I have never been a Michael Crichton fan. I think I read one of his books in high school and wasn't impressed, and never went back for more. I have heard that he can be hit or miss, so I just never bothered gambling on that, I guess.
Aaron, however, loved this book and has read it a few times, he says (and it came out in 2006 so that says something!). Now, Aaron loves anything having to do with time travel, whereas I am not quite as enthralled. It's just so stressful - will they get back? Will they change the past? Will they see themselves in the past and therefore destroy life as we know it?!?
I do love all things medieval (as does Aaron), so I decided to give this book a try. And I'm glad I did! I loved it!
It's about these students (and a professor) who go back in time to 14th century France, and get embroiled in a battle. It had a lot of gibberish about quantum mechanics (and this makes no less than 4 books I have read in the past 3 months having to do with quantum mechanics, and I don't know how that keeps happening) which I actually enjoyed, since I like learning, but then you don't know how accurate Crichton is being, and I'm too lazy to research quantum physics on my own, so I just assume it's true and think it's neat. And apparently all the authors used the same researchers, since they all pretty much agreed with each other, so who knows? Maybe I just learned a little something about quantum physics!! Or should I say I know something and I don't know something at the same time! Err wait, does that only hold true if I'm inside a box? And a cat?
Well, it's confusing stuff.
Moving on, I loved all the medieval stuff - that is the one period in time I have always wanted to live in. Although after reading the book, I'm not actually sure I would want to do that anymore....
Anyway, it's a fantastic book and I'll definitely be reading it again!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Inside my head
It has come to my attention that not everyone thinks the way I think. Some people tend toward the optimistic side of things, and others to the pessimistic. I think I veer way off the deep end of the pessimistic side of things.
I think part of it is due to my OCD tendencies as well, since I can't seem to stop thinking about terrible things happening.
For example.
After Aaron's surgery, I went in to the recovery room to see him, and I had my computer bag with me. I put the bag down, gingerly gave him a kiss and sat down to wait for the doctor.
Now, whenever I think back on this moment, this is how it happens in my head. I walk into the recovery room and see him sitting there, a little drugged out. Then instead of putting my bag down, I trip over the chair and land on his recently cut open arm, yanking the sling away from his body. You can hear the rip of the sutures and him screaming out in pain.
I have to literally shake my head (not unlike an etch-a-sketch) to make this visual go away. I have to tell myself, firmly "That's not how it happened! You were fine, he is fine, it's all good."
And I'm like this with pretty much any memory. Or thinking about future events, like if I'm going to visit someone with a baby and I think about holding the baby. And then dropping the baby. Or I think about my commute to work and I imagine myself being pushed in front of the train. Or whatever.
This is another reason I can't watch horror movies. Or other scary movies. It gives me too many visuals to choose from. After I watched Saw it took me a few months before I stopped seeing all the crime scenes in my head and thinking about what it would be like if I (or a loved one) were trapped in that situation.
So apparently I'm alone in this, yes?
The only way I have found to fight this so far is to try to replace the terrible thoughts with soothing ones. I try to create the scene in my head where I'm snuggling with Aaron, his arms wrapped around me (pre-sling, of course), my head is on his chest and his warmth is seeping into me. I focus on that vigorously, until the other thoughts go away.
It's a constant, tiring struggle, though.
I think part of it is due to my OCD tendencies as well, since I can't seem to stop thinking about terrible things happening.
For example.
After Aaron's surgery, I went in to the recovery room to see him, and I had my computer bag with me. I put the bag down, gingerly gave him a kiss and sat down to wait for the doctor.
Now, whenever I think back on this moment, this is how it happens in my head. I walk into the recovery room and see him sitting there, a little drugged out. Then instead of putting my bag down, I trip over the chair and land on his recently cut open arm, yanking the sling away from his body. You can hear the rip of the sutures and him screaming out in pain.
I have to literally shake my head (not unlike an etch-a-sketch) to make this visual go away. I have to tell myself, firmly "That's not how it happened! You were fine, he is fine, it's all good."
And I'm like this with pretty much any memory. Or thinking about future events, like if I'm going to visit someone with a baby and I think about holding the baby. And then dropping the baby. Or I think about my commute to work and I imagine myself being pushed in front of the train. Or whatever.
This is another reason I can't watch horror movies. Or other scary movies. It gives me too many visuals to choose from. After I watched Saw it took me a few months before I stopped seeing all the crime scenes in my head and thinking about what it would be like if I (or a loved one) were trapped in that situation.
So apparently I'm alone in this, yes?
The only way I have found to fight this so far is to try to replace the terrible thoughts with soothing ones. I try to create the scene in my head where I'm snuggling with Aaron, his arms wrapped around me (pre-sling, of course), my head is on his chest and his warmth is seeping into me. I focus on that vigorously, until the other thoughts go away.
It's a constant, tiring struggle, though.
Monday, July 30, 2007
It makes you think.
The one nice thing that has come out of Aaron's surgery is seeing the true kindness of our friends shine through. I guess to most people his surgery was 'no big deal' or whatever. But to me, it was a huge deal. Having your lungs paralyzed to the point of collapse and having a machine breathe for you - for two hours - sort of freaks me out. And knowing that the love of my life was in that situation, where his shoulder was being worked on - right next to some major arteries, that had they been nicked during the course of the operation, could have had fatal consequences - yeah, I was not thrilled with the thought of that. I was a nervous wreck before and during the surgery. And having the comfort and support of friends during that time was crucial to me.
And then there's the reality for him - a month in a very constrictive, hot, uncomfortable sling. He has to wear athletic shorts if I'm not around since it's impossible to button his shorts by himself. He can't even open his medicine himself. Then there's the fact that he can't do any of the things he loves to do - go to the gym, play golf, snowboard, basically anything physical - for 6 months. And for someone who's always active? That's killer. Plus it's not even certain he will ever regain full range of motion in his arm. (I think he will, but it's not a guarantee).
So, with all that heavy reality hitting us, it meant so much to get a phone call the night before surgery from some friends wishing him good luck. And to have other friends offer to come over with a pizza and keep us company. Or have other friends bring over a care package to lift his spirits, and hang out with us all night. And constantly check to see how 'the patient' is doing. In short, to actually care.
It makes you realize how lucky we are to have such wonderful people in our lives.
It also makes a stark, shocking contrast to the people who haven't shown one ounce of concern. Or caring. And not just friends - both mine and Aaron's. But family members!
People I know on the internet who haven't even met Aaron, and only know him through me and only know me through a message board, have expressed concern, caring, well wishes, etc - and our own family hasn't even thought to check in and see how he's doing.
It really makes you take stock of who you need in your life.
And who you don't.
And then there's the reality for him - a month in a very constrictive, hot, uncomfortable sling. He has to wear athletic shorts if I'm not around since it's impossible to button his shorts by himself. He can't even open his medicine himself. Then there's the fact that he can't do any of the things he loves to do - go to the gym, play golf, snowboard, basically anything physical - for 6 months. And for someone who's always active? That's killer. Plus it's not even certain he will ever regain full range of motion in his arm. (I think he will, but it's not a guarantee).
So, with all that heavy reality hitting us, it meant so much to get a phone call the night before surgery from some friends wishing him good luck. And to have other friends offer to come over with a pizza and keep us company. Or have other friends bring over a care package to lift his spirits, and hang out with us all night. And constantly check to see how 'the patient' is doing. In short, to actually care.
It makes you realize how lucky we are to have such wonderful people in our lives.
It also makes a stark, shocking contrast to the people who haven't shown one ounce of concern. Or caring. And not just friends - both mine and Aaron's. But family members!
People I know on the internet who haven't even met Aaron, and only know him through me and only know me through a message board, have expressed concern, caring, well wishes, etc - and our own family hasn't even thought to check in and see how he's doing.
It really makes you take stock of who you need in your life.
And who you don't.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
The Dinner Party
In the Days Before Aaron, I used to throw dinner parties all the time. I had a dining room table that sat 8, and I usually filled it up. As time passed people moved away, friendships changed, the table got sold - and now when I need a dinner party fix, we throw a bbq instead. But I do miss dinner parties - both hosting and attending. You just can't beat good friends, good food, and good wine for...well, a good time.
Our tiny kitchen table now only seats four, so I can still have a dinner party, it just won't be the grandiose affair of former days. Judging from last night, this might just be an improvement!
We invited IA and McHub over for dinner, since Aaron is still a little tender from surgery, but was in need of some company. And a challenger on the Wii front. I don't know if IA will forgive me for showing McHub the true joy of the Wii, but she might have an easy out from getting him one of his own, since they are so hard to come by!
They showed up right on time, with a care package for Aaron. So sweet!! It was filled with all his favorite things - peanut butter, chocolate, cookies, Reese's peanut butter cups, nutter butters, habanero Doritos, and a Transformers book! So thoughtful, and I think it really lifted his spirits up. Thanks guys!
McHub also brought adult diapers, size XL, just in case Aaron wanted to be lazy and not try to fumble with his pants one handed. He's lazy, but I don't know if he's quite that lazy....yet. He did try them on after dinner, and they were so comfortable that he forgot to take them off and wore them for a good part of the night.
We played with the Wii before and after dinner, and IA and McH thoroughly trounced us at every game. So not cool!
