Oh Looky! A Two-fer

I love it when I go to the library and don’t have any holds to pick up and no big stack of “to reads” at home and just let myself browse and pick up things that sound interesting. I don’t let myself do it very often because I have such a long list of books to read (over 600) and whenever I find a new author I want to add everything that author has ever written to my list, making it even longer. I also tend to go hog wild and take home as many books as I can carry. A couple of weeks ago I went to the library at Vancouver Mall and let myself wander. Long story short, I came out of there with 10 new, non-list items. I found a great new author, Victoria Houston, who writes a mystery series about people in Loon Lake Wisconsin. The main character’s name is Dr. Osborne. I will admit that is one of the reasons I gave it a try, but they are quite good.

While perusing the books on tape, I stumbled on a really cute kid’s series by E.D. Baker. The first one is called the Frog Princess. It’s a really great story about a princess who is very awkward and clumsy. She goes into the swamp for a walk and meets a frog who tells her he is really a prince and asks her to kiss him to reverse the curse. She does and she becomes a frog, too! The rest of the story is about them trying to get back to being human. It’s very cute and very sweet. Happily, I found out that this is a series of 3 books with one more to come out in the fall. I’ve just finished listening to number two (Dragon’s Breath) and enjoyed it just as much as the first one. I can’t wait to get number 3 (Once Upon a Curse).

I really need to do some updating to my book lists, both to-read and already-read. It’s getting out of control and I’m sure I have a zillion books to both add and subtract. I had this totally boring blank book that I used to keep track of the books I read for the past five years. I hit the last page of that one in December, so was able to get a beautiful new book to record the next five years worth of books in. This one has a Laurel Birch cat pattern on it. It makes me much happier to look at then the old grey one.

At the beginning of the year instead of making some New Year's Resolution that I knew I would break in about 5 days, I decided that I wanted to read 10 books, listen to 10 books on tape, and find 10 letterboxes per month in 2006. I’m up to date so far.

Just for giggles, here are the books I have read in May.

Bump in the Night – Anthology
Flamingo Fatale by Jimmie Ruth Evans
Sex Lies & Vampires by Katie MacAlister
Memory in Death by Nora Roberts
Red Lily by Nora Roberts
Dead Water by Victoria Houston
Back to the Bedroom by Janet Evanovich
Dark Paradise by Tami Hoag
Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris
Dead Frenzy by Victoria Houston
A Girls Guide to Vampires by Katie MacAlister
Hard Days Knight by Katie MacAlister
Poppy Done to Death by Charlaine Harris

Aren't there some great titles in there? The one I'm reading right now is called Crime Brulee.

Okay, that's two whole posts for the day. I'm off to bed to read my book some more.

10 Truths About All Dogs

I am so bummed. Sophie's Household manners class was cancelled for tonight. Stupid instructor is sick. Be sick on your own time, buddy! I have a dog in desperate need of training!! I was so looking forward to taking her to class today.

After I picked the girls up from day care last week, I decided to take Sophie in to Natural Pet on the way home and do some taste tests on treats. Natural Pet is this really yuppie pet store that I like. They carry all kinds of holistic foods and treats, are really nice and friendly, and they are always willing to let you sample before you buy (unlike some of those other pet stores *coughpetsmartcocough*).

I may have mentioned before that my dogs are not really all that motivated by food. When we had Sophie in obedience classes we tried hot dogs, Brie cheese, steak, string cheese, cheddar cheese, liver, and about a zillion other things with limited success. Sophie likes treats, but for the most part, she doesn't get too excited about them. If she doesn't want to do something, no treat we've tried yet is going to change her mind. So when I went into the store, I did not have high hopes we would find anything. But I was willing to try. Usually when we are out in a store or somewhere she will politely take a treat and then spit it out on the floor, completely uninterested. After trying a few different types, I found these treats that she showed some interest in. They are called ZiwiPeak and have venison and green-lipped mussel in them. Sounds icky, doesn't it? They are kind of like a jerky and are really smelly. I offered her a tiny taste and she scarfed it right down and looked to me for more. She liked them so much, in fact, that she sat and then LAY DOWN on the cold cement floor in the store for another one. I was astounded. She NEVER does that. Put her tummy on the cold hard floor??? I don't think so! I bought two packages, so I'm sure when we get to class she'll have decided that she hates them. My little princess.

