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Random Thoughts for a Sunday

Food, Gratitude, Ramblings, Television View Comments

Aug 152010

I have been having a BLAST reacquainting myself with playing the piano. Even doing my scales and exercises, which I used to loathe. Something happened between the time I graduated from BYU, and the time I started at Walden, in which I learned how to study, practice, and concentrate. Although, to be fair, the MDT program at BYU does very little to force studiousness on its students. I’m quite glad I bought the piano. I’m playing at least 1-2 hours ever day, and loving it. Pretty soon, I’m hoping to get started on one of my lifelong goals: playing Rhapsody in Blue.

***

Is there really anything in this world more perfect than Lime sorbet in the middle of a hot summer day? It’s about the most easy thing in the world to make, but just so sublime in the heat.

***

Speaking of heat, it’s been HOT here the last couple of days. Well, hot for Seattle, anyway. (It doesn’t take much to be considered hot here, because nobody has air conditioning. But it’s been in the low-to-mid 90s. That’s too warm.

***

Nothing makes Luke the dog happier than being in the water. He’s a water dog, through and through. I don’t like taking him swimming very often, though. And, surprisingly, it’s not the wet dog smell–although I wouldn’t consider that pleasant. No, the reason why I don’t like taking Luke the Dog swimming is because he swallows so much water than he has to be taken out for potty breaks every 30 minutes for the next three hours otherwise he’ll go in the house. He never has accidents inside the house, but if I ignore him at all after his swimming, then we have a problem. So, an hour of swimming turns into a total of four hours where I can’t really do anything else.

***

Have I mentioned how much I love my piano?

***

I have FINALLY gotten my studio and my bedroom switched out, the studio rewired, and the two rooms cleaned up and back to a pseudo-normal state. I just have to switch the stuff in the bathrooms, and then this little adventure will be complete.

***

I’ve decided it’s time to SERIOUSLY declutter my life. I’m going to be personally stocking the shelves of the Goodwill for the next six months with the crap that I’m getting rid of. So far I’ve thrown away or donated:

Queen Boxspring and Mattress Frame
Four Pair of Shoes
Three sets of sheets
Four pillows
Two pair of jeans
Four pair of shorts
30 pairs of socks
Old medicines
A couple of duffle bags
A Netbook Computer
Dozens of boxes for my electronics
About 500 pounds of extra computer cabels
An extra blender and steame
Over 150 DVDs
All of my remaining CDs
Most of my printed books
Some T-Shirts
A bunch of old electronics manuals

It’s freeing to get rid of so much stuff so quickly. Usually, the only time I get rid of this much is when I’m moving…and since I have no intention of doing that again for a LONG time, this was as good a time as any.

***

It’s time for me to start work on my next audiobook. This one’s going to be fun to do. I’m going to see if I can’t get it done more quickly this time around. Should be a little easier now that So You Think You Can Dance is over for the season.

***

Speaking of TV, the only show that I’m watching right now is Warehouse 13. There’s nothing coming up that interests me this fall, and I’m burned out on most of the other stuff I used to watch. So, I’ve decided that, in addition to catching the whole series of West Wing, I’m also going to start watching all the old episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I always liked that show growing up, but I’ve never watched all of them. Should be a fun little trip down memory lane.

***

Wow. Random thoughts are random.

Insert Trenchant Blog Title Here

Ramblings View Comments

Aug 122010

I am exhausted.

When I bought Lillias, I realized that I needed to do some rearranging to fit her into my studio. That’s not a huge deal for me because I’m one of those people who needs to rip out all their cables every six months and rewire in a constantly losing effort to keep my cable runs organized. So, I pulled apart my recording equipment, moved the futon around, and generally just prepared some room for Lillias.

Wednesday morning arrived, and sure enough, Lillias would fit through the door into the studio. At all. So I had the movers leave her in the living room which is really NOT where I wanted her to be) and I went to work. While at work, I mulled over my options, and realized that I had only two. I could leave Lillias in the living room, or I could swap my studio and my bedroom. So, I called on a friend to help, and when I got home Wednesday night, we moved all my bedroom furniture out of the bedroom, moved all the studio furniture into the old bedroom, and then moved the bedroom furniture into the old studio. And then we moved Lillias.

Let me just take a moment to state that, although Lillias is a digital (albeit a hybrid one) piano, she weighs every single bit as much as an acoustic spinnet piano. Which is to say: a blue ton.

