Wednesday, September 29, 2010

What Will You Choose for to Share?

Some of the graffiti art we did at my art party.

So far, so good with the internet tonight. I'm so tired of it being all wonky. I'm glad it gave me a functional night.

The guy came over tonight. I made the soup and pumpkin bars last night, so I just had to throw together a salad and bake the brie and roast the garlic. He brought the bread, and we shared a bottle of Pinot Grigio. As usual, the conversation was great too. Lovely, lovely.

I love this time of year when it's getting cool enough to want to eat, but still warm enough to get everything fresh from the garden too. I feel so spoiled right now, in so many ways...

How I Wish I Could See the Potential

Some pretty flowers for you all.

Hey, so it's late. I'm still having problems with the internet at home. I have no idea why. It stopped working at 9 and didn't start again until 11:45. Wah. Anyway, I guess it's good that it is working.

Except for my computer issues, tonight was hunky dory. I mowed that woman's lawn, went running, went shopping and then made potato leek soup and pumpkin bars. Stinky didn't get any soup during the art party and asked me if I'd make more and Coadster wants another care package and she loves pumpkin bars. Now, if I can just get my computer to work on a regular basis, I'd be all set. Sigh.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Mystery Is What This Is to Me

Stinky making that face before the Homecoming dance.

Soooo. Let's see. Remember how I told you I was going out to dinner with a friend? Well, I wasn't sure if it was a friend thing or a date. We had talked about things the week before, and he said he was just out of long term relationship, and thought he needed to be single for a while. I had had that confusion with other guys, and figured I should just assume it was a friend thing to protect myself. You know, 4,213 times bitten, 8,426 times shy and all.

Then on Friday morning he sent me this:

How can I possibly be nervous about our date tonight?

How long have I known you?

How old am I?

Just how scary are you?

Geez!


So, then I knew it was a date and got a little nervous myself. We also agreed that I was pretty damn scary.

I got off work, went running, and then met him for dinner...It was very nice and we had a great talk. Afterward, we decided to go to George's for a drink and to stay away from the Dublin and people we knew. Of course, we were there for all of 5 minutes when my friend G. walked in with some of her family members who were in town for the game. We all laughed at the odds of her hanging out there, since she hadn't been at George's for at least a year. I really don't think it's possible for this town to be any smaller.

We had a good talk about things. He's still pretty confused about how ready he is to be in a relationship, but he wants to at least date and see how it goes. We've decided to take things really slowly and that works for me too.

Saturday it rained and rained and rained. Stinky worked all day. I went for a run, but then spent the rest of the day cleaning my place and listening to music. It was a very nice way to spend a rainy day.

In the evening, I went to Stinky's friends house and took pics before the Homecoming dance. The kids all cleaned up pretty nice.

I got home and talked to the guy. We were originally going to meet at the Dublin, but he said he didn't sleep very well the night before. So, he bought a bottle of wine over and I made some food and he came over and we talked and ate and drank it was wonderful. Stinky and her boyfriend came home after the dance and before they went back to their friend's and they all got to meet. Stinky thought he was really nice and he and Stinky took a moment to bond by making fun of me, so he thought she was pretty cool too. So far so good.

It will be interesting to see how this all pans out. I think we both want to make sure we're still friends no matter what happens with our dating. I really hope that's possible.

Monday You Can Fall Apart

Okay. Now I can't get internet at all at home. So, I'm leaving work early to wait for the cable guy...Again. If they can get it up and running, I'll finally write a decent blog post and be able to start looking at everyone else's blogs as well. Wish me luck!

Friday, September 24, 2010

If Wishes Were Trees, the Trees Would be Falling

The restaurant we went to a couple of weeks ago.

Okay. I lied. I'll talk about my computer again for a minute. My internet STILL doesn't work when it's raining. What the hell is that? I have no idea what to do now...

...But on a more positive note - it's the weekend. Yea! Tonight Stinky will be at the Homecoming game at the high school. A friend of mine asked me to dinner, so I we're meeting for Indian food at 7. I haven't had any for a long, long time and I'm excited.

