W@H

One of the benefits of my job, that I rarely take advantage of, is the opportunity to work at home, or W@H. Well, today I decided to do just that. It was a beautiful day, so, around 11 this morning, I decided to set myself up outside and enjoy it. It was great. Listening to the birds, watching the groundhog dig up my neighbor's yard, and feeling the warm breeze just made the day a treasure. AND I got a lot of work done. It was a real treat, but not without a price. I paid the piper in the form of a fall down my concrete back porch stairs resulting in a very sore foot, baby toe, and bruised anbd swollen knee. I made an additional contribution by stepping on some kind of thorny weed - my foot still tingles from that one as I don't think I got all the stickers out. But, I must say, the day was well worth the price. I just might wear shoes next time!

Sunny Days

We have a few really nice days in store for us here in Rochester. The whole weekend is supposed to be sunny and 80 degrees. The logical thing for me to do this weekend is to work in the yard. The task I should focus on, logically, is the lawn. However, I have two issues - okay, make that three issues:

1. I have never mowed a lawn.
2. I do not know how to mow or even how to start the lawn mower.
3. The lawn mowers - yes, both of them - are behind Michele's car in the garage and I don't know how to drive Michele's car.

I am sure I can overcome issues 1 and 2 with the help of my wonderful neighbor Rita and some over-the-phone coaching from my dad, the lawn master. However, Michele is freaked out about me overcoming issue 3. I was not a promising student when she tried to teach me to drive standard. I am actually really excited to try and I think that is where her concern lies. I suppose she has a point: excitement paired with lack of skills is a dangerous combination. I'll let you know what happens. Keep your fingers crossed that my next post isn't about driving through the back wall of the garage! (That's a joke, Michele, trust me!)

Michele's Anniversary 'Card'

I've been working on a gift for Michele for our most recent anniversary. About five or six years ago Michele gave me a card - the most beautiful card I've ever seen. I've loved it ever since she gave it to me and always thought I would do something artistic with it or let it inspire a project. When thinking about what to make for Michele for our anniversary, I decided to finally make something based on the lovely card.

I'm very pleased with the result and know Michele will love it, too. Quilting is a real passion of mine, so it was really fun taking something that I have loved for years and recreating it in the art form that brings me the most joy. I took some liberties with the design and had a ball learning new techniques and improving known skills. This was my first stab at applique and I found I really like it. It was fun to combine piecing and applique and do it all with a twist. I think it was a perfect way to honor the love Michele displayed when she picked out a card that was so perfect for me.

Recovery and New Agenda

I am well on my way to recovering from the flu. My energy level is still low and the cough is still hanging around, but I otherwise feel well. While I was sick I had a lot of time to think and finally feel like I have a handle on all of my responsibilities with Michele away - took me long enough, right. I've just really been struggling to fit it all in. But I discovered my problem - I'm crazy. I'm rarely in the mood to clean, but when I am I take it to the extreme and burn myself out. For example, the week before last, I was in the mood and ran around like a whirling dervish and cleaned the entire house from top to bottom, except the kitchen, which was the one room that needed it the most. Another example is this weekend. Again, I was in the mood to clean, so I polished the oven door, but didn't clean the stove; washed the kitchen windows, but not the dishes; groomed one cat (I have three, remember); changed the sheets, but didn't pick up the dirty dishes on the bedside table; and washed down the bathroom walls. That's right - I washed the bathroom walls and didn't clean anything else in either bathroom. So, I came upon this incredibly complex and convoluted concept: focus on one chore every day. Just one, not weird bits and pieces of a whole bunch of chores. Just one a day and the house will always be managed. Well, today is day one, so I'll let you know how it goes. One good thing is that I can check "bathroom wall washing" off my list for the week!

On a slightly unrelated note, I just this minute learned what a "whirling dervish" is. I always thought it was an animal related to the Tasmanian Devil. I don't think I could be more wrong!

Philadelphia Flu

I had to take a last minute business trip to Philadelphia this week. I left on Tuesday morning with a slight cold and came home last night with the flu. It's the first time I have been sick since Michele has been on the road. Usually when I am sick, Michele makes me eat this really yucky multigrain hot cereal. I complain every time, but I eat it. This morning, I woke up and realized that I could eat anything I wanted and that I wouldn't have to eat that gross cereal. So, I went down to the kitchen and made myself - what else? - the yucky multigrain hot cereal. It's what Michele would make me, so it made it feel like she was here taking care of me.

A Chronicle of My Trip to Salt Lake City

Hello! I am sorry that I have been so neglectful and have not posted pictures of my trip, yet. My sister actually emailed me and demanded that I do so - so, it wasn't quite a demand, but every suggestion from a big sister seems very commanding. I will rectify the situation and chronicle my trip for you all in words and images.

I arrived in SLC several hours before Michele, so I called my friend Cindy and convinced her to take the afternoon off to play with me. Since I was hungry, I asked Cindy to take me to a Utahian restaurant. Here we are at a wonderful Mexican restaurant just after we finished eating our vegetarian burritos. Bet you didn't know Utah was famous for its Mexican food - neither did Utah!

While we were still at the restaurant, Michele called and said she was on her way, so Cindy and I headed to my hotel to await Michele's arrival. Little did we know that her trainer, Mike, has a teeth brushing fetish and needed to stop on the way to brush! So, Cindy and I waited a while.

