafty

Look what I did last night.





I made myself a case for my glasses. Once upon a time I had three of them, and I think I know where one of them is now (but it's in a bag in the storage room upstairs, and I'm not ready to tackle that right now), but I have no idea where the other two are. So, I figured - I have all this yarn sitting in my house, and I have the knowledge and the time, so why not make myself a case for my glasses? So I found a pattern online yesterday and I made it up last night. It came out really cute, don't you think? It could be smaller - it's a little wider than it needs to be. But it works, and now I have something to put my glasses in when I'm wearing my contacts. :)

Speaking of the contacts, I got them the other day, but I have to work up to wearing them everyday. I wore them an hour on Wednesday, two hours yesterday and I'll add an hour every day until I have them on all day. I can still feel them in my eyes, and I'm a little worried that my eyes are going to be too dry for them and I'll need to use drops, but we'll see. It feels amazing not having my glasses on, though. I love it.

101 Things To Do In 1001 Days

Sarah linked me to this site today, and what do you know, I started making a list of things to do. Here's how it works.

The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in 1001 days.

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (i.e., no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (i.e., represent some amount of effort on your part).

Ready for my list? I guess I'm ready to type it out, so here goes. Keep in mind that I have 1001 days to do this in (my end date is Friday, May 13, 2011, with a start date of tomorrow). Some of them might take me just about the whole time to finish. I've separated them into categories, so that they're more organized. I've also censored a few that are too personal to put online - and no guessing what they are! :) Okay, here goes.

To Better Myself Physically

1. Give up chocolate for 40 days Finished 9/27/08!
2. Start an exercise routine and stick with it for at least three months
3. Lose 80 pounds
4. Count points for 30 days, to retrain myself on how much to eat. (Started 11/21/08.)
5. Buy myself a new wardrobe, once I reach my goal weight
6. Wear a swimsuit and feel good in it
7. Floss my teeth at least twice per week
8. Wear shorts in the summer and enjoy it
9. Have a professional bra fitting
10. Ride my bike in the summer, at least twice per month (June -
11. Go to the dentist for regular check-ups
12. Get old fillings replaced
13. Get crowns on at least two more molars
14. Start to wear skirts and dresses again
15. This one is censored :)Done! December 31, 2008
16. Have flat belly again

For My Relationship with J
17. Sit outside with J and watch the sunrise - maybe at a lake? Or sunset if he'd rather
18. Get married someday :)
19. Work on relationship every day, to make sure it stays fresh and our love stays like it is
20. Tell J I love him every day
21. Censored :)
22. Also censored :)
23. Buy J dinner at least once per month (more if I can afford it)
24. This one is also censored :)
25. Go to Waffle House with J
26. Go to see Alice Cooper with J (in October!)We did this on the night of 10/26/08, and it was amazingly fun! I should have put way more things like this on this list.

For My Other Relationships
27. Have my sister and brother-in-law over for dinner at least once
28. Call my brothers (two of them)at least once
29. Arrange a lunch with me, J, Sarah, Jeff and Jamie at least twice
30. Send "thinking of you" cards to J's parents, my sister and my brothers periodically
31. Go to lunch and a movie with my sister at least three times
32. Go ice skating with Sarah
33. Start sending birthday/Christmas cards to my nieces/nephews and great-nieces/great-nephews
34. Send someone flowers (a friend or relative), for no reason
35. Go to a hockey game with my sister, her husband and J

Crafts
36. Finish Gabrielle's baby blanket (before winter)Finished, 9/27/08!
37. Learn to knitDone!
38. Make myself a sweater
39. Learn to do cable knitting
40. Knit an afghan with a semi-complicated pattern
41. Finish all craft projects I start
42. Always have a craft project in the works - if I don't have a gift to make, then make something for myself, for J or make baby gifts ahead (since there will be many more babies coming, I'm sure).

Reading/Writing/TV/Movies
43. Go to a midnight movie, at least once
44. Keep a list of all books read (on goodreads.com)
45. Watch all (current and future, not past) Oscar Best Picture nominated pictures - on DVD is fine, they don't have to still be in the theater
46. Read all books off one of the "top 100" lists I printed out ages ago
47. Read all the classic books I own
48. Read 10 Pulitzer Prize winning books (fiction) (2/10)
49. Participate in NaNoWriMo and finish
50. Finish Puritanical Green Thumb (a Sims 2 legacy)
51. Finish Grafted Roots (a Sims 2 legacy)
52. Update at least one Sims 2 legacy chapter total per month until legacies are finished
53. Write at least two blog posts per week
54. Write at least one short story per month (0/33)
55. Complete NaBloPoMo each year (1/3) first one done!
56. Complete holidailies each year (1/3)first one done!
57. Watch all Academy Award winning movies (43/80)

For Me
58. Get a nice digital camera and start taking pictures every dayI got a great camera for Christmas 2008, woo! Pictures are being taken all the time now.
59. Spend time outdoors in every nice weather day - even if it's just sitting on the steps while the dogs do their business
60. Slowly work on getting new batteries/bands for all watches that need them
61. Buy at least three new watches
62. Plant flowers on graves (Mom, Wayne, Dad, both sets of grandparents, Mabel)
63. Make up a will
64. Buy more canvas bags to use when shopping
65. Find or take a picture of me and J that I like, frame it and display it in the house
66. Get to a point where I have at least five pairs of work pants, so I never have to wear the same pair twice in the same week again As of September, 2008, this is true! J bought me a new pair of pants, so I now have five. If one starts to wear out, I need to get a new one before it's trash, though.
67. Write down something daily that made me happy that day - write a blog with the complete list every Saturday
68. Have a calendar made with pictures I took. Give it to friends and family for Christmas
69. Ride a roller coaster again
70. Build a snowman
71. Procrastinate less at work
72. Go skinny dipping (once the pool is open)
73. Buy photo printer
74. Print out pictures that I take and like, then frame them and display them (collage frames, maybe)
75. Have a pool party
76. Set up file system in desk for important papers
77. Send thank you notes after Christmas/birthday/other events

Financial Stuff
78. Start a savings account
79. Get a home equity loan to pay off student loan/get a new roof
80. Pay off/settle all credit cards (1/7)First one settled 12/3/08, woo!
81. Save a dollar a day throughout this challenge - use the money for something fun for me and J (vacation, fun stuff, whatever)(start in February 09, once car is fixed and taxes are paid)

Food Stuff
82. Make tiramisu from scratch
83. Make at least one loaf of homemade bread per month from October - April
84. Try two new recipes that J and I might like (1/2)

For the House and Car
85. Clean out my boookshelves - give books I don't want to keep away
86. Plant a flowerbed somewhere around the house
87. Clean out the storage room upstairs (all my and Mom's crap)
88. Hire someone to come haul the trash from the garage to the dump (chairs, air conditioners, old lawn tractor, etc.)
89. Brush coats of all animals at least once per week (in shedding season)
90. Get car's oil changed regularly
91. Vacuum out car and wash it periodically
92. Need new one for here
93. Need new one for here
94. Need new one for here
95. Open pool
96. Put up a clothesline, so I don't have to use the dryer all summer

Do Gooder Stuff
97. Give 10 gifts "just because"
98. Pay for the person behind me at the drive-thru
99. Try to give blood every time the Red Cross comes to work
100. Donate food to the food cupboard

For This List
101. Take photos of tasks when completed, if possible/appropriate

Did you read the whole thing? :) Good for you, if you did! I'm going to post a permanent link to it in the sidebar, and I'll edit as I start getting things crossed off.

