routines

I've just watched America's Next Top Model for two days in a row. I am rooting for Molly Sue even though she choked on the commercial just now. We'll see how she works out.

Today was great though because I finally broke my wednesday-piddling-around and made some freakin-progress-already on my first tenure-related research project. Whew. I need to justify that day each week somehow.

I was a little inspired by Bevin's new method for organizing her life and Johnny and I have started doing the dishes after every meal. It is so amazing. It is like the whole kitchen is clean all the time, just because the dishes are done. I highly recommend it for any of you who have dishes-related arguments, or messy kitchens.

I'm also trying to work in a little yard work. You will certainly be subjected to some photos of the spring foliage popping up in the yard. It is quite lovely, and makes me look forward to when it gets warmer and we can have cookouts in the yard. I can't wait. At least it isn't snowing here!

just hang up for two minutes, gawd.

Maybe I shouldn't be by now, but every time I hear someone on their cell phone while using the bathroom, I am shocked. Am I an old lady? Am I a prude? Why do people talk on the phone in public restrooms? Not just "Hi, I'm peeing, Bye" conversations either, these are real conversations about what happened at the party over the weekend, making plans with boyfriends (yes, I can hear his voice too), and "why was she wearing that" conversations.

I need to have a planned response, in case I get to the point where I can't take it anymore. What should I do? Bang on the wall? If it wasn't illegal I could get a phone reception canceller or something. Any other ideas?

birthday sweepstakes

Oh my. This had to be my best birthday yet.

I worked on Thursday, my actual birthday, because I was taking the other days off. I had a meeting with this woman from Japan about our institutional repository (not suppository, or toilet, by the way) and she completely brought a gift (a cute little scarf)! I was so excited that I didn't even get to tell her that it was also my birthday. Also, the Director of the Libraries actually stopped into my office after getting some coffee. That is a benefit of having the coffee shop office, for sure.

I got home and Duke had just arrived. I also had a fabulous birthday present from Bevin, which I will certainly post a photo of, so everyone can appreciate the fabulousness. We got ready and went to dinner with our young friend A. We had delicious thai food and met up with Pilgrim for ice cream after. I was too full to eat any ice cream, but we decided to go for a beer, which I was not too full for. We went to the Surly Girl and met up with Lacy Coxx, her GF, and a couple of others. That was truly fun and then we went home.

Friday I drank two cups of full-on caffeinated coffee so Duke and I talked non-stop for a couple of hours while I made a cake and did dishes. I checked my email and saw that there was a special birthday video from ScootKing and Leo via Portland (see March 24). Then Johnny came home and we went to Pilgrim's for desserts and playing with the baby. I knew that J. Gordon and Jess Webb were supposed to arrive that night, probably around 11 or 12, but there were many text messages with regard to status, etc. We left Pilgrim's at around 12:30 when I was nearly asleep on the couch. We got back and they STILL hadn't arrived. I got a second wind and vacuumed the living room. Johnny announced that they were here so we ran outside and looked for them. I ran to the car and saw that THERE WERE TWO OTHER PEOPLE IN THE CAR! Erica and The Agent has snuck their way to Ohio and were totally in attendance. Jess had stopped for Sparks, so we cracked open a few and stayed up late.

Saturday was a full day. The Agent and I dropped Zoey off at the questionable kennel and took a quick tour of the campus at the cataloging factory. By the time we got back, Johnny had packed up a bag for me and sent Jess, The Agent and I off for the day. It was all planned in advance and all unknown to me. Our first step was to go to this random address. We pulled up in front of the place, and it was someone's house! I wasn't sure what to do, but The Agent assured me it was okay by informing me that we were there for massages and hot tubbing and relaxation-by-magazine looking. I don't need to say how great it was. Then, we took off for sushi and sashimi at the newly renovated japanese restaurant and then we went to see a movie!

We headed back toward home and as we pulled up, I noticed Jupiter (the cat) in the alley. I jumped out to get him, and waited for the rest before going inside. I am glad I waited, because there was A DJ IN OUR HOUSE. My brother, Sil, and family were there and a variety of others, including food and all kinds of excitement. Sil made me this fancy birthday cake and we danced and drank and had so much fun. My Best Friend From High School also came. Here are some selected photos which don't actually represent the entire evening because many hours passed until I remembered to take some photos, and then many passed after I forgot again. [Edit: I forgot to mention that Johnny's cousin and her bf came from DC, just for the party! It was great to see them, and it was such a surprise.]

Anyway, most everyone left on Sunday and i spent the day sleeping and cleaning until Lacy and her sick GF arrived to watch the Sopranos and the Most Awful Season Finale Of All Time with us.

I wish everyday was birthday sweepstakes. Thanks everyone for coming.

Birthday week!

This is going to be a good week. My 30th is Thursday, and Johnny is planning a party for me on Saturday night. Jess, J. Gordon and Duke are coming, I am pretty sure, and maybe some other people too, although I'm still not supposed to talk about it. I am going to go ahead and work on the actual birthday, but I'm taking Friday and Monday off, to enjoy and relax. I am planning to go to yoga on Friday morning, so that will be a nice start.

I wish I could have a birthday sweepstakes. I don't know what exactly that would entail, but it would be cool.

My best friend from high school called me last week and I am going up to visit her tonight. I am strangely excited and a little nervous. I haven't seen her in 7 years, but I am taking some beer, so I'm sure it will be fun.

timing is everything

I have a tendency toward efficiency. I mean, maybe I am a little obsessed with it. I am usually considering the most efficient way to go somewhere, to do a list of things, to get ready in the most efficient way. I am also occasionally obsessed with how other people see me.

I was at the gym and had just come from the shower and was getting dressed in the locker room. I had my pants, socks and shoes left to put on. It was pretty quiet in there because it was pouring rain for about 30 minutes, just enough time to get people to cycle out, but not back in. I put on my socks first because I didn't want to stand on the locker room floor with my bare feet. Then, I thought it made the most sense to put on my pants and limit the amount of time that I was less-dressed. Then I had the efficient idea that if I put my shoes just after my pants, while sitting down, then I wouldn't have to sit back down to put my shoes on, and I'd get out of there a few seconds (or fraction of seconds) earlier. I chose not to untie my shoes because I can usually just slide them on without too much trouble.

My occasional obsession kicked in when someone turned the corner and I suddenly realized I was sitting there, wiggling my feet to get into my shoes, towel across my lap, pants down. I must be the queen of good timing.

First anyone?

This weekend was full of firsts.

Art Museum
I have never been to the art museum here. I don't know why. Leo runs a film festival that had its opening night party (and film) at the museum. It was really nice and Johnny showed me around to all her favorite works in the museum. There was lots of background noise and no people trying to stand in front of us.


Chocolate covered grapes
Whoa. These were served at the opening with lots of other yummy goodies, but wow. If you haven't had these, maybe try some when you can. They are really good.


Yucky post-yoga
Saturday was the first time ever that I didn't feel awesome for the rest of the day after doing yoga. It probably had a lot to do with the sausage gravy from Bob Evans that I ate afterward.


Spaghetti squash
I've never had spaghetti squash before, so I didn't really think that the squash looks like spaghetti, but it does!


Double pie crust
Due to our food connection, we ended up with basically a bushel of apples. I decided to whip up a couple o' pies, but to make them gourmet-style, with double crusts. I always thought it would be hard, but it is just the same, with more dough rolling.


Sopranos!!
Tonight is the first episode of the LAST season of the Sopranos.

woot!

Music to my ears

Our new computer came with GarageBand, a program to create your own music and whatever. Here is our first effort, soon to be on all the radio stations. (AIFF format, Quicktime) I really hope you can play it because Johnny's vocals are OUT OF THIS WORLD. Seriously. Way better than Debra.

I need your help!

I have been trying to think of the title of this book for weeks. It is about a family and the mom dies. There are a bunch of kids, and each chapter is told from the perspective of various people in the story. The older boys have to build the mom's coffin and then there is a bunch of rain and they wait a long time to take her to town to bury her and the bridge washes out and they have to take the long way around and her body begins decomposing, but they still keep going. There is at least a little boy, and a young-ish girl who thinks she is prego. It's a great story, but I can't think of the name or the author. I know you all are well-read, so someone must be able to help me, right?

On a less interesting note, does anyone know of a multi-format IM client that can be used on a mac? I use Trillian on my work PC, but it isn't available for mac.

Running off

Last night after Johnny got home, she was holding the door open to bring in her paintings and Zoey ran out. She sped across the street and down the alley. Johnny went looking for her (and got gas in the truck) but no luck. She came back, but like 20 minutes later. I wish that I had more confidence in her ability to look both ways before crossing the street. I know she would love to just run and run. I think she misses the farm life.

Today my friend Sanj from the cataloging factory got married. She and her (now) husband, Coop, had this big production at the courthouse, where about 25 people showed up in fancy outfits and took photos of them with the justice-of-the-peace (who, by the way, made several inappropriate comments about Sanj making dinner every night and about Coop trying to run away). We all laughed politely and took pictures around him.

There I also saw some women I've known for about...oh, maybe 10 years, that I hadn't seen since my girlfriend at the time and I broke up in 1997 or whatever. That was fun, and it was strange because they look exactly the same. Not older or anything. It gives me hope for when I am nearing 40.