For dinner I made chicken saltimbocca with roasted asparagus, followed by Nigella's chocolate honey cake for dessert. It is so nice to make dinner for more than just two people - I hope they decide to come over again! I'm pouring through my recipe books all day today to get inspired for the next meal!
Our tiny kitchen table now only seats four, so I can still have a dinner party, it just won't be the grandiose affair of former days. Judging from last night, this might just be an improvement!
We invited IA and McHub over for dinner, since Aaron is still a little tender from surgery, but was in need of some company. And a challenger on the Wii front. I don't know if IA will forgive me for showing McHub the true joy of the Wii, but she might have an easy out from getting him one of his own, since they are so hard to come by!
They showed up right on time, with a care package for Aaron. So sweet!! It was filled with all his favorite things - peanut butter, chocolate, cookies, Reese's peanut butter cups, nutter butters, habanero Doritos, and a Transformers book! So thoughtful, and I think it really lifted his spirits up. Thanks guys!
McHub also brought adult diapers, size XL, just in case Aaron wanted to be lazy and not try to fumble with his pants one handed. He's lazy, but I don't know if he's quite that lazy....yet. He did try them on after dinner, and they were so comfortable that he forgot to take them off and wore them for a good part of the night.
We played with the Wii before and after dinner, and IA and McH thoroughly trounced us at every game. So not cool!
For dinner I made chicken saltimbocca with roasted asparagus, followed by Nigella's chocolate honey cake for dessert. It is so nice to make dinner for more than just two people - I hope they decide to come over again! I'm pouring through my recipe books all day today to get inspired for the next meal!
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Book Review: Bronze by Kit Reed
Aaron had bought Bronze by Kit Reed, and told me I might like it. I'm always looking for something to read on the metro, so I grabbed it.
I didn't hate it - I even finished it, but there were a few things it was hard for me to get past. The biggest problem was the editing.
To me, there is NO excuse for a spelling or grammatical error in a book. The author should have caught it, and if not, one of the editors, and if not, oh, I don't know, the spell checker in Word?
But the biggest transgression of this book is that the summary on the back of the book named a character who had not an insignificant role in the book. About halfway through reading the book, this character had not appeared. Then I realized that she indeed had appeared, but with a different name. I can understand changing a character's name after you've written the book, but come on!! Double check that shit! Change it everywhere!
There were numerous instances of words missing from sentences, words repeated (like, I was to running to the house), so much so that I stopped counting them.
Another character in the book is named Edgar. Well the author starts a paragraph with this name, making it doubly worthy of capitalization, being a proper name and the beginning of a sentence. So how did the paragraph begin? "edger ran away..."
Not only was it NOT capitalized, it was spelled wrong!!
I don't know how this book managed to get published in this shape.
As far as the story goes, it was a somewhat interesting premise about this famous family of sculptors and the secret about why their sculptures are so marvelous. I think it was meant to be a very scary, Stephen King-ish type of horror story. But I had guessed the 'secret' almost immediately, so it wasn't very scary at all.
The dialog was atrocious. It seemed that every character's reaction to stress was "Oh my God! Oh dear! Oh no!" with much wailing and gnashing of teeth. I just wanted to smack them all and say For Christ's sake get a grip!!
So, I can't really recommend the book unless you're absolutely dying of boredom. Like I said, I did manage to finish it so it had some redeemable qualities.
But I won't read any more of her books because I cannot stand the sloppy editing!
I didn't hate it - I even finished it, but there were a few things it was hard for me to get past. The biggest problem was the editing.
To me, there is NO excuse for a spelling or grammatical error in a book. The author should have caught it, and if not, one of the editors, and if not, oh, I don't know, the spell checker in Word?
But the biggest transgression of this book is that the summary on the back of the book named a character who had not an insignificant role in the book. About halfway through reading the book, this character had not appeared. Then I realized that she indeed had appeared, but with a different name. I can understand changing a character's name after you've written the book, but come on!! Double check that shit! Change it everywhere!
There were numerous instances of words missing from sentences, words repeated (like, I was to running to the house), so much so that I stopped counting them.
Another character in the book is named Edgar. Well the author starts a paragraph with this name, making it doubly worthy of capitalization, being a proper name and the beginning of a sentence. So how did the paragraph begin? "edger ran away..."
Not only was it NOT capitalized, it was spelled wrong!!
I don't know how this book managed to get published in this shape.
As far as the story goes, it was a somewhat interesting premise about this famous family of sculptors and the secret about why their sculptures are so marvelous. I think it was meant to be a very scary, Stephen King-ish type of horror story. But I had guessed the 'secret' almost immediately, so it wasn't very scary at all.
The dialog was atrocious. It seemed that every character's reaction to stress was "Oh my God! Oh dear! Oh no!" with much wailing and gnashing of teeth. I just wanted to smack them all and say For Christ's sake get a grip!!
So, I can't really recommend the book unless you're absolutely dying of boredom. Like I said, I did manage to finish it so it had some redeemable qualities.
But I won't read any more of her books because I cannot stand the sloppy editing!
Friday, July 27, 2007
Passing thoughts
A few moments from Aaron's adventures in surgery bear remembering.
When I first went back with him, pre-op, after the nurse left, he told me that the nurse had already pegged him. She asked him how he hurt himself, and he said playing tennis with me. Then he told her that I used to play competitively. The nurse sized him up and said, 'So you thought you would try to beat her, eh?' Yeah, that's about right.
All of the nurses loved the shirt I was wearing and kept bringing other nurses over to admire it. It was my 'Mrs. Rancher* est 02-10-07' shirt. It's nice being congratulated on your wedding almost 6 months after the fact, and by strangers no less! They definitely put a smile on my face.
Later, as Aaron and I were joking around and he made some comment about the nurses 'taking care' of him, I can't remember exactly what (I guess I blacked that part out), he looked at me suspiciously and said, 'Is that why you wore your Mrs. Rancher* shirt? For the nurses to see?'
And I can see why he jumped to that conclusion, but really the only reason I wore it was because my other options for comfortable t-shirts said STFU, Swallows, I taught your boyfriend that thing you like, Possibly the best fcuk ever, and Fondle Froepaly Fcuk Goodbye.
To me, the choice was obvious!
*last name edited since this is the interweb, after all.
When I first went back with him, pre-op, after the nurse left, he told me that the nurse had already pegged him. She asked him how he hurt himself, and he said playing tennis with me. Then he told her that I used to play competitively. The nurse sized him up and said, 'So you thought you would try to beat her, eh?' Yeah, that's about right.
All of the nurses loved the shirt I was wearing and kept bringing other nurses over to admire it. It was my 'Mrs. Rancher* est 02-10-07' shirt. It's nice being congratulated on your wedding almost 6 months after the fact, and by strangers no less! They definitely put a smile on my face.
Later, as Aaron and I were joking around and he made some comment about the nurses 'taking care' of him, I can't remember exactly what (I guess I blacked that part out), he looked at me suspiciously and said, 'Is that why you wore your Mrs. Rancher* shirt? For the nurses to see?'
And I can see why he jumped to that conclusion, but really the only reason I wore it was because my other options for comfortable t-shirts said STFU, Swallows, I taught your boyfriend that thing you like, Possibly the best fcuk ever, and Fondle Froepaly Fcuk Goodbye.
To me, the choice was obvious!
*last name edited since this is the interweb, after all.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Another sick present
Boys recovering from surgery get special request cookies. Double chocolate mint cookies - mmmm!
Chip makes an appearance
When he's on painkillers, he lets me do things to him he normally wouldn't allow...
He's out!
The doctor just came to tell me that Aaron is out of surgery! It all went well, they put in 3 anchors and sutures. He tore right below what would be a slap tear in the labrum.....or something like that. Can't wait to see the pics! I can go see him in half an hour. Phew!!!
In surgery
We arrived at the doctor's office right on time this morning - an hour and a half before surgery. Of course they were running an hour late, so almost 3 hours later Aaron was finally wheeled off into surgery.
The doctor seemed very nice and competent and told us we could have copies of the pictures they'll take of his shoulder during surgery - I think that will be really cool. Of course, I will post them so everyone can see!
Aaron swears pain killers don't affect him, but they gave him a pre-emptive one while we were waiting endlessly for him to go into surgery. He said he was just trying to make me laugh, but he was being particularly goofy while we waited. One guy next to us, Mario, went into surgery and came back out while we were waiting. As they tried to wake him up they kept yelling 'MARIO! MARIO!' Finally Aaron yelled back, 'POLO!' I don't know if anyone else heard, but I cracked up.
Anyway, now I'm just waiting to hear the doctor come tell me everything went well.
Endlessly waiting.
The doctor seemed very nice and competent and told us we could have copies of the pictures they'll take of his shoulder during surgery - I think that will be really cool. Of course, I will post them so everyone can see!
Aaron swears pain killers don't affect him, but they gave him a pre-emptive one while we were waiting endlessly for him to go into surgery. He said he was just trying to make me laugh, but he was being particularly goofy while we waited. One guy next to us, Mario, went into surgery and came back out while we were waiting. As they tried to wake him up they kept yelling 'MARIO! MARIO!' Finally Aaron yelled back, 'POLO!' I don't know if anyone else heard, but I cracked up.