Saturday will be a day for getting things done. Saturday night is a crap shoot. I think I'll just see how I feel and decide whether I'm going out or not. Stinky has her Homecoming dance, so I will be taking photos of her and her group early in the evening.

Soooo, what will you all be doing? going out for dinner or getting caught up in Homecoming hoopla?

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Feelin' Mighty Fine at This Time

Stinky at last week's game with some friends. They have theme nights at the games. Last week was gangsta night...You know, because we live in an over-educated college town in Iowa and there are so many gangstas here.

Sooo, I promise this is the last time I'll bore you with my computer stories. My internet was down again when I got home on Tuesday. It was raining again, and the minute it stopped, my computer started working. Weird. So, I kept the appointment with the cable guy today. He said that the connector outside was loose and old and the connector inside was so rusted, he didn't know how we had internet at all. I guess we'll see what happens next time it rains...

Coadster and a friend showcasing a dorm door before the engineer's ball. She's not in Iowa City anymore for sure. The dirty haired poets and philosophers here don't really have balls. (hee hee, balls).

Stinky's birthday dinner was very nice. She wanted to go for steak, so we went to a place where people not only served us red meat, but also line danced to country music...Um, at least the steak was good.

Looks like I'm random again today. I've suddenly rekindled my romance with my house lately. We had been going through a rough patch since last Spring. I still liked my house, but it was just getting so needy, you know? It seemed like every week there was something else with it. It had bugs, blah, blah, blah, it needed the mold scrubbed off of it, it was incessant about needing to be cleaned and painted and mowed. When really, all I wanted to do was go out and play. I just didn't have the time or energy to deal with it.

I'm not really sure when all that changed. Maybe it was when I had other people over for the art party. Everyone seemed to think my house was really cute. I guess I got a little jealous and started to look at it a differently too. It's been almost a week now, and we're back to appreciating each other again. I take it upon myself to make sure my house feels special. I'm staying home more often and keeping up with my cleaning and maintenance responsibilities...And all without the threat of couples' counseling.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

What's the Fun in Playing it Safe? I Think I'd Rather Misbehave

My usual Stinky birthday pic.

So, it is that Wednesday is the first day of Fall and Stinky's 17th birthday. Wha?! It still blows me away. There was a point where it seemed like she would always be a very loud two year old...And there that was that other point when she was 5 and very sick, where I didn't know if she'd make it to 6.

I've been through my share of everything with Stinky. My old joke was that if Stinky had been my first, she may have been an only child. She's always been the sweetest little girl, but she's also been a HUGE boundary pusher. Luckily, she also cares so much when she upsets me and it tears her up when she loses my trust, so the older she gets, the harder she tries aspires to the straight and narrow.

Here's to another 17 years sliding face first into her adult life together. I anticipate a bumpy and wild ride. I've got my seatbelt on and I'm holding onto the Jesus bar, but I can't wait.

Monday, September 20, 2010

She's Touring the Facility and Picking Up Slack

Me with a zombie in front of me and a dorky bartender behind me. I wasn't able to participate in the zombie march, but that's a story for another post.

Sooo, it is very late. My internet magically fixed itself and seems to be working fine now. I have no idea why, I'm just happy it happened and I hope it stays this way.

I will have to write about the weekend tomorrow. Tonight we had another great bike ride. We managed to have a fire after it again, the weather was amazing, but we stayed out a little later to hang by the fire. Coadster called me when I got home and it was great to talk to her. She seems a little stressed, (which is pretty typical for her) but loving college.

Okay. I do apologize for all of these lame blog posts, but I'm going to try really hard to slow my life down in the next couple of weeks and write better on the blog and on everything in general. Amen.

And the Angels are Older. They Know Not to Wait Up for the Sun


Cool spiderweb in a tree at my house.

Soooo, my internet is down at my house for some reason. I called mediacom and they said they can try to fix it on Wednesday. I guess I'll burn some vacation and wait for them to show up and fix it. Until then, my posts will be short and I'll try to write more tomorrow. Mondays tend to be rough days at work.

I hope you all had great weekends!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Shock Me Like an Electric Eel.

Here is a pretty flower.

