Good Stuff for Bettering

All I Ever Wanted

2010-08-23T14:25:00.003-05:00

Vacation!

Secret Agent Man and I escaped the brutal August heat in Austin with a trip to Seattle. Even though I've been back a week (ish) already, I am still dreaming of the Pacific Northwest. Perhaps that's why I keep comparing the pile of work I've been managing since our return to the insurmountable Mount Rainier?

We enjoyed our trip so much, I am already hoping we go again next August. Really, we plan to win the lottery and buy an August house there. That's right, all summer is too long to live apart from our peeps in ATX, but I think a month would suit us just fine.

Here's how it went down:

Day 1
We arrived at our hotel, and were hit with a surprise at check in: the room awaiting us had two full-sized beds. Hmmm, we are not small people--our combined height is nearly twelve feet. We simply don't fit into a full-sized bed. Since we'd booked a king (using miles Secret Agent Man had left over from his days on the road), he asked the clerk to check again. She found us a junior suite! Except: the bed was a queen-sized murphy bed. Yes, a bed that folds down out of the wall. I was suspicious, but she assured us that the mattress was still heavenly, and we checked in. Sure enough, we had to pull our bed out of the wall. But it was as comfortable as a regular bed, and our view was fantastic.

As I freshened up, Secret Agent Man decided to do some recon around the hotel. Naturally, this meant he found the pool and hot tub, and then settled into the hotel bar for a beer and a chat up with the bartender. Peter, our very helpful bartender, was wise and knowledgeable about places to go and things to do. We'd already done a lot of research, and had a list of "to do" and "to eat," but Peter was helpful in steering us away from, say, places SA Man had seen on television and wanted to try despite lukewarm reviews online.

First stop: Etta's. We'd made it in time for Crabby Hour, and I'm so glad we did. We ordered several little taste treats, but by far my favorite was the Crab Roll. Secret Agent Man expected something sushi-like from the name, but I thought it would be more like a lobster roll. It was, and it was fantastic. Fantastic like I could've eaten two. I wish we'd made more time to eat at Tom Douglas' other restaurants, as I'd heard excellent reports about Dahlia Lounge in particular. Next time!

We'd made a plan for the evening based on a Living Social coupon that had come up about a month prior. (What, you don't sign up for groupon and LS (etc.) in cities where you'll be vacationing? Do it!) It sounded weird and fun, and lucky for us, it was both. We scored seats and champagne in the VIP Section at the Can Can. The service was terrible--luckily we'd followed Peter the Bartender's advice and not planned to order a meal--but the show was very entertaining. It was part Cirque du Soilel, part comedy, part weird stuff. Our front row seats were good (Secret Agent Man got pulled up on stage to shake his booty, a dude swung out over our table on ropes) and bad (one of the fellas flung sweat on my arm, ewwww!), but worth every discounted penny.

Day 2
What's a trip to Seattle without a visit to Pike Place Market? Day 2 happened to be a weekday, and even though the market was crowded, it wasn't unmanageable. We walked around and explored for a while, and all the vendors where we stopped were friendly and chatty. Secret Agent Man was delighted by a go cup of crab cocktail (chunks of fresh crab covered in cocktail sauce, sold by one of the fresh fish vendors), and even though we joined the crowd at the famous fish flinger for a while, we never saw a toss. Perhaps one has to actually purchase a fish to get the flying show? In any case, Secret Agent Man was hungry for crab, and the seafood vendors suggested Cutter's. It was close, but I'd rate it just okay. Everything was fresh, and tasty, but of all the great places we dined during the trip, this one would be my least favorite--simply because the others were all so good.

After lunch, we wandered over to the Seattle Aquarium. Honestly, we both thought it was boring. Sure, they had the big weird octopus, and the cute seals and otters, but I think we would've enjoyed the place more if we brought or were kids.

Luckily, our next stop was a lot of fun: Underground Tour. The tour begins with a 20 minute presentation on why there's an underground to tour in the first place, and the gal speaking to the group was funny and informative. From there, our very large group split into four groups of about 30 - 40 people each. I'd hoped for the same tour guide who started us out, but our tour guide was still entertaining. (Just not "hilarious" like the ticket sellers suggested.) I think next time, we might enjoy checking out the Underworld Tour (same company).

Dinner that night was the realization of Secret Agent Man's dream of having a pile of steamed crabs poured on our table for him to eat cave man style. And this is where Peter the Bartender saved the day: he told us that the popular (tourist) choice that Secret Agent Man had seen on tv was not the place for us. Really, he was giving us the one eyebrow of judgement that we even wanted such an option, but whatev. Peter suggested Fisherman's, and it did not disappoint. We ordered the Crab Feast, and we both nearly needed a benedryl at the end to curb the start of an allergic reaction from eating so much seafood. Our dinner started with clam chowder (yum), a bucket of clams and mussles (which I did not try because I prefer not to eat foods that share the same texture as loogies), and the main event: a pile of dungeness, king, and snow crab legs. Here, Secret Agent Man, who in the past has so kindly broken down the crab for me and presented me with lumps of delicious meat, decided it was time for me to learn on my own. Newsflash: breaking apart crab legs isn't difficult. It's just extra nice when someone else does it for you.

Day 3
This day, we got ambitious. We rented a car (from a convenient location right across the street from the hotel), and drove to Mount Rainier National Park for some nature walking. We were armed with Secret Agent Man's gps and my list of suggested hikes from Frommer's website.
Hey, did you know that national parks often don't have a physical address you can enter into your gps? It's best to find this out before you are on the interstate. Print maps in advance, friends! Still, we made it to the park in time for lunch at the Copper Creek Inn. The menu is mainly burgers, but mine was delicious, and Secret Agent Man declared his a winner as well. Save room for their blackberry pie, for sure--even if you're like me and say you'll only have a bite or two, trust me when I tell you that you'll end up hoovering up at least half a slice. You need energy for the nature walking, right?

We picked an easy trail at Paradise. It turns out, when you are at a higher altitude than normal, and hiking what seems like straight up a mountain, you will be quite happy when you breathlessly reach the scenic falls, even if they're a little crowded. Even if the best view of the falls is down a steep rock staircase that you'll dread climbing back up later. The views were lovely, and the walk back to our car was quite nice (and downhill). Our next stop were the Reflection Lakes. Except, on windy days, the lakes don't exactly reflect. Still, it was a nice walk around the lake, as it was flat and much much less crowded.

From there, we considered checking out Sunrise (yes, we entered the park at the opposite end my handy list of hikes suggested), but decided to try and get the rental car back before the place closed at 7. Our drive back, mostly northwest through the park, was lovely. Except where we were driving alongside a steep cliff and could not look out the windows on that side of the car due to extreeme fear. Good times!

We didn't feel like venturing too far (or too fancy) from the hotel for dinner, so we went with another Peter the Bartender suggestion and headed over to Red Fin. I'm so glad we did! From our table, we could see over to the bar where the sushi. . .uhh. . .roller? chef? maestro? was putting together rolls and nigiri. The menu had lots of creative roll options, and we arranged our own little taste test to determine which crab nigiri we liked best. (Verdict: king for the win!) We also got to confuse our waitress with our cost guessing game. See, we each guess how much the total bill will cost. Whoever is closest gets to pay. That's right, we are both trying to pay for dinner. This game is much more fun than taking turns or something reasonable like that. And I set a record at Red Fin: I was $.05 off the total. It's like I won both showcases! Yay me!

Day 4
Our last full day in the Emerald City, boo hoo! We water taxi-ed to Alki Point to eat and check out the ocean. Brunch at Salty's turned out to be an excellent choice. I'm not normally a fan of a buffet, but there were so many delicious options that we went for it. Once again, Secret Agent Man ate himself into a stupor on crab legs, so even though brunch was not inexpensive, I'd say we got our money's worth.

Unfortunately, our day went awry after brunch. Allegedly, there is a free shuttle that drives around the penninsula, dropping water taxi-ers off at various points of interest. We had a shuttle schedule, and were waiting at the appointed stop on time, but no shuttle. We could see the beach from the shuttle stop, what if we just started walking and hopped on the shuttle when it went by? Friends, on an unseasonable hot (90 degree) day in Seattle, you do not want to walk 1.5 miles to the Alki Beach. I know, without the oppressive Texas humidity, it will seem like a good idea. After all, the ocean awaits! But shade along the path does not. If you're pasty pale like me, you're going to want sunscreen, and lots of it. Remember, you will sweat off the sunscreen along your hairline: yes, that's the reason for the sunburn you'll find there later. Your new farmer tan is an added bonus.

And then there's the beach. We walked past sand volleyball courts and grassy knolls, all full of beach-goers. We'd read glowing reviews of the fantastic Seattle skyline view from the beach. Nothing prepared us for the actual beach. It was rocks. Rocks the size of my fist and smaller. Rocks! So much for our plan to walk barefoot along the beach, dipping our toes into the Pacific Ocean. Still, we'd come this far. We peeled off our shoes and socks, and gingerly picked our way down to the water line. Guess what? The Pacific Ocean is freakin' freezing. I may have screamed a little bit as the tide came in and covered my feet. Also, as Secret Agent Man observed, the water looked like a mojito. After less than a minute of the Pacific Ocean experience, we hobbled back into our shoes and made for the closest shuttle stop.

Frankly, this was mostly a waste of a day. We can look back and laugh--in fact, we laughed at each other on the "beach"--but we won't go back to Alki on our next visit.

We hoped to redeem ourselves with our dinner options. SA Man had scored a couple of groupons, and we wanted to try and use them both. We went to the first stop for an appetizer. It was fine, noteworthy mainly because our taxi tried to drop us off at a parking garage. Umm, no thanks. (And I don't remember the name of the place, whoops!) But our late dinner at Seastar was a very pleasant surprise. (Also a surprise: the strength of the mandarin orange vodka with fresca cocktails the bartender mixed up for us. I mean, we'd had these before, but Yowza!) Once we were seated, we opted for a starter of crab deviled eggs with bacon. Except allegedly the kitchen was backed up, so they brought us some free crunchy shrimp things (and fresh drinks) that were very tasty while we waited. And then our deviled egg order was mysteriously doubled. I could've eaten my weight in those, so I wasn't too sad when Secret Agent Man could not overcome his dislike of the deviled egg and I ate the remainder of his order. (For the record, he was a good sport about trying the devil egg, in case his love of crab and bacon could overcome his hatred of "the creepy white part" and any use of mustard in the recipe.) For our entree, we split an order of wood-fired (or something or other) king crab legs, and they were not only delicious, but pre-cracked. Did we order dessert? Maybe. Maybe I'd been overserved in the drink department and it's been several days since our return home so I don't recall. I plead the fifth.

Day 5
We hopped about the light rail train, rode it to the airport, and flew back. The wall of heat and humidity as we walked outside from the baggage claim area, and the interior temperature of the car rivaling the surface of the sun were a friendly reminder that we were home.

Ah, vacation! All I ever wanted.

Let it Snow

2010-06-23T16:25:00.004-05:00

(photo from apartment therapy)

Secret Agent Man's dad was in town recently, and even though he's been to Austin several times, he decided to focus this visit on eating at restaurants he'd seen on the Food Network or Travel Channel. By "focus," of course I mean that he told us where he wanted to eat, and would not consider other options. That is, until plans were made. Then he read restaurant reviews online and then decided he no longer felt comfortable eating at his original choice, but would rather not actually make a decision on a new plan. It was a long week for Secret Agent Man and his sister. The dad has earned a new nickname in their family: He Who Will Never Be Pleased. I'm just going to call him SpyDaddy.

SpyDaddy refused to order a cupcake at the store, because there weren't any cupcakes on display. (I hear he has written a letter of complaint about the situation, and hopes he can help improve their business with his suggestion.) His breakfast taco was too big. He didn't think the movie he selected at the Alamo Draft House was funny; he hated it. He changed his mind twice about the bbq joint(s) suggested, and we ended up at Rudy's--where he'd (gasp) eaten before. It was time for a shock and awe campaign: it was time to hit the Best Summer Ever (Project 2010) list. Time for trailer food and snow cones!

We started with dinner at The Mighty Cone. Hello, hot and crunchy! Naturally, SpyDaddy claimed he was still full from lunch and did not want a cone. He would, however, concede a willingness to eat "a couple" of fries. Secret Agent Man evidently has been down this road before, and he ordered SpyDaddy his own cone of chili-dusted fries. SpyDaddy finished his fries before I was even halfway through my hot and crunchy, and I caught him eyeing our shared fry cone more than once. I gave him my best "back off, dude--those spicy fries are strips of heaven!" look, it seemed to work.

Dessert was only a few doors down at the Frigid Frog. As it turns out, in the last twenty(ish) years since I last ate a snowcone, things have changed. Ohhhh, how they've changed for the better! Remember when the only snowcone flavors were cherry, grape, and blue? The Frog has easily 40 flavors to choose from. Including a few that freaked me out, like Tiger's Blood. What the WHAT? I suspect that may have been code for cranberry, especially if it's anything like a mystery juice labeled "dragon berry" I drank once. In any case, I wasn't willing to test my cran theory. (Although I encouraged others to drink the Tiger's Blood. Sadly, no takers.)

I went with the birthday cake flavor. That's right, a snow cone that would magically taste like birthday cake. When it came out bright yellow, I was leary. You know, don't drink yellow snow? But, cake is delicious! The best kind of birthday cake is yellow! Right?? I went in for a taste and was not disappointed--birthday cake snow cone is some good stuff.

But that wasn't the end of the good stuff. No, Secret Agent Man spent a little extra time studying the menu and noticed something I didn't: the Frog will add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to your snow cone. They will bury it inside like a squirrel hides a nut. So when you're eating your snow cone, buckle up. Because surprise ice cream is like Christmas.

And you know even the Grinch's heart grew in the end, right? SpyDaddy had two snow cones, and proclaimed them delicious.

Date Night Date Night

2010-06-22T15:49:00.004-05:00

One of the items on my Best Summer Ever list was See a Movie at the Fancy Theatre. I'd signed up for the fancy theatre "membership" program, so about a month after it opened, they emailed me a free movie ticket. Since tickets are normally $25 per person, I jumped at the opportunity and booked a date night with Secret Agent Man to see Date Night. We decided to go on a Tuesday, to take advantage of the half price appetizer menu.

Upon arrival at the theatre, the "hostess" checking us in asked if it was our first time, and offered us a table in the lounge, where we could wait and order drinks until our movie started. Drinks! Lounging! Two of my favorite things! Except our movie was scheduled to begin in 15 minutes, and we sat in the lounge for 15 minutes, ignored by the waitstaff. We were confused. And thirsty. Would someone tell us when and where to go to see our movie? Why would the hostess ask us if it was our first time if she wasn't planning to give us any direction other than "have a seat"?

We wandered around until we found our theatre, and stood there looking lost until a waiter pointed us to our seats. No one took our order, no one told us how to order. We found a button on the console between our seats that glowed green or red, depending on whether you pushed it. But we had no idea if green meant "go! we're ready to order!" or "go away! we don't need anything!" What about the red "stop what you're doing and take our order!" or "stop walking towards us, we're busy watching the movie" After a good 10 minutes of trial and error, a waiter showed up on red. We ordered a drink each and three appetizers to share.

Our drinks came out fairly fast--which was good, since we were parched. But no sign of our appetizers. As the couple in the movie bumbled into more trouble, and acted frantic about their predicament, I became anxious about our food. The movie seemed at least halfway over! We were hungry!

And then our bill arrived. Sans appetizers. As Secret Agent Man told the waiter to cancel our order, the appetizers arrived. Finally! We tried to eat quickly, knowing the movie must be nearly finished. Too bad the food was so disappointing. The only dish we enjoyed were the caesar romaine spears. (Exept the chicken portion of that appetizer was cold and rubbery.)

At least the chairs were comfortable? Perhaps the staff needed more than a month of experience to keep things running smoothly? We were lucky it "only" cost us about $50 to learn our fancy theatre lesson? In any case, our future movie dates will be at the Alamo Drafthouse.

Best Summer Ever Project: 2010

2010-06-17T16:50:00.003-05:00

In May, I picked up an Austin Monthly magazine that promised a list of 100+ fun things to do over the summer. Yes! Time to kick off the first annual Best Summer Ever Project! Except, a lot of the items they listed included taking your kid(s) to the park or going for a hike. Too bad I don't have kids and don't want to hike in temperatures above 85 degrees.

Evidently, I needed to fill my own summer with fun. I stole a few things off their list, and added some of mine. Secret Agent Man is helping contribute to the list (and the fun), so with his help, I think we might just reach 100+ items. We've even started crossing items off the list. . .and it has been a pretty great summer.

Here are some of my Best Summer Ever Project: 2010 objectives:

Take a Cosmic Cowboy Tour

Play skeeball at The Highball

Eat & drink German style at the World Famous Walburg Restaurant

Borrow the niece (his) and nephews (mine) for a Little Lounge Lizards Dance Party

Taste test snow cones around the city

Take a UT Moonlight Prowl

Eat some quality baked goods from Naegelin's Bakery, the oldest bakery in Texas

Attend a Round Rock Express game

Play a round of Peter Pan Mini Golf

Taste test frozen yogurt around the city

Watch a movie at the Paramount, during the Summer Film Series

Cheer for the home team at a Texas Rollergirls match

Free Full Moon Yoga (umm, not exactly what it sounds like)

Eat ice cream and pet goats at Sweet Berry Farm

Rock & roll at the Second Sunday Sock Hop

Try our luck at Drag Queen Bingo

Watch the sun set at Dry Creek Cafe

Cupcake Taste Test (although I think I've already tried enough varieties around town to guess my favorite)

Eat pie at Blue Bonnet Cafe

Tour Blue Bell Creamery

Feel the thunder at Thunderhill Raceway

Watch a movie in Deep Eddy Pool

Bowl & Glow at the UT Union

Eat trailer food (I have a list of places to try)

See a movie at the fancy theatre

Go on vacation someplace cool

Try out new (to me/us) restaurants on the cheap (Dear Groupon & Living Social, thank you for your assistance in this option) Right now, we have plans to check out Zoot, Stone House Vineyard, and Mansion on Judge's Hill.

Twenty-seven items on that list, and there are still more that we crossed off before even putting them on the list. Best Summer Ever! Updates to follow. I just planned your next 20 date nights, didn't I? You're welcome.

Pillow Talk

2010-05-20T10:34:00.000-05:00

I told him I loved him.

He said "thanks for sharing."

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

2010-05-10T15:03:00.004-05:00

Secret Agent Man loves the Austin Omni hotel; he's all about the rooftop pool and hot tub. So for one of his birthday presents, I gifted him a night at the hotel. Not as over-the-top for 1 of 30+ birthday gifts as one might imagine; I have an occasional talent for finding cheap hotel rooms, and I struck gold for this past weekend.

We'd been anticipating our in-town retreat for a couple of weeks. Would we close the curtains, crank down the a/c, hang out the privacy sign, and open the door only for room service deliveries? Would we hot tub until our sunscreen cooked off, leaving us raisin-y and blistered?

Nope. Recent events along the Gulf Coast gave us a better idea: we would eat seafood like it was our job. That's right--a self-guided downtown seafood tour.

We began our work at lunch on Saturday, at the Turf and Surf Po' Boy Trailer. We were their only customers at 1pm, and the gal taking orders was really helpful with suggestions. (Especially since I was so hungry, I could only manage to answer "something delicious" when she asked us what we were in the mood for.) Shrimp Po' Boys with sweet potato fries saved the day! Yum; we're definitely going back there.

Checked in to the hotel. . .and waited for The Sister to show up with her family. Oh, right, we had a pit stop on our seafood tour, and it was The Sister (+ fam) who wanted to swim at the hotel. Who knew I would get to bust out with the out-awesome-ing so soon? Lucky me! How did I get so lucky? Evidently, when Secret Agent Man told his sister of our hotel plan, she suggested they come over for a swim. He was smart enough to chat with me about the idea before telling her yes, but I was not smart enough to straight up tell him I wanted him all to myself for the weekend. Instead I said "Sure! Who wouldn't want to swim on the roof! It will be fun!" Really, I was torn. I want to be awesome, and The Sister fam had a rough week--among other things, they had to say goodbye to their beloved sixteen year-old kitty. I even heard myself saying "Should we get them a special treat to cheer them up?" Shut up, self! Shut up! He decided the special treat was that they were coming to swim at our hotel. My special treat was the news that the rooftop hotel pool had a bar!

The rooftop bar had extra delicious frozen drinks, an entire bachelorette party, and an entire bachelor party unrelated to the bachelorette party. The hot tub was full of dudes passing around a box of Cheez-its and hollering at the sunbathing ladies. Even when Sister hopped in the hot tub with Delightful Niece, the dudes didn't clear out--they just offered to share the Cheez-its. Such nice young men after all!

Secret Agent Man had offered Sister + fam an hour-long visit, and sure enough, they cleared out in a timely manner. It's almost a shame, really, since I was just reaching the height of my awesome-ness. Either that, or I was too full of tasty frosted adult beverages to care. Secret Agent Man and I walked a fine (crooked) line between continuing to hang poolside and actually taking our seafood tour. But a shower and nap later, we hit the streets. We were on a mission!

We hit McCormick & Schmick's first. Did you know that many downtown Austin restaurants offer happy hour specials, even on Saturdays? And that offer includes lower-priced appetizers? Our jumbo shrimp cocktails were very good, even though our waitress did not know if our shrimps came from the Texas coast. (What's the point of eating seafood like it's our job if we're not buying "local"? Oh right, seafood is delicious.) The shrimp ceviche was pretty good, but not remarkable. And, to her credit, the waitress warned us that it wasn't her favorite. My John Daly was very tart, and delicious.

Next stop, Truluck's. Except we walked the wrong way and ended up several more blocks from our intended destination. Secret Agent Man has been (not so) secretly wanting to try out a pedicab ride, so we hopped in one and rode to our desination in (tricycle) style. Since we'd just chowed down on shrimp, we mixed it up with a Super Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, which we split. Friends, that crab cake was a slice of heaven. It was the best in the world. It had barely any filler, and they weren't kidding around about the Super Jumbo Lump business. I will dream about it at night.

After Truluck's, we decided our food to drink ratio needed improving. Cuba Libre was nearby, and also nearly deserted--it was, after all, well before dark. Their sign in front boasted the Best Mojito in Texas, and we needed to find out for ourselves. Except, have I ever had a mojito to compare? No. But I am pleased to report that their mojito tasted exactly like a piece of spearmint gum.

As it turns out, Maria Maria is practially next door to Cuba Libre. Hello, white sangria! Hello fruit salad in a glass! I was delighted to discover that my white sangria would include a surprise combination of fruits, depending on the bartender. I was only able to test my theory during two rounds, but in that time I was also able to consume several cherries, a strawberry, and an orange slice. Yum! The live music started not long after our arrival, and featured a lady member of the P-Funk, who Secret Agent Man had seen the week prior with George Clinton. We found out later that the lady P Funker was also part of the cast of the inaugural season of "Flavor of Love." Too bad she/her band were terrible. Probably from all the ganja.

Somehow we made our way to our (planned) final stop: Eddie V's. Actually, I know how we made our (drunken) way: pedicab! I was ready to be impressed by Eddie. I'd heard stories of seafood towers and celebrity sightings. Yet. . .my crab cake disappointed. Sure, it was tasty, and the sauce was good. But it was no World's Greatest Super Jumbo Lump Crab Cake. Secret Agent Man did love his crab claws, though. It just wasn't the perfect end to a fantastic evening. What to do??

Walk back to Truluck's and order up a slice of heaven, of course! What better way to end the evening than with another Super Jumbo Lump Crab Cake?? Since the kitchen was closing (whoops! time flies when you're having fun!), and we were the last order in, the bartender chatted us up a little bit, and even brought over some free cosmos that someone accidentally left in the freezer. I think they were accidentally left in the freezer because they were awful. Or full of roofies. Either way, we made it back to the hotel (thanks, pedicabber!) and turned in.

We ended our seafood tour with brunch at one of our semi-regular haunts on Sunday: Shuck Shack. Dear Shuck Shack, please cut back on the spicey in the Eggs Etouffee for next time. Is your cook new? Let's go back to the original recipe, which we love and miss. P.S. Your cafe au lait is delicious, and I would like an i.v. of that creamy goodness, so please get on that. XO, Guava.

The Sister

2010-05-04T16:34:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite things about Secret Agent Man is his close relationship with his family. He's best friends with his sister, who lives in Austin with her husband of 10+ years and their almost 4 year old daughter. He spends a lot of time with Sister, and I know her seal of approval is really important to him. . .as he mentioned to me before I met her for the first time. At her own birthday party. Hours after she found out that he was dating someone new. I also know that she really liked his ex, hoped the ex was The One, and was sad when things didn't work out. She wants cousins for Niece, since Niece will be an only child.

So it's not surprising that Sister seems to hate me.

On Easter, Secret Agent Man and I met Sister & family at their church for the children's service. We arrived early, in our Easter finest, and saved seats. Secret Agent Man's mom was visiting Austin--I'd met her a couple of days prior at a family dinner--so we took up pretty much an entire row. After the service, they realized that Niece's little school friend was sitting behind us with her mom, so they all joined us outside for the obligatory photos. As we walked outside, I ended up walking next to Sister in the hallway, a little ways behind the girls, who were busily escorting Secret Agent Man. Sister looked over at me, smiled, and said, "Oh look, you and Little School Friend are wearing the same dress! Ha ha!"

Umm, excuse me? I most certainly was not wearing the same dress as a four year old. Yes, I was wearing a dress. My dress was white, with various shades of blue on it, concentrated around the waist and upper portion of the skirt. I bought it a couple of years ago at Ann Taylor, and if Secret Agent Man is to be believed, I looked great. Little School Friend was wearing a dress that was solid blue with white flowers all over it. She wore a fluffy petticoat underneath. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot??

