The Kid and I had a fun weekend. We were very relaxed and lazy, and it was glorious.
I have found more and more that since my return from Planet Vacation, I have had a much more calm view of things. I'm a lot more willing to let stuff go and just kind of rearrange as needed. I know I go on about the whole vacation thing, I mean people go on vacation all the time right? They don't all come back with revelations about themselves, do they? I'll shut up about it soon (probably) but for now I'm kind of enjoying riding the wave of "eh, whatever - let's go for a drive" that has appeared as my new attitude about life. I'd like to keep it, actually. It's awesome!
Saturday morning we slept in a little bit, and I tried to contain my shock at the revelation that my Child appears to have gotten herself her first boyfriend. I don't entirely approve of him, but she said yes to his offer of a date because "he's funny". It's a good start. I told her to be sure not to let him talk her into anything stupid, but like I told TR, I have to trust that I've taught her well enough that she'll make good decisions.
I also told her not to agree to hold any sort of anything for him unless she has first visually verified that there are no police cars anywhere.
"Is this from personal experience?" she asked, illustrating that I've told too many tales of my misspent youth. If I can't be a good example, I can at least be a horrible warning, right? (In truth, it was a friend, but I had to run with said friend, and it was awful and a pain in the ass.)
After running the gamut of "OH MY GOD MY BABY" and "Do I want my kid dating a boy who listens to Insane Clown Posse?" (only for the music, she assures me, and not for any of the "juggalo" nonsense), I woke The Kid, gave her my lecture, made her pancakes and took her to the school fundraiser she had signed up to work.
Then I went home and watched a Karen Black movie while crocheting a bikini because the Kraft Krazy senses the Christmas Kraft Krazy approaching and must be vented somehow or else about 10 afghans will get started and I'll be a wreck. Know your strengths, I always say, but more importantly know your limits.
After picking up Child from the very boring fundraiser (ask me later about how disappointed I am with the whole Leadership Academy thing), she asked me "can we go to the craft fair?".
Old Me would have been able to find a million errands that had to be run (I need a new shower head and a furnace filter, among other things), would have gone on and on about laundry and vacuuming, but New Me (See? I had a point.) thought for a moment and decided sure, why not.
I did a few craft fairs way back when, after learning how to make wire-wrapped jewelry. I was very proud of what I made, it really was nice stuff, but what I found out is that craft fairs are horrible for vendors. You shell out many dollars for a booth you have to set up and stock, and then you sit and hope that people will do more than just touch all your stuff and rearrange your displays. They rarely do, and unless you have extraordinary luck, you will not only be one of 10 other vendors selling exactly the same thing, you'll probably be right next to them, because rare is the event coordinator that stops to consider the idea of variety. It's frustrating, and discouraging, and I decided after the 3rd one that I was going to stick to being an attendee. I just don't have the patience to sell my wares, and frankly because of it I ended up losing interest in jewelry making.
I don't even enjoy going to craft fairs anymore, really, because I feel for the poor crafters stuck behind their huge displays of fake flower arrangements and stuffed animals made from socks and Hobby Lobby fabric. I know their pain. I also have this really awful tendency to look at stuff and mentally figure out how to make it myself.
I'm a terrible person.
I did have fun with The Kid picking through the bargain bin at the card making stuff booth; we found some supplies for making our Christmas cards this year on the cheap and learned some new things, like did you know you can use a wood-burning tool on contact paper and make stick-on stencils for glass-etching? NOW YOU DO.
After that we headed home and were shocked (SHOCKED!) to see it was already 5PM! My shoulder was hurting, so I gave in and ordered pizza, which was pretty good - I had them overcook it, so the cheese was brown and perfect, and they included a deliciously fresh salad. I talked TR through a good chunk of Kansas, and The Kid played an awesome new online game, a sort of animal themed "university" where you earn degrees in various subjects by learning new things (and this is why I don't worry about her - that's her kind of fun). A little bit of Pushing Daisies on Netflix (a great show!) and it was off to bed for both of us.
Sunday, at about 8:30 AM, The Kid woke up with a craving.
"It's Sunday," she said.
"Dur," said I.
"It's before 10 AM..." she coaxed.
Silence from me. I knew what she wanted... I just like to make her work for it. So mean.
"And?"
"Can we? Pleeeeeease?"
See, there's this restaurant, Aunt Alice's. It's a diner, the kind I've always loved and the only one around, really, at least in Longmont. It's totally un-updated with a counter and old booths and the same waitresses who have worked there for eons and have regulars they greet by name.
Sunday mornings, they make German Pancakes which are awesome & cheap, and a quick calculation in my brain told me we could afford it. (I may have mentioned their German Pancakes before, but who knows. This is post #348, can you believe it?)
But here's the thing...
Old Me would have made us get dressed, maybe thrown a load of laundry in first, vacuumed or something, and generally screwed around being obsessive about stuff for an hour. After all that, Old Me probably would have managed to rationalize herself out of spending the whopping $15 it would take to have a nice morning's breakfast with her Kid and ended up making eggs instead.
New Me said "can we wear our sweatpants, do you think?" and we were off in 5 minutes flat. Lucille's I would have nixed as too pricey, but a couple of pancakes seemed pretty do-able. Life is for living!
After breakfast, it being a gorgeous Fall morning, we decided rather than go home and hole up until it was time for Derby, we'd take a drive into Lyons and go to the quilt shop. It was closed, alas, but we had fun anyway, driving around and looking at little tucked-away houses. The views from some of them are amazing, but I imagine it sucks after a heavy snow.
On the way back, we noticed a pumpkin patch. Did Old Me take over and say "we don't need pumpkins, wait for next week," and drive by? Nope. New Me said "Awesome!" and pulled in. We walked a corn maze, stared at some really bored-looking goats, and picked out 4 perfect pumpkins, plus a few little ones.
I really like New Me a lot better. She's way more fun.
The afternoon was nice... I took The Kid to practice, and after grabbing our tickets for her BIG DEBUT this Saturday (I'm so excited for her!), I headed over to see TR. It had been a long time since leaving Florida (he was still there awhile, then in Nashville with his brother), and I was glad to see him! He was a bit cross-eyed, having only returned at 4AM after the rest of his very long drive through Kansas and points East, but glad to see me too, and I was able to relieve him of several bags of Disney goodness that were clogging his floor...my how those things multiplied!
The Kid loved her Mickey ears... I love mine too! TR got them for me after I left for home, because he's awesome like that. Mine are blue and sparkly, and have fireworks on the ears, and The Kid's are more traditional...black with gold stitching. We both agree we have the best ones.
She also loved her giant Eeyore (I saved it for last) and her awesome Japanese swag (Totoro cards and flip-flop-socks that are as she put it "like mittens for your feet!") and various other goodies.
I had fun going through everything, and realizing that although I remember being seriously hot the day I got my Germany beer stein, it's only in the vaguest of ways. What I really recall is how delightfully cold the beer was, the talk about German Christmas glass with the nice kid in the ornament shop, how much I laughed at the players getting slayed by the Chilean Ham, and how much fun I had with TR. That's why we get souvenirs, ya know? It might appear to just be a plastic beer stein with a Disney logo on it, but for me it's a fantastic memory.
After a dinner of almost-not-burnt brats and boiled potatoes with butter (oh yes), I settled down to some math homework, The Kid went to bed (we're trying a closed door now, since the cats are a nuisance, cute though they may be) and that was that.
It was lovely and relaxed weekend, and I didn't worry about anything, and you know what? I still got my laundry and cleaning done. Just... later.
And the world didn't explode or ANYTHING!
Today's a beautiful day, and I have no complaints.
I hope you have a lovely Monday!
Showing posts with label Weekend Catchup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Weekend Catchup. Show all posts
Monday, October 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Weekend Catchup: Cushy
I mentioned Friday that we'd be scattering the ashes of Colorado Alternadad's wife on Saturday morning, which we did. It was a beautiful day, her daughters were grateful and I...
I had a bad reaction.
I'm not sure if it was the lingering result of holding someone's ashy remains in your hands (and, in fact, getting some on your shoe due to a hole in the plastic bag), or just all the memories of her rapid decline getting stirred up, but I was very down-in-the-dumpy Saturday night. I couldn't sleep... I just kept picturing her pacing back and forth, and later how she looked in the nursing home. The thing that stuck out...
Her dirty hair.
She was such a neat person when she was lucid, and seeing her with dirty hair, not filthy but definitely with that particular smell of being unwashed, kind of made it hit home that she was no longer herself anymore.
Saturday was the last, final, good-and-all end to that misery-laden period, and I'm happy for her and it was a positive thing (she now has a lovely natural rock outcropping out on a hillside in the mountains, her picture laminated and tucked away inside), but at the same time I think I exorcised the last of my sadness for her afterward, and it affected me more than I was expecting it to.
I take comfort knowing she's now a part of this:
Click to see it bigger... it's hard to believe it's a cell phone photo!
That's the view from her memorial. She would love it.
Thankfully I had plenty of distraction Saturday afternoon and evening to help keep my mind off things, although as I have discovered...
I am not a seamstress.
Well, I do alright but I have discovered that while others may be able to wing it, I definitely need a pattern if I'm going to end up with something that passes for not-sewn-by-a-monkey.
This weekend (amongst other things) I made my own pattern, basing it on TR's awesome black wool coat that I love.
"Easy!" thought I. "It's just a bunch of straight lines!"
HA!
The end result isn't *that* bad, but I definitely zigged when I should have zagged in a few spots. I used a large bit of fabric that had been lurking in my fabric stash, one of those shimmery dual-color satiny bits where when it moves it changes color - pretty cool stuff actually. This particular swath is coppery orange with a green undertone, and reminds me of what copper looks like with a light patina.
The shell itself was fairly easy, just a few pieces that I modified slightly to give a more flared effect on the bottom edge. I managed to get one sleeve on before going to meet TR on Sunday for some textile shopping (and can I just tell you it delights me to no end that he likes playing fabric with me?). It fit just okay, but he actually preferred the sleeveless side.
Thank GOD. I so did not want to sew on that other sleeve!
And so now I'm just tweaking it, finishing the raw edges as well as I can, adding a collar that isn't too weird looking... but really I think the color will distract everyone who sees it from the poor hemming job. It's like fashion camouflage!
I also give myself a bit of credit for creating a pattern based on a coat that was already put together... deconstructing a garment to make a pattern is easy, but doing it while it's still constructed?! That takes some...
Well I'd say skill, but I think I'll call it luck.
Sunday was not as productive in the sewing department, since I hadn't slept much Saturday night between the sewing and the ruminating.
The Kid was feeling pretty gross - headache, fatigue, etc. - so she skipped derby practice, but I still had an appointment with Denver Fabrics to attend to with TR, so I headed down to Denver and let her sleep.
We found some absolutely awesome faux fur that is so soft I just want to wrap up in it - it will be a robe - and some equally fantastic faux silk (or who knows - it could be real!) in a deep magenta, it's backing satin a rich blue that will actually be the outside of the other robe I'm making. Flowy and/or warm clothing is nice to have at Burning Man, and I volunteered to get TR set with a couple of pieces for this year.
Next year will be sheepskin. We're going to have to start in January though, I think, because it's going to take AGES! The good news is that The Internet Provides, and I have found many tips and tricks for working with sheepskin that will save me lots of Craft Angst later on.
After picking up an ungodly amount of fabric and notions, we headed to Ted's for an absolutely delicious dinner... a full turkey dinner for me (with all the trimmings) and a fantastic burger for him, plus coke with crushed ice which, as TR put it, was like summer in a glass.
Fabulous!
After dinner we drove around to spy on some houses TR's been eyeballing online. Anyone who's bought a house knows that the pictures on the listings often don't show the true nature of the home or its surroundings, like the adorable 1920's house I was so enamored of until I saw a train track literally runs right down the middle of the street, or the flawless Craftsman home TR found which is right next to a 7-Eleven on a ridiculously busy street.
This was never more true than with the fantastic mid-century modern gem he found... which is surrounded by a deeply horrible neighborhood full of meth labs (one can only assume). One's first home experience shouldn't be fraught with danger and ATF agents.
Not a big fat lie, however, were the couple of houses he found in Arapahoe Acres, an historic district full of houses built between 1949 and 1957. They are all beautiful, and the one he likes could be an unbelievable deal if it's not hiding some sort of fatal flaw.
We watched a lovely sunset while driving around, and discovered another neighborhood that's definitely worth looking into. He's really got a pretty clear idea of what he wants, but the question remains... where to find it?
Back home, The Kid seemed to be feeling better after some food and additional sleep. In fact she slept all night, despite having slept all day! There was no fever, no nausea, nothing at all to demonstrate illness, which means...
GROWTH SPURT.
Help!
Happy Monday/Tuesday Amalgam! :)
Tonight it's me and some satiny blue material and the sewing machine.
Wish me luck with that! I want it to look fantastic.
I had a bad reaction.
I'm not sure if it was the lingering result of holding someone's ashy remains in your hands (and, in fact, getting some on your shoe due to a hole in the plastic bag), or just all the memories of her rapid decline getting stirred up, but I was very down-in-the-dumpy Saturday night. I couldn't sleep... I just kept picturing her pacing back and forth, and later how she looked in the nursing home. The thing that stuck out...
Her dirty hair.
She was such a neat person when she was lucid, and seeing her with dirty hair, not filthy but definitely with that particular smell of being unwashed, kind of made it hit home that she was no longer herself anymore.
Saturday was the last, final, good-and-all end to that misery-laden period, and I'm happy for her and it was a positive thing (she now has a lovely natural rock outcropping out on a hillside in the mountains, her picture laminated and tucked away inside), but at the same time I think I exorcised the last of my sadness for her afterward, and it affected me more than I was expecting it to.
I take comfort knowing she's now a part of this:
Click to see it bigger... it's hard to believe it's a cell phone photo!
That's the view from her memorial. She would love it.
