High Fashion

My wardrobe is Target but my eyeglasses are Vera Wang.

I just ordered a new pair of glasses and boy are they sweet. And expensive. With the 25% discount, the grand total comes to $351. Who do I think I am? They are nice though, and they shape makes my face look thinner. Maybe I can quit going to the Y now.
Pictures to be posted once they come in.

Now, I'm testing out new contacts. The right one is fine but the left on floats all over the place. I barely made it home from the eye doctor, which is about 1/2 mile from my house. Ugh. Can't wear that all weekend.

Another Porch Visitor

This is a crappy picture, but check out the possum who stopped by to have some bird seed.


Some may wonder why I don't just get rid of the bird seed. Because I'm lazy, people. LAZY.

(That trash bag is not food trash, just a bag full of bags.)

The Force Has Come To Worcester

Spotted in Tatnuck Square. It makes me want to drive over there to return my final disc of Freaks and Geeks. I just watched the last episode yesterday and am crushed that it's over. F&G withdrawal symptoms. By the way, the same day I saw this mailbox, I watched F&G and there was a Star Wars reference. Coincidence or not? (Um, not. Sam is obsessed with Star Wars and constantly refers to it.)

Check out the new Star Wars stamp campaign at the post office and vote for your favorite stamp. Warning: There are loud light-saber sounds at the link.

Someone needs marketing help

Why would anyone want to work out at a place called the Body Barn?

The Mysterious Red Spot

I thought I'd post the photo of the red spot, with accompanying ballpoint pen boundary.

Don't you love the boots?

I went out to Sherborn to meet Duncan. He's really big, and very friendly. It was quite muddy that day. Thankfully, I had the boots in the car.

Another Book

Life, Death, and Bialys

Some People Suck

This almost made me cry this morning.

All Kinds of Crazy and more

Aside from the 2 week post-surgery checkup, I haven't been to the doctor in about 2 months. Something had to break the cycle of good health. This morning, I was in the shower when I noticed a big red spot on my forearm. Now, in the middle of the night, when I woke up for the first time (out of like 4 times), I petted Willow and she got pissed and nipped me. I got up and washed it because I didn't want a repeat of what happened in January. The big red spot was in a totally different place from where she bit me, but you never know, so I called the doctor and got a 5:30 pm appt. Of course, by the time I got to the doctor it was half as big, still didn't hurt, and wasn't itchy at all. That rules out both cat and spider bite. He drew a circle around the spot and said if it gets bigger and starts to hurt, fill the antibiotic Rx he gave me.

Now, for the fun stuff. He asked me what I do for work and I said I was a project manager but that I've been on leave for the past 5 weeks. "Why?" "Because I had a myomectomy (uterine fibroids)." "So, I guess since you're so young they'd rather do that than take the uterus out, in case you want to use it." "Well, yes, hopefully someday I'll get to use it (I say laughingly.)" "Well, you'll need to start sleeping with someone other than cats." (or something along those lines). OH MY GOD. Hilarious. So I start laughing, he turns beet red. Then we move on to his thoughts on melatonin and he printed out some info on insomnia. Also said I might consider talking to someone about the physcho ex, if I thought it was worrying me. That might be possible, might have something to do with the sleeping issue, but I'm going to try to use OTC stuff first.

Did I mention the book I got for my birthday (Thanks Cate!)(which I love, but don't read at night, and now won't eat shellfish because of something in it)? Love the book, trying not to be one.
----------------------------------------
Now, last year, when I found out I had to have surgery, I listed some things I wanted or needed to to. Let's see how I've done.

• Let fingernails grow to normal length: Pretty much there. There's white on all 10 fingernails.
  
• Clean house so recuperation doesn't suck: I cleaned all the major rooms. I'm getting a housecleaner - full house cleaning on Saturday, then 2x a month.
  
• Get list of books and movies to read during recuperation: Totally scored 100% on this one.
  