That meant that, when I went to bed last night, it looked as though my apartment had been set upon by a pack of rabid dogs on acid. There were cables EVERYWHERE. (I probably have enough cables in my apartment that, if they were laid end to end, they would reach the moon.) I also decided that, while I was in the midst of rearranging my life, I might as well start doing my spring cleaning. I’ve been really wanting to start getting rid of a lot of stuff. So I pulled over 150 of my DVDs and have them in the car to go to Goodwill. I’m throwing away my extra box spring and bed frame, I got rid of old towels, comforters, sheets, blankets, and more. I’m getting rid of the boxes for much of my electric gadgetry.

So, tonight, I spent the whole night trying to continue my cleanup, hanging the sound absorption panels in my studio, boxing up the stuff for Goodwill, doing the week’s worth of dishes sitting in the kitchen, and starting to wire up my studio…a project that usually takes a few days to fully complete.

So basically, I moved yesterday and unpacked today. I wasn’t planning on moving again so soon. Now I must sleep.

And now the other shoe drops

Living It Up, Money View Comments

Aug 102010

So, tomorrow (well, officially, today) my hot new girlfriend will be moving in with me. I’m going to play her like a piano.

(Side note: I never WAS very good at talking dirty. Can you tell?)

Also, a short correction from yesterday’s post. Technically, Lillias is not the FIRST piano I’ve bought. I bought a Yamaha Clavinova digital piano when I was in college, which I owned for six months and then traded in for a keyboard and a guitar. (This was during my “I want to gig as a musician” phase which ended tragically when I musically vomited all over a Borders Bookstore in Provo, Utah and finally realized that the life of a gigging musician was so NOT for me. The keyboard and guitar were later repossessed when I declared bankruptcy.

Anyway, while I’m extremely excited about my new roomie, my excitement has been more than a little tempered by my disappointment in myself concerning the whole monetary aspect of my piano. I just spent $11,000 paying off credit cards, and I turn around less than two months later and buy a piano. I still haven’t paid off my last credit card.

What disappoints me the most, however, is that I emptied (and I mean emptied) out my bank account in order to make a decent down payment. I bought the piano on Saturday, and then, on Sunday night, my windshield wipers stopped working on my car. Normally, that wouldn’t be a HUGE issue, but let’s not forget where I live. Sunday night, I was freaking out. I have $8.23 left in my savings account right now. And my next payday is not for another week and a half. I’ve got plenty of food, I’m set for gas, I have paid all my bills for August, so I don’t NEED to spend any money between now and the next payday, but again, for the first time, I’m freaked out about the fact that I have nothing in my account.

Fortunately, the problems was just a bad fuse, which was extremely inexpensive to replace. But if anything goes wrong in the next 9 days, I’m ska-rewed.

As I was laying awake early Monday morning, mentally flogging myself for being so stupid, I had a some realizations.

First: This is a major, major problem that needs to be resolved.

Second: My spending has gone far beyond just a simple lack of self-control

Third: My skills at justification are legendary. But, as they say, justification is like masturbation. You’re only screwing yourself.

Fourth: What I REALLY need is a spouse who will manage the household finances and give me an allowance.

Fifth: Since that’s not going to happen, I’m pretty much on my own.

Sixth: I’ve been on my own for 14 years, and I still haven’t managed to learn how to control my spending.

Sevenths: Spending is my drug

Eighth: The time is far passed that I seek some professional help to get a hold of my spending. So, I’m shopping around for a good counselor who has some experience with addiction. I think it’s obvious that I’m trying to fill some void in my life with stuff. I need to figure out ways to fill those voids in some other way, and I’m plumb out of ideas. Maybe while I’m at it, I can also learn to let go of the overwhelming amount of guilt that I feel simply by being alive. Jeez. You’d think I was Catholic or something. Of course, I can’t help but consider the irony of having to spend $300-$400 extra a month to see a counselor for a spending addiction.

In any case, in terms of paying for the piano, I will be able to make my monthly payments EASILY and still have a lot of extra money left over for paying off credit cards. In fact, if I just stopped eating fast food, I could more than pay my monthly bill and have this piano paid off early. And it would be good for me. So, that’s my compromise with myself. I can keep the piano, but I have to limit the fast food to no more than twice a month. If I forget my lunch, I either drive home and get it or go without. If I don’t feel like cooking, I’ll eat cereal. No more excuses. (And since we can all see how good I am at self-control

No, this time around, it’s more about my frustration over the lack of self-control that I seem to possess. And my complete inability to deny myself anything I actually want. And my concern that I seem to be 100% incapable of saving because if I see money, I spend money. If anyone knows of any good addiction counselors in the Bellevue/Redmond area, please let me know. (Privately would be fine.)

