Realization
We generally don’t do much to celebrate Valentine’s Day, and with the super budgeting we’re doing right now combined with a certain someone’s love to go a little nutty on gifts, I sort of put the kibosh on the whole day this year. However, after a day filled with the following activities:
- overslept
- had stomachache
- cleaned up a lot of baby poop
- lots of conference calls
- phone shopping (possibly my least favorite of all retail experiences)
- passed out in front of TV
I woke up this morning and realized that maybe, deep down, I had wanted to celebrate Valentine’s Day a little bit. Will remember that next year, or next arbitrary commercially created holiday designed to induce these feelings of emptiness and guilt.
We’re all romance around here, let me tell you!
Baby-friendly
I’m not much of a jewelry person, but I have to admit, having seen Alex go for my mom’s pearls a few times now, I think the people at SmartMom have the right idea. I kind of want one of the heart shaped necklaces. Which is another in a series of recent impulses that makes me ask myself “who are you?”
No minivan desires yet though.
Ow
So, when the doctor said “no dairy”, she didn’t actually mean “no dairy unless you really, really want that morning latte”. Go figure.
New Year’s Resolutions
Resolutions are always hit or miss with me, but I figure, I might as well at least try to better myself in 2008. So here goes:
- There are three things I plan to do every single day in 2008: floss my teeth, get at least 20 minutes of exercise, and hug my husband and son (that last one will be easy, sadly the first two might be a challenge)
- My environmental contribution will be to only use reusable shopping bags - no more paper or plastic for me.
- I am going to try to have all gifts from me this year be either photographic or hand made.
I think that’s enough! How about you, reader(s?)? Any promises you’re hoping to keep to yourself in 2008?
In non-resolution news, I have some web projects and redesigns that I’m working on. I only have a week before I go back to work, though, so those may all have to be put on hold for a bit - we’ll see.
My introduction to a legend
“Does he seriously hook up with a different woman in each episode?”
“Why not? He’s frickin’ MacGyver. Observe the mullet. Respect it.”
Catching up
1) Still waiting to have the baby. The upside is the house hasn’t been this organized…ever.
2) USC lost to Stanford yesterday, the likelihood of which is sort of the equivalent of, I don’t know, me winning a game of golf against Sam. Jason is now not only sick (although getting better), but a little soul-crushed as well. He’s hoping the Broncos might lift his spirits today. Ha!
3) We saw Across the Universe and both enjoyed it quite a bit. Every time we see a movie that breaks convention (even a little) I wonder if it will be the last of its kind to get made. Maybe that’s me getting older and more paranoid.
4) Krissy (who, incidentally, is having a really bad week and could use some good vibes) tagged me a while back to write eight interesting things about myself and I did try. It’s sitting as a draft in my list of blog entries. Does “I have an inexplicable aversion to spoons” count?
5) I just realized that tomorrow marks the five year anniversary of the launch of some ITV technology I helped create. It’s still up and running pretty much as we left it when it launched. So happy birthday to it, and the memories around making it, which are now sufficiently rose-colored given the passage of time.
Speedy
I haven’t upgraded WordPress (the blog software used on this site) for some time and figured I probably should. One thing I’ve noticed is that the whole thing loads way faster than before. I hope that’s what’s actually happening and not just my imagination. But it does seem noticably faster. And I can use tags now! Wahey!
New personal best
I have a hangnail on every finger on my right hand and two on my left. Ow.
Baobabs update
So, the lawn is finished! All in all the contractors did a very nice job. We do have some patches of dead sod in the back - either because it is “in shock”, or because for the first few blisteringly hot days the sprinklers back there were not set properly on the timer (the sprinkler people went away and did not get to return for a few days). We’ll see. We are assured that any dead sod will be replaced as it is guaranteed.
The backyard is, I have to admit, much more appealing without the tree there. As much as I will miss its blossoms in spring and its snow covered leaves in winter, it’s already clear that it was causing us a lot of problems and threatening to cause a lot more. The yard is so much more open and inviting now that it is not dominated by the tree. And the fact that the thing was actually rotting makes me feel far less guilty about having it taken out - although of course I didn’t know it was rotting and as far as I knew I was a killer of perfectly healthy trees. So really the guilt alleviation is unearned. But still.
A side factor of this was also that our ancient phone lines coming into the house were knocked down by a passing garbage truck, which left us without phone and interweb for a while. But, Qwest came out and not only repaired the line, but rearranged it so it wasn’t the huge, dying mess of old wires and instead one clean wire into the house with a brand new somethingorother that gives the phone company access to repair the line easily. So, updates all around!
The one danger presented here is that I have learned that you can hire people to, you know, do stuff for you. As if I need to become even less self sufficient! But it is tempting now when we need something done to think “okay who do I call to do that”… I suppose it’s probably a good thing that while I may jump to that conclusion, my bank account does not. I won’t be outsourcing the cleaning of the kitchen or changing of light bulbs anytime soon. Darn!