This saturday they are having a big reception dinner at a restaurant, on the same night as Leo's birthday dinner!! We RSVP'd for the wedding some time ago, so we are going to that but then going dancing with Leo, et al., which will fully rock.

What fun

Oh my. So here many days have passed.

We went to Chicago with the Bro and Sil, and it was really fun. We went to this overpriced steakhouse place and ate food that was quite good, but still overpriced. Then, we went to Second City. Dudes, if you ever get a chance to go, you completely should. It was so fun and funny that we went back again the next night for the free improv hour. That alone made we want to move there. Or Toronto, or NY, or Detroit.
We also went to the Contemporary Art Museum where they had a surprise piece by Johnny's fave artist, Lee Bontecou. We saw Gehry's Millennium Park and shared a hot dog with all kinds of stuff on it.

We boarded Zoey for the first time. It was a little sad because she clearly didn't want us to leave her there, but everything went fine, obviously. She was a little crazy when she came home, ran around and chewed up an (empty) box of girl scout cookies. Overally, I'd say it was a success. At least we ate the cookies first.

Last night was muy exciting because we bought our first computer! Can you believe that neither Johnny nor I has ever had to purchase a computer yet in our nearly 60 years (combined)? We saved a little cash and went on over to the Apple store and I am now sitting in a freakin' coffee shop typing on this fancy new iBook, instead of doing my research like I am supposed to. Woo!

Ok. My Birthday is totally coming up and we are having a party. I am just saying that I want you to come, but please don't talk to me about it! I want it to be a surprise if you pop in, so make arrangements with Johnny if you can (please?) come. I promise that we will visit my library and go to Waterbeds-n-Stuff . It will be so fun. Also, if you are going to come early or stay late, mention that to Johnny too, so she can suggest that I take days off work as appropriate.

curling

I have simply been too busy to post, what with the olympics and all. I am fully informed about the wonders of ice dancing, women's arials, and slalom. it's pretty amazing.

I have also been busy with our lap dog:

weather is strange

It's so weird that I didn't even know it snowed on the east coast until, like, Monday. By then, all y'alls were feet deep in the stuff.
Today it was 57 and tomorrow is supposed to be 61 degrees.

Suddenly, Ohio is in the south or some shit.

showtime

The show was so fun. I don't know if it was any good, but I had a great time.

We were there just on time, and I got together with my co-mc's to discuss our strategies. It was a valentine's theme, so the numbers were divided into break up songs and love songs. I decided to dress the theme, so I wore a break-up outfit for the first half which was basically a slinky black number (no photo), and I dressed as a love-princess for the second half. Here's a shot of me and Lacey Coxx, where I am in the princess 'fit:

Leo and I decided to plan a Taboo style game with the conversation hearts (inspired by Bevin) and to spice it up some, we tried to write tiny little words on some of them, for fun.
I asked Leo, "Do they have to be about Valentine's day?"
She said, "well, about love, or sex, or whatever" so I wrote

Give me my pants

on one. that one was a real hit.

Our number was at the end of the first half, and the crowd was fully into it. I wish I had thought to recruit someone to take a photo, but I didn't, but I will tell you this: involved a toaster oven, girl push-ups, and iron-on letters on shirts and underwear.
Here's a post-number shot of Lacey and me. Please note the leg warmers and white cowboy boots (which she got for $9 + shipping on ebay! woo!):


So johnny sang the debra, which was awesome. here's a shot of us before she got too drunk:

Please note the wild look in my eyes.

There was much drinking, and even some inappropriate behavior from johnny's coworker. then we were ready to go, but our stuff was locked backstage. while i waited at the bar for the key, there was some hilarity happening back there. I got there just in time:


I want to take this moment to mention the nail polish on jake's hand. In case you can't see it, here is a close up.


She showed me how she felt about it:


On the way home, we got some White Castle fried cheese, and drank-n-dialed The Jesserson. So fun.

disappointing tv

I made the (nearly) fatal error of watching the grammys last night. what a awful show it has become. kanye was a little clever with the band, but then they messed it up by changing into fancy outfits.

but freakin' green day? u2? jesus. the mainstream "rock" world is full of annoying people. I was interested to learn that the guy who won all those r&b awards is from springfield, not far from here.

Rock on Ohio!

One show that was NOT disappointing however was America's Ballroom Challenge. This is not the Dancing with Celebrities (which I might be missing right now!) but is, instead, a real competition, produced for TV. The dancers are really performers, and talented. I was inspired by the way that some of the dancers would get out there and perform kinda silly-looking moves with so much confidence that it was cool. And hott. It made me realize that I need to practice my choreography for the show on Saturday.

another haircut

This one was much more interesting. After the last experience, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to trek back out to the 'burbs to overpay for a cut and some uninteresting company. I have been asking around, and then I remembered that my one friend said she went to an Aveda salon.

I said to myself: Duh. Of course. An Aveda salon.

I started researching the different places here and after eliminating the ones that are far away and the training school, I made an appointment. I had a great stylist and I now have a salon to call my own.

As a reminder, here is a "before" photo (taken at work with my phone, so a little sketchy on the quality)


And here is an after shot, with the same apology.


I am so rocking out.

kingpin

We went bowling on saturday night after practicing for the show. It was our friend's birthday, so they reserved about 8 lanes at the alley so there were 8 lanes of queers packed into the bowling alley. We drank beer and I almost won once. I bowled a strike, even. Woo!

And the Super Bowl! Go Steelers! As if there was any doubt.

Dude, i am totally obligated now.

Ok, so DonnaTroka "tagged" me with this Lists of 3 thing, AND posted a comment about it, so here goes.

LISTS OF 3

Three books I can read over and over:
1) Tipping the Velvet / Sarah Waters
2) Anna Karenina / Tolstoy
3) David Copperfield / Dickens

Three places I've lived:
1) Ohio, Ohio, Ohio
2) Philly
3) Barbados (well, I visited there, and I dream of living there. Does that count?)

Three TV shows I love:
1) Dancing with the Stars
2) Monday Night Football (woot!)
3) Sopranos

Three highly regarded and recommended TV shows that I've never watched a single minute of:
1) CSI
2) The West Wing (to copy Donna)
3) 24 (Well, almost. I watched one episode a couple of weeks ago, and I wasn't so impressed. I heard later that it was a "not-that-good" episode.)

Three places I've vacationed:
1) Iceland
2) London
3) Barbados (already mentioned, obviously)

Three of my favorite dishes:
1) Sushi (Especially the sweet potato tempura roll. mmm.)
2) Beans and rice (which I made almost every day and now Johnny hates it, so I don't eat it so much anymore)
3) Spinach in nearly any presentation

Three sites I visit daily:
1) www.bloglines.com
2) www.blackboard.drexel.com
3) www.columbus.craigslist.org

Three places I would rather be right now:
1) At the Khyber Dance Party with Jess
2) Some-warm-where, on the beach
3) downstairs eating dinner

Three bloggers I am tagging.
Here I will buck the system and tag... no one! But if anyone wants to do this, you can say I tagged you.

the fun never ends around here

Thursday night ScootKing called to see if we wanted to have an early weekend beer, so we said yes, of course.

We ended up at this crazy place with "Dick" in it's name, which I was always a little curious about, but was a little frightened to go in, based on its name and it's rather dive-like facade. ScootKing said they played jazz there sometimes, so I was comforted. We get there and they have 2.50 Bass and little tiny bottles of red wine for Johnny. We play some pool, people arrive and the band warms up. I want to mention, at this point, there were 2 strange things happening at once, the synchronous nature of which were quite the highlight of the evening.

First, a guy in the band was doing a sound check for his jazz flute. Second, Leo was drinking chocolate pudding through a straw. Here's another dark bar photo of that.

[For the record, I tried to record the yazz flute, but he quit playing before I laid down a good track.]

Today we helped my sister-in-law (hereafter known as Sil) cater a wedding. No, I didn't know she was a caterer either. She made some cakes for some people at her church, and so they asked her to cater ths wedding. She said yes, but there really was a lot involved. We pitched in, and everything went fine, except the cream cheese mints. I will get a photo of the georgeous wedding cake and post it sometime soon.

Tonight Johnny is working on a project where she is drawing a cuckoo clock scene. She was looking for a photo of a person making the third-grade face you make at people when you think they are crazy (or in this case, cuckoo). She couldn't find one, so we tried some photos of our own.

Please excuse the hair in the towel.

And then this one.

Here's Johnny's first effort:

But this is certainly the one that really, truly masters the action and the feeling, all in one.


You should try it. It's harder than you think.

works is busy

My new job is busy. I have been tossing around the idea of getting a Treo Palm to deal with the calendar. It is very exciting, in a office/paperwork/non-Hollywood kind of way, and I am so glad. I just can't believe how lucky I am to have gotten out of The Cataloging Factory relatively unscathed.

Today is my "Research Day" when I am supposed to take time to do research to work toward tenure. It's hard. I came in and actually worked half of the day on this giganto problem with the accounting unit and now I have to figure out when to re-allocate my research time.

