A Vampire Workout

Well, hello there and look who graces my calendar for the month of August:

Damon Salvatore, you better watch yourself.  G will be onto us soon enough.

This afternoon I heard my co-worker C exclaim, "OMG, B, I have a workout plan for you!"  I was all, wha???  Then she brought me this.

It's like a drinking game except with exercise.  My favorite is, "When Damon makes a sexual joke...do 20 jumping jacks."  Also, "When a vampire appears behind someone...do 10 crunches."

One would never rest!  :)

In other exciting news today:

*The hostess with the mostess of my Literary Society made a special appearance at my office today to talk about some work tasks.  It was tres bien and was followed by lunch at Dbar.  You can guess how super productive I was after she left this afternoon.

BUT I DIDN'T TAKE A SINGLE PICTURE!  I KNOW, WHAT?  In blogland, if there are no pictures, it's like it never actually happened.

*G and I finally caved and mowed our lawn tonight.  We were about to have to whack our way through it to the front door and were fearing a less-than-welcoming letter from the HOA if we didn't do something soon.  We need to brush the dust off our home upkeep skillz.

Remember how this one got grounded after staying out of her cage all night?

We lifted the bunny ban the other night and I was so proud of how she behaved herself.  Until I realized that she chewed all the leaves off the bottom of one of my decorative topiaries.

So guess who is grounded again?

Welcome to a day in our lives, people.  Is it Friday yet?

Sunflowers in My Future

I had one of those days.  That seems to be happening at an alarming rate and I'm concerned.  Especially since my GRE classes are now over and so I get to "enjoy" my Tuesday evenings instead of spending them rapidly aging and questioning my intellectual capability.

On the drive home from work I had a surprising turn-that-frown-upside-down transition.  I live in Colorado!  I have a new house!  I have a (good) job!  Cheer the eff up and stop complaining, you moron, is what I told myself.

I'm watching a late afternoon storm roll in and I love it.

This is the first house we have lived in that so closely faces another one.  It took some getting used to (these windows are covered by blinds 99.99% of the time) but it can also be cozy.

The lady who lives in that house has a mannequin in her front window, like in a store.  We don't understand it at all; it's kind of like a scarecrow in a field, except it is backlit in her living room and I have images of Boo Radley in the night.  But she seems cool and she gets around the neighborhood on a scooter.  So, you know, to each his own and all that.

I'm not the only one who thinks this storm is cozy:

Look at that fat butt.  G and I are getting into Falling Skies (turns out the X Box is good for something! Watching re-runs of shows!) and now Lucy's nickname is Skitter.  She's our little alien.

I think all the activity of late has caught up with me, mentally and emotionally.  I am learning that in busy or stressful or crazy situations, I go into Deal With It mode, and only later does the true significance kick in.  It happened after my Papa died.  I went for years, watching him cope with Alzheimers, then he died, then there was his funeral, and about a month later was when everything went to hell in a hand basket for me.  It also happens after positive things: I went through the entire Africa trip on one long high, experiencing coolness upon coolness like it was NBD, and about a month later I was like, "OMG I WENT TO AFRICA!"  You know, after it was all over.

This comes to mind because we have spent the past few weeks packing and moving, and now that things are *starting* to settle the teensiest bit, I'm all, "WHY AM I STILL STEPPING OVER BOXES?!  I SWEAR I'M THROWING AWAY ALL OF OUR STUFF AND SO HELP ME GOD IF WE DON'T GET THIS WATER PRESSURE FIXED I'M LEAVING." {firstworldproblems}

I'm a joy to live with.

But renovations on the library are coming along.  I'm almost ready for some more before and after pictures!  And I'm planning lots of walks around the neighborhood and local parks so I can remember (daily) to take advantage of the (Colorado!) beauty around me.

And next Spring we'll plant sunflowers in our side yard (Rapper L, any tips?).  Because, you know, by then we just may be unpacked, and hopefully still married and employed.

Do You Like Your Chicken Pink in the Middle?

So tonight I was eating take out sushi and cooking chicken to take to work for my lunch(es) this week, and the combination of the two reminded me of an extremely gross conversation at work several years ago.  This was like, forever ago and I still remember it.

We were all sitting around (not working, of course) talking about food.  Let me preface this by saying it was in a computer lab, with about 20 employees, and I was the only girl.  So, you know, it was a bunch of guys talking about food.  Lest you picture a few hens in the coop or something.

And this guy busts out with, "Yeah, I like my chicken pink in the middle."

We were like, "Ha ha man, you're gross."

And he was like, "No, I'm serious!  Just seared a bit, like sushi."