Yet instead of giving Sister the ol' "Why The Face?" I chuckled. Like why should I care that Sister thinks I'm dressed like a four year old? Oh, ha ha, what a funny comparison, sister! You're so clever for noticing we both had white and blue on our Easter dresses! Clearly, I'm totally over the slight. I am certain I was smiling brightly in the photos we took not five minutes later.

Their traditional Easter lunch is P.F. Chang's. Did you know P.F. Chang's is nearly deserted on Easter Sunday? Now I do. Upon arrival, their mom excused herself to the ladies room while we got seated. Secret Agent Man asked his sister where we should sit. Sister directed me to the seat next to the mom, which caused Secret Agent Man to joke "You're making her sit next to Mom? What, do you hate Guava?" Sister looks at me, pauses, and then laughs. LAUGHS.

I laughed too, obviously. The idea of Sister hating me is hiiiilarious.

I've since decided that Sister is no match for me. I've abandoned my plan to kill her with kindness. Instead, I will just out-awesome her. That's right. She will be helpless to resist me. I will be the Ninja of Awesome. My ways will be mysterious, crafty, and secretive. I just need to get Secret Agent Man on board. . .without him realizing it. He has so far foiled my dastardly plot by not buying his niece a pinata and letting me fill it with treats for Cinco de Mayo. (Uhh, exploding confetti eggs in Sister's yard, anyone? That's fun for everyone, right??) But the awesome-ness, it will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine.

Pioneer Days

2010-04-19T13:32:00.002-05:00

Dear 10-month old Refrigerator,

I thought you'd be happy when I cleaned you out on Saturday afternoon. Okay, sure, I left behind a covered bowl of pasta salad that was beyond its best days, but you knew I'd take care of that on trash day, right?

Were you jealous that I went out for a fantastic dinner date at Hudson's on Saturday night, instead of staying in to cook? I know, we went on and on about that delicious cheese sauce. . .err, chipolte beer blanc on the venison and the fish. . .ooooh, the pecan crusted snapper atop corn bread pudding! I dreamt about that corn bread pudding on Saturday night.

That's right, I said it: I dreamt about restaurant food while you compressed your last ice-cold breath. You tried to tell me on Sunday morning, with your little puddle under the ice maker. But I didn't see the signs--I thought I'd just splashed some water on that little shelf, so I dutifully soaked it up and went along my way.

Okay, okay. "Along my way" was out to brunch. I didn't know the Original Pancake House wasn't the original! I mean, if something is an Austin original, and happens to have tasty pancakes, it's kindof my duty as a good citizen and buy local, right?? My helpful Secret Agent Man pointed out that he enjoyed those same tasty cakes all over his old stomping grounds. At least you were spared the post-brunch bragging on how much we once again enjoyed a meal that didn't have home field advantage.

At least I heard your drips later that afternoon! Alas, by then it was too late. My ice-maker ice melted. My frozen foods sweat without your icy embrace. And your fridge side fared no better; my butter softened, my cheese ripened.

Then, finally then, I knew. Your carefree days of crushing ice for margaritas were over. Were we through for good?

I consulted your appliance overlords. They offered to send a repair man as soon as possible! Rejoice! Refreeze! Refrigeration! Except. . ."as soon as possible" in their repair world is Wednesday. Wednesday?! As in, three whole days after your untimely death? Should I be expecting an appliance miracle?

What will be a miracle is if the repair person shows up on time, after actually calling me to tell me he's on the way. And is then able to resuscitate you quickly and easily. Because I am afraid that I may have a few extra days of pioneer-style living in my week, if we get down to any ridiculous parts-ordering nonsense. Do you know I'm getting my milk at Starbucks these days, Refrigerator? My sweet Secret Agent Man is bringing just enough dinner over so we don't have leftovers, Fridge! I'm putting you on notice: get back in the game by Wednesday afternoon, or I'll be chillin' with your brand new (owed to me under warranty, dang it!) replacement.

Better to Give

2010-03-31T17:00:00.004-05:00

I love to give presents. I like to think about The Perfect Gift, search out unique options, and buy cute wrapping paper. I like to tell people what they should buy for others when they don't have their own ideas.

One of my dream jobs would be Personal Gift Shopper. Especially if I was employed by the very wealthy for an embarrassingly high salary. But who wouldn't like that job?

My Secret Agent Man has a birthday about two weeks after Valentine's Day, and after he told me my V-Day gift was the best present he'd ever received, I was officially stumped on a birthday present. What could possibly top brass knuckles and a handmade book of 100 of my favorite things about him?

I started brainstorming, and came up with a few so-so ideas. Finally inspiration struck during a rerun of Entourage. (A show I never watched until we started dating.) One of the characters is trying to figure out what to get his girlfriend for her birthday, and he wants to really impress her, since they just started dating. Another character gives him excellent advice that boils down to this: choose a gift that shows the person that you are paying attention to the details of their life.

I decided to give Secret Agent Man one gift for every year he's been alive.

Yes! I could do it! I had two weeks, a set budget, and the internet. What could be so hard about finding not one, but over thirty great gifts?

First, I made a list of "free" things I could give him: a home cooked dinner, secret naughty things, his own drawer in my bedroom, his own key.

Then I thought about places he likes to go, and bought him $5 or $10 giftcards for: a venti soy vanilla latte, a coffee from a place near his place, a coffee and bagel in his 'hood, a slice of cheesecake, his favorite burger, a lunch place near his office, an after-bar treat, and a pint.

Sticking with the food theme, and working with the timing, I also planned an Austin Restaurant Week date, and lucked into a deal for a half price tasting menu date. I picked up some of his favorite snacks (2 different kinds of olives and salty cashew nuts) and a few things to help put together his favorite drink (small bottle of absolut, orange squeezer). I tracked down a delicious version of his other favorite drink, and bought a six-pack of a beer I knew he enjoyed.

And I was over halfway there!

I did have to think of a few random things that I don't remember without looking over my list, but I vaguely recall a small box full of gum (as a joke about date #3, where we spent the end of the evening having a bubble-blowing contest in my driveway) and a firestarter.

I had to get a little bit random with: a luck token, lottery tickets (quick pick + scratch off), bacon chapstick, and soaps shaped like tiny hands.

I went sentimental and: framed a copy of our "prom photo" from New Year's, bought a small photo album and promised to take pictures at his birthday party.

A week before his birthday, he made an off the cuff comment about wishing there was a one day ninja training class in Austin. Oh really? How about a book, nunchucks, and a nunchucks training video?

And finally, something I knew he really wanted but would never buy for himself: the first season of Jersey Shore.

I couldn't wait for his birthday! So I started giving him gifts a couple of days in advance. Each was numbered, but I didn't tell him why, or how many gifts to expect. And the night before his birthday, after I knew he was asleep, I made like Santa and left him a pile of presents. The next morning, I was as excited as if it were my own Christmas morning.

He told me it was his best birthday ever, better than last year when he spent his birthday weekend in Vegas with his family and all his best friends. Success! Except now I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to get him one of these or one of these for Christmas to top the birthday gifts. Better start keeping an eye on craigslist.

All the Single Ladies

2010-03-10T16:25:00.006-06:00

I vaguely remember a movie (Sweet Home Alabama, maybe?) where the main fella takes his lady into Tiffany and suggests she pick out her own engagement ring.

That is not my life.

My XH surprised me with an engagement/wedding ring set; one that I had never seen previously, much less picked out. At the time, I hadn't even been ring shopping with girlfriends who wanted to think of options to pass along to their own fellas. Only one of my close friends had married, and she picked out her ring in Chicago's Diamond District. Over the years, I've since shopped with one of my girlfriends for an engagement ring, and been her "go-to guy" to point her fiance in the right direction when the time came. That shopping excursion consisted of one trip to Russell Korman, and an extended conversation with the lady behind the counter, who was wearing the biggest, flashiest engagement ring I had/have ever seen.

So, Secret Agent Man and I spent part of our trip to Vegas walking around the strip to different casinos. The weather wasn't great--a little grey and drizzly--so we spent more time indoors than out. Our last stop one afternoon was the Bellagio. If you haven't been, I definitely recommend checking it out. The Bellagio has beautiful Chihuly Glass installations, a superb Absolut Screwdriver, and a Tiffany & Co store. Until that afternoon, I only knew about the first of those attractions.

Did you know that when you're gambling, a waitress brings you free drinks? If Secret Agent Man is going to gamble, he is most likely to sit down for a game of Pai Gow--another mystery to me pre-Vegas trip. Ever the gentleman, he made sure to include me on his drink order. One for him, one for me.

He's played enough to know when to hold 'em, and when to fold 'em (and when to walk away, and when to run), so we didn't spend a lot of time at the table. We walked around the hotel a little bit, looked at more art, and before I knew it, we walked right in to Tiffany & Co.

And he said something to the lady behind the counter.

And she reached underneath the glass and pulled out a very shiny engagement ring.

And I put it on.

To be honest, I'm not really sure what happened next. My brain was too busy shouting "what the. . .WHAT??" and also "OOOOHHH, SHINY!" for me to hear any actual words exchanged in the real world. It soon became clear that the lady had handed me a different ring than Secret Agent Man had asked for, because she handed me another one. And I put it on!

I was so bedazzled by the shiny that it took me a minute or so to notice that they were both looking at me, expectantly. Like they were waiting for me to say something. Since my mind was still blank, I ended up blurting out a really, really romantic "You are so drunk. He's drunk!"

I am all about keepin' it klassy, friends.

He wasn't drunk. The lady had asked me if I preferred the rectangular or the square. Oops.

Now, I'm not the type of person who ever dreamed about a specific "perfect" wedding or even played bride when I was a kid. Even going through wedding planning, and reading magazines, I still didn't get caught up in it. I'm an event planner: I planned my event. I never looked at rings, and didn't imagine myself with anything different than I had. Until I didn't have it anymore. Eventually, I realized that I do want to marry again. (One last time!) I let myself hope a little bit that it could happen for me, and had a few tiny imaginings about what I might want.

Like maybe I might like an emerald cut diamond. Something rectangular.

Imagine my surprise when that's exactly what the lady handed me! Evidently, Secret Agent Man had browsed Tiffany a time or two, had seen the square-stone ring, and liked the look of it. I guess he thought it would be fun to see how it looked on his lady. It was so shiny! I think they put enormous diamonds in the rings out for show behind the counter to lure a fella in to buying something bigger than he might ordinarily. The lady got a little pushy with him about sales tax in LV being less than sales tax in Texas, and she suggested that she would go ahead and write down the details for the ring I liked best, "just in case." I am pretty sure I gave him the crazy eyes right about then. Our 18th date was turning into quite an experience.

After my try-on, we went for gelato and back to the hotel room for a pre-dinner nap. As we were getting ready for dinner, he asked me how much engagement rings cost. I told him they cost what a person can afford. He wondered if that meant they might cost as much as his car, when he bought it new a few years ago. Ummm. . .what??

That's right, apparently the ring I tried on and liked best cost five figures. And the first number of the price was not a 1 or 2. I told him that was insane, and we had a little chat about how stores other than the big T have pretty rings that would probably cost less because they aren't a brand. But then I had to stop myself and tell him that I was not going to have an engagement ring buying discussion with him yet. He laughed, and said "You don't think we were actually shopping for engagement rings today, do you?"

You bet I didn't, mister. I'm going to need to try on many more than two rings on that shopping trip! You know, that trip a long time from now when it wouldn't be so crazy soon for that to happen. Right?

Heart-Shaped World

2010-03-01T16:15:00.006-06:00

I used to be a person who thought Valentine's Day was silly. I thought it was a fake holiday conjured up by card manufacturers and jewelry dealers to boost first of the year sales.

And then I received my first ever little blue box.

And then I didn't care about the reason for the gift, I just let myself enjoy it. And it was Good. The end.

The beginning? Secret Agent Man is a marathoner. He signed up for the Valentine's Day Austin Marathon months ago, before he even met me. A couple of weeks before V-Day, we circled around the idea of what to do that weekend. I told him: no fancy dinner out. No big deals. Let's just eat cheesecake in our pajamas! Who doesn't want to just eat cheesecake in their pajamas?

He kept asking me, though. I kept telling him. Meanwhile, I started to worry about the gift situation. Should it be a joke gift holiday? Was he going to get all serious on me? I decided to hedge my bets, and went for both. Gift #1 was a ninja weapon--brass knuckles with a pop-out knife. It's. . .a little hard to explain. Gift #2 took some work on my part. I bought a small (3x5) leather joural. I make a list of my 100 favorite things about him, and wrote each on a page in the journal. I walked around for days, just grinning like an idiot while I thought about things for the list. Try it out sometime--making that long of a list isn't easy, but it's really fun.

We kicked off the weekend with brunch on Saturday with his sister and niece. I was on a mission to win over the sister, since I wasn't exactly feeling the love from her. I know how it is; I could like my own sister-in-law more than I do. (And, incidentally, my experience with Secret Agent Man's sister is a good learning experience for me in how I should/could be a better SIL to my brother's wife.) S had put together some Valentine's Day gifts for his niece, who is three and a half. He'd showed me the gifts the night before, but what I didn't realize is that he had also put together a present to her from ME. That's right, he split up the stuff he'd bought her--like a sparkly pen and some stickers, fun little girl kid stuff--wrapped it up in two packages, and put my name on one of them. Seriously man, that's the only Valentine's surprise I needed!

Saturday night was low-key in preparation for the race early the next morning. And by 8am the next morning, I was shivering on the sidewalk with a "MORE COWBELL!" sign, waiting for him to run past. I hooked up with his sister (+ her husband + daughter) at the prearranged time and place, and we cheered him on together. In fact, we cheered everyone on! It turns out marathon runners love the "MORE COWBELL!" People were giving me the thumbs up and shouting at me--I ended up shouting "MORE COWBELL!" at more people than I could count.

Did I mention that I had also obtained a cowbell, which his sister or niece was happy to bang all day long? Awesome! (Really!)

We met him three times total, before the finish line. At the third stop (coveniently right outside his front door), I realized I needed to unload all the candy he'd packed for me to hand out. He'd bought three bags of individually-wrapped treats and a bag of pretzels, and told he me didn't want any leftovers. It turns out, runners want a little boost of sweet or salty energy when they're racing. Every time we saw him, we cheered extra, but also gave him treats. I remembered him telling me about a previous marathon, where some folks made a funny sign that all the runners were talking about afterwards. And that's how I ended up standing on a corner with a sign that said "STRANGER WITH CANDY." I held up the sign and held out a bag of candy, and people loved me! Of course, sister was still working the "MORE COWBELL." Good stuff for bettering, indeed! Every single person who saw us smiled--some laughed, more than one told me I was who their mama warned them about, and many took candy or a pretzel. I felt the love and spread the love!

Have I mentioned that I was wearing a shirt he'd bought me at the runner expo the day prior? It is black, and in red letters across the front it says "Badass." I want to wear it every day.

How could my Valentine's Day get any better?

First, it got a little less good. After he stormed the finish line, sister called a couple of their best girlfriends and herded us all over to PF Chang's. I'd been up since six in the morning, standing in the streets in my Badass shirt; do you think I was PF Chang's material? I was not, but I also hadn't just killed a marathon, so I went along.

And here's the thing about the girls: the four of them (S, sister, girls) all know each other really well and are best friends. The Girls main job in life seems to be drinking and being cool. Seriously. One of them is dating/has dated/sleeps with occasionally (I don't know which, or if it's all of the above) a fairly well-known--okay, let's say famous--fella from Austin. Both of them had just woken up (note: it was approximately 1pm) after three days of drinking that had included a Hill Country wine tour. Yet, they were still cooler than me and looked cuter than me. I feel like a dorky little sister when I'm with them. The Girls make no effort to include me, although one of them is nicer to me than the other, who mostly ignores me. I need to figure out The Girls.

I felt tired and a little cranky after lunch. I insisted on walking to my car while S drove Sister & The Girls to their cars. I just wanted to go home and take a shower. On my way home, S called and we decided to meet up in a few hours at my house for dinner. One delightfully hot shower later, and I felt slightly less tired and cranky. But an hour later he called me: Mr. Marathon was having trouble moving off his own couch. He offered to handle dinner. Could I go to his place? I could; I did.

I arrived to a heart-shaped Mangia pizza, a big salad, and cheesecake. But he wouldn't let me get started until he gave me my present; he'd been excited about it since the day before when I told him he had to wait a day to give it to me. He had me close my eyes, hold out my hands. . .

It felt like a small, light bag. It was a small, blue bag. Tiffany. Tiffany!! If you saw my Las Vegas "photo essay," you may have noticed a pic of Tiffany & Co. That would be because we stopped in to a store while we were there, and as a lark I tried on something very very shiny and expensive. Like, five figures expensive. That's a story for another time. I knew when I pulled the little blue box out of the bag that it wouldn't contain anything like that. Right?

Right! My Valentine gave me a beautiful little heart, on a delicate chain. And I, who used to scoff at Valentine's Day (and jewelry with hearts on it, for that matter), felt my own grinchy heart grow a few sizes.

What could be better than that? When we put on pajamas and ate cheesecake? Well, yes. But also: he told me the Book of Favorites was the best present he'd ever received. No pressure on me when I'm shopping for his birthday gift, right? His birthday is Friday. I have something in the works. It will either be very awesome, or a little weird. Or possibly not quite what I imagined and therefore disappointing to me. Stay tuned.

Report

2010-02-17T14:59:00.005-06:00

I Am In Love

2010-02-02T17:02:00.003-06:00

I am in love. . .

with my new bed!

As of a couple of weeks ago, I'd finally saved enough pennies to buy a new mattress set. The bed I've been sleeping on for the past year or so is a mattress set I bought in 1997. Granted, I haven't been sleeping on it continuously since then, but seriously? I was done.

Picking out a new mattress was easy. Go to store, feel silly for laying down on mattresses fully dressed in public, repeat.

But I had a harder time when it came to bedding. I went up a size on my mattress, and needed to replace my old bedding. I still haven't painted my bedroom yet, though, so I was feeling overwhelmed with choices.

Until I was out shopping, and walked by this display. I actually gasped! Love! I can buy accent pillows to coordinate with my eventual wall color, and the charcoal grey with the different patterns just fills me with happy. My new sheets are light grey, and look great with the rest of the set. Another bonus? It's white sale time, and all the various pieces were on sale. Win!

ETA: My lovely new bedding is from Macy's, and it's "Hotel Collection" brand.

Rock 'n Roll Lifestyle

2010-01-19T11:30:00.005-06:00

All of a sudden, I've gone on 13 dates with my Secret Agent Man. It seems I've gotten myself into a boyfriend situation. Since the email I sent my girlfriends to brag about my fun recent three-day weekend was like eleventy billion screens long, how 'bout I just hit the high points?

Date #4: Afternoon movie date, thought he might not be in to me. Brought a can of whipped cream in my purse to the theatre, and we bought a tiny pie nearby to garnish our whip during the movie. He ate a garlicky dinner afterwards, and joked about ruining his chances of making out with me later. Turns out he wasn't joking; I got a peck at the end of the evening.

Date #5: Operation Take Out & Make Out. Is this guy in to me? Time to find out. I headed over to his place for movies & Mama Fu's. I sat in the middle of the couch. Come hither attempts ignored, perhaps he was too busy working up the courage to ask me out on a NYE date? Time to find more cocktail attire!

Date #6: NYE! Some high points I already shared with the internet:

* Since my date had already seen my best cocktail dress, I shopped around and found a new one for 70% off the day before New Year's Eve. I felt like a million bucks.

* The fancy party we attended had not one, but TWO, cover bands and they seemed to mainly focus on beloved songs of the 80's.

* I think we drank all the gin & tonic in Austin. Whoops!

* There was an area at the party for prom style pictures. For some reason, the photographer took like 30 pics of us. My funny date told the photo organizer lady that we just met that night, and if things work out we're planning to use those photos for next year's Christmas card.

* People watching at the party was a definite highlight. You know, if you ever start to think you've had a lot of drinks, it might make you feel better to note that you're not one of the women who walked into the (public) bathroom barefoot and proceeded to make shoes from paper towels.

One of my best NYE ever. And, uhhh, rendered any scheming for make out time unnecessary. Oh yeah!

Date #7: Vino Vino. Neither of us had been there before. Evidently, we decided to show up on Hipsters with Ironic Moustaches Night. They were everywhere! Either that, or S and I are magnets for good people watching.

Date #8: Watching the National Championship Game at Waterloo. Here's where I realize that I am totally okay and fully on board with S ordering a variety of appetizers for sharing. He's done it before (date #1's sushi selection, date #7's apps) but this time I finally realized he pays attention to what I'm thinking about ordering for myself and plans accordingly. Another reason he's awesome.

Date #9: I'm calling this a date even though we ended up not going anywhere. It was a Saturday night, and I had a book club meeting. He had "plans he made a while back." Except he ended up canceling his plans and I headed his direction after my meeting. We hung out at his house, which smelled deliciously of jambalaya. I don't want to say he cooked me dinner, since he knew around what time I'd show up (10pm), but he did ask if I'd eaten.

Date #10: It was a Tuesday. I'd had a crappy day at work, and was ready to go home, lay on my couch, and groan softly. But then he texted me to see if I was free and wanted to meet for dinner! His regular Tuesday night work out was off. He'd had a crappy day, too. One dinner at Mandola's, a bottle of wine, and good conversation later, we were both in much-improved moods. Did I mention there was gelato?

Date #11: Also known as the three-day weekend date bonanza kick-off date. We'd been talking about Sandra Bullock after seeing her on Jay Leno on date #10, and decided to dine at Bess. We arrived to a 30 - 45 minute wait, and settled at the bar to make good use of our time. Lo and behold, a couple of S's friends were seated at the bar. We said hello; the fella started to try and remind me of the last time I met him. Ummm, nope, that must have been the last blonde. We returned to our seats, and new details emerged. Evidently, not all of S's friends knew that a) he was no longer dating the last gal he dated and b) that he was dating someone new. Surprise! But we invited them to join us for dinner, and I joined the lady half of the couple in the ladies room for a quick pow-wow at her request. A fun time for all, despite the initial awkwardness, and I liked them.

Date #12: Sometimes, I wake up in the morning and can't even begin to imagine what the rest of the day will hold. This date included an Alamo Drafthouse movie (Youth in Revolt), a Thrill Show at the Tattoo Convention, a Roller Derby Bout, and take out chinese food at nearly 9pm. I could never have guessed I'd be leading such a rock n' roll life!

My Secret Agent Man has a sister. A sister who did not know of my existence until Date #11. . .as she is also good friends with the surprise double-date couple. Well, I don't know if the lady half of that couple called the sister the next morning, but S certainly did. He wanted to break the news before he got in trouble for not sharing news. Especially since Sister loved the ex, and wanted her to be The One for S. I almost wish he hadn't told me that piece of information. Don't know exactly how their conversation worked out for him, but I do know that she evidently gave the okay for him to ask me on Date #13: Sister's Birthday Party. And apparently once you go on 12 or so dates with a fella (many of which lasted 6 - 15 hours), it's time for a talk. A status report. Which is how I agreed to give up my amateur status and move in to Girlfriend territory.

Date #13: Sister's birthday party was at a secret sushi place, which has weekly Monday night karaoke. The place is tiny, so if you're bringing a party of 12, you want to show up early and camp out. And eat $600 worth of sushi + drinks. This place is so secret that I doubt I could ever find it again on my own. That much fun tucked away in a strip center? Didn't seem possible, but it was.

Sister wasn't exactly super friendly to me upon arrival, but at the end of the evening she did give me a hug. Of course, she was hammered at the end of the evening. Surely she'll come around, right? My relationship with my own brother's wife suggests otherwise, but we'll see how it goes. Perhaps I need a little lesson in my life about this topic. I get it, I get it!

Did I mention that I have a boyfriend?? A year ago (almost exactly) when the X and I decided to divorce, I often couldn't see past the end of the day I was struggling through. These days, I'm excited to see what my future holds. Good stuff indeed, friends.

Confession Time

2010-01-07T14:12:00.003-06:00

I was a little drunk when I last posted.

It was in the wee hours, after our third date, and I needed a few minutes to chug some water before retiring for the evening. If I'd been more sober, or less tired, I might have mentioned. . .

When planning the evening, we had to have a talk about who would be buying dinner. I started the discussion by telling S that I wanted to buy him dinner, and he admitted that one of his favorite things is picking up the check. It makes him feel good to be generous. I think that's awesome, and I really appreciate that quality, but as it turns out, I feel the same way. I like to be the one to treat, too. I managed to convince him to let me take him to NoRTH before the hockey game, where I enjoyed some tasty pork chops and he ordered his own pizza. That's right--I avoided a garlic-y dinner in hopes of smooching later.

After dinner, on the way to the car, I started quizzing S about the hockey game. He's from the midwest; I grew up in Austin. The closest I've been to a hockey game was in high school when we played Juniors vs. Seniors broom ball at Northcross Mall. I wondered if the hockey arena would be cold, and he told me not to worry about it because he brought gloves for me. I misunderstood at first, thinking he might be loaning me his own gloves. Nope, he'd brought me my own pair.

The game ended pretty early. What to do at 9:30 on a Saturday night? Neither of us had been to a particular bar near my house, so the choice was made. And that bar? Best! Decision! Ever! Saturday night is karaoke night. Saturday night is also a freak show, thanks to an interesting cast of characters:

The Pink Lady: wore pink "camoflage," head to toe. She seemed to know all the regulars, and greeted one fella by licking the side of his face, from his chin to his temple. She walked past our table in the back several times, and after one pass-by, S leaned over to me and whispered "She keeps winking at us." I was amused to inform him that she wasn't winking at US.

Leather Man: wore leather pants, and a long leather coat. Later in the evening, he sang "Freebird." His mullet was scragglin' down to the middle of his back.