In the meantime, I will think about planning for our trip to Chicago! We are taking my brother and sister-in-law for their xmas present at the end of next month. So far, we know we are going to Second City and to some steakhouse or something where they got a gift certificate, and maybe to Millenium Park.
Does anyone have any other suggestions for fun things to do while we are there?

Rock on Ohio!

So after the movie Friday, we went to The Surly Girl Saloon for dinner and then to our neighborhood kareoke bar. We ran into some old friends there, played some pool and sang some songs, as expected. I even tried to get a photo of the awesome sign above the table, in the shape of the state of Ohio, telling us Ohioans to Rock On. Here's a super dark photo in case you just need to see it for yourself.

The best part, by far, was after I completed a rousing rendition of Van Halen's You Really Got Me and a friendly drunken stranger approached me and said "We think you totally have the voice to sing 'Baby got Back'."

The voice?

There's no voice involved there. I just have to be able to say Honda, Fonda and Anaconda, all in a hurry.

I told her I was sorry, but thought I was done singing for the night. Maybe next time.

Saturday we finally went to see Walk the Line at our walking distance movie theater/pub.
Sunday was filled with playoff dreams fulfilled and shattered. Two weeks to the Super Bowl! (I mean, the big game)

oh, those bangs.

update to house problem: no update really, just to say that it was much warmer in the house last night, hopefully that can't be completely attributed to the fact that it is 56 degrees today.

Tonight, i am psyched to say, we are going to see the Ohio premiere screening of The notorious Bettie Page. I feel pretty sure that I won't be worried about insulation as I watch.

House of Horrors

So it has been cold. In the house. Like, really really cold. I can see my breath sometimes when i wake up.

Our last gas bill was $470. As soon as I opened it, I called Johnny and she turned the thermostat down to 50. We got another space heater and began making good use of the wonderful electric throws that Johnny's mom got us for xmas. But it is still really cold. We started troubleshooting and it became clear that the house didn't have any insulation. there is 6 inches in the area between the upstairs and the attic and a little in the basement, but that pretty much covers it. We started calling contractors.

We found one and my lovely new co-worker offered to look themup on Angie's List for us, since she had a membership. They had all A's except a recent B in punctuality (which was an issue for me because I had a 9 am meeting). We agreed they'd come early and I was all worried about it. They came 10 minutes after 8, which was perfect. I signed the papers and left.

I got this cute message at 3:30 saying that they were all done and had cleaned up and everything had gone really well.

Johnny called at 4 saying that it was a disaster. She came home to broken asbestos siding patched with SPACKLING. Mud on the floors and insulation (kinda like those little peanuts) all over our stuff in storage in the attic.

WTF.

I called to complain and after much rigamaroll they offered us this: a $500 check or they'd replace the siding. The problem is that you can't really buy asbestos siding anymore. The people who lived here before moved the door, apparently, and replaced the siding area with wood siding in the same shape. So what do we do? We are going to talk about it and call them tomorrow. What jerks. I read that it is okay to seal the siding yourself to keep the harmful fibers from getting into the air. Then maybe we could paint it.

If you live in the area and are thinking of getting insulation, don't use these guys.

After all this, it better be warmer in here, dammit.

coffee anyone?

To return to the topic of work.

I pointed out my window, but I haven't talked much about the rest of my environment. basically, my office is inside a coffee shop. No, really, it is. Like, if I stand at the door, there is a table with a student studying RIGHT THERE. When I approach my office door, people think I am walking up to their tables to talk to them. It's really weird, actually. Johnny brought me some much-appreciated office decor Thursday and it seemed even more ridiculous when she was walking with me.

Another side-effect of this is that all day my door is shut to help silence some of the chatter. It does not, however, drown out the calls for "Asiago bagel with cream cheese" or "Double vanilla latte" or the popular "Mocha Java with a shot of banana". Yes, someone actually ordered that. ew.

It's not that bad really, I appreciate the background noise. So while I can get a good sense of popular student culture by having this particular office location, I might actually appreciate it when the library starts renovating and I move to a distant warehouse filled with library staff and books that no one will come that far to check out.

To add some photo-glamour to this post, here is a photo of the south half of my office, post- Johnny's recent visit:



Note the fancy IKEA artwork. [Disclaimer: Johnny has provided me with some very cool artwork that is strategically placed in other locations in this very same office, but unfortunately, most of them are not in this photo.]

I want some.

you would never know it by reading, but i actually do have other things to do than talk about my job (which is still good, thanks).

My sister-in-law has some kind of sweet hook up with Whole Foods where she has become a part of the almost-ready-to-go-bad food pipeline and we get to reap the benefits. We got "a shipment" Tuesday night and as I type, I am eating a delicious piece of pecan pie. This morning I had an organic mixed berry harvest muffin and some yummy bean and rice thing for lunch. Whenever we pick up food, we always get some for our pals and so we dropped some off at ScootKing's house while they were out seeing Eve Ensler's show, The Good Body. The next day she emailed me to say thanks and we were talking about the show and all. Our email conversation went a little something like this:

Me: Yeah, I wanted to go to that, but I never got around to getting tickets or whatever.

ScootKing: You should do it. It is so great!! We really loved it [and etc.].

4 to 7 minutes pass...

[Phone rings.]

Me: Hello?

SK: Hey. I just won tickets to see The Good Body tonight, do you want them?

Me: huh? won? what?

SK: Yeah, I was just sitting here surrounded by dips and salsa and good bread and the radio said it was giving away tickets. I thought "I've got to win these!" so I called and I won!

Such is the way with ScootKing. This woman has the most uncanny ability to win stuff. Johnny says she also always gets really good parking spots.

We went to the show, obviously, and it was really great. I highly recommend it to anyone who has the chance to go.

Woo for new!

Yesterday was my first day at the new job. Woo!

I never thought I would be happy to go to meetings, but I really feel this immense sense of relief. The walk takes approximately 27 minutes and goes quite nicely. This morning my ipod treated me with a tremendous shuffle sample, which pretty much had me skipping here. Aaah...such relief! Can I say it again? Relief.

Here's a picture of my new building.



If you look at the bottom left hand side of the photo, there is a green tree there. On the other side of that tree (but out of the photo, obviously) is my office window.

before and after

In the spirit of the New Year, I thought I would give a little presentation of some things that have changed recently.

I never did post before photos of the house, so I will start there.

Here is what our bedroom looked like when we moved in:


And here is what it looks like now:


Another change, as you know, is the new job. Today is my last day of Old Job and New Job starts Monday. I am very excited about riding the bus or walking to work. I am considering getting a bike, even though I am fairly afraid of them.

Old Job:


New Job:


Next, we have visual (and possibly disturbing) evidence of Johnny's knee surgery. here is her cute lil' knee before:


And here is the franken-knee:


Her staples came out today and she said she kept them. They are probably in a baggie.

Here is the post-staple-removal photo:


And finally, this is a photo of The Agent and Johnny after a refreshing taste of hot candied nuts from a stand in Manhattan:

mmm.

I think they looked like this before:

Holiday Light

It has been a while, so here are some Holiday Highlights:

Johnny's surgery went well. I signed some papers and almost passed out in the recovery area when the nurse tried to tell me about the potential of some drainage from the punctures in her knee. She is now going to physical therapy 2-3 times/week and will probably be off her crutches in a week or so.

I found out that my new job's insurance doesn't have a pre-existing condition clause, so I don't have to get COBRA or some bull.

I gave my notice on Friday. I was out that day and the company sent everyone home early, so when I arrived at 4:30, only my supervisor remained. We had a nice talk about it. His response: It's not that surprising. About 1 in 3 people we hire don't work out for some reason.
Whew, what a relief.

He sent out a departmental email announcing my departure yesterday. When I arrived today one of my first responders said "How dare you." What? I said, "How dare I get a job I enjoy?" So there.

Holiday stuff was really fun, and we got to go around and see the various family members. We spent the night in Indiana with Johnny's family on xmas eve rather than drive there twice, and we planned to take Zoey with us, since there isn't a dog-sitter. The morning before we left she decided to chew through the top of a vitamin bottle and eat about 30 or so flax oil capsules. We immediately put her outside and called the vet. They said she'd be okay, but that there might be some diarrhea occuring, so to be on the lookout. As if we'd miss that. She seemed okay, so we loaded up the car around 5 or so and headed out. I had lined the back seat with a tarp and a blanket, in case of such a tragedy, which we thankfully avoided. It was time to eat as soon as we got there, so we went in and everything was fine. Johnny's brother's girlfriend just had a little boy so there was lots of cute baby-ness happening. I went to the car to get the baby's presents and found that Zoey had surreptitiously puked on them. Luckily, we used a not-very-paper-like wrapping and set it in an unwrappable baby-tub so I just cleaned it up.

As yesterday's grand finale, we went to see The Weatherman for $0.50 movie tuesdays.

Oh my god. I nearly forgot. I totally got to meet Evan Dando, and i did call him Evan to his face. It went like this:

Johnny's cousin: Dewey this is Evan, Evan, Dewey.

Me: Evan, nice to meet you.

Like I was going to forget his name or something. Other tidbits:
We shook hands.
He was really just as cute in person as you can imagine.
His wife, mom, sister and cousin were also there, and very nice.
He played Led Zepplin on repeat in the green room and almost left without his iPod.

it was great, thanks for asking

But it was the longest haircut I have ever had. Really, the longest. I got to this place and it is the kind of place where there is an ambient fountain in the lobby, and they offer you a complimentary beverage. So that was a little weird in itself.