We were like, "Ummmmm, but it's chicken.  There's like, I don't know, salmonella or e-coli or something in there."

And he goes, "Well, I cook it!  I just like it pink and soft, a little squishy."

I kid you not.

To stop your gagging, let me distract you with yet another pic of my new favorite sushi:

That's chicken on top!  Ha!  Kidding.

{Grody.  That was so un-called-for but I'm not sorry.  :) }

The Relief of Empty Hours*

Well hello there, weekend!

This is what I want to do for the next 48 hours:

But alas, there is house work to be done.

As I write, a plumber is replacing a water heater that is most likely older than we are.  In a couple of weeks he will come back and install a water pressure regulator (this requires all kinds of re-piping and stuff) so that the water doesn't peel our skin off anymore.  Normal pressure is somewhere around 50 pounds.  Ours is over 90 pounds.  See?  I wasn't joking.  We are ex-fol-iated.  Let me tell you.

G is off at a nerd tournament.  I asked if they have their own secret nerd language.  He didn't respond but that makes me think that they totally do and I'm on to something.

Here is a preview of what Lucy and I are working on today:

The house is slowly becoming a home!  Hope you are having a great weekend (is there any other kind?)...

*Curtis Sittenfield, Man of My Dreams

TGIF, people!

Firsts

I realize I have become sidetracked by a lot of boring stuff lately.  GRE - bleh.  Moving - meh.  What happened to brunch and hiking?  Exactly.

So let me revert back to my default setting, which is why-Denver-is-the-best-place-to-live-ever.

((Also, I want you to know that as soon as I posted about Lucy making progress, she got grounded.  Yes, in our house bunnies get grounded.  We are very mature and grown-up that way. She stayed out of her cage all night, which meant that we had to stay downstairs with her, which meant that we were up all night.  Not good.  Since she has been scared of people, we don't closely approach her or do anything that might scare her.  Which isn't an effective way of, let's just say, motivating her to get her furry butt back in her cage.  So guess who is on cage rest for the next couple of days while her parents chillax?))

Jailbird

But back to the original point.  Here are some things that are "firsts" for me/us in Denver.  G has lived in the desert southwest and has lived abroad, so these are mostly my firsts, but I'll count him in anyways.

First Time...

Working in a High Rise
And also the first time (since I was in high school) that I am working truly "downtown."

Checking a Minimum of Two Weather Zones
G has to check several weather zones to try to predict his daily commute.  This applies to rain, snow, fire, traffic accidents, major events, road construction, etc.  He thinks it is super fun.

Walking to Work in the Snow
These days are over since we moved into the house, but it was still a first.  Quite an experience.

Sand Dunes
Neither of us had ever seen anything like this!  Which means of course that we need to go to like Morocco immediately.

Hearing Sirens Every Day
This is random, and I guess it is a by-product of working downtown but I hear them all the frikkin time.  ALL THE TIME, the sirens.  The alarming part of it is that I don't really notice them anymore.  I don't think that's necessarily a good thing.

Seeing Mountains EVERY SINGLE DAY
Glory, Glory, Hallelujah.

Living Way Above Sea Level
Also, for me it is the first time living in a high desert climate.  Olive oil is my new best friend.  Also, there is a lot of dust.  All over everything inside the house no matter how often we clean (and let's be honest, it's not all that often).  And I sneeze a lot.

The Never-Ending Homeless People
This sounds insensitive, which is not how I mean it.  But.  Because of where I work and a lot of the places we drive to downtown, we are surrounded by many (sometimes aggressive) homeless people.  At stoplights they walk up to my car window.  Or they situate themselves right outside and stare me down.  Walking around, they get right up in my face.  This is a complicated issue, and because of that, I have never blogged about it.  I have given money, I have given food.  Mostly I do not give even an acknowledgement of them (again, it's complicated).  None of these things feels like the 100% right thing to do.  I won't say much more about them, except to say that this is a definite first for me.  I have seen homeless people and gypsies in Europe and bigger American cities like New York and San Francisco, but never in my "hometown."

The Drugs
Again, complicated issue but I'll just say that this is the first place I have lived where I am in close proximity to people openly doing drugs.  It's very weird.  You would think the contact high would loosen me up a bit, but so far?  No dice.  Those close to me are encouraging me to take long walks down 16th street and crossing their fingers behind my back.


My regularly-scheduled whiny posts about boring topics will resume tomorrow.  You're welcome for the break.  :)

Progress!!

Not with the house, of course.  No progress there.

BUT.

Look who just might be coming around!

About 50% of the time when we try to love on her, she lets us.  She's not happy about it, and she scowls, but still, progress.

In other exciting news, look what we get to use!