• Go to Y at least 3 times a week. Starting tomorrow.: Didn't do so well on this, though I did go 2 times the week I had surgery. And I'm active (to an extent) now.
  
• Buy "recuperation clothes": Well, of course, I was successful at this. Though I lived in PJs for the first week, then had to go out, in a sore condition, to Old Navy, to get some sweats that weren't tight. And I've got the loaner maternity wear. Currently, I'm addicted to online shopping and have newfound love for Jessica Simpson flats and Overstock.com.
  

I tried on practically every pair of flats at DSW on Sunday, they all fit like shit, and I left all sweaty because it was too hot in there. Online shopping wins because if there's free shipping and returns you can try stuff on at home and if it doesn't fit just send it back.

Books and DVDs I recommend

I've had a lot of time to read and watch TV. Here are some recommendations, if anyone's looking.

Books


Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks: about a guy who makes a drunken bet that he can travel around Ireland, hitchhiking, with a fridge and no money. True story, hilarious.

An Alphabetical Life by Wendy Werris: A memoir about a woman who spent her life in book publishing and sales.

Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes: short stories, most of them funny

C'est La Vie, by Suzy Gershman: a memoir of a retired woman who moves to Paris after her husband suddenly passes away

Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure by Dave Gorman: a memoir of a guy who travels the world meeting people who show up in Google searches of two words that only return a single hit (aka a googlewhack)

Girlbomb : a halfway homeless memoir / Janice Erlbaum.

Olivia Joules and the overactive imagination / Helen Fielding.

Blowing my cover : my life as a CIA spy / Lindsay Moran.

DVDs

Cold Feet, a BBC show similar to Friends (starring Ross's British wife)
Freaks and Geeks (can't say enough about this)
MI-5, a BBC show about the UK's intelligence organization (like the CIA)

Loose ends and things checked off the task list.

I found my iPod. It was in its case. Go figure. I didn't even bother to look in the case, I was so sure it wasn't in it. That'll teach me.

I called Memorex support (not a toll-free number, of course, sat on hold for 5 minutes, only for them to tell me that my iWake ipod player slash alarm clock radio is only good for the clock. I've had it for a year and have barely used it. I used it 2 weeks ago, and then 2 days later, it wouldn't turn on. I have 2 other radios upstairs that the volume is broken on, one doesn't get FM stations, and no radio stations come in. They're all going in the trash.

I ordered a new w-2 form and when I asked how I could get it online, they told me I could use Turbo Tax to file my taxes. Go figure, I'd already done that but thought I should still have a printed copy on the off chance that I might decide to do my taxes on paper and save myself $50. Maybe not. I should just hit send today. I did get a $50 gift check for being on Reserves in January. It would put it to good use.

I loaded the dishwasher.

I called Wifesavers Cleaning company and they're coming tomorrow morning for an estimate. It's hard to believe my house might actually be clean soon.

I made vet appointments for each of the cats.

I'm really on top of things today.

Health Update
I have a sore throat. Hopefully it's because I took Benadryl to get to sleep last night and my room is dry, not because I'm getting a cold. I'm not optimistic though.

My right side is sore. More sore than it was a few days ago. It feels like I pulled a muscle in my side. Maybe it's because I tried on 20 pairs of shoes at DSW on Saturday. I didn't find anything I liked so I came home and ordered 2 pairs online. I love online shopping. It's funny, shoes should fit everyone, but when they're cheaply made, I think that they don't fit anyone, and people just buy them to be in style. Anyway, I'm taking it easy today. I slept for a solid 4.5 hours in a row though last night! It probably would have been 6.5 but I had a pint of water before I went to bed and had to get up after 2 hours.

Argghhhh again

now I can't find my W-2. I KNOW I put it in a safe place, but that safe place is not easy to find. God. I can't stand it. And I can't check my online pay info because the site's down for routine maintenance. I really can't stand it. Where could it be? Not in the backpack of mail, not in the many many bags of mail to be sorted or shredded, not on the shelf. This is ridiculous. It's times like these that I really hate myself for being disorganized.