They finally arrived, but I cannot post the picture of Michele when she first arrived. Let me just tell you, she had been on the road for two months without our beloved barber, Willie, and she hadn't showered in about a week! To my eyes, at the time, she was a rainbow, an ocean, just perfectly lovely. Looking at the picture now, however, she was quite a bit worse for wear!

Before Michele and Mike got their much needed showers, we all crowded into the truck so that I could see how Michele has been and will be living for the next while. It is really cool in there! Of course, I don't have to live there, but it was neat for a visit! They even let me drive! OK, so maybe the truck wasn't running and I didn't actually move anywhere, but sitting with my feet on the pedals and my hands on the wheel sure felt like driving to me!

That evening, Cindy took us to the best vegan restaurant - the same one Michele blogged about when she was in Utah last. Ahhh, yummm! Cindy ordered just as much food as the last time and we all enjoyed and got fuller than full!!

The next morning, Michele and I were on our own. We set out on an adventure to find, what else, a Starbucks! Every time we asked the GPS to take us to one it lead us to an office building, the airport, and even to the Temple! The fourth time was the charm and Michele got her coffee.

We then headed to CR England to get Michele a haircut. As I mentioned before, she really, really needed one after two months on the road. On the left is my lovely lady before her haircut by that oh so nice barber. And here she is after! What a difference! She says she felt like herself again.

After Michele's haircut, Cindy took us to Park City and we had a ball. It was snowing and beautiful. We could see the skiers and snowboarders livin' it up. For some reason, Cindy and Michele became fascinated with every set of stairs that we saw and we had to climb them all. I still don't know what the fascination was, but, oh, what a view once we reached the top - every time!

While in Park City, we rode a trolley, had fresh squeezed OJ and caramel apples - though vegan Cindy just had a plain apple on a stick and professed it extra delicious because it was on a stick! - sat and took pictures with every animal statue we saw, including a moose with painted toe nails and sequined eyelashes, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

We ended the tour of Utah with a trip to The Great Salt Lake. I felt it was important to ingest some salt from the Great Salt Lake - though my companions did not agree. I tasted it twice and it didn't taste as salty as I thought it would - boy, I hope that was salt I ate!! I also wanted to stick our feet in the water, but Michele and Cindy would only agree to a finger, so I contented myself with that.

After we left the lake, we had another yummy dinner (at Jeremiah's favorite restaurant - we missed you!!), after which the server rubbed my belly - what can I say, they are friendly in Utah - and then we all went back to the hotel and did Michele's laundry! It was actually very fun. At this point in time, the battery in my camera died and I intended to charge it in the room to have it ready for our last day in Utah. Of course, in all the rabble rousing in the laundry room, I forgot to do that, so the whole next day I used Michele's camera and she has all the pictures! We had a ball, though. We went to a lovely church full of wonderful - and, of course, friendly - people, then went to a park for a walk, but it was too cold, so we just sat in the car and talked. That afternoon and evening we spent with Cindy and her very, VERY big family at the birthday party of one of her younger sisters. On the way to the party, Michele and I stopped at a Joann's to get supplies to make Ellen a card. It was the tiniest Joann's I have ever seen - it actually looked like a Goodwill store, so Michele and I called it the Joann's Thrift Store!

We couldn't help but have fun with Cindy's family. Each sibling gets to pick what they want for dinner on their birthday and Ellen chose a Salad Bar! What providence that three vegetarians would be attending!

All in all, my trip and visit with Michele - and Cindy - was perfect! I thoroughly enjoyed myself and hope you enjoy it through this blog!

Seeing Michele

My trip to Utah was lovely! Seeing Michele was the best treat!! We got to spend a lot of quality time together and enjoyed spending time with our friend Cindy and her family. One thing I miss the most with Michele away is attending church with her, but we took the opportunity to go to Palm Sunday service in Utah. We went to the nicest little church in Salt Lake, had a wonderful time, and met some really nice people.

I swear Salt Lake is home to the friendliest people on earth! Cindy took us to a great Chinese restaurant - Jeremiah's favorite (Jeremiah is our good friend & Cindy's boyfriend, but he is away in San Francisco at school) - and I ate so much food I needed to slouch down and pat my belly. Well, as I was doing this, one of the servers came by and said "Oh, are you full?" then rubbed my belly - yes, that's right, she rubbed my belly!! - and said "Yup, you sure are full!" See, that's just how friendly they are in Salt Lake.

Cindy also took us to the Great Salt Lake, which was delightful! I took some salt off a rock and ate it - it wasn't as salty as I thought it would be, at which point I started to question whether it was really salt I had eaten!

Michele and I spent most of our trip sightseeing and doing other really romantic things, like laundry and getting Michele a haircut. Boy, did she need one!! We went to the barber on the trucking company campus. At first she was really scary. She said "If you don't make up your minds about this haircut soon, I'm going to be really pissed off!" She warmed up to us soon, though. By the end of the cut, she was like a favorite aunt - you know that favorite aunt that will pinch you as soon as look at you, and sneaks you cookies, but then tells you they will make you fat? Yeah, she was like that favorite aunt.

Michele and I both feel that our visit fed our spirits and that will make the next two months a lot easier! We really had a ball!!