So, whatever it was I thought I was coming down with, seems to have disappeared today. Yea! I had a great dinner with friends tonight. Many different kinds of sushi, great conversation and it was so good to catch up with my friends from college. It's weird that we live in the same town and never see each other.

Tomorrow should be even better. I only work until noon and then I'll go running and head to the store to get a few art supplies. I'll finally have to give plasma - which is the only part of the day I'm not looking forward to, but I'm sure it won't kill me or anything.

Saturday I will clean my house as much as possible and make a pot of potato leek soup. I'm also going to try to go on the zombie march - it's where people meet at a park, put on make-up and walk around looking like zombies. I won't do the make-up part, because Stinky and her boyfriend want me to go to dinner with her boyfriend's parents at 6:30. After that I have a couple of options. One of my neighbors is having a backyard party to watch the Iowa/Arizona game in his backyard or G. wanted me to go to Sam's Pizza to watch the game with some friends of hers. Maybe I'll figure out a way to do both.

Sunday is my arts and crafts party. I'm making soup and salad and heating up apple cider and my friends are coming over to make a bunch of stuff. I'm not much into crafts, but I plan on trying my hand at tag/graffiti art. I have some bigger canvases and I'm getting some spray paint and I'm going to see what kind of funkiness I can create. My living room is reserved for Dance Dance Revolution and Rock Band shenanigans. I hope it ends up being as fun as it sounds.

What about you kids? Will you be watching a game or gaming?

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

I Got Mine

Stinky trying really hard to pretend that I'm not taking her picture last Saturday.

Well, kids. I think that cold I've been running from for the last week or so, is finally catching up to me. I felt like total crap today. I made it through the day at work, but fell asleep for two hours the minute I got home. Then I made some spicy food to burn out the illness, and spent some time holding the couch down (you know, just in case it decided to float away). Now, I'm going to try to get even MORE sleep. I'm supposed to go out for sushi with some friends tomorrow night and I want to make sure I'm all better for that. Sushi is a huge priority for me...And I'm pretty excited about the company I'll be keeping as well.

I hope the rest of you all are perky and healthy and bursting with love.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

What is It About This Place, Keeps You On Your Feet?

I'm posting some pics that JS took of me from the fire last night. Thank god, his flash wasn't working when he took this close-up of me...

It was warm today, but I can still feel Fall in the wings. The shadows lie differently on the ground and I find myself going more and more inward these last few weeks. I'm not fighting it. I'm ready for the slow down and a little escape from the external world.

...The lack of flash helped here too, where Bry was being his usual, inappropriate self.

All Summer long I've mostly been doing - running, hiking, kayaking, cycling, mowing, gardening and playing. It was glorious. I have so much energy when it's warm outside. I often forget to eat when I'm so busy doing other things, and then when I do remember, I really just want to grill something anyway.

JS finally got the flash working just as we were leaving. So, at least you all get to see the kick-ass Wolverine t-shirt I was wearing.

Now, I'm back in the kitchen, cooking and baking all the time. I've had to go around, dropping stuff off at my friends' houses, I've been that damned productive.

My inner life is shaping up nicely too. All the books I read, the miles I run and the music I hear take me on a different tangent. I'm reevaluating, examining and processing. This is the time of year where I can finally sit down long enough to write. Sure, it doesn't sound as interesting as all the things I've done over the Summer, but there are all kinds of adventures taking place in my own little world, and I'm excited to sort them all out and get them down on a page in the coming months.

Monday, September 13, 2010

And the World is Made of Energy

Bry doing something weird by the fire.

It was my usual manic Monday today. It's our busiest day at work. Then I do my weekly ride my bike home, run, and ride my bike for Mexican food and margaritas. Then ride it back home. Again. It's a great way to spend a Monday. Today while I was at work wondering why I've been so happy at the beginning of the week, it occurred to me it was because I now have a bike ride to look forward to most weeks. Whatever it takes, I guess.

I screwed this pic up by letting my fingers in the way of the lens. But now I like how it looks like I'm pinching them all during their fire dance.

We had a couple of people in from out of town on tonight's ride. The weather was perfect, so on the way home we detoured to the Hills Access and made a quick fire. It was lovely. You all know how much I love a good fire, and it's been a while since I've been able to stand around one.