Thankfully I had plenty of distraction Saturday afternoon and evening to help keep my mind off things, although as I have discovered...
I am not a seamstress.
Well, I do alright but I have discovered that while others may be able to wing it, I definitely need a pattern if I'm going to end up with something that passes for not-sewn-by-a-monkey.
This weekend (amongst other things) I made my own pattern, basing it on TR's awesome black wool coat that I love.
"Easy!" thought I. "It's just a bunch of straight lines!"
HA!
The end result isn't *that* bad, but I definitely zigged when I should have zagged in a few spots. I used a large bit of fabric that had been lurking in my fabric stash, one of those shimmery dual-color satiny bits where when it moves it changes color - pretty cool stuff actually. This particular swath is coppery orange with a green undertone, and reminds me of what copper looks like with a light patina.
The shell itself was fairly easy, just a few pieces that I modified slightly to give a more flared effect on the bottom edge. I managed to get one sleeve on before going to meet TR on Sunday for some textile shopping (and can I just tell you it delights me to no end that he likes playing fabric with me?). It fit just okay, but he actually preferred the sleeveless side.
Thank GOD. I so did not want to sew on that other sleeve!
And so now I'm just tweaking it, finishing the raw edges as well as I can, adding a collar that isn't too weird looking... but really I think the color will distract everyone who sees it from the poor hemming job. It's like fashion camouflage!
I also give myself a bit of credit for creating a pattern based on a coat that was already put together... deconstructing a garment to make a pattern is easy, but doing it while it's still constructed?! That takes some...
Well I'd say skill, but I think I'll call it luck.
Sunday was not as productive in the sewing department, since I hadn't slept much Saturday night between the sewing and the ruminating.
The Kid was feeling pretty gross - headache, fatigue, etc. - so she skipped derby practice, but I still had an appointment with Denver Fabrics to attend to with TR, so I headed down to Denver and let her sleep.
We found some absolutely awesome faux fur that is so soft I just want to wrap up in it - it will be a robe - and some equally fantastic faux silk (or who knows - it could be real!) in a deep magenta, it's backing satin a rich blue that will actually be the outside of the other robe I'm making. Flowy and/or warm clothing is nice to have at Burning Man, and I volunteered to get TR set with a couple of pieces for this year.
Next year will be sheepskin. We're going to have to start in January though, I think, because it's going to take AGES! The good news is that The Internet Provides, and I have found many tips and tricks for working with sheepskin that will save me lots of Craft Angst later on.
After picking up an ungodly amount of fabric and notions, we headed to Ted's for an absolutely delicious dinner... a full turkey dinner for me (with all the trimmings) and a fantastic burger for him, plus coke with crushed ice which, as TR put it, was like summer in a glass.
Fabulous!
After dinner we drove around to spy on some houses TR's been eyeballing online. Anyone who's bought a house knows that the pictures on the listings often don't show the true nature of the home or its surroundings, like the adorable 1920's house I was so enamored of until I saw a train track literally runs right down the middle of the street, or the flawless Craftsman home TR found which is right next to a 7-Eleven on a ridiculously busy street.
This was never more true than with the fantastic mid-century modern gem he found... which is surrounded by a deeply horrible neighborhood full of meth labs (one can only assume). One's first home experience shouldn't be fraught with danger and ATF agents.
Not a big fat lie, however, were the couple of houses he found in Arapahoe Acres, an historic district full of houses built between 1949 and 1957. They are all beautiful, and the one he likes could be an unbelievable deal if it's not hiding some sort of fatal flaw.
We watched a lovely sunset while driving around, and discovered another neighborhood that's definitely worth looking into. He's really got a pretty clear idea of what he wants, but the question remains... where to find it?
Back home, The Kid seemed to be feeling better after some food and additional sleep. In fact she slept all night, despite having slept all day! There was no fever, no nausea, nothing at all to demonstrate illness, which means...
GROWTH SPURT.
Help!
Happy Monday/Tuesday Amalgam! :)
Tonight it's me and some satiny blue material and the sewing machine.
Wish me luck with that! I want it to look fantastic.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Weekend Catchup: Home Sweet Home
There is nothing quite like your own bed.
With the exception of a Marriott bed. Ever slept in one? Oh my goodness. But I digress.
Spending the last week and a half shuttling back and forth, and moreover sleeping elsewhere, really took its toll on me, especially since the dogs are on such a strict schedule, and the cat is a whiny bastard who pees in shoes. (True! I had a little present waiting for me last Wednesday morning. Good thing I wear Crocs.) Friday night was our last night at the other house, and I barely slept! Honestly as much as I love dogs, I think if I ever have any of my own they will have a doggy door, and an afternoon feeding time. I will happily do a weekly poop patrol rather than have to be woken up every morning to let them out. It's like having a baby in the house!
Sunday, after an extended lie-in (I didn't get up until 10:30!), The Kid and I did some house-cleaning and then it was off to drop her at derby practice. I didn't stay this time, but rather headed to the other end of town to view The Only Slightly Inappropriate Bar, which I guess was worse before, but now is just a lot of nudity and pinups... a spicy collage that will be well-received wherever it goes. The bar itself is amazing, tricked out with electrical and everything!
My favorite part...
The picture of Kathy Griffin's head on a naked man's upper body. She would LOVE that!
Also on hand was this incredibly wooden structure, a pyramid-shaped frame from which will swing a lyra hoop, but which Sunday featured a porch swing. It was simple, and really beautiful, and kind of nerve wracking to watch come down at first until the clean design really showed all it had. Gorgeous!
This week is going to be slightly hectic, but not too bad. The Kid is leaving for her overnight Leadership Academy retreat Wednesday afternoon, and although I was going to go back to work (TR being up to his eyeballs in Burning Man prep means he won't be available until the later evening) I think I'll go home and do some sewing. I got a new pattern for tank tops that I'd like to try out, and I want to get my machine all prepped for my next big project...
A kilt!
Sort of!
A real kilt, of course, is a huge undertaking (9 yards of fabric!! NINE!), though the more I see of the how-to's, the more I know my little OCD heart is going to love making one. Even hems! Pleats of precise measurement! Crisp seams and edges! This will have all of that, but I won't have to get all crazy matching plaids. It's more for fun than for regimental perfection.
I'll also be working up something cool with some amusing and soft purple fake fur that I've had forever and bequeathed to TR for Burn purposes - not sure what form it will take just yet, but no doubt I'll be covered in purple furry bits in no time flat! I couldn't resist it - $2 a yard for this stuff was a steal and a half - but the 2 yards I got have been sitting in my closet for about 5 years now. It's time it got used.
Last but not least, here's something weird I found on Vimeo (naturally). It amused me though, and I hope it tickles you too!
With the exception of a Marriott bed. Ever slept in one? Oh my goodness. But I digress.
Spending the last week and a half shuttling back and forth, and moreover sleeping elsewhere, really took its toll on me, especially since the dogs are on such a strict schedule, and the cat is a whiny bastard who pees in shoes. (True! I had a little present waiting for me last Wednesday morning. Good thing I wear Crocs.) Friday night was our last night at the other house, and I barely slept! Honestly as much as I love dogs, I think if I ever have any of my own they will have a doggy door, and an afternoon feeding time. I will happily do a weekly poop patrol rather than have to be woken up every morning to let them out. It's like having a baby in the house!
Sunday, after an extended lie-in (I didn't get up until 10:30!), The Kid and I did some house-cleaning and then it was off to drop her at derby practice. I didn't stay this time, but rather headed to the other end of town to view The Only Slightly Inappropriate Bar, which I guess was worse before, but now is just a lot of nudity and pinups... a spicy collage that will be well-received wherever it goes. The bar itself is amazing, tricked out with electrical and everything!
My favorite part...
The picture of Kathy Griffin's head on a naked man's upper body. She would LOVE that!
Also on hand was this incredibly wooden structure, a pyramid-shaped frame from which will swing a lyra hoop, but which Sunday featured a porch swing. It was simple, and really beautiful, and kind of nerve wracking to watch come down at first until the clean design really showed all it had. Gorgeous!
This week is going to be slightly hectic, but not too bad. The Kid is leaving for her overnight Leadership Academy retreat Wednesday afternoon, and although I was going to go back to work (TR being up to his eyeballs in Burning Man prep means he won't be available until the later evening) I think I'll go home and do some sewing. I got a new pattern for tank tops that I'd like to try out, and I want to get my machine all prepped for my next big project...
A kilt!
Sort of!
A real kilt, of course, is a huge undertaking (9 yards of fabric!! NINE!), though the more I see of the how-to's, the more I know my little OCD heart is going to love making one. Even hems! Pleats of precise measurement! Crisp seams and edges! This will have all of that, but I won't have to get all crazy matching plaids. It's more for fun than for regimental perfection.
I'll also be working up something cool with some amusing and soft purple fake fur that I've had forever and bequeathed to TR for Burn purposes - not sure what form it will take just yet, but no doubt I'll be covered in purple furry bits in no time flat! I couldn't resist it - $2 a yard for this stuff was a steal and a half - but the 2 yards I got have been sitting in my closet for about 5 years now. It's time it got used.
Last but not least, here's something weird I found on Vimeo (naturally). It amused me though, and I hope it tickles you too!
Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty from Darragh O'Connell on Vimeo.
Happy Monday... here's hoping for a calm week wherever you are. Somebody should have one!Monday, July 19, 2010
Ups And Downs
I've decided I'm blaming the weather.
For what, you ask?
For the weird, baseless emotional upheaval I've been experiencing.
For the unusually hectic schedule everyone's had of late.
For the upsetting events in my friends lives (I won't go into detail - nobody died, fear not, but I think everyone needs a vacation about now).
The weekend was actually really nice, and if I could just quell the emotional baggage from shifting in the cabin during turbulence, causing it to fall on my head every time I open the various compartments in my brain, I'd really be a lot better off. (Yay for air travel metaphors!)
My thoughts just starts whirling sometimes, making ridiculous assumptions and drawing conclusions that are entirely fictional but no less dramatic than if they were honest-to-goodness fact.
Bah.
ANYWAY, Friday night was really quiet, since The Kid stayed over at the Girl Scout camp for their end-of-the-week campout, and I had the evening to myself. After some dinner with Melissa, I headed home and to work on a baby blanket I'm knitting, but first spent a little time killing myself on Wii Fitness Coach, Melissa's personal trainer. She had be touting it's ass-kicking ability and she was NOT KIDDING. Half an hour on the demo mode had me sweating unattractively, which is the point of course!
There aren't any games like you find on Wii Fit. I still love that disc, but sometimes I just want a start-to-finish workout rather than having to decide what to do next. The Fitness Coach program sets up different routines for different days, so one day you're working on upper body strength, the next is lower body, and the next is all aerobics.
And as Melissa said, I can swear at this trainer and not get in trouble, so double bonus!
Saturday was lovely start to finish. The Kid and I had a nice leisurely morning (after she de-icked post-campout), and a wonderful evening eating the best pulled pork I've ever tasted! mported from Tennessee via TR's brother & sister-in-law (by freezing it and transporting it in a cooler - but you'd never know!), it was accompanied by Whitt's Barbecue sauce (many bottles of which were brought back as souveniers).
It's a vinegary sauce, not a tomato-based one, and it is officially my favorite EVER. I could eat it on anything, I think... potatoes, veggies of any description, and of course all manner of grilled goodies! Corn, zucchini, whatever.
YUM.
We ate (a lot!), we played Wii games for awhile (I sucked mightily but it was still fun!), and I got to selfishly enjoy delighting an impending parent with some home-made bibs!
The dad totally loved them, and hopefully the mom will too... she had someone else's baby shower to attend (must be in the water!) and was understandably beat considereing she's in the any-minute-now/will-someone-please-get-this-child-OUT portion of the joy of pregnancy.
Time zipped by Saturday night and before I realized it, it was time to head home - 40 minutes isn't that long a drive unless you're totally wiped! With the assistance of some equally-imported Trader Joes espresso bits I made it home in one piece and was only up for a little while before crashing entirely.
Sunday morning... well, we *meant* to go to breakfast, however upon arrival at the Palace of the German Pancakes (aka Aunt Alice's), I found I couldn't get my key out of the car. Awesome! I could turn the car *off*, but I couldn't get it to turn back that last bit to get the key out. I tried for awhile but became convinced that if I tried any more I'd break the key off (just making things worse).
Thankfully the guys at Firestone are geniuses, and in short order figured out the problem, which was not "you need a new ignition thingy" (my term, not theirs), but was rather a tiny curve of plastic under the shifter which had snapped off, allowing the metal arm connecting the key lock to the shifter to pop out (so it couldn't engage the release of the key).
How'd they fix it, you ask?
Glue!
I appreciate DIY in all things.
It won't last forever, but it was an easy, quick-fix option since replacing the mechanism would have been impossible (the Nissan parts distributor is closed Sundays) that will hold me over until the next time, at which point I'll know the problem and it won't be a mess to fix.
Crisis averted!
I'd like to note that I had to turn off Fox News again in favor of Food Network while I waited (I got an oil change too, two birds dontchaknow). At first the other customers (a couple) seemed slightly annoyed, but wouldn't you know it?
We all started discussing bulk-buying spices, local merchants who sell such things, the merits of organic produce, and the best recipes for ham we know.
Way better than listening to talking heads spout whatever their politically-mandated teleprompter feeds them, eh?
Back home I snoozed away the stress of the near-fiasco of the morning (not only did I have to go to Firestone unexpectedly, our time there kept us past the German Pancake cutoff!), then headed to The Kid's grampas house to go over this and that in regards to dog/housesitting for the next 10 days while they're on a cruise in Alaska.
I hope they bring back an iceberg, because it's HOT here!!
On my plate this week... passports, dogsitting, a candle sale on Saturday, a sleepover with 4 teenagers the same day (one of them is moving to California shortly, the least I can do is grill some burgers for them and let them watch horror movies one last time), and hopefully cool enough evenings to merit time in the hot tub.