Off to Utah

Michele called yesterday and said that she will be in Utah over the weekend so that Mike can exchange trucks. So, I am jetting off to Utah for a visit! I can't wait!! I, with the help of my dad, made all the travel arrangements yesterday - easy as pie! The hardest part is working my butt off to make sure that the seven projects I am working on at work will be alright without me for a few days. I worked until 8:30 last night just to make sure that all the work needed over the next few days will be done by someone else - graphic designers, audio talent, and editors. I am actually glad that I will be so busy until I leave because the time is really flying! Most likely the next time you hear from me I will be in Utah with Michele! Oh, what joy!!

Sneaky Actors

Perhaps it is a sign that I watch too much Star Trek, but something that really drives me crazy is when they try to sneak actors from one show onto another. Do they think we won't notice? I wouldn't mind if they just wrote it into the story line, but no! They change their species and make them play totally different characters! Throughout the whole episode I am distracted by their presence and, quite frankly, insulted that they thought I wouldn't notice. One actor in particular, Tim Russ, has played a human mercenary on TNG, a klingon on DS9, a human on Enterprise (the movie), and, as a vulcan, is a main character on Voyager. And they just act like it is business as usual! Aron Eisenburg is the same. His voice is so recognizable that it is really disturbing to hear someone I am familiar with as a recurring Ferengi character on DS9 playing a Kazon warrior on Voyager! It's sneaky, distracting, and quite inappropriate! I may just write someone and give them a peice of my mind!

Yardwork and Jicama, Round Three

Today I undertook another new task: yardwork. I have never enjoyed working in the yard. I hate bugs and, as the dirt, flowers, grass, and trees seem to be their realm, I usually make a concerted effort to give them their space and keep to mine. Well, I refuse to let Michele return to a mess of a house or yard, so I endeavored to do some spring clean up of the backyard today. I knew, once I started, that my neighbor, Rita, wouldn't be able to resist coming out and assisting and advising me. Once we got past my initial fear that I may have touched a worm, we actually had a really good time. I hadn't realized how hard raking is, though, and am really sore! Rita and I, hopefully with my stepmother, Gloria's help, have many plans for the yard. I'm actually pretty excited about getting out there again!

On a completely unrelated note, my first two tries of jicama were incredibly distasteful. I, however, was set on giving it at least three tries before writing it off. Wonder of wonders, but in the mail this week I received the latest issue of Clean Eating and there was an article about the health benefits of jicama and two yummy-sounding recipes. I felt that it must be fate, so I tried one of the recipes. I don't know what was wrong with the jicama that I used in my first two attempts, but the one I bought today was delicious! The Spicy Jicama Salad recipe I tried was absolutely divine!! Jicama, through trial and tribulation, has become one of my favorite veggies.

Anniversary

Today marks Michele and my eleventh year together and our sixth wedding anniversary. It's our first time spending this day apart, but we are both in good spirits. To make me smile and to commemorate the day, I wore the shoes and socks I wore on this day six years ago. At least I think it's the same pair of socks. When my mom and I were out buying the accessories to go with the wedding suit we'd made, we had a really hard time finding the perfect socks. We finally found them at JC Penney's and they were on sale for $0.70 a pair!! I couldn't believe it, so I bought every pair they had - eleven pairs!! So, I may be wearing the same pair I wore on our wedding day, or I may be wearing one of her ten sister pairs, but the sentiment is the same.

Update on the Oven Door

I did end up getting the door back on. Unfortunately, everything was very loose at that point, except, of course, the door handle! So, off it came again, I put it back together - the right way, this time - and got it back on the oven. By the way, oven doors are not light! That thing must weigh at least 40 pounds!! I'm going to count that as my exercise for the day with I talk to my health coach!

The Oven

I was cleaning the kitchen tonight and noticed that the oven door handle was loose. It's probably been loose for years, but I got it in my head to tighten it tonight. I figured "How hard could it be, right?"

This picture is of my oven. Those things leaning against and in front of the cabinets to the right are the pieces of my oven door that just happened to come off and apart when I tried to tighten the handle. I did end up getting the handle tightened, but I can't quite figure out how to get the door back together and back on the oven. I know I should keep working on it, but it's almost 11 and I'm tired. I can't just leave it off, though for two reasons: 1. The oven light is on and that would be a big waste of electricity. 2. Even though I am sure I can rig the light to go off, the cats will imagine this is a new space for their use and likely drag one of Michele's new cushions into the oven to make a new napping spot. The part that is the most frustrating is that I didn't even need to take the door off to get to the screws to tighten the handle. The top part of the door lifts off - easy access to the screws!! I just hate it when things that I think will be easy end up being hard and then turn out really easy!!

Chuck

Michele has gotten me addicted to a new TV show. While she was on her first trainer's truck, Chuck, her trainer, ot her hooked on Chuck, the show. So, Michele called me and told me all about it and advised me to order the first season on Netflix. I resisted, of course! How could I dilute the time I spend on my Star Trek family with this no-account upstart? But, she insisted, and, to make her happy, I gave in. Big mistake!! I love the show!! So, from now on, I am juggling my time and my Netflix orders between Star Trek DS9, Voyager, and Chuck. I think it helps me to be a more well-rounded individual to have such diverse interests: a motley crew of military officers and "terrorists" 70,000 light years from home (Voyager), a stalwart group of officers and civilians on a space station caught between a Cardassian rock and a Dominion hard place (DS9), and finally a human computer CIA/NSA asset who works at the TV equivalent of BestBuy. It's good to be well-rounded and firmly grounded in reality, right?

