Right Now

This is the weather, currently:

And someone brilliant decided that right now, RIGHT NOW, tinkering with the air conditioner in my office building would be a good idea. 

I don't know who that brilliant person is, but I would like to calmly disagree.  This, in fact, was probably not the best time. 

If you need me, I'll be doing this:

May Is The Cruelest Month

Obviously T.S Eliot and I disagree on that point, but since this is my blog I'm going with it.  This year May has absolutely been the cruelest month and if I could bottle the excitement I have surrounding this long weekend, we would never have to find another alternative energy source again.  It is the gateway to June and let's just say Mama needs a new month!  Although I am not even a mama, by the way, so I don't even know what possessed me to even say that.  My brain is fried like an egg in those 1980s drug commercials.  Please send help! 

It all started at the beginning of the month (and if that's not the most uninformative sentence I've ever written, I'll be damned!)  You see the first week of the month was last minute preparations for Garrett's birthday party,  which means for at least 7 days I was a curious cross between  domestic whirling dervish and a chicken with its head cut off.  It was just as ridiculous as it sounds, I assure you.  But then on May 7th we had the party!  And we survived!  Hell, we even had a good time! Our stress was over, right?

Not so fast.

For starters, my kitchen sink backed up first thing that next morning.  And there is nothing quite like waking up hungover to a house full of food covered dishes in the sink as you watch the water back up.  Obviously this made the 11 AM Sunday Brunch, to which 10 people were going to be in attendance, seem a bit more complicated than it needed to be.  Thank god we have a sink in the laundry room that is deep and I had a good friend staying over who not only wakes up early but also knows how cracks good jokes in a shitty situation or I may have just killed myself right there.  But brunch prevailed -- even if I did burn a few bagels -- and it seemed like there was going to be a light at the end of the tunnel. 

On Monday May 9th we called out a plumber and he talked us into spending $300 to hydroflush our pipes in order to remove the clog.  Upside:  Having it fixed.  Downside:  Spending $300 the day after you throw a food + booze filled party for 50 people.  But whatever.  Life would go on.  Well until the following morning when we woke up and tried to shower and that was now backing up.  It hadn't been clogged AT ALL the day before, but suddenly it is plugged tighter than Rick James' Jheri curl.  Coincidence?  Yeah, we didn't think so either.  Especially since the plumber had warned us that hydroflushing sometimes moves grease and debris to other areas of the house, but never enough to cause damage. 

So we called the plumbing company again and they were just shocked!  And boy did they try to convince us that it MUST BE a coincidence.  But they would be glad to help us out...for $175 more.  And then when Garrett asked to speak to the person in charge we were told he was "far too busy" to talk to us.  Ahem, noted.  From now on I am far too busy to recommend Bonney Plumbing.  What actually was a coincidence though -- an awfully timed coincidence, in fact -- was that some seal on our guest bathroom toiled busted that day too and started leaking.  We were a hot plumbing mess and at this point, I pretty much tried to convince Garrett to move to a plumbing-free yurt in the woods, where we could braid each other's hair, marinate in our natural musk, and eschew all of society.  After he puked in his mouth a little, Garrett talked me out of it and the short story of the plumbing problems is that they are now all fixed:  NO THANKS TO THE STUPID PLUMBING COMPANY.  But I trust no one even wants to hear the long drawn out verrsion of that story, because I am still telling this story and so far we are only May 10th.  Are you exhausted? Because I'm exhausted just remembering it. 

Speaking of exhausted, when I woke up the following morning I felt like I had been hit by a truck and proceeded to need to call in sick to work for the next 3 days because I was fully convinced I was either dying or that a Brazillian Rainforest had settled in and made its home in my sinus cavity.  Something useful to know about me at this point?  I don't EVER call in sick.  I'm just not a person who does that unless I physically can't make it in.  And I couldn't.  For those 3 days, plus the entire weekend following I was a giant pit of deathly sickness who could not move about the house without duct taping a box of kleenex to my face.  It was very pretty.   

So since I was teetering on the brink of death, you can assume that our house was just full of life and beauty and energy and rainbows for that entire week.  But then one day it was May 16th!  We were halfway through the month and I was beginning to feel normal.  So normal, actually, that it was almost blissful.  There was breathing!  THROUGH MY NOSE!  I mean it was a miracle, happening right there on my face.  Is there a more grateful feeling than that of being returned to health after a yucky illness?  I argue there is not.  And I was so damn happy that Monday to go back to work.  Our house had returned to its stasis of awesome, and we could finally get back to the regular routines of our lives.  But on Tuesday when I woke up, Garrett was perched on the precipice of death threatening to jump unless I got him some duct tape so he could go to the damn bathroom without flooding our house with snot.  He was very pretty too.
That ass-shaped dent that I had left in the couch was apparently just a primer for the ass-shaped dent that Garrett ended up leaving the following week.  And we are completely out of duct tape.

Just when you'd think all was lost though, finally last Saturday we were both able to go to the same BBQ at the same time!  Garrett was just starting to recover and it was lovely to have a nice night out.  Our gym had an Anniversary Party so we showed up and put our party shoes on and it was a blast!  Also, it was the night I decided to try Sweet Tea Vodka and Lemonade for the first time, which was uh...an experience.  The jury is still out on whether it was a pleasant experience.  I mean, it was definitely pleasant while I was drinking it.  But the morning after?  Um, not so much.  A Paleo diet has improved my body in every single possible way, except in its response to a wild night of drinking. 

Hangover city, baby.  The entire next day was a wash.  And then it was May 23. 

I was staring down the barrel of a long week, ready for this month to just be over already, when my back started to mysteriously hurt.  Not my lower back, mind you, but the middle of my back on the upper right side.  It felt like a crappy pinched nerve in the neck, except right smack in the middle of my back.  Luckily my uncle is a retired chiropractor, so I had him adjust me and things were ok for a day or so.  Then, on Tuesday it popped right back out of place, only this time it was SO. MUCH. WORSE.  It wasn't just a twinge of discomfort, but major pain (no Wayans Brothers in sight) that could not be relieved.  It hurt to stand, it hurt to sit, it hurt to lay and most inconveniently -- it hurt to breathe air.  No big whoop, you know, if you are an sea creature, but the last time I checked I WAS NOT.    

It was back to see my uncle again who asked what the heck I had been doing to throw my back out in such a grandiose manner?  My back was crunch-tastic!  Obviously there had been some major trauma in between my first adjustment and my second.  So you can imagine my embarrassment when I had to tell him this second injury was brought on by this new eXXtreme sport I'm doing called:  getting dressed.   Yeah, it happened when I was putting on a pair of pants.  It was so quick and awful that I walked by a rack of jeans this morning and had PTSD flashbacks just thinking about.  I'm lobbying to go into work pantsless from now on, but so far nobody is in my corner.  

