reading list 2008: a review

yet again this year i read quite a few books. look below for a (mostly) complete list, in close to chronological order.

hickory dickory dock by agatha christie
partners in crime by agatha christie
the regatta mystery and other stories by agatha christie
an incomplete education: 3,684 things you should have learned but probably didn't by judy jones and william wilson (okay, so i mostly skimmed this one)
adverbs by daniel handler (also known as lemony snicket and i also skimmed this one)
there is a tide by agatha christie
the under dog and other stories by agatha christie
remembered death by agatha christie
interred with their bones by jennifer lee carrell
n or m? by agatha christie
the labors of hercules by agatha christie (a poirot mystery)
the mysterious mr. quin by agatha christie (these harley quin ones kinda creep me out a little)
wicked by gregory maguire
the other boleyn girl by philippa gregory (these last 2 i read while on my trip to london)
the whipping boy by sid fleischmann (i remember reading this from my elem. school library)
the thirteen problems by agatha christie (i so love the short story compilations)
the seven dials mystery by agatha christie
the midwife's apprentice by karen cushman (another children's book)
the mirror crack'd by agatha christie
the giver by lois lowry (i was a bit old when this came out, so hadn't read it before. dark.)
murder on the orient express by agatha christie (this one doesn't get old)
the hollow by agatha christie
third girl by agatha christie
lord edgware dies by agatha christie
three act tragedy by agatha christie
more saints: lives and illuminations by ruth sanderson (another kiddie book-just reading up on a newly beatified saint)
absent in the spring by mary westmacott (aka by agatha christie)
the daring book for girls by andrea buchanan and miriam peskowitz
why didn't they ask evans by agatha christie
double sin and other stories by agatha christie
a game of thrones by rr martin
how to write a children's book and get it published by barbara seuling (also received this as a gift at christmas this year-can't return it because a little girl at s's parents' place ate it on new year's day)
gideon the cutpurse by linda buckley-archer (this is really similar to the book i wrote in that it involves time travel)
yellow star by jennifer roy (this is a sad children's book from the perspective of the author's aunt when she was 4 & in hiding from nazis. in verse)
twilight by stephenie meyer (embarrassing, but i had to read them)
new moon by stephenie meyer
a clash of kings by rr martin
eclipse by stephenie meyer
so many steps to death by agatha christie
the moving finger by agatha christie
the gargoyle by andrew davidson (really interesting, but i had no attachment to the main female character. just thought she was crazy)
ordeal by innocence by agatha christie
breaking dawn by stephenie meyer (i dealt with waiting for this on the library hold list. so stupid)
one, two, buckle my shoe by agatha christie (okay, annoying when titles change & there are multiple copies or british titles of the same book you've already read!)
miss marple: the complete short stories by agatha christie (i love miss marple!)
the mystery of the blue train by agatha christie
murder at hazelmoor by agatha christie
ties that bind, ties that break by lensey namioka (interesting children's book about a girl who doesn't want her feet bound in the early 20th century china)
bud, not buddy by christopher paul curtis (newbery medal winner-historical perspective of an orphaned black boy in 1930s michigan)
postern of fate by agatha christie
hercule poirot's christmas by agatha christie
witness for the prosecution and other stories by agatha christie
smart girls like me by diane vadino (boy was this one insipid, but i finished it)
american wife by curtis sittenfeld (i like curtis sittenfeld; prep was my favourite & man of my dreams seemed like a watered down version, but american wife held up the hype for the most part)
sleeping murder by agatha christie
spider's web by agatha christie (a play adapted into a novel by charles osborne)

i intend to read at least as many books this year and continue making my way through agatha christie's entire collection. i also want to read all the newbery & caldecott winners eventually. i'm also going to be continuing researching the period in which my book takes place (1893 chicago world's fair). i received two original 115 year old books for christmas, one photo album & the other a guidebook, to incorporate more details.
what are you reading/planning to read this year?

viva la resolution!

welcome to 2009!

i can't say that last night was too eventful-third new year's eve spent with s, 2nd geek-a-palooza. we spent it, much like last year, with his best friend j & his fiancee b, and the best friend's younger brother t who happens to live with s this year. i made a ham, artichoke heart, fresh mozarrella & pesto pizza for dinner, then we hit the store to buy the requisite booze. i also bought ingredients to make creme brulee french toast for this morning.