Thesis and Other UFOs

Okay, (Daddy, sit down and brace yourself) I have actually started working on my thesis again. I plan to have it complete by the end of May. I chunked it up into small bits and have been working on one bit a day and I will continue that until it's done! I decided that while Michele was away I would try to break my habit of not finishing things. So, I made a list of UnFinished Objects (UFOs):

1. Thesis
2. Friend's birthday quilt - birthday was in October
3. Michele's Christmas gift from three years ago
4. Our winter quilt - just in time for summer!
5. The bathroom floor - still only 1/2 ripped up and totally unfinished

So I plan to work on these things over the next two months. I should probably move number 5 up to number 2 because my mom will be visiting and there are a lot of nails sticking up from the bathroom floor. I can't even imagine the kind of karma damage that would occur if my mom was injured by my UFO!!

Musical Magic

Jeremy, our church's pianist and choir director, is a student at Eastman School of Music. I took him home after choir practice yesterday and he invited me to his recital tonight. After he invited me, I asked him if the recital was a class or school requirement. He said "No, it's not a requirement. A friend and I just thought it would be fun to put something together." So, I went to Jeremy's recital expecting a few kids playing around, making great music, of course - this is Eastman after all - but nothing organized or fancy. What I found when I got there was a 30-person orchestra, programs, the cutest conductor in a tux, and Jeremy playing the most fabulous music I have heard in a long time. It was amazing. Just goes to show what can happen when two friends decide to have a little fun!

A Trying Day

Today I tried to donate blood. I haven't donated in several years due to low iron, but I decided to try today. Well, there are new rules and because I lived in Germany in the 80's and 90's I can no longer donate due to Mad Cow disease. I was so disappointed - even though I hate giving blood.

I also tried to attend a class on getting organized to create more time in the day, but work was so crazy that I didn't get to leave until after 7, so I missed my class. I thought it was rather ironic that I couldn't make the time to attend a class on making time for myself! Ha ha!!

Additionally, I tried to eat more jicama, but just couldn't convince myself to do it. Ick!!

All in all, it was a rather trying day - I "tried" to do a lot of things and ended up not doing much at all.

Jicama and Adventuring

As I've mentioned, I am working with a health coach. As part of the nutrition segment of my program, I am trying to increase the variety of fruits and vegetables that I eat. My coach suggested that I try jicama this week. So, I bought the strange looking vegetable and decided to try it today. My coach says she eats it raw, like carrot sticks, or in salads. I decided to try it in sticks and was quite astonished by its taste. Very juicy and crisp and not at all appealing! But I am made of stern stuff and have decided that tomorrow I will thinly slice a few of the sticks I cut and have it in a salad. I also read that it can be cooked like a potato, so, if I don't like it in a salad, I will bake a few pieces and try it that way. If I still don't like it, well that will be that! I'm not one to beat myself over the head with a funny tasting vegetable!

In addition to the jicama, I had another adventure today. My friend, Bridget, and I decided to take a little walk after our regular after-church lunch. We tried following a nature trail beside the restaurant and got a little turned around. We decided to leave the woods and walk back to our cars along a residential street. Two and a half hours later we finally made it back to our cars! I must say that at no time were we lost. We were always aware of where we were, we just didn't seem to turn the right directions to get to where we wanted to be. Regardless, we had a wonderful walk and got some very good exercise. Since one of my other goals for the week is to exercise 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, I think I will be able to honestly tell my coach that I have exceeded my goals - I just did it all in one day!

Postcards, Among Other Things

I received eleven postcards from my beloved today, and am told that was just the start. What a treat! My mother collected spoons from my father's, brother's, sister's, and my travel. My postcards are my style of spoons - paper, which I love, colorful, and space enough to send her love. It was the best surprise.

On an unrelated note, I signed up to "meet" weekly with a health coach. She calls every Friday evening and we work on eating right, exercising, and managing my stress. And every Friday she asks if I met my goals for the week and of course I tell her "Yes! In fact I exceeded my set goals!" And she says "Oh my, I am so impressed with how well you are doing. You are so passionate about improving your life." Goodness me! It's not that I am lying. I'm just exaggerating slightly to impress her. It's hard when it's over the phone - she can't see me eating chocolates and chips when I'm supposed to be drinking water and eating an apple! I promise to do better next week and to be more honest.

On a slightly related note, my father, and now Michele, are nagging me to finish my Master's thesis. They may not believe me, but I am really thinking about getting ready to start making a plan to get things organized to make the arrangements necessary to get everything together to get started on that again. That's my goal for this week. And when you ask me if I met my goal, of course I will tell you . . .

The Hang of It

I have finally got the hang of this chore thing. I came home from work today and took care of the trash, recycling, and litter boxes in ten minutes flat! AND I find that I only need to do it every other week - I am just not creating enough trash or recycling to do it every week. On non-trash weeks I often forget to do the litter boxes, but the cats lovingly remind me. I have finally mastered the chores!! YIPPEE!!

Of course, I have to admit that the only chores I do regularly are the trash, recycling, and litter boxes. I do take care of the dishes when they need it - same with the laundry. And I clean my craft room after every project. I need to work on the rest of the house. I try not to use any rooms that I may potentially then have to clean. That doesn't really work though. I can't keep running to our neighbors to use the bathroom, just so that I don't dirty ours!