It's going to be a busy 1001 days. :)

Is That Really Possible?

I just read someone online say that she had once given up chocolate for lent, and she lost her taste for it (although she did say she worked hard to get it back).

This chocaholic wonders - is it even possible to lose your taste for chocolate?!?

If so, why would you ever want to?

(And yet, some inner part of me is wondering if I would lose my taste for it if I gave it up. Lent is what, 40 days? I'm not Catholic, so if I'm wrong, let me know. Not that I'm going to try it. I might think about it, though. Maybe. Possibly. (Probably not.))

Contacts

I don't know if I mentioned it in here, but I had an eye appointment a couple of weeks ago. It was just a regular check-up. My prescription had changed a little; instead of getting new glasses, though, I am getting contacts. :) I'm very excited about this, because I hate wearing glasses all the time. HATE it.

Yesterday when I got home from work, I had a message that my contacts were ready. So I called and got an appointment to go in this afternoon. They have to show me how to put them in, how to take them out and how to take care of them, and apparently when they're done with all of that, I need to see the eye doctor again while I have them in.

I am so happy that I won't have to wear these glasses all the time anymore. J is a bit sad, because he likes my glasses on me, but I am excited. They bug my nose, they bug the side of my head, I don't like seeing the frames and looking under them if I try to look down without moving my head.

I'll let you know how the lesson goes, and how I like them once I have them in. :)

Random Thoughts

Every week when I'm standing in line at Walmart with my cat stuff, I think "I should get some gum." But I don't buy any. And then later that week I'll be sitting at my desk, having just eaten something I shouldn't have eaten, and I'll think, "I wish I had some gum."

Random. But it happens just about every week, exactly like that. You'd think I'd break down and just buy the gum.

One More Reason

One more reason I love my J:

Yesterday morning we went grocery shopping. I remembered to get cat treats and litter, but I forgot the food. Which was a very bad thing, since they'd be out of food by tomorrow, latest. I was planning on driving back out to Walmart after work today to get some cat food, which sucked because A) Who wants to go to Walmart after work? And B) I'd much rather be home spending time with J.

I got an e-mail from J a little while ago. He went to Lowe's to pick something up, and he went next door to Walmart and got the bag of cat food for me. :) It's just another reason that he rocks, and it's another reason why I love him. Thank you, J. You are the best.

Heartbreaking (and heartwarming) Link

I saw this link in Rob's blog today, and the story just broke my heart. When I still wanted to have kids, I always wanted to adopt, because there are so many kids out there in need of good homes. But I don't think I ever could have handled something like this. I'm so glad there are people out there who open their hearts and their homes to children who need them so desperately.

Watch It

First and foremost, if you haven't watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog yet, do it now. It is online once again for free viewing (or you can download it from itunes). It is worth spending the time on. It's an amazing tale of a guy (Dr. Horrible) who wants to be evil and rule the world, but along the way there is this girl that he sees every Wednesday and Saturday at the laundromat, and he's completely in crush with her. Dr. Horrible's arch-nemesis is Captain Hammer, a so-called superhero who tries to foil Dr. Horrible's plans, and somehow ends up meeting laundry girl and starting to date her.

I can't even describe how good this is. Watch it. Kay? Kay.

So. Yesterday I was all tired all day, because I got a horrible night of sleep Sunday night. But last night I went to bed early, and I slept great, and this morning I feel fanTAStic. I love sleep, when I get it.

Amazingly, I guess that's all I have to say. So. Go back up to that link up there, click it, and watch Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. You'll have fun. Bye!

Eye Stuff

I left work a little bit early yesterday to get my eyes checked. It had been a couple of years, so it was a bit overdue, actually. I found out a couple of interesting things during this visit.

1. I have a mole on the back of my left eye. He said it was no different than a mole on your skin, and we'll keep watching it every time I go back to the eye doctor. (I have checked online, and apparently some doctors call these freckles, rather than moles.)

2. I have a cataract in my right eye. This is something that isn't bothering me at all - it's not affecting my vision. He said it could even be something that I was born with, but it's never been noticed before. Short of any traumatic injury, it shouldn't affect me at all for a long time, but in 20 years or so it could start developing into a problem - the typical old age cataract thing.

So, those were both weird things, right? I thought so. But! My prescription had changed slightly, and rather than getting new glasses, I am getting contacts! I'm very excited about this, because I HATE wearing my glasses. Like, seriously hate it more than I can say. They bug my nose, they hurt the side of my head, I hit them all the time, they're just a pain in the butt. I can't wait to get my contacts - they should be in about a week or week and a half from now, at which point I'll be going to see them again, so they can show me how to put them in, how to take them out and how to take care of them.

SO EXTREMELY EXCITED.

Loving the Weekend, Missing Vacation

At some point during a trip to town yesterday to pick up dinner for me and J, my car's odometer flipped over to 100,000 miles. That is somehow both exciting and scary. I need to drive this car for at least two more years (maybe more like three). It's still in good shape, so I'm hoping to watch that number climb even higher without too many trips to the mechanic before I can trade it in for something new(er).

So, I forgot to update on Friday and Saturday, so you know what? I failed pretty miserably at the whole updating every day in July thing, didn't I? Oh well. I still posted entries way more often than I would have, so I count it as a semi-success.

J and I had a great weekend. He was at work on Saturday, so I spent the day doing errands - running recycling to the dump, getting gas in my car and for the lawn mower, mowing the lawn, doing laundry. But I also got some time to watch a movie online (I love Netflix's online movie feature) and I got to play my Sims, so it was a good day. J went to see Dark Knight with one of his friends after work, and then he came home and we just relaxed for the evening.

Sunday we got up and went to Denny's for breakfast. I had two scrambled eggs, which is fine and good, but I also got fried potatoes, and that is just too much! Next time I need to remember to stick to just the eggs and toast, so I won't feel so full all day.

After breakfast we went to Walmart and got groceries, and then we went home. We spent the afternoon doing a mix of individual things (him: rearranging his rooms upstairs, me: playing the Sims and doing some laundry and vacuuming some) and some together things (helping him move the big furniture upstairs, watching TV, that kind of stuff). By the end of the day, it just felt like we had just achieved the perfect balance of time together and time on our own (while the other one was just a room or so away), and it was a fantastic Sunday. I loved it.

But now it's Monday, and I'm back at work, and I have an ad to make up and send out before the end of the day, and another project that I need to keep working on. And all I want to do is go home and spend the day with J, who is off until about 8:00 tonight. I miss vacation.

PSA

So, I don't normally do product reviews here. But, a friend of J gave him a product a while ago that I initially laughed at. But then he tried it, and it really worked! So I wanted to share it with you. Here goes.

Do you live with other people? Do you share a bathroom with one or more other people? Do they contaminate the bathroom just before you need to go in there to brush your teeth, making you gag from the smell?

Buy One-Drop, and gag no more!

This miracle product really works!

Just spray one or two squirts into the toilet before you "take the kids to the pool," and the smell will miraculously disappear before it has a chance to invade your sensitive nostrils!

Okay, kidding aside, this stuff really works! J tested it first, and I've used it, too. No bathroom stink! Unfortunately, as far as I know, it won't do anything for farts. You're on your own there.

One-Drop - for all your stinky bathroom needs! :)

Pictures

Take two of these.

And two of these.

And you have one fun, festive table. :)

Sable is my cute little snuggly cat. I kind of heart her a lot.