Three days, and many Advil later, I would say I'm feeling 90%.  But that 90% is about to go into a 4 day weekend where I plan to do nothing more than read a stack of trashy magazines, take bubble baths, go to brunch, babysit my adorable baby cousin, pour through library books, and watch as many episodes of DVR'd Bravo TV as my little brain can handle...and it can handle A LOT.  I'm so thrilled that when I come up for air it will be a new month, a new season and I'll have a host of new things to focus on. 

So Goodbye May, and good riddance!  

Don't let the door hit you on the ass...
_____________________________

Sunday Splendor

This morning I grabbed a stack of my books on writing and took a long hot bath.  

It was like stewing up an inspiration soup.

Guess what's for lunch?

A Whole Lotta Nothing

One of the books I read this month was a collection of monthly columns written by an author documenting the books he purchased vs. the books he read.  If I actually kept track of this, as well as books checked out at the library, I would look like an out of control addict.  Garrett and I went to the Bay Area this weekend and as is customary on the way home we stopped at our favorite bookstore in Concord.  As I walked through the doors I said, "We were just here a few weeks ago.  They have nothing I need.  DO NOT LET ME BUY ANYTHING."  And 90 minutes and $67 later I walked out the door, head hanging in shame.  I don't know what it is about buying books:  the unknown, the potential for a good story, the pretty covers -- but I can not control myself.  

Speaking of complete lack of self control -- I find this Charlie Sheen business sort of fascinating.  It's like a trainwreck that you just can't stop watching -- like many blogs I read actually.  Did you know that I have an entire subfolder entitled TrainWrecks in my Google Reader?  I'm a terrible person, right?  Anyway, if Charlie Sheen had a blog he would so be in that folder and I would be refreshing CONSTANTLY.  I wish he would quit talking to TMZ and go on Celebrity Rehab because that would be entertaining.  I'm sure he would turn Dr. Drew's hair even whiter and hit on every D-List chick celebrity that was on there, but come on?  That would be great TV.

Do you know what TV disappointed me last week?  The Real Housewives of Miami.  I have long said I would pretty much watch anything Bravo served up.  I don't know what it is about their particular formula of television but it just works for me.  They could produce a show about Lion Tamers and I'd probably sit through it mesmerized each week while simultaneously wondering if Andy Cohen would be my friend in real life.  My love is deep.  But Miami was only meh, in my opinion.  I hope the franchises aren't starting to go downhill because that would be a bummer.  The only saving grace is that Bethenny Ever After premieres tonight and I kid you not if you would like insight into my relationship with Garrett please watch that show because I am convinced that they are living our lives.  Granted, the fabulous wealthy New York version, but there are some strange coincidences.  I think what I am telling you is that I'm annoying and overbearing and Garrett is cute and mellows me out.  There I just saved you an hour of your life trying to decode the similarities.  Don't say I've never done you any favors.

Well since this post has turned into a rambling pointless post full of nothing, why don't you tell me something equally silly?  What was the weather like where you were this weekend?  We were supposed to have a Snowpocalypse down in San Francisco and while the weather wasn't tropical, it was sunny as hell.  Snowpocalypse?  It didn't even rain.  But people were talking like it was time to start building rafts.  We'd be laughed out of the midwest and east coast, I'm sure.    California weather people just make things up.  I think they like to hear themselves talk.  Sort of like this blog post.  I have no way to end this. 

Here, how about this funny picture of dogs.  (via @offbeatariel) 

Yes, that ending is perfect. 

Odds + Ends on a Friday

Before I get into this giant mish-mash of a post, I just want to say a big thanks to all of you who have emailed, commented, tweeted, and sent me nice messages on Facebook about my Weight Loss Series.  That was originally supposed to be one post, I don't even think I really knew how much I had to say until it all came pouring out.  It felt a little vulnerable and none of you were jerks about it --- man that was nice!  I plan to continue it, but I am going to take a bit of a break because one can only discuss weight loss and food so much, you know?  We'll get back there though, so don't you worry.  And really, thank you again for all your kind words.  So nice you are! 

Completely unrelated to that moment of gratitude, I have realized that I'm in a bit of a funk.  I've composed a thousand posts in my head over the last week or so, but I just haven't felt like sitting in front of the computer and getting it on the page, you know?  It's weird though, it's not like a depression funk, but more of an anxiety funk.  I've mentioned before that I have a tendency to take on too many things at once and a couple of weeks ago I started to feel that inertia forming, so I've just been trying to take it easy, workout, get enough sleep, and enjoy life.  So what is the funk all about, you ask?  Well, I guess I'm just not super comfortable "enjoying life".  I sometimes have this anxious feeling that I am letting an opportunity pass me by or dropping a ball somewhere.  I'm marinating on it, it's lame.  If I have a grand epiphany I'll let you know.  Promise.

Potentially contributing to this funk is that my weight loss has slowed down - who has a sad trombone for me to play? Garrett would yell at me if I didn't qualify "slowed down" and explain that instead of losing 10-15 lbs per month, I'm now only losing 6-10lbs per month -- which for a reasonable person would be totally acceptable and not worrisome at all.  But since I teeter on the brink of unreasonable a lot of the time and have an irritating passion to overachieve at completely unnecessary things -- this seems disappointing.  Obviously I realize I am being lame, yet can't actually stop feeling this way.  I'm trying to let it go, but that might also be part of the funk.  Who knows?

I'm feeling this perpetual guilt though because my workouts have also slowed down DRAMATICALLY.  I'm only CrossFitting 3 days per week and in the last 2 weeks I think I have run once.  I'm getting a half-marathon training FAIL.  If only the guilt were actually motivation enough to get me out the door.  I keep complaining to Garrett about it and he reminds me that I have until June, and I don't have to be so rigid about everything, and I can run 4 miles comfortably at this point so I probably won't die.  But in my mind, I'm sure I'm going to die and then I will have to come back here and blog all about what a giant failure I was at running this half-marathon and how I am a failure at life.  God my penchant for melodrama is just stifling sometimes. 

Everybody take a breath. 
Compounding the suckiness is that I have read some craptastic books this month -- my ONE FREAKING PLEASURE!  Only one really jumped out and grabbed me (which I'm looking forward to telling you about next week when I do my monthly book review) but it is another book about dead babies, and man if the best book you read all month is about a still born child, that is a bad month of reading.  I actually had to put two books down in the middle because I just couldn't read them anymore --  AND I HATE THAT.  I feel like the authors, and the internet, and my old English Professors are going to hunt me down and chastize me for my lameness.  It hasn't happened yet, but I sure looked over my shoulder once or twice just to make sure when I dropped them  both back in the bookslot at my local library.

Life isn't all bad though, I got to see my whole extended family last weekend when we all got together to celebrate my twin cousins' 30th birthdays.  It was loud as hell, but really?  If you expect any different then you do not know my family at all.  We whisper IN ALL CAPS. 