even though resolutions are completely trite these days, i'm still considering some generalized things to attempt for this year. i'm working my way through my life list of things to do by the time i'm thirty. well, today is exactly 1 month until my thirtieth birthday. the whole publication thing won't actually happen in the next month, but i'm working on submitting things, slowly but surely. trying to get healthier, but obstacles keep presenting themselves (see-arthritis, etc.)

some things that i could probably accomplish in the next 6 months if i set my mind to it (and that's close enough to 30 for me)

• go skiing
• throw my parents a joint birthday party (march 31 & april 8)
• working on paying off my credit cards
• see the cubs at wrigley
• write & submit an article to publish
• keep submitting book to publishers/agents (1 rejection already in the bag)
  
• outline & research my 2nd book

i'd like to end this post with a couple generalizations of resolutions:

• i'd like to be nicer
• greener
• healthier (or try, if my condition allows)
  
• wealthier (in spirit, if not monetarily)
• more productive
• smarter (taking another continuing ed class?)
• and most important --- happier

happy new year to all of you. i love your presence in my life!

frivolous things i would do with a ridiculous amount of money

after paying off my debts (school loans, car, credit cards), these are the things that i would do with a large sum of cash:

• give m $10k or similar sum split up so that she's not taxed & can pay part of her school loans
• pay for my bro & his fiancee's honeymoon to hawaii
• take mum back to london since she paid for our trip this past spring
• buy pops the biggest collection of t-shirts ever (i always get him t's for gifts)
• get a good, expensive haircut that i can maintain myself (i only get my haircut 3-4x per year)
• host a pizza party (or chipotle) for my coworkers
• hire moni & z as my part-time stylists
• send random $50 gas cards & lush cards to my friends
• visit praha with s. or munchen or roma or amsterdam
  
• go to nyc with b to celebrate our 30th birthdays & see a broadway show
• send my folks on a nice trip for their 35th anniversary in 2010
• buy the complete discography of bebo norman & matthew west for j
• make a significant donation to flood victims at my church
• sign a no-strings small business loan to e to start his chiropractic practice
• attend a cubs game at wrigley on my first visit to chicago
• see an nhl game with my hockey-loving coworkers
• decorate a & k's nursery for k iii
  
• self-publish my book
  

before noon on a saturday

-3 loads of laundry
-fold clothes
-wash dishes
-cleaned bathroom cabinet
-list ebay item
-sign up for medical billing class
-watch cartoons
-walk downtown
-farmer's market
-bank deposit
-pick up library hold
-powerball ticket with spare change
-grab lunch

now i think i'll lounge for a bit. and later i'm supposed to give s a call; he said something about having dinner tonight. :)

givin' some lovin'

thanks to the bundle of sweetness that is suzanne, i am now the proud winner of a shiny, new blogger award.



i'm blushing about the same colour as my hair when i read her post. i don't even know if i have 10 'bliends' i can acknowledge for how much i love them & reading their daily thoughts. i know i don't have 10 that haven't already been cool enough to receive this award from someone else. i guess i'm just gonna have to double up. here goes, in no order whatsoever:

1. cuss i read daily because suzanne's wit & wisdom is just too blunt & funny to go without. and meeting her was definitely the highlight of my first 'real' visit to nyc.
2. des is another kickass woman, who i can't wait to meet irl because she certainly doesn't mince words either.
3. suebob of redstapler always, always makes me think and more often than not splort any beverage on my computer screen with her anecdotes. she is simply awesomeness personified.
4. mdog is another some time snarky woman whose posts i enjoy & am glad to have met through the love of a musician's, now defunct, messageboard. (well the ol' beboard is defunct; i'm sure there's one that's operating now, but it'll never be the same as the old gang.) and through her blog i've been introduced to people i read regularly, even though they have no clue who i am lurking about reading their thoughts. (how creepy am i!?!?)
5. meegs, another former beboarder, has a wonderful grasp of sarcasm & thought-provoking social commentary. i only wish that my mind worked so logically.
6. can't forget amo & her blog, although with the new job it's going on two months since her last post. she's always encouraging & articulate. something about chicago & something about the beboard i guess. 3 former boardies & 3 chicago-ans.
7. i'm running out of steam, but that doesn't mean that jonniker is any less of a fascinating read. her stream of consciousness style & brilliant commenters always makes me wish i could respond to every topic. i find myself nodding & laughing in agreement with all of her posts.
8. this is one of those lurky ones i stole from mdog, formerly b109. it's now mostly a photoblog, and i love it just as much as when she posted more wordy blogs. i've been reading for a couple years & her god-given talent as a photographer astounds me. really incredible.
9. another one i've read for probably 3 years via mdog, lemonscarlet. because she has no comments enabled, i feel like a creepy stalker reading about her life & her amusing take on things.
10. this is a cheap shot because it's a joint blog i'm on, but missingtupperware is the way i keep in touch with my rl friends, a & j, both of whom used to live in the ol' apartment complex. they may have moved on, but at least i can keep up to date on their lives since i'm a terrible phone-o-phobe.