Oh, and I plan to work very hard on stopping the spinning thought thing, because it's not helping anyone, least of all me.
It's annoying as hell, in fact.
For what, you ask?
For the weird, baseless emotional upheaval I've been experiencing.
For the unusually hectic schedule everyone's had of late.
For the upsetting events in my friends lives (I won't go into detail - nobody died, fear not, but I think everyone needs a vacation about now).
The weekend was actually really nice, and if I could just quell the emotional baggage from shifting in the cabin during turbulence, causing it to fall on my head every time I open the various compartments in my brain, I'd really be a lot better off. (Yay for air travel metaphors!)
My thoughts just starts whirling sometimes, making ridiculous assumptions and drawing conclusions that are entirely fictional but no less dramatic than if they were honest-to-goodness fact.
Bah.
ANYWAY, Friday night was really quiet, since The Kid stayed over at the Girl Scout camp for their end-of-the-week campout, and I had the evening to myself. After some dinner with Melissa, I headed home and to work on a baby blanket I'm knitting, but first spent a little time killing myself on Wii Fitness Coach, Melissa's personal trainer. She had be touting it's ass-kicking ability and she was NOT KIDDING. Half an hour on the demo mode had me sweating unattractively, which is the point of course!
There aren't any games like you find on Wii Fit. I still love that disc, but sometimes I just want a start-to-finish workout rather than having to decide what to do next. The Fitness Coach program sets up different routines for different days, so one day you're working on upper body strength, the next is lower body, and the next is all aerobics.
And as Melissa said, I can swear at this trainer and not get in trouble, so double bonus!
Saturday was lovely start to finish. The Kid and I had a nice leisurely morning (after she de-icked post-campout), and a wonderful evening eating the best pulled pork I've ever tasted! mported from Tennessee via TR's brother & sister-in-law (by freezing it and transporting it in a cooler - but you'd never know!), it was accompanied by Whitt's Barbecue sauce (many bottles of which were brought back as souveniers).
It's a vinegary sauce, not a tomato-based one, and it is officially my favorite EVER. I could eat it on anything, I think... potatoes, veggies of any description, and of course all manner of grilled goodies! Corn, zucchini, whatever.
YUM.
We ate (a lot!), we played Wii games for awhile (I sucked mightily but it was still fun!), and I got to selfishly enjoy delighting an impending parent with some home-made bibs!
The dad totally loved them, and hopefully the mom will too... she had someone else's baby shower to attend (must be in the water!) and was understandably beat considereing she's in the any-minute-now/will-someone-please-get-this-child-OUT portion of the joy of pregnancy.
Time zipped by Saturday night and before I realized it, it was time to head home - 40 minutes isn't that long a drive unless you're totally wiped! With the assistance of some equally-imported Trader Joes espresso bits I made it home in one piece and was only up for a little while before crashing entirely.
Sunday morning... well, we *meant* to go to breakfast, however upon arrival at the Palace of the German Pancakes (aka Aunt Alice's), I found I couldn't get my key out of the car. Awesome! I could turn the car *off*, but I couldn't get it to turn back that last bit to get the key out. I tried for awhile but became convinced that if I tried any more I'd break the key off (just making things worse).
Thankfully the guys at Firestone are geniuses, and in short order figured out the problem, which was not "you need a new ignition thingy" (my term, not theirs), but was rather a tiny curve of plastic under the shifter which had snapped off, allowing the metal arm connecting the key lock to the shifter to pop out (so it couldn't engage the release of the key).
How'd they fix it, you ask?
Glue!
I appreciate DIY in all things.
It won't last forever, but it was an easy, quick-fix option since replacing the mechanism would have been impossible (the Nissan parts distributor is closed Sundays) that will hold me over until the next time, at which point I'll know the problem and it won't be a mess to fix.
Crisis averted!
I'd like to note that I had to turn off Fox News again in favor of Food Network while I waited (I got an oil change too, two birds dontchaknow). At first the other customers (a couple) seemed slightly annoyed, but wouldn't you know it?
We all started discussing bulk-buying spices, local merchants who sell such things, the merits of organic produce, and the best recipes for ham we know.
Way better than listening to talking heads spout whatever their politically-mandated teleprompter feeds them, eh?
Back home I snoozed away the stress of the near-fiasco of the morning (not only did I have to go to Firestone unexpectedly, our time there kept us past the German Pancake cutoff!), then headed to The Kid's grampas house to go over this and that in regards to dog/housesitting for the next 10 days while they're on a cruise in Alaska.
I hope they bring back an iceberg, because it's HOT here!!
On my plate this week... passports, dogsitting, a candle sale on Saturday, a sleepover with 4 teenagers the same day (one of them is moving to California shortly, the least I can do is grill some burgers for them and let them watch horror movies one last time), and hopefully cool enough evenings to merit time in the hot tub.
Oh, and I plan to work very hard on stopping the spinning thought thing, because it's not helping anyone, least of all me.
It's annoying as hell, in fact.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Weekend Catchup: I Need A Vacation
Did I mention that last week was hellish? I might have.
The result of this was doing not much of anything all weekend, like at all.
Of course you know me better than that... "not much of anything" means cleaning my house, changing lightbulbs, 4 loads of laundry and shuttling The Kid to and fro, all before 2PM on Saturday.
Maybe I need valium.
Saturday afternoon was much more relaxed though, once I got home and applied my newly purchased specialty 5 DOLLAR LIGHT BULBS - they are the size of my pinky nail, which made that price a little shocking.
I finally finished watching Torchwood, all 8 billion hours of it, and it ended...
Well, let's just say I really hope there's a 4th season, because the end took a page from Joss Whedon's Killing Off People We Love book, but managed to ramp it to a whole new sobbing-even-though-it's-fiction level.
Oy.
My evening improved dramatically with the appearance of TR (fresh from a Burning Man BBQ which sounds wrong when you take it out of context), who came bearing chicken and cupcakes, and found a good movie on Netflix, Akira Kurosawa's Dreams. I hadn't ever seen it, but if *you* have, you'll understand why my dreams were pretty wild later! But they were good, which is what matters.
Nothing like a stressful work week to create a lot of bad dreams, and last week was absolutely rife with them, so it was a lovely change of pace.
After a nice sleepy Sunday morning, TR headed off for more Burning Man fun (I was going to truncate that to "BM fun" but again... context), and I took The Kid to Rollerpunks practice - her first in 3 weeks! She jumped right back in, I needn't have worried.
She really loves it. Something I was struggling with last week was the fear that with me starting school and such, that it might be too much to get her there very often, and I wondered if it might have to get sacrificed, but given the fact that she was able to just drop right back in after 2 weeks away, I think we'll be able to make it work...
I just have to stop projecting so much! This is just what I do when I don't know what I'm doing.
Facing the unknown always makes me a bit frantic, and the unknowns are piling up at the moment (how to do school successfully, The Kid starting high school, my busted disposal) so I'm on overdrive.
Don't know how much posting I'll do this week - I think the daily thing is, for now, falling to the side, but I'm trying to stay current anyway. It's important to me!
On deck this week... more work madness, the Eclipse premier (for The Kid, and since it's summer I agreed to take her and a friend to a midnight show because I'M INSANE), more doctorin', and hopefully some nice fireworks.
Can you believe it's already the 4th of July this weekend?!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Weekend Catchup: Hella Hot
I don't do well in heat.
This is not news to those who know me, but it still seems to surprise me every time!
Sometimes it's okay, like if I'm in the shade, or a pool, but just out and about? Not so much.
I AM WUSS... hear me kvetch.
Thursday night, I should just briefly mention, we watched a movie called An Education. It was lovely to look at, had a great soundtrack and excellent costuming and lovely filming, and featured Peter Sarsgaard doing what he does best - being a bit of a bastard.
He's so cute though - even more so when he's
not photoshopped into looking like Ewan McGregor.
Not that I don't love Ewan!
Anyway.
Friday night we went out for sushi at Sushi Garden, which features an all-you-can-eat-for-twenty-bucks special. This is fun, of course, and a great way to try a few different things, assuming you remember that each item you choose is by the ROLL and not the PIECE. My stepdad ended up with a massive amount of California rolls, much to our amusement. Live and learn!
I had a particularly good pick, the Tootsie Roll, which was some kind of something sushi-like (it all kind of melds together after awhile, doesn't it?), but with the added bonus of being rolled up in tempura flakes and drizzled with some kind of soy sauce or other.
I admit I'm still a bit mystified by the presence of sushi in the desert, but it's the modern age after all. Thank goodness for freezer trucks!
Saturday my mom was able to get off work (yay!) so we spent some time running hither and yon.
After the best omelette ever and a brief stop to check on the Horse Formerly Known As Legend (who is fine and dandy - it's a long story), we browsed at Fire Ranch Glassworks for awhile, then it was on to Claire's Cafe (a client of my mom) for a sandwich that was so full of avocado I had to give up trying to be neat about it. Mom and The Kid each had a turkey sandwich on sourdough with bacon and so on - good stuff!
After lunch and a little browsing, we headed for the The Mini Time Machine, a museum of nothing but miniatures. We didn't have as much time as we would have liked (who closes at 4 on a Saturday?!), but we had time enough to check out most of what they had to offer.
Their current feature is a fantasy-themed room, with Christmas villages behind glass on the wall and under foot, a huge sculpted tree complete with a fairy flying around inside, and a Halloween house that I was particularly enjoying. The miniatures are fun, nothing as elaborate as the Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute, but definitely made with care and passion.
After a quick dinner, we headed out to a local park for some musical theatre...
And that's all I'm gonna say about that.
I kid, I kid - they were very cute, and obviously thrilled to be doing what they were doing, and in all honestly the female members had fantastic voices. It was a treat to hear them sing "Because I Knew You" from Wicked, which is my mom's new favorite show.
Sunday we had a morning flight, so we were out of the house by 8AM having successfully remembered everything (I think). After a quick stop for coffee, it was off to the airport and up and out!
It was a long, short trip.
TR picked us up and we had a quick lunch at Ted's (mmmm, Ted's), where I grossed him and The Kid out in equal measures by eating the pickles they brought like they were going out of style.
We managed to spend a little time with Colorado Alternadad for awhile in the evening (it being Father's Day and all) and...
Then it was home where we CRASHED.
Have you ever been so tired your hair was dragging? Yeah.
Last but not least, you may have noticed my lack of comment regarding oil spills and BP executives. This is because I'm pissed off to such a degree that I become nauseous every time I see any footage of anyone or anything involved with it, in particular the head of BP who is about the biggest jackass I have ever seen ever.
Even worse than Dane Cook, and that is REALLY saying something.
Nope
So because he's had to be inconvenienced and forced to answer for his company's actions, Tony Hayward said "I would like my life back".
I realize he's not personally responsible, but with the title comes the work.
I'm sure the Brown Pelicans would like their lives back too.
/soap box/
I hope you had a lovely weekend!
This is not news to those who know me, but it still seems to surprise me every time!
Sometimes it's okay, like if I'm in the shade, or a pool, but just out and about? Not so much.
I AM WUSS... hear me kvetch.
Thursday night, I should just briefly mention, we watched a movie called An Education. It was lovely to look at, had a great soundtrack and excellent costuming and lovely filming, and featured Peter Sarsgaard doing what he does best - being a bit of a bastard.
He's so cute though - even more so when he's
not photoshopped into looking like Ewan McGregor.
Not that I don't love Ewan!
Anyway.
Friday night we went out for sushi at Sushi Garden, which features an all-you-can-eat-for-twenty-bucks special. This is fun, of course, and a great way to try a few different things, assuming you remember that each item you choose is by the ROLL and not the PIECE. My stepdad ended up with a massive amount of California rolls, much to our amusement. Live and learn!
I had a particularly good pick, the Tootsie Roll, which was some kind of something sushi-like (it all kind of melds together after awhile, doesn't it?), but with the added bonus of being rolled up in tempura flakes and drizzled with some kind of soy sauce or other.
I admit I'm still a bit mystified by the presence of sushi in the desert, but it's the modern age after all. Thank goodness for freezer trucks!
Saturday my mom was able to get off work (yay!) so we spent some time running hither and yon.
After the best omelette ever and a brief stop to check on the Horse Formerly Known As Legend (who is fine and dandy - it's a long story), we browsed at Fire Ranch Glassworks for awhile, then it was on to Claire's Cafe (a client of my mom) for a sandwich that was so full of avocado I had to give up trying to be neat about it. Mom and The Kid each had a turkey sandwich on sourdough with bacon and so on - good stuff!
After lunch and a little browsing, we headed for the The Mini Time Machine, a museum of nothing but miniatures. We didn't have as much time as we would have liked (who closes at 4 on a Saturday?!), but we had time enough to check out most of what they had to offer.
Their current feature is a fantasy-themed room, with Christmas villages behind glass on the wall and under foot, a huge sculpted tree complete with a fairy flying around inside, and a Halloween house that I was particularly enjoying. The miniatures are fun, nothing as elaborate as the Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute, but definitely made with care and passion.
After a quick dinner, we headed out to a local park for some musical theatre...
And that's all I'm gonna say about that.
I kid, I kid - they were very cute, and obviously thrilled to be doing what they were doing, and in all honestly the female members had fantastic voices. It was a treat to hear them sing "Because I Knew You" from Wicked, which is my mom's new favorite show.
Sunday we had a morning flight, so we were out of the house by 8AM having successfully remembered everything (I think). After a quick stop for coffee, it was off to the airport and up and out!
It was a long, short trip.
TR picked us up and we had a quick lunch at Ted's (mmmm, Ted's), where I grossed him and The Kid out in equal measures by eating the pickles they brought like they were going out of style.
We managed to spend a little time with Colorado Alternadad for awhile in the evening (it being Father's Day and all) and...
