I'm glad I fit this in

Last night I finished Season 2 of Downton Abbey.  It is impossible to watch just one episode at a time.  I sit down to watch and when I look up 5 hours later, it's time to go to bed.  (This usually only happens to me if the Salvatore Brothers are involved.)  Thank goodness I finally listened to the thousands of people recommending this show - because I desperately need another TV show to follow.

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Thanks to time off from work combined with an addictive personality, I finished all the DVD's and now have to wait an entire week to see the beginning of Season 3.  Since G is not here, this means I need to learn how to use the DVR.  Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.  Or at least training, in this case.

SPOILER ALERT BELOW

I'm usually not one for British films/shows.  Except for The King's Speech which is amazing and I would like to own.  (I realize this is probably confusing since I want a British accent and love all things British and would move to either London or the English countryside at the drop of a bonnet.)  I'm all about the literature; give me Pride and Prejudice any day of the week.  But watch the movie?  No thanks.  So much of the wit of British classics is internal; in descriptions of character's thoughts, feelings, opinions.  Yes, some of this is conveyed in dialogue, but so much of it comes across as spoon-feeding the audience.  I get frustrated, so I never ever watch any of those films.  And this is why I was never interested in Downtown Abbey.  But eventually I caved to peer pressure and boy did it pay off!

Maggie Smith is the best actress ever!  OMG I love her disdain for America.  The scene where she fights with the swivel chair that was invented by Jefferson (?) and she goes, "I've had enough fights with Americans today."  Her eye rolling, sighing, intervening mannerisms kill me.  No doubt she helps carry the show.  C, my source of all things pop culture, tells me that Cora's mother enters the scene in Season 3 and there is some entertaining conflict with Her Lady Crawley.  Can't wait!

Last night when I watched the last episode and Matthew and Mary finally got engaged?  That was the best!  My heart soared and I was tempted to waltz around the room with Orca, and then put that episode on repeat for the next 3 hours.  How I'm supposed to wait an entire week between shows from now on is a mystery to me.

I want to meet Sybil's baby and see the Crawley wedding.  I want Bates to get out of prison and make little servant babies with Anna.  I want more drama with O'Brian and Thomas even though it sets me on edge.  I want someone to please clobber Daisy over the head with a rolling pin.  And then do it again.

If you haven't watched this show, you have an entire week to make up the time!  Chop, chop!

Wrapping up the year

At the risk of sounding 95 years old, I have to say that 2012 went by alarmingly fast.  I can't even believe it.  It ushered in some much-needed change, though.  It allowed us to finish a life chapter and start a whole new one that we weren't expecting, and for that I'm grateful.

The first half of the year was spent preparing for Africa.  And we learned why they call it Yellow Fever.  Trust us, you don't want Yellow Fever.

We fit in a quick trip to London for what we thought was the first of many hops over the Atlantic.  This was before we knew our time on the East Coast was coming to an end.

The second half of the year was spent frantically preparing for Denver.

Somewhere in between these big things were nestled lots of little things.  This year held a lot of hope for the future.  There was a revival of focus and planning in dawrighthouse, which is satisfying for the Type A Firstborns.  B's job changed and included a lot of responsibility.  She got a tattoo in the midst of it.  G nerded it up like never before and included new fleets, new paints, new games and new friends to his collection.

Many books were read.

Our friends' kids grew and became little people; friends had children; some of the kids started school (which doesn't seem possible because how can we be that old?  How can we be adults like that?)

More books were read.

There was the Great Summer of Decluttering, as G puts it.  More manual labor than I care to talk about at this point.  More decluttering needs to happen, but that's 2013's problem.  2012 is calling it quits and putting its feet up on the couch, sipping on a martini and wiping its brow.

We spent most of our hard-earned money at REI, for one reason or another.  Boy, that rebate check better be a good one, so we can have a shopping spree here shortly.  We had a semi-cross-country road trip and discovered that Kansas rivals Tennessee as The Longest State to Drive Across and is quite possibly a time warp as well.

We began the first of many exploration trips in and around CO.  Friends have already visited and more are planning to come!

More books were read.

G racked up over 20,000 frequent flyer miles within 2.5 months and can now travel roundtrip to anywhere on the continent for free.  We <3 Frontier Airlines.  Orca represented as well.

B got reunited with the bun bun and she moved in for good!

G is not the only one with some miles under his belt; this year B walked 185 miles to work and climbed 180 flights of stairs.  And lives to tell the tale.

B survived the year with no kidney stone issues, thank you LORD.  No hospital visits for either of us.  A sad diagnosis for Orca, but all things considered, she is doing well and is as frisky and demanding as can be.  We are thankful for another good year with the bun bun.  We will look back on this as a real blessing.

Even with all these changes, we are still on the threshold of more.  G is *this close* to solidifying a job transfer and moving out here.  B's job continues to evolve.  We have more settling to do, and much more exploring to do, and who even knows what next year holds.

Thank you God, and 2012, for these things.

In my next life

Today one of us toured a Navy submarine and one of us saw Les Miserables.  You can guess who did what but G wants you to know that the acting and the music were both phenomenal.

Ha!  While he's drawing up the divorce papers, I might as well make a couple of remarks about the movie.

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Confession:  I had never seen it before.  --GASP-- I know.  For someone who majored in English and has spent her life with her nose in a book, I have some remarkable shortcomings and this is one of them.  It was well-done; the acting was superb, the singing was wonderful (and it was enjoyable to watch a cast full of movie actors, not stage actors, sing these songs!), the imagery was not only fitting, but in some parts actually stunning, and the transitions from scene to scene were artistic.

This is not exactly my favorite type of musical but all I can say is that it was as good as can be. It is a classic and lived up to every compliment I have ever heard about it.

