My Two Cents

It's officially the holiday weekend, and I am bored. My friends are all out of town, but I'm heading out next weekend, so this weekend I don't have much going on.

In the last couple months, I've spotted journals in which people posted really nifty charts and tables about their musical tastes -- charts and tables that came out of using very cool online music services. I utilize no such online service, so I had no easy way to make pie charts.

But remember, it is officially the holiday weekend, and I am bored.

So tonight I sorted my music in iTunes, counted stuff, created some additional categories, then made myself a pie chart.


I'm happy to report that 80's music only encompasses 15% of my iTunes collection (and that's not just 80's pop, but anything that I could think of that actually came out in the 80s, from Tears for Fears to Queensryche to Pink Floyd).

Pie is yummy. I may go make some now. The real stuff. Not the musical variety.

Speaking of yummy: 'burghers, the new Ethiopian restaurant is stellar. Highly recommended. Also, gelato, after an Ethiopian meal, goes down extremely well.*

* Yes, snobby urbaners, we have both gelato and Ethiopian food here in Pittsburgh. Such things aren't confined to the east and west coasts. :P ('cuz I know you were thinking it.)

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The night is done and I have done the last of the grocery shopping, finished the main floor paperwork, made a to-do list for said remaining paperwork, put all the paperwork and the list in a laundry basket in my room away from annoying children and cleaned the grandma room.

When I cleaned the grandma room, I just didn't clear off the bed and floor. I unpacked 5 boxes in that room and really made inroads. That was good.

Well now that I am good as it gets for tomorrow, let's hope and pray I make it through the next 3 days intact.

Lettuce - 2 heads
Onions - a basket with red and yellow
Sugar snap peas
Broccoli
Beets
Daikon

I plan on making roasted veggies with beets and daikon for Friday night's dinner. The peas and broccoli will be part of tomorrow night's dinner. Lettuce will be part of Friday's lunch and maybe Saturday's lunch. Onions go in everything, so I'm not worried there.

I also got my one dozen eggs, 2 chickens (tomorrow night's dinner - I'm hosting for the holiday weekend), 2 pounds of ground beef (1 to be used in tacos on Saturday), a sirloin steak and some beef stir fry meat.

I'm digging this CSA thing.

I've discovered that "who" is infinitely more important than "how many" . . .

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... and isn't that enough of an accomplishment? Swimming sucked; I think learning to breathe is a good thing. On the plus side, I learned one trick that I don't think anyone taught me specifically... if you breathe *out* while breaking water, you're less likely to have water around your mouth when you breathe back in.

Any swimmers out there want to tell me if I'm getting the right idea? :-)

After realizing that I no longer have any swimming form I used to have, I just did some basic exercises that might have lasted 20 minutes or longer, and I've got that pleasant ache that says I worked out good and proper.

Really.

Okay, okay, I have that harbinger of the "you worked out too hard, you dolt!" feeling that I'm probably going to face tomorrow.

But two things about that feeling.

First, it's my limbs, not my heart. Work your heart out too hard, and you're asking to feel *really* lousy the next day or two, and you might not even understand why. You might feel tired and like you're moving through molasses, and the point is, your heart is too tired to pump as effectively. Your entire body is prisoner to its blood supply, don'tchaknow.

Second, *since* it's my limbs, and since it's only exhaustion, not pain, they'll be fine with another, much gentler, workout tomorrow. In fact, they'll probably appreciate that. If you overwork a muscle group today, work it gently tomorrow, and you'll probably not feel quite as achy as you would the day after tomorrow.

And more good news, my goggles don't feel like they're giant suction cups trying to suck... okay, I'm going to stop *right there*, because going any further is likely to gross folks out. Needless to say, if you ever get swim goggles that just cover the eyes, *make sure the strap isn't too tight*.

And, by the way, if anyone with a smaller head than I needs a pair of swim goggles, I have a spare :-).

Okay, so the boys were supposed to be napping and instead I hear a bunch of laughing; I went in to check on them and found one of the cutest things I've seen in a while. They were playing dentist.

We all went to the dentist last week for our check ups (Calvin's first) and when we go who ever is getting his teeth cleaned will lay on my lap and that way I can help keep him from squirming. So I walk into their bedroom and find Calvin laying down with a plasic lunch bag laying on his chest. This is his make believe bib. Robert's froggie doll is laying on his lap, and Calvin is encouraging him to 'open up'. Next to Calvin, Robert is sitting with a ziplock bag on either hand holding a popsicle stick. Obviously he is the dentist. I can hear him saying, "Hi, I'm Dr. Wood. Let's tickle those teeth now."

I was so enchanted and laughing so hard (silently) that I didn't have the heart to tell them to go back to their nap.

That's me! I'm now officially the wife of an RN! What an accomplishment!! Moreso for my husband than for me, but I'm so proud!! He graduated from OHSU at the beginning of June, but just this last week took his big nursing exam (NCLEX) and he passed with flying colors!!!! He's already got a nameplate with his new initials, "Nate 'Thumper' Kravitz, RN" - boy am I excited!

Starting this month he will start working for Salem Hospital - the psych unit and will still be working for his dad as well at Pacific Ridge Drug & Alcohol rehab as a counselor.

This fall he starts school again for the Masters program so he can become a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) - I've come to understand that the more initials you have at the end of your name the more money you make...so, we will be rolling in the bucks! HAHAHAHA! (That's not true, I just thought it was funny). 

Anyways, he goes on for his Masters this fall and that will be a two year program and then he will be done!! Then, I will begin my school career and go to a school for Early Childhood Education. I'm excited about that as well. I will also go to working part-time (if at all) and be able to start a family. 