hope i didn't forget anyone or freak anyone out by mentioning how often i read. i neglected some friends' myspace blogs since they're private listings.
lotsa love!

task list

a coupla things i've gotta do in the semi-near future, in no particular order:

revise 25k words
set up chapter breaks
chapter titles
research relevant publishers
find a critique group
request submission requirements
format manuscript
query letters

oh, and maybe come up with a title for the d@mn thing!

recap:things to do before i'm 30

i posted this list a while back on my co-blog and now it's just a smidge more than a year off that i'll need to accomplish these things!

balance my checkbook (for at least 6 months in a row)
fall in love*
get healthy
go skydiving (tandem or solo)
hit the slopes (for the 1st time in over a decade)
make out with someone older than me*
travel to the uk again (can't break my stride- 4x in 11 years!)**
finish my bip (book-in-progress)
submit an article for publishing (any publication qualifies)
attend a broadway show (big apple, london theatre excluded)
see my brother home from iraq (actually see him)*
throw my 'rents a birthday party (they deserve it & they're only a week apart)
return to italia (hint, hint amanda)
reunite w/ my ascsa or caesarea friends (it's been too long)
see tt exchange vows with his honey (they're so cute!)*
watch my cubbies get a w @ wrigley (is it asking too much?)
become an actual member at zion (i've only been attending for 5 years)*
attend my 10th hs reunion (w/out reverting to the person i was then)***
visit becky in florida (are you happy now?)
continue my thanksgiving tradition ('06-nashville, '07-woodruffs?)*
pay off my credit card debt, completely


*accomplished
**i'm leaving in february!
***too little too late-didn't really want to go

this list will continue to grow & change. some of these items are significantly more frivolous than others, but that doesn't mean i don't want to finish them all.

year in review: december 2007

december
it's over? already?

i honestly can't believe december has come & gone already. not too terribly much to report. i rescheduled my sushi party that was postponed by my september hospital stay into a scandinavian holiday party. i made glögg, rosettes, served jarlsberg & lefse. there were 8 of us, so it was nice & intimate. only so many people fit in my apartment anyway.
christmas eve was on my own & s and i actually opened our gifts on sunday night when he got back from 4 days in missouri for a wedding. i spent christmas day at his family's place, 9.30am until 9.15pm. that was quite a long day when i couldn't politely escape the house (even though s & his brother left for 2 hours). well, i survived.

new year's eve to be at a friend of s's, pizza & video games, probably. oh, and a rootbeer keg. i'm kindof looking forward to a quiet celebration.

see you next year!

year in review: november 2007

november
the month of no insurance

after getting bills for 2 hospital stays that added up to about eighty-five hundred dollars, i really appreciated the unions that negotiated my pay & benefits. then i received a call that said i don't have insurance & it should've been cancelled two years ago. this was all because i had been let go from my initial hospital job & re-hired in my current position 2 weeks later & things were not properly reinstated. somehow blue cross continued to pay for two years (they brought it up once last year & i was told it was resolved), then decided i really wasn't supposed to have it & they didn't want to have to pay for such a sick-y. eventually things got sorted out, but only by going through the university ombudsperson & the director of the benefits office, all the while receiving bills for all my bloodwork & hospital stays. hopefully everything's all resolved now.

year in review: october 2007

october
life as usual

i went back to work on the 1st of october after my 8 day hospitalization. people still told me that i should've taken a couple more days, especially when they found out i'd just been discharged on sunday afternoon. like the week before, i just needed to get out & move around. i wanted things as close to back to normal as possible. i also found out, 6 months after my grandmother's death, that i had inherited a small amount of money from the sale of her house, a house i will never again have the chance to visit.