We took a nice family photo, which although not quite as hysterical as this one still made me happy.  I have 7 cousins who are all late 20s/early 30s (plus two younger cuties who are still in school AND a little baby 2nd cousin!) and we started this random tradition years ago on my cousin Jim's birthday that when you turn 30 you get a walker.  You know, because YOU ARE OLD AND DECREPIT and who is going to give you a ride to the Old Folks Home?  Coincidentally my cousin John, whose birthday it was along with his sister Jenny (who is sitting front and center in the pic above), happened to break his ankle the week before (I'll let you figure out which one he is in that pic) and so being the ruthless assholes we are, we all had a blast ribbing him about  the timeliness of his injury.  That is a funny group up there, you all and I'm happy to be related to them.  

Oh, also in the category of things that totally don't suck -- I got new hair and I pretty much love it:  

Well, I did not love it in the pouring down rain this morning because this haircut goes from 0 to Drowned Rat in about 6 seconds, but it's fun and different so I'm going to hang on to that all weekend while I bitch through the rain, sleet, and snow.  Yes, that's right, I said snow -- IT MIGHT SNOW THIS WEEKEND!  Which, in Sacramento, has not happened for almost 10 years.  So that could be fun.  Of course I won't actually be in Sacramento because we are heading down to San Francisco for another 30th birthday party for some of Garrett's friends that was originally supposed to be outdoors but has now turned into a pub crawl.  Good choice.  This basically means I am going to spend my weekend drinking Irish Coffees and laughing hysterically I'm certain. 

So you know, things are looking up. 

Happy Weekend friends!

I'm Baaaaaaaaack

So we are back from our Great Road Trip That Wasn't!

Oh, hadn't I mentioned that?  Yes, we ended up having to scrap The Great Southwest Road Trip of 2011.  Well, sort of.  

(And it wasn't for any lack of fabulous suggestions mind you, because many of you got a A+ when it came to making recommendations for that trip and I thank you for that.  They are stored in my little idea book for the future!)

The short story is that the whole thing ended up being much more complicated (read: expensive) than we originally anticipated.  Especially when you are trying to drive SUV rentals over 2 state lines.  We were Last Minute Larrys about the whole thing and in the end we realized that we were looking to drive about 2900 miles in 5 days (we wanted to make sure we had about 5 days to spend with The Parents before flying home) and after that realization the trip just started looking more like a comedy of errors and less like a vacation.  We ended up just buying plane tickets to New Mexico and hanging with Garrett's parents for 6 of those 10 days instead, and can I tell you -- buying last minute plane tickets saved us like $1,000 compared to renting a car (not to mention all that time) so seriously -- YOU ARE RIDICULOUS, RENTAL CAR COMPANIES!  But that is another story for another time.  


For the 4 day weekend that preceded our New Mexico adventure, we ended up scratching the Road Trip Itch by driving down to the Central Coast to visit with my good friend Sarah which turned out to be a fantastic idea.  There were scenic drives, ice cream at the beach, steaks and sunshine, bike gangs and olive oil tastings.  I mean, it basically had all the fantastic things you need for a fun mini-weekend getaway.  We took a scenic route home that included trips to two different bookstores, repacked our suitcases, slept for a few hours and then flew our tired tookuses out to New Mexico.   

The sacrifice of flying there for 6 days was that we ended up having to save the northern part of the state for our next trip (Oh Taos, I will see you one day!)  Since Garrett's parents live about 3 hours South of the Albuquerque Airport we concentrated our exploration in the Southeast part of the Southwest.  It was a more relaxed trip than we would have had trying to do all that driving so in the end I'm so glad we made that decision.  I guess I am getting old because there is just something so alluring about a vacation where you just get to go home.  Even when it's not your home.  Having Garrett's parents cook for us, laying around and chit chatting in person instead of on the phone, reading books, hiking and playing with the animals was just awesome.  And we even squeezed in some touristy things to boot, which I will totally tell you all about once I have the energy to upload the pictures.  
 
Obviously we are still in the recovery phase of vacationing you know?  Monday was all about getting back to work and just surviving (Note to self:  Stop schedule flights that land at 10pm on Sunday night when you have to go to work Monday morning.)  Yesterday afternoon our house turned into a ceremonious post-vacation laundry jungle, and last night I went to the Grocery Store around 9:30 and absolutely filled my cart to overflowing levels because otherwise we were going to be eating toothpicks and wilted spinach for breakfast today.  Though I was smugly proud of going through all of our perishables before we left, our kitchen was a bit post-apocalyptic when we got home, which was inconvenient since we immediately jumped back into CrossFit and started our Half Marathon Training.  Obviously, it was only a matter of time before we starting eating each other. 

Even though it was freezing ass cold last night I diligently looked at my weekly grocery sale papers, created a menu plan and made a grocery list.  Of course then I got to the eerily deserted store last night (duh! It was almost 10 at night!) and realized that all of the sales that I had just carefully ogled didn't actually start until TODAY.  Which, really? Is such a rookie mistake.  The upside is I did manage to make it home with some food so we are no longer eyeballing each other post workout like those scary cannibal gangs in The Road. 

So ANYWAY, this is my long winded way of saying Hello!  I'm back!  I can't wait to sit down and chat and tell you about my adventures!  But a girl has got to catch her breath a minute and since Garrett is having dinner with a friend tonight, I plan to spend the evening ignoring The Internet and making out with my DVR if that's alright with you?  I hope you will forgive me but I may just go a little crazy if I don't confirm that Camille Grammar is still a nut-job.  We all have our quirks. 

It feels good to be home.  

Shut In

 photo credit

This weekend I:

• Read two books
• Enjoyed the Free Showtime Preview Weekend and watched dumb Twilight movies to my heart's content (and to Garrett's dismay)
• Ran a few miles
• Watched Whip It and wondered if I still knew how to roller skate
• Made The Perfect Roast Chicken (and it was!)
• Spent $65 at Whole Foods and left carrying only one bag
• Watched a ridiculous amount of football
• Experimented with The Oil Cleansing Method on my face
• Took 3 baths
• Took 2 naps
• Watched the sun come up
• Drank a LOT of coffee
• Contemplated running a half marathon in Seattle in June 
• Only did what I damn well pleased

And it was awesome.

I Don't Even Think I'll Have To Use My AK

I slept an extra 30 minutes this morning because it was Friday and I didn't have to think quite so hard about looking professional.  When I got out of bed I realized Garrett had left the heat and the Christmas tree lights on for me when I woke up.  Tonight is our last night admiring the tree, tomorrow it is being picked up by a Boy Scout Troop doing a fundraiser.  The house looked pretty all lit up and it was toasty and warm. 