I had to go look up green-lipped mussels, because I had never heard of them before. I guess they are used as a supplement for arthritis. They are from New Zealand. I'll bet that is way more than you ever wanted to know about a dog treat in your life, isn't it?

I'll let you know next week if they worked in training or not. I have a back up treat, so all is not lost if they don't. These are called Tiny Tots and are a lamb meat treat. She ate those at the Pet & Companion Fair and thinks they are pretty hot stuff, too. If THOSE don't work, I have a back up back up treat. Baby food. If all else fails, I'll try her squeaky toy. I am determined to get this dog interested in coming to me when I call her!! No more running up to the expressway at 3:00 in the morning.

I found my paperwork from the lecture last week and thought I would share with you the 10 Truths About All Dogs as per Shawn, the gay, and sick, dog trainer.

1. Everything is a chew toy. There is no difference between their toy and the remote control to the dog.
2. Totally amoral; no right vs. wrong. There is only safe vs. dangerous
3. Innocently self-interested. Dogs will not do something for you just because you are nice enough to love them
4. Dogs only learn through operant and classical conditioning. They do not learn through observation and insight.
5. They are PREDATORS! This means that search, chase, grab, dissect, and chew are all hardwired behaviors.
6. They have very strong social bonds. They are not born with any ability to inherently deal with isolation.
7. There is a very limited socialization window. If a dog is past 16 weeks old (4 months), than any new situation is fight vs. flee.
8. All dogs are opportunistic scavengers. If it is there eat it now!
9. Ritualized aggression is what keeps real violence from happening. Dogs do not write letters to the editor.
10. They have a very well developed olfactory system and smell in parts per billion. You have to figure out how to more interesting to your dog then all of the rest of the smells in the world.

And that is your dog training lesson for the day.

Two Squirrels, a Robin, and a Butterfly

Doesn't that title just make you wonder? It would be a good title for a book, I think. We'll, I'm going to make you wait to find out what it refers to, so there.

Since I get mail from my fans saying things like "Dude. Update your blog already." I guess I'd better bow to my publics desires and update my blog.

So, let's see, what have I been doing for the past week? Sheesh, has it been almost a week I updated my blog? I'm sure you will all be expecting something terribly exciting with all this time that has passed, but I'm afraid I will have to disappoint you.

Wednesday night was the first Household Manners class at A Dog's Life. The first night was just a lecture, with no dogs in attendance. It was really quite good. Greg was still feeling crappy from his bout with the 'flu, so I went by myself. We talked a lot about dog psyche and how they just aren't children in furry dog suits. It was very interesting to learn how differently primates and dogs reason and learn. We also talked about crate training, being a pack leader and that a tired dog is a good dog. We also talked about how dogs are pack animals, and really aren't meant to be alone. Many behavior problems stem from them trying to get to the pack leader (you), loneliness, and boredom. We talked a lot about ways to keep that boredom at bay. I'll be interested to see what we do in our first dog class on Wednesday.

The weather up here was very cool and damp for this Memorial Day weekend. We spent Saturday cleaning. The goal was to get all the crap out of the living room and put away somewhere, but it just didn't happen. It's so overwhelming. I just stand at the entrance and look at all the stuff that I have to decide what to do with and I just shut down. I can't think, I can't form a coherent sentence, nothing. It's terrible. I finally gave up yesterday and told Greg I just couldn't do it. He's really mad at me because he wanted it to get all done this weekend, but I just couldn't. I tried, I really did. If someone came along and took everything out of our living room I would be so relieved. Then I just wouldn't have to deal with that crap any more. I know that is stupid, but that's how it is. Maybe I just need someone to come and help me. I don't know.

Today I took the dogs to the park for a run. We haven't been going to our favorite dog park up on 164th for the past few months because there has been a lot of construction going on and the big field area where we went for running has been closed. Sophie loved that park because there are a ton of little rabbits that live in the wooded area. We'd go and let them run in the big field and then wander the trails and look for bunnies. I'd say, "Sophie, where are the bunnies? Find the bunnies!" and she put her ears up and go on a bunny-hunt. She'd get really excited when she did manage to flush a rabbit(or whatever the term is) and go chasing off after it at top speed. That's what whippets were bred for, you know. Last time we were there it was around dusk and there were lots of bunnies out and she had a grand time chasing them. Never came close to catching one, but the chasing part was fun. Today we didn't find any bunnies. She and Carmen did manage to tree two squirrels, chase a robin, and go chasing after a butterfly, so the day wasn't a total waste.