then on wednesday i fell down the stairs. i had gone up there at 3am to confront my neighbor for being incredibly loud. i was so frightened & weak that after asking him to keep it down, my legs were shaking so badly that i dropped my phone on the top step & when i bent over to pick it up, i tumbled face first down the stairs. that was so fun. i considered calling in to work late, but just had s drop me off. turned out that my coworker had gone to the er with my boss because she (coworker) had a panic attack.

on friday, to make up for ruining s's 24th birthday, i made reservations at givanni's & we got all dressed up. also, i wanted to wear the dress i bought for my college roomie's wedding that was to be that saturday. s refused to make the 4 hour drive because he didn't think i was up to it. dinner was fantastic, food & company included.

mum also booked tickets for us to go across the pond. it'll be 5 years since she went the first time in march 2003. should be fun, so long as we both stay healthy!

year in review: september 2007

september
the month of hospitals

my dad has been undiagnosed with some pretty odd symptoms for quite a while. at first he thought it was celiac sprue, with his inability to digest gluten, but it's much more than that. as a result, my parents went to mayo so he could get checked out. we were going to drive up since it was labor day weekend, but they rented a car & drove down here instead. that way they got to meet s for the first time, not quite a year after we started dating. they stayed the whole weekend & we all helped put together my new mission-style dresser. as the 'rents said, that was a good indicator of what kind of person s is.

i also wasn't feeling so hot while they were here, but mostly tried to suck it up. went to the doctor the week after they left, then on monday the 17th i was in a great deal of pain, called the doc. he had me keep an eye on it, but i was still hurting on wednesday the 19th & when he called back on my lunch break he said that he wanted to admit me to the hospital. i, shocked, said, 'what? you mean now? today?' not at all what i was expecting. it had to be s's birthday & he picked me up, so i could pack a bag & they admitted me around 4pm. a private room was all ready for me & there i stayed for 4 days, discharged that sunday. every 4 hours iv-infusions of super-strong steroids, so it wasn't like i could get a full night's sleep. you'd think that people in the hospital desperately need their rest, but no matter to the hospital staff. i couldn't get more than a couple hours of sleep at a go because they were constantly waking me up to infuse drugs, draw blood, send me down for an x-ray, etc. at least i was ambulatory & they let me take a shower. and s visited me, even at 3am one morning, so he got to know the overnight nurses.

the doctor was gone monday & tuesday and i went back to work as usual. i really needed to get out & stop feeling cooped up. except that i started to have just as much pain as before i was admitted. when doctor t got back on wednesday, he returned my call (his colleague's response to my initial call on monday was wait or go to the emergency room) & had me re-admitted. this time i had to share a room with an 80-something woman named margie who spent the entire night moaning, crying out & calling the nurse. i felt bad for her, but i was completely exhausted. they couldn't give the poor woman anything for her pain because they were trying to get her prepped for surgery by thickening her blood, so i felt guilty asking for anything to knock me out & i just dealt with it. by the time i got back from my infusion in the afternoon, the kind nurses had put in a request for a private room for me & all my things had been moved. another 4 day stay. i was on so many steroids that i was having major mood swings & crying at the slightest thing. (it didn't help that the 1st time i was admitted my father was having a needle biopsy to check if he had lymphoma). the doc put me on an anti-depressant to counteract the side effects of the steroids.

btw, the majority of the 8 days i spent in hospital was on a clear liquid diet. i had lost 12lbs in a week before i was admitted & that certainly didn't help me maintain or keep from losing more weight. first time i've ever had a problem keeping on weight!

next up: recovery

year in review: august 2007

august
feline phobia

(warning: this is long)