Anyway, now I'm just waiting to hear the doctor come tell me everything went well.
Endlessly waiting.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Party like a rock star.
Last night we went out to dinner like we were rock stars. And by that I mean, we ordered food and drinks without a thought to their ridiculous prices. Sixteen dollar margarita? Bring it on! Mmmm delicious! We went to Chima, which is a brazilian steakhouse - Aaron's all time favorite type of restaurant. I wanted him to be distracted from the upcoming surgery, so it was worth the indulgence.
The decor was really cool, the ambiance very chill, and they had a WALL of wine. A WALL! I drooled at that, Aaron drooled at the meat.
Aaron and I got there first and grabbed some drinks at the bar, and inexplicably an appetizer - because maybe the all you can eat meat we were about to sit down to might not be enough food for us.
IA and McH showed up earlier than expected which was nice, but they showed us up by dressing all fancy schmancy in a suit and whatnot. They fit the restaurant and we did not.
The food was really good, but there was just SO much of it. Aaron and I of course chowed down on everything in site while IA and McH were actually civilized about it and didn't act like they hadn't eaten in two months.
The wine was very good and came in a humongous glass which I briefly considered trying to stick in my purse. Alas my purse was not bowling ball sized so the glass wouldn't fit.
We laughed so much during dinner that on the way home Aaron said his face still hurt. We had an absolute blast and I'm sure our raucous behavior offended more than a few fellow diners.
But who cares - we were rock stars!
The decor was really cool, the ambiance very chill, and they had a WALL of wine. A WALL! I drooled at that, Aaron drooled at the meat.
Aaron and I got there first and grabbed some drinks at the bar, and inexplicably an appetizer - because maybe the all you can eat meat we were about to sit down to might not be enough food for us.
IA and McH showed up earlier than expected which was nice, but they showed us up by dressing all fancy schmancy in a suit and whatnot. They fit the restaurant and we did not.
The food was really good, but there was just SO much of it. Aaron and I of course chowed down on everything in site while IA and McH were actually civilized about it and didn't act like they hadn't eaten in two months.
The wine was very good and came in a humongous glass which I briefly considered trying to stick in my purse. Alas my purse was not bowling ball sized so the glass wouldn't fit.
We laughed so much during dinner that on the way home Aaron said his face still hurt. We had an absolute blast and I'm sure our raucous behavior offended more than a few fellow diners.
But who cares - we were rock stars!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Sick Presents
Growing up in my family, whenever you were sick, you got a Sick Present. Something to cheer you up while you were laid up, I guess. (I'm not going to say whether or not this led to more cases of 'faking' or not.....). I remember one time I was home from school with strep, and my dad came home from Jewel and said, 'Yo Shell! I got you a sick present!' I remember being so incredibly excited about this (I really love presents) - it was a baton with ribbon at either end. I never got good at twirling it - I think I probably used it more to attack my brother - but just the joy of getting an unexpected present sticks with me to this day.
So, since Aaron is having surgery on Thursday with a long and uncomfortable and potentially depressing recovery, I knew he would need something good.
I had already bought him his birthday present, but his birthday isn't until September and I'm terrible at hanging onto gifts. When I get you something, I have to give it to you now! So I was looking for any excuse to give him his gift. So it all lined up! I decided his sick present was going to be getting his birthday present early. (I also got him another little sick present, but it hasn't arrived yet....)
Showcasing my massive impatience, I gave him his present last night. I figured it would also help him keep his mind off the upcoming surgery. And mine.
What was the magnificent present, you ask? Well, I'll tell you.
It's a Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! I found it by religiously stalking wiitracker.com and making a rapid purchase at costo.com less than 5 minutes after seeing it posted as being in stock there. It was a close call, but I got it!
He was overly excited last night, and completely surprised. Too cute. I'll have to post pictures when I get home.
We hooked it up and set up our Mii's and then proceeded to play the sports pack.
I trounced him at every game except, ironically, tennis. But I think that's because he got to serve first, it was best of three, and serves were the only shot either of us could hit. We also had the sensor set up too high so it really favored him. Once we moved it lower, to normal person height, I kicked ass.
Of course, he does have that 'bum shoulder' excuse. Whatever.
(hehehe kidding honey!)
By the time he came to bed, he had already put 2 games and about 8 accessories into his shopping cart on Amazon. I may have just created a Wii Monster.
So, since Aaron is having surgery on Thursday with a long and uncomfortable and potentially depressing recovery, I knew he would need something good.
I had already bought him his birthday present, but his birthday isn't until September and I'm terrible at hanging onto gifts. When I get you something, I have to give it to you now! So I was looking for any excuse to give him his gift. So it all lined up! I decided his sick present was going to be getting his birthday present early. (I also got him another little sick present, but it hasn't arrived yet....)
Showcasing my massive impatience, I gave him his present last night. I figured it would also help him keep his mind off the upcoming surgery. And mine.
What was the magnificent present, you ask? Well, I'll tell you.
It's a Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! I found it by religiously stalking wiitracker.com and making a rapid purchase at costo.com less than 5 minutes after seeing it posted as being in stock there. It was a close call, but I got it!
He was overly excited last night, and completely surprised. Too cute. I'll have to post pictures when I get home.
We hooked it up and set up our Mii's and then proceeded to play the sports pack.
I trounced him at every game except, ironically, tennis. But I think that's because he got to serve first, it was best of three, and serves were the only shot either of us could hit. We also had the sensor set up too high so it really favored him. Once we moved it lower, to normal person height, I kicked ass.
Of course, he does have that 'bum shoulder' excuse. Whatever.
(hehehe kidding honey!)
By the time he came to bed, he had already put 2 games and about 8 accessories into his shopping cart on Amazon. I may have just created a Wii Monster.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
I shall not be spoiled
My one goal this weekend was to get through Harry Potter 7 without being spoiled. I certainly wasn't going to go looking for spoilers online, but Aaron read something that said some people were making their message board avatars be spoilers, so you couldn't avoid them. Jerks. So I effectively went dark from the time it was released til I finished it.
Anyway, I had pre-ordered the book back in February. I like the books, but the only way I'm going to line up for a midnight selling is if they're giving out free wine while you wait. I'd line up at 4pm for that.
We happened to be in Borders on Friday after dinner and they were getting ready for the crowds that were sure to descend upon the store. I did see one woman dressed up as....some generic character. Black robes and a Gryffindor-colored scarf. I do not understand the dressing up thing. I couldn't wait to get out of there. Our copy of the book was set to arrive on Saturday, per the agreement with Amazon. Much nicer, in my mind, than waiting in line with a bunch of people dressed up like it's halloween, and with no wine, no less.
The book arrived around 11am on Saturday, hand delivered by the postal carrier in a custom Harry Potter box. Cute. I read it straight through with brief stops for food and wine. Well, I didn't really stop for wine, since Aaron was nice enough to top off my glass. I finished it around 1am. And I was not spoiled!! I was glad I didn't even read the CNN article talking about the book in a round-a-bout way, since I think it gave away more than it should have, having read it after I finished.
I think it ended right. There were some things I would have changed about the way certain facts came to light, etc, but overall I was very happy with the book. With so much hype, it could have been a huge letdown.
The book I'm looking forward to most of all comes out in November - the last of the Sword of Truth books. That one I have much more excitement for.
Anyway, so that was pretty much our weekend. Oh and I made an impulse buy of Nutella on Friday as well, so we had chocolate crepes on Saturday. And then today Aaron bought the tiny cookies at potbelly, and made a Nutella sandwich with two of them. I better throw the jar out soon or hide it for a while, or bad things could happen....
Anyway, I had pre-ordered the book back in February. I like the books, but the only way I'm going to line up for a midnight selling is if they're giving out free wine while you wait. I'd line up at 4pm for that.
We happened to be in Borders on Friday after dinner and they were getting ready for the crowds that were sure to descend upon the store. I did see one woman dressed up as....some generic character. Black robes and a Gryffindor-colored scarf. I do not understand the dressing up thing. I couldn't wait to get out of there. Our copy of the book was set to arrive on Saturday, per the agreement with Amazon. Much nicer, in my mind, than waiting in line with a bunch of people dressed up like it's halloween, and with no wine, no less.
The book arrived around 11am on Saturday, hand delivered by the postal carrier in a custom Harry Potter box. Cute. I read it straight through with brief stops for food and wine. Well, I didn't really stop for wine, since Aaron was nice enough to top off my glass. I finished it around 1am. And I was not spoiled!! I was glad I didn't even read the CNN article talking about the book in a round-a-bout way, since I think it gave away more than it should have, having read it after I finished.
I think it ended right. There were some things I would have changed about the way certain facts came to light, etc, but overall I was very happy with the book. With so much hype, it could have been a huge letdown.
The book I'm looking forward to most of all comes out in November - the last of the Sword of Truth books. That one I have much more excitement for.
Anyway, so that was pretty much our weekend. Oh and I made an impulse buy of Nutella on Friday as well, so we had chocolate crepes on Saturday. And then today Aaron bought the tiny cookies at potbelly, and made a Nutella sandwich with two of them. I better throw the jar out soon or hide it for a while, or bad things could happen....
Say again?
One of the more adorable things about Aaron is the fact that he has his own language.