I'm so happy for him...well, for us!!! =) 
 

... to a gaggle of July 1 babies on my friendslist: marykaykare, kyra_ojosverdes, edschweppe and womzilla!

OK, kids, I need a vacation!  So I'm seriously considering taking a vacation/work trip out to the Bay area at the end of July or beginning of August.  Since my company is based in the Bay area, I can fly in on a Friday, back out on a Monday and only take two days of vacation.  I can then see people on the weekends and weeknights and work in the office during the week.

So, what do you think, Bay area folks?  (Or, er, folk, since I think there's only one Bay area friend here on LJ.)  Are you around 7/25-8/4 or 8/1-8/11?

I've got lots of people to see, not just OKCupiders, so I won't be socially burdening anyone.  But I'd hope to schedule some hang-out sessions with people while I'm there.  (I'm thinking of being up in the Oakland/Berkeley area one weekend, and up in San Francisco the other.  Otherwise down in the South Bay.)

Opinions, concerns?

... and other aspiring authors:

matociquala will critique your manuscript if you're the winning bidder in this auction for a very good cause.

Lots of other good stuff there too, especially for those of you involved in fandom, but that one jumped out at me. (And I like that, instead of sending the money to the organizers, they've set it up so you contribute directly to the marriage-equality organization of your choice.)

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 This weekend was Charlie's and my 16th anniversary, and we had a lot of fun.

We got a jump on it by seeing "WALL-E" at a midnight showing on Thursday night. OMG, y'all, if you like Pixar movies at all, you must see this one. I think it's their best yet, and I don't say that lightly.

Friday night we lounged around the house, and Saturday we drove up to Portland to see "Avenue Q" (thanks to the wonderful Dow, we got tickets for $25 each). It was fun seeing a lot of friends at the show, and the show? Was. Awesome. I'm glad the amateur rights won't be available for (I'd think) another five years, because ... to direct "Avenue Q," I'd come out of musical retirement. 

After "Avenue Q," we checked into our hotel (the Heathman, which is hoity-toity enough to have a doorman in livery, but really? the best thing about it is its location, which is right in the middle of downtown. The room was fine, but teeny). I changed out of my platform wedges, which look great and are suprisingly comfortable, but NOT comfortable enough for walking all over the place; and we headed out, eventually ending up at Powell's and P.F. Chang's. We regrouped for a bit at the hotel, and then went across the street to the Broadway 4 movie theater (which is a cool one with comfy seats, tables, and waitress service -- I mean, it's still just popcorn and candy, but they'll deliver it to you) and saw a late showing of "Iron Man" -- which, not to overwork the word, was awesome.

Today, we went to the Saturday Market and got Charlie a nice straw hat (he was wearing his rain hat, which is felt and had to be sweltering), then did a little shopping in the burbs, got lunch, and came home. The lovely Shauna K. took care of our animals, and thanks to the fact that I tidied up so I wouldn't be mortified at her seeing my house, now I'm relaxing in a reasonably tidy house, in my new PJs. 

Ahhhhhhh. :-)

Since everybody else is doing it... (No

The Big Read thinks the average adult has only read six of the top 100 books they've printed below.

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your own LJ (if you want) so we can try and track down these people who've read only six and force books upon them.


Now fixed.  Stupid LJ and their bold/LJ cut bugs.

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After driving 300 miles in 6 hours and 20 minutes, I am home with our new-to-us sofa.

And the people next door to us sold. If it's the people who came back for a second look yesterday, they are empty nesters.

DD has a friend over and I am exhausted.

It is stupidhot here in the valley today.

I woke up early and went around and closed all the windows and drew all the curtains to keep in the semi-cool air and then went back to bed. The dog, in his crate in the air conditioned bedroom, barely stirred.

It hit a hundred and two, or as near as makes no damn nevermind.

I've had a fan on vent in the bathroom window. It seems to help. The animals have plenty of water which I've changed out several times so it's not unpleasantly warm.

Right now it's just over 90 outside and just below 90 inside. Stupidhot. Cats have been lurking in dark corners and sulking all day because they just know this is all my fault and I am willfully not making it better.

I took a shower to rinse off and cool down a little while ago and dogs came and laid on the bathroom floor and looked pitiful. So I climbed out, patted dry and switched on the handheld shower.

'Come 'ere, buddy.'

Elderly dogs looked dubious. I helped him into the tub. Elderly dogs still looked somewhat dubious. I began working the handheld shower over him and getting the water down through the imfamous Golden coat to his skin. Elderly dogs gave a small 'whuffle' noise of agreeable surprise and leaned his head against my shoulder as I knelt by the tub. I made a long arm and grabbed the dog shampoo and got him lathered and rinsed. Then I toweled him off, as much as one can towel off a Golden, and helped him out of the tub.

I sluiced myself off (again) and put on clean clothes. The dog, looking a good deal happier, has been brushed a lot and is now trying to convince me I would like to play tug rope. This indicates he is feeling well enough to be scheming, since tug rope hurts my shoulder and grillghod is the designated tug rope buddy. But dogs are hopeful.

Max came out of his hidey hole during the hour long dog brushing and kept insisting that no, really, he wanted whatever the dog was getting. Max hates the slicker brush. But not today. Today the last fifteen minutes of grooming the dog went brush the dog five or six strokes, brush the pushy cat a couple of strokes, repeat. They both swore their undying fealty. Which will end around midnight when grillghod gets home from 2 weeks of CT school.

And now that it's actually cooler outside than in the house I've set the fan to pull air in and opened some windows for a cross draft.