My only complaint is that I like dialogue to be dialogue and songs to be songs.  I don't like it when actors sing-song regular dialogue, if you know what I mean, and that's what they did in this film.  To me, it removes the suspension of disbelief; for whatever reason I can get lost in a bunch of people singing and dancing, but the moment they "sing-talk" instead of actually speak, I think "Who does that? This is no longer believable."  Because, in my world, breaking out into spontaneous song is like totally believable.

Which is why in my next life I will 1) have a British accent, and 2) star in fantastic musicals.  I've told God this repeatedly but apparently He has bigger fish to fry or something.

Well, G is almost done with the divorce papers and an old lady bun bun needs her meds.  I highly recommend the film.  The big screen is great but as big as our TV's are these days, waiting for a rental or Netflix would be just as good.  And then you could take frequent bathroom and snack breaks because this puppy is 3 hours long.

G would tell you how the sub was but then he'd have to kill you.

TGIF, people!

On being a single parent

Well, now it is officially just me and Orca.  I haven't been solo with a bun in...about 8 years.  And the last one didn't need 75 daily rounds of meds.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I realize that G has done this on his own with her, in his parents' house, for months on end, but I would rather us focus on the daily sacrifices that I am now making.

Call me Florence Nightingale.

Last night, while watching several hours of Downton Abbey (to tide me over until The Vampire Diaries airs once more) we went from this:

to this:

Notice how Orca doesn't switch up her routine or habits.  I wonder where she gets that from?

As much as I heart the holidays and all the decorations, I needed to do something to satisfy the Type A monster while G was flying back to VA.  Since I couldn't do a thousand loads of laundry (due to the broken washer), taking down the tree and packing up the decorations was the next best thing.  (Sidenote:  in case you're wondering, they are coming by to fix the washer while I'm at work today.  The loss of yesterday's valuable washer hours means that I will have to double my efforts tonight and tomorrow simply to catch up.  My work is never done.  I wish the dang thing held more than 2.5 articles of clothing at a time.  First world problem.)

So now the living room looks partially barren until I pick C up from the airport tonight and make her help me move the loveseat back before I take her home.  I'm a good and reliable friend that way.

I promised her wine and a re-run of the latest Vampire Diaries episode.  She caved.

Time to slog through two more working days until more holidays!  Hope you are all enjoying the holiday vacation with kiddos/family/friends/sleepy times!

Just like that

The holidays are over.  So quickly.

Our washer stopped working.

I had to go back to work.

And I managed to lose several gift cards that my mom sent me for Christmas.  This is a travesty for many reasons.  Not the least of which is that I never lose anything ever.  My brain cannot stop gnawing on this and I can't relax.  It's of course a huge shame that the cards will be wasted if not found, but it's such a rare stress for me to feel; my synapses don't know what to do with it.  I'm compelled to look in illogical places just to try to make this feeling go away.  Want to know how many times I've combed through the recycling?  Or dropped to the floor to check under the couch yet again?  Oh, it's no use.

When I dropped G off at the airport, the security guard directing traffic had a pseudo-breakdown.  She started yelling at a bunch of drivers (myself included) and literally began to pull her hair.  With both hands.  Through her security cap.  That didn't make for a romantic goodbye.

I was so rattled I had to stop at Sonic for a double bacon cheeseburger and a large cherry limeade.

Three of my favorite things

Now it's time to un-trim the tree.  Or is it de-trim?  I usually leave it up until New Year's Day at least but this year it just feels wrong.

Orca has taken to laying underneath it, so this will be a rude awakening for her.  But if the rest of us have to deal with the rapid evaporation of all holiday spirit, then she does too.

G is on a plane back to VA, hopefully for the last time.

Silver lining:  the Type A's are gearing up with all kinds of New Year's goals for 2013.  Get crackin'.

Furry Holidays

Well I hope you peeps had a very Merry Christmas today.  Isn't it weird that it's Tuesday?  My inner calendar is all messed up and it feels like it should be Sunday - which means that when I go to work tomorrow I'll feel like it's Monday all day when really it's humpday!

Speaking of calendars, my wonderful and loving husband gave me the gift that keeps on giving all year round:

Yes those are my pj's.  They are like threadbare because I wear them more often - way more often - than I wear regular clothes.  I do not look like my usual super model self in this picture (see?  I knew you noticed.) because I do not believe in 1) wearing makeup, 2) wearing regular clothes, or 3) wearing contacts on my days off.  It's a real treat for G.

We opened all of our presents yesterday, because we can, and thank goodness we did because I've been able to gaze adoringly at this gift any time I'm not eating, sleeping, reading, or watching copious amounts of The Big Bang Theory (one of my presents to G.  All five seasons.  Yes, I am the best wife ever.)

He has been walking around wearing his new favorite shirt.  Another fabulous gift for the nerd who flew halfway across the country to bring me my bun bun.

The quote is a reference to the short-lived show Firefly.  It's really good.  If you haven't seen it, go watch it immediately.

In case you're wondering, Orca is adjusting fabulously to her new home.  Because her back leg is getting worse, G rigged a "step stool" for her to use when jumping in and out of her cage.  It's a litter box (un-used; I feel the need to specify that for those of you who are visiting and possible staying here soon) covered with a Hawaiian beach towel.

She loves it.  I'm telling you, it's no day at the circus, taking care of a geriatric bunny with arthritis and bone cancer.  I have to give her medicine twice a day.  With syringes.  It's not like giving her a pill to swallow or anything; it's a full body sport for both of us.  Orca and I take turns using the lint roller when we're done.

The past few days have been about as lazy as they could be.  I think we went outside once?  For a quick walk in the park.  Then we hurried home and ate home-made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies to refuel.  God forbid that we burn a few calories every now and then.

I'll leave you with some final pics of us in our holiday state:

Let your heart be light