I've done it again. I've bitten off way more than I can chew. Between Jaycees, riding, and the Water for Life dinner, looking for a new job, not to mention my actual job, I have no time. Add into the mix that my meds had been making me fatigued for the last month, and I have been letting a lot of things slide. I haven't responded to the e-mail that Caroline sent me on my birthday. I haven't called Peg in forever. I haven't written my Christmas Thank-you notes. I didn't help Janet with something that meant a lot to her. I didn't answer Megan's e-mail. I was talking to D yesterday, and one of my co-workers walked in and started pacing, so I abruptly cut him off.

So the guilt, it is also taking up my time. Things will be better in two weeks, and I can start being a good friend again.

I have been incredibly busy lately. Add that to hating my job, looking for a new one, and learning to hate my boss in a fresh, new way, and I haven't felt much like blogging. Not to mention the job interview with the open hostility on the part of the interviewer. (I'm told that's just him. To which I say, "If he's like that in an interview, why would I want to work for him?")

What else of note has happened? Hmm. Well, D was sick last weekend, so I didn't get to see him. He did call during the SuperBowl and started talking about some run a guy was making, and I was all, "No running. I see no running." I realized I must have rewound something and forgot to go back live.

Trust me when I tell you that the grocery store sushi is not worth it.

I had to buy a new mattress pad this weekend, and I spent more than I usually do. I had never figured it was worth it to buy an expesive one (oh, and for mattress pads, $50 = expensive) since I buy good sheets. I was wrong. So very wrong. The new mattress pad? Wonderful.

Coming up this week: Book Club, which I am hosting. But not at my house. Adopt-a-Highway, which I am project chair for.

Shamelessly stolen from Janet.

This is how it works: YOU leave a comment, copying the questions and filling in the blanks about ME even if you don't have any idea what the answers are. Be honest...or make something up....it's up to you and it's all fun :-)

My name:
Where did we meet:
Take a stab at my middle name:
How long have you known me:
When is the last time that we saw each other:
Do I smoke:
Do I drink:
When is my birthday:
What was your first impression of upon meeting me:
Do I have any siblings:
What’s one of my favorite things to do:
Am I funny:
What’s my favorite type of music:
What is the best feature about me:
Am I shy or outgoing:
Am I a rebel or do I follow the rules:
Do I have any special talents:
Would you consider me a friend/good friend:
Would you call me preppy, average, sporty, punk, hippie, glam, nerdy, snobby, or something else (what):
What is a memory we have once had:
Have you ever hugged me:
Do you miss me…do you think i miss you:
How well do u know me?
What is my favorite food:
Have you ever had a crush on me:
If there was one good nickname for me, what would it be:
What’s your favorite memory of me:
Who do I like right now:
What is my worst habit:
If you and I were stranded on a desert island, what one thing would I bring?
Who are my favorite sports teams?
What was the last thing I said to you?
Will you repost this so I can do it for you?

From the lovely Megan!

1. I've got to come up a better name for these "Friday Questions". Friday Five has already been done and I never have five questions. What's your suggestion? Hmm. I don't really know. I'm actually OK with "Friday Questions."
   
2. What's for lunch today? If you work outside the home do you usually pack a lunch or buy? Today it's hummus and feta on a tortilla. Forgot to grab a yogurt to go with that. I usually pack a lunch, but sometimes I go out.
   
3. How do you feel about Valentine's Day. What are your plans? If you're single, do you plan on doing something special for yourself? I don't really have strong feelings about it. If my partner can't show he cares for me the other 364 days a year, then who needs him? This year on Valentine's Day I will be babysitting the Boo so that 2.0 and 2.0 spouse can go out. D and I are celebrating on the 17th- he's taking me out for dinner at one of 2 places. I don't know more details. Well, except that I get to pick which tie he wears. I am having fun putting together a gift bag for him.
   
4. What's your favorite fruit? Bananas. I love bananas.
   
5. List five things you're grateful for.
   
   
   
   1. My family
      
   2. My friends, both here and away.
      
   3. D
      
   4. The boys
      
   5. My education
      
   
   
6. Who was the last person you hugged? I believe it was CP at book club last night.
   
7. What are your plans for the weekend? Well, today I have to make a trip out to a WWTP to get anaerobic digester sludge, and it's near this jewelery store I like that is having their twice annual 50% off sale, so I am going in and buying these earrings I've wanted. (I told Cool Boss I was stopping there.) Tomorrow, I have Adopt-a-Highway in the morning and then D's coming up, and we're doing dinner/movie. Sunday, I have two jobs to apply for.
   
   08:28 AM - Comments (2)
   
   
   

The weekend started out badly. Friday was bad. Things going on with the WFL dinner that I was (and am still) not happy about. Thankfully, it will all be over in less than a week.

That night was much better (well, the boys don't think so). 2.0, 2.0 Spouse, and the Boo came over to watch the Opening Ceremonies. We ordered pizza and baklava (the pizza place near me? Run by Lebanese. Good pizza, excellent baklava.) and chowed while we watched. (General consensus? Shut up, Bob Costas.) The boys have not had much experience with babies, but after Friday night, they vote "No Babies." (Note that they don't actually have a say. They just think they do.)

Saturday was rainy and miserable, so I had to postpone Adopt-a-Highway. D came up that afternoon, and we were going to go to Outback and then try to make Firewall.. When we got to Outback, I slammed my thumb in the door to D's truck. (Cool Boss: "You and I are the only people I know who have shut our own fingers in car doors. I lost a fingernail.") The wait? 1.5 hours. At 5:30 PM. We deemed this ridiculous and headed over to Sushi-Thai. Sushi-Thai, a most excellent fallback choice. We didn't make the movie, and neither of us were that upset. Because, Olympics! I love the Olympics.