The hair-guy's ASSISTANT washed and dried my hair, then straightened all of it with a flat iron. This is his technique, see, to straighten and then cut it when it is dry. The actual cutting portion of the evening took about 45 or 50 minutes.

The end result is rather nice...lots of layers, a little shorter without "losing the length" and a hint of bang. I like it, but I am not sure if I will go back. The biggest reason is because the environment is so freakin' suburban, it is just weird to be in there. Here is a brief description of some of the characters:

Assistant: About 25, white, female, short messy-looking brown hair, nice eyebrows, glittery shoes.
When I told her that I shaved my head in college, she acted like she didn't hear me, and then said, "Wait, did you shave your head, seriously?"

Hair-guy: about 35, white, bleached blond hair, scruffy beard, skinny pants, tattoo sleeve, diesel longhorn belt buckle with matching bracelet. I was convinced he was gay. He asked me twice if I had kids, and I said no. I finally got the hint and asked if HE had kids. He does, of course, and then told me all about them.

Mom: No, not my mom. This lady was there with her daughter. About early 50s, but trying to pass for 40, white, wearing stilleto clogs with fur lining. I know about the fur because while she was waiting for her highlights she took one off and examined it, then replaced it and admired her foot for about 2 minutes before returning to her compelling issue of Harpers. She brought a gift for her hairdresser. It was an ornament avatar of a hairdresser. At the checkout, she announced that she also got one for her "nail tech."

Daughter: Embarrassed of her mom.

Trophy wife:
I didn't actually see this woman until I was on the way out, despite the fact that she was sitting in the chair next to me. I did, however, overhear this intriguing convo upon her entrance.
Hair-lady: So, what do you want to do today?
TW: "I can't wash, dry or flat iron my hair! I just had surgery and can't raise my arms."
Me: [You just had a boob job!]

I tell myself that maybe I am being judgmental, so I agree (with myself) that I will see what she looks like before I apply some stereotype, but my hair is being cut, and I can't turn to look at her!
I listen to several more conversations on fashion, makeup, and her recent cruise until the moment arrives. And guess what.

Trophy wife: about 25, white, bleached blond, about 120 pounds, tan.

Boob job.

snip

i have been growing my hair for a few years now. When i first started my previous job, my hair was about 4-6 inches long in the front, and short in the back, but now it is well down my back. A few months ago I went to this place that I used to go to when I was in college and felt like it worked out okay, but I wasn't thrilled with the results.
My sis-in-law always looks really great, and always has a nice, fashionable haircut, which i compliment her on. She recommended that I go see her hairdresser guy, so I finally got his number.
Apparently he has this technique which includes straightening the hair before cutting it, so when i got there he said he didn't think he'd have enough time to do it "right."
Not a very good start, right? I decided to give him a chance and reschedule, because scarlett's hair really does look great, so tonight is the night. Wish me luck!

Red-faced, but not from the cold

My cell phone has always been an older model with no frills. So when we moved here and I got a new phone, I got one that takes photos and has fancy rings and everything (admittedly, because it was on sale).
I have, over time, been collecting sounds from people to customize as their rings or text message notifications, and so forth. I got the best one for Johnny here (.wav) which you really should listen to. You will really really love it.

I went to lunch a little bit ago and when I got back, I noticed that Johnny had called. As I was calling her back, I heard someone calling my name. I look around my cubicle and heard my neighbor say, "we like your ring." At first, I was thinking, I have never shown you my ring! But then I realize I had forgotten to silence my phone and the sound of Johnny's voice was echoing through the giant room of cubicles known as my workplace. This is the actual view from my cube, from about a foot and a half above my head.

If you didn't already listen to the ringer, do it now, while looking at this picture. My coworkers, who sit in the cubes next to me are ladies who have known one another for years, listen to the same soap opera every day and bring one another cakes for their birthdays. "We like your ring." hmph.

This is not the first time this has happened. I was buying opera tickets and it blared out at the box office. I was carpooling with my coworker and she practically ran off the road in shock. I guess what I am getting at is that I am now officially recruiting for more embarrassing rings to assign to your call. I will also accept photos.

Ahem.

Johnny and I are going to get committment ceremonied.

Some of you might know that I have a fairly long history of being skeptical of weddings, and of long-term relationships in general. Some of you might also know that Johnny has been asking me to "marry" him about every other day for almost 4 years. At first, I was just saying no, but then i started feeling mean about it. I didn't want to be a jerk, i just didn't want to be married. So, many long conversations and many I-Love-You's-disguised-as-proposals later, I have finally decided that I want to do it. I think it will also act as a validator for our relationship, both for us and for other people--specifically my family. I told my carpooling co-worker that we were going to do it, and the first thing she asked was "Do you guys want to have kids?" At that moment, I realized what a great decision I had made. People don't ask you that unless they know you are in a committed relationship, not even if you have been together for 15 years (which we haven't, by the way).

On the other hand, I told my mom and she said "Oh, cool!" That was it. We fell into a crevasse of silence so I just changed the subject. When I told my sister-in-law, she said, "So you guys are serious then?" Hello? We own a house together. A house. It is big. And we live in it. And it costs a lot of money. My family is awkward but Johnny's family is an entirely different story. I don't know what will happen there.

It probably will be over a year before we actually have it, we haven't chosen a season, much less a date. One thing I know, it will be fun. Maybe we could just not have weird family people there. We could add a clause to the invitation that says, "If you are going to be weird, please stay home." Would that be rude?

Obviously, I will let you know as plans develop.

For now, I am being excited about our New York Trip! Woo! Apparently there are 2 shows, Friday and Saturday, and we are expected to attend both. Maybe by the time we get back there Saturday, Evan and I will be good friends. My goal for the weekend is to address Evan by his first name without giggling or asking for his autograph.

I tell ya...

One thing I am going to miss after I leave here (aside from the Nelson guy, who wore a Tesla t-shirt last week!) is the cafeteria. Not that the food is especially awesome, they don't have many vegetarian options aside from salads and grilled cheese. The thing I will miss is the dessert bar. I am most recently addicted to this chocolate pudding parfait. They also make a mean pecan pie.

sick beats

Last night Johnny brought her hot coworker over for a drink. She has a Bettie Page haircut and is really funny and nice. We sat around for about 5 hours drinking and eating dinner and this morning I woke up with a mysterious hangover. I finally ate some french fries for lunch and I feel better. Why does grease help a hangover? It is so weird.

I went for my flu shot at 11. I haven't had one since college, and was a little worried about it because I don't deal well with shots. I didn't pass out, and everything seems to be fine.

Did I mention yet that the new season of the L-word starts on Jan 8.? Since the Eagles don't play on Sunday this week, we have scheduled a L-word-previous-season-catch-up party. For those of you who saw the last two seasons, you should read Donna's L-word Treatise, which includes fashion commentary and dog opinion.

Hermey

I was watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer last night on TV with Johnny and Jake, and I was thinking about how a few years ago I was given the Hermey Bobblehead as a gift. I was getting all sentimental, like: "oh, i miss my friends from Philly," and "oh, I am going to miss winters in the city" and "oh, wasn't that a nice gift that time, because they somehow KNEW that i liked that aspiring dentist" and so on.

Then Johnny says to me, "Remember that time when we got you that Hermey bobblehead because your haircut looked like his?"

I pointed out that, NO, I didn't remember that, because no one ever TOLD me that was why I got it. I just thought people were being thoughtful. She lamely followed up with a downcast look and a "um, you looked cute with that haircut though..?"

It's snowing again.

Today I found out that Link Wray died last Sunday. The Goddess got Johnny and I to go see him a couple of years back at a place in Germantown. He had long silver hair, a motorcycle jacket and a rocking guitar. Here's to you, Mr. Wray.

with an eye patch

I just learned that there is a subject heading for Hot Pants... and it can be subdividided geographically.

Johnny's fancy rock-n-roll family is giving us the perfect excuse to visit NYC on the 17th and attend a show! Not only do we get to see the cousin, but we get to stay with Bevin too!

Here's a Happy Pirate Birthday wish to Shasta: Arrg!

Johnny quote

While we were watching Monday Night Football, Johnny pointed out an interesting set of facts, when taken together.

1. The Eagles started winning regularly around the same time we moved to Philadelphia.
2. The Eagles started really sucking when we moved away.
3. The Bengals and the Colts have both started winning since we moved back to the Midwest.

Interesting, don't you think? I told her that it sounded like we needed to move to Cleveland.

Here's another conversation we had:

Commercial: "blah, blah John-Paul Gossler...blah blah."

Johnny (without looking at the TV): Who is that guy? his name sounds familiar.

Me: (without looking at the TV): I think he was on a teen drama...wasn't he the young guy from 90210?

Johnny: Oh, the guy i met while on whippets when i worked at Starbucks?



What???


(p.s. I did eventually realize that he played Zach from Saved by the Bell, and we agreed that he was probably glad he didn't have to deal with Kelli Kapowski anymore.)

