That One Weekend I Went Outside

In this season of TV drought, it's difficult for a TV junkie like me with no job to fill the time. Yeah, there's the job search thing but sometimes I like to do fun things too.

This week is an especially sucky TV week. I'm not pointing any fingers, but I will say, PEOPLE, they would not cover certain events and people so much if you would stop watching it, clicking on it, and buying it. Make the madness stop! This is ridiculous. But I refuse to give it any blog time. Instead, I have been:

1. Hiking up a mountain, nearly fainting, and then stumbling back down. To the left, you see the beginnings of the path that inclined upwards and which I nearly tumbled down (K would have been the airbag in that crash). Turns out you are supposed to eat a breakfast with protein or something before you go on hikes on an 80-ish degree day with humidity. Who knew? At least at the top while I ate my almonds and chugged my water, I could enjoy the wonderful view of Mt. Rainier. For you Washingtonians, did you know there were hiking paths at Green River Community College? Like real ones, with switchbacks and mile posts and dirt and hills that make out-of-shape girls pass out? Totally does. I was very impressed.

Moving on, the next thing I did with my weekend was NOT spend time with Alice, the Mad Hatter, and their Tea Party crew. I sat around and felt sad because they weren't coming. Luckily, I didn't do that all weekend. I went on a wee road trip to visit one of my oldest friends Reeses and company (get it, Reeses, that was a subtle dig about your age).

We watched the fireworks Saturday night from the inner coast of the Peninsula of Washington. We could kinda see Tacoma, Seattle, and Edmonds all at one time. How cool is that? Couldn't really tell where all the Islands were, but they were there. It all looked like one land mass to me. Also, I could see a teeeeny tiny space needle. It was right next to Mt. Rainier, and so teeny I didn't notice it when I took my ten millionth Mt. Rainier picture, because apparently I love Mt. Rainier almost as much as Youtube. See it? No? Your inattention to detail is killing me. It's right....

There on the left... Duh. We saw lots of dead crabs when we walked the beach right by the house that day. Also a dead fish head. So of course Reeses had to sing the Fish Heads song. I know, you wish you were there, huh? We watched the veeeeery far away fireworks over Lake Union. They were teeny and cute and we could hear the booms from the distance, and we were the only ones on the beach.

What I Did On My Thanksgiving Vacation: Day 1

Today only really half counts as a vacation day, because I did go into work this morning. But I got to leave early this afternoon, and have already felt the joy that vacation brings.

So far, I have taken myself out to lunch at a local Thai restaurant, because I have recently discovered that I heart curry. I took a book with me and ate all alone. It's actually quite liberating to eat in a restaurant alone. You should try it. I would have eaten lunch with a friend, but everyone is either too far away, or they didn't answer their phones. Shame on you all!

Next, I came home, fully intending to spend a quiet afternoon listening to soothing chick music I downloaded on my computer, while reading the very interesting book, "Why Gender Matters," by Leonard Sax. It has fascinating information on the differences between the ways boys and girls think and feel with scientific data to back it up, PLUS it makes me look like a smart person because it's non-fiction, and smart people read non-fiction books. (And no, you can't put "so why does gender matter?" in my comment section. K's got that question covered. She asks me at least once a week... it's taken me a while to get around to reading it).

I got distracted from the smart people book and chick music, though. I was not even intending to log onto the internet, but pretty much if I log onto my computer it logs on to the internet, so I was technically online already, and then I decided to maintain the status of Favorite Aunt (even kids not related by blood want to be my neices and nephews, I'm that cool), and I got online and found an e-card to send to Jumping Bean. He especially needed a card because after quite a long streak of thoroughly not enjoying school, he is beginning to show amazing improvement and even enthusiasm for school. Totally calls for a hoops&yoyo card. Of course it took about an hour for me to choose said hoops&yoyo card.

So now here I sit, in my comfy beanbag, listening to my chick music, and blogging. Which means that I am not reading my smart people book. But I'm on vacation so I'm totally on task. My task, of course, being to relax and not worry about things.

I was talking to Jenna last night, and we were talking about vacation philosophies. Jenna feels that there are two basic philosphies about vacations, with different shades of those philosophies along the vacation philosphy spectrum. On one end are the people who believe that vacation is for relaxing, which means doing whatever you darn well please, even if that involves sleeping in until noon in your hotel in an exciting city. On the other end are the people that believe that when you are on vacation, you have to be DOING something ever minute in order to fully savor the vacation, which means time in the hotel room is a waste of time. I think I fall somewhere in the middle. I am totally okay with the fact that I have not accomplished anything substantial this afternoon, like vacuuming out my yucky car, or cleaning my floor where my purse puked on it, or balancing my checkbook. I do have those tasks on my list of things to complete during my vacation time, because I do enjoy feeling all organized. But I also enjoy ignoring all my duties. Because this bean bag is comfy. And I'm more relaxed than I've been in months.