For example, we had a wine in Mexico that he loved, and loving wine is rare for him, so we made a big deal out of remembering what kind of wine it was - a Tempranillo. Well, this wine will always and forever be called Temporary wine. He just couldn't be bothered to remember the real name, and came up with his own. That is just one example.
At dinner on Friday night, I had put some makeup on since it was 'date night'.
At some point during dinner, this conversation took place:
Aaron: Are you wearing lines?
Me: Huh?
Aaron: Did you put lines on?
Me: I'm sorry, what?
...pause as you can see him thinking, and grasping for the real word...
Aaron: Are you wearing eyeliner?
Me: (laughing) Yes.
I'm clearly still learning the language.
For example, we had a wine in Mexico that he loved, and loving wine is rare for him, so we made a big deal out of remembering what kind of wine it was - a Tempranillo. Well, this wine will always and forever be called Temporary wine. He just couldn't be bothered to remember the real name, and came up with his own. That is just one example.
At dinner on Friday night, I had put some makeup on since it was 'date night'.
At some point during dinner, this conversation took place:
Aaron: Are you wearing lines?
Me: Huh?
Aaron: Did you put lines on?
Me: I'm sorry, what?
...pause as you can see him thinking, and grasping for the real word...
Aaron: Are you wearing eyeliner?
Me: (laughing) Yes.
I'm clearly still learning the language.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Clothes
In case you were wondering what Aaron dressed like in high school, please see Exhibit A. Humongous red shorts, and an oversized, long sleeved, hooded shirt. I didn't give him time to go put on his bright yellow sneakers before I snapped this shot.We unearthed these clothes today after taking delivery of our new chest of drawers. We finally found one that had drawers deep enough to fit almost all of Aaron's clothes, so I could take over the closet, unencumbered.
I dumped out all of his clothes from his tiny current dresser and the closet, and these were some of the gems we discovered. Happily we both ended up with a huge pile of clothes to donate to Goodwill. I'm not quite sure where all our clothes have been hiding. We've made three substantial trips to Goodwill already this year, and yet we have another huge trip to make.
And I believe that when I go through the pile to tally them up for the tax receipt, I will not be finding the aforementioned outfit in the pile. He was just too happy wearing them again to stomach getting rid of them.
He also wants to show our kids what he rocked in high school.
I hope the peals of laughter don't hurt his feelings too much.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
The results are in
If you read this post, you will recall Aaron's dislocated shoulder. He went to the doctor and x-rays were normal, so the doc scheduled him for an MRI. Finally he got in to take the MRI, and today he got the results back.
Not good.
Surgery.
He tore his labrum in the rear (snicker), and the only cure is to staple it back together. He is getting it scoped, so he'll only have three small incisions, but it's still a 2 hour surgery under general anesthesia.
Then a month of twice weekly rehab.
Then 4-6 months of no activity. No lifting weights, no golf, no tennis (ha! like he'll play that again!), and no snowboarding.
Why do you care about snowboarding now, you ask? Well let me tell you. We just booked our anniversary trip to go snowboarding. In February. Seven months from now.
Which means, we'll get maybe a few trips in before heading out to Big Sky Resort, where, according to their website, you must be wary of death slides. So we should probably get some practice in before then!
I'm so sad for him because I know how much he loves going to the gym and lifting weights. He had just hit some major personal records for himself and was so happy about that. Now he'll be starting over at zero when he can finally hit the gym again. I would be majorly depressed. Luckily, he's not into the doom and gloom like I am so I think he'll handle it ok. At least he can focus on cardio instead and not worry that it's counteracting all his gains he'd been making. Maybe he'll be in marathon shape come January!
The other bummer is that he was just getting really good at golf and seeming to really enjoy it. Only last night he said he wanted to go over the videos I had taken of him at the range so he could analyze his technique and see how he wanted to tweak it. And now he won't swing a club until March, probably, depending how warm our winter is.
So I'm really sad for him. If only I hadn't dragged him onto that tennis court!!!
He's been really sweet and said he would still come to the range with me if I wanted to hit some balls, and he would even drive around the course with us (and drink beer with us!) if we wanted to go play a round with IA and McHub. And this would be fun for me at least, but I don't know how much enjoyment he'd really get out of it. And I don't know how much fun I would be able to have without him there, so I doubt I would ever go play a round without him.
I know for sure I don't want to go snowboarding without him. It just wouldn't be the same. The most enjoyment I get out of snowboarding is doing it with him. Landing a trick and turning to him and yelling, "Did you see that?!" and then seeing his big grin and thumbs up. Or following behind him as he hits jump after jump. Then meeting up at the bottom of the slope and talking about our runs as we go back up on the lift. I don't think I could really enjoy it if he wasn't there to share it with me. It would just be.....meh.
I did tell him that now he would be able to empathize with me if I get pregnant and have to skip a season of sporting activities - to which he said, 'That's why you have to get pregnant in February, then we can drop the kids off at Amelia's when the season starts up again!'
That's my husband, always thinkin'!!
Not good.
Surgery.
He tore his labrum in the rear (snicker), and the only cure is to staple it back together. He is getting it scoped, so he'll only have three small incisions, but it's still a 2 hour surgery under general anesthesia.
Then a month of twice weekly rehab.
Then 4-6 months of no activity. No lifting weights, no golf, no tennis (ha! like he'll play that again!), and no snowboarding.
Why do you care about snowboarding now, you ask? Well let me tell you. We just booked our anniversary trip to go snowboarding. In February. Seven months from now.
Which means, we'll get maybe a few trips in before heading out to Big Sky Resort, where, according to their website, you must be wary of death slides. So we should probably get some practice in before then!
I'm so sad for him because I know how much he loves going to the gym and lifting weights. He had just hit some major personal records for himself and was so happy about that. Now he'll be starting over at zero when he can finally hit the gym again. I would be majorly depressed. Luckily, he's not into the doom and gloom like I am so I think he'll handle it ok. At least he can focus on cardio instead and not worry that it's counteracting all his gains he'd been making. Maybe he'll be in marathon shape come January!
The other bummer is that he was just getting really good at golf and seeming to really enjoy it. Only last night he said he wanted to go over the videos I had taken of him at the range so he could analyze his technique and see how he wanted to tweak it. And now he won't swing a club until March, probably, depending how warm our winter is.
So I'm really sad for him. If only I hadn't dragged him onto that tennis court!!!
He's been really sweet and said he would still come to the range with me if I wanted to hit some balls, and he would even drive around the course with us (and drink beer with us!) if we wanted to go play a round with IA and McHub. And this would be fun for me at least, but I don't know how much enjoyment he'd really get out of it. And I don't know how much fun I would be able to have without him there, so I doubt I would ever go play a round without him.
I know for sure I don't want to go snowboarding without him. It just wouldn't be the same. The most enjoyment I get out of snowboarding is doing it with him. Landing a trick and turning to him and yelling, "Did you see that?!" and then seeing his big grin and thumbs up. Or following behind him as he hits jump after jump. Then meeting up at the bottom of the slope and talking about our runs as we go back up on the lift. I don't think I could really enjoy it if he wasn't there to share it with me. It would just be.....meh.
I did tell him that now he would be able to empathize with me if I get pregnant and have to skip a season of sporting activities - to which he said, 'That's why you have to get pregnant in February, then we can drop the kids off at Amelia's when the season starts up again!'
That's my husband, always thinkin'!!
Hell's Cubicle
Aaron and I just got on the Hell's Kitchen bandwagon. A little late but we're thoroughly enjoying the show nonetheless. Gordon Ramsey is my hero. And when I say that, I mean I wish I could be like him at my job.
One of the things I dislike about the field I am in is that female coworkers are few and far between. On the last few projects I've been on, I've been the only female on the team.
This means I am surrounded by socially challenged geeks who have not seen a real, live, breathing female in their midst since they left home, much less one who talks to them (or rather, is forced to talk to them at times to get her freaking job done).
Hey! My eyes are up here! And my foot's going to be in your ASS soon!
Even though I have sparkly diamonds adorning my left ring finger, and I work 'my husband' into just about every conversation I have, they still feel the need to attempt to flirt with me.
What I would love to do is get all Gordon Ramsey on their asses and yell, 'Just FUCK OFF, will you, you DONKEY!!!!'
One of the things I dislike about the field I am in is that female coworkers are few and far between. On the last few projects I've been on, I've been the only female on the team.
This means I am surrounded by socially challenged geeks who have not seen a real, live, breathing female in their midst since they left home, much less one who talks to them (or rather, is forced to talk to them at times to get her freaking job done).
Hey! My eyes are up here! And my foot's going to be in your ASS soon!
Even though I have sparkly diamonds adorning my left ring finger, and I work 'my husband' into just about every conversation I have, they still feel the need to attempt to flirt with me.
What I would love to do is get all Gordon Ramsey on their asses and yell, 'Just FUCK OFF, will you, you DONKEY!!!!'
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Moving On
Sorry, just had to get that last post out there or I was going to blow a gasket.
Lately I have become addicted to a song I heard on SYTYCD. It was a contemporary dance, so obviously the song is about heartbreak. It's called Apologize by Timbaland, featuring One Republic. Which means, I assume, that One Republic did all the singing and Timbaland 'produced' it.