Then it was home where we CRASHED.
Have you ever been so tired your hair was dragging? Yeah.
Last but not least, you may have noticed my lack of comment regarding oil spills and BP executives. This is because I'm pissed off to such a degree that I become nauseous every time I see any footage of anyone or anything involved with it, in particular the head of BP who is about the biggest jackass I have ever seen ever.
Even worse than Dane Cook, and that is REALLY saying something.
Nope
So because he's had to be inconvenienced and forced to answer for his company's actions, Tony Hayward said "I would like my life back".
I realize he's not personally responsible, but with the title comes the work.
I'm sure the Brown Pelicans would like their lives back too.
/soap box/
I hope you had a lovely weekend!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
It's Aliiiiiiive!
OMG you guys I bet you thought I was dead or something huh!
Well I'm happy to report that not only am I *not* dead, I am currently 10,000 feet in the air and climbing. (Well I was on Wednesday at about 5:30 anyway.)
Have you ever flown over the mountains? It's amazing. I was telling TR (who drove me to the airport, big thanks to him!) that every time I do this, I look down on these peaks and valleys and wonder if I'm seeing something nobody else will notice, or land that has never known human footfalls.
I look for this kind of stuff flying over the desert too, but then I'm looking for alien spacecraft and secret military bases.
You know how it is.
Anyway sorry for the lack of posting... it was a long week for only 2 days.
The past weekend was supposed to have included U2, but since Bono hurt himself and the tour was postponed it was cleverly decided that a few U2 concert videos wold do well as a replacement. No need to sacrifice the night entirely!
After we left I was feeling a little peckish yet (despite the delicious guacamole at Chris & Robyn's), so we stopped for drive-thru Mexican food.
This made me nervous, but I can't quite put my finger on why. All trepidation abated, however, after the first bite of what is possibly the best burrito I have ever had ever! Fresh pico (home-made - you can always tell), grilled flank steak seasoned just perfectly... it was total bliss.
It was blissfully chilly when we got back to TR's, but rather than close windows (thus squandering what was probably the last cool weather we'll see for a few months), I borrowed some sweats and enjoyed the cool breezes.
Right up until the fire alarms. AWESOME.
Actually I only heard a little, I was pretty bushed (and super cozy under an awesome fuzzy blue blanket) but apparently they squaked for a good hour or so, until the fire department finally showed up. Turns out it was a dead battery in one, which made all 4 on the second floor go off. The building manager, who clearly hadn't been changing the batteries as required, got a nice phone call at 3AM from the fire chief.
I love justice!
We slept in Sunday, but got up in time for a lovely lunch at J Alexanders (it was definitely a day for chicken tenders and sourdough), then headed to Dillards to do a little shopping. TR got the coolest Hawaiian shirt, and I got a pair of swim shorts to go with my bathing suit. I also picked up an awesome new pajama set courtesy of TR that are about the softest things I've ever worn! I attempted to get some shirts too, but of course everything in the larger sizes was hideous. There was one cute dress, but the hem was weird, and for 70 bucks it better be perfect all around!
Just as well, looking at the design I realized I could totally make one, and fast.
Being the crafty sort can make shopping difficult.
I headed home after our shopping and did a little sewing (and of course watched some Torchwood because I'm obsessive). I am midway through making some very cute plaid bibs for a friend of TR's who's having their first baby. They are so cute! And tiny! And not done yet! That's okay, she's not due until July. Pictures when they're complete, I promise!
Monday... well, Monday was a bear. I got into work at 8AM and left...
At 9PM.
Thirteen hour days are for suckers.
Truthfully my goal was to get as much done as possible so I could take the day off Wednesday, and I was successful so there's that! But man was I tired.
Tuesday morning I had another appointment with the Workers Comp doctor, and though I was finally able to get the meds he had prescribed, I decided not to take them. Prednisone is bad shit, guys. It can cause everything from simple dizziness to DEEP PSYCHOSIS. I swear, it was really in the warnings! Plus it specifically notes The Pill and hypothyroid treatment as two things to be careful of when taking that particular dosage, so ya know.
No.
I'll hang on to it, though, just in case it gets really bad. I'll send The Kid off to her grampas for a week and sequester myself away from all the pointy things.
After getting lots more work done Tuesday, and doing online check-in (I love the modern world), i headed for TRs. I wanted to just sleep in Wednesday, relax and enjoy the day before heading to the airport, and the best way to do that seemed to be to just stay put in Denver for the night.
We had a nice evening, had pizza from Fat Sully's which was fantastic, as was the dessert of Nutella-filled pizza dough. SO good.
This morning (Wednesday) we had a nice lazy sleep-in, getting up long enough to have breakfast at Snooze, only to head back home and back to sleep.<
It was a fabulous lazy vacationy morning... just what I wanted.
And so now I'm on a plane to Vegas! It's a bit bumpy at the moment, nothing too awful but it's hot down there in the desert. We're flying over the Grand Canyon right now... I think. Whatever it is, it's gorgeous.
I love to fly.
The rest of the week will be nothing but relaxing, despite it being 104 every day which is just brutal. There will be pools, and even better the Pima Air Musieum, which I got to tour once before but only briefly. I'm really looking forward to seeing all the WWII aircraft they've got on display... there's rumour of a Mustang, so I'll be on the lookout.
I'm not sure what else we'll be doing, but that's kind of the best part of vacation, isn't it... just putzing around.<
Happy Wednesday!
Well I'm happy to report that not only am I *not* dead, I am currently 10,000 feet in the air and climbing. (Well I was on Wednesday at about 5:30 anyway.)
Have you ever flown over the mountains? It's amazing. I was telling TR (who drove me to the airport, big thanks to him!) that every time I do this, I look down on these peaks and valleys and wonder if I'm seeing something nobody else will notice, or land that has never known human footfalls.
I look for this kind of stuff flying over the desert too, but then I'm looking for alien spacecraft and secret military bases.
You know how it is.
Anyway sorry for the lack of posting... it was a long week for only 2 days.
The past weekend was supposed to have included U2, but since Bono hurt himself and the tour was postponed it was cleverly decided that a few U2 concert videos wold do well as a replacement. No need to sacrifice the night entirely!
After we left I was feeling a little peckish yet (despite the delicious guacamole at Chris & Robyn's), so we stopped for drive-thru Mexican food.
This made me nervous, but I can't quite put my finger on why. All trepidation abated, however, after the first bite of what is possibly the best burrito I have ever had ever! Fresh pico (home-made - you can always tell), grilled flank steak seasoned just perfectly... it was total bliss.
It was blissfully chilly when we got back to TR's, but rather than close windows (thus squandering what was probably the last cool weather we'll see for a few months), I borrowed some sweats and enjoyed the cool breezes.
Right up until the fire alarms. AWESOME.
Actually I only heard a little, I was pretty bushed (and super cozy under an awesome fuzzy blue blanket) but apparently they squaked for a good hour or so, until the fire department finally showed up. Turns out it was a dead battery in one, which made all 4 on the second floor go off. The building manager, who clearly hadn't been changing the batteries as required, got a nice phone call at 3AM from the fire chief.
I love justice!
We slept in Sunday, but got up in time for a lovely lunch at J Alexanders (it was definitely a day for chicken tenders and sourdough), then headed to Dillards to do a little shopping. TR got the coolest Hawaiian shirt, and I got a pair of swim shorts to go with my bathing suit. I also picked up an awesome new pajama set courtesy of TR that are about the softest things I've ever worn! I attempted to get some shirts too, but of course everything in the larger sizes was hideous. There was one cute dress, but the hem was weird, and for 70 bucks it better be perfect all around!
Just as well, looking at the design I realized I could totally make one, and fast.
Being the crafty sort can make shopping difficult.
I headed home after our shopping and did a little sewing (and of course watched some Torchwood because I'm obsessive). I am midway through making some very cute plaid bibs for a friend of TR's who's having their first baby. They are so cute! And tiny! And not done yet! That's okay, she's not due until July. Pictures when they're complete, I promise!
Monday... well, Monday was a bear. I got into work at 8AM and left...
At 9PM.
Thirteen hour days are for suckers.
Truthfully my goal was to get as much done as possible so I could take the day off Wednesday, and I was successful so there's that! But man was I tired.
Tuesday morning I had another appointment with the Workers Comp doctor, and though I was finally able to get the meds he had prescribed, I decided not to take them. Prednisone is bad shit, guys. It can cause everything from simple dizziness to DEEP PSYCHOSIS. I swear, it was really in the warnings! Plus it specifically notes The Pill and hypothyroid treatment as two things to be careful of when taking that particular dosage, so ya know.
No.
I'll hang on to it, though, just in case it gets really bad. I'll send The Kid off to her grampas for a week and sequester myself away from all the pointy things.
After getting lots more work done Tuesday, and doing online check-in (I love the modern world), i headed for TRs. I wanted to just sleep in Wednesday, relax and enjoy the day before heading to the airport, and the best way to do that seemed to be to just stay put in Denver for the night.
We had a nice evening, had pizza from Fat Sully's which was fantastic, as was the dessert of Nutella-filled pizza dough. SO good.
This morning (Wednesday) we had a nice lazy sleep-in, getting up long enough to have breakfast at Snooze, only to head back home and back to sleep.<
It was a fabulous lazy vacationy morning... just what I wanted.
And so now I'm on a plane to Vegas! It's a bit bumpy at the moment, nothing too awful but it's hot down there in the desert. We're flying over the Grand Canyon right now... I think. Whatever it is, it's gorgeous.
I love to fly.
The rest of the week will be nothing but relaxing, despite it being 104 every day which is just brutal. There will be pools, and even better the Pima Air Musieum, which I got to tour once before but only briefly. I'm really looking forward to seeing all the WWII aircraft they've got on display... there's rumour of a Mustang, so I'll be on the lookout.
I'm not sure what else we'll be doing, but that's kind of the best part of vacation, isn't it... just putzing around.<
Happy Wednesday!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Weekend Catchup: Pinchy
Another long weekend, which is lovely of course except when you have mysterious pains in your neck.
Not the figurative kind either; mysterious pains in the neck of the amorphous kind would be much preferable!
Instead I have what appears to be a pinched nerve bundle under my scapula or similar.
Translation:
OW OW OW !@#$ WHAT THE HELL
I'm trying not to complain of course, because I hate to be a pain, which means I'm overextending myself like a moron.
ANYWAY.
The weekend really was lovely and fun!
Friday night The Kid and I had a lovely evening in. Movies were watched, dinner enjoyed, laundry completed (I liked that part anyway).
Saturday morning I got up early and got the house cleaned so I'd be all motivated to take my placement tests at Front Range. I'd sort of been putting it off based on the website's assertion that I should plan on about 3 hours all told, and it was only Saturday that I finally had a whole morning to dedicate to the process, and...
Okay this is going to sound really arrogant. Prepare thyself.
That was the easiest thing I've done in a month.
20 math questions, 20 sentence structure questions, and a 600-word essay. I was done in an hour and 15, and only that long because I don't remember how to consolidate fractions in algebraic sentences.
They gave me my results right away and it was recommended that I:
Told you... I am arrogance itself. Someone should slap me.
Or remind me of my Algebra score.
So, having completed this task early, I ran a few errands then went back home to relax out of the heat.
Saturday night, of course, was the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls bout, wherein they absolutely slaughtered the Charm City girls, 214-77 which is just ridiculous! I agreed with TR that I felt bad for the Charm City team (they didn't quite know what hit em').
Looking over the DNN (Derby News Network) listings, I see this kind of point difference isn't all that unusual, so I feel a little better for them, but still...
OUCH!
RMRG is holding steady at #3 nationally out of the top 25, right behind Washington's Oly Rollers and New York's Gotham Girls.
AND NOW YOU KNOW.
Sunday morning I made a big breakfast (thanks to help from TR, my right arm being mildly useless) and we relaxed in the A/C awhile before heading back to Denver for Rollerpunks practice, and can I just tell you, The Kid got to be a jammer! Not only that, she quickly made herself LEAD jammer, and got to call off the jam and everything.
I know this might sound like Greek to you, but trust me, I was very proud of her.
After dropping TR at home, The Kid and I made our way back home (after a quick visit with some family in from out of town) and packed her up for her trip to Tucson Monday afternoon.
It's a bit of a hike out to the airport and back, so I just decided to take the whole day off, and after seeing her on her way (without incident - although we were mildly worried because I started talking about B1 bombers and The Kid smartly said "should you be talking about that in here?"), I headed to TR's to "help" put his A/C unit in the window, which means I was decorative.
We also folded up an enormous 50-star American flag (easier said than done), and hung up the 48-star gem he found online recently. It's beautifully aged, hand-made (you can just tell), and you can feel the history coming from it. It's really unfortunate that a lot of these giant flags you can purchase here and there online are actually casket flags. They graced the last ceremonies of men and women who died in service, and it's really rotten that their families didn't see any point in keeping the symbol.
I wish they embroidered the names and relevant dates on those flags - there could be a museum donation option instead of having thousands of these flags being sold on eBay (callously displayed on the floor, which is just adding insult to injury) or moldering in basements.
Despite my sore arm, it was a lovely evening! We had dinner at Racine's which was absolutely delicious - the best I've had there yet - and then I got to listen to some live music among friends, which put me to sleep, not because it was dull but because it was so completely soul-soothing that it was nothing if not a lullaby.
I hope I didn't snore...
This week should be pretty tame. I have an all-day dentist appointment Wednesday, which sounds more awful than it is since I get a break (during which I'll be going to a new-student advisor orientation in advance of seeing an advisor myself), and I plan on getting some sewing done and catching up on Torchwood (I love that show - thank you Netflix).
Not the figurative kind either; mysterious pains in the neck of the amorphous kind would be much preferable!
Instead I have what appears to be a pinched nerve bundle under my scapula or similar.