Arggghhh

I can't find my iPod!! I have the case and the headphones but where the hell is the goddamn iPod? Doesn't matter anyway. I can't find the cord that plugs into the computer so I can download new songs.

This is so annoying.

It's like a drug. You hate to, but you keep going back.

Last fall, after watching the first 2 seasons of Gray's Anatomy on DVD, and thinking I might have all of the diseases shown on the show, I stopped watching all medical dramas. I passed right over the episodes of Dr. 90210 that are always on, and stopped watching Gray's. I didn't stop watching Scrubs, because they mostly focus on the comedy.

So tonight, Friday night, when I should be out on the town with my single-and-looking self, I'm staying in, resting up, and watching the rerun of Gray's Anatomy. Since I stopped watching, Meredith died and came back to life, George married Callie (?!?! What the F?), what's-her-name blondie and George had sex, and Karev hooked up with McDreamy's ex-wife. This show is ridiculous. But, it's 8:32 and I haven't changed the channel. Hooked again.

EDIT:
Oh my god, Callie's name is Calliope. The writers have redeemed themselves.

Milestones

It's been 4 and a half weeks since the surgery, and things are looking good. Not 100%, but better than 50%. I'm able to walk around, and do chores like laundry (phew, I was really missing the fun of that chore.) and dishes. I can walk around for a reasonable amount of time, but after a couple of hours of errands, driving, etc, my stride gets shorter and my pace slows. I've reached some significant milestones so far:

• I went back to the gym on Monday. I took it way easier than normal (normally I'm such a rock star in the cardio room, walking at 3.7 speed at a 6 incline. Oh the pounds I drop, sooo quickly.), but I spent 30 minutes walking at a moderate pace, no incline. I skimmed an entire O magazine. My first time ever reading Oprah's mag. It was okay. Not as great as People or the Enquirer, but it made the time pass.

• I wore real pants, not sweats. Granted, one of the pairs used to be way too big, but this week, it fit perfectly. Two of the pairs were maternity pants, on loan from a friend. Seriously, maternity pants. For the girl who hasn't had her period in 3 months, and not because she's pregnant. And do I need to mention, no boyfriend for almost 2 years. Next thing you know, I'll be taking pre-natal vitamins and browsing Pottery Barn Kids.com.

Things that haven't changed yet: The stitches are still sticking out. Weird. It still hurts when I sneeze or cough. I don't sleep for more than a few hours at a time. I can't wear real, normal-sized pants. Just pants that are too big, but fit around my stomach.

Overall, not bad. I've read tons of books, watched 5 DVDs of Freaks and Geeks, by far the best show ever on TV, and Rebec, thank you SO much for the suggestion. I took up knitting again, and tried, mostly successfully, to not think about work. I've spent a lot of time with family and friends, and even more time with just myself. And the cats, of course. The last time I had more than one week off in a row, I was still in college. And then, it was just time off from school. I was still working part time. The last time I had NOTHING going on was in the early 90s, probably 93, when I was in college and worked at a college. Summers were slow.

I can't complain. I think I might even be relatively happy.

Observations

I'm not much of a fan of dark roots with white blonde hair, and when paired with a nice tight perm, it's even more like a car wreck (don't want to look, but can't help yourself). At CVS today, I spotted just that, and this little treat was topped off with a nice dark faux tan. I managed to pry my eyes away, but then it was my turn to be rung up. The cashier, a nice college girl, said "Looks like somebody needs a root touch-up." OH my god!! One of my own kind, a kindred spirit! I replied: "yes, and she should tone down the tan too." We chatted about the walking fashion-don't while she rung up my lipgloss and other sundries, and I left with a smile on my face.

Yes, I'm sorta mean in this case, but come on. Dark orange tan? Ick.