I also heart J's McDuff, who is just the cutest little boy dog in all the land (not to be confused with the cutest BIG boy dog in all the land, who is of course Bernie).

Okay, I heart all of the animals. These are just the two I took pictures of just now.

Vacation Officially Over

Getting up for work on the second day back after vacation should NOT be harder than the first day. Right? But it was. I really did not want to get up at 6:00 this morning at all. I could have slept for another hour and a half, at least. And I didn't even stay up late! Sigh.

Yesterday afternoon J called me at work and asked me if I wanted to go to the dollar store and maybe Big Lots with him after work. I said yes, so when I got off I went and picked him up, and we drove to town. He was looking for a face towel to use in the gym, and he wanted to get some new placemats for the dining room table, to keep on during the summer, when we don't have any sort of holiday ones to put out.

We bought four Spiderman placemats. Ha! I love them. I'll have to take a picture to show you their awesomeness. In almost every way, we are so perfect for each other. What other 39 and 40 year old people would have Spiderman placemats on their dining room table? I love us. :)

J was back to work today, and of course I was back yesterday, so vacation is officially over for this year. Which is sad. It was so much fun. We had a lot of time to connect and just spend time together. We each get so wrapped up in our work schedules that it's nice to have that from time to time. I think this is going to be a yearly thing. We deserve the time together.

Also, next time I take a vacation, remind me to drink more water, okay? I'm sucking it down at work, and still feeling dry. Soda does not = water. :)

Back to Work

First day back at work. It went fine. I had a few things to do for people this morning, and I have a small project to get done in the next couple of days, but otherwise it'll be a pretty easy week back at work. Which is nice.

I can tell I had a great vacation, though, because I actually didn't really mind going back to work this morning. I mean, I would have rather stayed home, but I didn't dread going back to work, which is good.

Also, since I was off on my birthday, we had cake at work for me today. Woo! I love that. (Although they sang to me, which makes me turn all red. I hate being in the spotlight.)

So, if you remember, when we went shopping on Thursday of last week, I got a learn to knit scarf kit from Michael's. I'm working on it, and it's coming really well, and I want to try making something bigger when I'm done with it. So I went online and looked up a free pattern for a sweater. This one. I may have problems doing it, since I am very much a beginner, but I am going to try. I'll let you know how it goes when I get started on it (of course, first I should finish the baby blanket I'm stil making. It's coming, Michelle, I promise! :).

Okay, back to practicing the knitting thing. Have a good Monday night!

Vacation Sunday, or It's Almost Over

If you like Joss Whedon, Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and even musicals, you have to check this out: Dr. Horribl's Sing-A-Long Blog. It's fun and worth watching, like everything Joss does. And I don't think it'll be online long, from what I've read, so go and watch now.

So, last day of vacation. We hung around and relaxed a little bit, and we watched the original Star Wars movie. Which was good, although I'm really glad I got to watch the characters' back stories in the first three movies, instead of not knowing what had lead to the battles in this movie. I'm looking forward to watching the last two.

Okay, I'm off to go enjoy the end of my last day off. Later!

Vacation Saturday, the Second

Mmm, cake. :)

My week off is winding up in a great way, because the days just keep getting better. Today we went to a small town farmer's market, where we got some amazingly tasty kettle corn and a loaf of homemade Italian bread (which I'll be breaking into tomorrow). There were a lot of vendors out, and I love walking around there.

After the farmer's market, we went and got groceries, and then came back home. We didn't stay long, though, before we were off to play mini golf!

And you know what? It was a lot of fun, and I was right when I told my friend Sally that since I beat J by one or two strokes the first time we went, that he'd probably end up creaming me today. He didn't cream me, but he evened up the score by beating me by two strokes. But! I got a hole in one, which was amazing. :)

Unfortunately, it was very hot out today. So by the time we were done with 18 holes of mini golf, we were both very hot, very sweaty and kind of worn out. So we went and got ice cream, and sat inside an air conditioned ice cream shop to eat it. It was heaven.

And when we got home this afternoon, we continued my Star Wars education. We watched Clone Wars, which are cartoons that take place between the second and third movies, and then we watched Revenge of the Sith. I liked that one the best so far. Dare I say I'm becoming a fan? Hmm. Well, I don't think I'll ever be as nuts about it as J is, but I'm truly enjoying it. I asked him if we could watch the fourth movie (the first one originally released) tomorrow.

And now, I'll leave you for the night, with a picture that I took of Rosebud. J had a can of cheese, like you would use for tortilla chips, and when he had emptied it, he gave it to Rosebud to clean out. She now has a yellow nose (at least until she gets a bath tomorrow, but shh, don't tell her about that).

Birthday

My birthday was great. Dark Knight was amazing - Heath Ledger was fantastic, and it made me sad to see how much talent was lost when he died. He was riveting, and scary as hell (and funny, in parts). I loved it.

Dinner at the Outback was also great. Filet mignon, French fries, and J surprised me with a brownie sundae for dessert! The waitress brought it over and told me happy birthday, and I was so surprised! It was amazing.

Of course, it all added up to too much food, so that I couldn't even think about cutting my birthday cake for a while. I finally had a very small slice at 8:30, though. I had to have at least one piece on my actual birthday!

Now we're getting ready to go to bed, because we're both tired and so full! Oh, and we watched Episode 2 of Star Wars, which I enjoyed. Two movies down, four to go, and I'll finally have seen all of these movies!

Tomorrow we're going to go to a local small town to see what they have at the farmer's market, and then we're going mini golfing (we ran out of time and were too full after dinner to go today).

Have I said yet that I love vacation? It seems like I might have. :)

Happy B-Day To Me!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday,

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today I'm up early, because I can never sleep late on my birthday, ever. I just get too excited about it.

And we have fun plans! We're going to go see Dark Knight, and we're going mini golfing at a place J has been wanting to go to, and we're going to go to dinner at the Outback. He is spoiling me big time.

Also, when I opened my eyes this morning, there was an amazon box on top of my alarm clock, with my presents inside. I brought it out to the living room with me, but I was going to wait to open them until J got up. Ha! I lasted half an hour, and then they were all open. He got me some great DVDs, including the two parts of season six of Sex and the City, Clueless, which I have always loved and never owned, for some reason, the final season of M*A*S*H, which completes my collection of that series, and my favorite gift of all - Kitchen and Bath Stuff for my Sims game. Woo! I just installed that, and I'm going to spend the time while J is still in bed (it's only 7:13 now, and he didn't come to bed until almost 2:30) building a house, and decorating it with some of the stuff from this pack. Woo!

I love my birthday.

And thanks, J, for the gifts and for the great day we're going to have. I'm very lucky to have you in my life.

Also, we get cake later! Woo!

Vacation Thursday

Oops. I forgot to update yesterday! I don't even have a faulty Internet to blame, like I did over the weekend, either. I just plain forgot. Oh well. :)

Vacation is continuing to go well. We spent yesterday driving to the mall and walking around. J had never been to the mall that I usually go to, and I hadn't been there in years. Turns out, there are a lot of empty locations there, which is kind of sad. But J still managed to find some cool new t-shirts at Hot Topic, and then we went to an adjacent mall and we went to TJ Maxx and Michaels. J's Mom had given me a $25 gift card for Michaels that someone had given her (she doesn't shop there, apparently), so I had fun spending that. I got J a couple of bandanas, I got myself a couple of plain t-shirts for $2.50 each that I can totally wear to work, I got a new pair of scissors, and I got a learn to knit kit that I can use to make a scarf. I'm an expert crocheter, but I never really learned to knit.