JS taking a pic of me taking a pic.

There was lightning flashing to the South of us. It was so pretty and harmless...A combination you don't see very often.

I rode the rest of the way home on a gorgeous night, with a belly full of quesadillas and salsa and a slight buzz from my two margaritas. Whatever happens the rest of this week, at least it started out perfectly.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Scanning Life Through the Picture Windows

Here some guy joined is in owning up to being one of Iowa's largest brats. I still think I'm the brattiest.

Oh, weekend. How you do tire me so. I had another great weekend. I knew it was going to kick my ass a little, so I made sure to rest on Friday night. Stinky went to the in town rivalry game and I stayed home and watched a cheesy movie and then read my book for the rest of the night. I'm still checking book boxes for Confederacy of Dunces, but until I find it, I started reading a book that isn't quite such a piece of literature. It's called Shanghai Girls and it is pretty good escapism. It's a decent placeholder until I find the other book.

Surprisingly enough, I didn't have one drop of alcohol this weekend. I was on migraine alert. Too bad for everyone else, I don't need to drink to act like an ass...

Saturday started nice and early. I got up to take Stinky to her job. Then I headed over to the DMV to get my new license. It only took me an hour or so, which is pretty good for a Saturday morning.

The Magic Bus tailgate party.

A little before noon, I picked up some friends and headed over to tailgate. We spent most of our time at the Magic Bus. They were sponsored by Kraft and gave out free mac and cheese and they had a fun band called the Uniphonics playing on top of the bus. It was great spectacle.

Some tailgate carnage.

Once the game started, we headed to the main drag to check out a couple more sites. The one we wanted to go to, was pretty much a bust. We think our friend who runs it must have had tickets to the game, so when we got there, it was just a bunch of REALLY drunk college kids. Although that is where we met Captain Iowa State pictured below. It takes some cajones to walk around football fans wearing a cape all day.

Me cheesing it up with Captain Iowa State. He was a great sport.

We said hi to Stinky at the kiosk where she works during football games and stopped by a friend of ours who lives by the stadium. They had a nice tent set up in the backyard with some lounge chairs and a radio with the game on. Since we blew State out of the water, we didn't pay much attention to the game and relaxed and gave each other a hard time.

Instead of doing the outdoor movie night, myself and a couple of other girls decided to head to Kalona and eat at the Tuscan Moon. It was a perfect idea. We sat outside and talked and laughed and ate really good food. I had salmon with a creamy dill and lemon sauce over fettucini and it was heavenly. After dinner, I drove everyone back to Iowa City. E. and I both decided to go home, but I dropped H. and G. off at the Dublin where it sounds like they had a great evening.

E. and G. and I at the Tuscan Moon.

Today I did the Beat Cancer run at 3. It was the first year for it and there were definitely some issues with the planning, but it was a nice warm day for it...Which was kind of my problem. I was stupid and didn't drink enough water before the race. I was thinking I could drink some at the park when I got to the race, but I couldn't find a working drinking fountain and there were no bottles of water set up either. At about a half mile left, a guy handed me a bottle of water and that made a huge difference. My friend E. and I talked about it a couple of hours after the race and she said next time we run a race together, we'll both make sure we bring a cooler with drinks in it. Duh. Lesson learned, I guess.

Thursday, September 09, 2010

And In the Streets You Run Afree

Here is Coadster at a Hawkeye press day as a baby.

So, this week just breezed on by, didn't it? I gave myself a lazy after work evening. I ran but then came home and did some dishes and planted myself firmly on the couch. It felt pretty nice.

This weekend is only two days, and I'd like to say I was going to calm things down this time around, but it doesn't look that way, It's the Iowa vs Iowa State game in town this week, and I've decided to go tailgating for the first time in my life. Right now, the plan is to pick up D. and go to our friend M.'s (who's never tailgated either) and check out the scene. We'll go to the Magic Bus and another friend of ours who has giant TV's to watch the game on once it starts. I won't drink, but I can't wait to eat and people watch and take in the spectacle for a while.