The coffee was already brewed and in the carafe since Garrett worked early so I sat down with my new book and leisurely enjoyed my first cup.  I checked my email and it wasn't full of spam.  I checked out the CrossFit WOD for tonight and it didn't look overwhelming.  The shower was piping hot and my new shower gel smelled delicious.  I got dressed in a pair of jeans that I haven't worn in years and they are a little big.  I put on my hot pink shoes.  

It's not payday but we aren't broke.  It's Friday and Garrett and I have the weekend off together (which doesn't always happen now that he is back at Peet's.)  We're grilling flank steak tonight for dinner in our favorite marinade.  The weather appears to be cooperating with that plan so far.  New netflix showed up in the mailbox yesterday so we have two movies ready to be watched (random choices, I know!) 

I'm feeling exceptionally creative and inspired, like the weekend is my oyster. 

Today has been a good day, and I guess I just felt like that was worth mentioning.

September: Revisited

September was a very good month, which might seem odd since I hardly uttered a peep around these parts, but I think that is part of it. I did not pressured myself to do a single thing: not blogging, cooking, scheming, nor achieving. Absolutely no pressure. And it was kind of liberating. It’s definitely a new attitude for me, but it is a good one, that will probably stick around. If you can believe it, I actually made To-Do lists throughout the month, and then mostly crumpled them and put them in the trash, opting to read a book or have a nice conversation instead. If this sounds super lazy to you, I totally get it. It sounds a little lazy to me, but it was part of my September Goals, and I ran with it. It wasn’t all Couch Potato-ing though, promise.


Here’s what I was up to:


Healthy Living

*For starters, I have lost 25 lbs since August! And there is no one more amazed at this than me. I am mostly amazed because – well, it just hasn’t been a struggle and I don’t know about you but I associate weight loss with struggle, deprivation, and general irritation. I feel so damn happy to have discovered a way of eating that works for me, that my body is responding super positively, and that I am feeling the best I have felt in years.

*I have also been getting a ton more sleep – so maybe there has been a little bit of Couch Potato-ing. But I think that has probably helped with the whole “the best I have felt in years” feeling. I am really listening to my body instead of just pushing through and I think that it is important. When my Naturopath recommended getting 8-10 hours of sleep per night I pretty much laughed in his face. But I have tried to make rest a priority, and what do you know I have found 8-9 hours of sleep per weeknight and sometimes 10+ on the weekends. It won’t be like this forever -- I have no intention of sleeping my life a way, but it feels good to listen to my body, so for now, sleep is good!


Why My Neighbors Hate Me

*Mostly because we have been the cause of jackhammering and other sundry construction hullabaloo between the hours of 7-8am lately. We are doing a major overhaul on our front and backyard and there has been some serious dust and noise. I always feel bad when it is noisy, but when I weigh it against the eyesore of a yard that my neighbors have had to look at for the last 3 years I think that it will be worth it for in the end. I've taken some before pics and and a few during a bit of construction so when the whole thing is done I will show you a whopper of a Before and After.  I am sooooo ready for a new yard. 


Snuggle-Fest 2010 in Full Effect

*Well, my cousin Kelly had her baby – an adorable little girl with miniature munchable cheeks! That's my mom holding her in the third picture and you can bet after one session of snuggling she was like "HOLLY, CAN YOU HAVE A BABY NOW?"  "OK, WHAT ABOUT NOW?"  "NOW?"

*Excuse the iPhone photos, but really, grabbing my camera is the last thing I am thinking about when hanging out with this precious one.  My thoughts generally vascillate between OMG so cute and OMG am I going to break her?  Understandably, I leave the camera in my purse. 

 And that’s the scoop.


In sum, life is good my friends.  Life is good.

Whatever Happened to Macauley Culkin Anyway?

I recently had to stop watching Criminal Minds and if I'm being honest, I'm still mourning the loss of some regular Shemar Moore action.  He is a fox, and if I had one of those celebrity freebie lists, he'd totally be on it but I long ago decided those lists were not for Garrett and I you see, because Garrett has poor celebrity judgment.  The only evidence I ever need to present is the fact that before we started dating he had Lindsay Lohan posters adorning his walls -- IN THE LIVING ROOM.  Um, case closed.  Granted, that was back in 2004 pre-rehab and she was pretty cute, but still.  I think we can all agree that based on that information Garrett is NEVER allowed a celebrity freebie, so obviously it's only fair that I refrain myself.  

I used to get my Shemar fix almost nightly watching old reruns but our rendezvous ( wait - how do you make that word plural?) eventually had to come to an end because of my house.  You see my house is old -- old and creaky and did  you know old creaky houses make noises when the temperature changes?  Well they do, and because I have watched way too many episodes of Criminal Minds I can tell you that my house makes the exact noises that a prowler would make if he were slyly shuffling on our hardwood floors.  My old, creaky house also makes the exact noises that a crazy rapist serial killer would make if there were one living in my attic.  And they say television isn't educational!  The point is watching Criminal Minds was not helping me relax at the end of a long day, so I had to call it quits.  But I miss it desperately! 

Speaking of desperately missing, Garrett is in New Mexico for 11 days visiting his parents and I can count on one hand how many times we have slept apart for that long in our 5 year relationship.  I know that sounds terribly Liza Minelli/David Guest, but it's the truth.  Sure we do weekends away from each other a lot, or overnighters here and there, we're not total psychos, but this is like A WHOLE WEEK LONGER THAN THAT. To say it has disrupted my routine is not surpring.  With no kids and no pets, coming home and downloading my day to the artwork hanging on the walls just isn't quite as validating you know?  There's no one waiting for me at home to have dance parties to bad 90s music or to throw steaks on the grill so when I pull into the driveway our whole yard smells delicious.  The vibe is a little different and I am vacillating between acting like a total single gal and feeling sorry for myself.  Consequently I have also watched like 900 episodes of Who's the Boss -- I'm not sure if that counts as acting single or feeling sorry for myself, but at least it's been quite entertaining.  That was a good show and I miss those kinds of happy family comedies.  When does Modern Family come back on, by the way?  Anyway, as you can probably imagine all of this alone time has helped me harness my inner-spaz so tightly that I am now so afraid of every little creak in the house that I may officially qualify as medically paranoid.  Which is why waking up this morning to find a man with a mask on and chainsaw in my backyard was more than a little unpleasant. 

Apparently this man  was just there to cut down a portion of my next door neighbors' dying tree that was hanging in our backyard but I will let you know that was of little consequence for a multitude of reasons, including:  A) DUDE IT WAS SEVEN IN THE MORNING and B) IT WAS A STRANGE MAN IN A MASK WITH A CHAINSAW.  I had let myself hit the snooze a few times -- mostly because I had woken up no less than 5 times throughout the night certain there was a masked man in my kitchen -- but instead of that enjoying that extra sleep time and waking rested and refreshed I was startled awake by the sound of Leatherface outside our bedroom sliding glass door.  Oh City of Sacramento, had I wanted that much adrenaline before 8am I would have just added a shot to my Go Girl, mmmkay?  Please take note. 