We also spent quite a while last night watching the end of season 5 of Buffy. J's watching through the series for the first time, and I'm having fun rewatching it. And we just watched the first two episodes of season 6, so that he could see how they brought Buffy back. :) I love that show. The later seasons aren't really as good as the earlier ones, but they're still fun.

We also went today and picked up my birthday cake, yay! It's sitting in the fridge waiting for tomorrow. And once J gets done watching some of his sitcoms (Roseanne, Simpsons), we're going to watch Episode 1 of Star Wars. I've never seen them (I might have seen the original ones at some point, but it was a long time ago, and I don't really remember them).

Oh! And J bought a wireless router today, so we are now wireless in our house! Or at least he is, since my laptop doesn't have integrated wireless, and the router didn't come with a card. But I can buy one, and then I can be wireless, too. And for now, it's just cool that he can go online upstairs, even though the modem is downstairs.

Okay. I'm off to do more fun stuff. Talk to you tomorrow! (On my birthday, woo!)

Vacation Tuesday

Vacation Tuesday, and I've spent the whole day thinking it was Saturday or Sunday. :) I love that about vacations.

Today was a busy day. J's parents came out at 1:00 to take us to lunch and to visit, so we spent the morning working on the house. J put a new coat of stain on the porch, and I cleaned inside - dusting, vacuuming, doing the dishes, cleaning the counters and the stove, that kind of stuff. Fun, right? But the house looks nice.

When I got done cleaning I took a shower, and I no sooner got out then my brother-in-law called and offered to replace the brakes on my car today. So I took an unscheduled trip to town to get the parts, and then to my sister's house so that he could do them. J came and picked me up, and then we went home and waited for his parents.

The visit was fun, as it always is. I like his parents. They took us out to a local diner that J and I like to go to, and then we went to a local store that specializes in food products made by people in NY State - small business people with a dream, for the most part. It's a very unique store, and I think they liked it - they bought a few things, anyway.

So once they had spent some money, we headed back home and hung out talking for a couple of hours before they went home, leaving J and I to our own devices. I'm glad that I like his family so much. And they like me - they brought me presents! Which I totally opened even though my birthday isn't until Friday. It was nice stuff.

J and I went and picked up my car, and now we're hanging out. J is watching the All Star baseball game, and I'm playing the Sims. It's pretty much a perfect evening, if you ask me.

I really do love vacations.

Monday in Vacationland

I missed two days updating, and it wasn't even my fault! :) Saturday morning the Internet was up and working fine - I did some surfing and checked some e-mail, all the usual stuff. Then I got showered and dressed, took the recycling to the dump and went to town to get half a turkey sub for lunch, and when I got home, the Internet was down. When restarting and resetting the modem didn't work, and restarting my computer didn't work, I called my provider. Turns out one of their buildings flooded on Saturday, and Internet service was knocked out for five or six area codes, including mine. So, no Internet for me all the rest of Saturday or the beginning of Sunday.

Sunday, J and I were going in the afternoon to Blues Fest, with two of his friends. The Internet was still down in the morning, but we got up and went after groceries and went to breakfast at Denny's, and then we came back and got ready to go.

The Blues Fest was fun - damp, but fun. When we got there, it was downpouring rain, so J and I hung out in the car for a while, until his friends felt we had stayed dry long enough (just kidding), and they came and got us and took us out to where the festivities were happening. We hung out under the beer tent for a while, keeping dry, and the three of them had a beer (I was the designated driver of our two person carpool, so no drinking for me, not that I like beer anyway. In fact, I don't drink at all, really, so I'll always happily be the DD). We listened to the local act who was on the stage at the time, and then, when it was time for the next "name" act to play on the opposite stage, we went over there and sat down in the chairs his friends had nicely brought with them for us.

Okay, I like the blues? And his friends seem really nice - I wouldn't mind hanging out with them more often. But sitting in the rain, under one of those garbage bag rain coats that you can buy at amusement parks and the like, was not my idea of a good time. I was very happy when the rain finally stopped and the sun came out. Then I was able to enjoy the day more.

And it really did get pretty fun after that. We watched the act, and then we went to the local barbecue place and had some great food. Then we went and stood watching another act again, and this group was really entertaining, I thought. I liked them. They were a local group again, but one that really seems to enjoy what they're doing, and they're pretty good at it, too.

And at that point, I would have been happy to leave. It was 9:30 before they finished, I was getting tired, and my feet were sore from standing up for too long. But we stayed to watch the last act - Jimmy Vaughan (brother to the late great Stevie Ray Vaughan), and then we left to go home. I drove, with J navigating me out of the city (I hate driving in the city - too many one way streets to make you lose your way, often when where you need to be is in sight, but you just can't get there because of all the damn one way streets, grr), and then we got home, took care of the dogs, and collapsed.

Oh, and the Internet was back up, but it was after Midnight, so it was technically already today (and I had already missed updating on Sunday), and I was tired, so no entry until now. :)

Anyway, so far vacation has been great. We slept in this morning (I didn't get up until 9:30, which is pretty unheard of), we were lazy this morning and got some stuff done this afternoon. I trimmed the weeds and grass around the pool out back, showing myself just how weak I am, because man, somewhere around the third side of the pool, my arms became amazingly like jelly. I need to work my arms more.

And now I'm inside playing the Sims (and updating here), while J is outside cleaning up his shop area in the garage. I've told him to call me if he needs help with anything, but otherwise, I am clear to play. Woo!

Oh, and we might - might - get Chinese food for dinner tonight. Yay! If we do, should I have sweet and sour chicken, or sesame chicken? I almost always go with sweet and sour, but sesame sounds good, too. I'll have to think about it.

Have a great Monday evening, peoples! I'll talk to you again tomorrow. And for now, good-bye from Vacationland!

Vacation Begins....

Now!!! Woo!!!!!

Nine days of freedom, here I come! Oh, the sleeping in, oh the relaxation, oh the scraping and painting. :)

Oh, the birthday. Hee. I heart my birthdays. Even when I'm turning 39. I don't care. Still love 'em. What's not to love about a day when you get presents AND birthday cake? And even a movie (Dark Knight) and a game of mini golf AND dinner out? (Thanks to J, of course, cuz he loves me.)

More tomorrow, from Vacation Land. Now I'm driving home to my J. Later!

Counting Down Times a Million

Vacation starts in....

ONE HOUR AND 7 MINUTES! WOO!!!!!!

Almost There

Hey, check out my new vacation countdown ticker in the sidebar there! I wanted one that would countdown the time right to the second, but the only one I found like that was very ugly. So there's this one instead, which is cute. And look, it's a little J and Denise, heading into vacationland together! Aww. :)

Last night J called me and asked me if I wanted to meet him at Pizza Hut for dinner. I had just gotten home from getting my haircut and I was already in my pajamas. I had planned on eating cereal for dinner. Did I want pizza with my J instead? Heck yes. So I threw my jeans on and went and met him at the Hut. It may not sound like anything special, but any time spent with J is special, so I loved it.

Oh, and my hair came out cute! I wasn't sure how I felt about it last night, but J liked it, and I liked it after my shower this morning, so I'm happy. I do have one thing I'll change next time, though. I asked for long layers, which she did. But she put the layers in while my hair was parted in the middle, but I always part my hair on my left side. So when I flipped it back over to its proper part, the shortest layer on the right side is a LOT shorter than the shortest layer on the left. And I think it looks kind of choppy on the right side because of that. Next time I'll have her do the layers while it's parted the way I wear it.