The Missing Link: Two mustached men in their 50's arrived, and sat down at a big table near us. Soon after their arrival, a lady came over and gave them each a hug. She danced with one of them. (Yes, to the karaoke songs.) She came back to the table and kissed the other dude full on the mouth. Then she danced with the dude she kissed. She came back to the table and played a little grab-ass with the second dude. Then they all left together. Someone at our table may have made a "free moustache rides" joke. I'm too much of a lady to name names.

The Dancer: One gal seemed to want to pick up the dude at the table in front of us. She brought him a drink, and talked to him for a while. I realized she'd had more than just the one drink when she decided to start dancing by herself next to his table. Her big move involved bending over to give the floor up close jazz hands. Her big move revealed an expanse of her back. . .and a good few inches of granny panties sticking up above the waistline of her jeans.

The Parisian: An older fella wearing a denim jacket with "Hard Rock Cafe Paris" stamped on the back. His toupee was sightly askew, and he was the recipient of the full face lick from the Pink Lady.

Every time we thought we'd seen all of the strange folks wandering around, someone new arrived. Like people watching? The bar near my house is the place to be on a Saturday night. I'm a little surprised we haven't been back since then.

Seriously

2009-12-20T03:00:00.001-06:00

He brought me a pair of gloves to wear during the hockey game.

Seriously?

Swoon worthy, my friends.

Turn You Inside Out

2009-12-15T15:00:00.009-06:00

An excerpt from my email to a few friends on Monday:

"I don't know if it was S in his tuxedo telling me how fantastic I looked all evening, the big glass of gin & tonic I drank, or the little goodnight smooch I got, but this morning I woke up with my pajamas on inside out."

Really, what else is there to report?

I suppose there are a few additional details.

Let's start with this little beauty, the right hand ring. When I went shopping last week, I decided to search out a little bling to jazz up my black cocktail dress. The dress has a v-neck, and I didn't have a necklace that felt fancy enough.

At the store, I started trying on a few things on, but a saleslady saw me floundering and took pity on me. Turns out she is the accessories guru at the store, and I hit a home run with her on my team.

First, she found a black v-neck dress for me to change into. Then, she started getting out the sparklies. I may have tried on every necklace in the store. Nothing was right. Other gals who were out shopping were coming over and commenting. Sales ladies were placing their votes. Accessory Guru even took off her own necklace for me to try on. Still: meh. But then she found this ring in the back of the drawer. Love! I've been wearing my precious most evenings after work, around the house. I'm actively seeking other opportunities to showcase my new lovely.

Also, I purchased hair spray for the first time in my adult life. I don't know, I plead temporary insanity and an accessory high for leading me into the Aveda store. Surely, they'd have some options other than whatever shellac was used on my actual prom hairdo? I threw myself on the mercy of the clerk again, who recommended a spray that isn't sticky or stiff and should just lightly cradle my hair into place. It did, and my hair was appropriately tossled and only slightly voluminous.

It's hard to take a picture of yourself when you're racing around the house, trying to get pretty on time. Just imagine that I looked better than ever. Modesty prevents me from repeating the shower of compliments I received throughout the evening, but I certainly felt like a million bucks.

I got a call from S when I was in the final stages of fancifying. His sister-in-law and her friend decided to attend the party, and would be meeting us for a pre-party drink. I wish I had a picture of my face when he divulged this information. As it turns out, I was glad to know a couple of additional people at the party. They were both friendly and nice to me, and I only caught S giving her a "shut up" look once or twice. I liked how she wasn't afraid to bust his chops a little bit, and he seemed to enjoy and tolerate a little good-natured ribbing. He big brothers her--she's about 10 years younger than him--even though they aren't actually related, and I thought that was pretty cute.

We'd been at the party a while when he pulled me aside, out of a conversation where I'd been nodding and smiling along to a stranger's story I didn't 100% understand. He wanted me to know that he appreciated my being a good sport, and wanted to make sure I was having fun. He also wanted to tell me that he didn't want to make any assumptions, but that he'd already bought hockey tickets for us for next weekend.

I wonder if it would be weird to wear my new ring to a hockey game?

That Second Step Can Be a Doozy

2009-12-10T15:32:00.007-06:00

I had an email from S on Tuesday morning, inviting me to prom.

That's right, the clever fella emailed me to let me know that he thought a six hour first date was a good thing, and that it might be a little premature, but he wanted to know if I'd go to prom with him. And by that, he meant a holiday cocktail party this weekend where he'll be wearing a tuxedo. A tuxedo that he owns.

It's like my letter to Santa was re-routed to him! Would I like to see him in a tuxedo and wear a fancy dress? Indeed I would. He joked about letting him know what color dress/outfit I'd be wearing so he could get an appropriate corsage, so I felt like I should let him know that if we were attending my actual prom, I would be wearing a hot pink dress that included both sequins and taffeta. And an enormous pile of hair. Seriously, that thing attached to the back of my head looks like a nest! If I recall correctly, the hairdresser pulled my hair into a ponytail and then curled/teased my hair out and bobby pinned it down to the back of my head. I had to wash my hair three times to be able to just get a comb through it afterwards. Good times.

He told me a little bit more about the party yesterday, and said he thinks it will probably be fun, but a little strange. Friends, "fun, but a little strange" is pretty much in the top five on a list of ways I'd describe myself. Also on that list: "slightly terrified about attending a party with 40+ strangers on a second date." At least I'll look cute. . .allegedly.

Last night, I delved into my closet to see if I had any options. I found three black cocktail dresses, one of which I'd totally forgotten about. The first one is a cute shift dress I bought years ago. I know it's from a while back because the size of the dress is two entire sizes smaller than the size of the pants I'm wearing today. A try-on attempt revealed that I am currently too bootylicious to wear it in public. Good to know. The second option is an adorable dress that I have never even worn. It's the same dress my bridesmaids wore in my wedding, from White House Black Market. It's strapless, with a scalloped hem. Very Audrey Hepburn in my mind. The bodice was tight enough that I felt indecent. I don't need to spend the evening worrying that anything is about to bust out, if you know what I mean. Option three might be a winner: I bought it to wear to a black tie wedding, and it fits like a dream. I do wish the skirt part were a little shorter--it hits along the bottom of my knee. Lucky for me, the internet has been very helpful in recommending accessories, so I think I can jazz up what would otherwise be a little bit boring.

Of course, if my letter to Santa was actually involved in the planning of this evening, I'd be wearing a smokin' hot red dress bought on super sale and have the body to match. A gal can dream, right?

Yeah, That Happened

2009-12-07T10:20:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was my first date in a loooong time.

S and I decided to meet (for the first time in person) at the Draught House, and I rolled through the parking lot right at 4 o'clock on the dot. The tiny parking lot was full, and I noticed a guy from work standing outside and drinking a beer with a few other people. The guy, who I'll call Chuck, didn't see me roll throught the lot, and I didn't see S, so I went ahead and found a parking space on the street. I texted S to let him know I'd arrived and was on my way in, as I was then three minutes late.

I rounded the corner into the parking lot, and saw S standing in the doorway. Chuck's group was between us, and Chuck hollered "Hi Guava!" as I approached. I waved at S, and yelled hello to Chuck. Chuck followed up with a rowdy"What are you up to?" I yelled back "I'm on a date!" and pointed at S, who was now walking towards me.

And then it happened.

Chuck yelled "Where's your hubby??"

That's right. I'm meeting a dude for the first time, on my first date in over ten years, and some jackass is hollering at me across a freakin' parking lot about the whereabouts of a husband belonging to me.

I'm surprised I survived the wave of shock and embarrassment that consumed me.

I tried to play it cool, as I gave S an awkward hug and made some sort of not-very-snappy comeback for Chuck. Inside, I tried to overcome the horror by making fun of the situation, and I think I handled it okay. At least S didn't suck down his beer, make an excuse, and leave me sitting in the Draught House.

Instead, we spent the next six (!!) hours together. The first 3 and a half hours were spent drinking, and talking, and laughing. I wasn't drunk, and I don't think S was, either, but after we each finished our third pint, I felt like a fourth may have put me past my first date comfort zone of sobriety. We decided to adjourn to a sushi place in the Triangle, and met up there. I managed not to drop any soy sauce or sushi down the front of my sweater, which I consider a personal triumph.

At the end of the evening, he walked me to my car, and asked me to text him when I arrived home so he knew I made it safely. He gave me a hug, and I hit the road. My follow-up text thanked him again for a fun evening, and told him I enjoyed spending six hours with him. He responded that a long date equaled a good date in this case. Awww!

Yet, I have no idea if I'll hear from him again. Don't guys usually say something like "Let's do this again!" or "I'll call/email/text you next week"? He's a little hard for me to read. Several times throughout the evening, he made comments about how I seemed to have all the right answers or it was like I was reading his mind. Yet, there were also a few mildly uncomfortable pauses where I wondered if he wished he could figure out a way to wrap up the date.

On the other hand, I didn't say anything about getting together a second time, either. I felt like I had already been a little more forward than normal to get to the date; after he and I emailed several times, and I didn't hear from him for a week, I called him. At the end of that call, he said he'd email me to find a time to get together, and I didn't really think I'd hear from him again. But, sure enough, he emailed me the next morning, and out we went. The waiting game is back on!

Fun Five for Friday

2009-12-04T11:41:00.003-06:00

I woke up this morning in a toasty cocoon of electric blanket goodness. I slept better last night than I have all week!

Morning traffic was light, I think due to "Blizzard" 2009 warnings. It's a good thing, too, because I didn't exactly get out of bed in a timely manner today. (See above.)

The cute kid at work brought me a delicious chai latte from Starbucks. He was wearing a scarf. I swooned a little.

I am making a list (of Christmas gifts to buy) and checking it twice. Shopping starts this weekend, and I'm excited about it.

I may have a date this weekend.

The Lucky Ones

2009-11-12T11:33:00.004-06:00

Many years ago, I won a happy hour and show tickets for myself and 9 of my friends at a comedy club downtown that had just opened and was trying to generate business. I can't even remember the name of the place--only that it ended up closing pretty quickly--but I found a show I wanted to see and invited my friends.

Sadly, the act we saw that evening has long since disbanded. Our entertainment for the evening was The Impromptones, a group of three or four fellas who did improv comedy in song. Prior to the comedy portion of the evening, we indulged ourselves in the happy hour portion of the evening; the club had given me 20 drink tickets--two each for the group. Except that a couple of my friends ended up not being able to make it at the last minute, so we redistributed their tickets. As I recall, I was all too willing to take one (or three) for the team, and by the time the show started, I was quite happy indeed.

Often, improv comedy takes suggestions from the audience, or asks the audience to participate in some way. So when The Impromptones asked where the beautiful people were sitting that night, the vodka in my veins directed me to point at our group with both hands in the air. One of the guys came over with a microphone and asked me if I had any good luck charms. I must have looked confused (actually, I was just drunk) because he rephrased the question: if I had a job interview, what would I be sure to take with me for good luck?

My good luck underwear, of course.

Of course! Of course I would choose that moment to reveal the secret of my good luck underwear to seven of my friends and the entire comedy club. Thank you, vodka.

Sensing a comedy goldmine--or possibly just realizing that I had imbibed in some truth serum--the comedy dude pursued his line of questioning to it's natural conclusions. If I had good luck underwear, did I also have bad luck underwear?

Yes, yes I did.

I thought one of my friends was going to puke from laughing so hard. I tried to just stop talking, but as it turns out, drunken Guava sitting in a spotlight faced with a man with a microphone is a recipe for no-holds-barred personal revalations. He asked another question: if some of my underwear was bad luck, why did I keep it?

Well, because I want to give it another chance. Another chance to become good luck underwear.

That's right, friends. Not only am I a weirdo who has good and bad luck underwear, I like to give my bad luck underwear another chance. And I was helpless to stop myself from telling what seemed like the entire world right then.

The Impromptones went on to sing a hilarious song about good luck underwear and bad luck underwear, and I admit I laughed until I cried. Sure, my face was beet red throughout the song, but at least we all had fun, right? If the number of people who yelled "good luck underwear" at me on my way out of the club that evening is any indication, then we certainly did all have fun.

So why would I choose to bring up this secret shame today? As it turns out, I should've done laundry last night. Instead, I was out on the town. . .well, out in another town. . .meeting some awesome fun ladies and having a few drinks. I didn't get drunk, and I don't think I spilled any shameful secrets, but I definitely did not attend to my chore list for the evening.

Let's just say I've got my fingers crossed today. Just in case.

Green Light Girl

2009-10-29T16:05:00.004-05:00

I've given the green light for set-ups.

The last time I was out in the dating world, I was pretty much surrounded by guys. Guys in class (college), guys in bars (drunk), guys on the bus (UT shuttle). It was rainin' men, and I took it for granted.

Now, even though I still leave the house pretty much every day, I'm surrounded by the same people most of the time. At work, I do work with mostly men, though not anyone whose friends I'd want to date. Okay, there IS a really cute fella at work. He's five years younger than my fake age (which gets further away from my actual age at every birthday, ha!) and even though I'm not technically his boss, we're on the same team and work together every day. But he's tall, and handsome, and easy to talk to. We like a lot of the same things. Early one morning, he texted me to see if I could give him a ride to work because his truck wasn't running. When he hopped into my car that morning, fresh out of the shower in his freshly pressed white dress shirt, I have to admit that I was a little speechless. The kid was looking goooood.

Then I remembered that the kid has a really bad habit of constantly adjusting his, uhh. . .personal business. Evidently, he has some sort of issue or at the very least is unable to purchase appropriately-fitted underwear. And there was that one time when I mentioned Shelley Long, and he didn't know who she was, so I referenced her character on Cheers and he thought that must have been before he was born. Reasons eleventy billion and elevently billion and one that the kid is not for me.

I digress. When I'm out in public, I'm generally with married friends, and we're not hanging out in bars lookin' for dudes. If I'm at someone's house for some sort of group event, it's me and the marrieds. Occasionally, one of the husbands will include a single friend, but I've known them long enough to know those single friends are not for me. Y'all can keep your Dupree.

Besides: for the last many years, I didn't want to scope out or figure out how to meet single dudes. And now I realize that my many trips to Home Depot over the last several months aren't exactly like the college days. Not to mention that I am not always looking my best when picking out paint.

So, I'm putting the word out on the street. I realized I need to be specific, because apparently there are things that I assumed would go without saying. . .and evidently, they do not. That is, a random guy you see getting into a jaguar at the grocery store does not automatically equal my future husband, MOM. (Disclaimer: neither of my parents are reading this blog as far as I know.)

My future husband is tall. I know that many ladies want a fella who is taller than they are, and I am no exception. But, I am also 5'10" barefoot. And I have a propensity for 2 inch heels. I briefly dated a guy in college who was 5'11", and I felt really self-conscious. I like a fella who makes me feel normal-sized, and so that fella must be a minimum of six feet tall. In an ideal world, my future husband is 6'4". People making an effort to set me up have come to expect that my first question will be "how tall is he?"

He's a good person, which encompasses a lot of key traits and values that may be hard to define for some people. Basically, I consider a good person to be the kind of guy you'd feel comfortable setting up with your sister. He is respectful, and kind. He has a big heart. He is honest, and he cares. He will be an excellent husband and father.

My future husband is ambitious and hard-working. Also: employed. I know the economy is tough, but I think that if he is looking for work, he is not in a mental place to be dating me. I want someone who knows what he wants in life, and is willing to work hard for it. I do not want the guy who said one of the five things he could not live without is a maid. My future husband is smart, and has goals in his career and his life.

He is easy-going and knows how to have fun. He may even be young at heart, but not younger than 30 in years. (If he's in his mid-thirties, all the better.) My ideal relationship only has room for one Type A personality, and I pretty much have got that covered. I would love for him to make me laugh, or at least laugh along with me when I'm laughing at myself.

I would really like for my future husband to have similar political views as I do. At the very least, it will make things a lot easier for him when he's spending time with my family. I don't care if he isn't very passionate about politics--heck, my ex voted for Perot and only registered to vote in Williamson County after I badgered him into it. But I think if my future husband has similar political views as me, he is likely to have similar values to mine. And if he's the same religion I am, even better. If he isn't religious, okay, but I want him to at least consider and be open to my religious views.

My future husband list gets pretty picky after these few major items. But I think I can figure out how much of the rest of the "must have" list is negotiable after a date or two, right?

Refresh

2009-10-26T20:03:00.003-05:00

My 730 days have ended, and I've decided to call for a do-over.

But, instead of making a big ol' list of "Must DO," I'm thinking about keeping a list of good things I'm doing. I mean, who has time to keep track of how many times per week they're cooking a full meal? Not I, said the fly.

Besides, at least 300 of my last 730 days were pretty much the opposite of what I expected. Instead of devoting my time to improving myself, I devoted my time to keeping myself from unraveling. Since I'm feeling pretty good on the "holding it together" front, I'm ready to get to the good stuff.

Introducing: Good Stuff for Bettering.

Unsolicited

2009-10-06T13:25:00.003-05:00

Sometimes, my Dad randomly mentions things that are on his mind.

Dad: You know, a first date is a lot like a job interview. You may not necessarily want the job, but it's good to get more information before you decide.

Me: So Mom mentioned the guy with the crazy ex who may have asked me on a lunch date?

Dad: It might be good to get more information.

Me: Dad, let's just say this is a "job" I know I don't want.

Dad: But. . .free lunch, right?

Me: A wise person once told me nothing in life is free, DAD.

*****

I emailed James on Sunday evening:

James,

You're right, (noting the cheesey joke I'd made about lunch place.) haha!

I actually don't get over to (lunch place) very often. I'm one of those lame people who brings their lunch and works through at their desk. . .anything I can do to try and wrap things up before dark. You know how it is in today's economic times: more work for fewer folks.

Anyway, I'm keeping an eye on the MRSG calendar--hopefully I get out to another event soon.

GuavaGal

*****

In retrospect, I see that I have not been up front enough about not wanting to spend time with him on a one-on-one basis. Why did I throw in the part about the single group calendar and going to another event? And since when do I talk about the economy with people I barely know?

He responded the next morning:

GuavaGal,

Good to hear from you! (More kidding around about an item at the lunch place.)

So, no (lunch place) dining for you? Well, if you change your mind, give me a call. here's my work number (work phone number).

James

*****

I picked up lunch to go from (lunch place) yesterday. Yeah, I was in a hurry yesterday morning to get to work for an early meeting and didn't have time to put together my own lunch at home. I was totally paranoid the entire time that he'd be there. I was fast.

I'm not going to respond to his email. If I go to another event, and he's there. . .well, I'll just jump off that bridge when I come to it.

UGH

2009-10-02T16:27:00.003-05:00

I have five non-work email addresses. Yes, I'm aware that's more than the average person might use, but here's the break-down:

1 email address linked to my former (married) nest name

1 email address linked to my new (now divorced) nest name

1 email address from when I first started gmail , which includes my real first name and my real maiden name (and where I get a lot of email for other ladies with that name--I call us Valerie Jones)

1 email address that I switched to when I got married, and includes my married last name

1 email address that is similar to my real first name & maiden name, which I use for facebook and when meeting new people (i.e. the group I recently dined with)

Perhaps you see where this is going?

James (with the crazy ex) from the dinner party emailed me yesterday.

Let me back up a little bit: at the dinner party, everyone talked a little bit about where they work. Turns out James and I work within a couple of blocks of each other. So during dinner, he mentioned that he often eats at a place close to our offices, and I made a lame joke about the place because I go there sometimes, too.

So his email mentioned the lame joke I made & suggested we meet there for lunch sometime since we both work so close. (sigh) I don't want to have lunch with him! Sure, he could just be suggesting a friendly non-date-like lunch. But. . .I don't really see myself being friends with the dude. And, I always eat lunch at my desk and work through--that way, I get out of the office a little earlier in the evenings than I would otherwise. UGH!

I have really got to be more careful when & where I put out the Single Lady vibe.

Letters, Unsent

2009-10-01T17:47:00.002-05:00

Dear NCIS: LA,

I've been watching your premier season with interest, since original-flavor NCIS is one of my favorites. However, your first two episodes have disappointed and concerned me.

The plot "twist" in the first episode was obvious, and the reveal that G doesn't know what his own first name is was ridiculous. He's supposed to be a well-trained NCIS Agent, and he's never done the research to figure out his real first name? What, is the boss lady going to figure it out and surprise him with it? It would probably take her less than an hour of research. But I would consider the hour of my life I spend watching an episode with that sort of first name reveal an hour totally wasted, and go ahead and bill you for my time.

In the second episode, I noticed that G and LL spend several scenes walking along the beach. The weather there looks lovely, and I couldn't help but notice that most of the background extras are dressed appropriately for the beach--shorts, short-sleeved shirts, etc. However, both G and LL are wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts. It's not like their job has a dress code--I recall the techie guy wearing board shorts in the office. Would it be a big deal to put LL in a short-sleeved shirt? I don't care what G wears; let's be honest, Chris O'Donnell isn't exactly known for his physique. But I think you're missing some excellent opportunities for LL to show off his buff. Seriously, in one scene, he's boxing a heavy bag. While wearing a long-sleeved shirt. If that scene doesn't scream "shirtless LL," I don't know what would.

Don't try to tell me that LL Cool J is trying to be taken more seriously as an actor by keeping his shirt on, either. I'd believe that as easily as I believe that an experienced NCIS agent hasn't figured out the big mystery of his own first name.

Shape up, NCIS: LA. You've got one more episode to prove yourself before I free up that valuable space on my DVR.

Sincerely (I would totally forgive crappy plots if LL never wore a shirt),
GuavaGal

*****

Dear New Friend on Facebook:

Yes, it HAS been a while! When you moved away in elementary school, I never thought I'd see you again. Imagine my surprise when I ran across your posting of our second grade class photo on another friend's page. I doubt you could ever begin to imagine my even greater surprise when you told me you've thought of me often over the last twenty(ish) years and that your mother is "just going to cry" when she finds out that we've connected via the world wide web. I don't have any idea why she thought I was "such an angel" back in the day, since we weren't exactly friends then. My most vivid memory of you in the second grade days is when you pushed me down on the concrete basketball court during recess, and I sported a twin set of scabby kneecaps for a week.

I will be sending a pleasant, but vague, response to your email. When you email me again, I will let that email languish in my IN box for weeks. I just don't know what to say to you, dude. And frankly, you're kind of giving me the creeps. This "beautiful lady" is glad you live outside Texas.

Take care (to just go ahead and pretend we're still not actually friends),
GuavaGal

*****

Dear Drive-Thru Starbucks Within Walking Distance of my House + On My Way to Work:

Is this love, that I'm feeling? Is this the love, that I've been searcing for? Is this love, or am I dreaming? This must be love, 'cuz it's really got a hold on me. A hold on me!

Love (it's got a hold on me!),
GuavaGal

Let's Just Say

2009-09-28T16:02:00.004-05:00

I ended the evening by telling a blind man "it was nice to see you!"

Gah. I should not be allowed in public.

I arrived at the dinner location 15 minutes late. I don't know what happened; I think sometimes there is a time warp surrounding my house, and I just fell in it. I called on the way, though, so it's not like they were waiting on me (and my delicious salad) to eat.

The cast of dinner characters included:

Cathy, the hostess. She was very nice, but I couldn't really get any sense of her personality because she was fairly quiet.

Mike, the old guy. One of the people I found on facebook, whose birthday was listed as 12.5 years prior to mine. Yet, during a conversation about Austin-area high schools, he mentioned something about graduating in a year that was 7 years prior to the year I graduated. Ummm? Perhaps I mis-heard him when he mentioned his year of graduation. Also, I think he mentioned it on purpose to determine my year of high school graduation, and therefore my age.

Sarah & Matt, the married couple. Yeah, so there was a married couple at the singles group get-together. Apparently, if you meet your husband/wife in the group, the people in charge aren't too picky about whether you still attend events. This couple has been married for 3 years. Matt was really into sports, and an Aggie. Sarah was very nice, but a little odd. She mentioned that the group's last happy hour was at the Flying Saucer, but not well-publicized because some people felt the location was inappropriate. Evidently, the waitresses wear really short shorts? I've never noticed that about the place, so my response to her description was non-committal. Plus, I think she was trying to gauge my reaction to see which side of the fence I'd land on in the "debate." I suspect she was voting with the "inappropriates," although I couldn't tell exactly from her description. I'm in the "who cares" camp.

James, who has a crazy ex and sat just a liiiitle to close to me at dinner. I think I may have actually strained my back a little from leaning slightly away from him for that hour and a half dining experience. His crazy ex came to light when he received a phone call on his cell phone just as we'd all sat down. He looked at the caller ID, and excused himself to take the call. He was gone 10 - 15 minutes. When he returned, he apologized and said he would have to leave right after dinner and catch up with us all again at the after party. He said his daughter's mother had something come up that she needed to take care of, so he needed to go watch his (nine year old) daughter for a while. He took another call about 30 minutes later, which I assume was her again. It's a good thing James is not at all my tall, kind, handsome, funny, un-selfish, non-smoking, employed future husband, because those were some serious red flags going up on what his personal life might be like. He did leave dinner early and showed up again at the after-party a couple of hours later.

Two people on the list didn't show up. One lady hadn't responded to any of the emails, so I wasn't surprised that she wasn't there. The other lady had a family medical emergency, so she had to go out of town.

The dinner was pleasant, and my salad was delicious. Everyone but James and I had known each other for a while, so it was a little strange to be both new and the youngest person at dinner. (Okay, the married couple was probably only a couple of years older than me, but everyone else was at least 40.) I enjoyed the conversation, but didn't feel like I'd be developing friendships with anyone.

I did get a slight vibe from James that he was diggin' my chili, what with the close-sitting and attention-focusing. Right, did I mention that he seemed a little TOO interested in where I live? Dinner conversation turned to what part of town everyone lived in, and I talked about my new pink house. He asked what street I live on. Hey, stalker, thanks for stalking! Did I mention my fancy security alarm?? Luckily, I did not have to bust out a Sorry, But No type of speech for him. Probably, my spanx were cutting off some critical circulation and I mis-read the situation. It's only been, like, 10 years since I've been in the dating world, after all.