So pre-coffee sparring with Leatherface aside, I had actually made a plan of how I was going to enjoy this time while Garrett was away.  Determined to not spend my evenings at home alone counting my heart palpitations, I had committed to a vigorous workout and socializing schedule which was fine in theory, but pretty much blew up in practice last night.  When I got to my weightlifting class yesterday all the platforms, weight bars, and dumbbells were taken, even though I was 15 minutes early.  Jerks!  I love that class and I had actually been excited to workout only to be totally dissed by a room full of spandex clad cougars.  There I was stuck at the gym with no iPod to speak of, on a treadmill, parked in front of the only TV showing Bill O'Reilly of all things.  Every other TV had nice normal gym programming like The Food Network, and I get Bill Effing O'Reilly.  I will save you the suspense and tell you that my workout did not last long and I went home feeling a bit dejected, mostly because that was supposed to take up a good hour and a half -- what with working out and then showering afterward -- and instead I got home about 30 minutes after I left and I hadn't even broken a sweat.  At least my package from Amazon.com had arrived while I was gone so it wasn't a total bust.  

Tonight I think I'm going to try working out again (I will bring my iPod for backup just in case) and I was hoping to then have a leisurely night catching up on my DVR, but when I stopped home for lunch this afternoon I discovered my cable AND my internet were out. 

No cable.  And No Internet. 

You know what this means, right?  There is a high probability that tonight it will just be me and the house. 

Home Alone.

And well, I think this pretty much sums up my feeling on that: 

My Secret Addiction

This month has been crazy -- filled with productivity, action, and meaningful long term planning.  I've been sitting at the computer a little less and doing a little more.  I'm not ready to say I am kicking ass and taking names on my July To Do List but I will say that I am getting there and definitely everything I have chosen to do this month has been a conscious choice, which has been AWESOME! Something about being choosy with how you spend your time makes life seem a lot less stressful and a lot more under control.  (Most of you are probably shouting "DUH!" at your computer screens right now.  I know.) But can I tell you what is totally out of control this month?  Our magazine subscriptions!  (And here's a confession:  I just subscribed to 2 more TODAY!  OMG what was I thinking.)  I'm not really sure what to do about it.  In some ways it is so easy, in others it is so overwhelming. 

How many magazines do you subscribe to? 

These are the magazines that make their way to our mailbox every month:

Cooking Light - This is a monthly staple that I just love getting.  It inpires meals every month and they usually have a few articles I'm interested in peppered throughout.  I know I could mostly get these recipes online but I love flipping through cooking magazines on Sunday when I meal plan.  Sitting at the computer is just NOT the same.  Plus, I got a year of it for $5 on Amazon at Christmas.

Real Simple - Great articles, great recipes, great home stuff -- I find this magazine to be lifestyle eye candy.  and again, I got it for $5 a year on Amazon at Christmas, so it definitely has paid for itself, even if I don't read every page of every issue.

Rachael Ray - I'm on Team Rachael Ray, feel free to judge me, and I love her magazine!  Recipes are usually fairly simple, lots of fun cooking and travel articles.  It's just always a fun (and quick read) and usually a few pages end up dog-eared for that Sunday night meal planning session.  This would probably be the first "cooking" magazine I would cut, but dammit, I DON'T WANT TO!

Fitness - I don't know why I still get this.  I'm not sure I have ever paid for, renewed, or requested this magazine, yet it keeps  coming to my mailbox.  I think the exercises are always a bit weak sauce, and the "health" articles always seem a bit gimmiky and advertiser driven (well, more obvious than most magazines I mean) but some of the recipes are fun and it can be good inpiration to shake up my workout at times.  I don't love it, but I still get it.  

Vanity Fair - some of the best and intriguing magazine articles aroun -- and usually they are about stuff I never even knew I wanted to know about.  Plus celebrities!  I mean, this tickles both the intellectual and superficial side of my brain and I kind of love it.  I don't really want to give it up, plus I recycle it when I'm done with it and pass it on to my mom, so it's also my good deed for the month. (right?)

The New Yorker - I have wanted a subscription to The New Yorker for ages and finally this Christmas I bought myself one.  It was $35 on Amazon around Christmas and I thought to myself, hell, I buy at least 6 issues a year (and they are painfully almost $6) so this pays for itself.  AND DAMN IT, I'M WORTH IT!  The only issue (haha, "issue"  See what I did there?  Ok, sorry) is that it is an incredibly dense magazine and it comes EVERY WEEK.  So it's a lot of reading, and truth be told, I don't read every issue from cover to cover but it is also one of the magazines that both Garrett and I like to read.  As long as I keep that price locked in, this one's a keeper. 

Sunset - I can't get enough of this magazine and it is one of the only magazines that I pretty much start reading on the way back from the mailbox and don't put it down until it's done.  I am always cutting out inpirations for decor, vacations, recipes.  So damn useful!  This mag is a MUST.  The funniest part of this magazine is that I never used to read until Garrett's mom got him a subscription to it for Christmas one year (it's tradition that she buys him a new magazine each year and they are always thoughtful interesting choices.)   

Organic Gardening - This year's subscription from Garrett's mom.  A magazine I probably would not have chosen myself, yet I adore all the great info in it! It's slightly above my skillset but it gives me something to aspire to. 

California Country - Complimentary magazine for being a California Farm Bureau member.  Great articles about the local agricultural economy, recipes, and fun facts.   

Glamour - All I can say about this magazine is how much I hate it and how it fills me with rage every month that it shows up in my mailbox.  I used to subscribe to Domino (RIP! Sob!) and when it went under I got this stupid, dumb, stupid, dumb magazine as a replacement.  BECAUSE THEY ARE SO SIMILAR.  ugh.  It reminds me on the regular how much I miss Domino.  Can't wait until this runs out. 

Popular Mechanics - Another $5 Amazon Holiday deal (if you haven't noticed yet, December -- great month to stock up on the magazine subscriptions.  Best kept secret, I tell ya!)  I don't really read this but Garrett does and he enjoys it. 

Via - Yes this is the free AAA magazine, but you guys it is so fun to read!  Before Garrett and I lived together I would steal this from him every issue.  Now that we are roomies, I still savor the benefits!

So this alone, is quite a long list  (And it doesn't include the free mags we end up getting from Costco, Charles Schwab, The Fed, and some other weird finance-y publication that I can't remember.  Obvs, I don't read it.)  It's kind of a ginormous list, actually, now that I type it all out.  But seriously the difference in price for subscribing vs. buying a few issues a year is practically negligable and in some cases ($5 Amazon deals) impossible to pass up!  So I don't really feel guilty about it so much as I feel well...just RIDICULOUS.  And then today I added two new subscriptions (!!!) because I needed another like I needed hole in the head. 