Goodbye to sweatpants and two-liters

Some of you might have guessed that I am a little less than enchanted with my job. Maybe "cataloging factory" tipped you off? Well, I have been keeping my options open in that actively-looking kind of way. Long story short, I completely scored a tenure-track gig at the university located less than 2 miles from my house. When I got home from work, Johnny totally presented me with this gorgeous bouquet made ENTIRELY of flowers from our yard:

All that beauty, and in November!!

So I will start in January and I will again be able to wear a skirt or dress shoes without being overdressed. I haven't told the current job yet, so don't say anything. I plan to give them at least 3-4 weeks notice, but I have a feeling they will be weird about my departure. I will certainly let you know how it goes.

On Saturday I went back to yoga the first time in months and I am still a little sore in the shoulder region. After that, we watched the football game and ate pizza. Sunday, we went to breakfast when The Goddess called and told us that she and The Man are totally getting married. Johnny can fully take credit for this relationship--ever since she invited The Man over for an introductory "cookout" and he completely brought fish kabobs. What a great move on his part, especially since The Goddess is a food snob. Congratulations you guys!

Today Zoey went to the vet to have her reproductive organs surgically removed. There was a bit of trouble finding the place this morning which resulted in frantic phone calls from Johnny trying to get directions before she was late for class at 8. I picked her up (Zoey, not Johnny) at 4:30 and she was stumbling about like she'd had a few too many glasses of bubbly. Her eyes were all droopy and she walked really slow. I thought for a minute she might try to drink-and-dial someone from her past. She didn't, but she did get sick in my backseat.

All that, and we are supposed to get an inch of snow tonight.

Go Bucks!

This weekend is the big Ohio State vs. Michigan game. Michigan is a big OSU rival, and as the last game of the season, it has major draw. In Columbus, even people who don't watch football watch this game. People talk about it all the time, it is always being discussed on the radio, every bar in town is having gameday drink specials (even the cafeteria here is having a special OSU/Michigan lunch menu today) -- and there is a game countdown on the OSU library website. We are having people over to watch it, even though we already have a Sunday full of football planned.


The OSU marching band is also a big deal, for some reason. Today the OSU Alumni Band is making an appearance at the other building of my work. That's just weird.

p.s. McMahon is starting for the Eagles?!? Whoa. We'll see how that goes.

jingle bells and fuzzy slippers

it is totally snowing. well, flurries, but there was a light dusting on the car and in the yard this morning, and the flakes keep falling. and melting.

It is so romantic, the first snow of the year. Our little pond had snow covered rocks that were so charming to look at when i let zoey out. it makes me want to just drink hot chocolate or port and think about lofty things, and maybe write in a notebook.

Instead, tonight, i will go to 9-year-old's birthday party. Johnny's soccer mom bosses (the one in the background. thanks, bevin) planned a party at the downtown ice skating rink for their son. It will be really fun, even though i am super bad at ice skating. i need to find my scarf.

Old news

I know the weekend was 3 days ago, but we did so much fun stuff, i just have to go back and tell you all about it.

Friday, after we went to our new-favorite Japanese restaurant, we went to see our friends Debbie and Paula who were visiting from their new hometown, Seattle. They were planning to meet us at Club Diversity downtown because there was a Gay Swim Team fundraiser there and it would be fun for everyone to go and see one another. After we ate, we made the near-fatal error of going home and watching a movie. Shockingly, we got off the couch and went out to this place.

Club D was SO WEIRD. It is basically a big house which has been turned into a bar, but it was packed full of drunk gay men. I saw at least 4 drinks spilled during the 10 minutes we stayed there. And this was at 10:30. We discovered that Debbie and Paula had gone to a place called Somewhere Else (ooh, clever, right?) down the street so we went there. Also weird, but in a different way. I was happy to see lots of people I hadn't seen in a long time, plus the Two Blondes (Melanie & Betsy) and their friends Nikki and Betsy, who both work in the medical field.

Saturday we went to Indiana for Johnny's dad's birthday and on the way back we went to Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati. This place is CrAzY, it is like an amusement park of grocery stores. Really. They have oversize fiberglass animals out front and a shuttle from the parking lot to the store. We got back just in time to go to Hospital Couple's house for dinner and games. We ate delicious curry, drank wine and champagne and played Cranium. Our team won, in case you wondered.

Sunday I raked up some of the leaves and trimmed back a good number of the shrubs in the yard. It looks like a deserted playground without all the greenery. Yesterday I noticed a rose on the rosebush. I am considering cutting it because it is supposed to freeze tonight. If I do, i will try to post a photo of it, because it is really beautiful.

After that, we went to surprise our friend Julie for her birthday, which was a true surprise because her birthday was two months ago. A group of us met upthere and went to see Shopgirl. I liked it.

Knee animation

You should seriously check out this little tutorial about ACL surgery. Really, do it. Step 8 will prove to be a delight.

Ok, so I got that butternut squash recipe from here but i made some changes. I (maybe obviously) used canned coconut milk, extra cilantro, sesame oil, added bok choy and kohlrabi because i had it, and axed the almonds completely because i didn't have them. I also chopped the squash into small pieces, maybe 1/2 in. because they are better for biting.

It still was delicious, and you can put it over rice or quinoa or something if you are looking for something a little more entree-ish.

Now i must go and put my sweatshirt to good use. Go Eagles! Don't let us down, it's Monday Night and everyone is watching! (Until 11 or so, anyway.)

ow! her knee!

Some of you might remember a couple of years ago that Johnny was playing for the Philadelphia Liberty Belles and hurt her knee pretty bad during pre-season. We were practicing a few weeks back for an ill-fated drag number (ill-fated because it died as soon as Johnny crumpled to the floor) and it went out again, a la "Let's get Physical" in DC. She had an MRI last week and got the results today. Her ACL is completely torn and will be having surgery for Dec. 22.

I am, by far, the worst nurse in the world, but if i start mental preparations now, i might be able to actually do some good. Any advice is appreciated.

Music to my ears

I missed a phone call about a half hour ago and when I checked my voice mail it was about 2 minutes of salsa music. I was expecting to have a recorded message tell me to hold on, or something like that, but it just kept. on. playing.

Now, I have some stupid Barenaked Ladies song stuck in my head. The part about the fancy dijon ketchups. The worst.

J. Gordon is considering a move, which I am soooo excited about. Johnny and I are recruiting for Ohio residents. Maybe if we get enough people to move here we might be able to pass an election form bill. Or not.
(btw, i used that link because i wasn't able to *quickly* find ONE story about how the issues didn't pass. ??!!)

Heartbreak hotel

I watched the Eagles LOSE HORRIBLY last night in a heartbreaking effort. I was glad to see that Mr. Mean was suspended and that rookie got a chance to makes some plays. Who needs that jerk anyway?

Also, I watched a segment on 60 minutes which leads me to conclude that Tom Brady might be a robot.

Football aside.
Zoey ran away on Friday night around 6 (damn heat!) and we wandered, then drove around the neighborhood for about 2 hours trying to catch up with her. Each time we would approach her, she ran away. There were a couple of occasions where one of us would reach out to grab her and she would basically scream, like we were going to beat her or something. It was so sad...I feel like she may have been abused before. I have tried to block her way through a door with my foot and she would yelp because she thought i was going to kick her. Very sad indeed.

So anyway, we caught up with her in someone's yard where she was probably trying to get some action from the dogs who live there. I called her and she just jumped into the back of the truck, like nothing had happened. Yesterday we went to the devil-Lowe's and got some materials to fix the gate (which was broken from the burglary) and the fence where she had broken out. They only sell gigantic sections of fence, so we had to buy one and cut it down in the parking lot because it wouldn't fit in the truck. It is all done now, and we have a newly secured gate.

Humilated? Maybe.

But at least she's not pregnant.

Knives + Pumpkins = all the seeds you can eat.

Last night we went to The Two Blondes' house for pumpkin carving for a party on Saturday. We drank mulled wine and cider (with rum!) and had fancy homemade roasted red pepper spread. Here is a very dark photo of the results:



This weekend: parties, drag, costumes and football. Delightful.

Buns in the oven?

I am completely almost-sure that Zoey The Dog might be pregnant. Johnny says no way, but highly technical research on a very scholarlyinternet source leads me to be convinced. Here are my reasons:

1. Her dog-breasts appear to be completely ready for nursing, well, her nipples anyway.
2. She whines a lot.
3. Her midsection may or may not be enlarged. (Although it is tough to say because we have only had her a week.)

I could possibly be jumping to conclusions, but I can't help but think the worst. Can you imagine having 6 to 9 little puppies running around this place??? What a nightmare. I made an appointment today for her spaying and the earliest we could get was Nov. 22. I guess we will know for sure by then.

Dog shotz

Last night I went around and put the storm windows down in the house. (It immediately made a difference, no more drafts..you can stand by the window and not freeze...AND the guest room is verrry cozy now, hint-hint). Zoey was helping by running up to each window (she was keeping track of those I hadn't gotten to yet) and once I opened it, she would stick her head out. Jupiter helped too, as you can see:



Isn't that a cute spot on her back?


Here is another picture of her, close up:



I also put some more photos here.

And since I never did it before, here is a picture of The Tiniest Baby of All Time when she was about 2 weeks old. That is my sister's hand, which is not huge, really, just sorta normal sized.