At nine o'clock, everyone left their dinners and converged at another member's house for dessert. I was so sad to see people busting out pre-packaged desserts. I mean, I love me some HEB sugar cookies with neon frosting, but if I'd been quicker on the email, I could've had an excuse to bake! Oh well.

When I arrived, there were only a few people at the house who weren't my fellow diners. I introduced myself around, and immediately got stuck with a fella I'll call Busy Bee. He was wearing a black and yellow-striped shirt, and he had stored up words for days to unleash on me. Seriously, I barely said Hello and My Name Is before he launched into a story that encompassed not only his day (doing yard work for the host and the week wacker broke but he didn't have the right tools and he strained his shoulder trying to take it apart but he eventually borrowed a tool from the neighbor and wasn't it hot out that day also be sure to never buy a certain brand of tool because they suck) but also his resume (WalMart for 28 days and also some state agency but more recently hauling stone all over Texas and did you know you can use your own car because some people do but it's a lot of wear and tear also there is some water based blah blah you can hook up to your car to make more fuel efficient but be sure you use a regulator because if you don't you'll flood your engine and when you open the hood the engine sure will be clean hahahaha). If I'd had anything to eat or drink--I hadn't even made it that far yet!--I would've pretended to choke to get away from him. I was intent on excusing myself as soon as he took a breather. . .but he never did.

At one point, a lady saw us talking and came over to introduce herself. Perhaps she noticed a slightly panicked look about me. Busy Bee shook hands with her, but never stopped talking. He barely even looked at her! (And she was wearing a fairly low-cut dress, too.) She stood there for a minute, looking back and forth between us. I kept nodding at her slightly, trying to use my eyebrows to telegraph that she should take my hand and lead me to safety, but she evidently didn't speak unruly eyebrow because she gave a little shrug and walked away.

So what seemed like elevently billion minutes later, when Busy Bee FINALLY took a breath, I told him I was going to get a drink and asked if he wanted anything. I. . .don't know why I even offered. What if he had followed me over there? Instead, he started talking about the desserts. And I walked away. I didn't even look back. And, I didn't see him for the rest of the evening. I'm going to assume he either cornered some other newbie or some of the veteran members--who I saw walking past while he was talking at me, giving me the ol' HAha look--were able to entertain him.

I busied myself at the dessert table (apple pie from Costco, ehh--but there was ice cream!) and grabbed the last seat at one of the card tables the host had set up to accomodate the 30 or so folks in attendance. I can't eat pie with ice cream standing up. The people sitting there looked nice, and they were. Kate was very energetic and outgoing, though I nearly managed to call her old. Again, it was a where did you grow up/go to high school conversation, and she mentioned that she attended the high school which my high school (senior year) boyfriend attended. I told her I knew a few people who went to that school, and she asked who they were. Somehow I managed to keep my foot out of my mouth and NOT tell her I was sure she didn't know them because they are my age, not hers. Instead, I dutifully named off a few people, who it turns out she didn't know. But I enjoyed talking to her about The Good HEB, shoe shopping, and how margaritas are made in MN. (Allegedly they add hazelnuts?!? News to me, and requiring of further investigation on my part.) I may have busted into her trying to make a love connection with Andrew, who was pleasant enough, and also slightly drunk. Here's hoping they see each other again sometime.

Speaking of seeing. . . At one point, one of the group members escorted over a blind man. She introduced him around, and got him a chair to sit with us. It was very loud in the room, and it made for a couple of awkward moments when he couldn't tell who was talking to who and thought someone might be asking him a question. Perfectly understandable, though, given the situation, and he seemed to enjoy talking to us regardless.

Close to 11, people started leaving all at once. I met a few more folks who I hadn't met during the party. (Yes, I totally plopped myself down equidistant from the wine and desserts and didn't move around at all to mingle.) The blind gentleman's ride came by, and he was saying goodbye to everyone. And there it was, my "It was nice to see you!"

ARGH! Like I couldn't have gone with "nice to meet you" or "nice to visit with you" or "have a nice rest of the weekend" or ANYTHING else, REALLY? It's a good thing he couldn't see the shade of beet red I turned after that idiotic remark. Luckily, I was pretty much out the door into the dark at that point. Maybe I can volunteer to bring a dessert and a big slice of Shut The Heck Up to the next party. I'll split my slice with Busy Bee.

The Things You Do

2009-09-25T11:34:00.004-05:00

I accidentally signed up to have dinner with seven strangers on Saturday night.

Let me back up: a few weeks ago, I emailed the membership coordinator and asked to join. . .let's call it My Religion Singles Group. . .at the church I grew up attending. The group volunteers for several charities the church supports (meals on wheels type groups, Capital Area Food Bank, etc.) and has regular social activities. The MRSG is one of two groups for non-married people at the church; the other is for an age group I'm a couple of years beyond. I thought it might be an opportunity to meet people and have a little bit more of a social life. (Let's make that A social life instead of Practically None.) Okay, who am I kidding? I thought perhaps there might be a tall, kind, handsome, funny fella near my age in the group who wants to marry me and have children, so I should probably go ahead and open myself up to meeting him.

Since I joined, MRSG has had two events that I've skipped. One was a housewarming party at a member's new house. It seemed weird to me to show up and meet people for the first time at someone's housewarming party. The next event was a planning meeting for future MRSG events. I debated about attending that one--I am quite the planner, both personally and professionally, so it seemed like I might fit right in. But. . .I thought it would be weird to show up to plan future events for a group where I don't know anyone and that I don't even know if I really want to belong. This would be where "seems weird" equals "feels uncomfortable" because I am actually quite shy and also holy crap could this lead to dating which is nice in theory but also means that some dude might see me naked eventually. And only one dude has seen me naked in the last, ohhh, ten(ish) years. (Of course that guy hasn't seen me naked in, like, at least eight months because he divorced me.)

Naturally, the next step was facebook searching. I checked around to see if I could find any of the members who were listed in the weekly newsletters, and I found three--all men. One of them is 12.5 years older than I am, and I am not exactly a young 'un. One of them looks 15 years older than I am, but congratulations to him for buying a new house! The third guy looks like he also might be in the 10 - 15 years older range, but he stood out to me because I had a tiny moment of panic when I saw his profession and thought he might work for the same company that employs me. Luckily, he wasn't in the company address book.

So maybe I don't want to belong to the group if they're all. . .old. Not that someone who is 10 years older than me is so over the hill, but is my tall, kind, handsome, funny, unselfish future husband ten years older than me? No, he isn't. Are any of my friends 10 to 15 years older than me? No, none of them. My best girlfriends are all pretty much my age. Even among their husbands, the oldest is only 7 or 8 years older than me. I think of it like this: let's say I'm 29. (Especially since that is the age I like to tell people I am, although it is not exactly true, ha!) Would I want to befriend/spend time with/date a 19 year old? I would not.

But back to the accidental dinner. The MRSG newsletter made several mentions of "Dinners for 8" starting up. In my head, this meant that they have a season (several months, maybe until next summer?) of monthly dinners. When you sign up to join the Dinners for 8 group, you get a list of months/dates and decide which month you are able to attend and if you would like to host. Everyone in the group is invited to an after-party, where dessert is served. Hosts volunteer, and if you aren't able to host, you can volunteer to co-host (provide food for a non-cooking host). I thought this would be a good way to get to know some people. My house is undergoing renovations, so I volunteered to co-host if anyone needed one. I was looking forward to seeing the list of dates available, and picking one that would give me some time to get a little more mentally and physically ready to meet a whole bunch of new people, including my possible future tall, kind, handsome, funny, unselfish, employed husband.

Yesterday, I received an email letting me know that I would be attending dinner at "Cathy's" house on Saturday night, with these six other guests, and I would hear from her soon to find out the details.

What. . .the. . .what??

I started reading back through the newsletter, and realized that I apparently skimmed over the actual information on the dinners in favor of inventing what I thought would be the process. Doh! Thank goodness the host wasn't expecting me to provide a meal for everyone.

Evidently, I have until Saturday night to put on my big girl panties and realize that meeting new people can be fun and totally not weird or scary. I can probably cowgirl up enough to not be totally shy and spend the evening sucking down wine and desserts instead of talking to strangers, right? Having such a short amount of time until the dinner will actually cut down on the time I have to worry about what I'll wear, or how my brow waxing appointment isn't for another week and a half, oh yeah and that's the same week I have my highlights appointment, but thank goodness I have a hair cut appointment tonight already, and am I getting a PMS zit right in the middle of my chin, oh dang it I didn't respond to the email in time and now I have to bring a stupid salad so I don't have my dessert-making charms to fall back on, plus where are my spanx because I totally haven't lost that extra 15 (or 20) pounds, and am I actually asking the internet for a SALAD recipe like I've never been to a potluck before?

Bring on the wine and desserts.

23: New Things + Other Things

2009-06-18T13:08:00.002-05:00

I don't think all of my "new things" will be restaurants I've never tried, but it's working out that way so far.

Two of my best girlfriends and their families live in NW Austin, and suggested Shandeez for an impromptu girls dinner last friday night. I didn't know what to expect, and was a little unsure about finding something I'd want to order. When I think "Persian Cuisine" I imagine a lot of lamb, which I don't eat. But I was pleasantly surprised that they had a lot of different options, and my chicken & beef plate was delicious. The meat was very tender and tasty. One of the gals did order a leg of lamb, and she enjoyed it. We were one of only two tables full of diners that evening (of course, it was 8pm when we arrived), so I'm hoping the place starts to attract more customers. I suspect you have to live in the neighborhood to know about it, because it's a little bit hidden in a strip center. Another great thing about Shandeez: it's BYOB. One of my friends had been out running errands before we met, so she was easily able to bring along one of the bottles of wine she'd picked up. I'd definitely go back.

*******

You know you're busy when your "to do" list has more than one item reading "make list of. . ." Wow, buying a house takes a lot of coordinating! I am hoping to close on Monday. Really, really hoping to close on Monday, since that's the date on my contract. Evidently, the bank (lender) is taking their own sweet time on the process right now. I've rescheduled a fridge delivery twice, and I have floor guys on stand-by. Hopefully, those floor guys will also be understanding about standing by to charge my credit card so that big ol' charge doesn't pop up and derail the closing process. Not that it would, necessarily. Still. Another test of my patience and desire to control everything. Life is a learning process.

*******

I've thought of a lot more things to swap out on my currently list o' 73, I just need to have a few minutes to finish revising. I saw another blog that had a "Life List." Similar idea, but no deadline. I think my next list might be something similar. I've seen other folks who list monthly goals on their blog, and I love that idea to stay on track.

23: New Things

2009-05-27T15:00:00.003-05:00

Last week I has plans to meet a girlfriend for dinner, and she suggested Santa Rita Tex-Mex Cantina. Time to try something new!

I think the restaurant is fairly new itself, and owned by the same people responsible for a couple of my favorites: 34th Street Cafe and Blue Star Cafeteria.

Anyway, I liked it. Service and food were good, and my pear margarita was not only very tasty but surprisingly pink. I'd have to try their queso to determine Santa Rita's ranking on my favorite Austin Tex-Mex spots list, and I hear their Tres Leches cake is divine, so I think a second trip there is in my future. On a day when I'm reaaaally hungry. Or, perhaps on a day when I feel like queso and cake for dinner. ha!

The Counter-Counter

2009-05-26T16:12:00.003-05:00

During the last installment of my real estate roller coaster ride, the seller was considering my offer and the other remaining offer. My agent called to let me know the seller had a counter offer proposal for me. Allegedly, the other offer was higher than mine, but they liked my offer better because I was putting down more of a down payment. So the owner (her son-in-law, actually) suggested I pay $1000 more and pay for the appraisal (which I'd asked them to pay for).

Well, $1000 more than my offer is ALL my money. Meaning, I have none left to replace their 1985 original dark salmon-colored carpet because I am not touching my tiny emergency fund. Ugly old carpet is not an emergency! And they're not offering an allowance for flooring. I said no. I said I'd pay for the appraisal, but not offer any more money. (Background: the appraisal would be about $400. If I offered $1000 more on the total house price, my down payment would be higher, and likely so would my monthly payment. Paying for the appraisal let me keep more $ in my pocket.) My agent called the owner's agent. The owner's agent called the owner. I felt like a hardball-playing pro!

Probably 20 minutes later, my agent called back to let me know they'd accepted my offer. Whooo!

The inspection was Friday morning. I was really nervous--I could tell the owner had taken good care of the house, but she was the original owner of 24 years. That's a long time, especially if things like the A/C were also original. Luckily, the inspection went really well. I got there about 30 minutes earlier than my agent, while the inspector was still. . .inspecting, so that I could take pictures and measurements. There were a bunch of tiny repairs needed, like caulking here and there, and three somewhat more major things that needed attention. I talked things over with my agent (and my mom, who is like a home improvement guru) and decided to ask the owner to take care of two of the items: treatment for the beginning of a carpenter ant invasion, and fixing a slow leak visible on the foundation along the outside of the house at the laundry room.

We presented the requests to the owner, and I had to wait until Saturday night to find out that they accepted and agreed. Whoooo!

It's starting to look like I'm going to be the proud owner of a Pink House in two to three weeks. I should be officially under contract by midnight on Thursday. Fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly from there--I took a wildly optimistic (for me) step of buying a refrigerator on Monday (tax free weekend for home appliances that are energy star rated). Sure, I could always cancel the order, but I'm trying to think positive. And think Pink!

Get Your Tickets

2009-05-19T12:55:00.003-05:00

I am riding a real estate rollercoaster!

So the Pink House offer went in (competing with two other offers) on Monday morning. The home owner is an elderly lady (who has owned the home since it was built), and she's moved on to California to live with family there. Her agent had to call her Monday evening so that one of her family members would be home to help explain the offers to her.

This morning, I found out she chose a different offer. Allegedly, the offer she selected was more attractive than mine because they were suggesting an earlier closing date that I chose. I don't know whether I believe that, or not. My agent and I chose a closing date that's quick, but allowed time for my fantastic mortgage guy to get everything in order on the finance side. Anyway, I heard the news, felt a little down, but started thinking about moving forward and the next steps I'd take.

Then my agent called back a few hours later. The person whose offer was accepted changed their mind. Now, the home owner's agent is going to talk to her again this evening and ask her to pick between my offer and the other remaining offer.

Interesting tidbit: my paternal grandmother lived in a pink house. Grandmother B loved pink. The exterior of her house was light pink, with darker pink trim. Inside her pink house, there were pink rugs and pink wallpaper (with gold accents). Some of the wood furniture even had a pink glow. Grandfather B was a very understanding, accomodating, and wonderful man. If his sweetie wanted a pink house, by golly, he'd live there and not say a word about it.

If I end up owning the Pink House, I won't be keeping the pink, but I'll always know there's pink underneath. And that will make me smile.

Pink Houses for You and Me

2009-05-17T18:27:00.002-05:00

I'm making an offer on a pink house today. It's not PINK like the picture, but there's no mistaking the current owner's favorite color.

Especially considering the color of the carpet I'll be ripping out if I end up getting the house. Yep, dark pink.

There are two other offers, but I'm not feeling anxious about it. If this is The House, I'll get it. If not, I'll keep looking. (And hoping something comes up SOON.)

More List Edits

2009-05-15T16:20:00.003-05:00

A few more edits to the Big List:

16. Clean out closet & donate to Goodwill at least twice a year. (2/4 times)
I'm keeping this item, since I definitely have more to clean out.

17. Photograph & document all belongings for insurance, print photos & keep in safe.
I'm thinking about getting a safe deposit box, since my safe is small (and easy to pick up and steal). But, this item will be completed when I move, safe deposit box or not.

18. Sell car.
19. Buy new car.
It doesn't look like a new car purchase will be in my financial plan before the end of this year, so instead I'm going to change these to work-related items:
18. Consistently arrive at the office (butt in office chair) by :45.
19. Then, make arriving at the office by :30 a new habit.

20. Clean out car (including trunk!) and keep in guest-passenger-worthy shape for six months.
My car has been guest-passenger-worthy for a while now, but the trunk is still full of random crap. Time to clean that out and cross this off the list!

21. Clean out and organize pantry, maintain organization for 730 days.
Already done.

22. Select, print, and frame photos for decoration.
Done, when staging the house for sale.

23. Wear false eyelashes.
I already wanted to change this one, since I realized I actually have fairly long eyelashes anyway. The new #23 will be: Try six new things. (0/6) I am a total creature of habit, so I want to push my comfort zone. These six might be new places to eat, new places to shop, or anything new. I'm pretty excited about this one.

24. Go to the gun range.
I initially added this to the list because the XH always said I never wanted to go to the range w/ him. My recollection is not being invited. We won't be going to the range together now, but I'd like to go at least once with my mom.

25. Buy red shoes.
Love my red shoes, want more.

26. Replace all old bras and panties.
Work in progress, still want to complete.

27. Learn Photoshop Elements.
Bought a book, need to do more hands-on tinkering.

28. Create vacation photo albums.
29. Create wedding/engagement photo album.
I think instead, I'll:
28. Select favorite vacation photos, copy and save for future framing.
29. Take family photos. (Either I'll take them, or find someone to take pics of me with my parents, brother and his family.)

30. Submit a photo to Cute Overload.
Done! Even though the powers that be at C.O. didn't think my kitty was publication worthy, he is still willing to be one of my favorite models. ha!

#31: Reading

2009-05-08T15:38:00.003-05:00

Wow, I've already read 13 books I haven't mentioned!

I've been keeping my list up to date on Goodreads, but for the sake of posterity, here's the list and a very very brief review of each:

1. Called Out of Darkness: Started sloooow. Ann Rice's interesting perspective as she goes from a strict Catholic to a non-believer then back to the Church.

2. Living Dead in Dallas: I like this Southern Vampire Series enough to check it out from the library when it's available, read it quickly, and check for the next one on my next library trip.

3. Death in a Strange Country: Commissario Guido Brunetti detective series. Some of this series I like more than others, but overall enjoyable.

4. The Last Queen: Book Club Selection. Interesting & well-written, though violent parts were unpleasant to read.

5. Dressed for Death: More Commissario Brunetti. I wonder if people who have been to Venice recognize the locales described?

6. The Ladies of Grace Adieu: Collection of fairy tales. Liked some more than others, but none enough to read again.

7. Outlander: The first book of the series has me hooked. Stayed up WAY past my bedtime reading this one.

8. The Grift: Book Club Selection. Liked, would read other books by this author.

9. Club Dead: Another Sookie Stackhouse book. Pretty good.

10. Up in Honey's Room: Elmore Leonard is one of my favorite authors. That man can really turn a phrase. This isn't my favorite book of his, but it was pretty good all the same.

11. Death and Judgment: Commissario Brunetti. Half of a 2 books for $1 score at Half Price Books.

12. Acqua Alta: Commissario Brunetti. Second half of aforementiond HPB score.

13. One Thousand White Women: Book Club Selection. Enjoyed, did not love.

And now I'm about 50 pages into Dragonfly In Amber. I'm going to try not to stay up into the wee hours reading it this weekend!

Wanted: New Home (#15)

2009-05-05T17:31:00.003-05:00

It isn't always easy for me to remeber this important life lesson: ask for what you want.

I want a new (to me) house. So I'm going to put this out into the universe--or at least out into the internet--and continue to work on remaining patient that my house is out there, and I'll find it soon enough.

I want a new house in one of my four favorite zip codes. Honestly, my first choice of neighborhoods far surpasses the rest, and it's only become my favorite neighborhood in the last month or so. The fourth choice zip code doesn't wow me, but I'm trying to keep an open mind.

I want a new house that I can afford. I've analyzed my budget, I've worked with the mortgage guy, and I know my absolute max. I won't go over that amount. I can't go over that amount!

I want a new house with at least three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Would I love an extra half bath if it works with the floor plan? Sure. If the house has a tiny fourth bedroom, fine. I just don't want a small master bedroom. I'll be moving a brand new king-sized bed into that room, and I need some space.

I want a new house with an open kitchen and at least average-sized living room. I've finally accepted that the kitchen where I live now is a place most people only dream about, especially anywhere near that price range. My current kitchen is easily twice the size of the kitchens of most people I know. My pantry is a walk-in closet under the stairs. I love it all. But it's closed off to the small living room. In my new house, I'm willing to accept an average-sized kitchen (just not a really tiny one, like a few I've seen) and hope it's more open. I think a good trade-off for a non-enormous kitchen is an average-sized living room. Someday I'll have more than just the couch from my college apartment and my t.v., and I want some extra space for those things.

I want a new house that's at least the size (square footage and lot size) of the place where I live now. It's not huge, and a small yard will be more managable for me and my total lack of gardening skills.

I want a new house where the master bedroom is not on the front of the house. A few of the places I've looked at are laid out so that the master is off to one side of the front door. Maybe it's just a weird personal preference or I'm being paranoid about my safety, but I don't like it. If the master was upstairs and facing the street, I might consider it. The room I'm sleeping in now is upstairs and faces the street. It's also right above the garage and not so pleasant when the garage door is opened while I'm sleeping. I'd have to otherwise love my new house to accept an upstairs front-of-house master bedroom.

I want a new house that isn't the nicest house on the street. I'm probably going to be selling my new house in a few/several years, and I don't want to have a hard time because the rest of the houses on the street don't measure up. I also don't want shady neighbors. One of the houses on the street where I live now is totally bringing the market down with her yard full of crappy decorations. Seriously: fake flowers in pots + dirty "flags" on little sticks are just the beginning in her yard.

I want a new house that doesn't need a ton of renovations. I'm willing, able, and experienced in things like painting or removing wallpaper. But my budget and lack of handyman skills lead me to seek a house where I can do small renovations over time. I don't want a new house where I have to rip out and replace the tubs and toilets just to be able to live there. (Yep: been there, seen that, left sadly.)

Doesn't seem like too much to ask, does it?

Time for a New List!

2009-05-04T10:29:00.002-05:00

Looks like it only took me about half of my 25 songs/things list to get bored with it and start ignoring it. Oh well!

Now it's time for a new list! I'm revising my 73 goals list, and plan to start an entirely new list on my anticipated "finish" date on mid-October 2009. I have a feeling the current list may be a little bit of a work in progress, but that seems to be a theme for my life right now, so I'm going to go with it! I'll be working on the list a bit at a time, so I won't be changing all of it, or even all of it at once. Here's what I've got so far:

1. Go on a date.
I haven't been on a date with someone new since the end of 1997. At the very least, this item should yield an interesting story.

2. Invest for retirement beyond 401K.
I still hope to do this, although it will have to be a very small investment for a while.

3. Create a master list with all “in case of emergency” information (including vehicle & bank account info) to keep in safe.
I'm thinking about getting a safe deposit box, since my safe is small and easy to carry off.

4. Spend quality time with nephews at least once a month.
This item is going great, and I'm definitely planning to continue.

5. Finish wedding CD for M before April 08.
FAIL! I need to figure out if any of the participants are still wanting to do this. I have one hold-out who may never turn in her materials.

6. Finish baby M gift before Sept. 08.
FAIL! Since baby M is going to have a baby sister in the next week or so, I need to figure out if the other participants in this mind if I complete it a little differently than planned.

7. Buy cloth grocery sacks to eliminate plastic sack use.
Done!

8. Buy cute lunch bag (see above).
Done!

9. Cook dinner (and sides!) at least four times a month (0/22).
I stopped keeping track on my previous goal once I got behind, so I've scaled this back a bit to compensate for the fact that I'm not interested in doing a lot of cooking right now. But it's good to stay in practice, and hopefully make it a habit once I'm living on my own.

10. Organize all loose recipes.
Still want to do this.

11. Bake a loaf of bread or other goodie using yeast.
Still want to do this.

12. Revise 5 grill recipes for the stove top. (0/5)
Once I move, I won't have access to a grill. It's just not at the top of my "need to purchase" list. I am hoping some favorite recipes can be translated.

13. Meet with mortgage broker.
Done! My mortgage guy is awesome.

14. Put house on market in spring 2008.
Well, the house went on the market at the end of January, so I'm crossing this off my list.

15. Buy new home that I love.
A huge priority right now. I refuse to settle for just any house; I think it's important for me to find a place that I really like and won't regret buying. I made an offer on a house a couple of weeks ago that I ended up having to withdraw (potential structural issues with the roof), but I'm still looking all the time. Homes in my price range in my preferred areas are somewhat scarce, but if I find that I no longer can live where I do now, I have a back-up temporary living option that will be fine while I continue to look. In the meantime, I'm just wishing and hoping the right place gets listed soon!

14 of 25

2009-04-13T13:19:00.003-05:00

Song 14: Ramble On/Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Lisa Tingle, Hidden Track on Live at the Lucky Lounge)

Somewhere Over the Rainbow reminds me of the Wizard of Oz, which I was obsessed with as a little girl. I don't know if it was those wonderful red sparkly shoes, or the Good Fairy, or what, but I thought it was magical. My junior high school did a production of the play in theatre arts class, and I played Glenda. . .the part of Dorothy went to a gal who could actually sing. My mom made my costume, which was pink and fluffy and shimmery, and more than made up for the fact that I didn't get to wear ruby red slippers.

But the first thing I think about when I think about the Wizard of Oz is my imaginary dog. When I was 5 or 6, I wanted a dog just like Toto. So I pretended to have a dog named Toto. Until one day, when I came home from school, and there was a real live Toto dog in my backyard. (Toto was a stray who ran over to my mom in the grocery store parking lot, and she decided to bring him home until our family could decide what to do with him.) I was always a pretty happy kid, but the day I came home to find my imaginary dog come to life? Best. Day. Ever!