On that note, I've recently realized that during every single performance on SYTYCD, I get a little misty eyed. I'm not sure why. Not all of the songs are sad. Is it the beautiful movements that get me all choked up? I don't know.
I do know that I mentioned this to IA today and her immediate response was, 'So, are you pregnant?'
Oh God, I hope not! I just paid off all my debt. We need to build a solid nest egg before we even think about having kids.
That and we have to move out of this area. Easier said than done, given the current job market, I know. And having just made some really great, amazing friends here, it will be even harder to leave. My only consolation is that they hate it here too, so I'm sure they'll leave soon. Maybe even to where we move!
A pipe dream, I know. But one can hope. Here's keeping my fingers crossed.
And my legs!
Lately I have become addicted to a song I heard on SYTYCD. It was a contemporary dance, so obviously the song is about heartbreak. It's called Apologize by Timbaland, featuring One Republic. Which means, I assume, that One Republic did all the singing and Timbaland 'produced' it.
On that note, I've recently realized that during every single performance on SYTYCD, I get a little misty eyed. I'm not sure why. Not all of the songs are sad. Is it the beautiful movements that get me all choked up? I don't know.
I do know that I mentioned this to IA today and her immediate response was, 'So, are you pregnant?'
Oh God, I hope not! I just paid off all my debt. We need to build a solid nest egg before we even think about having kids.
That and we have to move out of this area. Easier said than done, given the current job market, I know. And having just made some really great, amazing friends here, it will be even harder to leave. My only consolation is that they hate it here too, so I'm sure they'll leave soon. Maybe even to where we move!
A pipe dream, I know. But one can hope. Here's keeping my fingers crossed.
And my legs!
A few points
- I am not Google.
- Nor am I Google Desktop.
- I will not do your work for you.
- No, I will not ask Tim* anything for you. Email Tim your goddamn self.
*name changed to protect the innocent.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
I keep forgetting.
I keep forgetting that I'm turning 30 this year.
30!!
I totally never thought I would live this long. Hell, I thought 21 was a pipe dream. Amazing.
Anyway, I keep forgetting about it until Aaron brings it up at random times, like when I'm trying to go to sleep.
Or when Austin calls me out of the blue today, leaving a voicemail saying he has an urgent question for me, please call back! Slightly trepidatious, I call him, and he yells, "HOW OLD ARE YOU?"
He just wanted to make sure he hadn't missed my 30th birthday. How sweet!
Then he said he was going to be in touch with Aaron soon to start planning the party (Note to faithful readers: if December 12 comes and goes with no party, a happy girl I will NOT be, now that I know they are planning it! I don't need a party, but I do need you to follow through if you get me excited about the prospect of having one!) I told him I thought Aaron would be only all too happy to have a party planning partner.
And IA? You might want to get in on this action too, so I don't end up with female strippers and a plastic sheet on my living room floor. I can totally see them getting carried away with planning the best party ever and forgetting that it's for me. And my birthday.
Of course, Aaron's birthday is first, so I guess I better get started on that!!
30!!
I totally never thought I would live this long. Hell, I thought 21 was a pipe dream. Amazing.
Anyway, I keep forgetting about it until Aaron brings it up at random times, like when I'm trying to go to sleep.
Or when Austin calls me out of the blue today, leaving a voicemail saying he has an urgent question for me, please call back! Slightly trepidatious, I call him, and he yells, "HOW OLD ARE YOU?"
He just wanted to make sure he hadn't missed my 30th birthday. How sweet!
Then he said he was going to be in touch with Aaron soon to start planning the party (Note to faithful readers: if December 12 comes and goes with no party, a happy girl I will NOT be, now that I know they are planning it! I don't need a party, but I do need you to follow through if you get me excited about the prospect of having one!) I told him I thought Aaron would be only all too happy to have a party planning partner.
And IA? You might want to get in on this action too, so I don't end up with female strippers and a plastic sheet on my living room floor. I can totally see them getting carried away with planning the best party ever and forgetting that it's for me. And my birthday.
Of course, Aaron's birthday is first, so I guess I better get started on that!!
Eargasm
Oh, oh. I can barely type. I'm so excited.
So, my car is awesome but the radio sucks ass. I bought the car before they came out with the built in mp3 player hookup, so I was reduced to using the iTrip which connects my iPod to my stereo via the radio. The radio that sucks.
So everything plays really staticy. I was constantly switching the radio station, trying to find the magic number that would allow my tunes to come through loud and clear. It was a losing battle.
But then my husband, my wonderful, handy husband, found a little device that he could install in my car that would allow my iPod to connect directly to my stereo. Directly, as in, no static. Ever!! I ordered it and even splurged on express shipping.
It arrived today, and Aaron immediately went to Lowes to buy a new drill since it involved drilling a hole somewhere in my car for the wire to pass through. And he has been wanting a new drill for a long time, so win-win.
Inside of ten minutes he had it installed, drilled, connected, and playing. Ah, sweet crystal clear sound!!! I'm in ear heaven!!
**
On another eargasm note, I got in on the pre-sale action for the Cure concert, and got freaking floor seats, right in the middle, not too far from the stage. OMG, could I be more excited????
Aaron could. He lovingly said he would be my date. And he's considering bringing his PSP so he'll have something to do during the show. Yeah, not so much a Cure fan. As opposed to me, who, with the help of my mother, found Robert Smith's house in England, took pictures of it and oops! got his license plate number in one of the pictures. Hee hee. I don't still have it memorized though.
Maybe.
So, my car is awesome but the radio sucks ass. I bought the car before they came out with the built in mp3 player hookup, so I was reduced to using the iTrip which connects my iPod to my stereo via the radio. The radio that sucks.
So everything plays really staticy. I was constantly switching the radio station, trying to find the magic number that would allow my tunes to come through loud and clear. It was a losing battle.
But then my husband, my wonderful, handy husband, found a little device that he could install in my car that would allow my iPod to connect directly to my stereo. Directly, as in, no static. Ever!! I ordered it and even splurged on express shipping.
It arrived today, and Aaron immediately went to Lowes to buy a new drill since it involved drilling a hole somewhere in my car for the wire to pass through. And he has been wanting a new drill for a long time, so win-win.
Inside of ten minutes he had it installed, drilled, connected, and playing. Ah, sweet crystal clear sound!!! I'm in ear heaven!!
**
On another eargasm note, I got in on the pre-sale action for the Cure concert, and got freaking floor seats, right in the middle, not too far from the stage. OMG, could I be more excited????
Aaron could. He lovingly said he would be my date. And he's considering bringing his PSP so he'll have something to do during the show. Yeah, not so much a Cure fan. As opposed to me, who, with the help of my mother, found Robert Smith's house in England, took pictures of it and oops! got his license plate number in one of the pictures. Hee hee. I don't still have it memorized though.
Maybe.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Trash
So, last night I was watching some episodes of Miami Ink that I had tivo'd. This one girl came into the shop looking to get a portrait of her husband on her arm, because he had recently passed away.
Sad, no?
She was tall and reasonably attractive. The picture of him was....well, let's say he married up. So she gets into the story of how he died. I was thinking it was going to be the same old recipe of terminal disease, car crash, war, your typical tear jerker, etc.
But no.
She starts the story with, "Well, we were drunk."
Huh. This is different. She had started out the interview talking about how he once told her that they shouldn't go out to parties because 'bad things happen when we leave the house'. Gee, wonder why.
Anyway, dude ends up getting in a fight with some random guy. He's wasted, and decides he needs to leave so he gets in his truck to drive home. Genius. Then he tries to back over the guy he was fighting. Realizing he may well have killed the guy (I'm pretty sure he missed him completely) he hightails it home.
The cops show up. Rather than go to jail, the dude shoots the cop and then shoots himself.
(I can almost understand the shooting yourself part, but why the cop??)
Anyway, so she's telling this story, and talking about their two young kids he left behind, and she's crying. She's saying what a great guy he was, he always took care of her, he 'fixed' her.
And then she looks down at the portrait of him, ratty goatee and all, tattooed on her arm and says, "Seeing Jim Bob on my arm makes me so happy." (Or something like that).
Jim Bob?
No shit.
Sad, no?
She was tall and reasonably attractive. The picture of him was....well, let's say he married up. So she gets into the story of how he died. I was thinking it was going to be the same old recipe of terminal disease, car crash, war, your typical tear jerker, etc.
But no.
She starts the story with, "Well, we were drunk."
Huh. This is different. She had started out the interview talking about how he once told her that they shouldn't go out to parties because 'bad things happen when we leave the house'. Gee, wonder why.
Anyway, dude ends up getting in a fight with some random guy. He's wasted, and decides he needs to leave so he gets in his truck to drive home. Genius. Then he tries to back over the guy he was fighting. Realizing he may well have killed the guy (I'm pretty sure he missed him completely) he hightails it home.
The cops show up. Rather than go to jail, the dude shoots the cop and then shoots himself.
(I can almost understand the shooting yourself part, but why the cop??)
Anyway, so she's telling this story, and talking about their two young kids he left behind, and she's crying. She's saying what a great guy he was, he always took care of her, he 'fixed' her.
And then she looks down at the portrait of him, ratty goatee and all, tattooed on her arm and says, "Seeing Jim Bob on my arm makes me so happy." (Or something like that).