august 1st
4.45pm-left work and called craig.
5.00-arrived @ gibsons and loaded up sweetie's accoutrement. chatted for a bit and placed her on my lap in the soft carrier. she swatted at s and got her claws stuck when he tried to pet her.
5.15-unloaded, turned on ac, set up food, water, litterbox and let sweetie roam and get a feel for the apartment. petted her and she threw herself down in the middle of the living room panting, so we turned on two more fans & left for hyvee.
5.40-s left me at home and went over to a friends. when i walked into the kitchen, sweetie dashed in and clawed my bare ankle, causing me to jump and bash my leg into the stove. she paced the litterbox, so i gave her some privacy, but she continued to growl as i tried to put my groceries in the fridge. she then chased me in to the living room. i was wearing a dress, so my legs were fair game. i sat unmoving for 20 minutes, while she eyed me from around the side of the couch, growling.
6.20pm-i cautiously walked across the living room to my bedroom and closed the door. sweetie followed growling outside the door while i put on jeans. she was still there, so i lay down with a book for a few minutes.
6.35-i have to pee, so i sneak from my bedroom to the bathroom. sweetie is still growling from the living room. she moves outside the bathroom and swipes her paw under the door a couple times, trying to get at me. i call s & tell him what's going on and he says he'll be over soon.
7.00- i walk quietly into the kitchen because i'm starving and left my hyvee chinese on the counter when sweetie chased me into the living room. she glares at me and stays in the living room. i can hear her growling on the other side of the wall and intermittently lapping water.
7.15pm-s comes striding in, bundled in his army pants, boots laced up and carrying gauntlet gloves. he has me sit on the kitchen counter and his idea is getting her in the carrier so i can get my stuff to take to his place. he walks into the living room and sweetie goes for his legs, hissing and shrieking. he pushes her off and tries to grab her with the gloves. she's not having it and craps on the carpet in the corner. he tries two more times to get a hold of her without hurting her.
7.55-s calls his friend & former neighbor who has two cats and her sister is a vet. they talk for a while & she offers to call her sister.
8.05pm-deb calls back and her sister has asked why the cat hasn't been put down yet. she also says she needs to be rehabilitated and we should go to pet central because tamara rehabs feral cats. she also says that if we can get her in the carrier, we can leave her overnight and come back the next day because if she's in an enclosed space she'll hold her bladder. i want to let her out once i'm out of the apartment, so she has a chance to calm down and hopefully get more comfortable.
8.20-while s is in the other room trying to get sweetie in her carrier (& at this point at least under a laundry basket), i call you, a, to see what your expert opinion is.
8.45pm-s is exhausted, sweaty and starving. he's made i don't know how many forays into the living room and has yet to be successful. he is pissed, but i'm practically in tears at the thought of calling the gibsons after having sweetie for less than 4 hours. he calls, talks to kristal, who calls him back after talking with craig and asks for directions to the apartment.
9.00-k arrives, armed with laundry baskets to bring sweetie home. she sits on the couch and coaxes sweetie into coming over to her. she purs normally, but then goes back to hissing and spitting.
9.45-after 45 minutes of vigorous labor, they manage to get her under a laundry basket and slide a board under it. i run to s' new place for duct tape and they load everything into the suv. we tell her about tamara and she says they're familiar with pet central and will see if rehab is an option.
10.10pm-i smoke a cigarette and we go for drinks and food for s at the vine.

august 2nd 2007-after calling the vet and talking with the cat rescue woman, the consensus is that sweetie's drastic attitude change may be the result of a brain tumor and c & k make the difficult decision to euthanize her. c sent me an e-mail letting me know. i was really upset, but probably not nearly as much as they were. (and i still have a scar from where she scratched my ankle.)

later in the month i got a touch of food poisoning from one of the mexican places, which set off a downward spiral that put me in the hospital in september. yay! but before all that we had c & m over for a yummy thai dinner & plenty of good wine.

year in review: july 2007

july
pre-kitty fiasco

the holiday was rather odd for the 4th, considering it was smack in the middle of the week. i guess it's always nice to have a day off, whenever it is. we spent the day bbq-ing in s's parking lot with his neighbors, then neil stopped by from kc & chatted for a bit.

mid-month i found out that one of my old grad school professors needed a new home for his cat, sweetie. we'd been talking about a pet, so we went over there & met her. she seemed a nice puss, but she'd gotten a little possessive of her humans over the two little girls in the house. we figured it would be okay to have her in a one-person apartment with no children, so we arranged to get her on august 1st. i had half the week off & i thought it'd be a nice time for her to acclimate to her new surroundings. little did we know what was in store...

year in review: june 2007

june
a great beginning & ending

the first weekend of the month s & i went to a b&b about an hour away. it was really a lot of fun, besides the driving there part. as you may know, s driving my car drives me nuts & turns me into my mother. when we arrived, we found out that they upgraded our room because there was only one other couple staying that night. pretty awesome!
on the recommendation of our hosts, we drove up the road to a restaurant. after getting lost in a sudden storm, we finally found the place underneath a gorgeous rainbow. i'll leave the rest of the night to your imagination.