Coming soon, Lillias and I make sweet, sweet music together.

Tickling the Ivories

Music View Comments

Aug 092010

There's a new woman in my life. Her name is Lillias. She's big, she's black, and she loves it when I let my fingers do the walking.

Yesterday, I purchased my first piano. This is the Yamaha AvantGrand N2. It's a "hybrid" digital piano. It's a digital piano that is sampled from a Yamaha 9 foot concert grand, but the placement of the speakers makes this piano sound amazingly like an acoustic instrument.

What really sets this piano apart, however, is not the way it sounds (amazing) but the way it plays. The AvantGrand series actually has a real Yamaha grand piano keyboard and action in it. It plays exactly like a well-tuned Yamaha concert grand. The feeling is truly incredible. They've even build it so the keys and the pedals vibrate sympathetically with the sound, like they do on a real acoustic piano.

I walked into the piano store and told the salesman, "I live in an apartment, and I need a digital piano. I took lessons on Steinway and Schimmel pianos, and I need one that has an action as close to playing a real piano as possible. John, the salesman, just replied, "I'm not going to say anything. Just play this."

I sat down and played three chords. Then I dropped my hand, turned to John and said, "Are you kidding me?" It was insane. It felt like I was playing a really good grand piano. The sound was beautiful. The action was perfect. John just stood there with a smile on his face. He showed me around to some other digital pianos and a few really nice (and expensive) acoustics, and I couldn't get Lillias out of my mind.

At one point, I said to John, "I just don't understand why anyone would buy an acoustic upright piano anymore."

I played Beethoven, Chopin, Clementi, and even a little Armstrong. I improvised. I jazzed up some Christmas music. I even practiced my scales. (I hate practicing my scales). It was amazing. I hadn't enjoyed playing the piano this much since I was in high school. Playing my little black beauty was a very poignant (and painful) reminder about how much I used to love playing music, and how much I've missed by excising it from my life for so long. Now that I don't HAVE to do music, it's time for me to get back to doing it for the love of the music.

So, on Wednesday, Lillias is going to be moving in with me. Our relationship is still in its early stages, but I have a feeling that we're going to be together for a long time. And we're going to make all kinds of beautiful music together.

And tomorrow, I'll write the blog post about the financial aspect of our relationship. It wasn't always smooth sailing, and sometimes I'm not sure if I did the right thing asking her to be mine, but our chemistry together is just so good. We'll find a way to make it work.

And now, take a moment to bask in the beauty of Lillias and her sister, Audra.

This video is in German, but you can hear Lillias being put through her paces. Pay attention at 0:45, and again at 4:00. Pretty amazing stuff.

And here's a picture of what Lillias looks like with her clothes off.

And Finally, Here's a video of Lillias' big sister, Audra, being played by the incomperable Cyprien Katsaris

Give a listen especially at around 6:30 and again at 8:15

Wednesday can't get here soon enough.

I Know What I Did Last Weekend

Ramblings View Comments

Aug 082010

Man, what a weekend. It was all kinds of self-inflicted busy, but it was great. To recap:

I wrote another new song and it’s one of my favorites so far. Once I get my voice back, I’m going to videotape (except no actual tape will be involved) myself playing it and I’ll put it up on the internets.
I went to the Farmer’s Market
I went grocery shopping
I finished painting my office
I did some cleanup on the Open Book Audio Website
I launched a new podcast of Open Book Audio’s O, Pioneers by Willa Cather
I started playing a new video game (Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction–it’s pretty sweet)
I read half of The Candy Shop Wars by Brandon Mull, author of the amazing Fablehaven series. (Seriously, if you’re a Harry Potter fan, you have to read Fablehaven.)
I baked a blueberry pie from scratch
I threw away the blueberry pie because it turned out more like Blueberry soup with a slimy crust.
I baked another blueberry pie from scratch
I made my world-famous black bean and avacado salsa
I made a pizza
I made Lime Sorbet
I bought a piano (This one requires an entirely separate blog post…stay tuned)
I did five loads of laundry
I did four loads of dishes (as a result of all of the cooking)
I started learning Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata
I watched two episodes of Bones, three of The Simpsons, two of Holmes on Homes
I watched half of the documentary Young @ Heart
Went to the dog park with the dog twice
I paid my bills
Balanced the Open Book Audio Accounts
I took four naps

If this weekend has taught me anything, it’s that my true calling in life (other than to be Lillias White) it’s that I need to marry a rich businessman and spend the rest of my days as a doting housewife. (The rich thing is really important, because we all know how I am with money.) I need to see if I can’t make that happen. Despite that I was busy all weekend, I just feel so energized and ready for the work…which is good since I’m covering for one of my co-workers all work, and I’ll basically have a double-load of work this week.