Household Manners

I've decided to take to take Greg & Sophie to a Household Manners class. It is supposed to be an overview of basic commands and solutions for common problems for dogs, but I'm hoping I may be able to train Greg to put clothes in the hamper and paper towels in the trash can. Ha ha. Sophie has gone through obedience before, Greg hasn't. Hee hee. Oh, Greg is going to get me for that one.

Last week when I took the girls to daycare, I was talking to the trainers there about how Sophie acts in the dog park. She is so obnoxious to other dogs. Since she's been attacked a couple of times before, she goes on the offensive and has taken to growling, charging, and nipping at dogs that come anywhere near something she regards as hers... the water dish, her toy bag, her toys, a nasty ball that lives at the park, even a poop bag. They tell me this is called “resource guarding” and it’s a pretty common thing. We will cover this in our class, so hopefully I'll learn how to make her stop doing this.

Anyway, the class is six weeks on Wednesdays. We only get to take one dog, so I decided Sophie could benefit most. We can always work with Carmen at home on the same things we cover in class. I really hope there won't be a lot of heeling for 20 minutes each class. Sophie gets so bored with that. I'll give you a report tomorrow or Thursday and let you know how it was. Maybe we'll get some pictures! That would be pretty cool. I'll see how much of a nerd that will make me.

Not Much

Not getting much done this weekend. Greg has the flu and has been miserable for the past few days. Poor guy. We've been taking it easy all weekend. I did manage to work on laundry and dishes, balance the checkbook, and pay bills, but that is about it for excitement.

Julie was better this weekend, so we were able to go see Hello Dolly last night. A wonderful performance, as always, from the Lakewood Theater. I can't believe I've never seen that play before. I watched about the first half hour of the movie on TV a couple of months ago. Just enough to find out that Michael Crawford (of Phantom of the Opera fame) is in it.

When I was on my brownie kick a couple of weeks ago, I saw a box next to the brownie mixes for Almond Roca Buttercrunch Cookie Bar Mix. Since Almond Roca is my all time favorite candy, I had to get a box and try it. OMG! They are AWESOME!! Don't try it if you are on a diet, because you put almost two full sticks of butter in this dessert. They are to DIE for. I think I will go eat another one now.

Ode to Mr. Bunny

Today is BC's birthday. He would have been 13 today. He was born around the middle of May in 1993, so we just picked May 18th to be his celebrated birthday. I asked Greg to journal the story of trying to catch the little grey ball of fluff and get him over to my house so he could give him to me. He's all busy reviewing the days news so I probably won't get it before I finish this post, but I'll include it at some point. I wish I had scanned some of BC's baby pictures so I can post them here. He was the cutest kitten. Unfortunately the pictures are all in photo albums which are in the pile of stuff in the living room and I can't get to them. I'll scan some another time and post them here. I don't have many digital pictures of him, unfortunately.



I wanted to make a scrapbook page of BC and post it, but I didn't get around to doing it. I will eventually.

I'm not entirely sure how we ended up calling him BC. I had just finished my scuba diving classes when Greg gave him to me. I thought, for some unknown reason, that BC (which is a buoyancy compensator in scuba terms) would be a clever name. Turns out it really was kind of dumb, but BC stuck. It was rather amusing to see the looks on the faces of people that asked us what BC stood for. They always thought it was Big Cat.

We hardly ever called him BC, though. I used to tell him he was a funny little bunny when he did something cute (which was often), and a snuggle bunny when he was cuddly, and somehow that turned into calling him Bunny, Mr. Bunny, Buns, Mr. Buns, and various other forms of funny bunny. I often called him Senor Bunny or just Senor. That cat had more nicknames than any other pet or person I know.

Since I'm doing an ode to Mr. Bunny, I thought I'd make a list of just some of the things I loved about him. So here goes (in no particular order).