Heritage

For breakfast today, I'm having some Greek bread that Dad made. The recipe is from the island of Lesbos, which is a couple of miles off the coast of Turkey, which was the former Asia Minor (I think that's right.)

As I was snacking on some of this bread last night, Dad told this story:

Papou (his father) was born in Aisa Minor (now Turkey), to Greek parents. When he was young, about 4 or 5, his parents moved to Lesbos. They moved because his mother had a dream that the Turks were going to kill the Greeks who lived in Aisa Minor. That day, she got someone to take them in a boat to Lesbos. The next day, the Turks attacked the Greeks and just about all the Greeks in their village were killed. About 5 years later they emigrated to the US, where Papou's father had been all that time, earning money to bring the family over.

Mom told the story that she and her girlfriends, in high school, had gone to see a band called the Pretenders, and they met the band after the show. The band invited them to go out with them in their car, but they girls didn't go. They didn't know the boys, and thus couldn't go in their car. So now I know, that's where I get it. I don't like going in strangers' cars. They could attack you, you know?

So, just two stories that, if they had gone differently, would mean maybe I wouldn't be here today.

Sunset

Today, I spent about an hour at the library, browsing through all of their knitting books. I ended up with 2 - one that is devoted to patterns for leftover yarn! Yay! It turns out that all of the non-baby pattern knitting books are on the bottom 2 shelves, and in my current condition, bending is sort of uncomfortable. So I reverted to the old method of hanging out at the library - sitting on the floor. I can't remember the last time I did that, but goodness knows I've spent countless hours sitting on the floor in an aisle, reading. Like, my entire childhood.

Hopefully I can keep up this hobby, and actually continue knitting. It's much more fun, and easier, to buy yarn and look at pretty finished products, but the satisfaction of actually knitting something and showing it off is pretty fun too.

Before the sun went down, I drove really fast to Paxton and saw the sunset all the way there. Here's a picture on the way to Moore State Park.


And here's one from the parking lot. The colors were better in person, but it's still pretty.

Knit Happens

I took a knitting class last week. At that point, it was the extent of my moving around - driving to the yarn shop, walking to a chair, sitting for 3 hours. At one point, I dropped my ball of yarn and Cate had to pick it up for me. Another student in the class, a 20-year-old college student, had a cane. I'm not sure why. I wanted to ask but figured it was too nosy.

We made hats with 2 kinds of yarn: Rowan Little Big Wool (the purple) and Colinette Point 5, handpainted wool that is kind of chunky in some places and thin in others (the rainbow, called popsicle). I don't love the purple,but it does look pretty funky all together.

Here's how it looks on. Also note, the pretty pink scarf that I made with some really pretty, soft yarn that Elsa gave me. I did that the week before the class, in a simple stockinette stitch (knit one row, purl one row), so that I would be all ready to go for the class.

It's cool, they go together. I did not plan that, but, at least in the picture, it works.

Next, socks.

Somebody Else's Cat

Every day, there's a different critter on my porch. This little lovely is Kietz, my neighbor's cat. Doesn't he look cozy?

Coffee Talk

I drove up to the Dunkin Donuts drive-up window. Here's what transpired:

DD Employee: Can I help you?
Me: Can I have a medium latte, no sugar?
DD Employee: Medium coffee, just cream?
Me: (a little louder) No. Medium latte, no sugar.
DD Employee: Oh, okay.

They always give you the coffee and the sleeve that is to protect your hands from the hot cup separately. They don't put the sleeve on. I don't get it. Why don't they put the sleeve on?!

I didn't leave a tip today. I waited for my 39 cents, because I was irritated that they just didn't listen. Fortunately, they got the order right. Good thing I only ordered one item.

In related news, I've recently become addicted to hot lattes. Espresso, steamed milk, and foam. You can't go wrong. They are equally as good at both Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts (and also at the Barnes and Noble bookstore cafe, which is actually Starbucks coffee). I also enjoyed the one I got at the new coffee shop in Holden, Sweets and Java. I think maybe it's because they make it fresh every time, while with regular coffee, it could have been sitting around for a little while.