I love the weekend!

Resolution Update - June & July 2010

Resolutions View Comments

Aug 012010

So, for the first time since I started doing this in February of 2008, I actually missed a month of doing resolution updates. Time to get back on the resolution update wagon.

1) Self Control – Money

I’m doing pretty well in this area. As mentioned previously on this blog, I have paid of four of my five credit cards, and have $4500 remaining on the fifth. I’m aiming for no later than April of 2011 to have this last card paid off. After that, all the money I’ve been putting into my credit cards will be going to paying off my car, which should be paid off by the end of 2011. Assuming nothing goes wrong.

My daily expenditures aren’t significantly more or less than they have been, but I’ve been trying to cut down on the extraneous purchases…computer, camera gear, microphones, video game consoles, and the like. Instead, I’m trying to utilize my Netflix and Gamefly memberships more fully, and I’m trying to do more reading on my Kindle, and take more photographs with my existing equipment. The name of the game for the next year and a half is "Use What You’ve Got."

2) Experience New Things

I painted my office, which marks the first time I’ve ever painted something where I got to pick out the colors. (It was only mildly successful.) I also went on a dinner cruise around Lake Washington, which is something I’ve never done before. Oh yeah, and I got to use my real insurance for the first time. (Although that’s not a "new" thing…I just haven’t been able to do it for many, many years.)

3) Lose 20 Pounds

This was both a fail and a win. I crossed the 200 pound mark and stayed there for a while. Then the sun came out, I stopped feeling so depressed, and stopped eating like a pig. I’m down eight pounds in the month of July (five of which I’ve probably gained back this weekend.) I’ve also, in collaboration with goal #1, stopped eating out quite so much at fast food restaurants. I’m trying to cook more (again). It helps that all of the vegetables are starting to come into season, so now I’m eating a lot of very healthy meals with lots of yummy fresh veggies. Also, I rediscovered the joy of Caprese Salad this summer, which has been wonderful…especially since I can buy fresh mozzarella at the farmer’s market.

4) Be More Social – CLOSED

5) Write Music – COMPLETED

6) Get in Shape – CLOSED

7) Be More Giving

Fail, fail, fail.

8) Get to Bed Earlier

I continue to do fairly well at this. I had a week where I was staying up too late to finish re-reading the Fablehaven books in preparation for the fifth and final book to come out, so that had me up later than I should have been. I also had a lot of difficulty sleeping as a result of my death-inducing allergies over the last couple of week, but now I’m back to normal. Trying to be in bed by midnight…it’s a very difficult thing for me.

9) Take LOTS of pictures

I’ve not taken a LOT of pictures, but I’ve continued to take some. I took several when my sister was here visiting, including some fun ones of her feeding the seagulls. But none of these photos have been "art" photos. They’ve been more along the lines of snapshots. I’m hoping that, one of these coming weekends, I can find a good spot from which I can take some good landscape photos.

10) El Learno…um…anything?

Things I learned these last two months:

How to deploy multiple websites within a single instance of Apache Web Server
How to use a NettiPot
How to record, edit, and encode extremely high-quality screen captures for video tutorials
How to sing like Barry White (Get really, really, really, really bad allergies.)
How to design a website in Drupal, and style it entirely with CSS

So, overall, not a terrible couple of months.

Four Years Ago Today...

Gratitude, Luke The Dog, Pictures View Comments

Jul 312010

This little guy came into the world.

It was a warm October afternoon in Utah, and I was in my bedroom surfing the web after finishing my voice lessons for the day. We had recently gotten rid of our bad roommate, Jim, and thought I might give dog ownership a try. I had never owned a dog before. Growing up, we’d had a couple of cats until mom decided we were allergic to them. (I’m still not allergic, but my brother is, so…you know, I guess that’s okay.)

I had been looking at the Humane Society for a dog, but hadn’t found one that felt like a good fit. I decided to look at the KSL classifieds, and found a picture of four little Golden Retriever puppies. I called the lady, and she invited me to her home in South Jordan. I grabbed my roommate Stephen, and we hopped in the car. An hour later, Stephen was holding this nine week old bundle of fuzz and we were back on the highway to Provo. A quick stop at PetSmart for a crate, food, food & water dishes, and toys, and Brody (renamed to Luke) made himself at home in my life.