13 of 25

2009-04-08T17:16:00.003-05:00

Song 13: Elephant Tears (Ian Moore, Got the Green Grass)

When I first started dating K, he had nearly shoulder-length hair. His favorite hobbies (obsessions, really) were and still are singing, songwriting and guitar-playing.

My BFF's little brother started calling K "Ian Moore" when they first met, and the nickname stuck in that group of friends. K cut his hair short not long after we got engaged--the first time I'd ever seen him in person with shorter than chin-length hair. Through the years, he would grow it out and shave it off to donate. The last time he went short will also be the last time I cut his hair: I cut and trimmed him near our fourth anniversary. (We'd done the same thing on our third anniversary.) In February of this year, a few weeks after he told me he wanted a divorce, he shaved his own head.

Elephant tears tracking
softly down his face
All the pain he couldn't place
someone had to take the fall
Didn't look close enough to see
that this elephant was me

Looks like Ian Moore is keeping his hair short these days, too. He and K look even more alike now that they have nearly the same haircut. Although K doesn't have dimples.

12 of 25

2009-04-06T16:36:00.003-05:00

Almost halfway done, hooray! I'm really dragging this out, eh?

Song 12: Coast of Malabar (Chieftans, The Long Black Veil)

My dad loves the Chieftans. I don't know if it's his interest in string instruments, folksy music, or all things Ireland, but the Chieftans are at the top of his list. I've gone to see them with him twice, and both times they put on a great show. I always enjoy their guest artists, too--especially the tap dancers. Now, I'm not talking about the kids who do irish dancing, or any Lord of The Dance business. I've seen some superb tap dancers on their tour, and thinking about them has definitely inspired me to consider dusting off my (ancient, rusty) tap skills and take a class. Maybe this is my year!

11 of 25

2009-03-31T15:54:00.003-05:00

Song 11: One Way or Another (Blondie, Greatest Hits)

"One way, or another, I'm gonna find ya

I'm gonna getcha, getcha, getcha, getcha. . ."

Quite a little stalker song, eh? So I joined facebook a couple of weeks ago, and naturally one of the first things I did was look up old boyfriends or fellas I had a crush on back in the day. Here's how it went:

P: Fourth grade crush. Went to school with him from elementary through high school. He's now a single doctor living in Colorado who regularly participates in triathalons and adventure races in places like Indonesia. Wow. Considering adding him as a friend even though his status updates are probably like: "P ran 30 miles this morning before saving 2 lives" and mine are like "is thinking about buying a new vacuum."

Other P: Sixth through Tenth grade crush. Not on FB. But his sister is, and she's friends with my SIL (who finally stopped ignoring me and accepted my friend request. Allegedly, she just hadn't been on FB in a while. Suuuuure.).

C: Senior year of high school boyfriend. We broke up to go to different colleges, and he became best friends with a guy I went to high school with so I've randomly seen him a few times over the years. (Including one very memorable time when neither of us was dating anyone and we totally made out.) He's living in Austin and seems to have a girlfriend but I don't think they're married. If there was anyone on this list who I was considering contacting with the idea of dating, it would be him. He is just as cute as ever. Don't know if I'll contact him or not. Also, there is one thing that isn't so stellar about C that I'm a little ashamed to admit: if I did contact him and he was single and we started dating and fell in love and got married, I would feel bad about having to seriously consider changing my last name to his because his last name is awful.

D: Apparently, his name is more common that I though. He's on page 11 of dudes with his name. Wow. Freshman year of college boyfriend. I wouldn't recognize him if he walked past me on the street, he looks so different. I only knew it was him for sure because I remembered his sister's name. She's in Austin, he doesn't list a city. Probably won't get in touch with him, unless I get a really wild hair.

R: Sophmore year of college boyfriend. Not on FB, probably in jail.

K: Sophmore year of college crush. Doesn't seem to be married, but does seem to be dating the girl he was dating in college when I had a crush on him. Although, he has a type, so it could just be some other blonde. Lives in Dallas, likely won't get in touch.

S: Junior year of college boyfriend. Can't find him, possibly because of a somewhat common name. I know his sister's name, too, but that didn't help. Won't contact him--he thought it would be okay to ask me for one of my friend's numbers after he dumped me and that is just not cool. (I am not bitter, though I was at the time.)

T: Senior year of college crush. Couldn't remember his last name until I recognized him on the friend list of an old friend's little brother who I am not FB or real life friends with (and that is a whole 'nuther story, actually). T lives in Georgia and looks exactly like Luke Wilson now. I didn't know it would be possible for him to be hotter than he was in college, but hubba hubba. He seems to be single. He was a little mean to me when he found out I had a crush on him, so I won't be getting in touch with him. (He'd probably be like, "Who??")

K: Fella I married, and who is divorcing me a little over 4 years later. In fact, our divorce is final on Thursday. I knew he was on FB, he doesn't know that I am. I doubt he would look for me under my maiden name, or even at all. If he did find me and ask to be FB friends (since he keeps telling me he wants to be friends in real life), I would say no.

10 of 25

2009-03-26T17:38:00.005-05:00

Song 10: Again (Lenny Kravitz, Greatest Hits)

Lately, I've been thinking about someone I will never see again.

I met M in 1996, in class at UT. It was a small class, and the first night we went around the room introducing ourselves. During his introduction, he mentioned his "partner," who was living and working out of state. Later, a few folks from the class--strangers until that evening--decided to get drinks at nearby bar. I went, and M was part of the group. Someone in the group mentioned that they thought it must be difficult for M to have a long-distance relationship, and what did his partner do? How long had he lived out of state? Would M be joining him there after graduation at the end of the semester? Turns out M's partner was a woman with a man's name, and we all laughed and laughed over our assumptions.

I got to know a few people in the class, and our small group of 5 or so became close. We'd regularly go drinking on Wednesday nights after class, and end up hanging out most other nights of the week, too. Slowly, through conversations about everything from math (his major, my lack of advanced skills) to roommates (my crazy one, his cute one I was crushing on), we became best friends.

Of course we flirted a little, sometimes. He liked to announce that he was certain we'd been married in another life, and I liked to tease him about how all the girls in our class were jealous that he wasn't spending time with them. I almost never thought about being attracted to him in a romantic way--not that he wasn't handsome. He was exactly my height, with flaming red hair that he liked to rake his hands through when he was tired or exasperated. But he had his on/off girlfriend living out of state, and I was dazzled by his roommate who was tall and ignored me.

Our small group started celebrating the end of the semester early. Actually, since we were out of class, we just started drinking before the sun went down. One night, we'd been drinking mint juleps for a couple of hours and decided we needed to put our feet in the ocean. Our buddy S was the most sober of the crew, and he volunteered to drive. Four of us piled into his car with bottles of wine and a cooler of beer and set off into the night. I sat in the back with C, my only girlfriend in the group, and we giggled and gossiped while the boys up front had their own conversation. It was dark by then, and the windows were down. I had no idea where we were going, or what time we'd get there. The world beyond the car didn't exist for me. We passed the bottles of wine around, with only S abstaining. M asked C to switch seats with him; he told her that he wanted to talk with me for a while.

The car was loud with the wind streaming in off the highway. M and I sat with our heads close together, laughing about our crazy adventure. We were probably telling jokes and refusing to hand the wine bottle up to the front seat. C kept turning around to try and join in our conversation, but we refused to shout so she could hear us. Eventually, we ignored her and she gave up.

M got quiet not long after that. He stared at me like he was trying to see through me. I started to ask him what was wrong, but he cut me off with a kiss. I kissed him back without thinking--a long, passionate kiss. When our faces broke apart, my shocked look must have mirrored his own. He started quietly apologizing and we scooted apart to seperate corners of the back seat.

My mind was reeling. M was my best friend! Holy crap the kiss was amazing! But. . .the girlfriend? And how very drunk am I! Was our friendship over? What was he thinking? What was he thinking NOW?

We stopped at a gas station to fill up, and C and I went to the ladies room. She quizzed me about what was going on in the back seat--she'd seen us kiss. She asked many of the same questions I'd asked myself, finally realizing neither of us had answers. When we went back to the car, M was already sitting in the front seat. So that's how it is now, I thought. I began to consider that I may have lost him.

But not long after we got back on the highway, M asked C to switch again. She told him she'd switch for a kiss. He looked at me, turned to her, and kissed her on cheek. They climbed over the seats again, and he settled in next to me just like before. I wanted to talk to him about what had happened, but all I could manage was "hey."

And then he was kissing me again. We kissed the rest of the way to the beach. We kissed standing in the pitch black ocean, stumbling in the uneven sand as we tried to find our way in the dark back to the car. We kissed in the car until we passed out just before sunrise. We only ever kissed.

Back in the real world, we never talked about what happened. We started to drift apart and talk less now that we didn't see each other in class. The girlfriend was on again, and moving back to Austin. Eventually, we didn't talk at all.

I saw him a couple of times over the next few years. I was friends with his brother, who was with me the night I met my future husband. I heard that M married the girlfriend and moved back to where she'd lived on her own for a year. I kept up with our mutual friends, meeting up for drinks occasionally. I heard that M and the wife moved back to Austin, and I saw and talked to him a couple of times when we accidentally ended up in the same places.

Then M died in 2001. By then, I'd fallen out of touch with the entire group from class. Except S, whose name I'd run across a few months earlier. We'd emailed a few times and met for drinks a once or twice. We never really talked about that semester, though. S was the one who told me. He'd left me a couple of voicemails one day while I was at work, asking me to call him as soon as I could. He told me that M killed himself. I didn't believe him, and he didn't believe it, either. He thought that M may have accidentally OD'd. I never knew M to take anything stronger than asprin. The M I knew loved his life.

I didn't attend the funeral, or the wake. I never heard from S again, and I didn't pursue contact with him, either. I'd called C after S told me the news, because he asked me to. I hadn't talked to her in at least a year and we simply didn't talk again after the call.

Earlier this week, I was in the cafeteria of the building next door pouring my usual afternoon iced tea. On my way out, a fella in a brown suit caught the door in front of me and held it open. As I looked up to say "thanks" I recognized S. But I just kept walking.

9 of 25

2009-03-26T13:09:00.003-05:00

Song 9: King of the Road (Roger Miller, Swingers Soundtrack)

This song gets stuck in my head really easily. I just have to see the title, and there it goes. Same thing for certain other songs--I don't know how or why, but if I even see the name of a certain dry cleaner in Austin, or a particular sub shop with an annoying special, there goes their song in my head. Sometimes it lasts for days.

I like to share whatever song is stuck in my head with my co-workers. Not by singing it, of course, but I like to spread ear-worm misery like that. They get me back, though. One guy periodically asks me to guess where he's headed after work. The cleaners with the head-sticking jingle, of course. Argh!!

8 of 25

2009-03-23T14:36:00.002-05:00

Song 8: The Waiting (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Greatest Hits)

"The waiting is the hardest part. . ."

Seriously, this could be my personal motto right now. I'm in a period of transition in my life, and part of that transition is finding a house to buy. I've been looking since the end of January, and I've looked at every house in the area I'd like to live (a 3 - 4 zip code zone in north Austin/south Round Rock) with no luck. There have been a couple of houses that I've been initially excited about, but then they ended up not being The House for one reason or another. For example, I'd like a house with a master bathroom large enough where I don't have to stand in the shower to close the bathroom door. And I don't think it's too much to ask to want a kitchen with more cabinets than my last college apartment.

According to my very patient and helpful realtor, in the next six weeks there will be tons of houses listed that might work for me. I am SO ready to move on, and I'm sick of waiting. Meanwhile, I'm stalking all the house listings I can find. There is a house that I saw last week that I'm going to have to seek out in person--the address isn't included in the listing. Looks like I'll be driving around my favorite neighborhood (which is HUGE) to see if the mystery house is in an area I'd like. Sure, the house is $3000 higher than the high part of the range I've been looking in, but we're in a recession, right? (And why not ask my realtor to find an address? I want to find out on my own what the street is like and how the house appraises before I waste time with a showing. Might as well not get my hopes up if the houses all around it are crappy.)

But! I'm also trying to use this process as a learning experience. Too often, I settle for something that's almost right or not quite right just because I get irritated or frustrated with the wait/search. (The contents of my closet are an excellent example of that problem.) Also, as a person who loves to plan and know what's next, this is a good opportunity for me to try and relax a little bit and not stress out about knowing where I'm going to live next. If my current house sells before I find a new one, I'll deal with it; I have options. Personal growth. . .it's like I'm an actual adult or something.

7 of 25

2009-03-20T15:51:00.002-05:00

Song 7: Blame (Doyle Bramhall II & Smokestack, Welcome)

I decided to use Lent as a time to try and not blame someone in my life--and to try and forgive them--so I can't really go where this song leads me.

Instead, I'll say that at about 5'8"ish, Doyle Bramhall II is short, compared to me. I'm 5'10" barefoot, and I tend to enjoy wearing heels. Today's heels, for example, are a pair of 3-inch Nine West Mary Janes I bought a few years ago. They're actually quite comfortable, especially since I'm wearing a pair of pants I need hemmed. . .which would otherwise be totally dragging the ground.

Is it any wonder that "tall" is close to the top of my "Perfect Guy" list? The shortest fella I ever dated was in college, and he was 5''11". I just generally don't find men who are shorter than six feet tall attractive. They make me feel like a giant, and I prefer someone with whom I can feel like a normal-sized human.

6 of 25

2009-03-16T16:15:00.003-05:00

Song 6: Jungle Love (Steve Miller Band, Greatest Hits 1974 - 78)

". . .it's drivin' me mad; it's makin' me crazy. . ."

In honor of song number six, I'll list six things that are currently annoying the beejezus out of me:

1. Someone I work with makes popcorn every day about 3pm. Our entire office area (30 offices + 20ish cubicles) smells like popcorn, and people who come in for meetings actually comment on how strong the smell is. I appreciate the desire for a healthy snack, but how about taking into consideration the smell your snack is releasing?

2. Cold temperatures in the morning + very warm temperatures in the afternoon/evening = wardrobe confusion. Today I'm wearing boots, leggings, and a wrap dress but I know I'll be hot when I leave work. At least the powers that be are generous enough to keep the temp at 60, so I can just dress for cooler weather all year 'round.

3. Of course the new roof at home is being installed on my day off tomorrow. I am thrilled to park on the street since there will evidently be some sort of dumpster in the driveway. I'm excited to try and figure out the best way to exist the house to avoid falling debris. Grrr.

4. There's a radio/tv commercial for a local company that has been in heavy rotation lately, and any time I even think the name of the company, their jingle gets in my head and won't go away for days. Like, I'll try and see that annoying Five Dollar Foot-long commercial just to get it out of my head.

5. Someone removed me from their mass e-mail forward list about a month ago, and I was thrilled to have their elderly/lawyer/blonde/etc. "joke" forwards no longer clogging up my email box. Except that another person on the list has decided to forward me the forwards. . .I guess so I don't feel left out? Leave me out, person! I am no longer part of that group!

6. My brother's wife appears to be ignoring my friend request on FB. WTF, SIL? It's not like we're best friends, but seriously.

Ahhh. . .venting is a good way to dial down the stress!

5 of 25

2009-03-13T15:43:00.006-05:00

Song 5: Love Me (Elvis Presley, 2nd to None)

I name my cars. My first car was a red Mazda 323, back before Mazda 323s were hatchback-only. His name was Sparky. Sparky lived a good life with me for a year of high school, all of college, and about a year of the real world until a speeding lady t-boned the Sparkster and me in an intersection.

My second car was a green Honda Civic, the sporty kind--I even had a (factory) spoiler on the back. I bought it on Elvis' birthday, so I decided to name that car Elvis. Elvis saved my life two days before my brother's wedding, when the driver of a huge truck got distracted and didn't notice me sitting in front of him or the stop light where I was parked. He didn't even slow down until his truck started to crush Elvis. Luckily, Elvis took the brunt of the impact and I actually walked away from the accident. Sure, my right shoulder was sprained (from the seat back slamming forward into the steering wheel) but I lived. And I can't say the same for Elvis' trunk and back seat--they were smashed flat.

My current car is a lady. Her name is Marino, because as soon as I saw the Honda color Red Marino, I knew I had to have a car that beautiful red. She's been with me for the past six and a half years, but this may be the year that I trade her in. If not, at least she's still running strong. . .at 114,000+ miles, too!

4 of 25

2009-03-12T13:20:00.003-05:00

Song 4: So Wrong (Patsy Cline, 12 Greatest Hits)

Oddly enough, I don't remember this song at all. So, instead, I'll have to talk about the time in my life when I got Patsy Cline's 12 Greatest Hits CD.

I was a sophmore or junior in college, and lived with a gal with whom I went to high school. Actually, I'd be in school with her since elementary, but wasn't really friends with her until high school. Her first year of college, she went to University of Michigan, hated it, and decided to transfer to UT. Her parents bought a condo/apartment on West Campus (good ol' 28th and Rio Grande) and we became roommates.

At first, everything went well. We got along, became friends (and/or girlfriends) of guys from a fraternity down the street, got to know a couple of neighbors in our small and surprisingly quiet complex. And then she went crazy. By our junior year, she barely spoke to me. I don't even remember a specific argument, I just remember her stalking off into her bedroom one day and almost never coming out. We communicated via notes on the fridge, something we'd started when we first moved in together. Our last year of college, I don't remember ever hearing a word from her, and I think I saw her once, on her way into her bedroom. Somewhere at my mom's house, there's a huge 3-inch notebook full of fridge notes. Perhaps they'd lend a clue to the roomie's behavior.

I know she even cut off contact with a mutual friend of ours who was her best friend growing up--a gal whose family lived next door to hers. Another mutual high school friend thought she graduated from UT and went to grad school in Chicago. Last I heard, roomie was a lawyer in Dallas. I'm probably going to have to stalk her on Facebook now. Just to see!

3 of 25

2009-03-10T16:41:00.003-05:00

Song 3: With or Without You (U2, the Best of 1980 - 1990)

This song was released in 1987. One of the remarkable things that happened in 1987 was the stock market crash known as Black Monday, which was October 19th. From the wikipedia article: "Debate as to the cause of the crash still continues many years after the event, with no firm conclusions reached."

Brace yourselves, because I'm going to solve the mystery: October 19, 1987 was my thirteenth birthday.

You heard it here, first. Is it any surprise, really, that I regularly tell people I was born in 1980?

2 of 25

2009-03-05T21:42:00.003-06:00

Song 2: Come What May (Nicole Kidman & Ewan McGregor, Moulin Rouge)

Hmm, this is a tough one. It's a little embarrassing that I own the Moulin Rouge soundtrack--especially since it's a two CD set. I usually hate girly or cheesy movies, but I really liked Moulin Rouge. Possibly because of that cutie-pie Ewan McGregor.

A lot of the songs from the movie are current songs sung in a different style. Like the tango version of "Roxanne" in Moulin Rouge. I've realized that many of the songs in my ipod are songs that have been covered by new performers in a different style than the original--and those are some of my favorites. The Recliners are (were?) a local band that I first heard in college, and even hired them for my wedding. They sing typical lounge-style songs like Frank Sinatra selections, but they also cover current songs in a lounge style. . .like "Back in Black" and "Fight For Your Right (to Party)." I also have a couple of CDs of hair band music covered acoustically (by the original artist). All favorites! Hmm. . .maybe I just like 80's songs re-done in different styles because I love 80's music. ha!

1 of 25

2009-03-04T22:38:00.005-06:00

Several friends have been doing the 25 Things About Me list that's been going around the internet from Facebook, and even though I haven't jumped on the FB bandwagon, I saw an interesting take on the idea that I am hoping will get me back into blogging.

Instead of just making a list of 25 things about me--which I imagine would be pretty easy, because who doesn't like to talk about themself?--I am going to hit up my ipod. I'll shuffle the songs, and use whatever comes up to inspire me to divulge something about myself. Like the idea? Try it! Here's my list:

Song 1: Chorus (Erasure, Pop! First 20 Hits)
Song 2: Come What May (Nicole Kidman & Ewan McGregor, Moulin Rouge)
Song 3: With or Without You (U2, the Best of 1980 - 1990)
Song 4: So Wrong (Patsy Cline, 12 Greatest Hits)
Song 5: Love Me (Elvis Presley, 2nd to None)
Song 6: Jungle Love (Steve Miller Band, Greatest Hits 1974 - 78)
Song 7: Blame (Doyle Bramhall II & Smokestack, Welcome)
Song 8: The Waiting (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Greatest Hits)
Song 9: King of the Road (Roger Miller, Swingers Soundtrack)
Song 10: Again (Lenny Kravitz, Greatest Hits)
Song 11: One Way or Another (Blondie, Greatest Hits)
Song 12: Coast of Malabar (Chieftans, The Long Black Veil)
Song 13: Elephant Tears (Ian Moore, Got the Green Grass)
Song 14: Ramble On/Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Lisa Tingle, Hidden Track on Live at the Lucky Lounge)
Song 15: Rebel Yell (Billy Idol, 80's Hits Stripped)
Song 16: The Boxer (Simon & Garfunkel, The Concert in Central Park)
Song 17: More Than Words (Extreme, AHS Class Reunion CD)
Song 18: Joy of My Life (??, Wedding Tribute CD)
Song 19: Dance Hall Days (Wang Chung, Living in Oblivion)
Song 20: The Way You Look Tonight (Frank Sinatra, The Very Best of Frank Sinatra)
Song 21: Slow Ride (Beastie Boys, Licensed to Ill)
Song 22: 88 Lines About 44 Women (The Nails, Living in Oblivion)
Song 23: Rehab (Amy Winehouse, Back to Black)
Song 24: Ordinary World (Duran Duran, Greatest Hits)
Song 25: Shape I'm In (Arc Angels, Arc Angels)

So, Erasure. . ."Go ahead with your dreamin'. . ."
I typically remember my dreams when I wake up. So in high school, we have off-campus lunch. Once a week or so, my group of friends would go to Sonic--allegedly the only Sonic in American where you could go in, sit down, and order at the table--and I'd split a Brown Bag Special with my friend Melanie. We'd each have a burger, fries, and mints. Every night after my Sonic lunch, I'd have horrible nightmares, and of course I always remembered them. So, I did a very scientific experiment where I left out different items in my usual Sonic lunch to see what might be causing the nightmares. Turns out it was the fries + mint combo that gave me nightmares.

#31 Reading

2009-02-10T17:43:00.003-06:00

Wowie, I've read SIX books since I last updated my # of books read on my poor little neglected blog. I've officially made it past my goal (36) with about 9 months to go until the end of my 730 days. Hooray for me!

And thank goodness for goodreads. It's been an easy way to keep track of what I'm reading as well as see what other people are enjoying (or not).

Here's the line-up:

Queen of the Road (fun, funny, exactly what I was in the mood to read at the time)
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Everything is Illuminated (read for book club, didn't really like)
Haroun & the Sea of Stories (another book club selection, enjoyable)
Already Dead
The Reincarnationist

A couple of nights ago, I started Lisey's Story. I've only read a chapter each night before I go to bed so far, though, so it might take me a while to get through this one.

Little Fella. . .

2009-02-03T18:21:00.000-06:00

Wow, 2009 is not turning out at all like I'd imagined. More news on that, later. First, a few things about the little fella (nephew #2, who turns 2 in March) since I left him hangin' after the report on his big brother.

--Has formed an Intense Mutual Admiration Society with my dad, his (Grand)Papa. Except, he calls him "Papi." I don't think my dad let that kid's feet touch the ground during his entire first year of life. Little fella is perfectly happy to just spend his time walking around holding on to Papi's thumb or getting carried around the house.

--Is willing to wear any kind of hat. And thank goodness for that, because I sure love to buy hats for little guys. He even wore some felt reindeer antlers on a headband around the house at Christmas time. He just grins and grins when he knows he's being amusing. At New Year's Day brunch, he wore his newsboy hat and generated a thin blueberry moustache for himself with his pancake. So! Stinkin'! Cute!

--Likes to say words with the "oooo" sound. Like "Yelloooooow" and "Nooooope."

--When he wants an apple, he wants a "big." Meaning, he doesn't want it sliced, and he would prefer to eat the peel off before eating any of the rest of the apple. IF he eats any of the rest of the apple.

--Doesn't mind receiving help from others, like when one shoe has somehow come off. I mentioned the missing shoe to him, and he happily found his shoe, handed it to me, and sat down in my lap so I could put it back on.

--Prefers lady action figures. His favorite is a Princess Leah, though he also loves a little Lego lady with a removable blonde ponytail. (In the case of the Lego lady, the only distinguishing characteristic is the hair, which snaps on like her torso and legs snap together.)

--When it's time to say goodbye, Papi generally gathers him up to carry him out to the car. I can sneak in a kiss on the head then, but as soon as he's had enough of me, little fella will shove me away with his foot.

--May be kindof my favorite a tiny little bit. SHHHH!

December Nephews (Part 1, the Older)

2008-12-29T15:18:00.000-06:00

Dude, I love my nephews.

The big guy (who turns 4 in May) amused us during our Eve of Christmas Eve celebration by:

--Playing imaginary Star Wars games almost constantly. After he finished eating and was excused, he figured out how to turn off the dining room light. So the rest of the family ate silently in the dark for a minute or so. Until the little man, sitting to my right, decided that would be a perfect time to touch my arm with his moist little hand. The noise I made was somewhere between a screech and a giggle. The big guy thought that was hilarious and repeated the on/off lights experiment several more times in hopes of eliciting another funny noise.

--Wanting to hand out all the gifts, even though he can't read the recipent's names. I had color-coded the packages I wrapped according to family member (umm, yeah. . .I prefer to call it organized) and could amaze him by correctly guessing which gift went to whom.

--Opening a box of clothes, saying "Wow!" and flinging them into the air. Proceeds to ignore them for the rest of the evening. (Repeat performances available on Christmas Evening.)

--Thinking Han Solo and Luke Skywalker are the same person. When the person has brown hair, he is Han Solo. And when he has blonde hair, he is Luke Skywalker. Does not understand attempts to convince him that they are two guys who can be differentiated by level of cuteness or friendship with Wookies.