Our washer and dryer that we have been holding on to since 2007.  Still works!  We now have a shot at keeping up with our laundry since we can wash more than like 2 articles of clothing simultaneously.

See that fire extinguisher on the right?  Take a look at the tag, below:

Purchased in 1969.  Um that's almost a decade older than the house itself, so, you know, we have no idea what that's about and are scared to touch it.

My Favorite Part (a before & after)

A-Peep emailed and asked me a good question.  She said she knows the moving process is stressful and that we have a lot going on, but are we enjoying ourselves?  Are we enjoying the house?

The answer is, no, we are not enjoying ourselves (yet), but yes, we are enjoying the house.  :)

We are still in that phase all home owners quickly forget once they get settled (I want to make the analogy of a mom forgetting the pain of labor after a few months have passed and she decides she wants another child, but I will refrain, ha).  We are in the phase of stepping over books to search for the trash bag that has our underwear in it.  We are in the phase of smelling said underwear in order to determine if it's clean or dirty.  The Type A's do not enjoy living this life.  Thank God it's temporary.

BUT BUT BUT!

My favorite part of the entire house is done and it looks great!  Are you ready?

Before

After

I don't know what it is about us getting strangely shaped living rooms, but this one is as weird and rectangular as our one in VA.  But we were sold on the mantle and the fireplace.

Lucy Loo likes the fireplace, too.

That mantle took about a year off my life, but I love the way it looks.

I have a feeling that things will really start to come together with the house this week.  At the very least we can find all our clothes (and almost all of our undies are clean!  LOL).

The Good Thing About Being Married to a Nerd (+ before & after pic)

There is no question that I am married to a nerd.  A Big Nerd.

This comes with its downsides but I won't talk about those here.  Oh, who am I kidding, yes I will!

For example, I know way more about Star Wars than I care to.  And there is the occasional Thursday night when it's 10:30 and I'm half asleep on the couch, and G busts through the door and gives me the play-by-play of like 5 hours of table top warfare.  My eyes roll back into my head and yet he keeps talking.

Also, I constantly have to watch out for planes, trains, and miniature killing machines which are actually just man dolls.

On top of the microwave.

On the dining room table.

Sometimes when we run errands I get roped into going to nerd stores.

Then there was tonight when we headed to Wal Mart for some essentials and G goes, "Oh!  Let's look at the material real quick."  I was like, say whaaaaa?

He got a few yards of "ocean-ish" material for a sea-based board bored game his nerd friends play on Thursday nights.

Yes, really.

BUT BUT BUT!  There is one major benefit that I have taken advantage of lately.  G is known to say things like, "We should buy a house with a moat and a turret."  And I'm like, mmm hmmm, while sipping my coffee and perusing the latest New Yorker.

Lately he has been on a kick about closets.  The thing is, we have never had enough closet space.  So he kept talking about turning an entire room of the new house into a closet.  At first I was like, we'll see.  But the more I thought of it, the more I was like, why not???  So, we did!

Before

After

I thought about waiting until it is a little cleaner to post a picture but let's face it, this is most likely the cleanest it will ever get.  But look how nice!  Our own closet with enough space for our stuff!

This was the main priority for the weekend; I had to wear the same thing to work every other day last week.  Maybe they'll feel sorry for me and give me a raise?

TGIF, people!

This sums up our week.

New-to-me sushi

I have found my favorite sushi roll ever.

It was called something like "A Hot Night": blackened seared tuna & avocado roll topped with various fish/avocado/fresh jalapeno/hot garlic sauce.  Hallelujah and praise God.

All I can say is that I don't ever think I have looked forward to a Friday more than I look forward to tomorrow.  This has been the longest couple of weeks in the history of planet Earth.

I'll be lucky if I do anything other than sleep this weekend.

The more I drink, the more sense it makes.

I'm going to admit something just this one time and then I'll never say it again.  It's no joke or exaggeration how much I hate, fear, and loathe math.  But but but, I kind of sort of, almost enjoy algebra.  It reminds me of 8th grade and still remains the one and only math class I ever almost enjoyed in school.  It's ironic that I can do OK with variables considering that I don't understand actual numbers.  The teacher can say that the square root of 49 is 7 and I'm like, this makes absolutely no sense.  But figure out the value of X?  Yes!  Let's!

Meanwhile, this book is totally in the queue:

Source

Did you hear?  J.K. Rowling pulled one over on us and wrote under another name.  Tricky, tricky.  One can only hope it's better than her last book.

The Good, the Bad, and the Bunny

We're done!  We're out of the apartment!

Well, almost.  Correction: I'M done.

G is going to finish up a few things while I'm in GAG class tomorrow night and THEN we're done.  We turn the apartment back over to The Man on Friday.  Hallelujah and praise God.