1. He would chirp at you if you peeked around a corner at him.
2. He loved to lay in front of the fireplace on his back. He would be so hot to the touch, but he would stay there for hours. Sometimes he'd be so close to the glass on the fireplace, that I thought he'd burst into flames. He and Sophie would lay side by side and see who could get the best spot.
3. He loved boxes. No box could come into the house without being checked out by him.

4. He would sleep under the covers with me. I loved to fall asleep when he was purring and had his little head on my arm.
5. Even though it could be really annoying sometimes, I loved how he would lick you. Back when he was a wee little lad he licked Greg's arm so much that it actually took off a couple of layers of skin. Greg had a big scab on his arm from it.
6. I loved how he ran. Since he was a good sized cat much of his life, his tummy would sway back and forth when he ran. It was very cute.
7. I loved how soft the fur on his chest was. It felt like putting your hands in cool flour.
8. When he was a kitten he would play in the sheets while I was making the bed.
9. I remember him as a kitten playing in his litter box. It was like the litter was the most amazing thing ever. I'm sure all kittens go through that stage, but Bunny liked his fresh litter. Even as an adult he would get in the fresh litter and kick it around.
10. Nothing bothered him. When we moved to Texas and drove for many hours in the truck, he'd just sleep or climb up on the dashboard and look out. When we'd get to a hotel, he'd check everything out and just act all cool and collected. He didn't even mind going to the vet too much, at least until he got the kidney disease. When we lived in Texas he had a really bad ear infection and we went to the vet school a lot to have him checked out. He would purr at the vets. One of the vets that we saw several time liked him a lot. The vet was from New Jersey or someplace with an accent similar would tell him "You are so swoooffffttt."

There are many more things I loved about my little Bunny. I think that's enough for today though. I just wanted to share some happy memories of him. He was the coolest cat ever and I miss him.

I love you and miss you so much, Mr. Bunny. I hope you are happy and healthy and waiting for me over the Rainbow Bridge. I know I'll see you again someday.


BC the Cat
May 18, 1993 - April 2, 2005

The Office

Here are some pictures of the office all finished. No furniture yet, but you can get the idea.


Looking at the closet doors.


Looking from the closet to the windows.


Looking towards the door.

I'm Baaaack!

So didja miss me? I've been without internet since Saturday. Can you believe it? Yes, since SATURDAY!!! Somehow I managed to survive, but it was a close thing.

We finished the bonus room on Saturday and spent most of Sunday moving the important stuff back up there. It is now officially the office again. Woo hoo! I do have pictures of the room when we finished it, but at the moment I don't know where the camera is to download them. This room looks gigantic right now. We just have our desks in here with the computers on them, one file cabinet, and the printer stand. It echoes really badly in here, too. I have a terrible headache tonight and Carmen was just barking at Greg to throw the ball for her, and I thought my head was going to fall off from the noise. I am now sitting on the ball so she will quit barking. The things I do for peace and quiet around here.

We kinda took it easy today because it was super hot out. I just checked on the news site and it is still 91 degrees. That's NINETY-ONE degrees. In May. It never gets that hot here that early. Our air conditioning is getting a work out today. Thank GOODNESS we got A/C. This would totally suck if we didn't have it.

Now we need to clean up the former office and go through files and put things away. Sigh. Will this project ever end???

While it was good to get some stuff done on Saturday, it was a majorly disappointing day. I gave up the opportunity to letterboxing in the Columbia River Gorge with a group of letterboxers I really like. Sometimes it's so hard to be a grown-up and make those choices. THEN Julie called to tell me she had the flu and wasn't up to going to our play.

Well, there is always next weekend, right?

Friday

Yay! It's Friday. These three day work weeks are exhausting. Ha ha.

Okay, this weekend we are going to put the finishing touches on the bonus room, paint the hallway, floor the hallway, and put the hallway trim on. It sounds like a lot, but I'm going to be positive. I know we can do it! And if there is time left over, we'll move the desks and computers back up to the bonus room and officially change it back to the office again.

Oh, hey. I almost forgot. I get to play a little tomorrow night. My theater buddy Julie and I are going out to dinner and to a play. What are we seeing tomorrow? Um, oh yeah. We are seeing Hello Dolly! I'm sure it will be awesome. This is our last Lakewood Theater play for the season. We'll be going to some others over the summer with Broadway Rose Theater Co. I'll tell you more about that later.