--Deciding that sometimes it is okay to wear things on his head, especially if his little brother is getting attention for wearing, say, a headband with felt reindeer antlers attached. Although the headwear barely lasts long enough for a photo, and then most are blurry because he is busy trying to poke his dad's eyes out with said antlers.

--Loving some song my brother has on his cell phone, which the kid refers to as the "rock out song." When the song is played, he starts dancing, and busts out some moves my bro has taught him. These moves include the robot and breakdancing. Believe me when I tell you that one of the most hilarious things you'll ever see is an almost four year old trying to do the robot and breakdance. If I'd had a video camera, I am certain I could win money on tv with a recording of those shenanigans.

--Standing by my chair on Christmas evening, as the rest of the group admired his little brother in his pajamas and robe. I said, "Everybody thinks that little robe is pretty cute on your brother. What do you think?" He answered, "My brother is so awesome!" Seriously. If I didn't know better, I would swear I ovulated right then due to the sheer force of child cuteness around me.

Reading

2008-12-29T13:16:00.000-06:00

I'm behind in updates, so I'll go ahead and add possibly the most boring update first: books I've read recently.

My book club read The Chosen as our December selection. I thought the book was interesting, I did learn more about that time in history (1940s) and also Judaism. But, I found the overall style unsettling. I kept waiting for something very bad to happen, and it never did. I got a little bit bogged down in some of the intricate explanations of what different religious readings (might) mean. I think I gave this book three stars on Goodreads, but I wish I could've given it 2.5.

Over the Christmas holidays, I read Dead Until Dark. I'd seen glowing reviews for the book (and series), and had seen ads for the HBO show True Blood, so I wanted to give it a try. My main complaint was that the author sporadically uses poor grammar to indicate a character's southern accent. I find that incredibly irritating when I'm reading. I know where the book is set (small Louisiana town), I know many of the characters probably have some sort of accent, but throwing in a couple of instances of poor grammar to convey a "southern" accent? Bleah! I will admit that I will probably never watch the show because I can't stand Anna Paquin's fake southern accent, but at least I can imagine an actual accent in my head when I'm reading. . .without a random "don't got no"s (for example). I imagine the main character quite a bit like one of my cousins, actually, though she grew up in fairly rural Alabama, rather than Louisiana. I was honestly surprised to read that the author was raised in Mississippi and currently lives in Arkansas. If the poor grammar had at least been consistent, it wouldn't have bothered me. Anyway, I did still like the story enough to want to read the next one in the series, and I'm interested to check out her other series, which begins with Grave Sight.

One Hundred Minus One

2008-12-17T22:56:00.003-06:00

I can almost never resist a good meme, and as usual, Joyco does not disappoint!

Items on the list that I've done are in bold:

1. Started your own blog: Umm, yeah.
2. Slept under the stars: Yep, although I am not a huge camping fan.
3. Played in a band: Two, actually. I played the clarinet in the sixth grade band. I played the tamborine one night in college at the Black Cat for a band whose name I can't for the life of me remember. Ahh, good times.
4. Visited Hawaii: Maui, on my honeymoon. Would love, LOVE, to go back.
5. Watched a meteor shower: From the roof of the house I lived in with three girlfriends after college.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world: Multiple times; my aunt/godmother has lived in Florida for 20+ years now, and one of their homes is in Orlando.
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo: Once, in church, I kept on singing even though the song had ended. Surprise solo!
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning: Ugh, yes, and it's the worst!
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables: Used to grow tomatoes. My thumb has turned brown since.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight: Yeah, I have a brother!
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill: And usually ended up working a little from home anyway.
24. Built a snow fort: When I was in the sixth grade, it snowed in Austin. The neighbors a few houses down and across the street instructed all of us younger kinds to collect up snow from yards up and down the street and they built an igloo. It was AWESOME.
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping: More than once. At least two of those instances are pretty good stories.
27. Run a Marathon: I try to only run when chased.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice: somday!
29. Seen a total eclipse: Pretty sure I watched one in a box "camera" in elementary school. Remember those?
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset: I haven't seen a sunrise in a while--I used to see them from staying up all night!
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors: someday!
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language3
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied: I feel comfortable, but one day I'd love to have enough money to not worry so much about budgeting.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke: No, and I consider that I public service.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight: Once right before/after doing something else on this list. hee!
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted: A friend of our family had my brother's & my portrait painted from a photo. Didn't look like us at all!
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling: Snorkeled in Maui. That ocean is cold!
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie: MrMonkey has!
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class: if Krav Maga counts, then yes. (Could also check off "accidentally punched self in face" after that class.)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason: MrMonkey likes to surprise me from time to time.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter: In the 3rd grade. It nearly crashed, but I never knew that until years later.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy: I have a whole toy chest full of favorites at my mom's house.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square: Love NYC, don't love Times Square. Too crowded!
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle: If I was the passenger, how would I know if we were speeding? Any speed felt too fast!
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car: On the list for 2009! So far I've only owned used cars.
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper: When I was a kid, the Austin American-Statesman had a Cooking for Kids club where they published recipes for families to cook together. Somehow, my family was chosen for an interview & they took pics of us making BBQ chicken.
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House: I haven't been inside, does posing in front count?
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating: I have eaten a fish that I caught, but I didn't clean it (though I had to watch), so I don't think this counts.
88. Had chickenpox: Jr. High. No fun.
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous: Met several someones famous. I acted like the biggest dork when meeting Jason Patric. He's so handsome! I got flustered.
92. Joined a book club: I think it's been three years since I joined.
93. Lost a loved one: More than one. :o(
94. Had a baby: 2009 will be my year.
95. Seen the Alamo in person: Seen it, toured it. Own a flag that flew over it. Have a husband who was in the movie.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit: Sortof. Car accident-related. I was a passenger in the car of the person who was involved in the lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone: Not 'til after college!
99. Been stung by a bee: ouchie.

I think I need to get out more.

November Nephew Time & Other Updates

2008-12-10T22:53:00.003-06:00

Thanksgiving Day, K and I had dinner with my parents, brother, SIL and their boys.

The big guy (already 3 and a half!) was feeling a little overwhelmed from his lunch w/ SIL's family. Evidently, he is not fond of crowds right now, and there is certainly a crowd there. Poor kid. After we ate, he wanted dessert and my mom offered him a choice between pie, ice cream, and popcorn. He picked popcorn, so she popped a bag and split it into two bowls--planning to eat the second bowl herself later. I noticed him slip into the dining room (everyone else had moved on to the den) by himself and sit down in his chair to eat his popcorn and play with some star wars lego guys. I went in to sit with him and hang out. He told me the popcorn he was eating was going into the Death Star. I asked him if that was his mouth, but he said no, and pointed to his stomach. His preferred method of eating popcorn is to stuff his mouth full and then chew for a little while so he can have his hands free to play. He asked me to help switch around the heads on his star wars guys, so I did. (After laughing to myself about his question: "Can you take his head off for me?") He finished his bowl of popcorn quickly and said he wanted more. I told him he had to ask my mom if he could have the other bowl, and he did--of course she agreed. He decided it would be fun to make a weird screamy noise while he was eating, and then laugh like crazy. Naturally, I decided to join him in laughing like crazy. SIL heard the ruckus and actually came to check on us. We had a good time.

The little fella is approaching 2 (in March). He'd been feeling puny, but he rallied during dinner. Right after we ate, I was hanging out at the table with him, while my brother sat on the other side with the big guy. Little fella got a little fussy, and started to tug at his shirt around the arms and neck. My brother told me I could take the kid's shirt off, so I did. Immediately, the little guy started, uh, pinching the crap out of certain sensitive areas on his chest. Oookay! He seemed so pleased with himself, I couldn't help but laugh. My brother told me that's a new favorite for him. For some reason, this struck me as so funny that I couldn't stop laughing and had to leave the table. That little man is such a crack-up for me. Even though he doesn't look like my brother, he totally has my brother's personality. I just want to squeeeze that little guy!

I almost forgot. . .when they were leaving, I asked the big guy if I could have a hug. Sometimes he's a little shy and doesn't want to hug, but he came over and let me hug him! Yeah, he didn't actually hug me, he just stood there and let me hug him. Eh, I'll take it.

In other news, I ended up being released from my responsibility to cater desserts at my friend's office holiday party. I had asked if her boss would make selections from my dessert menu, so I could give them a price quote and contract. The next day, her boss decided she'd rather order cakes from a bakery--cakes are not on my list. Whatev. It would've been fun to have that experience, but it's not like I have a ton of free time these days. In fact, K and I met with a realtor last week and not only hired her that night, but also agreed to list our house on January 1. Yikes! Hooray! I had some reservations about her before our meeting, but K was on board with her almost immediately. Our mortgage guy recommended her, and we didn't interview anyone else, but I am fairly confident in our decision. I think she will be a good asset in staging our house, and I hope that plus our willingness to price the house on the cheap side will be the key to a quick sale. I'm proud to say that I have managed to stay off austinhomesearch.com since our meeting. I wouldn't want to find the perfect house too soon, right? Especially since I already found a house I loved, only to have K see the pics and shoot it down almost immediately. Cathedral ceilings (which we have now) are NOT on his list. Boo!

Something New

2008-11-25T13:17:00.003-06:00

I've noticed that I have an odd habit of offering to do things for people that I think I can do--even if I have absolutely no experience--because it sounds like a fun challenge.

For example, a friend was talking about her small company holiday party, which she's helping plan with the company owner. She was complaining about how they over-ordered food last year, and most of it wasn't very good. I gave her advice on how to figure out the appropriate number of attendees to tell the caterer, and some caterer recommendations. She told me how it cost their company $27/person last year, which prompted me to say "Are you kidding? That's outrageous! I'll cater your company party for half that."

Ummm, WHAT? She jumped on the idea, and I told her I'd think about it--think about a menu, cost and other logistics like where I plan to make and store catering for 40. I did think about it more, though, and decided (to put the crack pipe down) that I couldn't logically cater a party for 40. But maybe I could provide the desserts. I'm good at desserts. In fact, just a few days before this conversation, I had dinner with an out of town friend and another friend of hers I don't know well, and the other friend asked what I would be if I could be anything. I told her I would want to own a cupcake shop. Except I don't want to be the person getting up at 5am to bake the cupcakes, and I don't want to be stuck working the register all the time. I just wanted to make sure people got delicious pretty cupcakes, occasionally baked by me. I may have been on a sugar high when I answered this question, but I guess it stuck with me, because here I was delving into professional dessertery just a few days later.

I called my friend back and told her I couldn't really cater the entire event, but would be willing to put together a menu of dessert options for the owner of her company to consider. So I went through my recipes and picked out my best options. I included some boring options (she thought the owner would insist on cookies, so I included those), and made a spreadsheet of ingredients I'd need. I went to the grocery store and priced every ingredient, then I went through each recipe on the list and figured out the cost per bar/cookie/truffle. Then I doubled the cost for my price list. Easy enough, right? Oh yeah, I also tried out a small sample batch of a recipe I put together on my own (just combining two things I already had recipes for--I'm not getting crazy, here!) to make sure it was delicious and easy. I made a batch of White Chocolate Raspberry Bars, too. I sent half to work with K and delivered a small plate to my friend to share with her boss when I dropped off my price list.

Yesterday, she called to tell me that I was hired! Her boss does want a fancy chocolate cake (cakes are not on my list, though cupcakes were), so they'll get that from Central Market. Otherwise, she's going to leave the final decision of what to make to me, so I can submit a bid and probably some sort of contract. K offered his services as in-house graphic designer, in case I needed business cards or anything else. He started offering up name options. (Hello, obviously I would want a name that makes me giggle, and maybe include a pun.) Umm, suddenly I have a baked goods catering business? Nooo! But I did happen upon some eye candy on the internet, and have been inspired to bake delicious things, make them pretty, and see what happens.

Quick Update

2008-11-24T16:10:00.003-06:00

So my daily good thing bit the dust pretty quickly, eh? (sigh) I'm going to get back to that soon--I'm in a much better mood when I'm thinking about what's good each day instead of getting stressed or cranky.

Since my last visit, I've finished another book: In The Woods, by Tana French. I reviewed it on goodreads, but I will quickly summarize and say that I liked it, but I was hoping for more of a resolution to one of the main (old) mysteries introduced. I think the author has written another book with at least one of the same main characters, though, so I'm going to track that down and add it to my (extensive) "to read" list. (ETA: Found it!)

I am proud to report that I wrote thank you notes (#32) for a few gifts friends/family sent me for my birthday, and being able to use pretty cards did encourage me to get those finished. (Although they were sent nearly a month after my birthday. Bad!) Now I just need to continue to work through my stash of pretty cards, instead of hoarding them because they're pretty.

We're meeting with a realtor next week, and I'm excited but wary. Our mortgage guy recommended her, but I don't know if she's the right person for us based on the listings I've seen on her website. K really wants to stick with her because of the recommendation, but I may try to convince him to interview at least a couple of other people. I don't know. . .I'm trying to reserve judgement until I actually meet her in person. And having that meeting time set has helped kick the house projects into gear. We really do work best under a deadline.

Now back to cruising listings on austinhomesearch.com. More updates later!

#31 Reading

2008-11-10T21:50:00.004-06:00

I finished reading The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down this weekend, almost in time for my book club meeting. I already left a brief review on goodreads, but I'll just add here that I am on a break from non-fiction for now. Luckily, my book club agrees and I think only one of our next six book choices is non-fiction. . .instead of five!

Good Things for. . .
Saturday: Book club meeting with girlfriends.
Sunday: K comes home, hooray!
Monday: Christmas at Caswell lunch with mom. The dessert was pumpkin creme brulee. I don't usually like pumpkin pie, but this was deeelicious. This is either the third or fourth year we've gone together--it's a fun tradition.

More Good Things

2008-11-07T17:03:00.005-06:00

Thursday:

Yesterday was our fourth anniversary, awww!

K surprised me with flowers in the morning--apparently, he'd hidden them away after secretly buying them the night before. He always gives me the best cards for our anniversary, too.

The Office was hilarious. One of my favorite parts: when Pam yells out "That's what she said! That's what she said! That's what she said!"

Kitty and I had an adventure with The Roach Who I Thought Crawled Into The Master Bedroom. K wasn't home yet, and we had to deal with it ourselves. I may have screamed a little bit. When I was reporting the story to K, I laughed so hard I snorted.

Friday:

After I got to work, I MacGuyver-d a paper clip into a hair restraining device for some rogue bangs that weren't quite long enough to reach my hair clip.

K left me a sweet little note, since I was coming home to an empty house.

Vitamins, Reading, Good Things

2008-11-06T14:27:00.004-06:00

Hooray, I finally have been able to cross #50 (Take a vitamin daily for 30 days straight) off the list! I take my vitamin in the evening, and I have such trouble remembering it that I finally started using one of those daily pill organizers. Nothing else I do makes me feel more like a senior citizen, either. But I'll be the first to admit that it's worked for me--I haven't missed a daily vitamin in the last 30 days, and now I'm going to see how far I can get. I'm glad I was able to reach this goal before holiday travel; being away from home makes it easier for me to forget my vitamin.

I recently finished reading The Given Day, by Dennis Lehane. I briefly reviewed the book on goodreads, so I'll only mention here that Dennis Lehane is one of my favorite authors. But, I hope he returns to mysteries and/or thrillers soon. I liked the book, but I didn't love it--and I was expecting to love it. I think his last book prior to The Given Day was Shutter Island, soon to be a major motion picture. I'm looking forward to seeing that movie; I hope it is as well done as the book was well-written. Lehane is the author of two other books that have been made into movies: Mystic River and Gone, Baby, Gone.

Wednesday Good Thing:

* Saw a guy in my building at work who looked like 70's Elvis--chops and shades included; white jumpsuit presumably left at home. He had just arrived to deliver a package. Could not help but giggle.

Tuesday Good Thing

2008-11-05T17:30:00.001-06:00

*Edited*

How strange--I had an entry here about Tuesday's good thing, and now it has been eaten by the internet. Hmpf.

Anyway, Tuesday night, kitty was extra snuggly and wanted to sit on my lap any time I sat down. I just love that little orange fella!

Updates Again: Almost Done!

2008-11-04T17:49:00.003-06:00

52. Visit a Texas winery. I just now realized I have TWO number 52s. haha! K and I have been talking about doing a wine tour sometime soon, now I just have to figure out a good place to visit that's close.

53. Learn to use food processor & use more than just the chopping attachment. Watch video that came w/ processor. I used my food processor all the time, but still haven't figured out how to do more than just chop.

54. Do something nice for next door neighbors, even if it is just a holiday card or treat. I don't like one of our neighbors, but maybe I'll do something nice for the others before we move. Or perhaps I'll just bake some treats for our new neighbors to introduce ourselves once we move.

55. Shred junk mail weekly. So far, this is a big fat FAIL. The pile next to the shredder just grows until I'm cleaning the area.

56. Donate to charity yearly. The charity my aunt was running closed its doors this summer, so even though I've donated already to a couple of things, I don't have a favorite new charity yet.

57. Email or call S in MN at least monthly. I am emailing her every couple of months, but I am so bad about calling. Hoping to see her in a couple of weeks.

58. Buy last two silverware place settings. Yep, need to do this. I think I have a Crate & Barrel coupon, too.

59. Use wedding gifts that have never been used, like turkey pan and margarita glasses/pitcher. The turkey pan is really a roasting pan that I've just never used. Time to figure out what I can make in there!

60. Organize & centralize all address & birthday information for family & friends. I've still got info spread out all over the place. . .but most of it is in google contacts. Maybe when we move, I'll send out cards with our new info, and that will inspire me to get organized. Ahh, when we move is going to be such a magically productive time. ;o)

61. Make an extra mortgage payment once a year. (1/2) Our mortgage guy even confirmed that this is a good financial choice!

62. Own diamond earrings. Might buy these as a gift for myself for my next birthday.

63. Get kitty's teeth cleaned. I hate taking kitty to the vet. Probably almost as much as he hates going. I just worry about him being scared and what they're going to do to him, and (since they give him anesthesia for teeth cleaning) if he'll be okay. The doc always reminds us that he needs it when we visit, though, so I need to just get over myself and get it done.

65. Clean & organize desk area and files. Files are fairly organized, desk area is not. This is actually on my (very long) to do list for this weekend.

66. Use new printer at least once a month to prevent cartridges from clogging/drying out. I'm printing like a champ since K got me the wireless thing that allows me to print from my laptop anywhere.

67. Dispose of empty shampoo & conditioner bottles promptly. If it's in the shower with an inch of product at the bottom for more than a week, it should be thrown away. Doing really well with this one, but I think it's a lame goal. Why don't I just throw the almost-empties away when I clean the shower? Who knows.

68. Review personal budget to increase savings. Haven't done a big review yet, but am being more aware of how I'm spending money.

69. Finish MN photo album by end of 6/08. Didn't happen. Maybe I'll finish it before 2009.

70. Develop & implement a better housekeeping plan. Yeah, getting behind and spending a most of the day on a weekend cleaning is not my idea of fun times.

71. Learn enough about native plants and gardening to spruce up landscaping before March 2008. I have been doing a lot of gardening research, but I haven't spruced up the landscaping yet. (Once again, part of the Great House Sale Project of 2008.) I'm partially there. . .I've bought the pots. Right now, I'm waiting to K to remove the roots of some bushes we took out. Then, I can move forward with planting.

72. Get measured & properly fitted for a bra yearly, or after significant weight loss. I did get measured a couple of months ago, and bought a couple of new bras accordingly. Turns out I hadn't changed sizes, so I was really just replacing some old bras.

73. Have makeup professionally done yearly to find products I love & make me feel fabulous. Throw out old blush, eyeshadow, lipstick, etc. that has expired or doesn't really work. I'm almost out of blush, so I'm planning a consult for new stuff soon. After that, I'm weeding out my old stuff. . .especially what seems like hundreds of lipsticks I can't stop myself from buying.

Finally, the huge update is finished! On to smaller--but probably equally boring--updates soon.

Good Thing for Monday:
*I got a library card and checked out a book! I haven't done that since college. I like to buy books that I really want (at Half Price Books or elsewhere), so I can keep them when I really like them. But I realized that more often than not, I'm pretty lukewarm about books I'm reading for my book club. So the library is a perfect solution! I'm reading a library book club book now, and kicking myself for not getting my library card a year ago.

More Updates: Getting Closer

2008-11-03T17:45:00.003-06:00

36. Perform 10 random acts of kindness for strangers. I'm normally pretty good about doing little things like letting someone with just a couple of groceries go ahead of me in line, but I feel like I want to do more for these 10 random acts. I need to think about it some more.

37. Sincerely thank or compliment someone daily. I'm doing pretty good on this one. I fall into a habit of not being as complimentary (at work and home), so I'm keeping and eye on this item.

38. Plan a party for big birthday. I'll be doing this to celebrate 10/19/09. I need to start brainstorming!

39. Help someone complete an item on their 101 in 1000 list. Anyone need any help? I need to start reading other people's lists more closely!

40. Blog after each item on list is accomplished. Ongoing, and going well.

41. Drink at least 1L of water daily. I am kicking #41's ass. I'm up to drinking at least 50 fl ounces daily (the size of my water bottle)--at a minimum. I can definitely feel a difference when I start to get behind in my water intake. How did I ever NOT drink this much water?

43. Finish home improvement list before Spring 2008. Now I'm hoping to finish the list in the next few weeks to get our house on the market. I'm getting close, although we've had a couple of items added to the list, which isn't helping me finish any sooner.

44. Empty dishwasher before sink fills with dishes, always. (sigh) I'm getting better, but I'm still not where I want to be. I realized my sink is always cleanest when my ILs are in town, because apparently I like to kindof hide out in the kitchen and cleaning out the sink gives me something to do. Growing up, I was taught to leave dirty dishes in the dishwasher. K was taught to leave dirty dishes in the sink. Since we married, he's been pulling me to the dark side, so I'm trying to break BOTH of us of this habit.

45. Take a picture every day for a month. Still planning to do this, still considering getting a better camera--although I do really like my point & shoot.

46. Clean out purse once a month. (3/24) Right, this isn't going to happen. And I've realized I don't need to clean out my purse monthly to feel organized. If I do it every few months, or even every six months, that's fine. I am flagging this item to revise it.

47. Keep car maintenance up to date (inspection, registration, regular maintenance.) I've been doing well on this item, although I need to get my inspection update by the end of this month and my oil changed.

48. Accept compliments gracefully. Upon receiving a compliment, my natural tendency is to say "thank you" but then start rambling on to deflect the compliment. Like if someone tells me "That's a great necklace!" I would say something like "Oh, thanks! It's so old, I barely wear it any more." I am doing a lot better (though still needing improvement) on just saying "thank you" and shutting up.

49. Clean out junk drawers yearly. So far, this hasn't happened. Instead, I think our junk drawers are multiplying.

50. Take a vitamin daily for 30 days straight. I've gotten SOOO close, only to forget and have to re-start the 30 day count. I think I'm on day 28 or 29 of my current count, so this might be it!

52. Find and maintain a good photo back-up system. K bought me an, uh, exterior hard drive thing (? obviously the technical term) and I've backed my pics up once using it. After I back my pics up again, and make sure I know how to access them, I'm crossing this one off the list.

At this rate, maybe I'll finish going through the list by 11/19. . .my thirteenth month anniversary of starting this list. ha! I'm already thinking of ways to revise the two items I'm tossing out, but I want to have some options that will make a positive change in my life, not just another "to do."

Sunday Good Things

2008-11-03T17:43:00.002-06:00

*Iced grande non-fat chai. Mmmm.

*Baking goodies for folks who need some cheer. I made orange cranberry muffins and chocolate chip banana bread, and the house smelled wonderful.

*Ordering K's anniversary gift, after I couldn't find it in the store. I hope it arrives before Thursday!

Saturday Good Thing

2008-11-02T19:48:00.002-06:00

K was out running errands, and he picked up lunch. He brought home a little surprise treat--an oatmeal raisin cookie!

Friday Good Thing

2008-11-01T10:42:00.004-05:00

#13: Met with Mortgage Guy

2008-10-30T22:25:00.003-05:00

Tonight we met with our mortgage guy, and it was a great meeting. One of my friends worked with him when she bought her house, and I can see why she selected him. He did a great job of answering our questions, and explained everything really well. He is pretty much the total opposite of the mortgage lady K worked with when he bought our house, and I am so glad.

Good thing for Thursday? Great mortgage guy meeting.

Update-A-Thon

2008-10-29T17:34:00.005-05:00

Continuing with the updates. . .

(#22) I've started marking vacation photos that I think would be good to print and frame, but I'm going to hold off on actually doing this until we move. I will be totally knocking out my list once we move, it seems!

(#23) Yeah, as it turns out, PNV must have made my eyelashes grow, because I think they're pretty long now and the idea of wearing false eyelashes for some fancy occasion seems silly. I'm going to mark this item as something I want to revise.

(#24) I've been to the gun range with K a grand total of once (pre-list), and he's owned hand guns for like 7 or 8 years now. I feel like I should be confident using a gun if there's going to be one in my house--even thought it's not out or loaded. My brother became a gun fanatic when he married into a family who hunts, so surely between he and K, I will get to the gun range again.

(#26) Still working on finding the perfect panties. I am really liking a gap body bra (I think they call it a t-shirt bra?) that I bought a couple of weeks ago, so that brand/style may work for replacing my old VS bras.

(#27) Making progress on this, with the help of a book and tips from Pioneer Woman.

(#28) So not close to making vacation photo albums, unless you count organizing my digital photo files on my computer into folders. I need more free time!

(#29) Fourth wedding anniversary = November 6th. No photo albums in sight. And K is a graphic designer! I don't want to distract him from other (house) projects by asking for his help on desiging a photo book. . .for now.