She looks totally different now, being that she is about 3 times as old!

Something fishy at the library services company

The setting
Inside a large room, filled with cubicles. Corner area has large grey metal table and dedicated computer for specialized printer.

The cast of characters

Dewey: map cataloger, eagerly wanting to work but perpetually stymied by large maps and a small workspace
Bertie: sweet auntie-type, uses specialty printer for majority of day's labours, usually seen wearing a seasonal sweatshirt with a turtleneck. May have had plastic surgery.
C.G. (computer guy): seems to be the only person able to do anything systems related around here. Drinks lots of coffee.
Supervisor: it doesn't matter, really. just imagine a stick person with a blank face.

The story

Act I

Dewey approaches Supervisor to discuss possible options for getting more space to work on the maps, suggesting that she might be willing to use the shipping area computer, due to the convenience of the table.

Dewey: Um, I totally can't do my work, can I use the computer in the corner?
Supervisor: Let me look into it.

...weeks pass...

Supervisor (with the enthusiasm of someone who has a great, original idea): you can use that computer in the corner if you want!
Dewey: Um, thanks?

Dewey uses computer, but can't print out required information.

Act II

Bertie (to Dewey): Hon, did you use the computer in the corner? I tried to print out my work, but it just printed records forever. I think it is broken.

Dewey explains situation and apologizes, realizing that she didn't change the default printer.

Bertie: That's okay, sweetie. I have been wanting to move out of there anyway. Someone always comes and messes with the printer and it just takes forever to get things going again. It makes me so mad! (looks wistfully toward the ceiling) I just wish i knew who it was! Anyhoo, I will get soemone to move the printer so you can use that space.

Bertie contacts her supervisor

...weeks pass...

Act III

Bertie (to Dewey): Hey youngster. I got my printer moved, so the computer and table are all yours. If anyone asks where it went though, don't tell them, okay?

Dewey nods, actually not knowing where it has gone. Bertie exits. Dewey attempts use of computer, but needs software installed. She contacts C.G.

C.G.: So, uh, I um got the software [slurp] on there. Uhm, lemme know if [snif] you have any trouble with it.
Dewey: okay.
C.G., averting eyes and taking a gulp of coffee: So, um... do you know where Bertie's printer went to?
Dewey: I don't know. I just know it is gone.

-End-

Is there no honor in humanity? Damn you C.G.!

Carpool

Things are getting cleaned up from the big break-in, and I am starting to feel more comfortable at home again. It is so strange the way that someone just invading your space that way makes you feel extra vigilant and scared. Ew.

Zoey is still cute and rowdy, even though I try to take her out lots of times and let her hang out in the yard and chase the squirrels.

I had my review on Wednesday, which went quite well. I had a good opportunity to tell them some of the things that I have been thinking about this place, which made me feel better. So, I embark with a renewed sense of okay-ness about the job, and I don't feel the urgent need to get-out-as-soon-as-i-can. I also started carpooling with a woman who lives near me, which helps me feel better about driving every day. It also helps me get up and off to work on time!

the good, the bad and the speckled

The trip to Philly was extra-great and we were homesick from the moment we drove in. We got to stay at the lovely home of Erica and The Agent and to visit with many wonderful folks. I went to ye olde library job and went around to say hi to people. The best part was when someone asked me, "Wait, you don't work here anymore, do you?"

On Sunday we went to the Morning Glory for a fantastic breakfast, which was quickly ruined by a phone call from our cat-sitting friends telling us our house had been broken into the night before. Luckily (or not) we had an 8 hour drive to prepare for the shock and violation of someone going through our things.

There was some damage done to the back gate, but none to the back door where they entered. They stole our laptop, DVDs, CDs and our jewelry boxes. Johnny's was worth more than mine as it held every piece of sentimentality she'd been collecting since childhood. They also stole the change from my 4-year-old niece's pink Barbie purse she left here last weekend. Jerks.

Our response was swift. I had a security system guy come yesterday and give me his pitch, then we went and got a dog. Her name is Zoey Bella and she is 3 year-old Blue Heeler, house trained, well mannered, and so cute. She is afraid of the cats and whimpers whenever they block the entrance to a room she wants to go into. I will certainly be posting Cute Dog pictures in the future.

And then... nothing.

My review was rescheduled at the last minute. I waited outside my supervisor's office for 10 minutes with my team leader before we decided he wasn't there. I actually said, "Would it be weird if i went outside and looked in the window?" She said that he would come and get us when he got back. Half an hour later, i got an email saying he wasn't even in. I guess it will happen next week.

But today, we are embarking on a trip to Philadelphia! Woo-hoo! I am pretty excited to go back and visit my old work-mates and friends. Plus, the Eagles have a bye week, so i don't have to worry about missing the game by driving on Sunday.

3 months of daily hunger

People around here keep weird schedules. There are some folks that come in at 4 or 5 in the morning, so they eat lunch at 11! They sit at their desks for lunch and the smell wafts over the cubicle walls and directly into my nostrils. I eat around 1 usually, so this 2 hour stretch is torturous.

Today I will eat a little earlier because I have my 90 day review. It is shocking to think that I have been working here for 3 months already. Is it too early to ask for a raise?

Sniff.

After being rejected by our (now previous) vet, Johnny took Carrington to the Good Vet on Saturday at 1:15 because my family was coming over for housewarming/birthday celebrations. She called me around 2 to say that the vet was not sure whether she was treatable. I went down there and the vet explained that Carrington was severely ill and dehydrated and that her condition had probably progressed beyond repair. He could hear fluid swishing around in her abdomen and feared that she had FIP,a pretty serious and contagious disease.

After an extended conversation, we decided that it would be best to put her to sleep. I haven't ever had to do that before, and it was the saddest thing ever. She was sitting on Johnny's lap, all cute and yellow and skinny, and we petted her for probably an hour before we left. We promised her that we'd name another cat after her someday.

Rest in Peace, Carrington. We miss you.

Yellow ears

I took Carrington to the low-cost vet this morning. She tested negative for Feline Leukemia and FIV, but they couldn't give her any immunizations because she has severe jaundice! She's not pregnant and they shaved her belly and it looks like there is a spaying scar.
They suggested that I take her to my regular vet for diagnosis and testing. I called and got an appointment for noon, so I called in to work and said I'd be in late. I set Carrington up on the porch with a little barrier and some blankets (it is really cold and rainy here today) but when I came out to get her she was gone. I told the vet I thought she'd be back in the morning and they are going to let me know if I can bring her in then.

Jaundice!!

Front Porch Attraction

The party was a roaring success. There was so much kareoke and revelry that i am only now getting things back into order. There is also lots of leftover beer and we now have bottles spilling out of all the refrigerator's crevices. Thanks to everyone who made the trip--it was so great to see you all!

On Sunday, after most people left, a grey cat appeared on our front porch. She is still there. Yes, we started feeding her because her bones are sticking out. We also named her Carrington. Here are the cute things she does:

mrows and comes up to me when i walk out the door
sharpens her claws on the welcome mat
curls up all pretty-like on a towel (which serves as her bed)
sits in a loaf ON the porch swing

She is such a sweet cat, but she may be sick or pregnant or something. We are going to have to get her to the vet.
Are we going to be a 4 cat household? Ahh!

Bzzzzt

Have I already said that I am excited about this weekend? People are visiting! The Goddess arrived this morning and everyone else arrives tomorrow. Woo-hoo! There is still much cleaning, food shopping, and beer purchasing to do, so I am not very interested in being at work today. Or tomorrow, for that matter.

Plus, I just drank a half cup of regular coffee (not decaf, like usual) and i am bouncing off my cubicle walls!

boing

Don't you coo at me!

Does anyone else think this is weird?

"A West Yorkshire hospital has banned visitors from cooing at new-born babies over fears their human rights are being breached and to reduce infection."

I hate unpacking and putting together furniture

Have you ever worked on a project that felt like it would never end and you get so tired of doing it you just want to throw all of your stuff away? Well, I have. And watching football at the same time doesn't make it better.

That aside, I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS WEEKEND! Johnny's 30th birthday and housewarming party is Saturday night and I can't wait. There are some Philly-ites (?) making the 8 hour trek and we will probably have about 10 people staying at our house. It is going to be soo fun. There will be beer, kareoke, laughing, and hopefully no rain. Here's a weather report for you travelers out there.

Donovan, I have missed you

I went to meet my dad last night to see a movie at the $1.50 theatre and on my way home Johnny's car broke down. My phone was dead so I had to walk. I was going down the ramp, realizing that my chances of being picked up by someone not-scary were slim, when my wildest dreams (at the time) were answered by a very nice couple in their 60s, who took me to the gas station and let me use their cell phone. What a relief.

In honor of The Nicest Couple of All-Time, I feel moved to drink coffee and eat a donut at 10:00, the coffee hour!

For you football fans, we totally got the NFL Sunday Ticket!! They came to install on Wednesday, so now we have about 4 million channels as part of our limited-time promotion, including the Eagles! Whoo-hoo! We missed the last 2 games because people around here want to watch the Bengals, Browns, or the Steelers, for some reason. So now, Johnny and I can watch all the NFL Sunday action we can take. I can't wait.