I am not the kind of person who attributes every single aspect of life to the hand of divine intervention. I believe that a lot of things just happen. Luke the Dog, however, was sent to me. He came into my life before I needed him, and was there for me through a very difficult time in my personal life. He would also come to fill a void that I didn’t even realize I would feel once I moved away from everything I knew into a new world, and left behind all of my friends and family.

Over the last four years, he has been my child, my heating pad, my snuggle buddy, and, above all, my best friend. As a naturally negative person, he’s helped me see how a little positivity can go a long way in making your life a better one. He is always happy to see me, always wants to be around me, and loves every second of his life…except getting baths.

Because of Luke, I’m more social and talk with complete strangers. Because of Luke, I have neighbors who are also friends. Because of Luke, I am forced to get off my butt and enjoy the outdoors three or four times a day. Because of him, I’ve seen amazing sunrises and sunsets, walked through gorgeous winter fogs, taken some of my favorite pictures, and seen parts of my own neighborhood I never would have known existed.

He makes me feel loved, makes me happy, relieves my stress, gives me someone other than myself to take care of, and makes me laugh. He has reminded me over and over again that sometimes, the greatest joy comes from the simplest things. He has helped me experience many new things I wouldn’t have even considered otherwise, and he’s helped me see my world from an entirely different vantage point.

I never thought that I would become a dog person. They can be messy, needy, and more than a little stupid. They make going on vacation very difficult, and cut down on spontaneity. People with children will often tell you that, even though children are messy and expensive, they’re so worth it. For me, Luke is the same way. I would never give up Luke in order to avoid the messes or the expense. The joy that this 80-pound bundle of fur brings to me far, far outweighs the comparatively insignificant costs.

Luke and I have developed a tradition for his Birthday. Every year, we go to the dog park. Then we go to Petco and Luke gets to pick out any toy that he wants and get a rawhide. Then we go to Dairy Queen, and Luke gets a cheeseburger kids meal and an ice cream cone. It’s a great tradition, and it makes him so happy. And, as a result, it makes me happy.

Happy Birthday Luke. I’m grateful beyond words you’re my dog and I’m your human.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I still owe someone his birthday belly scratches.

Megan's Trip to Seattle

Family, Vacations and Road Trips View Comments

Jul 252010

So, the sis came to Seattle this weekend to spend time with me, despite the fact that I was constantly hacking up a lung due to newly discovered allergies. We had a blast, ate way too much food, and enjoyed the good company. (And we saw Inception. Awesome movie.)

We went to Pike Place Market, Ivars, took the Ferry to Bainbridge Island, saw Inception, ate at Pomegranate Bistro, watched TV, napped, read, went to the dog park, ate like pigs, and otherwise had a wonderful time. An excellent weekend.

Now if I could just get over these @#$%#@( allergies and stop coughing long enough to sleep for more than two hours a night.

It was almost worth being sick

Being Existential, Gratitude, Health, Philosophizing View Comments

Jul 192010

So, apparently, I haven’t been "sick." I’ve been "allergic." At least that’s what my very nice new family practice doctor believes.

Today, I had an experience that I haven’t experienced for well over 7 years: I was able to use health insurance provided by my workplace to pay for my medical expenses. I had to make a $20 co-pay for my office visit and a $10 co-pay for each of my two prescriptions. All told, I walked out of my Doctor’s appointment today spending $40.

If I had gone to the Doctor’s office three weeks ago, I would have had to pay $125 for the doctor’s visit ($265 without the discount for being uninsured), an extra $40 for the strep test they ran, $78 dollars for one prescription, and $93 for the other. Coming to a grand total of $336.

And moreover, when the doctor suggested that I go get properly tested for allergies, I didn’t brush him off automatically, like I normally would. You see, my insurance will cover the cost…except for $20. And if I out that I’m actually allergic to something (other than exercise and eating healthily) then my insurance will cover that too!

And, for the first time since I was 17 years old, I actually have a family doctor! I didn’t have to go to some emergency walk-in clinic or urgent care!

See, I had insurance before I started this job. I was paying $150 a month for the insurance…and I got, essentially, nothing for it. I had to spend $1850 out of pocket before my insurance would kick in. Do you kn ow how many times over the last seven years I should have gone to the doctor but didn’t because I couldn’t afford it? I haven’t been to the dentist in three years because I didn’t have $3,500 of available credit on my credit card to pay for whatever was wrong this time around.