I think I caught Deb's crabbys. I'm all grouchy today. I'm going to go to bed and read for a bit.

Top Ten Songs That Have Special Meaning

I'm a little behind, but here is my top ten list for the week. These are in no particular order, and I linked you to lyrics where I could find them.

Five O’Clock World – The Vogues.
Yes, an oldie but a goodie. I’ve loved this song ever since I heard it on the Drew Carey Show. It just speaks to me, ya know? I’ve been working since I was 14, and sometimes I just get tired of working all the time.

I Don’t Have to Be Me ( Til Monday) – Steve Azar
Hmm, maybe I have a theme going here. Does someone need a vacation???? I love the feeling of getting off of work and being free for a couple of days to do whatever I want. The anticipation of what can happen.

Any Man of Mine – Shania Twain
I always turn this one up as loud as possible on the radio when it comes on. I love the beat and I love the criteria she has for her man.

So Happy Together – The Turtles
Yes, another oldie but a goodie. Greg & I used to listen to the oldies station a lot when we were dating, and we just loved this song. It’s as close to “our song” as we will ever have.

One Day More – from Les Miserables
Okay, it’s a song about a bunch of people who are going to fight for what they believe in the next day and die trying. I don’t know why I think it’s so wonderful, but it’s very uplifting. Well, uplifting for a bunch of people who are going to die in the next scene, anyway.

The Promise – When in Rome
I remember being in high school and hearing this song on the radio once and loving it. I waited up half the night to hear it again on the radio so I could find out who it was by and went and bought the tape the next day. Here it is, 20 years later and I still love this song.

This is the Moment – from Jekyll & Hyde
I ADORE this song. Okay, yeah, it’s all about this guy that is going to drink this potion and turn into a monster and then go off and kill people in the next scene, but whatever. It’s the feeling of being on the precipice of something big. Something you’ve waited all your life to do. I’ve always thought it would be a terrific song for the Olympics.

Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning) – Alan Jackson
I really do listen to other things besides oldies, country music, and musicals. Honestly. I just like this song because it is all about the 9/11 thing. Our world changed that day forever, and this song does a great job of reminding us of that. I like how it shows that we were all going about our lives as usual and then BAM! Everything is different in the space of a heartbeat. You know how our parent’s generation had the “where were you when Kennedy was shot?” question? (BTW if you remember this, I’d love to hear about it). Our generation has “where were you on 9/11?” I don’t think any of us will ever forget. I was driving to work. I heard about the first plane on the radio just before I got to the locker where Greg was waiting on a paper delivery. I stopped to visit with him for a few minutes and while I was there the second plane hit. We were amazed. How could this happen? How can you miss the twin towers in an airplane? What? It might not be an accident? Terrorists? Terrorists don’t do anything in America! It’s unheard of! It can’t be! Then when I was on Division and Birdsdale in Gresham (yes, I remember EXACTLY where I was), I heard the announcement that the towers fell. I hope we never forget.

Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
Yeah, I think I talked about this one already earlier this week. It’s just such a great song. Soft sweet ballad, head banging rock. It has everything! It always makes me want red licorice too. Thanks “Wayne’s World!”

Quiche Lorraine – B-52s
Like Deb, the B-52s are one of my all time favorite bands. I have so many favorite songs, but Quiche Lorraine is at the top. I love the absurdity of it. I think I’m going to name my next dog Quiche Lorraine in honor of this song. Quiche is a pretty good name for a dog, don’t you think?

Nothing Much

Not much for today. I went to work. I came home. I had dinner. My life is so exciting. Now I'm going to bed.

Comments, Please!

Hey, I only get comments from Deb on here. If anyone else is reading this, speak up!

Pooped (no, not doody!)

Whew! It's been a busy weekend. Let's recap. We finished the floor in the bonus room, bought the trim, painted the trim, cut and attached the trim (which was a PAIN, then caulked the top of the trim and filled in the nail holes. I tell you, I'm bushed. I hurt everywhere and my knees will never be the same again after crawling around on the floor filling in holes.

But the bonus room is almost done and ready to be turned back into the office. We just have to touch up a couple of spots on the trim with paint, mop the floor, clean & hang the closet doors and put on the light & electrical plates. I'll post some pictures when it is all done. It looks awesome!

