Category: personal

  • dog park, farmer’s market, paint, and mothers

    It’s Tuesday and I’m still reliving my weekend. So what?

    I got a nice surprise on Friday when I was supposed to work until 7 p.m. and they let me off at 3. I was able to beat the traffic and convinced David to go on a mini-date. We went to Potbelly Subs & Sandwiches for dinner and then went back home to pick up the dogs. This part took a lot more convincing, because handling all three dogs at once is no easy task. But I recently bought these adorable tags for them, and now we could legitimately take Oliver to the dog park.

    It was Oliver’s first time there, so we were nervous. He’s still not neutered (I know, I know) so he has a tendency to act fairly alpha. He comes up to my waist and weighs around 100 pounds, but there was a dog much bigger than him there and Oliver had that dog’s tail between its legs just by sniffing. Overall he was very good, but he made other dogs nervous and we felt like we had to hover around him the entire time. I don’t think we’ll be going back until we get him fixed.

    On Saturday I was up bright & early to visit the local farmer’s market that I’ve been meaning to go to for ages. My sister-in-law and friend were supposed to come too, but neither of them could make it due to their respective babies so I was on my own. I found it easily and my first impression was that it’s small, but very cute.

    I walked around without buying anything once to see what was there, and I was happy to see that there was a big variety of food and other local, organic products. I had my eye on some tomatoes and peaches, but then I realized I had forgotten to bring a bag to carry them in. I ended up only buying some honey because I was too self-conscious. (Side note: has anyone ever tried honey in their coffee instead of sugar?)

    I must have really been in a food-buying mood though, because I ended up stopping at a larger organic store which was farther away. I was in the area since I had to get some blood drawn at a specific lab. The book I’m reading is completely changing my perspective on the foods I buy. David doesn’t know what he’s in for. :)

    For the rest of the day I had originally intended to drag David with me to the Art Car Parade, but when he told me he’d help me paint instead I couldn’t pass that up. My parents and father-in-law came too, and we were able to get the second coat on the front two rooms, paint the ceiling, and start on the trim. The trim and touch-ups are all we have left there, but it’s such a tedious chore. I can’t wait to finish and actually start decorating!

    Sunday morning found us at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, Los Cucos, for breakfast with my family. I’d never had breakfast at a Mexican place, but I have to say the eggs were the best I’ve ever tasted. I was really excited to give my mom her gift, because it was so unique. You may not know this, but my mom was a hippie in her day, and I think the gene is genetic. For Mother’s Day I signed us (along with my mother-in-law) up for a class teaching us how to make soft cheese and other dairy products at home. I can’t wait!

    Church was a fluster of activity because my brother and I were leading the music and we were not quite prepared. It ended up going smoothly, but only because we grew up doing music together and know exactly what the other will do. On the way home from church David and I stopped by a local bookstore for an amazing sale. Here are all the books we got, all for $5.95!

    Can you guess which three are mine? ;)

    By the time we got home I had developed quite a toothache that extended into my sinuses and down my neck. I took a Vicodin, read a few pages, and fell into a nap that lasted until my mother-in-law called me to ask me a question. It’s a good thing she did, because we were supposed to meet David’s family for dinner and I would have slept right through it. Dinner was delicious and the company was lovely, and to top the weekend off I took my mother-in-law to the play Harvey at the Alley Theatre, which we both loved.

    Only eleven more days until my next weekend off!

  • on parking garage incidents

    One of the down sides of seeing doctors in the biggest & best medical center in the country is that when one sees said doctors one must park in the medical center parking garages, which cost upwards of $12 a day and are quite limited in their spaces. I park remotely when I work and take the train in, but when I’m only going to an appointment for an hour or so it’s about the same price to use the garage, so I do.

    It was last December, after I saw my OB/GYN regarding infertility for the first time. A lot of courage was required for me to make that appointment, and I was a nervous wreck. After it was over, I had a lot to think about and I wanted to tell David about it right away. My plans for immediately after my appointment were to visit a friend who’s house I had never been to before, so I intended to sit in my car, talk to my husband about the appointment, and then look up directions on my phone before pulling out of the garage.