I heart maps

I really love maps, and therefore I also love cataloging them. There are 2 map people here, but they also do Arabic, so my lack of language skills may or may not be a welcome break for them.

I was working on these mine maps and they often include the old map techniques which list ranges, section and townships of areas of the rural west. I had called something a range and Map Man was looking things over and kinda gave this haughty sniff and scoffed, "well. that does have sections, but" (here he actually snorted) "not ranges."
Catalogers are such a funny sort. We get all snobbish about our subject specialties (or language specialties) and talk about them in a certain way. I will think of a word to describe it someday.

Also related to work, here is a blurry photo of that weird being that lives in the shrubs outside my window. I think it is a woodchuck.

But don't you think it looks like a prarie dog?

Whirlwind

Thursday night I set out with my brother, sister-in-law and 2 nieces (1 and 4 years old) to southwestern WVa to visit my sister, brother-in-law and The Tiniest Baby Of All Time. She is precious and 6 pounds (just a little bigger than a small white dog I know) and slept, ate & cried pretty much the whole time. The 1-year-old niece looked like a giant ogre next to her. But a cute one.

We came back on Saturday afternoon and I learned that Johnny had somehow scored tickets to see The Kinsey Sicks , who are a "Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet." The show was incredible and very political and funny, which I always appreciate when packaged appropriately.

The next morning we got up early and drove to Pittsburgh to meet our former neighbors, the Goddess and the Man. We went to the Warhol museum, which I greatly enjoyed, and then to a diner, coffee shop, and some shopping. We found out that The Man's furniture business got a write up in Philadelphia Magazine's Home & Garden, which features a great picture of them and some of their work.

After that, Johnny and I went to IKEA (which is now a 3 hour trip away from our home, instead of about 5 minutes) and spent a bunch o money on curtains, a rug, a coffee table, and some other stuff I don't remember.

Today, when I went up to get my coffee, the Cafeteria Singer was breaking the 80s tradition by belting out a passionate rendition of "I Believe I Can Fly." I almost tipped her.

Fair Food and Foreigner

The Foreigner concert was so Freekin Fun. We went with our friends Jake and Leo and got there early enough to walk around and eat corn dogs, fries with vinegar, and caramel apples. As if that wasn't enough junk, we went in search of some popcorn, because it is the popcorn festival after all. We bought this $6 bag of freshly popped kettle corn that was literally the size of my right leg. We met up with my little sister and her boyfriend who offered to help us eat it and headed toward the Main Stage. I could hear people cheering and music playing as we approached. The first words I heard were, "Is everyone havin' fun? Does everyone have some popcorn?". I knew immediately that the show was going to be awesome.

There was a great crowd of all kinds of people (kids, parents, grandparents, bikers, us) and they played all the hits I could ever think of from my childhood. There was maybe one song that i didn't know all the words to, and during that song we went to the ATM to get cash to buy our t-shirts (which I happen to be wearing at this moment).

I recorded some of the songs with my phone and here is a sample for you fans out there. (.wav) You can hear us screaming in the din.

Here is also a very poor quality photo taken with my phone:



but you get the idea.

When we went to get the T-shirts, Johnny asked if they were vintage. Ha! The guy was like, uh, no. My co-worker asked me that same thing today, if I had it for a long time. I admitted that it was new and that i felt a bit like an imposter.

On the work front

I talked someone into putting me in charge of a project cataloging maps! For those of you who know how I feel about maps, you will completely understand how great this is. I just spent all morning with The Map-Guy and I even got my own tape measure. yay!

In Foreigner news, we are totally going. We are leaving at 6. I will try to remember to take my camera.

Juke...box...he-ro...!! I will completely have stars in my eyes. And popcorn in my hand.

Urrrgent, wait and see

Last week my mom told me that Foreigner is playing at my hometown Popcorn Festival on Friday. I totally want to go, it just depends on how early Johnny can get home and whether we have to keep up this blasted house painting.

Just think, I could be eating popcorn, drinking beer and swooning over these guys

while I ROCK OUT to a 70s and 80s hit parade!!

Oh man. Plus, mom thinks that they might possibly stay at the hotel where she works. I begged for an autograph, and if i get it, i will completely make it a major part of my blog.

"Ah, it's no big deal..."

That's what my sister said when I asked her about GIVING BIRTH at 12:30 this morning.

She is so funny.

She has always been laid back, and kinda "go-with-the-flow" about life, not making an affair of things that are really worth being excited about. My mom calls to give me the baby vitals (girl, 6 lb 11 oz) so I immediately called her up at the hospital.

I get her on the phone and in a little bit of a sleepy voice, she tells me about the schedule of events:
9:30 -- leave house in rural WV
10:30 -- get admitted around into hospital in town
11:00 -- go into labor
12:30 -- have baby

She didn't even have time to have an epidural.

I told her I was going to write about her 1 1/2 hour labor and she said, "No sense in messin' around with it, get in there, get it done."

I said I would quote her.

What about the bus?

So gas prices are on the rise, which wasn't a big deal for me when I lived in Philly, but here I think I go through about a tank every 10 days and I get pretty good gas mileage. I have looked into riding the bus to work, but it would result in a 1 1/2 hour ride that takes me downtown and then into the suburbs where I work. Each way. Today I wrote a letter to the bus company to tell them they needed to take advantage of the gas situation to expand their service. I offered to meet with a representative, so I hope they take me up on it. It would be really great not to have to drive every single place.

Our floors are now sanded and they are looking quite nice. The refinisher-man will be putting the first coat of finish on today, and the cats are locked in the basement. He told Johnny we'd be able to walk on it this evening. He'll do another coat tomorrow and then it has to sit a couple of days before we put furniture on it.

The weather is doggone beautiful. 80 and sunny all through next week! I am so glad that we have Monday off so I can start doing yard work. All the rain is going to make the plants really grow, so I want to intervene before it becomes out of control. What's everyone else doing this weekend?

Back to the library

Thanks for all your wishes, it must have worked! The people were out by 1:30 and we started moving things in as soon as they pulled away. Thanks to my dad, uncle and our friend Heidi, we got everything in there and moved out of the old place.

The bad news: (!)
There is a significant amount of damage to the floors under the area rugs, courtesy of 2 naughty dogs. We have gotten some estimates for refinishing. The up-side is that we were planning to have the floors redone anyway, this just makes it more of a priority.

18 gallons worth of painting will start today.

The day has finally come

Tomorrow, we move.

I am depending on fate or something to ensure that things go smoothly. We are finishing packing tonight, then buying paint in the morning. The seller's truck is supposed to come and go before noon. Then we can move small stuff in, then the big stuff when my dad and uncle arrive around 3:30 with an extra truck. I just want it to be easy! Think of us sometime tomorrow and think good thoughts.

prez?

In spite of his efforts to ignore the anti-war protests, Bush's approval rating is now lower than Nixon's.

Whoo-hoo!

We're playing your song

Today I am feeling anxious. Last week the seller of the house called and said there was a problem with the water main and now the whole front yard has been transformed into a giant trench. We are moving in 4 days and we still need to pack up. I have to work 9 hour days to make up for missing work on Friday.

Tennessee was beautiful though. The wedding was wonderfully sweet and we had a shockingly good time at Dollywood. The best part is that they play Dolly Parton songs from the speakers in most parts of the park, so you could have Kettle Corn or Funnel Cakes and listen to Dolly at the same time. The sad part is that Gatlinburg is really booming, and there are entire sides of mountains that have been blasted out and replaced by giant cabins/hotels/condos. We went to the outlet malls on the way home, bought some new clothes, paid 9.5% sales tax and finally made it home by 1:30 am. Johnny drove the whole way and I slept. Dolly bless her.

Closed

We closed on the house yesterday! Now we can finally get out of our box-laden apartment.


This past weekend was a whirlwind and now we have 10 days to get everything together and ONE day to move. We have been putting stuff in a storage space to help us spread it out some. We found out that the sellers got their days mixed up and actually scheduled their truck for the 26th, our first day of possession!! So, we might start moving things in before they leave, depending on when their truck arrives.

Johnny had to go to Indiana to install a giant tree in a library in Seymour and sent me this photo of their bike rack.

It is so sweet. I want to ride a bike to Seymour just so I can park there.

Happy Anniversary

Today is my one month anniversary of work at the Cataloging Factory. I still have these questions:

Why is there no water cooler?

Why doesn't my ID work to let me into the gym?

Why do so many people smoke?

Why do I only know the names of 6 people?

I also heard about the T.O. debacle on the radio this morning. The season is just approaching and yet, I fear another let-down. Does anyone know any insider secrets that will help me feel more hopeful?

Trips and secrets!

pre-s. An update on the laundry-drop-off: we were totally missing about 12 items when we got home. We didn't know until Johnny started looking for her favorite pants and found they were missing. We got everything back, but it was freakish enough to keep us from doing that again anytime soon. I will be at the laundromat tonight.

So it turns out that the house closing is going to be on the 15th after all. We will still have to do some pretty serious work in the span of 2 days to get everything ready and moved in.

This weekend we go to Cincinnati to visit Johnny's friend, then to Indiana for her Grandma's birthday party. The next day is my sister's birthday and we are heading up to Marion to take her and her boyfriend to dinner. So much driving!