Translation:
OW OW OW !@#$ WHAT THE HELL
I'm trying not to complain of course, because I hate to be a pain, which means I'm overextending myself like a moron.
ANYWAY.
The weekend really was lovely and fun!
Friday night The Kid and I had a lovely evening in. Movies were watched, dinner enjoyed, laundry completed (I liked that part anyway).
Saturday morning I got up early and got the house cleaned so I'd be all motivated to take my placement tests at Front Range. I'd sort of been putting it off based on the website's assertion that I should plan on about 3 hours all told, and it was only Saturday that I finally had a whole morning to dedicate to the process, and...
Okay this is going to sound really arrogant. Prepare thyself.
That was the easiest thing I've done in a month.
20 math questions, 20 sentence structure questions, and a 600-word essay. I was done in an hour and 15, and only that long because I don't remember how to consolidate fractions in algebraic sentences.
They gave me my results right away and it was recommended that I:
- Take Algebra I (not surprising - I took Algebra probably 18 years ago)
- Take the CLEP (I thought this meant Cumulative Life Experience Placement, but apparently it's College Level Examination Program) test to get rid of whatever English credits might be basic requirements, since my scores were ridiculous.
Told you... I am arrogance itself. Someone should slap me.
Or remind me of my Algebra score.
So, having completed this task early, I ran a few errands then went back home to relax out of the heat.
Saturday night, of course, was the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls bout, wherein they absolutely slaughtered the Charm City girls, 214-77 which is just ridiculous! I agreed with TR that I felt bad for the Charm City team (they didn't quite know what hit em').
Looking over the DNN (Derby News Network) listings, I see this kind of point difference isn't all that unusual, so I feel a little better for them, but still...
OUCH!
RMRG is holding steady at #3 nationally out of the top 25, right behind Washington's Oly Rollers and New York's Gotham Girls.
AND NOW YOU KNOW.
Sunday morning I made a big breakfast (thanks to help from TR, my right arm being mildly useless) and we relaxed in the A/C awhile before heading back to Denver for Rollerpunks practice, and can I just tell you, The Kid got to be a jammer! Not only that, she quickly made herself LEAD jammer, and got to call off the jam and everything.
I know this might sound like Greek to you, but trust me, I was very proud of her.
After dropping TR at home, The Kid and I made our way back home (after a quick visit with some family in from out of town) and packed her up for her trip to Tucson Monday afternoon.
It's a bit of a hike out to the airport and back, so I just decided to take the whole day off, and after seeing her on her way (without incident - although we were mildly worried because I started talking about B1 bombers and The Kid smartly said "should you be talking about that in here?"), I headed to TR's to "help" put his A/C unit in the window, which means I was decorative.
We also folded up an enormous 50-star American flag (easier said than done), and hung up the 48-star gem he found online recently. It's beautifully aged, hand-made (you can just tell), and you can feel the history coming from it. It's really unfortunate that a lot of these giant flags you can purchase here and there online are actually casket flags. They graced the last ceremonies of men and women who died in service, and it's really rotten that their families didn't see any point in keeping the symbol.
I wish they embroidered the names and relevant dates on those flags - there could be a museum donation option instead of having thousands of these flags being sold on eBay (callously displayed on the floor, which is just adding insult to injury) or moldering in basements.
Despite my sore arm, it was a lovely evening! We had dinner at Racine's which was absolutely delicious - the best I've had there yet - and then I got to listen to some live music among friends, which put me to sleep, not because it was dull but because it was so completely soul-soothing that it was nothing if not a lullaby.
I hope I didn't snore...
This week should be pretty tame. I have an all-day dentist appointment Wednesday, which sounds more awful than it is since I get a break (during which I'll be going to a new-student advisor orientation in advance of seeing an advisor myself), and I plan on getting some sewing done and catching up on Torchwood (I love that show - thank you Netflix).
Oh Captain Jack, you naughty thing you
Happy Monday!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Weekend Catchup: Never Enough
Happy Memorial Day!
Instead of sleeping in this morning like a sensible person, I'm up at my usual crack-o-dawn hour.
Gotta love that internal clock.
HUGE POST ALERT! TR & I crammed about a week's worth of activity into around 36 hours this weekend, and there's a lot to share, but I promise it's worth it! Ghostly prostitutes! 80s bands! Yummy food! Miles of walking! Advil! This post has it all.
Friday after getting The Kid settled at her grampa's for the weekend, I headed down to Denver in a fairly speedy fashion, having miraculously found a gap in the get-out-of-town-quick traffic.
We headed to our friends Chris & Robyn's house to visit awhile with them and some of Robyn's family, and we all got a bonus... TR & Chris played some of their excellent music for us! They play beautifully, and everyone really enjoyed it. I had only heard them recorded before that, so it was really cool to hear it in person! (I recommend downloading from iTunes vs. Amazon, but Amazon had the easier-to-link listing, so there ya go.)
After relaxing there awhile, we headed over to TR's brother's to grab a ride to the hotel for the weekend. It's a downtown hotel more intended for business travelers with expense accounts, so they charge a lot for parking, even for guests. Can't say I blame them, I suppose, but we had other options so we took em'! After a quick, late dinner at Ted's (alas, the salad wasn't the joyful thing I remembered, but my burger was fantastic), we landed at the gorgeous hotel and turned in for the night.
Saturday morning I was, of course, up early. I really wonder about myself sometimes... comfy bed, no pressing obligations... do I go back to sleep after waking up and realizing I don't need to be conscious? Nope... but not for lack of trying.
We had scored a free breakfast, so after admitting defeat in the battle to sleep, I roused TR (I'm so mean, I know!) and we headed down for what proved to be a surprisingly yummy meal! It was definitely not your usual hotel breakfast buffet spread. They had the usual oatmeal/cereal/fruit display, of course, but they also had perfect bacon, an omelette lady, and some of the best home-made sausage gravy I've ever tasted. It was so good that we were trying to think of things other than biscuits to use it with (Chex Mix was a front runner).
The hotel was a block up from the 16th Street Mall, which is like Boulder's Pearl Street but with less hippies. We walked over to wander a bit after breakfast, enjoying the weather (hahaha) while we waited to meet up with Chris & Robyn & co again to take a walking tour of LoDo (the lower downtown Denver area - moniker courtesy of the mayor).
It was awesome! I learned lots of things about the city. You know I'm a fan of random information, so nuggets like the first cheeseburger (well, the home of the first folks to patent the name anyway) and the reason for the metal decorations on the sides of brick buildings (which are not just decorative after all - they're end caps for support beams!) were right up my alley. There was a ton of information, not all of which could be remembered by anybody but our tour guide Kevin and probably TR (that kind of retention is amazing stuff), but my favorite bits were the stops at Blake Street Vault for a tour by the the owner (and a drink called the Denver Donkey, a.k.a. the Moscow Mule, which about knocked me sideways - I need another, and soon!), the stop at the Cruise Room at the Oxford Hotel (an absolutely stunning Art Deco style room modeled after one of the lounges on the Queen Mary), and the ghost tour bits at both those places (a woman in brown, a merchant marine and a postman on a mission) as well as others along the way.
We learned about the ghosts that frequent Union Station, the PF Changs we passed on the way (a creepy tale of a bricked-in room, a skeleton, and scratches on the walls), and LODO, a restaurant which is housed partly in what used to be Mattie's House of Mirrors, one of the most famous of the many many MANY brothels that used to exist in that part of the city. That one was the most interesting, and I dared to venture back upstairs to where the tour guide insisted many had felt interesting things, and even seen and heard activity.
Mattie Silks
I didn't really sense anything unusual, but my thought was that I'm a woman, and maybe a man might not feel welcome up there. I can't imagine that the ladies who used to work there are big fans, given the stories that we hear about how they were treated (and still are, I'm sure). They're busy being ghosts, they probably don't have time to do much more than generalize between gender.
My inner Ghost Hunter came out, though, when I went back downstairs and spied the enormous amount of electrical wiring that's all over the ceiling, right underneath where the activity was said to be strongest, including ill feelings, strange sounds, etc. It's thought that high levels of electromagnetic energy (the kind emitted by electrical wiring, circuit boxes, etc.) can make people feel sick, feel like someone's watching them, or even hallucinate. Given the history of the place (suicides, the saucy nature of the place itself, and of course the general feeling that permeates any old building) and those conditions (huge bundles of wiring right under the floor), my guess is that if it *is* haunted, it's only by memory.
But you know me, I like to rationalize stuff.
So after all that walking, TR & I were pretty beat and decided to skip out on dinner with the group, though we did take our time getting back to the hotel (it was 5 or 6 blocks away, and we weren't in much of a hurry). On the way we stopped at Sakura Square to admire the statues and peaceful presence, and as we were walking from there we could hear music drifting toward us from the mall. There had been an arts and music festival that day, and the tail end of it was wrapping up. As we were walking and listening TR started to realize that he recognized the music, and we figured out that was because the band he heard playing was really there...
The Fixx!
Now admittedly, I don't know much of them past their radio hits from way back when (namely Saved By Zero and Stand or Fall (my favorites), Red Skies At Night and One Thing Leads To Another, if you don't remember) so I didn't realize they were as prolific as they were - 9 studio albums!
Where I know not much beyond what was popular, TR is a big fan, so he was totally thrilled and I found out that they were much more than a few hits back in the 80's. They are a really tight band, and the bass player was amazing! I'm really glad we stumbled across the concert, and not just because I got to sit down, although that was a definite bonus. I really enjoyed one song in particular of those that I hadn't heard before, How Much Is Enough?. It wasn't a huge hit when it originally came out, but TR thought maybe that was because when it was released (1991) we as a culture were still pretty hip-deep in glossy, pretty prosperity (or the quest for it) and most consumers of that attitude weren't looking for socially conscious lyrics. Now, though, given the collapse of our economy, the mortgage crisis, the current BP oil mess (which we now know was pretty much entirely due to money-saving shortcuts), etc., maybe it's time for this song again.
Oh, and guess who was playing up the street at the same time?
They're another one I never really got to know in-depth, they were more of a theme-music kind of band backing the skaters I was obsessed with Freshman year, but they're immensely iconic, so it was really cool to see them! Well, hear them, mostly... we didn't want to walk over to the stage, because we were both about to fall over.
Back at the hotel, we were desperately in need of some hot water, so we went down to pool area and had an amusing conversation with a young couple from Minnesota in town for a fun 3-day weekend. We soaked for a good hour (the staff was nice enough to let us slip past the 11PM cutoff since we were being good), then hit the hay after some serious dechlorination. I understand the need to put that stuff in the water (otherwise eeeeeew), but it's so rough on my skin!
Sunday morning we did manage to sleep in, but got up in time to catch room service for some toast and bacon and tea for breakfast, but went right back to sleep. I love a lazy morning, particularly when it's in a quiet room curled up under a heavy comforter with the a/c cranked.
We grabbed a late lunch with TR's brother & his wife at Snooze - I had breakfast tacos with carnitas that were absolutely lovely - and then it was time to go pick up The Kid at Rollerpunks practice.
After that the day still wasn't done! It was up to Greeley to visit with Nova (who is recuperating nicely). A bit of dinner then it was back home to get some rest.
The weekend was long, but too short as always... but too short is better than not at all, ya know?
Today will be a lazy one again, I think. Granted, I was up way too early, but still I have nothing in particular to accomplish other than picking up The Kid's gear from her grampa's and watching movies.
Last but not least, and I'll keep it short just because I'm being extra wordy today (and that's saying something for me)...
Happy Memorial Day again. Keep the folks out there defending our country, or who have in the past, in your thoughts today.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Weekend Catchup: Carniverous
Okay, first I have to show you this.
Isn't that awesome!?
Isn't that awesome!?
So I finally got some relaxing done this weekend!
Friday night was lovely and calm. I worked a little late (The Kid was at her buddy's house) and then headed home to get a little exercise in (my new goal - to do this at least 3 times a week) and clean the house before TR came over.
After a quick trip to pick up a few ingredients, we set to work making beer cheese soup, which was fantastic and smelled absolutely amazing! Bacon, carrots, celery, bacon, beer, bacon, cheese, beer & bacon. Oh, and milk and stuff so it was even sort of healthy!
Sort of.
Saturday after picking The Kid up, we decided to take advantage of the gorgeous day and take a ride up in the mountains!
TR hadn't been to Estes Park in ages, so we decided to take the circuitous route along Peak to Peak Highway, which looks a little scary on a map but which is, in fact, pretty tame and absolutely gorgeous.
It was fun playing tour guide! We went to The Stanley, which was of course the inspiration for The Shining, and lo and behold...
It was the 30th anniversary of the Kubrick movie! Which has almost nothing to do with the Stanley, but whatevs. They had a Jack Nicholson look-a-like running around on the porch with a cigar, taking pictures and being generally smarmy (he was quite good).
We had a slighty overpriced lunch at the restaurant there (but as TR pointed out, it's ridiculously expensive to maintain someplace like that, so really paying 14.00 for a burger is part food, part support), which was delicious despite us having gone there based on the menu in the Estes Park visitor center that was rather out of date. I had a lamb burger and yes I am that much of a carnivore. Stop judging me.
Not only was it a lamb burger, it had lamb *bacon* on it, and goat cheese from a local producer called Haystack Mountain.
TR had BBQ Pulled Elk, which was absolutely delicious. My apologies to you vegetarians out there, but in fact it's a good thing that elk are hunted out here, otherwise we'd be overrun and they'd be ill and suffering due to overpopulation. And if we have to thin the herd, well there's no use wasting resources, right?
Plus, mmmm. Elk.
(Sorry.)
After lunch and bumming around the place (it wasn't showing itself to be very haunted this time, I think because there were way too many people around, or maybe the cheese factor of a Jack Nicholson impersonator was too much for them to deal with), we headed to Estes Park Glassworks Studio, where we watched their resident glass artist make gorgeous art, and oohed and ahhed and coveted.