But here is my justification:

Everyday Food - Hi I'm sorry, do we not know each other?  I'm a Martha Stewart Zealot.  Yes she's a nutty control freak, but man do her recipes and entertaining tips deliver.  Not to mention I am a total lover of the Everyday Food Cookbook Series.  And this magazine, silly little minx that it is, taunts me at the grocery checkout 10 TIMES PER YEAR.  And almost always, I give in.  To the tune of at least $4.  I recently purchased a subscription to this for my mom on her birthday and I noticed on the little subscription mailer that it came with an added bonus.  A subscription to Whole Living Magazine.  Swoon!  This magazine is another little grocery store temptress and the two for one deal was hard to pass up (hello, $12!  For 20 issues!)  I mean really how could I say no?  Well the answer is, I coulnd't.  And now I am the owner of 14 magazine subscriptions.  And I'm not even satisfied.  Can you believe I still want to subscribe to Oprah?  

It's a problem you all.  But admitting it is the first step, right?  Right????  

 
 

Sometimes I do NOT enjoy being a girl....

So yesterday we had another company come out to give us a second opinion on our House A/C Situation.   As I mentioned recently, the last guy from a Very Reputable Company came out and basically said our A/C was dunzo, which on the eve of summer in Sacramento is like being sentenced to the death penalty. 

The incident went down something like this since Garrett was out of town:

Holly:  Our heater wouldn't turn on all winter and we are now worried our A/C is up to no good as well, although we haven't tried to turn it on.

Very Reputable A/C Guy:  Well let me do some checking, I'll be back.

(After about 30 minutes)

H:  So, how did it go?

VRACG:  Here let me draw you a picture and speak to you with lots of big words you will only kind of understand. 

H:  OK

VRACG:  Blah, Blah, Blah, and in the end, I'm not saying you have to get a new A/C System, but you kind of have to get a new A/C System.  Have your boyfriend call me if he wants me to break the situation down for him too.   

*****Cue Panic******


So then yesterday Mr. New Repairman from This Other Company comes out to give a second opinion.  Although he doesn't know he is our second opinion.  And rather than dealing with me, he deals with Garrett -- and when I say "deals with Garrett" I mean spends an hour and a half diagnosing and tinkering and cleaning and servicing and ALLOWING GARRETT TO STAND ON A LADDER WHILE HE DOES THINGS ON OUR ROOF BECAUSE GARRETT IS CURIOUS HOW EVERYTHING WORKS, and then answers ninety billion of Garrett's very mechanical questions that were relevant to the sitiuation. 

And this guy's verdict:  There's nothing wrong.  

Um...wha??????  Nothing?  Like at all?

Nothing.

Two very different answers, and two very different situations.  

One is offering the death penalty, the other is offering an all expense paid trip to the Bahamas.  And I'm feeling sort of vexed by the whole situation.  

COOL THINGS:  

*Um, you know which guy we are going to listen to right?
*The second opinion made sense and was very thorough.
*And most importantly, after a quick cleaning, both the A/C and the Heat are now working like a charm.

THINGS I'M KIND OF ANNOYED ABOUT:

*According to the First Opinion, yes the A/C is technically working, but we are living on "borrowed time" which of course gives me anxiety, but not enough to run out spend $8K just in case, you know?
*Um, did I just totally get worked by Mr. First Opinion?
*Here let me answer that for you.  Yes, I think I totally just got worked by Mr. First Opinion.

I don't know if all of you will feel me on this, but sometimes in my experience as a female, if I have to have something serviced or repaired I totally get the run around.  I'm not saying I expect it, because I really give people the benefit of the doubt, but I have seriously had some shady situations go down (especially surrounding car problems) that just NEVER happen when Garrett takes the car in or whatever.  It's annoying, but I'm not going to lie, it's also kind of fun to let someone go through the process of trying to give you the run around, just to turn around and let them know that you know what the hell you are talking about.  Take, for example:  Many years ago, in my single days, I had actually just picked my car up from having the break pads replaced and went to get my oil changed (which, was obvs my dream day of errand running I'll have you know)  and the oil change guy gave me a line about how my transmission was all effed up and my break pads really probably needed some attention, but he could handle that for me at the low price of $149.99 or something ridiculous.  Actually, I'm not sure if it was exactly those things, because now that I think about it why would an oil guy be looking at my break pads, but it was somebody looking at my break pads and telling me they were shot even though I HAD JUST HAD THEM CHANGED SO SHUT IT YOU LYING LIAR FACE, DUDE!  Wanna see my receipt, because here it is on the passenger seat you idiot.  

This happens more often than I would like, I find, but I am really having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that this A/C guy would really take advantage of me!  He was so nice to me!  And my mom, who was also there!  How can you want to take advantage of my mom, too?  Grrrrr. 

Well, come to find out, after a long drawn out discussion about an A/C Unit last night (Hey-O, kind of like this blog post!)  apparently, when Garrett called him (as you will remember the A/C guy TOLD ME TO HAVE GARRETT DO) Mr. A/C was a little put off and defensive and kind of evaded all of Garrett's questions (which, honestly, Garrett does ask a lot of questions about mechanical things, I know this -- but um, that's why I'm pretty sure HE CAN FIX SHIT, which, indicidentally is not my thing.  But hey I have other things!  I can write diatribes on fixing shit on the internet, so there!)  And this sort of gave Garrett a feeling that we really needed that second opinion, which, in the end I'm super glad we got.  But still, the whole thing is just sort of vexing -- I mean yes, it's good news.  But also, I feel sort annoyed about the whole damn thing. 

I bet you all can't wait to hear about our dealings with landscapers!  Woot!   

Deep Cleansing Breaths

The other day I was sitting on the couch for a minute and I realized I was breathing in a very shallow manner.  I have a habit of doing this unconsciously when I am very stressed, but it is not as dramatically obvious as say biting my nails or something so I don't often notice it. 

"Self, what are you stressing about?"  I thought in my head.  "You are sitting on the couch.  This is not stressful." 

(Don't worry, I imagine talking to myself far more than I actually do.  I'm not about to go all Danielle from RHONJ on you. CRAZYPANTS!)

So I started thinking and I realized, holy smokes, even though it doesn't feel like it all the time we have A LOT of stressful plates spinning right now:

*The A/C situation in our house (we are in the process of getting estimates)
*Both cars being in the shop over the last two weeks
*Potentially buying a new car
*Relandscaping our front and back yards (OMG this is a blog post in itself, OY!)
*My studies for my work designation
*Garrett is considering the GRE and going back to school
*New jobs, new schedules, and new routines
*I'm thinking about starting a Food Blog  (baby steps at the moment)
*I have sort of injured my foot and am now hobbling around my house in the morning like an old person

Holy Harriet, our life is like MAJORLY in flux! 