Look, I don’t argue that the problems with the health care system go far above and beyond the cost and availability of health insurance. And I know that health insurance and health care aren’t necessarily the same thing. But do you know grateful I was that I could go to the doctor today, get two prescriptions, and come home to get healthy? I have spent so many nights of my life lying awake, coughing so hard I was certain I was going to die, and absolutely unwilling to go to the doctor because it was either get antibiotics or pay my rent.

In an "enlightened" society, that should NEVER have to be a choice that anyone should ever have to make. People should not have to choose between shelter and health care. I’m just extremely blessed that I have been a mostly-healthy person over the last decade of my life. I can’t imagine what would have become of me if I had developed a serious illness.

I hope that, eventually, we as a country, and as a world, will be able to figure out a way to provide the same kind of worry-free health care to all people, not just the ones who are either rich enough to buy it or lucky enough to have jobs that provide it. Until that day, I’m so grateful that I am one of the lucky ones.

If I could pick one word to describe this weekend...

Health View Comments

Jul 182010

It would be MISERABLE*. Miserably sick.

*Please Note: As a man, (shutup…I am so a man. Just a man who likes showtunes) I fall prey to the same condition that do all men. I turn into a big, whiny crybaby when I’m sick. As a result, the rest of this blog post should be read taking into account my sickness-induced whiny crybaby state. Which differs from my regular whiny crybaby state only in degree.

When I was young, I used to get sick all the time. Especially when there was a season change. As I have grown older, I’ve stopped getting sick so frequently. In fact, I often go a year or two without getting sick. I drink about 12 gallons of water a day, so it’s not uncommon for me to go to the restroom 6 or 7 times every single day at work, after which I wash my hands, so my hands are usually quite clean.

Well, after 27 months of Seattle winter (40 degrees, cloudy, and wet), summer finally hit on the official first day of summer in Seattle, July 5th. (Seriously. It’s always rainy and cold on the 4th, and then on the 5th, it gets nice and stays nice through October.) Anyway, the sudden change of weather doesn’t really bother me much anymore, but this time, I got that sore throat thing going on. You know, the kind where it just feels like you slept with your mouth open for too long? Since I’m a mouth breather, I feel that almost every morning, so it wasn’t that big of a deal.

Well, on Friday, I had that same sore throat feeling I’d been experiencing for two weeks. We had a company picnic at a nearby park that started at 3PM, and ran until 6PM. At about 5:10, all of a sudden, it felt as if someone had just instantly drained me of all energy. My neck started to hurt. I left the picnic early, and went home. By 9:30, I was done. D. U. N.

I took a hot bath, and I went to bed at 10PM–an absolutely unheard of bedtime for me. I don’t think I slept for more than 45 minutes at a time all night. I woke up over and over again: Too hot, too cold, had to pee, needed a drink, why the hell isn’t my "Nitetime(sic) Sleep Aid" working. I got up and slept on the sofa in the living room, then went back to bed. I spent 30 minutes on the floor of the bathroom thinking I might throw up. (I did dry heave a little bit, but seeing as how I hadn’t eaten anything for 11 hours by that point, there wasn’t much to throw up.)

And that was the motif to my entire weekend. No sleep at night, trying to take naps during the day, barely enough energy to take the dog outside. I had started a new diet this week (lost 6 pounds in three days) and so, of course, I got sick. And since I hadn’t though to cook three days ahead in case I got sick, I don’t have anything to eat or any energy to cook.

There are really only two reasons I haven’t been whining more: a) Luke doesn’t understand my whining, and b) it hurts to talk. And what really sucks is that my sister is supposed to be coming up here to visit on Thursday afternoon. So, dammit, I need to get better and I need to get better now. So, I’ve done what I always do when I get sick. I developed my own personal over-the-counter drug cocktail.

I know I’ve said this before but I’d like to reiterate. Moms, I seriously do not know how to survive when you’re sick. I barely have the energy to get up and open the door for my apartment to let the dog out. How do you continue to cook, clean, nurture, and support your family. You’re my heroes. Because I couldn’t do it.

I could whine, though. That’s helpful, right?

Older Entries Newer Entries

Random Thoughts for a Sunday

Insert Trenchant Blog Title Here

And now the other shoe drops

Tickling the Ivories

I Know What I Did Last Weekend

Resolution Update - June & July 2010

Four Years Ago Today...

Megan's Trip to Seattle

It was almost worth being sick

If I could pick one word to describe this weekend...

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