Okay, I've got to get to writing a press release. One day and 44 minutes until vacation! Woo!

Countdown Day Two

Work is crazy busy this week. Why is it I always get slammed with work the week before a vacation? It's like instead of getting a week off from work, I just have to do two weeks worth of work in one week. Which is the same for everyone, I'm sure. It sucks, doesn't it? On the other hand, I did help to handle a small crisis (one of the problems mentioned yesterday), and got a "thanks" from the boss, so that's nice. He doesn't hand the thanks out very often.

Also, in very exciting news, I'm getting a haircut today! Woo! I'm very excited about this, because my hair has gotten very long, and it's kind of annoying the heck out of me. I'm not going to do anything drastic to it, and it'll still be semi-long, but I'm still excited to finally get it done. Sometimes the little things are the most exciting things.

My friend Sarah, who is also taking off next week, liked my countdown yesterday. Therefore I am going to give you today's official countdown:

There are now two days and 42 minutes until J and I (and Sarah and Jeff) will be on vacation. Separately, but during the same week, which is the week that rules - my birthday week. :)

The Countdown Begins

This work day is trying to wear me down. I am NOT going to let it. I am on vacation as of Friday at 4:00 - I will not let one crappy afternoon sink my mood. My eyes are on the (vacation) prize, baby.

So, yeah, a couple of minor sucks at work this afternoon - well, one minor one and one possibly major one, but people are working on fixing that one. So it should still be okay.

But! My spirits are still flying from finding out Gracie was going to be okay, and that I won't have to spend any more money on vet bills right now (knock on wood). I should actually be able to still help out with house stuff this summer, AND still have enough to get brakes for my car and tires this fall, and to get my haircut and my eyes examined. I'm going to get contacts, oh yes I am.

Also, J is taking me to see his favorite performer - Alice Cooper - in October. I'm really looking forward to sharing that with him.

And my vacation starts in exactly three days, two hours and ten minutes, so it's all good. I heart vacation oh so very much.

The BEST News

I just got back from the vet, and other than the visit not being free, it went as well as it possibly could have gone.

Gracie - has a fatty deposit caused by the subcutaneous stitches she had when she was spayed. It doesn't have to be removed, she's fine.

Bernie - had an ear infection, so his ears were cleaned and he has medicine to take once a day. His leg is most likely being bothered by arthritis, and I can give him some glucosamine pills to help with it, if I want - they can be purchased through them (too expensive) or over the counter in the grocery store (which I'll check out).

I feel like a million pounds of weight has just been taken off my shoulders. Woo! Now I'll be able to start vacation next week and actually ENJOY it! Excellent. :) Maybe July won't totally suck after all.

Suck

Well, I already missed a day of updating, so there goes the every day in July thing, huh? Sigh. Oh well. I just couldn't have updated yesterday. Here is yesterday in one word: suck.

In half an hour I leave work to go take Gracie and Bernie to the vet. I am stressing it big time. I am NOT ready to lose my cat, and I am NOT ready for Bernie to lose his leg, and I am NOT ready to pay the vets hundreds of more dollars. I just paid them off, for cripes sake.

I'll update later, to let you all know how the vet visit went.

Saturday, Bernie and Hopes

Good news about Bernie - his leg seems to be feeling better. He's still limping and whining when he first gets up, but he's walking around okay, albeit with more of a limp than before, so it looks like I won't have to worry about his leg right now - I can concentrate on getting Gracie checked out first. Here's hoping that Bernie stays on the road to recovery, too. Not only are my funds limited (extremely limited), but if he keeps having problems with the leg, it'll have to be amputated. Which is better than him living in constant pain, obviously, but I'm hoping for neither pain NOR amputation, thanks.

As for Gracie, she is still acting fine. She's eating and using the litter pan, and asking for lots of loving, just like usual. It's the one thing giving me a small ray of hope for her right now. Maybe I got lucky and found this mass in time for it to be taken out before it does any damage. I hope.

So, today was a busy one. J was at work - he had to leave late last night. So I spent the day mowing the lawn and doing other chores. Oh, and here's a tip from me to you. If you're mowing the lawn, and there is an extension cord running across the grass, say from the flagpole, which has been artfully decorated with lights, to the porch where it can be plugged in, unplug it and move it off the lawn before you mow over it! As you might be able to tell, I didn't do that. I mowed right over the cord, cut it into lots of pieces, and had to go buy replacements. I bet I won't forget to move the cord again for a long time.

And now I'm going to settle in to watch Animal Cops Houston - I love those animal rescue shows on Animal Planet - and play the Sims for the evening, while J catches up on some much needed sleep. Have a great Saturday night, peoples.

Fourth and Animals

On any other day, this would be a very bad thing.


Really, the parade was fun, but apparently not if you were on a float.


My favorite band.

So, July 4th was fun. I woke up still feeling kind of down about Gracie's potential health problems, but I went to my sister's and joined the holiday festivities anyway. We didn't get to walk the green the way we like to, because we got there late (for those who don't live in a small town, the green is a community park area, and on July 4th a lot of vendors set up there, selling everything from home grown produce to crafts, leather jackets and of course "fair food" - funnel cakes, sausage sandwiches, cotton candy, etc.), but we lined up for the parade and had fun hanging out waiting for and then watching it. The child in the first picture is my great-nephew, Sammy. He LOVED playing in the road. I think it was a bigger hit than the parade itself. If only roads were closed to traffic every day!

When the parade was over, we went back to my sister's house and hung out for a while, and then had hamburgers and other picnic food for dinner. Then I came home to see my J, who I hadn't seen since Wednesday night (stupid work). I missed him.

And my animals proved once again that they are determined to keep me worried. I already have Gracie's mysterious abdomen mass to worry about, and now tonight Bernie started whining in pain, and I had no idea what was wrong with him. Well, it turns out that his right front elbow was bothering him. This is the bone he had broken at some point before he was mine, that was never set. The elbow doesn't bend, because it healed badly. He's never shown any pain from it before tonight, though. I'm figuring he must have wrenched it. He kept trying to get up and walk around on it and crying, so I finally put a dog bed in his crate and locked him in to force him to be still and let it rest. I'm not looking forward to letting him out in a few minutes, though.

I have an appointment on Monday afternoon for Gracie to get her abdomen mass checked, and Bernie was going along anyway to have his ears cleaned and get some medicine for them (I think he has an ear infection), so I'll have them check his elbow while he's there.

Stupid animals. Why do they want to make me worry about them so much?

Happy July 4th, to all who are from here (and hi to those who aren't). You're already thinking good thoughts for Gracie - could you add Bernie to your list now, too? Thanks.

Worried

Last night I walked out to the kitchen, and Gracie was laying on her back in the dining room chair that sits under the picture window (the one she and Zelda are sitting in up there). So of course I walked over and scratched her belly, because how could I resist? And while I was petting her, I felt a mass in her abdomen. It's down low, about where her spaying incision was, and it's fairly large - a little smaller than a golf ball, I guess.

So now I'm worried about her again. I love all of my animals, and I hate having to start thinking about losing any of them. I love Gracie, and we've just been through so much with her leg, that it seems really unfair that now I have to be worrying about her possibly having cancer or something. I've had a lot of animals who have had cancer, and I've lost every single one of them. Gracie is only 7 1/2 - I'm not ready to even think about that with her, and yet here I am, worried about losing her.