The other thing I COULD have been doing if not for stupid WB is watching the 6th Harry Potter Movie. Because apparently it was originally scheduled to be released today, but they pushed it back till next summer because it made more sense financially. Lame. So instead of watching the movie, you should watch this. Because we all need to keep a little Harry in our life.



Not over here, not over there...

On the Road Again

I'm currently on vacation. I've come to S****** to visit the W's (coincidentally, W is Baby Girl's favorite letter).

Wgirl wanted you to know she does not always look crazy. Yestereday I picked Cookie up from camp. She came home on Da Boata. She had a very fun time, as evidenced by her spontaneously flinging her arms up into the air while she was talking to me as I stood down the docks.

After I picked her up, we drove for a really, really, really, really long time.

It'll be an adventure! We're going on an adventure!

What I Did on My Memorial Day Weekend Vacation

So just like kids have to write a report on what they did on their summer vacation (except, did any of you ever have to write one of those? Because I never did), I'm writing a report on my weekend vacation. It's the closest thing I've had to a vacation in a while. So I resolved to do the following things:

1. Sleep.
Check and check.
2. Watch at least one of my Jane Austen movies that I have saved on my dvr.
That would be a check and a half. I watched Miss Austen Regrets, as noted above, and also the first half of Sense and Sensibility. Not while about the former, but the latter is promising so far.
3. Finish watching Don Juan de Marco with Jonny Depp (he's in it, not coming to watch it with me).
Do NOT rent this movie. Unless you think you will find satisfaction in a movie about a man who slept with 1500 women schooling an older man in the fine art of romance, inspiring him to nurture his relationship with his wife. Because nothing says True Romance like having 1500 different lovers.
4. Reorganize my closet.
Half a check. I might possibly finish it tonight, but don't hold your breath.
5. Sort through my cd's and figure out why I own so many and how to rectify that situation. Done!
6. Figure out how to make my computer talk to Word for reals.
Done! For 60 days of trial, at least.
7. Clean my bathroom.
Not done. Just don't look in there. You don't want to know.
8. Clean my food cupboards out in the kitchen so I can possibly find something.
Totally not done. In fact I think I made it worse. I know there is food in there somewhere....
9. Get a pedicure.
Done! So pretty. I have pretty, pretty little toes.
10. Balance my checkbook.
I'm halfway there. Which makes me want to start singing Bon Jovi songs.

Now if only I didn't have to go to a three hour meeting tomorrow morning....

I'm Free! (sort of)

So I have a four day weekend. Sort of. I don't have to work for four days. Mostly. Okay, okay, I couldn't quite keep a whole weekend free and I scheduled one itty bitty meeting Saturday morning. But it's with one of my friends from high school and some other fun people. Also I think there will be food there. Oh, and I am also going to a play tomorrow to see a couple of my high school kids, one of which has one of the lead roles.

But mostly I have four whole days to do whatever I want. Oh, I have pottery for two hours on Saturday. And of course Sunday is all about church. And my nephew had the audacity to turn 14, so I have to go get him a gift sometime before Sunday and there's the birthday dinner Sunday night.

So what, you ask, will I do with these four free days I have?

I resolve to do the following:
1. Sleep
2. Watch at least one of my Jane Austen movies that I have saved on my dvr.
3. Finish watching Don Juan de Marco with Jonny Depp (he's in it, not coming to watch it with me).
4. Reorganize my closet.
5. Sort through my cd's and figure out why I own so many and how to rectify that situation.
6. Figure out how to make my computer talk to Word for reals.
7. Clean my bathroom.
8. Clean my food cupboards out in the kitchen so I can possibly find something.
9. Get a pedicure.
10. Balance my checkbook.

I bet you wish you could be as free as I am.

Go On, Tell Me Where To Go

I love that people are too polite (or perhaps bewildered) to say, um, who is that random man you posted on your blog? Since none of you asked, I won't tell you. Because I'm assuming you all know.

On this other blog I read she posted every place she had stayed overnight in the year 2007 and where she thought she would stay in 2008. So I started thinking about where I stayed in 2007 and it's a very sad, short list:

San Antonio, TX
Portland, OR

And 2008 is not looking much better:
Nashville, TN

I'm so broke I don't know if I can do any more traveling this year. I really should get on that. Where should I go?

Free!

I am officially on vacation. Except that I'm not, because I have a caroling event tomorrow night for my teenagers, because I'm a sucker and I can't say no to their cute little faces. Er something. But other than that I am free until after Christmas. How sweet is that?

Things to do while I am on vacation:
1. Wrap all the christmas presents in a pile in the corner of my room.
2. Buy a few more presents.
3. Find the Netflix dvd I've been missing for almost a month now
4. Go caroling with cute little teenagers.
5. Go to pottery and finish my plates. They're so purty.
6. Exercise lots-lose the 5 pounds I gained with all the birthday celebrations
7. Set New Year's Resolutions
8. Set a new budget for next year so I don't feel so poor
9. Babysit my cute little nephew.
10. Sleep