DING DONG. HELLO.  CRAZY CHANGE.

(Are you surprised at all that with all this crap going on I told Garrett the other night "We should totally start planning our wedding in August so we can get married next May.  I don't want to be a sweaty bride." Because just what we need is another large, life changing project!)

(Someone needs to put me in a mental institution.)

Anyway, this isn't really news here I guess since I've been sort of passively grumbling around on this site for the last couple of weeks, but I guess it just took that little mental list making and shallow breathing episode to make me conscious of what I've got to do over the next few weeks. 

Yes, things are changing and projects are afoot.  But NO, I don't need to let it control me or stress me out to the point where all I post on this site is how awful things are and whine, complain, whine, complain (and then go blaming in on the Manzo's...ha!)  Life is good (if not complicated) but I think a full life can be a happy life if you let it, so damnit this is my deep cleansing breath right here in writing. 

I'm going to get through all this business, I swear.  Thanks for indulging me, friends! 

Lather Rinse Repeat

Well every week can't be Mardi Gras now, can it?  Things are plugging along in our neck of the woods with most days and nights being none too blog-worthy.  Garrett has been working at Peet's Coffee & Tea (where we met!  awww!) so his schedule has been very part time and very flexible which has been awesome.  I'm still loving having him around the house more and just the general calm we've got going on with only one of us running around like a chicken with their head cut off trying to balance everything.  (Um, guilty.)

I've been doing a few things I'm proud of, but again, they aren't really headline making:  I've been going to the gym, like um, every night and just pushing myself like crazy.  And I love it.  I love when I am in a routine like this because working out feels so damn good.  I never EVER leave the gym and regret working out, it's just the getting there that is a real mind game sometimes -- prioritizing fitness is hard, yo!  It's been very easy the past few weeks because we haven't had a lot of things going on in the evenings so it's been no thing to pop over the gym and work out.  As I look to next week's calendar with multiple mid week social events and weekend parties, I feel a little anxious.  I'm just going to keep reminding myself what my priorities are, try and make good decisions, and basically cross my fingers and hope it all works out!  Maybe I'll even plan some early morning workouts, who knows -- let's get crazy!  :)

Anyway, the other super exciting thing going on (#sarcasm) is that I am studying for a test for an Insurance Designation I am getting for work, and the 300 page book that is all! about! insurance!  is about as interesting and you can imagine.  For a textbook it's not so bad, but the subject matter is a bit, um...technical?  So it is taking me a while to get through.   Not to mention I procrastinated like an ass, so even I've had the book for a month you know I am cramming, college-style, to get all the reading done because the test is TOMORROW.  Nice.  But I'm still proud of myself because it is easy to get into a slump at work and just show up so I am happy that I'm taking my time and investing in my own learning at work.  

So with all the aforementioned excitement, this week pretty much looks like this:

*Wake up at 5
*Read INS book
*Do a few things around the house
*Shower
*Work/Email/Work/Read the Internet/Work
*Gym
*Cook Dinner
*Shower
*Read
*Maybe squeeze in some bad reality tv and a conversation with my sweetie
*Sleep

Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

And every once in a while there is a thrilling new event like Tuesday when I got to take my car into the shop (Crimony with the A/C problems -- the house! the car! -- it may just be a sweaty summer, yet).  Or then there was yesterday when the spider guy came to our house and sprayed for bugs -- which sidenote, is wonderful but also disgusting.  You see when those bugs die, they do not properly dispose of themselves, they just lay out in your patio/yards/garage DEAD until YOU dispose of them.  Um...ICK!  File that under Things I did not contemplate when planning The Great Bug Extinction of 2010.   But anyway, bugs!  Dead!  I'm happy!  (Well, for now.) 

In the end, life is good even though it is not going to win any awards for Extreme Entertainment!   My life is so boring it is like this season of The Hills, but with a less glamorous wardrobe.  Cross your fingers I pass my test tomorrow so I can do some true celebrating and then maybe at least have a good lamp shade/table dancing story for you! 

Spring Fever!

The problem with living in Sacramento is that the second it gets even a little bit warm, I want to be by the water, soaking up the sun with a great book in hand, and well -- the Sacramento River just doesn't really do it for me.  I mean, sure it's fun to raft down in a moment of excrutiating heat and desperation, but I prefer the ocean! the beach! the sand! icy cold beverages!  Why does coastal living in California have to cost an arm and a leg (and then your firstborn! yikes!) 

I'm already dreaming about the weekend -- customary for a Wednesday, I'll have you know -- and although I don't think we'll be headed to the beach, we may head up to Oroville and do our favorite hike up to Feather Falls because at least if we aren't going to get to see the ocean, this is a nice substitute:

via

I am also woefully behind on my bookclub reading, so I best make some time to do that this weekend as well. 

What are you fantasizing about doing this weekend.  Do tell -- it makes the week go by faster, I promise!

A Handwritten Hello

Too Short To Blog, Too Long To Tweet

• Last week my friend Jeremy and I made an impromptu decision to see a local theater production of Glengarry Glen Ross. Even though I have never seen the movie, I thoroughly enjoyed it, but more importantly it reminded me that I really miss theater! I feel pretty lucky that growing up my parents took me to do that kind of thing quite a bit. We had season tickets to one of the local repertory theaters, and although I always thought it was kind of a drag growing up, now it is singlehandedly the reason I kick Garrett's butt in any musical/theater/opera questions on Jeopardy! Hey, it's the little things, people.
  
  
• I have run into a couple of bad eggs lately when it comes to books -- a couple in a row I just couldn't get into -- and seriously I start questioning my own intelligence when I can't get into a book. Am I the only one who does this? Like, for a minute, I feel like a bad reader (college flashbacks, maybe?) and that I am obviously out of line since I don't have an appreciation for the book at hand, and then I have to remind myself that reading should be a pleasurable hobby and does not have to be a demonstration of discipline. If I don't like something I don't have to read it, DAMMIT! To remedy this I went to the library and picked up a bunch of cheesy books and as soon as I finish the book I'm reading now (which is delightful, finally) I'm going to go on trashy reading bender. Coming soon to a Goodreads Page near you.
  
  
• Random Internet Etiquette Question -- say you follow someone on Twitter or Facebook or Whatevs, although this is someone you know in real life. This person decries they are going through something awful, having the Worst Day Ever, bitching about something terrible that is going on in their lives, all of the above. You, being concerned about said friend's well-being, respond in some way -- email, text, etc. (and more than once, but not every single time they cry/complain/vent). If they NEVER respond -- like not even once -- not even a "hey thanks for thinking of me..." response like their mother taught them! Is that offensive? Or am I mostly being oversensitive? I think I know the answer to this but am always interested in another perspective.
  