And of course I'm worried about money, too. I was so excited yesterday, because I was going to be able to pay off the vet bill and my dentist bill and a couple of other bills are gone, and I was going to be able to actually contribute some money towards the house! And I'd still have money left over to spend on myself, which I'm never able to do! And now I have the knowledge of this future vet bill hanging over my head. If it turns out to be cancer, I won't go to extreme measures to try to save her. I'll pay for them to remove the mass, if it's operable, but I won't do anything else. Still, just a blood test (which I'm assuming they'll have to do) and an exam and maybe x-rays and then possibly surgery are going to take all of my extra money once again.

I guess I'm just never supposed to have cash in my pocket at any time. It's just not meant for me.

Okay, money aside, send me good thoughts about Gracie, would you? I need all the good thoughts I can get right now, because I'm not feeling any in my own head.

(Also, the money that I was expecting to show up yesterday still hasn't. I called them, and they said they sent it to the bank yesterday. So why the fuck isn't it in my account? Stupid effing bank.)

Good and Bad Things

Good Things
I got my economic stimulus check from the government yesterday. Woo! They took out the little bit of money that I still owed from my taxes from 2006 and 2007, but I still have a respectable amount left.

I called the vet's office this morning and told them I had found the copy of my first bill for taking in Gracie with her broken leg - the one that said there was no charge for the recheck office visits (they charged me $25 each for her last two visits). Once they knew I had the proof of that statement in my hands, they took the $50 off my bill without even making me fax it to them. The girl was so nice that I almost decided to give them a second chance at taking care of my animals. And then I remembered the half an hour drive to get there, and how they treated me her last two visits (not the vets, who were always great, but the office staff), and I said screw them. I'm trying the people down the road when I take Bernie and/or Willow to the vet next week (they both have dirty ears, and probably ear infections).

I have a yearly (small) payout from an old account that is supposed to show up on or about July 1st every year. It hadn't shown up in my account as of this morning, so I called to check on it, and was told it was in processing, and would be in my account today. This money will enable me to pay my school taxes and my homeowner's insurance and (combined with the economic stimulus money) will enable me to pay off the vet and my dentist this month. Less bills, yay!

I got up and exercised this morning. I took it easy on the aerobic part, because my calf is still sore, but I still felt like I got a decent workout.

I measured my waist after my workout, and it was 1 1/2 inches smaller than it was in early May. Woohoo!

I bought two more quarts of strawberries today. One more batch of strawberry shortcake before the end of the season! Excellent.

J will be home with me tonight. His coworker is on vacation, so he's working a LOT. But he'll be home tonight, which makes me happy.

Bad Things

It's now almost 3:00, and that money I spoke of earlier, that is supposed to show up in my account today? Isn't here yet. Did the guy mean it would show up at 11:59 p.m.?

I went to the bank during lunch to deposit my economic stimulus check, and got $20 cash back. They put a hold on $20 that I had in my account, so now it only shows me having $8 in there (I guess they don't trust a government check?). I have to wait to get gas now until the check shows up in my balance. I have less than an eighth of a tank. Sigh. (So close to having so much money, but for right now I'm cash poor.) (Also, I long for the days when $8 would almost fill my tank - they weren't that long ago!)

I stopped at Subway on my way back to work and got a turkey sub for lunch. Healthy, but I got a whole one instead of a half. I need help - I can't help over ordering if I'm eating by myself.

(I also ate a Hershey's candy bar. I seem to be having a weak self-control day.)


I think I'm out of things. Which is good, because this entry is long enough. Sometimes I talk too much.

Nablopomo and other news

I signed up to post every day in July. Woo! :) I'll try to remember to post at least a small entry every day, even when I'm on vacation in two weeks for my birthday.

Have I mentioned here yet that my birthday is two weeks from Friday? Because it is. I love my birthday, so I'm very much looking forward to that day. J and I will both be on vacation (not going anywhere, just enjoying not being at work), so it should be a really fun day.

So, I don't think I mentioned in my super long Saturday post that when I was exercising that morning, my calves started hurting a LOT. Like, so much that I had to keep stopping during the workout, they hurt so bad. So I've taken a few days off from working out, and I've realized that I need to start increasing the amount of protein I need to eat. My muscles are recovering slowly, and I think I'll be ready to start working out again tomorrow. I'm afraid to go too long without doing it, because it's just so easy to fall out of the habit! And I don't want to do that. I like that I'm starting to transform my body (slowly - if only it were a quicker process!).

Anyway. So that's really all I have to say for now. Just check back in here daily, or as often as you can, because I'll be here everyday now until the end of the month. And I'll leave you with some kitty pictures. :)


When Gracie was still in her crate, and I'd hold on to her and carry her through the house, the other cats acted like they had no idea who she was. Lucy, who had always acted as a Mom to Gracie and Zelda, hissed at her. I was afraid that they would never accept her again in quite the same way. I'm happy to say I was wrong. Even J, who isn't exactly a cat lover like me, called me in to show me how cute it was when he saw Lucy washing Gracie's head. :) I'm glad to see my girls sleeping all cuddled up together again.


My Sable is a beautiful, sweet little girl. Still skittish from her time as a stray, but so loving. She loves to snuggle up into my neck and rub her chin on my cheek. :) Also, please ignore my cluttered desk (and yes, that is the Sims on my desktop monitor behind her. Hee).

Blah

It's been a strange couple of days. Let's go in order, shall we?

Wednesday
I get home from work to find something leaking from under my car. After searching the Internet futiley in an attempt to find out what it could be, I called my brother-in-law and described it to him. He thought it might be a brake fluid leak, so he told me not to drive it. I arranged a ride into work on Thursday morning and left the key in the car where he could find it - he said he would come over on Thursday to take a look.

Thursday
Somehow, miraculously, I get up at 5:17 in the morning. I take care of the animals, I put on my workout gear (which at this point is just old pajamas, plus good sneakers), and I do my aerobics tape. In the morning! I was so proud of myself. I felt like it was the best exercise I had done since I started working out a week before. I did the whole tape, I only stopped a couple of times, and I felt like it was actually beneficial.

Then I got ready for work, early, and I sat in the living room and waited until my ride came to pick me up, which she did at about 7:15. And I had so much energy all morning! I was on fire, getting so much done, and I didn't really get tired until about 2:30 or so. Then I pretty much crashed that night.

When I got home, I had a message from my brother-in-law, telling me it had been a gas line leak. He has replaced the damaged section, and I owed him $7. Woo! Thanks, B-I-L.

That night J and I watched the new Futurama DVD, and I was so exhausted that I basically half slept through the end. Exercising in the morning made me feel great in the beginning of the day, but I was wiped out at the end!

Friday
My day off from exercising, so I slept until the normal time, then had an unremarkable workday. Well, unremarkable except that I got my yearly raise. Woo! I love that. Of course, it all went on bills, just like normal.

Friday afternoon/evening. J gets home, and we decide to put off getting groceries until Sunday, but, since it's cheat day (the one day per week when we can eat fattening stuff) how does pizza sound? Well, it sounds pretty freaking great, so I call in our order, put Willow in my car, and she and I go to get it.

We get there fine, I find a parking space not too horribly far away, and I pick up our pizza and cheese sticks. I go back to the car and get in, start her up, and start to drive home. I get just outside of the town where the pizza place is, and suddenly my car starts acting weird. I step on the gas pedal, and it doesn't accelerate. I can't get it past 35, and then when it does go past 35, it won't go past 45 at all, and when I come to a small hill, it won't make the top because it doesn't have any power. So I turn around and limp my way to a public ball park, where I park in their lot and call J to come get me. Then I call AAA to come tow my car away. Sigh.