Seems like we should have been able to get a lot more done in three days ('cause we took Sunday off), but I'm pleased with what we've managed to do. I'm not totally wasting these vacation days after all!

My parents get home from their 18-day cruise tonight. Welcome back, you guys! Hope you had a great time. Can't wait to hear all about it and see pictures and everything. I was thinking about going to the airport to meet them, but their flight doesn't get in until 9:30 tonight, and we all know I turn into a pumpkin at 8:00. Besides, I barely have the energy to put the pizza in the oven and pour the root beer before limping off to bed.

Seven Years

What were you doing on May 8, 1999? Here's a couple of pictures of what I was doing.






Anyone remember this??

Favorite Movie Scenes

I finally gave in to that urge for brownies and went to the store. When I got in my car the radio was playing Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." I like that song and I really love the scene in "Wayne's World" where Wayne & Garth and his buddies are driving in the Pinto and singing this song. Whenever they get to that one guitar part in the song, I always make everyone in the car do that head banger thing. I don't know why, but I think it is funny. It made me think of writing a blog of scenes from movies that I like. So here they are in no particular order:

1. Princess Bride - the scene where Westley (as the Man in Black) fights Inigo, Fezzig, and then Vincini.

2. Captain Ron - okay, I love this movie. It's all good, but my favorite scene is when Captain Ron and Ben are playing Monopoly and Ben moves Ron's beer.

Captain Ron: Hey. Get your hands off that.
Benjamin Harvey: I was just moving it. I wasn't gonna drink it.
Captain Ron: You bet your little booty, you wasn't. You want a beer, you get your own beer

I don't know why, but it cracks me up.

3. Captain Ron - I also love the scene where Martin Harvey is bitching about the revolutionaries. Totally makes me laugh every time!

Captain Ron: Stay in the path, Boss! There's gorillas in the woods.
Martin Harvey: If there's one single gorilla around here, I'll eat it.
(SCREECHING)
Gorillas. Right.
He could have said "revolutionaries", "freedom fighters". No."Gorillas". He did it on purpose. You can see it in his eyes...eye.
He said "gorilla". Not "guerrilla".
"Guer", "go".
Huge difference!

4. True Lies - another movie I totally love. But my favorite part is when Harry & Gib are interrogating Simon on top of the dam.

SIMON: No... I sell cars. That's all! Not even foreign cars. Nothing international, I swear. I'm no terrorist. Everything I said was a lie... you have to believe me. I'm actually a complete coward. If I ever even saw a gun I'd-- (Harry whips his pistol out in one liquid motion and snaps the muzzle right in front of Simon's eyes.) -- faint. Aahhh! Don't kill me. I'm not a spy. I'm nothing. I'm navel lint. I have to lie to women to get laid. And I don't score much. It's pathetic. (he looks down) See, look... would a spy pee himself?

5. Independence Day - an all time favorite. In fact, I just watched it this morning. There are so many parts I love, but my favorite is the scene where Steve is dragging the alien carcass over the desert.

Steve Hiller: Y'know, this was supposed to be my weekend off, but noooo. You got me out here draggin' your heavy ass through the burnin' desert with your dreadlocks stickin' out the back of my parachute. You gotta come down here with an attitude, actin' all big and bad... and what the hell is that smell? I could've been at a barbecue! But I ain't mad.

6. Independence Day again. I absolutely love the speech the president gives before the pilots go up to take out the alien spaceships.

The President: Mankind. That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interest. Perhaps it is fate that today is the fourth of July and you will once again be fighting for our freedom. Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution, but from annihilation. We're fighting for our right to live, to exist! And should we win the day, the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice, "We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!"

7. Office Space. I adore this move. My favorite scene is where Peter takes the drill to his cubical and takes down the walls. This movie has so many great quotes that I can't list them all here, so I'll just give you a website. And yes, I do have a red Swingline stapler. Greg got me one for Christmas.


I'm sure I have more favorites, but I have to go make my brownies now.

So Much For the Floors

So much for working on the floor. I have no energy today. I have a nasty headache, too, that I can't get to go away. So no flooring today. But I can't sit around and do nothing, can I? So I'm on dishes, laundry, and cleaning the bathroom today. Joy. Dishes are done and I'm off to do more laundry now. Could life get any more exciting?