at the end of the month, we drove up to the twin cities for tim & nathan's ceremony. we stayed with grandma mary ann & s's uncle. they took us out to dinner, then on saturday morning we went to the church and met up with les, who i hadn't seen in ages, almost since greek class back in college. that afternoon i had to try on the bridemaid's dress for a & t's wedding next june. we went to the park for the reception. s was convinced there would be dancing. i told him he didn't know t & n.

the year's half over!

year in review: may 2007

may
graduation & loneliness

time for caps & gowns! (not for me; i graduated hs 10 years ago & college six years ago now.) pickel, s' roommate, graduated & moved out of their apartment, the same weekend s left for 2 weeks of national guard annual training. i had keys, so i spent a lot of time over there while he was gone, watching expanded cable, surfing the internets & just sleeping. it was a long two weeks. when s got back, he presented me with a little white box from one of the 'boutiques' on the ped mall. it was a pretty little silver & gold twisted bracelet. i'd lost the best bracelet in the world a couple months before & he remembered how sad i was about that. it was also right about our 6 month anniversary, though we didn't actually celebrate it.

admittedly, part of the reason i spent so much time at the other apartment, besides missing s, was that my creepy peeping tom neighbor had escalated his attentions. creepy ricky has been 'birdwatching' in the windows of the apartments since i moved in 5 years ago. he stands around the corners of the complex & hides when people walk up. really he's probably a maladjusted, shy middle-aged man, but his tendencies to watch people & particularly ask me creepy questions (like if he can take my picture when i was taking out the trash), put me on edge. he was sad when i was thinking about moving & said he wished we could talk more & be better friends. i'd barely said a dozen words to him before that point. then he asked for my phone number & continued to call me, leaving messages. i shouldn't have given him my actual number, but i was flustered.

that's about it for may! stay tuned for june!

year in review: april 2007

april
it still hurts

this month started out rough & it went downhill from there. on the first i found out that my grandmother, who turned 94 in march, was taken by ambulance to the icu. sh had just been moved from her home of 60 years into a home/facility, was hospitalized. by that monday night, she was gone. all the other relatives were there in the hospital in her last moments & all i had was a letter i'd written the previous week. (we had exchanged at least weekly letters for the past year or two.) even though it's been 8 months, i still get teary when i think of her and as i type this. i flew home for the funeral; it took place in a beautiful old, country church that my grandma helped to found & where my parents were married 32 years ago. and one of my classmates from hs helped to arrange everything at the funeral home. it was odd to see him as an adult because he was always such an ornery kid & now he's married with a baby (or two as i write this) and holding a very grown-up job.

i got back in time for easter service with s & brunch buffet with his family. also this month, my coworker mistakenly drank bleach at work. they were cleaning a pitcher & left it on the counter, looking like it was filled with water, so she poured herself a glass. good times. she was fine, but they did a unsedated endoscopy on her after hours to make sure there was no damage.

mandy & tom visited from nashville and got to meet s, along with his brother who was in town the same weekend. s even treated us all to dinner at givanni's. very generous of him, since he didn't arrive until after we'd finished the appetizer (he was out of town at monthly drill for nt'l guard). on a less exciting note, we also had to call the cops on my crazy upstairs neighbor lady. for the past few months, i/we'd sporadically heard shouting, screaming and stomping coming from her apartment. then it escalated to 4 nights in a row of ever-more threats. basically we could only ever hear her, so i don't know how the guy put up with it, not responding to the "i'm warning you; give me my money; get a lawyer; you're not walking away from this" bullshit. so s called the cops when it was after 10pm and showed no signs of letting up. after they banged on her door & had a little talk with her i didn't hear anymore tantrums. i really didn't want to be around if it escalated to a true domestic disturbance.

those were the most significant events of the month that i can recall since my grandmother's death still affects me strongly & surpasses anything else that happened.

year in review: march 2007

march
what happened in march?

okay, so i officially met the parents as i was invited to mama-in-law's birthday dinner. my how awkward, as i love eating in front of people i don't know, let alone people on whom i want to make a good impression. it went fine; i didn't spill on myself, too much.

well, for spring break s left me to go to tulsa & visit his brother. he & his roommate drove down and they went to a flogging molly concert on st pat's day. i apparently spent the day incognito. i had my hair pulled back & sunglasses on when dani, her friend nola from the twin cities & i went over to chris & monica's place. i said hi & walked into the kitchen to dump the case of beer i was carrying. chris didn't even recognize me & thought some strange chick just walked right into his house. it was funny.