J gets there while I'm on the phone with AAA, and once the arrangements are made (after a few phone calls to various places), we stand outside of the car and eat our cheese sticks, and J has some pizza (I didn't have any, because my stomach is a little upset from nerves - stupid car). The tow truck comes, it takes my little red car away, and J and I drive home, where I spend the evening in a funk, because who knows what's wrong with my car, or how much it's going to cost to fix it, and damn it! I was just going to have my first month where I'd be able to catch up. All of my little bills are going to be paid off, and I was going to actually be able to have some extra left at the end of the month to help with household things. And now the freaking car is broken down. I don't know why life has to work this way (or at least my life), but I hate it.

But J is really nice and comforting, which I really appreciate, and I'm feeling okay by the time we go to bed. (Thanks, J.)

Saturday morning
I'm here at home, waiting for the garage to call me to tell me what's wrong with my car and how much it's going to cost to fix it. I have about $90 in my checking account. What are the odds of it costing less than that? Pretty damn slim. My only ray of hope is that I'm supposed to be getting my economic stimulus check - here's hoping it comes today.

Update
I just got done working out, and I am covered and sweat and need a shower, but Rosebud is outside, so while I wait for her to come in, here's an update on the car.

The mechanic called when I was just starting my workout, and told me that my fuel pump was bad. It was going to cost me $362 plus labor and probably plus a fuel filter to get the car back on the road. Crap! I took that in, started my exercise tape back up, only to have him call back about five minutes after his first call. I had told him about my BIL replacing part of the fuel line, so he put the car up on the lift. My BIL had clamped off the fuel line and not taken the clamp off. My car is fine and the mechanic is only charging me $50 for his time.

Whew!

And how much do I trust this mechanic now? A less honest man would have charged me for the fuel pump anyway, but he didn't. Love it! So now I'm going to go shower, and since J is at work, I'm going to see if my sister can pick me up, take me to an ATM to get $50, and then take me to pick up my car. Yay! Thanks, honest repairman!

And now I must go shower. The sweat is annoying. Later!

Updates

So, I'm still exercising. I decided to do every other day until my body adjusted, so I've only actually done the workout three times, but I really do feel like I'm about ready to start doing it every day. Yesterday was my day off from working out, but in the middle of the afternoon I was very high energy and would have done it anyway, if I'd been home. Of course, by the time I got home from work, the urge had passed. :)

I think I want to try getting the workout in before work, though - it just depends on two things. One: can I get myself out of bed at 5:30 (no later, or I'll be late for work) to do it? Two: can I do it without bothering J, who would still be in bed sleeping at 5:30? Sure, I can turn the sound down on the TV, and I can not clap along when they do, but I'll still be bouncing around and gasping for air and stuff. I'll talk to him about it.

I've also been doing fairly well in eating less overall, and I've done really well in eating less junk food. I still have work to do in this area, though. Yesterday I was really good at lunchtime - they had cheese sticks at work, but I ate my turkey sandwich instead, and I had enough money to buy a candy bar, but I didn't. But then when I got home, I ate dinner without J, because he was at work, and I just can't be trusted to eat at home alone. I had some leftover angel hair pasta, which was fine, except that I took twice as much as I should have. Still, not too bad. But then I had two pieces of bread and butter. And an ice cream bar. And, since I forgot to put the bread back, and it was right in front of me, and I love bread, I had a piece (dry, no margarine). WAY too much food. So I'm going to try to do better with that today.

It's kind of frustrating, though. I know I've only done three workouts so far, and I know that muscles retain water for a while when you first start working out, but I can't help but be disapppointed that the scale not only doesn't show a loss, but it is still showing a gain. I wasn't letting it bother me, but now it kind of is. I don't expect miracles, but I would just like to see the number come down a little. Maybe it will start to once I'm working out every day (and when I get myself more in control at home at night).

In non-weight loss/exercise related news, my spider bite is still there. J said it looked a bit better last night. Also, when I went to bed last night, I checked my room over carefully looking for that spider. I checked the walls, the ceiling, the wall behind the bed, and of course I pulled back the sheet and looked there. There was no sign of the stupid thing. Sigh. Of course, that didn't stop me from dreaming about it last night (in my dream it was caught and killed).

Okay, that's all for now. Later, taters!

(Behind) My Left Knee

I discovered something unusual on the back of my left knee this morning. When I got out of the shower, it hurt to run the towel over it. It's kind of hard to see the back of my own knee, so I twisted my leg and craned my head and saw a circle of red, angry looking skin - a bump, really. I don't know why, but my mind instantly decided it might be a blood clot just under the skin.

I went to the bedroom, where J was just getting up (I knew this, because McDuff had started barking a minute before). I asked him to look at my leg. "It hurt when I ran my towel over the back of my leg, so I looked and saw this red bump, and it looked like a blood clot!" He told me of course it wasn't a blood clot, and took a look.

"It looks like a bug bite," he said. "It's raised up and red and there is a black dot in the middle of it." The s word may have been used, but I instantly cringed and shook my head. No, it can't be.

I came into work, and looked up "large bug bites" on Google. I found an exact description of my bump - it's a spider bite. Which means a spider was in my BED with me, while I was sleeping, crawling around on me. *shudder*

I'd almost rather it was a blood clot.

Beauty

This was the view of the hay field across the street while I was mowing the lawn today. It would be a better shot if I had finished mowing the lawn in front of me before I took the picture, but still. Sometimes the countryside around me just takes my breath away. There is beauty everywhere you look.

Strawberries!

This morning I drove to the farm stand and bought three quarts of the most delicious strawberries in the world. What makes them better than the ones in the store? Well, I don't know, but I think it's the fact that they get to ripen on the vine, before they're picked and carried to the stand, where I go and buy them. They aren't picked early, they aren't driven across the country in the back of a truck - they go directly from the field to the stand to my mouth. Mmm. I love them a lot. In fact, I think they may just be my favorite food in the world, made all the more special because they're only around for a short time in June. Yum yum yum.

So, before I drove to the farm stand, I got up this morning at about 8:00 (after a very weird dream) and took care of the dogs, and then I got myself ready and I worked out! I didn't do my exercise tape last night, because I was too sore and tired, but I think the rest did me good, because I did it this morning, and I am already much better. I stopped four times instead of the five times I stopped the first time, and I did the whole tape, whereas last time I didn't do the highest energy jumping around stuff. Also, I think I wasn't as close to dying in those four times that I stopped as I was the first time, so I really am getting better. (And actually, the first time I stopped was only for water - I didn't feel like I was dying yet at all.)

I'm really glad to be doing this workout thing again, too. I hate doing it, but I sure do love how I feel while I'm doing it and then after. I feel better about myself, I feel physically better and I feel stronger. It's a very rewarding thing. It's just too bad that usually the rewards are hard to see through the hatred.

Anyway. So I'm having a good day so far. I've got berries (one quart for eating and two for shortcake, yum), I worked out and feel good, and now I'm having a lunch of strawberries and Melba Toast and I'm starting to relax and play the Sims. I still need to vacuum and do some laundry and eventually I need to force myself to go out and mow the lawn, but for now I can relax. It's a good Saturday.

And tomorrow J will be home from work, and we're going to go to see
Get Smart, which I'm looking forward to, so all in all I think it is going to be a great weekend. I hope you all have great ones, too. And go eat some fresh strawberries if you can.