(#31) I knew I'd do well on my reading list--I love to read. I tend to read in spurts, though. When I'm really busy, I only seem to find time to skim through magazines and read books for my book club. But I'm ahead of schedule of this task, hooray!

(#32) So far, so good. I do need to write several thank you notes that are birthday-related, but I plan to work on these in between trick-or-treaters on Friday night. I'm behind! Having a chance to use pretty stationery is a good motivator, though.

(#33) I keep losing and gaining back the same 3 pounds. Current goal: not gaining weight over the holidays, and getting back on track with exercise.

(#34) Actually, I'm going to sell my bike and buy a new one that's easier to ride. Eventually.

(#35) I have a group of girlfriends I grew up with, and after high school, we spread out to different colleges and different lives. But we kept in touch and remained close. After college, we decided to reunite yearly in different locations. That was--wow--about 10 years ago? We met in New Orleans our first year, followed by Sedona, Boston, Portland, Chicago, and Minneapolis. But at some point, our group of gals started getting married and having babies. So a yearly trip became more difficult, or a yearly trip included husbands/boyfriends because we we traveling to someone's wedding. That was so not the same as hanging around in our pajamas and talking about the elementary school days. Now, four of us live in Austin, one gal lives in Houston, and one is in Minneapolis. All but two of us have kids. We were hoping for a get together this year, even if we just gathered in Austin, but so far it hasn't worked out. I really, really hope we can all get together in 2009. It's been too long!

Wednesday Good Things:

*packet of Tylenol in my desk drawer at work. Morning lifesaver!

*news that KXAN is back on Time Warner. Hip Hip Hooray!

*office vending machine re-stocked the bottled Starbucks frappuccino drinks after months of an empty slot. One of those was exactly what I was craving this afternoon. Sweet!

*Hershey's Special Dark Miniatures. (insert Homer Simpson-style drooling) A little Froggi tipped me off to these, and I broke down tonight to buy a bag. SO glad I did. Also glad that I exhibited a little self control and only ate three. New favorite: Special Dark Mr. Goodbar. Mmmmm.

Update O'Rama

2008-10-28T17:47:00.004-05:00

Hip, hip, hooray, we're meeting with the mortgage guy on Thursday! (#13) This will be a huge step in finally, FINALLY, starting the process of putting out house on the market. I mean, other than all the other crap on my house "to do" list that I've already finished. I've only wanted to move for the past two years. Now if only K would get his rear in gear to clean out his office/man room. . .

So, right, #14--put our house on the market. Spring has come and gone, but we have actually been working on this item. Well, let's say *I* have been working on this item quite a bit, and K helps out here and there. Most importantly, he finally wants to move as much as I want to move. Let's just hope that the local housing market works for us on this item. Ideally, we'll list our house and find a buyer practically immediately. At the same time, we will find a house we love (#15) and be able to buy it shortly after selling our own house. So we won't have to have any transitional housing, and we'll be able to use our considerable (to me, anyway) equity towards the new home purchase. We'll be selling cheap, and that's fine with me.

(#16) I have cleaned out the guest room closet (which is my auxilliary closet), but since I still have all the give-aways lingering in my trunk, waiting to be dropped at Goodwill, I'm not counting a second cleaning, yet. I know there will be more cleaning and purging, especially when we move, so I think this task will be easily accomplished. Oh, how I dream of having a master closet where I can keep all my clothes instead of spreading them out all over the house.

(#17) A project I envisioned for moving time, and one that K has started already. Well, he's taking photos of his guitars, at least. (eye roll)

(#18) I've had my Accord (Cherry) since 2002, and she has almost 110,000 miles on her. But, I've decided that I'd rather have a new house than a new car (#19) for now. I will need some sort of four-door vehicle before the baby I'm not even pg with yet arrives, so I'm not feeling rushed. As long as Cherry is running smooth, I'm not looking to replace her.

My car is usually full of crap. I have a bad habit of using it as a storage space, so there are often books, jackets, etc. filling the passenger and back seats. But, I've had her in guest-passenger-worthy shape for a month (#20). Except that the trunk is full of junk. So, I'm not going to start the six month count on this one just yet.

Our pantry (#21) is still in amazing shape. I LOVE our walk-in pantry--it's our closet under the stairs. I'll miss it when we move. Whatever our new kitchen ends up being like, it definitely has a lot to live up to. Our kitchen is huge. Seriously, I have friends with homes twice the size of ours (okay, just one friend with a house that big), and their kitchens aren't nearly as big. We have tons of counter space, a giant pantry, and we've replaced the appliances with stainless. Plus, we installed the floor ourselved. The only thing keeping it from being our dream kitchen are the white laminate countertops. (That and it's not in our dream house, of course.) I know we've been totally spoiled with such a great kitchen!

Tuesday Good Things:
*Morning kitty. Lately, when I open the door to the bedroom in the mornings, kitty is waiting to run in and jump on K in bed. Kitty starts purring like a machine as soon as his paws hit the mattress, and he walks up to K's face and head butts him. Then, he'll either stand there until he gets petted, or he'll look for a place to curl up next to K to wait for petting. This morning, K wasn't very awake, so kitty had to give him a little punch/knead combo until he responded. It was so stinkin' cute! Then, I picked him up to take him to get his food refilled, and he snuggled up in my arms (I was wearing a fuzzy robe) and didn't want to get down. I just wanted to squuueeeeeze him!

More Updates

2008-10-27T16:19:00.004-05:00

I missed my deadline for #6, which was baby M's first birthday in September. What's particularly patethic about missing that deadline is that I started that gift at her mama's baby shower, in the late summer of 2007. Mama A suggested that our close group of girlfriends have a small baby shower with us and our moms (her SIL threw a huge shower for her several weeks earlier), and one of the things we wanted to do at the shower was have everyone write down a funny Mama A story or baby advice, or a nice memory, and make a little booklet for baby M. Except that two of the moms and one of the gals couldn't be there due to last minute emergencies, so we were down to four girls and three moms. Only Mama A's mom brought a note, which she read at the shower. It was a sweet and wonderful message to her only daughter about the upcoming birth of her daughter, and I think everyone else at the party got intimidated. No one else wrote down a message. Well, knowing my friends, I knew I'd need some time to harrass them and nag them until they finished their messages. I'm still missing messages from two of the gals and all of the other moms. I'm thinking about just framing the Grandma A message with a photo for little baby M and calling this one DONE. I'll have to check with the other gals, first, of course.

I've done a great job of using my grocery sacks and cute lunch bag, so I'm glad I was able to cross those items off already.

I am behind on cooking dinner with sides at least once a week, on a weekday! (#9) I should be a lot closer to 50. But, cooking a full dinner during the week just doesn't always happen. I am getting better about planning ahead when I go to the grocery store, so I'm hopeful that by early 2009, I'll be knocking this one out of the park on a regular basis. I've cooked three dinners since I last updated, and I'll add the newest recipe once I retrace my steps and find the link again. I think that I'll stop blogging about every meal I cook, and only blog about the new recipes.

My pile of loose recipes grows. (#10) I have a lot of recipes that are only saved in my computer, so those aren't really an issue. The problem is everything I tear out of Cooking Light, Real Simple, etc. I'm thinking about going with a big binder & clear plastice sleeves for those. I also really need to cull through them and take out the ones I'm really just never going to make.

I can't bring myself to bake bread or yeasty goodies (#11) during the summer--too hot. I'm really intimidated by kneading, though. I saw a tasty-sounding recipe for beer/cheese bread the other day, so I might start out with that option and see if I can baby-step my way toward this goal.

Summer is also too hot to grill (#12). Well, it's too hot for ME to use the grill, because I don't want to have to stand there and feeling like I'm broiling while I wait for my meat to finish. Right now, the weather is ideal for hanging around outside, though. Maybe I'll actually use the grill in 2008! If not, we're definitely looking for a new house to have an awesome outdoor area where I won't mind grilling in, say, December. Or March.

Monday Good Things:

*Sent flowers to a friend whose day need some brightness.

*Wearing the new red panties for the first time, giggling.

Sunday Good Things

2008-10-26T15:25:00.004-05:00

*Post-church lunch at Phil's.

*Tiny Mexican vanilla Amy's ice cream.

*Being on a sugar-high w/ K.

*New shoes & bag on sale + coupons!

*Iced grande non-fat chai.

Saturday Good Things

2008-10-25T18:16:00.002-05:00

*Sleeping late.

*Kitty taking a nap on my lap while I read.

*Date night with K; dinner at Mandola's, cinnamon gelato for dessert.

October Nephews & More

2008-10-24T17:20:00.002-05:00

#4 on my list is spend quality time with my nephews monthly, and I had a chance to visit with two of my favorite little fellas last weekend, when my family gathered for lunch. As soon as we stepped on to the porch, the metal mail slot in one of the front double-doors popped open and a tiny face peered out. Nephew #2, C! I leaned down and played peek-a-boo with him a little bit, until he ran away giggling. As it turns out, 19 month olds don't have a long attention span.

Nephew #2 loves stickers. My mom keeps a sheet of happy face stickers on hand--I suspect they were a potty training aid for Nephew #1--and N2 had a couple of stickers stuck to his face and arms. He handed me a purple happy face, so I stuck it on the end of my nose and wiggled my nose up and down for him. Instant fascination! I knew my stupid human tricks would come in handy eventually.

I also played a little bit of chase with Nephew #1, who is about 3 and a half. (Holy crap, he's already 3 and a half!) All kids sure do love to run away and peep around corners. Our kitty is the same way, heh. I sustained a little bit of a broken heart when SIL's brother and wife stopped by to pick up their daughter (who'd spent the night with my brother & SIL), and Nephew #1 was jumping for joy to see his other Aunt. Stories from my SIL about how much he loves his Aunt V, and how she's his favorite are hard enough--but to see it in person (on my birthday!), sigh.

I managed to win him back later though--I asked him to help me open my gifts. haha! I also showed him the gifts K had given me at lunch. One of them was a book with scary mystery stores, and Nephew #1 was very curious about it. When I explained that the stories were scary, he said "It's not for little boys." I agreed, and told him it was for grown up ladies, like me. His response? "And like my mommy?" Yep! Another book I received was what I like to call the Funny Kitties Book or Cats with Bad Grammar. Yep, it was the LOLZ: I Can Has Cheezeburger? A LOLcat Collekshun. I flipped through the book with him and tried to describe the cats in funny ways. He thinks every cat who is laying down is sleeping, though, despite what I told him. He did laugh like a tiny crazy person when we got to a couple of pictures of kitties "driving" cars. It was time to go, but he didn't want to leave because we were having so much fun with the funny kitties. I think I'm going to always have to have that book in my purse now. My memaw always had gum (Wrigley's Spearmint); I'll always have pictures of funny kitties.

So, for the first 5 items on my list over there, I've only really had success with the nephew visits. We're working on #1. We've been saving extra for a new house, so I haven't created our extra investment plan yet. I've been too lazy to create a master list of all "in case of emergency" info. I am waiting for input on on of my friends to complete #5. That one is really frustrating me, so I just need to remind her more often that I want to wrap that up.

Daily Good Thing(s):
*I'm looking forward to dinner & drinks tonight with some girlfriends.
*Weather = Still Awesome

Good Things

2008-10-23T17:42:00.002-05:00

The last week or so has kind of been a crap sandwich.

I hadn't felt the October love for several days after facing disappointing news and hassles with contractors. I was keeping my chin up, though, until last Friday evening (around 8pm) when K found out that his Dad & Uncle Ed were planning to arrive in Austin the next day to visit their brother (Uncle Jack). Evidentally, Uncle Jack had a stroke a week prior, and his daughters (who live in Pflugerville) had told FIL & Uncle Ed that they thought he wasn't long for this world. Their unexpected arrival put a crimp into my weekend plans. . .which included having fun with my husband and celebrating my birthday on Sunday with a family lunch. Instead, I spent Friday evening and Saturday morning doing things like giving the guest bathroom an extra scrub and washing a load of guest towels & sheets. I must admit, I did consider for about 30 seconds that K may have planned some sort of surprise birthday get together at our house, and news of their arrival was an excuse to get me to clear the calendar and the clutter. Luckily, I came to my senses and realized he knows better than to think I would cheerfully uber-clean our house for my own party. Plus, he's only surprised me once in the nearly eleven years we've been together. I like to call that surprise "when we got engaged."

Anyway, to keep the story of the not-going-as-planned weekend short, let's just say I spent the whole weekend feeling selfish, annoyed, and a little depressed. I'd hoped to celebrate my troubles away, and that wasn't happening. I simply don't deal very well when things don't go as planned, even though I've had plenty of experience in that arena.

One of the things I'd planned to start around the time of my birthday weekend was a report on how my "73 in 730" list is progressing. I started the list on my 2007 birthday, and plan to finish on my 2009 birthday, so I thought this year's birthday would be a good opportunity to reflect on what's going on with the list, as well as catch up on a few things I'm behind on reporting. At the same time, I've realized I need a jolt out of my funk. So in addition to re-examining my list, I've decided that I need to find at least one daily good thing to report until Thanksgiving. Another blog I enjoy includes a daily Good Thing, and I think it could be a great motivator for me to stay positive.

Today I happen to have a list of Good Things:
* The crew working on the exterior of our house showed up before I left for work (earliest arrival ever!)
* K called me at work and told me a funny story about our kitty, who had been feeling puny the past couple of days but is now on the mend
* The internet made me laugh
* The weather is awesome, and I love it
* I had a cup of delicious frozen yogurt, generously paid for by surprise by a co-worker

I'm feeling better already. Next up, I will bombard my blog with updates!

The Other, Part II

2008-10-16T17:40:00.001-05:00

My doppleganger Valerie Jones is at it again.

Actually, since I first mentioned her here, I have discovered that there are, in fact, more than one Valerie Joneses out there who are not me.

One of them used to row with the University of Victoria team, and is regularly invited to reunions and events.

One of them lives in the NYC area and recently received a couple of rejection letters for Assistant Editor positions.

One of them has a mom who loves Paul Newman, can't get used to her daughter's new married last name, and who is urging her to NOT paint blue stripes on her walls.

One of them received a reminder from the Arlington Public Library that her book is due in three days.

One of them is having a party somewhere in California, and has received quite a list of appetizer options from her caterer.

And, of course, there's the one I've mentioned previously who joined match to look for love. It seems she either found what she was looking for or realized she wasn't receiving her match emails, because it's been a couple of weeks since her matches were directed to me.

But one member of the Valerie Jones army joined myspace today, and evidentally she won't be logging in any time soon. All of her log in information came to me. Yep, log in name and password, right there in my "in" box. Oddly enough, the email was addressed to "Jordan." So I alerted Tom--or whoever is actually in charge over there--that THIS "Valerie Jones" is not signing up for myspace.

Although now I am wondering it there's a Valerie Jones out there who is thinking "I didn't order curtain rods online, and I don't live in Texas!"

A Little Less Conversation

2008-10-16T14:21:00.000-05:00

Scene: evening at home, on couch.

Me: My monthly visitor arrived today.

K: Oh. (forehead kiss)

Me: You know what this means, right?

K: We get to do it a lot more!

M: Well, I was going to tell you that I need to monitor things better or differently this cycle, but, yes, I guess this does also mean that we get to do it a lot more.

K: Hmmm. Do we need to do it more than once a day?

M: (one eyebrow raised) I. . .don't think so. I mean, probably not.

K: Maybe you should check your book just to be sure.

M: What book?

K: The book with the sticky picture. You know, the book? With the sticky picture?

M: ???

K: You know, the big book! The sticky picture!

(I stare at him in confusion for a minute, then it dawns on me.)

M: OOOHHHHHhhh, Taking Charge of Your Fertility? Is that the book? I haven't read that in a while, since I went off birth control. . .wait, what is the "sticky picture?"

K: You know!

(He makes a hand motion. It dawns on me that he's referring to a photo of EWCM. He makes a "yuck" face.)

M: haha! That's what you get for peeking over my shoulder when I'm reading, Mister Twice-A-Day-Plan!

K: I'm willing to do whatever it takes.

Fin

Agnes Skinner

2008-10-10T10:51:00.002-05:00

Until Wednesday, I didn't know that Principal Skinner's mom was named Agnes.

Recently my husband, who is a huge fan of the Simpsons, told me that lately he's been thinking about Agnes Skinner. Evidentally, there was a Simpsons episode where Homer was Henry VIII, and various other characters portrayed Henry's wives. At one point in the episode, Agnes lays down on a bed and says "Climb aboard the king maker!"

Creepy, right?

Just let me put this story in context: K told me that he remembered the episode when he asked if I was "ripe" (his loving term for ovulating) last week. When I heard the story, I'm pretty sure I gave him the same look he gave me when I explained (after he asked) how ovulation prediction kits worked. The look can best be described as imagining yourself thinking "WTF?" Um, I guess I should be glad he has a sense of humor about the TTC process?

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-08T15:32:00.001-05:00

#42 Finally Get Wedding Dress Cleaned

2008-10-06T22:50:00.003-05:00

Finally!

Since our wedding--November, 2004--my wedding dress and veil have been hanging, dirty, in the guest room closet. Sure, I kept them in the bag from the store where I bought the dress. And I loaned out my veil almost twice (once in 2007, then I took it to MN for a second friend to borrow, but she ended up deciding to go without). With a (hopeful) move and our fourth anniversary looming, I knew it was finally time to get moving on this task.

In June, I placed my order with wedclean. They sent a box and instructions for packing up my dress. Naturally, this box lingered in the guest room for a few more months. But at the end of September, I followed the easy instructions, packed up my dress (strips of packing tape included!), and only worried a tiny bit that I'd never see it again. But, I received an email when my dress & veil arrived at wedclean. About a week and a half later, I received another email that my dress & veil were clean and on the way back to me. After one slightly creepy trip to the after hours UPS pick-up (wedclean requires a signature for receipt), and I have my dress and veil back home and clean.

. . .And back in the guest room closet.

Updates!

2008-10-06T13:57:00.003-05:00

I am starting to get a little bit behind, so I wanted to clear the decks and add a bunch of updates at once.

Last week, I finished reading The Book of Fate, by Brad Meltzer. I already posted my review on goodreads, so I'll just add that I really enjoyed the book. I had an opportunity to meet Meltzer a few years ago at a book festival in Florida (I was visiting relatives), and he signed a book for me. I don't recall the title of the book off-hand, but I do remember that part of the story took place in tunnels below the White House. For some reason, I was compelled to tell him that the dorm I lived in during college also had tunnels underneath. I'm sure he was like, "Ooooohhhkay." But he pretended to be interested in my lame story, and I thought he seemed very nice and smart. He's one of the authors on my "always read" list.

As an aside, sometimes I really embarrass myself when I meet famous people.

Also last week, I made calzones one night, so I've crossed another weeknight dinner off the list. I realized that I need to make new recipes on the weekend and do more of the old favorites during the week, so last week was a good example. When I make calzones, I use reduced-fat crescent rolls (the kind that come in a tube at the grocery store). I spread one side (a rectangle made from two unseperated crescent rolls) with spaghetti sauce, then add whatever meat/cheese/veggies we have on hand, and cover with cheese and another rectangle of crescent roll dough. Bake at 375 for 13 - 15 minutes, and eat. I always make extras, thinking I'll freeze them, but usually we end up eating them as leftovers. One weekend, I just need to make a bunch of these, actually freeze them, and make a weeknight dinner even easier on myself!

I'm steadily crossing off my list of things to do around our house to prepare it for listing, and this weekend knocked out almost all the upstairs painting. I just have a little bit of trim left to paint in the bathroom. Then, I'll have trim painting in the kitchen, painting the kitchen ceiling, and just a few touch-ups left. Well, I'll probably help K paint a wall of the garage, since our contractor has agreed to fix the hole in the wall his crew accidentally punched out last week, and we don't want the wall repairs to be noticeable. It shouldn't take too long--and it certainly doesn't have to be perfect.

That's the other good news for today; our contractor came out this morning to take a look at the areas around our house where his crew screwed up last week. He admitted they had screwed up, and would fix those areas. The meeting went much better than I expected, although of course it's still going to be like pulling teeth to get them to complete the job. (For example: 40% chance of rain today? Sorry, no workers. Sigh.)

Actual Fudgeyness

2008-10-03T13:58:00.000-05:00

It is kindof a rip off to expect fudge and get complaints about a fudgin' motherfudger, isn't it?

So, I am happy to present something to fill the fudgey goodness void: Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Crunch Bars, from Cookie Madness.

I made those no-bake bars for my last book club meeting, and they were not only easy to make, they were delicious. The gals loved them, and K loved the leftovers. I'll definitely make them again.

Incidentally, Cookie Madness is an awesome source for tasty treats. Every recipe I've tried from that site has turned out to be a huge hit, especially the one I now consider my signature dessert. I always give credit where credit is due when I share the recipe, but more often than not, I claim that particular recipe is a secret. Shhhh!

WTF

2008-10-03T11:39:00.000-05:00

Let's say the 'F' in question refers to the appetizing photo of fudge I posted on Wednesday.

Fudge is the color we selected for the trim of our house. Several of the items on my to do list over there ---> involve preparing our house for sale, selling it, and then moving to a house we both love. There have been a few setbacks. Let me back up a bit.

K bought our house a couple of months before we got engaged. At the time, we'd been together for six years, so I suspected a proposal might be forthcoming. I was involved with the home selection process to a degree--he pre-screened all of his choices in his price range, and we both happened to like our house the best. He's lived there for five years now, I moved in about six months before the wedding (shhh! don't tell Dad!). We've done a lot of work on the house, starting the day he closed. We've painted every room of the house, swapping out the prison-wall grey to lovely shades of sage, yellow, dark green and blue. We've redone the kitchen floor, updating it from a roll of crappy linoleum to nice tile. We've added or changed out ceiling fans and fixtures throughout the house (and still have a few left, actually), and we've upgraded the kitchen appliances to stainless. It hasn't been easy, in large part due to the crappy "work" the previous owners did around the house--in many cases, we've been fixing their half-assed attemts to hold stuff together. But we've done it all ourselves, and our house looks pretty great on the interior, if I do say so myself. I personally have wanted to move for the last two years, but K is finally fully on board and we're slowly moving forward to get it done.

The exterior is another story. We knew that in order to attract buyers, we needed to make repairs--at the very least. We started with siding estimates. We nearly fainted when Sears quoted us $20,000 for the job. After a few other estimates, we decided to look instead to just doing repairs and fresh exterior paint. We didn't want to put more money into our house than we'd get out. So we ended up hiring a company (that came with great recommendations), and also fit our budget better than the other estimates we received.

Unfortunately, the company hasn't impressed us at all, and after last night, we're considering firing them.

I faxed over the signed contract Wednesday, September 24th. I included a note with some questions, and asked the guy to call me. He called me Friday, the 26th. He said his crew was wrapping up another job in the area and would be over towards the end of the day to start powerwashing. He's also drop off paint samples then. Upon arrival at home, I saw that the paint samples were there, but no work had been done. Monday, I called him with our paint choices (fudge! alabaster!) and asked when we could expect to see his crew. He thought they'd start work the next day. To our surprise, they showed up Monday afternoon and half-assed the powerwashing. K took a look around the house after they left, and found some pretty large areas they missed. He left our guy a voicemail. Tuesday, despite the lack of a call back, the crew showed up again and powerwashed again. They left for lunch (when K was arriving home for lunch) and didn't show up again. Wednesday (yesterday), they actually started doing some work. Not a lot, but it was something. I called the guy (who still hadn't called us back) and asked for an estimated date of completion. He thought they'd finish the repairs by the end of the week and start painting next week. That is, if it didn't rain. If it rained, they'd get back to work four days later. No idea why such a long wait was required, but, whatev.

Thursday night, we came home to find that the work that had been done on the outside of the house was sloppy, uneven, and unprofessional. Several areas where they replaced the trim were crooked. Many of the panels they replaces weren't flush with the old panels. It was bad. But, even worse: there are holes in the interior of our house. A big hole inside our garage, and four small holes inside our kitchen. I don't know if their nail guns were set wrong or if they just don't know what they're doing, or what, but we simply cannot live with that type of workmanship.

I walked in the house last night to K leaving a very strongly worded voicemail to the guy. K has decided that he can't be the one to talk to the guy right now because he would only be yelling at the guy and that isn't productive. Not to mention, the guy has never returned a call to K. He's answered when I call, or he's returned my messages. So this morning, I called the guy. Luckily, he answered. I went over the problems, and he had some excuses (including telling me that the damaged areas on our house were more numerous than he originally estimated, so he brought in five extra panels--which, frankly, is not my problem), but he agreed to stop work until he could personally take a look at the areas we are unhappy with. I don't know how it's going to turn out, but I do know it's a total pain in the ass that we shouldn't have to deal with and it's pissing me off.

Plus, KXAN is off the air and I had to get ready to GMA in the background this morning. I'm cranky, and I'm using a lot of an F-word that isn't Fudge lately. (Thought not at all with the guy; as much as I wanted to. Motherfudger.)

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-01T13:48:00.001-05:00

#31: Reading and #9: Dinner

2008-09-22T13:11:00.002-05:00

Last week was Bacon Week, so I made breakfast for dinner early in the week. (And again this weekend to finish out our monthly pound of bacon.) I think we have a new favorite bacon flavor--Cinnamon Apple Spice. Sounds weird, but it was delicious! And it smelled so good when it was cooking, too. Our bacon this month was from Edwards & Sons of Virgina. Their company website only sells wholesale, and I can't find another link for the bacon we loved, but I know K would love more of their bacon.

Speaking of bacon, would this be a disgusting stocking stuffer for K? I am fascinated & a little repulsed by that. My brother is also a big bacon fan--perhaps there's bacon floss in his future, too.