Jim Bob?
No shit.
Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me
I'm so excited. I just found out that The Cure is playing the Patriot Center on September 19!!! Tickets go on sale Saturday!!! The only time I've seen The Cure was the best concert I have ever been to. Of course, I went with some other die hard fans, so that might have helped. And we had great seats.
So I'm overly excited, and yet a little reserved. Tickets are $60+ each. I don't know anyone else who would want to go. And is it worth $60 for someone to go who didn't like the music, just so I would have company? It's hard for me to justify that.
Plus I didn't really care for their latest album. The concert I went to was so great because they basically played all of Disintegration straight through. If the play all their new crap, I'm not sure I will feel like I got my money's worth.
Decisions, decisions.
So I'm overly excited, and yet a little reserved. Tickets are $60+ each. I don't know anyone else who would want to go. And is it worth $60 for someone to go who didn't like the music, just so I would have company? It's hard for me to justify that.
Plus I didn't really care for their latest album. The concert I went to was so great because they basically played all of Disintegration straight through. If the play all their new crap, I'm not sure I will feel like I got my money's worth.
Decisions, decisions.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Wine, wine, and more wine
This weekend was a good one. A hot one, but a good one.
IndyAndy (just IA from here on out) and McHub (McH) joined forces with Aaron and me as we set off on a tour of four Virginia wineries. The tour was organized by some other people I know, and IA knows sort-of, in that internet kind of six degrees of separation way.
It was the same company doing the driving for the tour that did my bridal shower, however, we didn't ride in the van due to space reasons. The four of us just followed the van to each winery. And I have to say I think it worked out for the best this way. We got to listen to some comedy (will it burn my mouth? it will destroy your mouth...) and we had much more room than the 12 crammed in on the bus. Besides, the best part of the bus is buying bottles of wine and then drinking them on the bus between wineries. And they didn't even do that! That's not how you party...
We hit Veramar first, and I love Veramar. You get to keep your tasting glasses - of which I already have several, thanks to the bridal shower - and now we have four more, thanks to Melissa and Jacob donating theirs to us! We don't have room for more glasses either but dammit, I will MAKE room! I love those glasses for some reason. Veramar was gorgeous, however the people working there put NO effort at all into the tasting. No stories, no smiles, just a light pour and move on with your life, people.
We ended up buying two bottles of rose - The Pink Chicken (not taco, as Aaron pointed out later) - which surprised me because as well all know, I am a red lover.
Then we went to Gray Ghost which was FOREVER away and Aaron pointed out the driver took the longest route possible to get there (riding his brakes the whole time, mmm that smelled good to be behind!) but it was cute. This was the best 'show' of them all. We got to go into the private room with the barrels, and the lady doing the tasting was either drunk, or high, or both. She was hysterical and I think we all had a great time at that one. Plus, there was a canon, and you can't really beat canons for fun.
We bought nothing here. Actually nothing the rest of the time.
We moved on to Unicorn which was just down the road. This place was ghetto, and no less than TWO of the girls working there were wearing the same shirt as me. The one girl looked tired and not really into doing the tasting, but at least she smiled once or twice. The other helper girl looked homicidal the entire time. I was glad she didn't pour at our table because I had no desire to drink her bitterness.
Finally we moved on to Chrysalis, which along with Veramar I had already been to before. The first time I went there the lady did a really nice story for each of the wines and it was nice. This time we were outside (did I mention it was 94 degrees on Saturday?) and the last tasting of the day. The stories were cut short, and the winery definitely has no shortage in the ego department. The tasting lady pimped out their world award winning best ever in the whole world wine so much I thought I would get off just smelling it, however it wasn't all that great. I do love their Chardonnay, but since I already have a bottle in the fridge, I decided to save the money. The rest of the wines didn't impress me.
There was a family doing the tasting with us, and the 14 year old boy actually tried to taste the wine. The tasting lady, rightfully so, firmly denied him, at which point the mother called the place 'not very child friendly'. To which Melissa very loudly proclaimed, 'It's a bar!'
After that we were beat and headed home. We actually went out for thai first and then home. Mmmm thai.
And now I'm on the second of a nine day cleanse so no wine (or thai!) for me for a while. This is a good thing. I can already feel myself getting healthier. Let's hope the next week goes by as smoothly as the past two days!
IndyAndy (just IA from here on out) and McHub (McH) joined forces with Aaron and me as we set off on a tour of four Virginia wineries. The tour was organized by some other people I know, and IA knows sort-of, in that internet kind of six degrees of separation way.
It was the same company doing the driving for the tour that did my bridal shower, however, we didn't ride in the van due to space reasons. The four of us just followed the van to each winery. And I have to say I think it worked out for the best this way. We got to listen to some comedy (will it burn my mouth? it will destroy your mouth...) and we had much more room than the 12 crammed in on the bus. Besides, the best part of the bus is buying bottles of wine and then drinking them on the bus between wineries. And they didn't even do that! That's not how you party...
We hit Veramar first, and I love Veramar. You get to keep your tasting glasses - of which I already have several, thanks to the bridal shower - and now we have four more, thanks to Melissa and Jacob donating theirs to us! We don't have room for more glasses either but dammit, I will MAKE room! I love those glasses for some reason. Veramar was gorgeous, however the people working there put NO effort at all into the tasting. No stories, no smiles, just a light pour and move on with your life, people.
We ended up buying two bottles of rose - The Pink Chicken (not taco, as Aaron pointed out later) - which surprised me because as well all know, I am a red lover.
Then we went to Gray Ghost which was FOREVER away and Aaron pointed out the driver took the longest route possible to get there (riding his brakes the whole time, mmm that smelled good to be behind!) but it was cute. This was the best 'show' of them all. We got to go into the private room with the barrels, and the lady doing the tasting was either drunk, or high, or both. She was hysterical and I think we all had a great time at that one. Plus, there was a canon, and you can't really beat canons for fun.
We bought nothing here. Actually nothing the rest of the time.
We moved on to Unicorn which was just down the road. This place was ghetto, and no less than TWO of the girls working there were wearing the same shirt as me. The one girl looked tired and not really into doing the tasting, but at least she smiled once or twice. The other helper girl looked homicidal the entire time. I was glad she didn't pour at our table because I had no desire to drink her bitterness.
Finally we moved on to Chrysalis, which along with Veramar I had already been to before. The first time I went there the lady did a really nice story for each of the wines and it was nice. This time we were outside (did I mention it was 94 degrees on Saturday?) and the last tasting of the day. The stories were cut short, and the winery definitely has no shortage in the ego department. The tasting lady pimped out their world award winning best ever in the whole world wine so much I thought I would get off just smelling it, however it wasn't all that great. I do love their Chardonnay, but since I already have a bottle in the fridge, I decided to save the money. The rest of the wines didn't impress me.
There was a family doing the tasting with us, and the 14 year old boy actually tried to taste the wine. The tasting lady, rightfully so, firmly denied him, at which point the mother called the place 'not very child friendly'. To which Melissa very loudly proclaimed, 'It's a bar!'
After that we were beat and headed home. We actually went out for thai first and then home. Mmmm thai.
And now I'm on the second of a nine day cleanse so no wine (or thai!) for me for a while. This is a good thing. I can already feel myself getting healthier. Let's hope the next week goes by as smoothly as the past two days!
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Independence Day
Seriously, the fourth of July being mid-week sucks. The only thing I was really looking forward to was sleeping in, which I did - I got 6 more hours than usual. Sweet!
Aaron and I had no big plans for the day. We saw Transformers last night, which rocked and then went out to an awesome dinner.
I love date nights.
Anyway, so today we had nothing planned. I wanted to play tennis and/or hit the driving range, and then have margaritas. Simple, no?
No.
Aaron discovered that we have 3 tennis courts super close to our house, so we wandered over there to hit some balls around. I haven't played in about two years, and he hasn't played since gym class in high school, so I wasn't expecting to play a match, just bat the ball back and forth.
Aaron had never had a lesson before, so our volleying quickly turned into me feeding him balls and giving some gentle instruction. And of course, he took to it like a champ. After about four balls he started smacking forehands across the net, with topspin, no less! I swear, he oozes athletic talent at everything.
So then we moved on to the backhand. The first ball he used all wrist to try and flip it back over the net. I told him he needed to swing low to high. So the next ball I feed him, he does a full swing, and then the racket flies out of his hand and he's on his knees.
I'm thinking, did I feed the ball to him too hard?!
But no.
He dislocated his shoulder.
This is the boy who can do crazy jumps (and falls) on his snowboard, and walk away without even a sore muscle.
And tennis takes him out?
Luckily he was able to get his shoulder back in place almost immediately.
I hit a few serves since he didn't want to go home immediately, seeing how happy I was being out there. Then he was feeling better, so he decided he wanted to try and return my serves. Forehands only, though.
So after the second serve I managed to get over the net, again with the racket flying out of his hand, and him on his knees! Again, he got the shoulder back in place, and I decided we were calling it a day.
Ten minutes after we got there, we left.
Later we went furniture shopping (yay for new dressers!) and as he pulled the door to the store open, he yelled out in pain. I freaked out, asking him if he was ok.
He was joking. Ha ha. So funny.
Anyway, he says he still wants to play tennis, but he's got to work on that shoulder flexibility first!