Then we can concentrate on the house.  It looks like doomsday hoarders have moved in.

We are so exhausted we don't even gripe and hound each other anymore during this process.  That's saying something, people.  The thought of getting all my crap together for work tomorrow and, let's face it, actually getting up and going to work in the morning makes me want to throw up.  I'm so tired.

Also?  We have been missing Orca lately.  Such a sweet little old lady bun bun.

Meanwhile this one has claimed the fireplace.  She is in absolute heaven with the house this messy.  She is able to get into stuff and disappear for hours at a time.  She is probably chewing on the valuables but I'm too exhausted to care.

Last but not least, I applied to grad school today.  The only thing left to do is mail in the official packet tomorrow with my transcripts and letters of recommendation.  Then, for real, it will all hinge on the frakkety frak frak bleepin' GRE.

Time to get in the fire hose shower and then stumble to bed.

The problem with the "right now" point of view

Today was one of those days.  Before I even opened my eyes this morning, I thought, it's too hard - I just can't do this.  I don't mean 'hard' in a depression sort of way, as in not being able to face life.  I just mean it in a logistics sort of way; I feel like I can't take one more frantic, non-stop day.

It's just hard to leave the house at 6:30 a.m. knowing I won't be back until 9:00 p.m.  And then I won't be able to find work clothes for tomorrow.  And that we still need to buy a shower head but we don't have time and so the water will peel my skin off.  And I have to get a few chores done tonight, so by the time I crawl into bed, I'll only have the mental stamina to read about 1 page in my book and then I'll fall asleep.

And it will start all over again.

Wash.  Rinse.  Repeat.

Multiply by 2.  How's THAT for a calculation??

More than once I have questioned the wisdom of trying to balance all this stuff: working full time/moving out of the apartment under a self-imposed deadline/applying to a grad program/studying for the GRE.  Nothing is ever as simple as it seems and when you start to combine various activities, the results are just too stressful.

I get stressed out when I concentrate on the "right now" point of view.  As in, I can't handle all of these things right now!  But I don't have to; I just have to handle things step by step.  Today was an example: Handle work, then handle class, then handle chores for tomorrow.

The square root of -7 divided by 4 to the power of 50...Is the answer Orphan Black?  No?  Is the answer a grande vanilla latte? 

I am living smack dab in the middle of a means to an end.  We will get out of the apartment and we will be able to focus on the house.  My GRE classes will end (soon!) and I'll have a full month to force myself to study.  In a week, geez, in less than that, things will calm down.  The challenge is simply getting through the next couple of days.

Bill Cosby said, "To truly succeed, you need to want success more than you fear failure."  That is me.  In my heart of hearts I really do believe I have what it takes to be admitted to grad school; it will come down to the GRE, which is trite and inane and all kinds of other adjectives that are not PG-13 appropriate.

2+2=22, right?  More red wine, please!

Sometimes I wonder if it's God's will for me to get accepted, or if it would be better for me (for my family, for my career, for my future) if I don't get accepted, or if this is even one of those things that factors into God's will.  The truth is, if this is a matter of His will, and if He wills me to be accepted then nothing can prevent me from it, not even a bleepity bleep bleep standardized exam.  And if He wills me to not be accepted, then nothing in the world can make it happen.  It just is what it is, or as G says, it beez what it beez.

I know so very little right now.  I mean that literally (about the math AND about my future).  But the light at the end of the tunnel is the long tomorrow, not the short, crazy, frantic, stressed out today.

The Word 'Herculean' comes to mind

We're in the vagabond stage of the move.

You know the one: only a few remnants of crap are left in the apartment and the easiest way to move them is to shove them in garbage bags.  These bags will pile up in our garage and I'll get to them hopefully before Christmas.

We have carved out paths in the house so that we can walk from one crap pile to the next.  In some rooms, though, there isn't even room for a path.

Again I ask myself why, exactly, we still have so many things.  I see another good round of downsizing in the works when we start to unpack and organize.  But until then the focus is on getting everything out of the apartment and cleaning it so that we can frikkin be done with it by this weekend.

Someone please tell me why I thought it was a good idea to take GRE classes during a move.  While working full time and mothering a feral rabbit.  Etc, etc.

Sunday Funday! (Not)

Today:

Just a few more trips to the apartment.

And a couple of hours to clean it.

We made our first grocery run in two weeks.

I had a glass of wine.

I decorated our fireplace.

We have a fireplace!

We found a local donut shop.

No more walking to work.

Which means I need to start exercising.

Chasing Lucy Loo doesn't count.

Well, break's over.

Back to work.