    I was in the middle of my conversation with David when someone approached my window and knocked, then proceeded to make some angry gestures that I was mildly offended by. I got the gist that someone wanted my parking spot, and they wanted it RIGHT THAT SECOND. Caught unawares and never wishing to upset anyone, I said a flustered goodbye to my husband and began the process of pulling out of the parking space. (This was back when I had my truck with no power steering, and trust me it was a very painful process). What topped it off was that when I finally pulled away, there were tons of open spots right around the corner.

    I chalked that incident up to a crazy person; surely people don’t routinely FORCE others out of their parking spots. Oh ho, my friends, they DO!

    The same thing happened again yesterday: I went to my acupuncture appointment, parked in one of the medical center garages, and when I was finished began looking up directions to the nearest post office on my phone. When I heard a honk I ignored it. When I heard another, longer this time, I looked in my rearview mirror to see a few cars piled up waiting on me. Well, I was determined to stand my ground this time. I would leave when I was good and ready!

    Several minutes went by while I waited for my phone to load the directions. Service isn’t the greatest in the garage, you know. I considered leaving to avoid any possible conflict, but there is no place to pull over in the medical center and since I refuse to use my phone while I drive I would be forced to wander around aimlessly until I found a place to park, most certainly completely out of my way. No, I would make them wait. It was still MY spot anyway, right?

    Soon enough, a man from one of the cars couldn’t stand it any longer and marched up to my window and banged. I calmly rolled it down.

    “We need your spot! There’re six cars piled up all waiting for you. Are you leaving or are you not?” he all but yelled at me.

    Nonplussed, I looked him in the eye and said, “I have to figure out where I’m going first.” He walked away.

    Just then, my directions were ready, but I waited a few extra moments before leaving anyway on principle. Victory is sweet.

  • Currently In May

    Current Book(s): Way too many. I was in between book club books, so I thought I’d quickly read The Jane Austen Book Club. The first chapter was about Emma, which I had just finished, and when I got to the second chapter and saw that it was on Sense and Sensibility I decided I wanted to read that first. So I got my huge Jane Austen anthology back out and made it through the first few chapters, but then I needed something smaller to carry around with me. That’s when I picked up The Well at the End of the World by William Morris which was recommended to me by my brother-in-law. I made it through several chapters before the book club book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, was available at the library. So that’s what I’m focusing on now.

    Current Playlist: I acquired Over the Rhine’s “Live From Nowhere Vol. 4”, and I’m also dying to get my hands on Sandra McCracken’s newest collection of redone hymns, “In Feast Or Fallow”.

    Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Nothing really at the moment, but ask me tomorrow and I may have a different answer.

    Current Color: I chose Glidden’s Water Chestnut as the neutral for most of the house. Here’s an example of it from Young House Love:

    Current Drink: The state of my teeth and mouth being somewhat painful and precarious, I am unable at this point to partake of my staple food of cereal. Instead, I’ve been drinking Slim-Fast for breakfast this past week, which is surprisingly good. Just the chocolate though; the strawberry makes me gag.Current Food: The Signature tomato basil soup from Randall’s has been my go-to meal lately. It tastes just as good cold as hot, and I feel like I could eat it over and over forever.

    Current Favorite Show: Still Dancing With the Stars, although now that we have Netflix streaming on Wii a whole new world of possibilities has opened up. Some shows on our queue include Glee, 30 Rock, and Dexter.

    Current Wishlist: The main thing I wish for right now, realistically, is for people to just show up at my house and finish painting it. I have all these high aspirations to decorate my house but I find it very hard to follow through.

    Current Needs: I need a break from constant pain, and to feel completely healthy again.

    Current Triumphs: I got my wisdom teeth removed and I didn’t take ANY time off work! Although I’ve had my moments of misery, I’m so happy it’s over with and I can use my paid time off for something more fun. :)

    Current Bane(s) of my Existence: The wisdom teeth are gone, but the after effects are lingering. The worst is when I’m at work and my mouth and face are throbbing and I’m unable to take a Vicodin.

    Current Celebrity Crush: Ever since I saw Kristin Chenoweth in Promises Promises on Broadway she’s been my new fascination. I’m in love with her voice, and she’s adorable.