Back in high school and college, when I spent literally all of my spare time at the local coffeehouse, I was fascinated with the method of making coffee using those fancy machines with steamers and whatnot. I figured, you had to be specially skilled to make good coffee like that. Now, every Dunkin Donuts has good gourmet coffee, and you can buy those machines for your kitchen. It would be fun to have one of my own, but I also like the social aspect of going out for coffee. Things to think about, I guess. Maybe I'll splurge on a machine when I get my tax refund. Or, maybe I'll set aside the machine price and spend that on takeout coffee for a year.

The Zoo!

Today, it was close to 70 degrees out so Cate and I went to the zoo with her kids. We went to the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence. It was awesome! The weather was so warm, the long sleeve shirt I had on was too much. It was my first time at this zoo and I thought it was really nice.

We had lunch at the Polar Bear Cafe and it was really good.

Here are some pix of things we saw.

Zebras

A crane. Best hairstyle of all the animals today.

Dromedaries (One humped camels). As we approached, I contemplated making a Camel cigarette joke, then came to my senses and said nothing.

A collared peccary. It looks kind of sad, and also kind of like a pig. The snout is quite pink.



A bird, in the parking lot. This bird was making a really cool sound, and I was so close to it, like 3 feet, and I wanted to take a picture. It took forever for me to silently take out my camera and the second I was ready, the bird flew away. I followed it through a few shrubs, finally got this not-so-great pic, and then decided I should move on. Plus, I was snagged on a thorny vine so had that to deal with.

We only saw about half the zoo. The giraffe wasn't around and we didn't have time to see the penguins or a lot of the birds, so I'll definitely go back. The park is really nice too. It's kind of laid out like Franklin Park in JP. Lots of people were out running and walking. What a nice almost-spring day. I am definitely making the most of this time off.

Still More at the Park

 

 

More At The Park

 

 

 

 

A Nice Day

This is where I was today. It was really nice out and after a long day of the dentist, shopping with Mom, and rushing around, I called Cate to see if she wanted to go for a walk. This is what we saw. It's really pretty there.

Quote

I'm watching Eerie, Indiana on DVD, and this is one of my favorite lines so far, this episode:

Main character, teenage boy, says to his friend: "So now dad's all freaked out that he's got some old people's disease that makes him lose stuff. He's pushing thirty-five, you know."

Friend: "Scary."

I'm 35, and I remember thinking, when I was a teenager, that it was really old. Now that I'm here, I don't think it is. I feel young, and many days out of the month, I feel like I'm actually still in high school.

What's Black and White...

What's black and white and eating bird seed on my front porch? My black and white cat Sam? No... This little guy is eating his dinner at my front porch cafe.

That's a skunk. Both he and Sam were on the porch at the same time. Fortunately Sam wasn't into starting fights and the skunk was hungry. Once, a skunk sprayed under the front porch. There's a foyer that sits over the porch, and the skunk smell seeped into the foyer and into the living room. It was so pungent, I couldn't hang out in the living room for days. The whole house smelled.

Tori Is Everywhere

I can't wait for the new Tori Spelling show on Oxygen. Seriously, I am probably going to get addicted to this reality show because she's such a plastic surgery miracle. I wonder what that kid's going to look like. Definitely not present-day Tori. Maybe Love Boat Tori. Check out the MySpace page for the reality show about Tori and her husband and their new bed and breakfast.

The thing is, as much as I'd like to stay there and mock everything that is Tori, I'd rather stay here, the B&B that Kate from the B-52s owns.

Apparently, owning hotels, resorts, and the like is very common among celebrities.

Birthday

Monday was my birthday. I feel old. 35.