  
• I'm starting to plan Garrett's birthday vacation in May and I think we are FINALLY going to get to Seattle. At least that's what we are leaning towards, and OHMYGOD you all, I am peeing my pants with excitement. I have never been there, but I swear to you, I just know we are going to live there someday. Is that weird? Do you have a place like this? A place that you have never been but are just: A. In love with or B. Feel like you will end up there someday. Seattle is that place for me, and luckily Garrett feels the same way. Weird, right? (And convenient I guess, since I think I'm gonna keep him around for a while hehe). The weirder part is that we saw an Astrologer recently (wow, that is totally another post, I should tell you about that, it was super interesting) and without any input from us basically came out and said geographically Seattle was a place that both of us were very connected. Also, The Dalles in Oregon, but I don't know a thing about that area except for that it was mentioned in One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest, which isn't like a great selling point in my opnion, but you never know.

What's new with you, peeps?

Over It. But Also Not Sure I Was Ever Under It.

…aaaaaaaaaaand I’m back to thinking about redecorating again.


Redecorating, you say?


Didn’t you just move in last April? It hasn’t even been a year.  Are you really going to redecorate? 


And the answer to that question -- after a sly stink eye-- is Yes. But keep in mind I am also crazy. Also, I read too many design blogs. Note to self: whittle down the design porn.

(But how can you not be inspired by the color combo in this room? [No, I am not thinking about nurseries thankyouverymuch]  Also, I want these chairs immediately.  Ack!  So many ideas.)


Anyway, I feel justified because I’m not really RE-decorating because technically we never really finished the decorating process. We have no paint on the walls or anything, just furniture and stuff, so I say it’s fair game.


I guess what prompted the whole idea is that I am so sick of our sheets right now.  The last few nights I have woken up in a crazy toga-tangle of jersey bedding which annoys the hell out of me in the middle of the night. So we need new sheets.  STAT.  And if I buy new sheets -- as my rationale goes -- I get a new duvet cover, right? So I’m thinking about moving our old duvet to the guest bedroom, but then I’d have to move the master bedroom art to guest bedroom too, and then our walls would be bare so I would need to handle that.


New paint.


New sheets.


New comforter.


New art.


So now we’re back to redecorating.


Fickleness -- one of my less favorable qualities.

Check Your Head, Crazypants Website

I had to order new checks today (and honestly I don't even know why I ordered them because what on earth do I even use checks for these days) so I went online to some dumb website and picked out the least offensive, cheapest checks possible and proceeded to try and checkout. And no they didn't have Disney Characters on them, or Anne Geddes Babies, or Girls Washing Their Hair, or whatever other shit they were trying to charge me $30 for. They were just checks. To write on. If I pay things. I do not consider checks part of my "Personal Brand" as it were.

So after declining the "prevent check fraud" option like 4 separate times in which I had to keep manually clicking on a radio button that said something totally inflammatory like "Yes, that's right I don't care about check fraud, crazies please come get me and my money" --it was finally time to choose a shipping option. Quick sidebar: I am not sure that your stupid watermark for $3 per box is really going to prevent fraud anyway, and even if it does, I would rather spend that money on my stupid credit check every month to make sure no one is stealing my freakin identity, OK? Jesus Crimony, Batman! Fighting crime these days is so exhausting! So anyway, shipping options...The options included a $6.95 standard shipping charge for a 7-9 business day arrival (for my $9 checks that probably weigh half a pound, but whatevs) or an "overnight" option that I could select for $22.95 which meant my checks would arrive in, oh...FOUR TO SEVEN DAYS.

I'm sorry, what? I thought this shit was overnight. If I'm going to pay twice the price of the actual product I am purchasing, JUST TO SHIP IT "OVERNIGHT", I want that shit on my counter top tomorrow morning, preferably pouring me a cup of piping hot cup of coffee and making me an friggin omelet.

So yeah, I chose the regular shipping option, and I'll probably get my checks a year from now -- but I guess the upside is that's probably the next time I will need to use one, so I've got that going for me.

Random Things That Are Rocking My World Lately

Silk Pumpkin Spiced Soy Milk-- Specifically in brewed coffee. Granted, I love soy in just about any coffee drink but seriously? PUMPKIN SPICED SOY? Is pretty much just a slice of seasonal heaven in my morning coffee -- which, since our heater is broken and it has been cold as all get out in Sacramento lately -- is definitely a plus. If you are not really a fan of soy milk then this wonky sort of flavor certainly won't convince you, but if you do already like soy -- do yourself a favor and get some STAT.

This American Life on DVD -- Okay who are we kidding, I love the podcast as well, but it has been fun to see the visual representation and see some of the faces of people I have heard stories about too. I am totally fascinated with stories of everyday people and this show ALWAYS delivers interesting content.

Bubble Baths -- When your heater is broken and it's rainy and cold outside, do you know what rocks? A Piping Hot Bubble Bath -- especially if you have purchased oodles of bubble bath from Bath & Body Works the last time they had a huge sale. I purchased so much bubble bath, in fact, that I came home with one that was called "Twilight Woods" solely because I was having an inappropriate Team Jacob moment. And also because it was described as "evoking the mystery and beauty of enchanted woods" and really who doesn't want to evoke that while bathing, am I right? Oh, I'm not? Oh, okay, my bad. Anyway it kind of smells um, musky? I don't know. It's alright in a bubble bath, but I certainly wouldn't spray it all over myself or anything. Boy, how the heck did I get here? Oh yes, I was talking about bubble baths and how much they rock. THEY ROCK.

P-Touch Label Makers -- Because I'm an organization nerd and in my spare time I like to reorganize the bulk food section of our pantry and label things. And I want you to know that when I say "pantry" I really mean the one teeny tiny cupboard that we have to fit every single food item in the kitchen that isn't dishes or booze. And that my friends, is a challenge of epic spatial proportions. And this label maker? Just makes me want to pull all my hair out a little bit less.

Evening Walks -- It has been super cold lately in Sacramento, as I alluded to earlier, but it's the kind of California cold that feels revitalizing to be in when you slap on a coat and scarf. Garrett and I have been taking some nightly walks around our neighborhood to admire the lights and decorations and blow off steam at the end of the day and I am just so in love with dusk! I feel grateful to live in a place so temperate this time of year because even though it is cold out, we still get to explore outside and not come home totally frozen.

Veggie Patch Falafels -- I was incredibly leery of these because I love falafel and did not think that you could replicate the goodness at home in a microwave. In the end, it is not the seem deep fried deliciousness that you will find in a restaurant, but you know what? That is kind of the best part? These are quick and easy to heat up and serve in a pita with a little Greek salad topping and some homemade tzatziki. Such a tasty (non-deep-fried) convenience dinner under 10 minutes!

What's been rocking your world lately, peeps?