    Current Indulgence: Andes mints. They’re the only real chocolate we have around the house right now, so when the cravings hit I can’t seem to resist.

    Current Blessing(s): I know nine time out of ten I say my husband, but it’s just so true. He’s taken such good care of me, bought me flowers, not complained about my lack of cooking lately, and helped out with the chores. I’d be a mess without him.

    Current Outfit: Here’s what I’m wearing today, which is pretty common for my days off (please excuse the dirty mirror):

    Current Excitement: I’m working on some changes to the blog including a new review section and an overhaul of my categories, and I have a chiropractor appointment next week to discuss natural health and nutrition that I’ve been long anticipating.

    Current Link: Here’s an Amazon list of classic, new, and forgotten gothic novels. The description reads: “Ah the gothic, where the house is as much a character as the characters and the damsel may or may not be in distress.” I pretty much need to read all of these!

    Happy May!

  • A Competitive Sport

    Over the weekend David and I found ourselves discussing our respective domestic chores. Since we were left with nothing but applesauce, hummus, and pickles in our fridge, it was time to go shopping. After a brief discussion about what we needed David said to me, “You’ve let us run out of some things lately.”

    Feeling an assault on my wifely skills, I immediately responded on the offensive. “Who do you think cleans the house and does your laundry? Who is planning this week’s meals and is going shopping?”

    He came right back with, “Who cleaned the floors the other day? And you may go on a big shopping trip once every two weeks, but I buy a lot of little things that we need in between.”

    Realizing that the direction the conversation was headed wasn’t ideal, I swallowed my pride and said, “It’s not about who does what. We’re a team, love.”

    He responded, “And I just want to make sure you know I’m the better teammate.”

    IT’S ON.

  • How We’re (Eventually) Going Green

    Number 85 on my 101 in 1001 list says: Make an achievable plan of steps to take to have a more environmentally friendly life. Since today is Earth Day, I figured now is a good time to make that list!

    But first, here are some things we already do:

    -Recycle cardboard, paper, aluminum, plastic

    -Drive a hybrid vehicle

    -Use cold water for laundry & dishes

    -Minimize use of electricity & use energy efficient bulbs

    -Use cloth bags for groceries

    -Drink out of reusable mugs for coffee

    -Water lawn at night

    -Buy used when possible

    Now for the list:

    Holidays

    -Put up a real, locally grown tree each year

    -Make my own cards

    -Buy energy efficient outdoor LED lights

    -Choose experiential gifts like show tickets, spa gift certificates, etc.

    -Use homemade wrapping paper like paper bags, magazines, or newspaper

    Home

    -Make our own cleaning supplies

    -Ditch paper towels in favor of microfiber cloths

    -Keep the amount of “stuff” we own to a minimum (we don’t have a lot)

    -Reuse, donate, or recycle anything we don’t need

    -Stem the tide of junk mail

    -Turn off the power strip to the TV when not in use

    -Call electric & gas companies to ask about alternative energy sources

    -Buy used: everything from gadgets to clothing to furniture

    -For future appliance purchases, consider energy-efficient models

    -Install low-flow faucets, showerheads, and low-volume toilets

    -Start harvesting rainwater

    Food

    -Start composting

    -Start shopping at farmer’s markets for produce

    -Find a source of local meat, and eat less of it

    -Buy organic when possible

    -Buy in bulk to reduce packaging waste

    -Cook at home more often, and cook just enough

    Personal

    -Shop thrift stores for clothing

    -Take good care of clothes and wash them sparingly

    -Use less products

    -Buy organic products from companies whose philosophy I believe in

    ***

    There are so many more ways than this in which a person can live an environmentally friendly life, and for a comprehensive guide I suggest you visit this website. However, the above are the things I feel are achievable for us. There are some ideas I’m just never going to get behind (anyone heard of the “selective flush”?), and some that just aren’t feasible (like building our own, entirely green home).

    Some of the items on my list will be easy, and others will take time and effort. But if we can get to a place where we’ve basically achieved them, I’ll be proud.

    Tips, links, and advice are always welcome. I’d love to hear about what works for you. :)