Oh, and I wanted to leave you with one more picture. Sorry about the weird angle, but you all know that while Gracie was wearing her cast, she was living in a dog crate. She spent three months in it, so you'd think now that she's free, she wouldn't want anything to do with the crate, right? Wrong. Check it out - sometimes she goes into Bernie's crate just to hang out (actually, so does Lucy).

Update to the Previous (see below)

I did it! I came home (after going to the dump to drop off the recyclables, only to find that they close at 3:00! What the heck), let the dogs out and in, fed them, changed my clothes and worked out. Woo! I did the beginner's aerobics tape that I mentioned - the Jane Fonda one - and I feel great! Of course, I had to stop five times, and I couldn't do all of the higher energy aerobics part (yes, I am that out of shape), but I did it! I sweated, I panted, Zelda and McDuff were all over me when I was doing the floor exercises (Zelda apparently likes the smell of sweat, and Duff was wondering why the heck I was on the floor and wanted to kiss me), and when I got done I had to take a shower so I would stop smelling.

But I did it. Woo! I'm going to be so sore tomorrow.

Girly Revisited

Yesterday I left work half an hour early to run some errands, one of which included going to Walmart to get cat litter, cat food and cat treats (I hate when they run out of everything in the same week). And while I was there, I finally bought a bottle of nail polish and some polish remover! So when I got home, after the dogs had been out and in and fed and the water dish had been refilled a couple of times, I painted my nails. Amazing!

I don't feel like taking pictures, and you probably don't care that much anyway, so I'll just tell you that the color I got is called Cocoa Motion (you'll find it in the browns, if you follow the link to see it), and it doesn't look nearly as purple on my nails as it looks on screen. I like it. Now I'm thinking I may have to buy some other colors, too.

And look at that, I really am a girl! :D

So this isn't a girly thing really, but while I was at Walmart I was also looking for a product that I used to eat years ago, but had forgotten all about, and I couldn't find it anywhere in that whole huge store. Do people still eat Melba Toast? Apparently people who shop at Walmart don't, but I did find it at P&C, woo! I'm trying to watch what I eat and maybe lose a few pounds before my birthday, and Melba Toast is a low calorie, low fat snack. It's dry and bland, but you know what? I like plain stuff, so I like it anyway.

Does eating Melba Toast mean I'm secretly an old woman? Because I swear, I'm only 38 (almost 39), and I don't feel old at all.

Also, I keep meaning to get out my old Jane Fonda aerobics tape, and I keep not doing it. Maybe tonight's the night. Leslie Lillian can sing to me while I curse her name under the breath that I won't have because I'm so out of shape.

It may or may not happen tonight, but I will be getting that tape out soon. I'm already doing better at not snacking so freaking much, so I'm getting there. I have a desire to be even more girly by starting to wear dresses and skirts again. The only problem is, I won't show my legs to anyone other than J right now. Sigh. I can do it, right? Yeah. I've done it before, so I know I have it in me to be good and lose the weight. And the one time I did successfully lose a significant amount of weight (40 pounds, which at the time put me down to a positively skinny size 4), I did this tape at least five days a week, so I know it works. I just hate exercising so much! (In fact at the time I was doing the hour long advanced portion of the tape. I couldn't last five minutes in that portion now.) Oh well.

I'll just keep the image of the girly skirts and dresses in my mind, and see if it gets me through.

Dear Joe Bonamassa

Dear Joe:

I am tired today. I'm just not built for staying up late and getting up early in the morning. I can do it, but not well. But you know what? It was worth it. You were great in concert last night.

When J told me that he was getting us tickets to see you in concert, I'll be honest here - I had never heard of you. But J has the best taste in music of anyone I know, so I knew if he liked you enough to want to see you live, then you would put on a great show. But, I wanted to be familiar with you, so I added you to my Pandora radio station, and what do you know? I found out that I had already given some of your songs a thumbs up without even knowing who you were. So I was already on my way to liking you - I just didn't know it.

(Also, Had To Cry Today just came on my Pandora while I was writing this. Cool, huh?)

So anyway, I found that in the time since I became aware of you, I was liking your stuff more and more, so I was really excited for your show. Of course, I would have been excited anyway, because I just love doing fun things with J, and I love how excited he gets about good music. But I was especially excited to see you live because I was liking your music so much.

I have to tell you, Joe - you did not disappoint. I'm no musician (I played flute from 4th - 8th grade, but that's as close as I ever came to that title, and I think you'll agree it's still light years away), but I have to say, you are a phenomenal guitar player. I can see why you were voted Best Blues Guitarist for 2008 by Guitar Players' readers. You were amazing.

Oh, and hey - congratulations on losing 35 pounds. I'm trying to lose some weight myself, so I know how hard it is.

Anyway, I just wanted to say - great show. I really enjoyed it. And I may get to catch up on some of the sleep I missed tonight, after J and I watch Hell's Kitchen (our favorite TV show to watch together - it's a lot of fun). And yes, I know, your show wasn't that late, so I shouldn't be this tired. But I'm a wuss about sleep, okay? I need a certain amount per night, and even getting an hour less makes me tired all the next day. It's a fact about myself that I accepted years ago.

Okay. I'll sign off now. Thanks again. And J? Thanks for taking me to the show last night. I love you.

Signed,

Denise, a new fan of Joe's, who will definitely be drinking a soda this afternoon in an attempt to wake up.


Photo by J :)

Girly

I haven't painted my fingernails in years. Like, it's been so long that I can't even remember the last time I did it. I've thrown all of my nail polish away. And yet suddenly, over the last couple of days, I've been struck by the urge to paint my nails. I blame it on the fact that my index fingernail is actually a decent length - those nails always break really easily, so they're normally really short.

If the urge doesn't pass, I may be picking up a bottle of nail polish and some polish remover when I go to the drugstore later this week to get a prescription refilled.

Weird. It's like some part of my brain has suddenly remembered I'm a girl. Next thing you know, I'll be wearing make-up again. :)

Catching Up and Oh Man It's Hot Out There

Wow, long time no update, huh? That entry I wrote while I was out of town has been the most recent entry for so long, I figured I should finally get around to writing a new one.

Of course, I don't really have much to say. :) It's been crazy hot here the last few days, which sucks whenever you have to be outside. But J put a window air conditioner in the bedroom, so now we have someplace to go cool off when the rest of the house gets too hot. It was very nice to be able to turn it on at 4:00 this morning, when I woke up sweating. Of course, I about froze J right out of the bed, though. Hee. Sorry about that, J. We might just have to switch sides of the bed from now on whenever the AC needs to be on (it's in the window on his side of the bed).

Do you like the picture up there? I was sitting at my desk on Saturday, playing the Sims, and looked over to see Rosie and Duff laying down side by side, in the exact same position. It would be perfect if Duff's head was down on the floor like Rosie's (or if hers was up like his), but I thought it was still pretty darn cute.

The dogs spent a lot of Saturday in this position, although they mostly did it on the cooler floors. I don't know why they chose to lay on the rug, but I'm sure they had their reasons.

As for me, I spent a lot of Saturday sitting at my desk, playing the Sims. I wasn't a complete lazy slug, though - I also did a lot of laundry, and stripped and made the bed, and did the dishes, and cleaned the counters, and vacuumed a ton of Bernie hair (and some other animal hair) off the floors. It makes me feel better, on those lazy days, to at least do something of value.

And okay, it may be a week and a half since I've posted, but I'm still out of things to say, so that's all from me for now. Later, taters!