A week or so ago, I finished reading Listening Is an Act of Love, which was a book club selection. I reviewed it on goodreads, so I won't add a long review here. I really enjoyed this book, although several parts of it moved me to tears. The last section of the book (Fire and Water) was especially poingant, since it was stories about September 11th and Hurricane Katrina. I finished reading it the first week of September, so the past couple of weeks, the book has remained on my mind. I've never been a listener of the Story Corps Project on NPR, but reading this book made me want to hear every story, from start to finish. Someone in my book club said the stories are played on the radio some mornings, but there is no way I could listen on my way to work--I don't need to show up to work weeping!

I think I mentioned this on goodreads, but if not, it bears repeating: I wouldn't recommed this book to other book clubs. It's a wonderful book, everyone should read it, but it doesn't leave a lot for discussion. We talked about our favorite stories, talked about a few stories from our own lives (as related to the book), but that was it.

Thoughts for Thursday

2008-09-18T13:35:00.003-05:00

"Valerie Jones" has joined match.

Imagine my surprise when I opened my email box to see an email from match with the subject line "New! First matches selected for *****" (her user id for match is not her real name, or, thankfully, mine). Naturally, I had to open the email.

Evidentally, she is looking for someone 33 - 40, and is probably 27 - 33 herself. She lives in California. I don't know exactly how match works, but each photo of a dude in the email has their age, their height/weight, their relationship status ("has been in committed relationships, but never married" is popular among these fellas), their religion (most have selected "Christian/Other" or "Spiritual, but not Religious"), and how they feel about having kids ("Someday, he will want kids" is a popular choice). One dude is 37 and looking for women who are ages 20 - 40. Twenty?? Good luck with that, buddy. Especially when you try to buy her a drink at dinner and she gets carded.

I tried to respond to the email to let match (and possibly Valerie Jones) know that there are 15 fellas out there who might be a match for her, but instead their info has gone to happily married me. It's one of those generic email addresses that just bounces back. I guess she's supposed to use the email as a reminder to log in to her account?

And it seems like she might still be looking for Mr. Right. I got another email today from match with the subject line "Your new matches!" I'm afraid to click on any part of the email. I do not want anything to do with match or the future Mr. Valerie Jones.

I wish I could email Valerie Jones and suggest she pick SeekinBaySista (he's tall, and has a nice smile) and drop Den01067 (whose photo shows him half in shadow, on his cell phone--creepy!), but all I can do is hope she realizes she isn't getting any match emails and fixes the situation on her own. Talk about lookin' for love in all the wrong places. I'm not THAT Valerie Jones, fellas!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-17T14:41:00.001-05:00

The Other

2008-09-15T14:26:00.002-05:00

My first name and maiden name are fairly common. Well, my maiden name is in the top 10 most common American last names, and I think my first name is less common, but not unique among ladies my age. For the sake of this story, let's say my first name is Valerie (because I always wanted my name to be Valerie when I was a kid) and my maiden name is Jones. It isn't, but Jones is #4 most common on the list I found, so let's go with that.

Before I married, I opened a gmail account using my first and maiden name--like valerie.jones @ gmail. One of the easiest name changes I did after getting married was opening a new gmail account using my first name and new last name. I kept the old email address open, and use it when I'm signing up for mailing lists (Ann Taylor, amazon, etc.) and contest entries, etc. Here and there, I have received email intended for valeriejones @ gmail (no dot between the first and last name) and it generally gives me a chuckle. I always respond to the sender to let them know that their email has been misdirected, and explain that sometimes that happens--the email system sometimes gets confused and thinks the address without the dot is mine. I've tried to get it fixed, but no dice. Occasionally, it leads to a chuckle, and I thought it would be fun to post some of the examples or stories on the blog to keep things moving while I'm still trudging away at my list.

One of my personal favorites was the baby name email chain. It went a little something like this:

Micah: Hey!! Incase you haven't heard yet, IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As far as names... we got nothin. I am a big fan of Olivia, but Andrew doesn't like it so much. He really likes Kally, which I really like, too except it's just weird because of kally m*****r, which really shouldn't matter seeing htat I haven't even seen the girl in 5 years.

Shannon: First off, CONGRATULATIONS!! Olivia is a super cute name, but I will tell you that it's already on the top 10 list for more popular baby names in recent years. Which may or may not make any difference to you guys. Whatabout...Esmerelda? or Sascatchawan? Oh don't worry, we'll think of some good ones. (She includes a list.)

Kathleen: So I may have made up Valerie's email (meaning me) but everyone elses was their name @ gmail...so if Valerie doesn't get this maybe someone can intervene...Secondly! CONGRATS MICAH! Finally. I like Olivia too, but I really need first/middle names. Because Olivia is good, but if Mowgli is the middle name I have to recant my vote. If IIIIII had a daughter...Alyssa something. Oh I do like Kally C******. I just freakin love alliteration. Oh and I like Hannah and Hailey. Sorry I like names that are cool in 2007 Shannon. My bad.

Jennifer: As for actual names, I am a huge fan of Olivia, but other than that, you all know I'm not good at this stuff. I always wanted to name my kids after characters in books. Is that weird to doom your children to nerd-dom before they're even a reality? How about Jane? Is that a weird name? It just came to me this very second, for no particular reason.

Micah: Ok, I have 2 funny stories to tell you:
1. Last night Andrew and I picked the name! For sure, both loved it, we were going with it. I was proud of myself because it was such a great compromise, combining his love for Kally with my love for Olivia---Kally Olivia C******. Alas, thirty minutes after our celebration, andrew ruins it with "wait, doesn't that spell KOC?" I'm not sure thos eare the greatest initials.. So, we are back to square one. (#2 was talking about a mutual friend of theirs, apparently, who wants to name their unborn daughter "Dolcinea.")

At this point, I checked that email address (it had been a couple of days) and decided I needed to step in. My email to the group:

"Kathleen, I don't know that you made up the email address for your friend Valerie Jones, but whatever email address you sent to was misdirected to me. It happens from time to time--I think Ms. Jones and I must have very similar email addresses.

For what it's worth, I love the name Amelia. Doesn't go with Olivia very well, but I think it's adorable. How cute would Amelia Jane sound?

Best to all,The OTHER Valerie Jones"

So naturally, I thought that would be the end of my inclusion on the email chain. I was so wrong.

Kathleen: Valerie, Shocking to the both of us, I intended to send that message to you. Sorry it interfered with your normal life pattern. I like Amelia Jane too. I like Amelia, Jane is kinda boring but its better than the mental names Jenn is sending out there. I know no other Valerie Joneses just to clear that up.

Yikes! I responded again:

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid there's been some misunderstanding. I'm actually not the person you know--I don't recognize your name or any of the names of your friends, and I live in Texas. My email address is valerie.jones, so I think a lot of times I get email directed to valeriejones or possibly other variations of that address. I was just trying to be cheeky by signing "the OTHER Valerie Jones" and suggesting a baby name. I'm apologize for not being clearer in my message. Best, Valerie."

Micah: I don't get the whole Valerie Jones thing.........................................

(hours pass)

Micah: Wait... I'm sorry, I think I just caught on-- This isn't my friend Valerie Jones, is it??? hahaha! Sorry to bother you! ....and if this is my friend Valerie, you have left me very confused! By the way, I think Amelia Jane is very cute, I'll run it past my husband :)

My final response was "Correct, this is not your friend Valerie. I am a Valerie Jones who lives in Texas and does not know any of you ladies. But I wish you all the best!"

I haven't heard from them since. But how crazy would it be if Micah has a baby named Amelia Jane right now??

Hang On, Sloopy!!

2008-09-15T13:21:00.003-05:00

Early last week, K and I had just finished working out and were resting a moment on the couch before getting dinner together. He was flipping though the channels, and ran across a group of older guys on KLRU singing. Here's how our conversation went:

Me: Hang on, sloopy!
K: No, that's not what they're saying.
M: What?
K: They're saying "hang on SNOOPY."
M: I'm pretty sure they're saying "sloopy."
K: That's ridiculous. Why would that be in a song? That's not even a word.
M: I don't know! It is what it is!
K: Of course, it's "Snoopy." You know, famous cartoon dog?
M: Well, it sounds like SLOOPY. Hang on, sloopy!
K: Famous cartoon dog! SNOOPY!

Of course, I had to immediately turn to the internet. When I googled "Hang on Snoopy" I was directed to a website for famous examples of mondegreens--when a statement or song lyric is misheard. My next move was googling the lyric I thought was correct, and I was rewarded with Hang on Sloopy, which I've now learned more about than I ever thought possible. Including that the song is the official song for the Cleveland Indians.

So I've been taunting K and calling him "Sloopy" for almost a week. haha!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-10T16:48:00.001-05:00

#4: August Nephew Time

2008-09-08T15:18:00.003-05:00

The last weekend of August, my family got together to celebrate my SIL's birthday with a Sunday afternoon lunch. Luckily, that meant some fun time with my two little nephews.

Their oldest son (AC) is just over three years old, and talking up a storm. His latest accomplishment is potty training, although he's still new enough to that adventure to expect a prize every time he, uh, makes a deposit. When K and I arrived for lunch, he was asking everyone to go outside to the backyard to swing him. (My mom has rigged a swing from a tree limb in her yard.) Of course, it was a bazillion degrees, plus my dad was busy at the grille and my mom was busy in the kitchen, and my brother and SIL had not yet arrived. I volunteered, and out we went. AC wanted to strap himself in--he is a big boy now, after all--so my only job was pulling the swing back as far as it would go and releasing him. If I didn't catch the swing on each upswing, it would get crooked, so I ended up having quite a workout. As soon as his parents arrived, he decided he'd rather chase his dad around the yard, so I got to sneak back in to the airconditioning. Later, I went outside again (everyone else was tending to his younger brother, who was just waking from a nap) and he wanted to show me a bug. He told me he wanted me to pick it up. I told him I wasn't going to do that. (Bleah!) Turns out, it was a cicada shell, not actually a living bug. I got brave and picked it off the tree for him to look at up close. I think he was impressed, because he wouldn't let me get too close to him with the "bug". . .although he did ask if we could pull the legs off. Ummm, no.

During lunch, he decided my brother was Patrick from Sponge Bob. Apparently, this is a game they play quite a bit, because my brother has a special voice he uses for Patrick and Patrick likes to encourage AC to eat lunch by telling him he should eat up his "crabby cakes." It was hilarious to see them playing pretend like that! I've never watched Sponge Bob, so my brother had some explaining to do for us non-fans. K and I were both cracking up to hear AC's tiny voice saying "Patrick. . ." and then my brother responding in a silly voice.

The little guy (CT) is about 17 months old, and cute as a button. He was waking up from a nap just as we were sitting down to lunch, so he wasn't quite up to all of his usual antics. I did find out that apparently, he's very sensitive to people telling him "no" or using a loud/harsh tone of voice towards him. My mom says my brother was the same way at that age--she thinks he would just get really embarrassed when he was caught getting in trouble, and that caused a burst of tears. Same thing for the small fry. I was proud to see that he's still seperating his food (I don't like foods to touch, neither does he) and he has learned a couple of funny new tricks. He'll point out each of his facial features when asked (i.e.: where is your nose?), but when it comes to tongue, he opens his mouth wide and sticks out his tongue long, Gene Simmons-style. He'll also make a funny suspicious face when asked if his food is hot. My mom thinks the face is so funny that she asks him if his food is hot A LOT just to see the face. . .and then she pretends to blow on the food. CT still thinks K's little tiny soul patch is stare-worthy, and that always makes for a good game at lunch. (CT stares at K, K makes funny faces and makes the little beard bush out, etc.)

We're going to have to find an excuse to see them in September--it's a rare month without a special occasion in our family.

#9: Weeknight Dinner

2008-09-08T15:11:00.002-05:00

One night last week, I made another quiche--it's become one of K's favorite dishes that I make. Weird, right? I think I make it differently each time. A couple of weeks ago, my bacon had spoiled, so I used an 8oz package of lunch meat (smoked turkey) cut into small pieces. That time, I threw a little diced garlic in with the onion when I sauteed them.

Last week, K requested another quiche, and suggested I include TurkeyRoni in addition to the smoked turkey. So I did about six ounces of turkey and maybe three ounces of T-Roni (as it's called in our house). I also left the onions uncooked, since I was in a hurry, and it turned out great.

I think my next quiche adventure will have to include making two and freezing one to see how well it works in the freezer.

OMG. Cupcake Heaven!

2008-09-03T16:24:00.003-05:00

I may be on a total sugar high, but I do believe I've died and gone to cupcake heaven.

How have I not known about this place until now?

Some kind soul just delivered Polkadots cupcakes to our office. I don't know who it was, but I want to hug him/her!

I managed to make it to the kitchen before the vultures I work with devoured all the delicious treats, and WOW, am I glad I did. The inside of the box looked like a party--each cupcake was different, but beautiful. I had to stand there in awe and admire it for just a minutes. Naturally, I immediately started peeking around to see if I could find a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Score! Back at my desk, I peeled back the paper and took a huge first bite. Only to be surprised by a vanilla bean pudding filling. OMG. That's when I died. Luckily, I was able to revive myself with another bite. Swoon! Further research tells me I likely enjoyed a Boston Creme Pie cupcake. Love! I see these taste treats in my future. Just like I see an evening of shredding on tonight's agenda. Know what? Worth every calorie.

And it's a damn good thing this place wasn't open when I was at UT. My apartment was at 28th & Rio Grande! Ooohhh, but maybe I could've worked there. . .like that would be any better for my waistline.

#31: Reading

2008-09-03T15:39:00.003-05:00

I just realized I haven't updated for the past three books I've read! Well, I've updated goodreads, but I want to be sure and make a note for posterity here, too.

Just before/during/and after our early August vacation to Boston, I finished the Twilight series. The third book, Eclipse, was my favorite of the series, I think. Actually, it may have been my favorite book because I was looking for answers to a lot of questions the second book raised, and the book answered them in a satisfying way. Of course, all of the books are now kindof blending together in my head, so I might be wrong about which is which, but I liked learning all the werewolf lore and the rest of the background stories about characters that didn't seem fully developed previously. Of course, there's the cliffhanger of who Bella will choose, but luckily I didn't start the series until the last book was about to be released, so I didn't have long to wait to find out.

Coming home from Boston, I started Breaking Dawn. And that is one long book! Luckily (I guess) we ended up with a bunch of flight delays, so I had plenty of book to keep me from getting bored and annoying the bejeezus out of K. True confession: I got teary during more than one part of the book. That's at least as embarrasing as getting teary at the end of Harry Potter, right?? I'll blame stress from flight issues and ummm, lack of sleep due to vacation. Okay, okay, so the wedding was dreamy! And then the honeymoon was a little weird. The story took a direction I did not expect, or particularly enjoy, although I think the final outcome was good. Bella gets everything she wants, after all. I can appreciate a happy ending. I would like to read more about the Cullens, though, or even Jacob and his adventures with Nessie. Surely Stephanie Meyer isn't ready to let the Twilight characters (or the revenue they generate for her) go, yet?

I probably should've taken my book club book for August on vacation, but who wants to read about people dying from tuberculosis when teen vampire angst is available? ;o) I finally FINALLY finished Mountains Beyond Mountains, though not in time for my book club meeting. I was about half-way through for the discussion. I'm glad we read this book, although it was a bit much for our book club right after Three Cups of Tea. This book was definitely an eye-opener about global problems I didn't realize still existed. It was also interesting to compare and contrast Dr. Farmer and Greg Mortenson, both to see the similarities and differences between two men who have taken on such huge problems and their approach to solving them. Honestly, I like Dr. Farmer best. However, I realize that may be due to how each man was presented. Mortenson tells his co-author that he should ask people for the good, bad, and ugly about working with him, and I think that came out in the book. Kidder definitely presents Dr. Farmer in a glowing light, but I fell for it. My only complaint about this group is that the core people in the book have kindof a short hand with each other than includes a lot of abbreviations. I had trouble keeping track of those. Portions of the book were a little bit dry because of the medical or political aspects of the story, and I found those slow but necessary.

Our next book club book is Listening is an Act of Love, and I've just started it. So far, I'm enjoying reading a few stories each night. But I'll be back to fiction soon!

Six is Enough

2008-09-02T14:40:00.005-05:00

Thanks again to Joyco, I am unable to resist a blog game!

Here are the rules:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you: Joyco

2. Mention the rules on your blog.

3. Tell 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.

4. Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking to them. (Tag, you're it! If you haven't played already, now's your chance.)

5. Leave a comment for each tagged blogger to let them know that they have been tagged

Six Quirks about me:

1. Six is my lucky number. I don't know why, specifically, it just always has felt lucky for me. However, the fact that my anniversary is on November 6 is actually a coincidence--it wasn't our first choice of dates, just the date our reception location happened to have available. Turns out it was a perfect day to get married!

2. My knees are double-jointed. Well, I don't know if that's the exact term for what they do, but I can straighten my legs out so that they are bowed backwards. I should take a picture some time; it's hard to explain. My brother can do the same thing. We get it from my mom. I wonder if his boys have the knee gene?

3. My maiden name and married name have the same number of letters, and end with the same letter.

4. I've never tried eggplant. It creeps me out for some reason! I have a feeling it would be spongey, like flan, and that would make me gag. Flan makes me think of eyeballs.

5. Nearly every work day at 3pm, I walk over to the cafeteria in the building next to mine and get an iced tea. Sometimes, I am bad and get one of those little glass bottles of starbucks mocha frappuchino, instead. Yet, on the weekends, I'm almost never thirsty for tea at 3pm. Maybe because I sleep later?

6. I don't like different kinds of food to touch on my plate. If foods are intended to mix (like peanut butter and jelly, for example), that doesn't bother me. But I don't like my corn juice leaking into my mashed potatoes (for example). I love divided plates for this reason, and I always bring my own to my family's holiday gatherings. My brother is the exact opposite--for example, at Thanksgiving, he piles his plate with everything he wants to eat (all smushed next to each other), and covers the whole plate with cranberry sauce (the kind from a can) and gravy. Naturally, his seat at the table is across from mine. Ugh! My non-touching food preference extends to items of different flavor, like candy. I eat one flavor at a time; I would never just throw a random assortment of Jelly Bellys into my mouth. Yet, that's my husband's favorite way to eat candy. Bleah!

Your turn!

Tell-All Thursday

2008-08-28T14:03:00.005-05:00

Yesterday's photo might be a little hard to read. It says: Susannah Martin*, Hanged, July 10, 1692.

My dad has done a lot of genealogical research into both sides of our family--his and my mom's side. It used to be a hobby of his, and I see myself getting involved in the research once I have more time in my life (retirement years, perhaps??). History fascinates me, and I actually love doing interesting research. Plus, with so much information on the internet now, tracking down this type of information is much easier than when my dad started researching. I remember him exchanging letters with people all over the country when I was a kid, and he and one of his sisters would always talk about making side trips to courthouses to look through old records on vacation.

Learning stories about my own history makes the idea of genealogical research even more tempting. My dad has tells stories about my great-great-grandmother Agnes Daly*, who came from County Cork Ireland to American with her teenage brother. She was only in her early 20s, but she left the rest of the family behind. . .and brought that part of our family tree to America.

When we studied the Salem Witch Trials in school, my dad had another story of family history to share. He'd determined that our family is related to Susannah Martin, who was part of the group found guilty of witchcraft at one of the earliest trials. She, along with 4 other people, were hung on July 10, 1692, and their bodies were dumped into a mass grave. The photo in the post below is a marker at the site where she and others were hung in Salem.

I'm not exactly sure how we are related to her--I did some quick googling for her family trees and found both my mother's maiden name and my dad's last name (which is a very common name) in different places, so I am not sure which branch of her family ours came from. (I am certain, however, that my mother's side of the family and my dad's side of the family are NOT both related to Susannah Martin!) I did find out that one of Susannah's daughters (Jane) is a distant relation to President Chester A. Arthur*. I should be expecting my invitation to overnight in the Lincoln Bedroom any day now, right?

Anyway, we didn't make it to Salem on our most recent Boston trip, though we did see plenty of burial grounds and other spooky sites on our Ghosts and Gravestones tour. We took that tour our first night in Boston, and it was a neat way to see a lot of the city--even though places look pretty different the the light of day. The tour was fun (I'd taken the tour on my last trip to Boston with girlfriends in 2000), and informative. Our guide was (possibly unintentially) funny, but that helped make it a good experience for us. K is usually pretty grumbly when it comes to things like ghost tours, but he was a good sport and enjoyed it even though I think he initially agreed to the tour just to humor me. He's a keeper, that guy.

*Note: None of the names in this post are even close to my current last name, my maiden name, or even my mom's maiden name, so I felt comfortable posting them while still maintaining a necessary degree of anonimity.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-08-27T13:51:00.003-05:00

Like An Onion

2008-08-25T14:37:00.003-05:00

I can always count on Joyco and MrsMillerTime to have a good meme on their blogs!

LAYER ONE:
Name: MrsMonkey
Birth date: October 19
Birthplace: Huntsville, Alabama
Current Location: Austin, Texas
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Blonde
Height: 5' 10"
Righty or Lefty: Righty
Zodiac Sign: Libra

LAYER TWO:
Your heritage: Scottish/Irish/English
The shoes you wore today: Black peep-toe wedges. One of my favorite pairs.
Your weakness: Dairy products
Your fears: The unknown.
Your perfect pizza: italian sausage, mushrooms, extra cheese
Goal you’d like to achieve: #1 on the big list is #1 for a reason!

LAYER THREE:
Your most overused phrase on AIM: I use AIM for work, but not like a typical AIM user. (i.e., no abbreviations or catchy phrases)
Your first waking thoughts: More sleep please
Your best physical feature: I have nice eyes.
What you miss the most: All of my best girlfriends living in Austin.

LAYER FOUR:
Pepsi or Coke: Coke
McDonald’s or Burger King: Neither
Single or group dates: I like single dates for going out, but group dates for things like game night or dinner at someone's house
Adidas or Nike: Neither. DH would pick Nike.
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Lipton.
Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate
Cappuccino or coffee: Cappuccino. I prefer my coffee beverages to taste like things other than coffee.

LAYER FIVE:
Smoke: No
Cuss: Sometimes
Sing: In the car, if I'm alone
Take a shower everyday: Pretty much
Do you think you’ve been in love: I know I am
Want to go to college: Graduated from UT
Liked high school: Didn't hate it, didn't love it
Want to get married: Already done!
Believe in yourself: Usually
Get motion sickness: Nope
Think you’re attractive: Sometimes
Think you’re a health freak: I wish!
Get along with your parent(s): Yes
Like thunderstorms: Not while I'm sleeping, driving, or in an airplane
Play an instrument: I took piano lessons for years as a kid.

LAYER SIX: In the past month…
Drank Alcohol: yes
Smoked: no
Done a drug: not an illegal one
Made out: Yes
Gone on a date: Yes
Gone to the mall: No
Eaten an entire box of Oreos: Bleah, no.
Eaten sushi: Yes.
Been on stage: No.
Been dumped: Nope
Gone skating: No
Made homemade cookies: I've made desserts other than cookies from scratch
Gone skinny dipping: Nope
Dyed your hair: No
Stolen anything: No

LAYER SEVEN: Ever…
Played a game that required removal of clothing: Yes
If so, was it mixed company: Yes
Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: Yes. I like to call those times "1996." ;o)
Been caught “doing something”: Doing something, yes. Doing it, no.
Been called a tease: Not to my face
Gotten beat up: No
Shoplifted: No
Changed who you were to fit in: (Sigh) Unfortunately, yes.

LAYER EIGHT:
Age you hope to be married: Growing up, I wanted to get married at 24, like my mom.
Numbers and Names of Children: None so far
Describe your Dream Wedding: My wedding was pretty much my dream wedding.
How do you want to die: I probably wouldn't turn down immortality.
Where you want to go to college: If I went back to college for some reason, I'd still pick UT
What do you want to be when you grow up: happy with my life
What country would you most like to visit: Italy

LAYER NINE:
Number of people I could trust with my life: 4
Number of CDs that I own: About 175
Number of piercing: One in each ear, plus a third in my left ear that has grown closed
Number of tattoos: None
Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: I'm guessing less than 5. I haven't kept track.
Number of scars on my body: Lots. But only a couple have a story. Most are old kitty scratches.
Number of things in my past that I regret: Because I can not go back, I live without regrets.

Hit me in the comments if you try this out, too, so I can read your response!

#9: Weekly Dinners

2008-08-21T20:42:00.003-05:00

Seems like it's been a while since I've cooked dinner during the week! Good thing K likes leftovers (from weekend cooking) and sandwiches.

This week is Bacon Week, so earlier in the week I made BLTs for dinner. This month's bacon, Swiss Sugar Cottage Bacon, is made from the shoulder of a pig, which basically means it looks like canadian bacon. It was pretty good, but a little fatty. I'm going to make Bacon Quiche with the remaining half pound.

Tonight, I made a recipe from the August 2008 Real Simple. I only changed it up a little bit, so I've added my revisions in parenthesis below. It was a good, quick recipe. I am a slow chopper, though, so next time I'll pre-chop everything the night before. K, my olive lover, said he was going to kick his up a notch next time by slicing up some olives in his servings.

Summer Pasta Bolognese (from 8/08 Real Simple Magazine)
serves 4

12 ounces fetuccine (3/4 box) (I used wheat pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground turkey
kosher salt & pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
(1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped)
1 1/2 pounds beefsteak tomatoes--about 3--chopped (I used roma, couldn't find beefsteak at my HEB, and I weighed them to get the amount right)
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc (I used chardonnay; that's what we had)
1 small zucchini, coarsely grated
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
(fresh parmesan cheese)

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey and season with 3/4 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. (I used extra pepper.) Cook, breaking up the turkey with a spoon, for 3 minutes.

Add the garlic and onion and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and wine and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the turkey is cooked through and the sauce has slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and fold in the zucchini and basil. Serve over the pasta. Add parmesan to taste--about 1/4 cup per serving.

Excellent bonus to this recipe = leftover wine to drink!