I did my first Hard Sudoku today. Deb was working on one and she emailed me with the challenge to see if I could do it. Ha! Did it!

Congratulations! You solved the Sudoku in 22 minutes, 44 seconds!
Hard puzzles solved: 1
Your average time: 22:44
Your fastest time: 22:44
Puzzles solved on this computer since 4 May 2006.

Okay, laundry calls. Must answer.

Making Progress

We are making progress on the remodel. Today we went to get the trim for the upstairs bonus room and hall. The trim we like only comes in 16 foot lengths at Home Depot, so it is quite an ordeal to get it home. It's not that heavy but it is so long and awkward. It doesn't bend well either. When we put it in the car we had to rest part of it on the dashboard, over the arm rest, over the back seat, through the back and out the window. We still had about 3 feet hanging out. Those buggers are hard to stack, too. How does anyone without a truck get those things home?

Once we got them home we then had to get them out of the car, into the house and upstairs to the bonus room. Suffice it to say it wasn't easy, but it is done. I painted them with a semi-gloss pure white paint while Greg put down the last few boards in the closet and the last strip of flooring in the room.

Now all we need to do is cut the boards and put up the trim and the hard part of that room is done. We'll just have to hang the closet doors and put on all the light and electrical plates and it will be FINISHED! I think that is tomorrow's project.

We'll start in the hall next. Greg sawed the door trim to the right height tonight (the trim around the door was sized for carpet. We aren't changing that trim, but it does have to be cut so the flooring will go under it), so the hardest part is done out there. Now we just need to vacuum it, fill in the holes in the walls, paint, then put down the flooring and that room is done.

Greg is totally trashed tonight from today's work. I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but it is for us. His poor ankle really hurts when he has to kneel on the floor for any length of time and that sawing of the door frames was hard on him. He's already tucked up in bed. We may not be able to get a lot done tomorrow, but we'll do what we can.

I'm going to go do a sudoku puzzle or two and maybe make a scrapbook page. I'll put up some pictures tomorrow of our hard work.

Sudoku

Sudoku is evil. It has taken over my mind. I swear it is worse than crack. Must. Fill. In. Stupid. Little. Boxes. Must. Fill. In. Boxes. Can they put subliminal messages in these things to keep me wanting to do more? It's 8:30 at night and I am contemplating going to Walgreens to pick up a Sudoku book so I can go to bed and continue doing them upstairs. Is there a 12-step program for this puzzle? I think I need it if there is. It is a small consolation that I have gotten Deb completely hooked too.

I also want some brownies REALLY badly. With vanilla ice cream. And chocolate sauce. Oh great. Now I have two cravings to try and ignore.

I was doing a Sudoku puzzle before work this morning and had 3 people come up to me and confess their addiction. Diane at work confessed that she and her husband choose the same puzzle off of www.websudoku.com and race to see who can finish it first on the computer. No cheating with paper for them! Michele confessed that she and her dad fight over who gets the Sudoku puzzle in the newspaper each day. Who knew? It's the new rage, I guess.

Oh, damn. I really want those brownies.

Now I want to do another puzzle. Okay, I give in.

Here it is! And look...it's a MEDIUM!

Congratulations! You solved the Sudoku in 20 minutes, 48 seconds!
Medium puzzles solved: 1
Your average time: 20:48
Your fastest time: 20:48
Puzzles solved on this computer since 4 May 2006.

2 9 3 8 7 4 1 5 6
8 1 7 5 2 6 9 3 4
6 5 4 3 1 9 2 7 8
5 2 9 6 3 7 8 4 1
4 3 1 2 9 8 5 6 7
7 6 8 4 5 1 3 9 2
1 8 6 9 4 3 7 2 5
3 4 2 7 8 5 6 1 9
9 7 5 1 6 2 4 8 3


Medium Puzzle 8,774,371,184


Download Sudoku games for your PC or Mac.

To Dos

Okay, let's take a look at how I'm doing with that to-do list (because I know you are all DYING to find out).