Today, I got a $5 off coupon from DSW, for my birthday. I also got a Rocky's Hardware coupon ($10). Aging has its benefits.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fun family party on Sunday and the nice lunch out on my birthday with my friend and her kids. We went to Friday's, then to the bookstore. Since then, I've been wanting to go get another latte at Starbucks or B&N. Maybe tomorrow! I have new books from the library so I can read and drink coffee, just like back in the day, when I had almost as much spare time as I do now.

Late Night Freakout

I woke up at 1:12 am because my cell phone beeped. I had received a text message. It was a picture of flowers, and a note that said Happy Birthday. I didn't recognize the number, so of course I instantly assumed it was from a stalker. I took my house phone and cell phone, put them in the pockets of my bathrobe, and scoped out the house for danger. It's been snowing and there were no footprints leading up to the house, so all seemed good. I brought my laptop upstairs, logged on, and did a number search. The number is a local cell number, but the searches don't give you any info about names and I'm not about to spend $14.95 to find out who owns the number.

At 1:32 am I received another text from the same number, this time with a signature on it. My friend from California, who kept her East Coast number. Phew. Crisis averted.

I think I need to calm down. Or just turn the cell phone off when I go to bed. Or both. There are definitely some residual feelings from the ex-bf who stalked.

Keeping My Fingers Crossed

Every day, I feel better. I'm not running any marathons, but I can drive, and be a passenger, and it's not horrible to walk around, as long as I hold my stomach. My doctor called it, for lack of a better word, a "pouch". How pleasant. Weird is that there are some stitches that I can see, like the end of the stitches. I thought it was the glue stuck to me and I tried to pull it out for a while. Then I realized it was thread. Well, whatever it is that they use to sew you up. I cleaned the area, put a bandaid on it, and tried to forget about it. Keeping my fingers crossed it doesn't get infected. Or split! Yikes.

I bought a Mega Millions ticket today. Quick pick because I was too tired, or lazy, to pick my own numbers. I hope I win. If I do, I would probably go for the single payout option rather than the annuity. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I wonder, if I win, would I sell this house and buy a nicer, newer one with a garage, a big yard, a pool, and a gardener? YES. DEFINITELY. The bigger question: would I quit my job? Probably not. At least, not immediately. I'd give a reasonable amount of notice.

Cable

I can't really complain that channel 4 is coming in like crap, but I'd like to.

Creative Oddities

First there were Giant Microbes. Now there's stuffed meat (found via Mighty Goods, my favorite shopping blog). They say that cat toys are coming this year. It's going to be hard to resist a stuffed pork chop for Willow to gnaw on.

Why didn't I think of this?

Comic

This made me laugh.

Homecoming

Sammy and Willow were stuck inside for 2 whole weeks, with more food than they could shake a stick at. As expected, they both put on some weight. You can't really tell here, but Sam was at least a pound heavier. It's no fun when they want to sit on my lap. Sam looks a little thicker around the middle here but it's hard to get a good photo of a black cat.

Photos

Flowers:
Flowers:

View from my old bedroom:

The perfect recovery bed: lots of medicine on the nightstand, tons of books, room for waters and remote controls.


Flowers and a balloon from the team at work:

Photos

flowers from Melanie and Christian, a stuffed Salmonella from Cate and Scott, and a cute cat decoration that Mom put out.

Very cute socks from Amanda

I can't do it

I thought I'd be able to suffer through the Tori movie, but it's really really bad. Quite like a soap opera, which is fitting, since the male lead is Jason Brooks, who did some time on Days of Our Lives. This is no Mother May I Sleep With Danger.

Maybe I should read a book, which is much more stimulating, or put away the non-perishable groceries that Peapod delivered last night. I selected the 6:30 - 10:00 pm delivery time and they came around 9. I was ready for bed at 7 so I only put away the frozen foods. Lazy.

Ah Tori, I love ya

Could my leave of absence get any better? I've got 2 full hours of a bad Tori Spelling TV movie ahead of me.