Sleeping for Two

I thought that with Michele gone I would have a hard time sleeping. Instead, I am sleeping way too much. Michele and I keep joking that I am sleeping for two - I'm sleeping extra to make up for the hours she doesn't get to sleep. Daylight Saving Time has not helped. Now I stay up even later and try to sleep in even later. I am not saving daylight - I'm wasting it by sleeping through it! I don't think I sleep as much when I have a project. Now that I am done with Michele's room, I need to get started on something else so that I can save myself from a sleep overdose. I believe I will work on the bathroom floor. It's always fun to learn how to do something new on one's own house. I mean, what's the worse that can happen, right?

A Little Color

I have completed Michele's room redo. It's so cute that every time I look in I smile. I'll walk you through the whole project start to finish.

Michele's room began pretty much a blank slate. Pretty bright blue color on the walls, pretty orange curtains made out of basketball jersey fabric, and a beautiful, and large, poster of an orange flower in an orange frame. Other than that, very dull and colorless.

As you know, I started with a seating area. The cats were ever so helpful to me as I made the cushions that made up Michele's Tween Couch.

I swear, the heights they go to be "helpful" is mind-boggling! That's thirty-two inches of cushion. I couldn't believe it when I found her there this morning.

So, as soon as the cats and I were done with the cushions, I turned my attention to the floor. Michele's room has the same hardwood floor as the rest of the house. It is lovely, but oh, so hard on the knees when we do yoga. So, I sought a softening solution and found it in high density foam floor tiles. They also gave me the opportunity to add a little more color to the room.

All that was left was to add her little seating area.

And, voila! Her room is transformed. I even made a little table to fit the couch.

So, as you can see, I am a firm believer that a little color goes a long way. . . and A LOT of color goes even farther!! I love her room so much it quickly became my favorite on in the house!

I am so very pleased with how it turned out and I know Michele will love it, too. Though, when I first met Michele, she was a lover of bare white walls and dull brown furniture. She quickly became a lover of color (ok, not quickly she quickly became a tolerator of color as a defense mechanism to my decorating. Her love of color happened gradually over time, but happen, it did!)

I think I am done with my projects for her room. Though I may paint her some pictures to bring a little more color to her walls. Maybe a quilted wall hanging, too. Ooo, and a couple of lap quilts for chilly nights. Ha ha ha!!

From Far and Wide

I came home tonight and as I was pulling into my driveway I saw something strange on my front porch. I backed the car up again to shine the headlights on it. There were two cats sitting as cute as you please on my front porch. They looked like they were just waiting there patiently for me to answer the door. I guess kitties are coming from far and wide to sit on Michele's new cushions!

Sneaky Cats

As I recently said, I am redecorating Michele's room while she is away. One new additon is a 'tween couch. This consists of several 8" thick floor cushions and 4" thick back cushions. So, Monday I was in the middle of a cushion and I decided to stop for the night. I went downstairs to get a snack and when I went back to my craftroom to shut off the lights, I found Myah had claimed one of the cushions as her own.

Tonight, I decided to get back to the cushions. After a few minutes, I realized that I forgot my water downstairs. When I returned, I found that Pollux thought Myah had looked awfully comfortable on Monday, so she decided to try the cushion out.

Myah, not wanting to be outdone, decided to scale the highest heights and rest upon Mount Cushion. That's nearly 2 feet of cushions there!! I guess our cats are just as crazy as I am! Well, I don't know when I will get these finished, but, rest assured, they will be well-used by the time Michele gets home!!

Star Trekkers Anonymous

Me, at a Star Trekkers Anonymous Meeting:
Hello my name is Michelle and it has been four days since my last episode. I'm feeling a little shaky and am afraid I might hurt someone.

Seriously, though, Netflix messed up and sent me Enterprise, which I will not be ready for for quite some time. I'm really jonesing for a fix. I may have to hit up my friend Tina to borrow a couple of her DS9 DVDs. I don't think I will last the time that it will take for the DVDs to get back to Netflix and for them to send me the right ones. I really do not understand how this happened. Enterprise was WAY at the bottom of my queue. I'm glad I don't know where Netflix is located. I cannot be responsible for my actions, but I can't believe a jury in this land would convict me once they understood the circumstances. I mean really, Enterprise? Come on!

Floor Woes

I still do not know what I am going to do about the upstairs bathroom floor. I haven't actually worked on it since the last time I mentioned it. Surprisingly, nothing has changed - where are the shoemaker's little helpers when you need them? Somehow Michele found out - go figure, she actually reads my blog - and said that I am not allowed to just through a rug over it, so that's out. I need to figure out the price, time requirements, and pros/cons of all my options. Why is it that no matter how easy I think it will be, everything I do in this house is 10 times harder? And I am fooled every time. You would think I would eventually learn: old house = 10x more time than you are thinking! Oh well, at least I am having fun and keeping out of trouble - well, at least I am keeping out of what I consider trouble. Some might consider having ripped up half my bathroom floor with no plan getting into trouble, but I think that's rather short-sighted.

Showers

Almost every time we talk, Michele tells me it's been days since their last shower stop. Today, she said they haven't showered in six days!! Now, I'm not one who will die without a daily shower, but SIX DAYS! Wow! It's amazing how little I think of the convenience that Michele and her truckmates are craving. When she comes home I will never be able to get her out of the shower. I'll serve her meals in there, read to her, just sit on the toilet and chat. Maybe I'll get her one of those shower chairs so that she can lounge. The shower will fast become her favorite place in the house.