Sunday night, I went over to 2.0's, had dinner, and watched the Wal-Mart movie. It was a bit overwrought and heavy-handed. At one point, during a text portion, 2.0 Spouse yelled out, "You are watching propaganda!" in a very radio-announcer voice. That amused me. I think the thing that bothered me most about it was that you could have made the case without being so completely biased. Especially the part where they were showing how conditions for the factory workers in China and Honduras were deplorable. They are, but that's not just limited to factories making things for Wal-Mart. And Wal-Mart isn't actually to blame for them. They didn't think them up. They have a hand in their current existence, but are not solely to blame.

I hope you all have a good one. I get to spend it with the Boo!

In other news, Lemon is finally coming. Girl takes her time, that's for sure.

Janet has one. Goofy Girl has one. Megan has one. Smoochdog has one. Monique has one. Now, I do too. My Johari Window.

You'll also note the lack of "looks for validation from the internet".

After I got the flowers, Cool Boss came in and gave me a canister of Methane.

Flowers- the traditional Valentine's gift.

Methane- the progressive Valentine's gift.

I'm just saying, I'm a traditional kind of girl.

From Megan, the bestest web designer.

1. When you think about the next 10 years what are you most excited about? I don't know. I have things I'd like to do, but nothing concrete. I'd like to get married, have kids, travel. I don't know that any of that will happen, but maybe the things that happen instead will be wonderful. I've stopped planning my life, and am just living it.
   
2. Do you wear jewelry every day?? What kind?? [Thanks Liz!] Yes. I wear a watch and a ring that I bought in Puerta Vallarta. (Except when I leave it at the barn and am without it for two weeks. It's back! Am happy!) And at least one pair of earrings.
   
3. Do you prefer writing in pen or pencil? if ink, what color? [Thanks Liz!] Pen. The scientist in me prefers black, although recently I bough a navy blue pen and I love it!
   
4. What's your skin regime? [Thanks Liz!] Interestingly, I just had to change it. My skin said, "I am thirty! I must be dry! But still oily at the same time!" So, I use a Clarins wash twice daily, exfoliate twice a week, use a mattifying moisturizer in the morning and a richer one at night (both Clarins), and eye cream for the zombie circles.
   
5. What kind of shampoo do you use? [Thanks Liz!] Kiehl's Amino Acid Shampoo. I love Kiehl's.
   
6. What's your favorite TV show? [Thanks Jim!] The two don't miss shows for me are Gilmore Girls and The Amazing Race. I have season passes for other shows, but am just not into TV right now.
   
7. What are your plans for the weekend? Tonight is our Valentine's Day dinner. D's made reservations somewhere. There will be wine. Tomorrow night is the Water for Life Dinner, so we are working on that most of the day. Sunday, I hope to talk D into just hanging out and watching the Daytona 500.
   
   10:39 AM - Comments (2)
   
   
   

If I send you an e-mail stating that I qualitatively measured for something and it was present, do not respond with an e-mail that asks, "What is the concentration?"

For that, I would have needed to do a quantitative measurement.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Watergirl

So, D and I have gotten hooked on the curling. In a "Hey, that looks fun!" kinda way. Also hooked on curling? 2.0 spouse. I totally think we could start a curling league here. North Carolina, curling hotbed! (Although, I do believe that technically, you need four for a team, but I'm sure we can talk Cdub into it.)

I think I have a pretty good understanding of the rules.

The slider slides the rock toward the target. S/he then yells at the sweepers, telling them to go, stop, or "That's not clean!" The idea is to get the rock into the circles. The circles are blue, white and red. The other thing you can do is knock the other team's rock(s) out of the circles. This is a good thing to do. (The fourth teammate stands near the circle, and they have a broom too, but they don't seem to do much.) There are 10 periods, and you have 74 minutes (Random time!) to slide all your rocks. I don't know how many "all your rocks" is. Somehow there's a score at the end of each period, but I really have no idea how they determine that.

So clearly the only hurdle keeping us from the Olympics in 2010 is the fact that there isn't a mixed team's curling.

Thanks, Meg!

1. What your favorite movie that you've seen so far this year? [Thanks Bethany!] I'm sure I've seen three movies, but I can only remember what 2 of them were, so I'll go with The Family Stone. (Edited: Little Matty has helped me determine that I've seen 4 movies in the theater, and I now know what they were, but I am sticking with my original answer.)
   
2. Favorite new musical artist? [Thanks Bethany!] I don't know. I kinda like that girl that sings the "2AM- Breathe" song. Anna Nalick?
   
3. Jennifer or Angelina? [Thanks Bethany!] Angelina.
   
4. How often do you check your email? [Thanks Sky!] Too often, although both of my e-mails have notifiers. And I no longer check my work e-mail at home.
   
5. What are your plans for the weekend? Dinner with Cdub tonight, tomorrow going out to Chapel Hill to pick up some earrings I ordered, cleaning, and hanging out with the boys. Also, I need to make coleslaw. Because Sunday is a Jaycee cookout.
   

Yesterday, while I was out at the barn tacking up Bruno, Dylan was playing in the sand using a shovel. He started tossing shovelfuls.

WG: Dylan, are you supposed to throw dirt?
Dylan: No. But this is mud.

So, remember when I wrote about curling? Look! Curling here, in the Triangle! I should have guessed- we do have a decent number of Canadians. I tend to forget this. Because, well, no one's ever said, "The Canadians? Such rabble-rousers!"

I want to move into this house. Can't quite afford it on my own. Who wants to live with me? And the boys?

If I ever get Ri a dog, this is the kind I'm getting him.

Guess what I get to do this weekend? Change spark plugs! And an air filter! And possibly a PCV valve. That last one? Doubtful, as I don't really know what that is.