Not my picture, but that sums it up
Their website is being redone at the moment, but if you troll around you can see some of the amazing stuff they offer... it's nothing quite like being there in person, though, so if you get the chance, stop in! The owners are very nice, and they have super-comfy old metal lawn chairs out front that harken from the days when men were men and women were...
Oh, sorry.
You how I am with the tangents.
Anyway it was a lovely drive, and I'm always happy to let someone else enjoy the view awhile.
Besides, I love driving in the mountains!
When it's sunny!
And dry!
Otherwise I'll be down here looking up, thanks.
Do you ever play tourist in your own area?It was the 30th anniversary of the Kubrick movie! Which has almost nothing to do with the Stanley, but whatevs. They had a Jack Nicholson look-a-like running around on the porch with a cigar, taking pictures and being generally smarmy (he was quite good).
We had a slighty overpriced lunch at the restaurant there (but as TR pointed out, it's ridiculously expensive to maintain someplace like that, so really paying 14.00 for a burger is part food, part support), which was delicious despite us having gone there based on the menu in the Estes Park visitor center that was rather out of date. I had a lamb burger and yes I am that much of a carnivore. Stop judging me.
Not only was it a lamb burger, it had lamb *bacon* on it, and goat cheese from a local producer called Haystack Mountain.
TR had BBQ Pulled Elk, which was absolutely delicious. My apologies to you vegetarians out there, but in fact it's a good thing that elk are hunted out here, otherwise we'd be overrun and they'd be ill and suffering due to overpopulation. And if we have to thin the herd, well there's no use wasting resources, right?
Plus, mmmm. Elk.
(Sorry.)
After lunch and bumming around the place (it wasn't showing itself to be very haunted this time, I think because there were way too many people around, or maybe the cheese factor of a Jack Nicholson impersonator was too much for them to deal with), we headed to Estes Park Glassworks Studio, where we watched their resident glass artist make gorgeous art, and oohed and ahhed and coveted.
Not my picture, but that sums it up
Their website is being redone at the moment, but if you troll around you can see some of the amazing stuff they offer... it's nothing quite like being there in person, though, so if you get the chance, stop in! The owners are very nice, and they have super-comfy old metal lawn chairs out front that harken from the days when men were men and women were...
Oh, sorry.
You how I am with the tangents.
Anyway it was a lovely drive, and I'm always happy to let someone else enjoy the view awhile.
Besides, I love driving in the mountains!
When it's sunny!
And dry!
Otherwise I'll be down here looking up, thanks.
It's fun to go exploring in places you've heard about but never actually seen, especially if they're a reasonable distance from your house.
After making our way home Saturday evening, TR hung around a little while before heading back home on his awesome bike.
Isn't that cool lookin'?!
After making our way home Saturday evening, TR hung around a little while before heading back home on his awesome bike.
Isn't that cool lookin'?!
Sunday was very quiet. We lazed a bit (we're still catching up on season 4 of Dr. Who) then headed to Denver for Rollerpunks practice.
Despite the Skateshop Guy's best efforts, the wheels needed a little tweaking and our favorite Resident Skate Maintenance Expert took care of them in short order. She's like lightening, that one.
And The Kid got her very fist derby bruise! She was so proud.
I was more "GAH" than proud, but thankfully she didn't break an ankle or anything, as one of the other girls did last week. It was just an accident, of course, it wasn't even due to anything game-related, it was just one of those things that can happen when you're rolling around on a slick surface. Poor kid.
Last but certainly not least, head on over to My Mom's Blog and wish her a happy birthday! It was yesterday, but we believe in Birthday Weeks.
I was looking around on Photobucket for birthday-type graphics, and you know what?
There are a lot of weirdos out there.
In particular, there are a lot of Robert-Pattinson-obsessed weirdos.
In the end, though, this one made me laugh hardest, most because it was such a Cake Wrecks kind of greeting, complete with unnecessary punctuation and capitalization!
Happy Birthday Dear "NAME HERE"...
Happy Birthday to "YOU"!
Despite the Skateshop Guy's best efforts, the wheels needed a little tweaking and our favorite Resident Skate Maintenance Expert took care of them in short order. She's like lightening, that one.
And The Kid got her very fist derby bruise! She was so proud.
I was more "GAH" than proud, but thankfully she didn't break an ankle or anything, as one of the other girls did last week. It was just an accident, of course, it wasn't even due to anything game-related, it was just one of those things that can happen when you're rolling around on a slick surface. Poor kid.
Last but certainly not least, head on over to My Mom's Blog and wish her a happy birthday! It was yesterday, but we believe in Birthday Weeks.
I was looking around on Photobucket for birthday-type graphics, and you know what?
There are a lot of weirdos out there.
In particular, there are a lot of Robert-Pattinson-obsessed weirdos.
In the end, though, this one made me laugh hardest, most because it was such a Cake Wrecks kind of greeting, complete with unnecessary punctuation and capitalization!
Happy Birthday to "YOU"!
Happy Birthday to "YOU"! Happy Birthday Dear "NAME HERE"...
Happy Birthday to "YOU"!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Weekend Catchup: Zippy
What a lovely weekend!
Friday after school, The Kid had her very last ever Middle School Social. It was beach-themed and she looked very cute. She wore a blue & white hibiscus-print shirt/dress/beach coverup sort of thing, with her favorite blue cargo shorts, a lei, and a flower in her hair.
She noted that the only other person to dress in theme, and all in blue, was her crush. I love that she has a crush, though I'm mentally prepping myself for when the little shit breaks her heart by dating some stupid girl in high school that's not her.
Ah, youth.
ANYWAY, while she was busy boogyin', I was at the skate shop acting like a doof while getting the bearings swapped out in her fabulous new rollerskates.
Acting like a doof because I suddenly felt compelled to attempt to convey how cool I used to be to the skate shop owner.
"Ahhh... I remember that sound," I declaimed as he attempted to manhandle the old bearings out. "I used to go to skate shops with my friends when I was young, although I couldn't skate myself."
"Mmmhm," he muttered, as he attempted to tear open the package of new bearings. (He gave up and had me do it.)
"Yeah, it's funny that you're playing Red Hot Chili Peppers, actually, because that's what we heard a lot of then, too! That and, ya know, a lot of Social Distortion and Suicidal Tendencies and stuff. I saw them live, once, actually - RHCP, not Suicidal Tendencies, haha."
"Mmmhm," this time with a subtle eyeroll, was uttered once more.
It should be noted, at this point, that my brain was yelling STOP IT, but the train was already out of the station and gaining speed.
"Yeah like I said, I never could skate myself... I was more of an afficionado. We had our videos, I had my Thrasher subscription, ya know how it was. Ha, I think I just liked hanging out with the skater boys! That would be pretty weird now, though, huh."
He looked up, gave me the once over, and said...
"Yep."
Hey whatever dude, you're MY AGE... at least I admit that I'm waxing nostalgic like a big dork, you're actually trying to hang with the youngins, no doubt trying to convince them that Gleaming the Cube was the best movie EVAR and that Christian Hosoi is still the king of the universe.
Anyway.
So the bearings are on! The skates are super fast, which is taking a little getting used to for The Kid, but she'll get the hang of it.
After that little adventure into "I'm too old to be in a skate shop anymore at least not looking like this", I headed home to await Nova so I could go with her to pick up a toy box way down in south Denver.
It was a nice drive, we didn't hit much traffic and figured since were down that way (and The Kid was at home playing on the computer and working on a project for school) we'd stop in the city on the way back and have some dinner.
Pete's Kitchen won the vote, and we both had lovely, greasy gyros, something that's tough to get up our way!
She had remembered reading all about the profiterole at Il Vicino, and wanted to try them while were down there, so try them she did, and they did not disappoint! Yum.
The Kid & I had an early morning Saturday, so we headed back after dessert.
Saturday was The Kid's orchestra contest, "Trills & Thrills", which you might remember me helping chaperone last year due to my rampant volunteeritis. It wasn't so bad, of course, but I figured it would be easier to let her go with her class without me this time, and more fun for her as well since I don't really count rollercoasters high on my list at Elitch's, since those rides are built more for kids and less for large-racked Fertility Goddess types like myself. I spend a lot of time standing around getting sunburned and crabby.
As she was staying with her grampa overnight Saturday (he had generously agreed to drive her down to Rollerpunks practice Sunday), I headed down to Denver myself to do a bit of Costco-ing with TR (sidebar: TR if you're reading this, I can't really express my gratitude fully except to say thanks again) and then for dinner at Udi's, which was absolutley delicious! I had more of the fabulous German potato salad (I think I have a problem) and a margherita pizza, plus a peach bellini frozen adult slushy thing that would have knocked my socks off had I been wearing any.
We were both pretty pooped from our respective long days, so it was an early night. The bonus, of course, to an early night is waking up early the next day and getting to eat relatively crowd-free at Dozens! I had way too much coffee, of course - that Novo just rocks!
It was a gorgeous day, and TR lives in a beautiful neighborhood full of big, old homes, so we took a walk and I was once again delighted as I always am by the things you see when you walk.
Driving past places like these, you see bits and pieces but can't get the full effect since obviously if you did you'd get into regular car wrecks.
Walking, though, gives you the opportunity to notice, say, the heraldric artwork under the eaves of one roof, or the stonework topping another.
And the gardens! I wish I'd had my camera, because there were some of the most gorgeous poppies and tulips blooming hither and yon. It was fun watching the bees doing their thing, and the sights and smells were blissful. There really is nothing like the scent of fresh cut grass.
We picked up The Kid at her derby practice and she looked great! She definitely had an easier time on the new skates. No more struggling to roll, which is fabulous, and she wasn't the worn-out mess she had been in other weeks.
We had some dinner at Annie's, which was much better than last time.
It occurs to me that TR has been buying all 3 of us dinner a lot lately. I'm going to have to take him out soon, someplaced good, or make some really fantastic meal or something.
This week... not so much insanity. THANK GOODNESS.
Tonight I'm attending Ales 4 Females at the Lefthand Brewery here in Fabulous Longmont, where my friend Robyn & I will learn all about the brewing industry. Our grand plan (because I have no hobbies, haha) is to start brewing our own, and rule the world.
I think we could totally do it. Hey, I have a garage! And I could fit small barrells under my kitchen table! I even have a friend, Roger, who already makes his own and has offered to give pointers if we're serious.
Tomorrow, The Kid gets her 8th grade yearbook, which I made her swear not to draw all over. Autographs and such are great, I said, but don't go scribbling out anyone's faces!
Wednesday is the orientation meething for the Leadership Academy The Kid was accepted into for Freshman year at her new high school. How exciting is that?!
Thursday I'll head down to do Trivia (I'm having withdrawals - I think that's what spawned my need to spout skateboard facts at the skate shop guy).
Friday The Kid has a party to go to all evening, and I'll get a chance to relax!
Saturday is placemenet testing for my possible high education adventure, and Sunday is Rollerpunks yet again.
Did I say this week was going to be more relaxed?
I did, right?
*phew*
Friday after school, The Kid had her very last ever Middle School Social. It was beach-themed and she looked very cute. She wore a blue & white hibiscus-print shirt/dress/beach coverup sort of thing, with her favorite blue cargo shorts, a lei, and a flower in her hair.
She noted that the only other person to dress in theme, and all in blue, was her crush. I love that she has a crush, though I'm mentally prepping myself for when the little shit breaks her heart by dating some stupid girl in high school that's not her.
Ah, youth.
ANYWAY, while she was busy boogyin', I was at the skate shop acting like a doof while getting the bearings swapped out in her fabulous new rollerskates.
Acting like a doof because I suddenly felt compelled to attempt to convey how cool I used to be to the skate shop owner.
"Ahhh... I remember that sound," I declaimed as he attempted to manhandle the old bearings out. "I used to go to skate shops with my friends when I was young, although I couldn't skate myself."
"Mmmhm," he muttered, as he attempted to tear open the package of new bearings. (He gave up and had me do it.)
"Yeah, it's funny that you're playing Red Hot Chili Peppers, actually, because that's what we heard a lot of then, too! That and, ya know, a lot of Social Distortion and Suicidal Tendencies and stuff. I saw them live, once, actually - RHCP, not Suicidal Tendencies, haha."
"Mmmhm," this time with a subtle eyeroll, was uttered once more.
It should be noted, at this point, that my brain was yelling STOP IT, but the train was already out of the station and gaining speed.
"Yeah like I said, I never could skate myself... I was more of an afficionado. We had our videos, I had my Thrasher subscription, ya know how it was. Ha, I think I just liked hanging out with the skater boys! That would be pretty weird now, though, huh."
He looked up, gave me the once over, and said...
"Yep."
Hey whatever dude, you're MY AGE... at least I admit that I'm waxing nostalgic like a big dork, you're actually trying to hang with the youngins, no doubt trying to convince them that Gleaming the Cube was the best movie EVAR and that Christian Hosoi is still the king of the universe.
OKFINEIADMITIT. I totally loved this movie.
Anyway.
So the bearings are on! The skates are super fast, which is taking a little getting used to for The Kid, but she'll get the hang of it.
After that little adventure into "I'm too old to be in a skate shop anymore at least not looking like this", I headed home to await Nova so I could go with her to pick up a toy box way down in south Denver.
It was a nice drive, we didn't hit much traffic and figured since were down that way (and The Kid was at home playing on the computer and working on a project for school) we'd stop in the city on the way back and have some dinner.
Pete's Kitchen won the vote, and we both had lovely, greasy gyros, something that's tough to get up our way!
She had remembered reading all about the profiterole at Il Vicino, and wanted to try them while were down there, so try them she did, and they did not disappoint! Yum.
The Kid & I had an early morning Saturday, so we headed back after dessert.