Social Graces

I was told tonight that I have no social graces. Shocking, I know, but it is true. I have never had a knack for the social niceties and am too quick to say what I am thinking. Right now, I really miss Michele. She is really the nice one and my niceness was often just a reflection of hers, as the moon's glow is a reflection of the sun's. But, I am working on it. As I become more social, I am developing all kinds of new skills that go along with it, like grace and tact. I am constantly reminded of a line of a song I loved to sing in church as a child: Please be patient with me. God is not through with me yet. So, as I learn my new skills, I count on the loving kindness and patience of friends. But then when you think about it, compared to some of my favorite people, like Worf and Data, I'm a walk in the park! (For anyone who doesn't know, Worf is a Klingon - enough said - and Data is an android, so next to them I am excelling at this social stuff!)

Lights Out

Before Michele left we bought five push-on battery operated lights to illuminate the dark corner of the basement where the litter boxes are. Well, tonight when I took my weekly sojourn down to clean the litter boxes - trash day tomorrow! - none of the lights worked. I immediately thought of last week when my father told me that I shouldn't blog about being afraid of the dark because someone might find my blog, see my picture and how cute I am - thanks, Daddy! - and want to come get me. They would then read my posts and discover that I am afraid of the dark, come to my house, and cut my power! Soooo, that was my first thought when the basement lights weren't working!! It is possible that I have a deranged fan who would know, because I complain about it weekly, that today is the day I gather the trash and clean the litter boxes, and may have crafted this elaborate plan to catch me, arms laden with a bag of dirty litter, in a dark basement. It is probably a bit more likely, however, that I forgot to turn the lights off last Thursday and the batteries all died! Yet, you will all be proud to know that I did not let a little darkness stop me - I cleaned out the boxes in the creepy basement in very near darkness, that is except for the four ceiling lights that, of course, were working. I think it was still pretty heroic of me!

Ashes

I went to Ash Wednesday service tonight. I've always enjoyed the Lenten season. Probably because I have never been one to give something up. I always try to add something that will make me better somehow. I don't know what that will be this year - of course, I will try to pray more, be a better partner, daughter, sister, friend, employee, etc. And I always try to do something just for me - to make a better me, somehow. I think this year it might be to make a firm committment to daily yoga and meditation. I think this year, too, I will do something to make a better Earth. I already reduce, reuse, and recycle. I already use cloth napkins, phosphate-free soaps, conserve water, and buy what I can locally. Hmmm, maybe I could conserve even more water and use even fewer cleaning products by not cleaning the bathrooms for a while. I did it for the first time since Michele's been away and, let me tell you, it is NOT fun! I guess giving up something I don't really want to do anyway isn't in the spirit of the season, though. I'm sure I could reduce my energy usage by turning off some of my lights - I do use compact flourescents! - but I just can't do it and still function. I'm sure I'll think of something good that I can make into a habit. I sure wish it could be the bathroom thing, though!!

Simple Pleasures

I got two really neat things this week that made me smile. The first is a set of upholstery needles - 4 in all. My favorite of the four is the longest - 12 inches!! Yes, size does matter when you are trying to do button tufting through an 8 inch thick cushion!! I am redecorating Michele's workout room while she is away - yes, she knows - and making a "'Tween Couch." It is really a set of cushions that form a couch for when we would like to watch the only TV in our house. Then, when we need the space for yoga or whatever, they can easily be stored away. And making the couch gave me a great reason to buy a set of really big needles.

The second really neat thing I got this week is a set of tile samples. A few weeks ago, a friend and I went to Home Depot and learned how to tile floors and walls and I have been wanting to try it. I ordered a bunch of samples from a Brooklyn company and got them today. So pretty!! It got me to thinking about possibly tiling the floor in my upstairs bathroom - of course first I need to finish removing the linoleum! What a mess!!

Missing Michele

I miss Michele regularly, but especially when I am working around the house. Not because I would like her to be here doing it instead of me, but because I'd love to have her energy and company here with me doing it all together - and because I don't know how to do half the things I'm doing and I'd like to ask her a few questions. For example, I know that we bought cat litter once a month - I did the checkbook weekly and saw each transaction. If Michele were here, I would ask her what I am doing wrong because I seem to need to buy it weekly! Also, I folded the sheets and tried to put them away today. I know that they are to be stored in the linen closet in the hall. If Michele were here, I would ask her what kind of magic she works to get the sheets to all fit in that darn closet! I swear I was tempted to throw them all out! Before Michele left, she wrote me out a list of everything that needs to be done weekly. While that list is incredibly helpful, it sheds no light on HOW the things are supposed to be done. I swear she must have been a sorcerer! I mean really, only a sorcerer could get all those dish towels to fit into that little teeny drawer in the kitchen!

Goodbye, Dear Friends

Today I received the last DVD in the Star Trek TNG series - the very last two episodes. Just before Michele left, I found someone's dissertation online chronicalling all the Star Trek series' episodes in the order they happened in "real life." Since then, I have been watching TNG and DS9 together in "real life" order. I figured that once I'd finished Voyager, I would go back and watch Enterprise and the Original in the correct order, too. Well, tonight I watched the final TNG episodes. To make it special, I made a very beautiful meal, cracked open some fancy soda Michele stocked in my craft room fridge, and dug out some of my favorite "special occasion" chocolates. I said goodbye, for now, to some dear friends, but I swear the moisture in my eyes was totally due to the dilation drops the eye doctor used earlier! Though my TNG family will only return to me in movies, I still have my DS9 pals to lean on. Plus, Voyager will come into play soon. I love Captain Janeway (I met her, you know, in real, real life.)