1. Call Sleep Center re: mask -- DONE. Got a new mask, too.
2. Get new socks & underwear -- DONE. Got a new bra too. I HATE bra shopping.
3. Change sheets -- DONE.
4. Finish & PUT AWAY all laundry -- This will never be done, but I am closer than I was yesterday to the goal.
5. Pay for water -- DONE.
6. Take smooshed letterbox to Maiden --Tried, but she wasn't home. Will try again.
7. Get CDs -- DONE.
8. Record Beautiful Game & Bombay Dreams for Julie - Would have done but I left them at work today
9. Finish reviewing rental house stuff -- Not quite yet
10. Put patches on letterboxing bag -- Can't find the glue gun
11. Find and return all the silverware I've been taking from work -- um, no.

I found a new addiction today. Someone turned me on to Sudoku. Know what that is? It's a puzzle kind of like a logic problem, crossword, and cryptogram all rolled into one. The puzzle is most frequently a 9×9 grid, made up of 3×3 subgrids. Some cells already contain numerals. The goal is to fill in the empty cells, one numeral in each, so that each column, row, and region contains the numerals 1–9 exactly once (thank you, Wikipedia, for that description).

I've seen books on them, but I thought they involved math, so I never bothered to look any further (math not being my strong point). I adore cryptograms and fill ins, enjoy logic problems and circle-a-words, and am not so good at crosswords, but I love puzzle games like that. Sudoku is a great mixture of the best of puzzles. Since I've only done one, I have to say I totally suck at them, but I imagine I will improve. :-)

Go here for a sample. I warn you, they are addicting! I'm trying to figure out how I can make a letterbox clue out of one of these. I'll have to put my head together with Maiden1974 and come up with something truly evil.

You know, it's a good thing I don't smoke, do drugs, or drink, because I'm pretty sure I have an addictive personality. I get hung up on these stupid puzzles and don't want to do anything else!

If you try one, let me know what you think.

Four Day Weekends ROCK!

Four day weekends ROCK! Man, I feel like I got so much done this weekend. We didn't work on the floor at all, but we did do a bunch of other stuff. I'm sure if I list it all ou here it will look like I didn't do much of anything, so I'm not going to. Suffice it say say I got a bunch of stuff done AND got to veg out a little.

Deb posted her to-do list to her blog a couple of weeks ago and got so much done that I am going to try it and see if it works for me! Here are some things I need to do before Friday: (oh, and Snooky, if you are reading this, I know what you are thinking!!!!)

1. Call Sleep Center re: mask
2. Get new socks & underwear
3. Change sheets
4. Finish & PUT AWAY all laundry
5. Pay for water
6. Take smooshed letterbox to Maiden
7. Get CDs
8. Record Beautiful Game & Bombay Dreams for Julie
9. Finish reviewing rental house stuff
10. Put patches on letterboxing bag
11. Find and return all the silverware I've been taking from work

I'll update you as we go along. I know, I know, nothing could be more interesting. That's just the kind of person I am.

Vacation Days

You know this whole floor thing I've talked (okay, let's be honest...complained endlessly) about? We want to actually finish it someday, mostly so I can quit complaining about it. I was going to take a week off of work so we could dedicate all that time to getting it done, but decided that since Greg's poor back wouldn't be able to work so much without some rest in between days, I would just take a few days off at a time. My wonderful boss was kind enough to allow me to take Mondays and Tuesday in May as vacation days, giving us some four-day weekends to get stuff done.

So this first four-day weekend we didn't work on the floor at all. Yeah, I know. We did get some other stuff done, although it seems pretty small in comparison to what I planned to get done. Anyway, I have clean clothes, clean dishes, a clean kitchen, one clean bathroom, an updated checkbook, all my bills paid, and groceries in the cupboard. I got lots of sleep and feel better than I have in ages. I finished one book on tape and four books. I could get used to this four-day weekend thing.

It's nice out today, so we are in the process of deciding what we will do with the day today. Go to Home Depot and get the trim for the floor upstairs, or go play? Vote now!!!

Top Ten #3

This week's top ten is Top 10 Things You Want to Be Remembered For. So here goes:

1. Sense of humor
2. Thoughtfulness
3. Being there for people when they need someone
4. Animal lover and good pet owner
5. Intelligence
6. Being a good daughter/granddaughter/niece/aunt/wife
7. Being a good friend
8. Love of theater
9. Love of books
10. Creativity