I can't wait - maybe one day he'll even be able to beat me ;-)
Aaron and I had no big plans for the day. We saw Transformers last night, which rocked and then went out to an awesome dinner.
I love date nights.
Anyway, so today we had nothing planned. I wanted to play tennis and/or hit the driving range, and then have margaritas. Simple, no?
No.
Aaron discovered that we have 3 tennis courts super close to our house, so we wandered over there to hit some balls around. I haven't played in about two years, and he hasn't played since gym class in high school, so I wasn't expecting to play a match, just bat the ball back and forth.
Aaron had never had a lesson before, so our volleying quickly turned into me feeding him balls and giving some gentle instruction. And of course, he took to it like a champ. After about four balls he started smacking forehands across the net, with topspin, no less! I swear, he oozes athletic talent at everything.
So then we moved on to the backhand. The first ball he used all wrist to try and flip it back over the net. I told him he needed to swing low to high. So the next ball I feed him, he does a full swing, and then the racket flies out of his hand and he's on his knees.
I'm thinking, did I feed the ball to him too hard?!
But no.
He dislocated his shoulder.
This is the boy who can do crazy jumps (and falls) on his snowboard, and walk away without even a sore muscle.
And tennis takes him out?
Luckily he was able to get his shoulder back in place almost immediately.
I hit a few serves since he didn't want to go home immediately, seeing how happy I was being out there. Then he was feeling better, so he decided he wanted to try and return my serves. Forehands only, though.
So after the second serve I managed to get over the net, again with the racket flying out of his hand, and him on his knees! Again, he got the shoulder back in place, and I decided we were calling it a day.
Ten minutes after we got there, we left.
Later we went furniture shopping (yay for new dressers!) and as he pulled the door to the store open, he yelled out in pain. I freaked out, asking him if he was ok.
He was joking. Ha ha. So funny.
Anyway, he says he still wants to play tennis, but he's got to work on that shoulder flexibility first!
I can't wait - maybe one day he'll even be able to beat me ;-)
The Friendship Wave
I had a dream last night that J&A visited us unexpectedly. (J&A moved away, and J majorly sucks at keeping in touch. As in, she doesn't. Period). I asked her if she ever got the card I sent her, and she smiled and said she did. I asked her why she didn't bother to email me or call me to tell me she got it then?? She didn't have an answer for that.
Which made me think about friends in general, and keeping in touch. Every now and then I'll realize, Man, I haven't talked to HER in so long! And then I'll feel this wave of guilt, about how much of a bad friend I am for not reaching out, keeping in touch better.... And then it suddenly hits me - it's not like I've not been returning phone calls or emails from that person. They certainly haven't been reaching out to me in all this time.
And every now and then, it pisses me off. Mostly pisses me off that I feel guilty about not being better at being in touch. Because I can understand the ebb and flow of life and how it can be difficult to maintain constant chatter over distances. So why should I feel so upset at myself for not rising above this, and assuming these friends are mad or hurt that I haven't kept in touch, when the blame lies on their shoulders as well? It is really hard to maintain solid friendships over long distances.
But it can be done.
For instance, I'm so incredibly happy that MaD has been so faithful about keeping in touch and up to date with what's going on with them. And Kim, who as of late has been somewhat absent, has always been good about keeping in contact. I know she is busy with work and I am somewhat hesitant to send off a vague, Hey how's it going? type email since I know she will be in contact when she has time, and I don't have anything overly interesting to share. And I know her time is precious between work and school, so I leave it up to her judgement as to when is a good time to open the floodgates again. Hell, maybe that's being overly cautious. I should send an email saying Hi even though I have no updates on my life other than what I blog about. And I do want to hear all her gossip, but I know how draining it can be to try and sum it up in an email....
Anyway. I don't really mind being the person that has to 'reach out' all the time. Some people suck at making the first move at keeping in touch. And then some people just suck at it outright.
Like, I know my brother won't just up and call me out of the blue to catch up unless it's a birthday or holiday. But I do know that if I call him out of the blue, it will be a great conversation, we'll catch up, I'll realize how much I miss him (that part always sucks, but I digress) and life will go on.
But I call my sister and leave messages....and never hear back. Not even an email. So that sucks. A lot.
I have recently tried getting back in touch with some old friends and colleagues...and it worked out well in some cases, and other cases, not so much. I don't understand why you go back to maintaining radio silence after having a good catch up session. But after a while of always being the first one to initiate contact, I guess you have to take a hint. And I guess those are the people you don't want in your life anyway.
Which made me think about friends in general, and keeping in touch. Every now and then I'll realize, Man, I haven't talked to HER in so long! And then I'll feel this wave of guilt, about how much of a bad friend I am for not reaching out, keeping in touch better.... And then it suddenly hits me - it's not like I've not been returning phone calls or emails from that person. They certainly haven't been reaching out to me in all this time.
And every now and then, it pisses me off. Mostly pisses me off that I feel guilty about not being better at being in touch. Because I can understand the ebb and flow of life and how it can be difficult to maintain constant chatter over distances. So why should I feel so upset at myself for not rising above this, and assuming these friends are mad or hurt that I haven't kept in touch, when the blame lies on their shoulders as well? It is really hard to maintain solid friendships over long distances.
But it can be done.
For instance, I'm so incredibly happy that MaD has been so faithful about keeping in touch and up to date with what's going on with them. And Kim, who as of late has been somewhat absent, has always been good about keeping in contact. I know she is busy with work and I am somewhat hesitant to send off a vague, Hey how's it going? type email since I know she will be in contact when she has time, and I don't have anything overly interesting to share. And I know her time is precious between work and school, so I leave it up to her judgement as to when is a good time to open the floodgates again. Hell, maybe that's being overly cautious. I should send an email saying Hi even though I have no updates on my life other than what I blog about. And I do want to hear all her gossip, but I know how draining it can be to try and sum it up in an email....
Anyway. I don't really mind being the person that has to 'reach out' all the time. Some people suck at making the first move at keeping in touch. And then some people just suck at it outright.
Like, I know my brother won't just up and call me out of the blue to catch up unless it's a birthday or holiday. But I do know that if I call him out of the blue, it will be a great conversation, we'll catch up, I'll realize how much I miss him (that part always sucks, but I digress) and life will go on.
But I call my sister and leave messages....and never hear back. Not even an email. So that sucks. A lot.
I have recently tried getting back in touch with some old friends and colleagues...and it worked out well in some cases, and other cases, not so much. I don't understand why you go back to maintaining radio silence after having a good catch up session. But after a while of always being the first one to initiate contact, I guess you have to take a hint. And I guess those are the people you don't want in your life anyway.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
What to write...
I realized, when we were transferring all our data to our new network storage system, that I haven't written any poems in a while. Like, a long while. And I used to write a lot. Anyone who has ever gotten an email from me knows where to find them.
Well, I guess I have written more recently...one of the favorite parts about our wedding was our guest book, which was a photo book I made in Shutterfly filled with pictures of us, and poems I had written about/for Aaron. Ha, my first published work. Anyway.
So the poems I have written more recently were mostly happy ones. Which is beyond strange for me since I had never written a happy poem in my life before! I just don't get inspired to write when I'm in a good mood, I guess.
And yet I miss it.
Now, I have written poems based on characters or even friends going through certain situations...but those are harder to get my teeth into.
It reminds me of when I went to see Matt Nathanson in concert, he said that pretty much he only writes sad songs. And it's hard to come up with material since he's happily married. So when he needs to write songs, he digs back to unrequited love in high school or college or whatever, before he met his wife. And he writes about those times and relationships.
I don't know how I feel about that, for me. For one, I don't know that I really want to ever think about those relationships ever again, even IF I want to write, but don't want to write sappy, happy crap.
It also feels to me like I would be betraying Aaron in some way...delving into the past and dedicating mental energy and emotions to old, best forgotten, relationships.
Well, maybe I can just latch onto emotions from the past, and not focus on what or who caused them. That way I can still put words down in the spirit I want to, but not have spent too much time wading through my past. Which I truly don't want to do anyway.
Hmmmm.
Well, I guess I have written more recently...one of the favorite parts about our wedding was our guest book, which was a photo book I made in Shutterfly filled with pictures of us, and poems I had written about/for Aaron. Ha, my first published work. Anyway.
So the poems I have written more recently were mostly happy ones. Which is beyond strange for me since I had never written a happy poem in my life before! I just don't get inspired to write when I'm in a good mood, I guess.
And yet I miss it.
Now, I have written poems based on characters or even friends going through certain situations...but those are harder to get my teeth into.
It reminds me of when I went to see Matt Nathanson in concert, he said that pretty much he only writes sad songs. And it's hard to come up with material since he's happily married. So when he needs to write songs, he digs back to unrequited love in high school or college or whatever, before he met his wife. And he writes about those times and relationships.
I don't know how I feel about that, for me. For one, I don't know that I really want to ever think about those relationships ever again, even IF I want to write, but don't want to write sappy, happy crap.
It also feels to me like I would be betraying Aaron in some way...delving into the past and dedicating mental energy and emotions to old, best forgotten, relationships.
Well, maybe I can just latch onto emotions from the past, and not focus on what or who caused them. That way I can still put words down in the spirit I want to, but not have spent too much time wading through my past. Which I truly don't want to do anyway.