Eye Exam

I had an eye appointment today. It's been about a year and a half since my last one and I was sure that my eyes had changed. For the FIRST TIME EVER my eyes stayed the same as the last prescription!! I was very excited. I bet it has a lot to do with all the carrots I eat!!

Busy, Busy Bee

I have been very busy today. I decided to set aside this weekend for myself. I missed Monday's holiday due to a client meeting, so I took today as my President's Day. I slept til 11, fixed up our home office and my craft room office, installed a new speaker system, made new curtains for the downstairs bathroom, thought about finishing ripping up the upstairs bathroom floor - didn't - made a yummy dinner, talked to Michele and my mom, watched Star Trek - of course - and am now debating whether to go to bed, watch another episode, or start another project. A busy, busy day! All the while, after finishing each thing, I realized how much I miss showing them to Michele and having her exclaim over whatever it is. Projects don't feel quite complete without her praise - it's like "you're never fully dressed without a smile." She says when she comes home she is going to fall into bed and sleep for days. Right after that I'll show her around, get her praise, and mark all these things off my list. Projects complete!

Note: Yesterday, I did not complain about my Thursday chores as I have done. I would like to say that it is because I have adjusted to them or that I have become a better person who does not complain. But, alas, it is because I forgot to do them! Oh well, I will just have double the work to complain about next Thursday!

Retirement

I retired our old faithful computer today. She has been acting very sluggish for the past few years and recently started going to sleep and, when we tried to wake her, wouldn't remember where she was or what she was doing. Seriously! We would get error messages that were the equivalent of "I've fallen (asleep) and I can't get (boot) up." So, I got a little docking station and will be using my laptop as our main computer. It's amazing how much more room there is in our little office area. Michele will be very pleased - it was always a crazy mess! I'll miss our old computer, though. She was a good and faithful companion. Please, can we have a moment of silence followed by Taps.

Star Trek

I think I have been watching way too much Star Trek. I decided that I should create some rules to establish some limits. My only rule was that I could not watch Star Trek in bed any longer - I was watching episode after episode and staying up way too late. So, I told myself, I can watch as many episodes as I want, but never in bed. I have adhered to this rule all week and to reward myself I have turned on the heating blanket and gotten in bed to - what else? - watch Star Trek! Hey, rules are meant to be broken, right?

Dark Roads

Over the past two evenings I have had lovely visits with very good friends. The only problem is, as you all now know, I am afraid of the dark and these two wonderful women happen to live in wonderful places that can only be accessed by travel down long, dark, dark, very, very dark roads. On my way home last night and tonight I couldn't help but think that I am truly meant for the city. It is just way too dark out there. It was so frightening to look out to the sides of the road to the dark shadowy outlines of woods and forests, and I, in my car, obsessively snick, snick, snicking the power door locks to make sure that whatever is in those dark, dark trees cannot get in with me! I swear I didn't stop my obsessive snicking and hyperventilating until I saw the street lights, head lights, and police lights that announced the city. Me and my 50,000 night lights, motion sensor dusk til dawn lights, and timer set lamps fit right in. Don't get me wrong, I love my friends and love visiting them in their spaces. I just may have to tell them that I cannot visit after 6 - at least until summer!

Valentine's Day Surprise

My sweetie sent me flowers at work today. Aren't they beautiful!! I was prepared to be sad tomorrow, but how can I now with such a lovely sign of being loved and thought of. Plus, flowers delivered to work are always so much more special than ones delivered to home. I think it's the PDA (public display of affection) factor. I think when people know that you are loved you feel even more loved than if no one knew at all. For real, though, it was exactly the right thing to make me smile and to chase away a good portion of the sorrow of being so far apart on such a romantic day.

Its Ugly Head

Trash day has reared its ugly head once again. I hope this isn't a continuing theme every Thursday, but I fear it will be. I don't know who is creating so much trash, but I really wish they would stop!! I can partially blame the cats, but since I'm the one who feeds and waters them, I guess the blame is mine, too. And, of course, that floor I ripped up is a big percentage of the week's accumulated trash. But I just don't get it - every trash and recycling can, and remember there are plenty, was at least half full! Tissues, banana peals, cat hair, etc. etc. I am going to start using handkerchiefs, eating only outside the house, and shaving the cats. And don't even get me started on the laundry. I swear I am going to start wearing one outfit a week. Maybe if I turn the shirt inside out every other day no one will notice! I swear these chores make me want to take to my bed. Where is that bag of cookies?

Ripping up the Floor

I find that being home alone, I can get into some trouble. I don't have Michele here to curb my "enthusiam" for home improvement projects. That being said, I decided yesterday to rip up the linoleum on my upstairs bathroom floor. I was sure that I would find beautiful hardwood under there, just as there is in the rest of the house. Not being too much of an idiot, I decided to tear up a corner in the closet first to check and see. Well, I couldn't get a corner up in the closet, so, impatient, I decided rip up a section in front of the bathroom door. Well, I was right - hardwood floor underneath. So, tonight after choir practice, I decided to finish the job. I have the floor ripped up all the way into that stubborn closet. You know what I found? Hardwood floors, yes. Beautiful, no!! The whole time I was scrapping up the linoleum and underlayment I was saying to myself "It's ok, it's nothing a little soap and water won't cure." That was until I got to the middle of the floor and saw the 2 foot by 4 foot section of floor that must have removed to access the pipes underneath. Unfortunately, the hardwood wasn't replaced with the nice 2 inch planks to match the rest of the floor. No! They layed 2x4s!! Well, at least I have some time to get it looking decent before Michele comes home. Think she'd notice a new rag rug covering the floor?