also, we had some semi-serious discussion about moving in together. s brought it up & he was the one who eventually shot it down a month later. this is also when the noise began to escalate from the psycho upstairs neighbor screaming & crying & stomping her 37 year old feet like a toddler having a tantrum. joy.

year in review: february 2007

february
the month of my birthday, valentine's day & the big snowstorm

s had some gorgeous flowers, lilies & roses, sent to the hospital on my birthday. everyone at work was jealous. until my boss's bf in cali sent her a couple hundred dollar bouquet for v-day. we also went to the ever-classy red lobster that night. i wore my sexy kenneth cole pumps with 3" heels. not the best idea i've ever had since it was winter. i had s help me down from the curb & as we're both completely klutzy i slipped & bashed my eyebrow into the corner of his glasses. i even had a nice gash above the inside corner of my eye. smooth move!

this valentine's day was also my first holiday with a significant s.o. i found the 'perfect' gift for him & i was so excited to give it to s that i ended up having him open it early. it was funny because right after i'd bought it, he told me that homemade ice cream was one of his favourite things ever. s got me a pair of cute red velvet-y jammies.

my mother underwent a complicated hysterectomy & she lost quite a bit of blood. i can remember going in to work, knowing that she was in surgery & waiting, waiting for my dad to call me to tell me it was over & everything was fine. at noon, he still hadn't called & she went into the o.r. at 7am. i was freaked, even moreso when he told that they'd just then wheeled her into recovery, 5 hours after beginning surgery. she's fine, but they ended up having to cut her open versus doing the surgery laparoscopically.

at the end of the month we had a wicked snowstorm. i don't ever remember going to the grocery store & having so many people stocking up for the bad weather. luckily, it was a friday afternoon & we had nothing planned for the weekend, except a recipe i wanted to try out. we went to fareway because i didn't know where else to find duck. turns out they had whole duck, only frozen, so i had to wait until saturday night to make dinner, but things turned out okay. and by sunday things had started melting & we hit the brunch crowd at country kitchen with half the rest of the city.

well, i've got a party tonight. time to get ready. on to march tomorrow!

year in review: january 2007

i'm borrowing this idea from another blog i regularly skim. recapping the year 2007 month by month over the next few days. it should be a good way to jog my memory of the events, both good & bad, besides rereading my not-so-daily bloggings.

january
a new year

the year started out slowly since i was recovering from a nasty flu bug just after christmas day. s & i spent new year's eve together at a party flowing with cheap champagne (thanks, matt & joe!) i, of course, avoided the truth or dare jumbling towers & it was a first for s. but things weren't the same for heather's choice when she's far away in savannah.
not long after, chronica arrived back in town & invited us over for their joint b-day celebration. funny thing is, s & chris graduated hs together and neither realized their girlfriends knew each other. odd, since monica & i are 6 & 5 years older than they are, respectively. turned into a regular friday night party. i never would've guessed it.
s & i also attended an e18 concert in cedar rapids where we had the pleasure of running into my ex. it was surprisingly pleasant to realize that it no longer bothered me to see him. that was probably the best revelation all month.

puddle hopping

mum & i are returning to england after a 5-year hiatus. yay! she booked the trip last night. last week february/first week of march, 6 nights.

things i must do in london, spring ‘08:
two (2) plays, minimum
tut exhibit
london eye
eat at my olde dutch (for the 5th time)

any other 'musts'? this will be my fifth trip in a dozen years, so i've already seen most of it & have plans for repeats on many things.

my dad is rather disappointed about this trip, even though it's been five years in the making. mum's first trip was the same week we declared war on iraq (march 2003) and was a painfully brief 3 days. she'd wanted to go her entire life, which is why she sent me the first time when i was sixteen. anyway, dad says this is all a surprise to him when my mum made the reservations last night because finances are tight (mum has been saving specifically for this for at least 3 years), he wanted to go visit his sister in texas because it could be his last trip (where do i get my melodramatic streak?), when is mother going to have more vacation time and once the jeep craps out they'll need to invest in a new(ish) vehicle. he does know how to lay on the guilt trip. i know he's sick, but he's not helping his health by this depression, which i informed him he should talk to a therapist, whether he's diagnosed with a terminal illness or not. and since he has yet to be diagnosed with one, there's no need to play guessing games as to which dire disease he thinks he may have now. i love my daddy, but if he isn't careful, he's going to quite literally worry himself into an early grave. *sigh* there goes the sparkle on my trip to londontown.