Saturday was The Kid's orchestra contest, "Trills & Thrills", which you might remember me helping chaperone last year due to my rampant volunteeritis. It wasn't so bad, of course, but I figured it would be easier to let her go with her class without me this time, and more fun for her as well since I don't really count rollercoasters high on my list at Elitch's, since those rides are built more for kids and less for large-racked Fertility Goddess types like myself. I spend a lot of time standing around getting sunburned and crabby.
As she was staying with her grampa overnight Saturday (he had generously agreed to drive her down to Rollerpunks practice Sunday), I headed down to Denver myself to do a bit of Costco-ing with TR (sidebar: TR if you're reading this, I can't really express my gratitude fully except to say thanks again) and then for dinner at Udi's, which was absolutley delicious! I had more of the fabulous German potato salad (I think I have a problem) and a margherita pizza, plus a peach bellini frozen adult slushy thing that would have knocked my socks off had I been wearing any.
We were both pretty pooped from our respective long days, so it was an early night. The bonus, of course, to an early night is waking up early the next day and getting to eat relatively crowd-free at Dozens! I had way too much coffee, of course - that Novo just rocks!
It was a gorgeous day, and TR lives in a beautiful neighborhood full of big, old homes, so we took a walk and I was once again delighted as I always am by the things you see when you walk.
Driving past places like these, you see bits and pieces but can't get the full effect since obviously if you did you'd get into regular car wrecks.
Walking, though, gives you the opportunity to notice, say, the heraldric artwork under the eaves of one roof, or the stonework topping another.
And the gardens! I wish I'd had my camera, because there were some of the most gorgeous poppies and tulips blooming hither and yon. It was fun watching the bees doing their thing, and the sights and smells were blissful. There really is nothing like the scent of fresh cut grass.
We picked up The Kid at her derby practice and she looked great! She definitely had an easier time on the new skates. No more struggling to roll, which is fabulous, and she wasn't the worn-out mess she had been in other weeks.
We had some dinner at Annie's, which was much better than last time.
It occurs to me that TR has been buying all 3 of us dinner a lot lately. I'm going to have to take him out soon, someplaced good, or make some really fantastic meal or something.
This week... not so much insanity. THANK GOODNESS.
Tonight I'm attending Ales 4 Females at the Lefthand Brewery here in Fabulous Longmont, where my friend Robyn & I will learn all about the brewing industry. Our grand plan (because I have no hobbies, haha) is to start brewing our own, and rule the world.
I think we could totally do it. Hey, I have a garage! And I could fit small barrells under my kitchen table! I even have a friend, Roger, who already makes his own and has offered to give pointers if we're serious.
Tomorrow, The Kid gets her 8th grade yearbook, which I made her swear not to draw all over. Autographs and such are great, I said, but don't go scribbling out anyone's faces!
Wednesday is the orientation meething for the Leadership Academy The Kid was accepted into for Freshman year at her new high school. How exciting is that?!
Thursday I'll head down to do Trivia (I'm having withdrawals - I think that's what spawned my need to spout skateboard facts at the skate shop guy).
Friday The Kid has a party to go to all evening, and I'll get a chance to relax!
Saturday is placemenet testing for my possible high education adventure, and Sunday is Rollerpunks yet again.
Did I say this week was going to be more relaxed?
I did, right?
*phew*
Monday, May 10, 2010
Weekend Catchup: Accidental Stabbing
We didn't do *quite* as much partying this weekend.
Friday night we went swimming up in Fabulous Greeley with Nova & her clan. It's a therapy pool, which means no freezing cold water.
BLISS.
After some quick dinner, Nova & I attempted to go act like 25 year olds by going to the local pub for a beer, but we neglected to remember it was Graduation Weekend up there, and were thwarted in our efforts.
We did manage to grab a pint of Strongbow on tap and oh my friends let me just tell you...
The canned stuff is nothing compared to that! If you are even mildly inclined toward hard cider, you must find some Strongbow on tap.
Saturday morning The Kid and I got up and out early, and by 10AM I had managed to throw out my back. It was a combo of too much laundry-hauling, cat-box-cleaning and swimming, and I spent the rest of the day with my heating pad. AWESOME.
I had planned on completing a birthday project, but it's just as well that I had to sit around all day convalescing, because here's a tip for you seamstresses out there, or anyone who knows one. Pass it on.
If you purchase a jelly roll of fabric, which consists of 40 or so 2"-wide strips of fabric, don't wash the fabric.
I know, I know, the rule is if you're making something with fabric that has potential to alter in hot water, wash it first to pre-shrink so you don't end up with a lumpy mess later after you've slaved away sewing and stitching.
But in this case?
Just don't.
Whatever you make, just plan on spot-cleaning it if need be, and warn the intended recipient of your labor that they should do the same.
Otherwise you will spend about 8 hours disassembling the bait-ball like thing that comes out of your dryer, snipping off strings that unraveled themselves into snarled balls of evil in that same dryer, and then ironing those long, skinny (now slightly skinnier) strips into semblances of their old, flat, lovely selves.
Sunday was Mother's Day, of course, but like I told The Kid...
I don't need a special day.
I'm so lucky to have a kid like her, and I don't need her to stop being a jerk or do chores one day of the year - she's lovely every day.
We had some breakfast, she gave me a card she made (of course - she *always* makes cards, so now I expect it), and at about noon we headed down to pick up TR and head to the derby bout between the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls' 5280 Fight Club and the Texas Rollergirls' Texecutioners.
It is unbelievable to see professionals do this. I highly recommend you attend a bout, you'll be blown away! The Kid was pretty impressed and, I think, inspired.
Also, our girls KICKED ASS.
The accidental stabbing took place on the way down to Denver... The Kid had her mechanical pencil in *just* the right place so that when pushing her hand away as she tried to Punch Buggy me on the sly (God help us if we ever pass a VW dealership), it smacked right into the very pointy tip of the pencil. OW! TR came to the rescue with pirate bandaids.
I am looking forward to this coming weekend... The Kid's grampa has agreed take her down to her practice Sunday so I can go have date night with TR (why did that sound like Showtime at the Apollo in my head?), which is good because I kind of miss that - which is weird since I see him every week and talk to him all the time.
I find I miss The Kid during the school year, too, which is equally weird because I actually *live* with her! How can I miss someone with whom I have constant contact?
I think what I'm missing is the freedom to just hang out and relax with my peeps, do nothing in particular, have a nosh and watch a movie or something. I don't get a lot of that these days! We've just got too much going on.
Do you find that to be true in your relationships, romantic and otherwise, dear readers? That you schedule yourself into oblivion only to find that you miss someone you see and talk to all the time?
Humans are strange creatures, no?
This introspective moment brought to you by Overactive Brainfunction, LTD., makers of What Are You Thinking gum and the often duplicated, never replicated "Interpretron 2000" Conversation Analysis Calculator. Now back to your regularly scheduled program!
Whoa! Where did that come from?!
Anyway, we had a lovely late lunch/early dinner at Pete's Greek Cafe after the bout, because I had a sudden yen for lemony, garlicky chicken soup.
The yen was... um, scratched?... successfully. So good.
On to another exciting week! This week is another packed one, of course...
Tomorrow is MESA day (The Kid was one of 11 to be picked - go her!), Wednesday is the Science Fair and volunteering at the humane society (that'll be fun, shoehorning those both together), Thursday is The Kid's *sniff* last ever middle school Orchestra concert (I'm totally going to cry, I just know it), and Friday is a beach-themed social.
I can't WAIT for summer vacation! And I don't even get one!
And finally, to those who read my Friday post, you'll be pleased to know that, even if it doesn't pan out, I have successfully...
Wish me luck!
Friday night we went swimming up in Fabulous Greeley with Nova & her clan. It's a therapy pool, which means no freezing cold water.
BLISS.
After some quick dinner, Nova & I attempted to go act like 25 year olds by going to the local pub for a beer, but we neglected to remember it was Graduation Weekend up there, and were thwarted in our efforts.
We did manage to grab a pint of Strongbow on tap and oh my friends let me just tell you...
The canned stuff is nothing compared to that! If you are even mildly inclined toward hard cider, you must find some Strongbow on tap.
Saturday morning The Kid and I got up and out early, and by 10AM I had managed to throw out my back. It was a combo of too much laundry-hauling, cat-box-cleaning and swimming, and I spent the rest of the day with my heating pad. AWESOME.
I had planned on completing a birthday project, but it's just as well that I had to sit around all day convalescing, because here's a tip for you seamstresses out there, or anyone who knows one. Pass it on.
If you purchase a jelly roll of fabric, which consists of 40 or so 2"-wide strips of fabric, don't wash the fabric.
I know, I know, the rule is if you're making something with fabric that has potential to alter in hot water, wash it first to pre-shrink so you don't end up with a lumpy mess later after you've slaved away sewing and stitching.
But in this case?
Just don't.
Whatever you make, just plan on spot-cleaning it if need be, and warn the intended recipient of your labor that they should do the same.
Otherwise you will spend about 8 hours disassembling the bait-ball like thing that comes out of your dryer, snipping off strings that unraveled themselves into snarled balls of evil in that same dryer, and then ironing those long, skinny (now slightly skinnier) strips into semblances of their old, flat, lovely selves.
Sunday was Mother's Day, of course, but like I told The Kid...
I don't need a special day.
I'm so lucky to have a kid like her, and I don't need her to stop being a jerk or do chores one day of the year - she's lovely every day.
We had some breakfast, she gave me a card she made (of course - she *always* makes cards, so now I expect it), and at about noon we headed down to pick up TR and head to the derby bout between the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls' 5280 Fight Club and the Texas Rollergirls' Texecutioners.
It is unbelievable to see professionals do this. I highly recommend you attend a bout, you'll be blown away! The Kid was pretty impressed and, I think, inspired.
Also, our girls KICKED ASS.
The accidental stabbing took place on the way down to Denver... The Kid had her mechanical pencil in *just* the right place so that when pushing her hand away as she tried to Punch Buggy me on the sly (God help us if we ever pass a VW dealership), it smacked right into the very pointy tip of the pencil. OW! TR came to the rescue with pirate bandaids.
I am looking forward to this coming weekend... The Kid's grampa has agreed take her down to her practice Sunday so I can go have date night with TR (why did that sound like Showtime at the Apollo in my head?), which is good because I kind of miss that - which is weird since I see him every week and talk to him all the time.
I find I miss The Kid during the school year, too, which is equally weird because I actually *live* with her! How can I miss someone with whom I have constant contact?
I think what I'm missing is the freedom to just hang out and relax with my peeps, do nothing in particular, have a nosh and watch a movie or something. I don't get a lot of that these days! We've just got too much going on.
Do you find that to be true in your relationships, romantic and otherwise, dear readers? That you schedule yourself into oblivion only to find that you miss someone you see and talk to all the time?
Humans are strange creatures, no?
This introspective moment brought to you by Overactive Brainfunction, LTD., makers of What Are You Thinking gum and the often duplicated, never replicated "Interpretron 2000" Conversation Analysis Calculator. Now back to your regularly scheduled program!
Whoa! Where did that come from?!
Anyway, we had a lovely late lunch/early dinner at Pete's Greek Cafe after the bout, because I had a sudden yen for lemony, garlicky chicken soup.
The yen was... um, scratched?... successfully. So good.
On to another exciting week! This week is another packed one, of course...
Tomorrow is MESA day (The Kid was one of 11 to be picked - go her!), Wednesday is the Science Fair and volunteering at the humane society (that'll be fun, shoehorning those both together), Thursday is The Kid's *sniff* last ever middle school Orchestra concert (I'm totally going to cry, I just know it), and Friday is a beach-themed social.
I can't WAIT for summer vacation! And I don't even get one!
And finally, to those who read my Friday post, you'll be pleased to know that, even if it doesn't pan out, I have successfully...
- Submitted my FASFA application, which includes an automated application for a Pell Grant
- Submitted my Colorado COF (College Opportunity Fund) application
- Applied to Front Range Community College for the Fall 2010 semester (the CU free credit hours aren't going to fit right now, though I will use them later)
- Contacted the advisor group at FRCC to see with whom I should speak
- Contacted the placement testing facility for dates and hours (Saturday mornings)
- Decided on a course of study... can you guess what it'll be? 10 Internets to the one who gets it right.
Wish me luck!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Weekend Catchup: Party Party Party
Friday night was nice. The Kid had a birthday party to go to with an Alice In Wonderland theme, and she decided to be the Cheshire Cat.
Showing yet again that she did indeed inherit the Kraft Krazy, she concocted a 5-minute duct-tape costume with purple and pink coloring that was PERFECT and totally cute.
Pictures? Well that would require me remember the camera and/or that I have a camera phone.
But trust me, it was really cute!
While she was partying, I got myself some pan-fried tofu from the local asian food place and went home to catch up on The Daily Show. Michael Caine is hilarious, BTW.
After I picked her up we headed home to relax and get some sleep, but I found myself completely obsessing over bed bugs. I don't have any, but that really isn't the issue...
Reading about them for an hour or so will almost guarantee you extreme cooties for hours after.
I have vowed never to buy used bedroom furniture, though... those little shits can live for up to a YEAR with no food! And they flatten themselves out so look all you like, you won't find them before you bring that dresser home with you.
GAH.
Do yourself a favor and DON'T read about them.
Or if you do (don't do it!), don't spend subsequent hours researching reasons for cooties, because the reasons for feeling that creepy-crawly sensation are many, varied, and terrifying.
Take it from me.
Saturday morning we got up nice and early and headed out to the farmers market! It was lovely, of course, although there isn't much in the way of actual produce yet. There were, however, many pre-started plants with which, if I had a green thumb, I could purchase, plant, and grow my own garden.
But I have a black thumb.
I can kill a cactus.
Saturday afternoon, after whipping up some chocolate-covered strawberries (seriously the easiest thing ever), we headed to a friends house for a May Day party, which was lovely and uplifting! I didn't dance the maypole this year, as my hip was arguing with me, but I did manage to cultivate a delightful sunburn.
After leaving that party, it was off to ANOTHER party!