Aaannnd... i am not supposed to tell, but we have been asked to accompany our friends on their elopement to Gatlinburg! Shhh. It is a secret, but I am so excited to go to Dollywood! It is next weekend and I can hardly wait. Eep!

The best kind of mail

Johnny got a letter from her school yesterday telling her that she has been awarded a merit scholarship!! It will cover over half of her (expensive) tuition. They were really impressed with her portfolio, so now I am extra-extra excited about the school thing for her. Congratulations!!

We tried to have a celebratory dinner, but she didn't like what she ordered and then we severely botched a well-intentioned game of pool. We decided that we'd have another try at it, because it wasn't very successful. (the dinner, maybe not the pool)

For the first time ever, I dropped off laundry yesterday. I feel only slightly nervous about it, but the woman at the 'mat was very nice. Do any of you drop off your laundry? How much do you pay per pound usually? This one was 1.05/pound for next-day service. Should we shop around?

What a nice gesture!

The woman who sits next to me is in her mid 40s and from Russia. She is a big asset here because she has a variety of European language skills. Yesterday we bonded over the frustrations of being new here and today she brought in those Ferrero Rocher chocolates and offered one to me. It was very sweet (both the sentiment and the chocolate). The little things sure do matter.

Johnny started her new job on Monday. She's excited because she knows a lot about tools and woodworking equipment and people have been asking her lots of questions about it. I am really happy for her to have a job she really likes.

We went last night to my brother's house to watch Anchorman. They had never seen it. But before that, we got to hang out with The Nieces. THEY ARE SO CUTE. The youngest one is almost a year old and can sorta stand by herself now, but is really getting some personality. This weekend is their Pink Poodle Birthday Party. (Their birthdays a day apart) Johnny is going to set up a face-painting booth. The kids are going to love it.

no to training, yes to party

We have totally started planning our housewarming party. We might get to close a few days earlier than we originally thought, therefore have a few extra days to get things situated before we need to move out of our lil' sublet on the 26th. I have to get confirmation from the realtor, but I think closing will be on the 12th, and the seller wants 10 days after close to move.

The New Job has a very poor (non-existent) training program. I got a 4 hour course on how to use Microsoft Office, but about ZERO minutes on the optional rules, etc. that we have to follow here. No, make that about 30 seconds--they did mention the 043. I sit here, cataloging, ALL DAY LONG and feel like a complete failure. It really stinks because I used to like cataloging, but I have been here about a month and I never want to see a MARC record again. I guess it can only get better. At least I have this window to keep me company.

Speaking of the window, yesterday something caught my eye and I turned to see a giant groundhog/muskrat/mutant squirrel just sitting out there near the sidewalk. I took a picture with my phone, but i don't know how to send phone photos to the internet. If you do, tell me and I will post it. It was a weird looking thing.

Ow.

My back/shoulders hurt a little from sitting at my computer all day and night. I mentioned it yesterday to my supervisor and I am expecting an ergonomic consultant to come by my desk later today. And there are free bagels and donuts in the cafeteria on Fridays.

We signed up for the second half of a CSA season and tomorrow is our second pickup. Last week we were out of town, so we didn't get the full pick up experience, but we still got the food! (we are splitting the share with our friends). I expect some onions, kale, cabbage, sage, basil and some squash. The pickup happens at the neighborhood farmer's market, so we can get anything else we want while we are there. It is nice one-stop shopping.

We got our homeowners insurance yesterday. It's crazy that in one month we will be in our house!

Books and benefits

I finally got my public library card! I was in a rush, so I only got some music and a book on tape for our trip, which we completely didn't listen to. Next visit will be for books, although I currently have 2 books in line, one borrowed and one that was thoughtfully sent to me by an old coworker. I love getting mail.

There is a library of books and DVDs here. When the vendor sends things to be cataloged, we end up keeping them and they are on loan right from the department! There are lots of kids movies and romance novels, neither of which are things I frequently enjoy, but it is nice to know they are there. There is a corporate library in another building, but I haven't been there yet.

I also setup my access to the gym. I just have to wait for my ID to be activated before I can start going. There is a sauna and a steam room (I just found out the difference ) and a variety of shampoos and soaps to enjoy, in case you forget yours. Oh, and Johnny can also come for free.

The news said it is very hot in Philly. I'm sorry, in an empathetic way.

ihavebeeendyingtotellyouthis

For about 3 months we have been secretly planning a surprise camping trip for Erica's birthday with The Agent. We left Thursday morning and met them at the GCoPA later that afternoon. We got there before they did and set up, so when we saw them driving in, we hid behind the tent and ran out. Erica had no idea that it was happening and it really made for a great surprise--so much that she fell on the ground. Yay for Surprises!


The park was beautiful, had hiking and not too many bugs (but lots of cute little toads). Our campsite was surrounded by very tall pine trees which created an incredible circular skyscape.

It didn't have any showers or flushing toilets, so it was nice that they hugged us goodbye when we left earlier today.

Speaking of circles, on the way home, Johnny was talking with Goddess Alicia (hereafter known as The Goddess) and she asked me for long hair product information which I learned about by getting a wonderful Aveda-related birthday present from her two years ago, and this year, also from El Mr. Furniture! See? Full circle.

I also completely understood why Johnny has the 900 minute plan while I have the 400 minute plan.

Last, but definitely not least, Johnny got the job she wanted! She completely gets to make art for money. Jealous people can raise their hands.

Sun in my eyes

I got the window! Behind me, glaring against my computer screen, is the reflection of the sun across a pond with 2 fountains flowing freely from 8-6. I am guessing about the 6 part, I usually leave at 4.

The job is going pretty great, i have to say. I like it so far, lots of independence, unlimited Connexion time (without worry about charges), high performance expectations, a variety of materials, cataloging jokes, and all the music i can listen to in 8 hours. Woo-hoo. I am going to bring in some of my personal items to sit around my lil' workspace and maybe I'll post a photo if I can get it to look presentable.

Speaking of music, one of the (very few) good things about leaving my last job is that i got a going-away gift certificate. I have spent this almost exclusively on albums that were on our networked itunes, but I didn't own, so I couldn't listen to them. They have begun arriving and I sometimes feel like I am back there, except my work area isn't hot.

Awww. I miss you guys.

Displaced

I don't yet have my own workstation, so I have been sitting in someone else's while she is on maternity leave. She has such items as:
Pictures of teddy bears torn from a calendar
A heart-shaped wooden plaque (hanging by a pink ribbon) with the words "One caring heart warms many lives"
Silk flowers adorned with fake dew
A pink crocheted computer cozy, with matching doilies under the paper trays
Footprints!

So, you might get a sense of what I am up against here.

They are putting in the new cubes today (I think), so once the computers arrive, I will be able to move (and customize!)

Also, if anyone knows of interesting internet radio stations, news shows or whatever, can you tell me? I only have 2000 or so songs on my ipod, and I don't want to get tired of listening to them. Unfortunately, there is not networked itunes here to break things up.

New blog name: Exciting things happen every day

The exciting things that happened today are as follows:

1. Started first day of work at the giant library company in Dublin.

2. Met nice people and got taken to lunch.

3. Johnny received student loan check so we went for sushi.

4. Ate peach ice cream with friends and sat outside talking for 3 hours.

5. Grey cat caught mouse in kitchen.

6. Got confirmation that house sellers will fix requested items!

I am pretty sure it is all downhill from here. (Whatever that means.)

art skool

Johnny had her portfolio presentation and was accepted into art school! I posted a photo of one of her lamps on my (very limited) photo site. She will begin taking orders immediately.

and then, and then..

I start my new job on Monday. I am excited, but I am afraid I will miss my old job. I also re-realize that it is easy to feel busy no matter what I am doing, especially when I am not working!

We may have found a house to buy. Our bid was accepted and we had the inspection yesterday. We are meeting with our realtor later today so keep your fingers crossed for us. And yes, all of that foliage would be in our backyard!

My sister's baby shower is Sunday, and so I will get to see the whole family at once. I went to visit my grandma on Monday and my mom is staying with her for a while, so i got to see them both. Having the family nearby is quite a convenience.

The Internet!!!

I have fully realized my dependence on internet access. I am now at the public library using the internet for the first time in 3 days. Whew.

Obviously, we made it here safely. The drive was actually very nice and after about 100 miles the cats stopped crying except when i went over a bump in the road. We stopped at this place called Maggie's and had a wonderful organic vegetarian lunch around two before we re-boarded the turnpike and finally approached Columbus at 4:50, just in time for another bout of traffic. Pretty much simultaneously from when we crossed into the city limits, this incredible storm set in, with crazy wind, rain, and lightning (Welcome home!). We got to our apartment around 5 (obviously the traffic wasn't that bad) where we were supposed to meet my brother to get the keys. He came about a half hour late and once we got in, we found that we had no electricity because the storm had knocked down some lines or some crap.

We went to get some dinner, came back, set up the bed, and took showers in the dark. The lights came on around 2 am, when Johnny got up and turned on the air conditioning.

We have been shuffling boxes to and fro, because we moved out of a fairly huge apartment into a fairly tiny one. It would probably be fine for one person, but for two people and three cats, plus an amazing amount of furniture and shoes, it is a little cramped.