Christmas Cactus

Last year our pastor gave us a Christmas Cactus. It didn't bloom for Christmas. In fact it didn't bloom until this past week. I noticed it yesterday - two big, fat, hot pink blooms. It makes me feel like Michele left a bit of her sunshine behind to remind me of her love. Its funny how things like blooming cacti seem to happen at just the right time, when we most need to smile.

Carrots

Those who know me very well, know that I really love carrots. I love to eat them everyday - I love to decorate with them: I've made four carrot themed quilts and have a three-foot long carrot hanging in the kitchen. Anyone who knows me even a little, knows that I adore Michele. Today at the food co-op, I found a card that both reminds me of my love for Michele and my love for carrots. If we are what we eat, I'm the carrot on the right, and, because she loves me so much, Michele would eat enough carrots to become the carrot on the left.

My Sick Baby

Michele has been sick all week. I feel so bad for her and so helpless. It's hard not being able to take care of her and comfort her. She's such trooper - getting out there and doing this difficult work while she's not feeling well. I am very proud of her, but wish I was there to care for her.

Hard Labor

Hard work really does wonders for the soul. I came home today armed with yet another to do list. Tomorrow is trash day and, before Michele left, that meant very little to me. She's always seen to the trash and the recycling. In fact, since she was laid off, she's seen to all the house chores. So, today, I thought I was ready to tackle the tasks associated with trash day. Boy howdy!! That was hard work. I groomed the cats - got nearly another cat outta all that hair! I cleaned the litter boxes - I had no idea how heavy a bag of dirty litter would be! I collected the trash from around the house - why do we need so many trash cans!! I collected the recycling - oy vey, it seemed like the cardboard boxes had mated and multiplied over night! And then I had to drag it all to the curb - through the snow, in the cold. I know I sound like a princess, but it just made me really appreciate all Michele's hard work in our home and it kept me focused and busy. It also pretty much guarantees that I will sleep well tonight. Do you know how heavy a 40-lb bag of cat litter is!?! Well, 40 pounds, but you know what I mean!

Black Pants, Brown Shoes

Today I did something that I don't ever remember doing - I wore brown shoes with my black pants. Now, that may not seem like a big deal, but if you know my mother, then you know that was probably one of the first things she taught us: eat, walk, read, don't wear brown shoes with black pants or white socks with black shoes, and, for goodness sake, match your shoes to your belt! I told Michele about my faux pas and we had a good laugh about it tonight. Oh well, if that's the farthest off my game I get, I suppose I'm doing alright!

A Good Day

Today was a good day. I think it was because last night ended up being a good night. My mom called and our conversation brought me out of my listlessness. I actually accomplished something and had a real task to check off one of my lists. Unfortunately, it distracted me and I forgot to eat the bag of cookies. They will be there for me another night. The other great thing that helped me last night was that Michele called and we spent time giggling and laughing about some of the folks she is meeting in Indiana. That was a nice way to end the day and made for a nice day today.

Today was also really nice because I completed a project that I hadn't even planned on doing: I made Michele a care package. I needed to send her one thing and it spiraled into lots of things, but that's what life is like, isn't it? I think I will end my good day with an episode of my favorite show: Star Trek TNG.

Pulling the Covers

Michele and I have been together for eleven years and every night for eleven years Michele has complained about me pulling the covers off of her while we sleep. Well, I have now slept without her for three nights. Every morning I wake up and all the covers are on the floor on my side of the bed and the body pillow I have sleeping in Michele's spot is totally uncovered. So, someone is certainly pulling the covers. I'm not ready to admit that it's me, though. Maybe in another eleven years!

No Action

At work, when there is an edit to one of the courses I am developing, we sometimes decide not to address the edit. When that happens, the edit gets marked "No Action." That's how today feels to me: No Action. I have a lot of lists - its my thing. I think I have about 5 To Do lists going right now. But, I don't really feel like doing anything today. I bought a pack of double chocolate Milano cookies yesterday. Maybe I will amend one of my To Do list with "Turn on heating blanket" "Crawl into bed" and "Eat bag of cookies." Hey, then I'd have three things to check off the list. It's day two and Michele called earlier to say that she may be gone this time for three months or longer instead of the original two months. I think I am entitled to an evening of cookies in bed.

Let There Be Light

Many who know me may not know that I am afraid of the dark. With Michele here, the fear isn't gone, it's just shut away because she's not afraid, so I know that she will take care of me and go into the dark places for me. Well, this is day one of Michele away from home, so I decided to be very proactive. Before she left, we put night lights up all around the house. Today, I installed a new front door light. It can either come on automatically from dusk til dawn or it can come on if there is any motion from dusk til dawn. I haven't decided which I will do, yet. Right now it is motion.

I also bought a new lamp for the dining room and put it on a timer. Now I have a lighted path from the upstairs to the downstairs bathroom. I guess I can't wait til its light enough to go downstairs and use that as an excuse to be late for work. I think that's a pretty good start to banishing the darkness that I find so frightening. It also kept me pretty busy so I didn't miss Chele too much.