Hmmmm.
Monday, July 02, 2007
The perils of garbage.
I did a very bad thing last week, and only just realized it today. And I feel sick about it. Really bad. Sure, it wasn't intentional, but it was a stupid mistake, and a very expensive mistake to boot.
Let me set the background.
Aaron has been wanting a new laptop for ages. He has been without one since the middle of May, and he finally finally decided on one to order. He ordered it with a tiny amount of memory since he could find the same memory cheaper online. So he ordered the computer and the memory the same day. The memory came quickly, arriving in a nondescript white box. Very exciting.
The computer didn't ship for another two weeks - and when it did, he checked the tracking update online every day. Every day. Even though it was coming from China and clearly would not get here any earlier than expected.
Today was the day for the computer to arrive. And arrive, it did. Very very exciting!
Meanwhile, during this week long waiting period, trash was piling up in our kitchen. Just empty boxes from other things we had shipped to us and such (we shop online WAY too much). At any rate, they sat there on the floor in the kitchen. Driving me NUTS. I abhor clutter. Which is a shame, since our house is not what I call clutter free. I can usually stand it until it overwhelms me and I suddenly snap, needing this garbage gone now!!! And I cannot live until the garbage is gone.
I guess I should also note that garbage is Aaron's chore. I don't like garbage, I don't like touching it, throwing it out, dealing with it in any way, shape or form. So Aaron handles this, as well as mowing the lawn, and doing the dishes after I cook. I always cook, and I do the gardening, laundry, grocery shopping, general tidying up around the house. So I think it's a fair chore breakdown.
Anyway, getting back on track. There the garbage sat, in the kitchen, piling up higher every day. Finally I couldn't take it anymore! I couldn't stand to look at it! It had to go!!! So what if it wasn't my chore to do, I was going to do it, by God, and do it right then and there! I thought I was being helpful, in a way, since now he didn't have to do it. And it made me less crazy to have it gone. Win-win, right?
Wrong.
So, I moved all the crap downstairs to the basement. Finally the kitchen was clear! While I was moving the piles of boxes downstairs, I remember taking a nondescript white box, giving it a shake and thinking that it was empty. So into the pile of trash it went.
A few days later it was trash day, and we both moved all the boxes outside to the trash. Done and done.
Fast forward to today. The laptop has arrived! Hurray! I asked Aaron if his memory ever arrived, since I didn't remember when it got here. He said yes, but hmmmm where was it.....
He asked me if I had seen a white box on the kitchen table.
Uh oh.
A nondescript, seemingly empty, white box?
Why yes, I remember seeing it. And throwing it away. D'oh!!
Our conversation went something like this:
Me: It felt empty!
Aaron: If it was empty, I would have thrown it out.
Me: But you never throw ANYTHING out!
Aaron: Yes I do!
So I order ANOTHER not-very-cheap-at-all chip of memory and have it overnighted, so hopefully it will be here tomorrow.
The conversation ends with -
Aaron: Just please check to make sure boxes on the table are empty before throwing them out.
I think I just won't touch the garbage anymore. It's safer for all of us this way.
Sorry honey :-( I was only trying to help.
Let me set the background.
Aaron has been wanting a new laptop for ages. He has been without one since the middle of May, and he finally finally decided on one to order. He ordered it with a tiny amount of memory since he could find the same memory cheaper online. So he ordered the computer and the memory the same day. The memory came quickly, arriving in a nondescript white box. Very exciting.
The computer didn't ship for another two weeks - and when it did, he checked the tracking update online every day. Every day. Even though it was coming from China and clearly would not get here any earlier than expected.
Today was the day for the computer to arrive. And arrive, it did. Very very exciting!
Meanwhile, during this week long waiting period, trash was piling up in our kitchen. Just empty boxes from other things we had shipped to us and such (we shop online WAY too much). At any rate, they sat there on the floor in the kitchen. Driving me NUTS. I abhor clutter. Which is a shame, since our house is not what I call clutter free. I can usually stand it until it overwhelms me and I suddenly snap, needing this garbage gone now!!! And I cannot live until the garbage is gone.
I guess I should also note that garbage is Aaron's chore. I don't like garbage, I don't like touching it, throwing it out, dealing with it in any way, shape or form. So Aaron handles this, as well as mowing the lawn, and doing the dishes after I cook. I always cook, and I do the gardening, laundry, grocery shopping, general tidying up around the house. So I think it's a fair chore breakdown.
Anyway, getting back on track. There the garbage sat, in the kitchen, piling up higher every day. Finally I couldn't take it anymore! I couldn't stand to look at it! It had to go!!! So what if it wasn't my chore to do, I was going to do it, by God, and do it right then and there! I thought I was being helpful, in a way, since now he didn't have to do it. And it made me less crazy to have it gone. Win-win, right?
Wrong.
So, I moved all the crap downstairs to the basement. Finally the kitchen was clear! While I was moving the piles of boxes downstairs, I remember taking a nondescript white box, giving it a shake and thinking that it was empty. So into the pile of trash it went.
A few days later it was trash day, and we both moved all the boxes outside to the trash. Done and done.
Fast forward to today. The laptop has arrived! Hurray! I asked Aaron if his memory ever arrived, since I didn't remember when it got here. He said yes, but hmmmm where was it.....
He asked me if I had seen a white box on the kitchen table.
Uh oh.
A nondescript, seemingly empty, white box?
Why yes, I remember seeing it. And throwing it away. D'oh!!
Our conversation went something like this:
Me: It felt empty!
Aaron: If it was empty, I would have thrown it out.
Me: But you never throw ANYTHING out!
Aaron: Yes I do!
So I order ANOTHER not-very-cheap-at-all chip of memory and have it overnighted, so hopefully it will be here tomorrow.
The conversation ends with -
Aaron: Just please check to make sure boxes on the table are empty before throwing them out.
I think I just won't touch the garbage anymore. It's safer for all of us this way.
Sorry honey :-( I was only trying to help.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Weekend Recap
We had another great weekend, and it was almost a repeat of last weekend. I'm liking the repetition. Although I hope IndyAndy and McHub don't get sick of us!
We ran some errands on Saturday and then got ready for our tee time. IndyAndy and McHub came over and we headed off to Broad Run Golf Club to play 9 holes. Aaron and I had played this course before, and it didn't go terribly well, although Aaron did make his first par on a hole ever. However this time, the course would own us.
I was hitting so well at the range when we were warming up - everything was going far and straight. Little did I know I had used up all my good shots in the warm up.
We lost a record number of balls to the trees (and water). McHub even said it was his worst round of golf ever. I did hit one long putt in, and I got out of the sand pretty well. IndyAndy was a chipping monster - we really have to get that girl into some lessons, if that's how well she plays without any! Aaron had some good chips too, and I got a video of the best drive he hit all day, which was a beautiful shot.
We still managed to have fun (thanks in part to McHub bankrolling us when the beer wench rolled by) and I guess it was good experience. We were more than happy when the round was over and we could come home and shower.
We grilled up some wings and burgers, and then played Balderdash, which inevitably turned a little X rated. It was hysterical - Aaron comes up with the craziest, funniest definitions ever. And IndyAndy and McHub are clearly on the same wavelength as they independently came up with almost the same definition. Show offs.
Since we had margaritas and not the wine I had been looking forward to all week, I'm having that tonight! We had a low key day today - we ended up getting Aaron a new putter since Dick's was having a sale, and I got two cute new outfits.
I was very proud of us that we went to the gym to go running, but the stupid place closed at two. Two!! Sheesh. Anyway instead of going home and sitting on the couch, we did a short run outside - so I feel I have earned my wine!
And now to enjoy my dinner!
We ran some errands on Saturday and then got ready for our tee time. IndyAndy and McHub came over and we headed off to Broad Run Golf Club to play 9 holes. Aaron and I had played this course before, and it didn't go terribly well, although Aaron did make his first par on a hole ever. However this time, the course would own us.
I was hitting so well at the range when we were warming up - everything was going far and straight. Little did I know I had used up all my good shots in the warm up.
We lost a record number of balls to the trees (and water). McHub even said it was his worst round of golf ever. I did hit one long putt in, and I got out of the sand pretty well. IndyAndy was a chipping monster - we really have to get that girl into some lessons, if that's how well she plays without any! Aaron had some good chips too, and I got a video of the best drive he hit all day, which was a beautiful shot.
We still managed to have fun (thanks in part to McHub bankrolling us when the beer wench rolled by) and I guess it was good experience. We were more than happy when the round was over and we could come home and shower.
We grilled up some wings and burgers, and then played Balderdash, which inevitably turned a little X rated. It was hysterical - Aaron comes up with the craziest, funniest definitions ever. And IndyAndy and McHub are clearly on the same wavelength as they independently came up with almost the same definition. Show offs.
Since we had margaritas and not the wine I had been looking forward to all week, I'm having that tonight! We had a low key day today - we ended up getting Aaron a new putter since Dick's was having a sale, and I got two cute new outfits.
I was very proud of us that we went to the gym to go running, but the stupid place closed at two. Two!! Sheesh. Anyway instead of going home and sitting on the couch, we did a short run outside - so I feel I have earned my wine!
And now to enjoy my dinner!
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