We were total social butterflies this weekend.
The Bacon Party I mentioned Friday was a HUGE success. The clear winner ended up being the Vanilla Bourbon Bacon (sounds gross, but OMFG), but other favorites were the Applewood Smoked and Garlic, which were both delicious and different.
I also had some wine, which made me super silly.
"Oh hi," I gushed to one woman who had literally just walked in the door. "Did you know you look just like Christina Hendricks?!"
She didn't know who this was, so I elaborated with references to Firefly because of course I did.
Then I referred to her as Christina Hendricks for the rest of the evening, much like Tracey Morgan does to Liz Lemon on 30 Rock, which at least made her laugh a bit, so that wasn't too bad, right?
Right?!
*sigh*
Aside from poor Christina Hendricks, I met a bunch of people who are as goofy as I am when shnookered, so that was a win! One woman even brought up Bob Schneider, so we gushed over that and did the Tarantula Dance, which made everyone take 3 steps back from us as if whatever crazy we had was catching.
That's okay, we understood. But it had to be done.
Sunday morning, me and my hangover (really when did my tolerance get so low?!) got up and after getting our lives in order and eating breakfast, we headed down to Denver for Rollerpunks practice, and I got a little sticker shock.
Remember when I was crowing about how roller derby had relatively low overhead, so go me for finding a sport that wouldn't bleed me dry?
Not so much.
I'm trying not to complain, because The Kid loves it so much, but sheesh!
I thought I had totally scored, finding roller skates for 50.00. Well, yeah, if she just wants to go to the roller rink for an hour once in awhile... According to The Girls, to make them anywhere near decent, they're going to need some serious modifications, like new wheels that COST MORE THAN THE SKATES DID!!!
Holy crap!
As a band-aid, I purchased better bearings to replace the current crappy ones (9 is the best, apparently, and these skates are currently sporting a 1 - awesome), and she'll just have to deal with the current wheels for a few more practices, 6 at most. It's the best I can do.
We had been planning on painting her room and getting new furniture and such, but I told her yesterday she'd have to pick...
Paint & upgraded furniture or skates & organization (so that her current furniture works better for her). Oddly enough, she had been thinking the same thing, and picked the skates.
So in a few weeks (when the budget allows for it), I will stop being cheap and take her to a proper skate shop to buy skates that won't make her feel like she's trying to skate in sand. Poor kid.
Well, like I told her... silver lining! Just think of the workout she's getting!
After practice, we attempted to go to Ted's in Larimer Square with TR, but parking was a bear this week. It's kind of hit or miss down there, sometimes you can get a spot right away, or at least one within 2 blocks, but last night I didn't see *anything* within a 6-block radius! Bummer, because although I have only been there once several years ago, their wedge salad still remains something I need to have in my life.
Instead we opted (based on The Kid's deep need for Thai food) to head to another location of the fabulous Thai Basil. It was delicious, as usual, and the sunset while taking the long way home (well, not so long, just less highway time) was absolutely stunning.
A lovely weekend, if a little hectic.
Showing yet again that she did indeed inherit the Kraft Krazy, she concocted a 5-minute duct-tape costume with purple and pink coloring that was PERFECT and totally cute.
Pictures? Well that would require me remember the camera and/or that I have a camera phone.
But trust me, it was really cute!
While she was partying, I got myself some pan-fried tofu from the local asian food place and went home to catch up on The Daily Show. Michael Caine is hilarious, BTW.
After I picked her up we headed home to relax and get some sleep, but I found myself completely obsessing over bed bugs. I don't have any, but that really isn't the issue...
Reading about them for an hour or so will almost guarantee you extreme cooties for hours after.
I have vowed never to buy used bedroom furniture, though... those little shits can live for up to a YEAR with no food! And they flatten themselves out so look all you like, you won't find them before you bring that dresser home with you.
GAH.
Do yourself a favor and DON'T read about them.
Or if you do (don't do it!), don't spend subsequent hours researching reasons for cooties, because the reasons for feeling that creepy-crawly sensation are many, varied, and terrifying.
Take it from me.
Saturday morning we got up nice and early and headed out to the farmers market! It was lovely, of course, although there isn't much in the way of actual produce yet. There were, however, many pre-started plants with which, if I had a green thumb, I could purchase, plant, and grow my own garden.
But I have a black thumb.
I can kill a cactus.
Saturday afternoon, after whipping up some chocolate-covered strawberries (seriously the easiest thing ever), we headed to a friends house for a May Day party, which was lovely and uplifting! I didn't dance the maypole this year, as my hip was arguing with me, but I did manage to cultivate a delightful sunburn.
After leaving that party, it was off to ANOTHER party!
We were total social butterflies this weekend.
The Bacon Party I mentioned Friday was a HUGE success. The clear winner ended up being the Vanilla Bourbon Bacon (sounds gross, but OMFG), but other favorites were the Applewood Smoked and Garlic, which were both delicious and different.
I also had some wine, which made me super silly.
"Oh hi," I gushed to one woman who had literally just walked in the door. "Did you know you look just like Christina Hendricks?!"
She didn't know who this was, so I elaborated with references to Firefly because of course I did.
Then I referred to her as Christina Hendricks for the rest of the evening, much like Tracey Morgan does to Liz Lemon on 30 Rock, which at least made her laugh a bit, so that wasn't too bad, right?
Right?!
*sigh*
Aside from poor Christina Hendricks, I met a bunch of people who are as goofy as I am when shnookered, so that was a win! One woman even brought up Bob Schneider, so we gushed over that and did the Tarantula Dance, which made everyone take 3 steps back from us as if whatever crazy we had was catching.
That's okay, we understood. But it had to be done.
Sunday morning, me and my hangover (really when did my tolerance get so low?!) got up and after getting our lives in order and eating breakfast, we headed down to Denver for Rollerpunks practice, and I got a little sticker shock.
Remember when I was crowing about how roller derby had relatively low overhead, so go me for finding a sport that wouldn't bleed me dry?
Not so much.
I'm trying not to complain, because The Kid loves it so much, but sheesh!
I thought I had totally scored, finding roller skates for 50.00. Well, yeah, if she just wants to go to the roller rink for an hour once in awhile... According to The Girls, to make them anywhere near decent, they're going to need some serious modifications, like new wheels that COST MORE THAN THE SKATES DID!!!
Holy crap!
As a band-aid, I purchased better bearings to replace the current crappy ones (9 is the best, apparently, and these skates are currently sporting a 1 - awesome), and she'll just have to deal with the current wheels for a few more practices, 6 at most. It's the best I can do.
We had been planning on painting her room and getting new furniture and such, but I told her yesterday she'd have to pick...
Paint & upgraded furniture or skates & organization (so that her current furniture works better for her). Oddly enough, she had been thinking the same thing, and picked the skates.
So in a few weeks (when the budget allows for it), I will stop being cheap and take her to a proper skate shop to buy skates that won't make her feel like she's trying to skate in sand. Poor kid.
Well, like I told her... silver lining! Just think of the workout she's getting!
After practice, we attempted to go to Ted's in Larimer Square with TR, but parking was a bear this week. It's kind of hit or miss down there, sometimes you can get a spot right away, or at least one within 2 blocks, but last night I didn't see *anything* within a 6-block radius! Bummer, because although I have only been there once several years ago, their wedge salad still remains something I need to have in my life.
Instead we opted (based on The Kid's deep need for Thai food) to head to another location of the fabulous Thai Basil. It was delicious, as usual, and the sunset while taking the long way home (well, not so long, just less highway time) was absolutely stunning.
A lovely weekend, if a little hectic.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Weekend Catchup - WHAT THE HELL DUDES
So, um...
Oh William Shatner, how I love thee
Remember how I killed those 3 spiders on Earth Day, and mentioned I might rue the day?
There was some serious ruage Friday.
Okay so I'm sitting in my easy chair, messing around on Le Mac, and I see skittering along the far wall one very creepy crawler.
Smush.
I sit back down, and glance over to see...
10 more.
4 on the ceiling on the living room ceiling, 3 on the hallway, and 2 on the wall on the far side.
COME ON NOW.
Over the course of the next hour I...
- Smashed several more spiders... I lost count after about 50
- Flinched
- Freaked out
- Prayed for a Terminix man to appear at my door
- Flinched some more
- Stared at the walls/ceiling
- Called TR and prayed he'd get my message (the phrase I NEED AN ADULT has never been truer than it was at that moment for me)
- Moved from room to room like I was doing some sort of FBI sweep
Now you may think this was an over-reaction but...
But...
TR made me feel better by reminding me that there's a reason people fear spiders and other crawly things. Generally they are poisonous, and our instincts are to avoid such things.
Can't argue with that.
We didn't actually get to sleep until about 4 or 5 in the morning on Saturday (we left the house at 2AM, and needed to relax when we got down to Denver, which was readily accomplished through the clever use of Strongbow cider and Avatar), so we didn't manage to get up and moving til about 3PM Saturday.
I had planned on getting a lot more done on Saturday than sleeping and imagining my house in various Deadly Cargo/Kingdom of the Spiders scenarios, but I really did exhaust myself stressing over the eight-legged marauders.
Oh William Shatner, how I love thee
Instead, we lazed about (The Kid happily ensconced in internet-land on TR's giant monitor) and went for Thai Basil for a late lunch. The Kid hadn't had good Thai in ages so she was thrilled!
We got home about 6PM, after a quick stop at Lowes for long-cuff gloves and spider spray, and thankfully didn't see anything. We thoroughly cleaned The Kid's room (she had a lot of stuff in piles on the floor - prime hidey-hole material) and left no nook un-inspected.
Well, I say "we cleaned" but I mean "I cleaned". I made The Kid take me for ice cream after.
I stayed up late to monitor for activity, since TR had figured (and verified) that the combo of warmth, followed by 3 days of rain, followed by a cold snap had caused the critters to decide my rooms were a lot more inhabitable than the crawlspace where they normally hang out, minding their business.
Midnight came and went and I finally took my chances...
And slept.
I did not wake up, as I had feared, in a cocoon, and only saw one all morning, by the back door (which is pretty normal for this time of year).
So now, it's a couple of days later and things seem to be going well.
I'm still a bit jumpy though. Stupid creatures.
Anyway Sunday was fun! The Kid gathered her gear and about 2PM we headed down to Denver for the first Rollerpunks practice, held in the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls' training facility, which reminded me of every skate-shop I ever went to as a wayward teen. Stickers on the walls, music blaring, hair of every color...
If it's wrong to live vicariously through my kid a little, well then so be it because we are *both* having a blast!
Thankfully the lovely Rollergirls in attendance were very understanding of my lack of knowledge about the skates themselves, and helped get The Kid's in line. Next week should be a lot easier on her.
I was very pleased to find that getting to the facility only takes about 30 minutes - I really envisioned that we'd be schlepping an hour each way! Awesome.
And look how cute!
Last but not least... look what's growing in front of my house!
I didn't plant any, which just makes it cooler. Wild-growing tulips!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Weekend Catchup: I Love The Dogs, And The Dogs Love Me
After our little morning adventure on Friday, and a subsequent full day of school and work, you might imagine we were pretty tired come Friday night, and you'd be right!
I didn't get up until probably 10AM Saturday morning, and The Kid would have gone right on sleep if I hadn't gotten her up at 1:30 so she could get dressed and we could go to the birthday party at her Colorado Grampa's house which we'd been invited to attend.
As it turned out, she had a great time, and I slept some more.
As I walked into the house, I suddenly realized that there were 5 dogs in attendance.
Now I love dogs, in particular big happy ones who love scratching and treats and kisses, however I'm extremely allergic (skin-itchy allergic mostly, but occasionally ow-my-eyes allergic).
"Here, take some Benadryl," Sherri said.
"Ok," I replied.
4 hours later I awoke from my coma, had a burger, and went home (after running errands for an hour, of course).
WOOOOO PARTYYYYYYY!
Thankfully all were understanding of my plight.
(You know I petted all the dogs before I left, too.)
Sunday was a nice quiet morning. The Kid had some school work to get started on (the Science Fair looms large), and I had some housework to do, but we took the afternoon off to go see How To Train Your Dragon.
So cute, go see it! It was very pretty, and had a couple of good messages buried in all the hilarity, plus it totally backed up TR's thought that cats are descended from dragons. Toothless the Dragon was absolutely Dea in cartoon dragon form.
PS... Cool project alert! You should join in! You must have your submission to them by June 26, so allow for international shipping times.
I've always wanted to go to London, and if I can't go myself right now, at least I can send a representative.
I didn't get up until probably 10AM Saturday morning, and The Kid would have gone right on sleep if I hadn't gotten her up at 1:30 so she could get dressed and we could go to the birthday party at her Colorado Grampa's house which we'd been invited to attend.
As it turned out, she had a great time, and I slept some more.
As I walked into the house, I suddenly realized that there were 5 dogs in attendance.
Now I love dogs, in particular big happy ones who love scratching and treats and kisses, however I'm extremely allergic (skin-itchy allergic mostly, but occasionally ow-my-eyes allergic).
"Here, take some Benadryl," Sherri said.
"Ok," I replied.
4 hours later I awoke from my coma, had a burger, and went home (after running errands for an hour, of course).
WOOOOO PARTYYYYYYY!
Thankfully all were understanding of my plight.
(You know I petted all the dogs before I left, too.)
Sunday was a nice quiet morning. The Kid had some school work to get started on (the Science Fair looms large), and I had some housework to do, but we took the afternoon off to go see How To Train Your Dragon.
So cute, go see it! It was very pretty, and had a couple of good messages buried in all the hilarity, plus it totally backed up TR's thought that cats are descended from dragons. Toothless the Dragon was absolutely Dea in cartoon dragon form.
PS... Cool project alert! You should join in! You must have your submission to them by June 26, so allow for international shipping times.
I've always wanted to go to London, and if I can't go myself right now, at least I can send a representative.
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