My friend E said she might want to go on a late day bike ride, so I could do that after the tailgating. In the evening, a bunch of girls are going out to E.'s house and have a fire in the pit she dug in her backyard last weekend and watch a movie outside on her big screen. Then I'll drop most of the girls off downtown and I'll go home.

I'm running the Beat Cancer 5K on Sunday afternoon, so I don't want to stay out very late the night before.

As we've all seen before, my plans can turn into something altogether different as they play out...Or don't. So,who knows what I'll actually end up doing.

How about you guys out in blog land? Will you be watching people, or movies of both?

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

All Alright

Here is G's jacket.

Today I made a ton of food after I got back from running. Stinky was at her youth group most of the evening, so I had the house to myself again. Tonight I listened to Sigur Ros and even though I could have used some more counter space, I was still so appreciative of the kitchen in my cozy little cottage.

When I went to deliver said food to friends, D. asked me how I was doing and I could honestly answer that I was really happy. The last month or so has been amazing for me. Of course, that doesn't mean that I don't get down or lonely, but overall, I am quite content...Actually, ridiculously hopeful is more accurate. I've been good about staying away from the few people who were playing games or particularly judgmental/disdainful of me and that has made a huge difference. My time is well spent on my supportive, kind friends and family members.

I miss Coadster, but she seems really happy where she is. I just hope she's thriving, even if that means I don't get the pleasure of seeing her every day. So far this year, Stinky has been doing really well too. She had a rough start to last year. She made some big mistakes, but she seems to be learning from them and trying really hard. She actually tells me when she has tests and asks me to help her study. First trimester of last year, I'd ask her about tests and she'd give me some vague answer to get me off her back. I try to let her know how proud I am of her as often as possible.

Since last year I have gone through so many transitions and so much change...And even though they have mostly been positive, any change can be a little stressful. I just feel like right now, at this moment, it's nice to breathe, look around and appreciate my bounty. As I know all too well, everything can change by the time I wake up tomorrow. But right now? Right now I'm happy.

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Tuesday's On the Phone to Me

Well, it looks like Coadster is settling into college life pretty well...I think.

Today was a busy day, so this will be short. I rode my bike home from work, drove to the woman's house and mowed her yard, drove home, ran 6 miles, went to the store, made dinner and watched a cheesy TV show with Stinky. I am pooped.

On Sunday when I was cleaning, I was listening to the Black Keys (who I love), but one of their songs sounded a lot like the Beatles to me and I realized I haven't listened to any Beatles lately. They can get overplayed, but they are total nostalgia music for me. They remind me of so many different phases of my life. So, I switched from the Black Keys and listened to Abbey Road and Revolver - my two favorite Beatles albums. It was perfect Sunday afternoon cleaning the house music, just like when I was a kid. How about you all? Are you Beatles lovers or haters and what is your favorite Beatles album?

Monday, September 06, 2010

I Am Trying to Break Your Heart

My friend Bry being inappropriate...Again...Or still.

And now for the rest of the story...I woke up at 6:30 on Saturday to take Stinky to her second job where she sells things at football games. I was tired, so I went back to sleep. I was still exhausted when I woke up again. I think I was fighting off the cold that Stinky has. I got up and tried to get things done, but all I really wanted to do was sleep. I thought I'd feel better if I went running, but to no avail. I got home and had to take a nap. Stinky woke me up when she called to tell me the game was over and she needed a ride home from work. I did start feeling better then.

I decided I wouldn't contact anyone, and if no one contacted me, I'd just stay home and relax. At around 6 I got a Facebook message from JS. He told me some of our friends were going down to the Dublin and wanted to know if I'd meet them. I decided, what the hell and told him I'd be there around nine. At 7 E. texted me to see if I was going out. I told her my plan and offered to give her ride. At 8'ish G called me and said she was going out too, so I picked up her and D. as well. On the way to the bar, we all said that we had been hesitant about going out, but were glad we all got out of the house.

We really need someone around to do this to Bry all the time.

We had a fun night. We hadn't all been together for over a month, so it was nice to get some good girl talk in and the boys were all being pretty hilarious too. I finally got home and went to bed, still laughing to myself about the whacky hijinx.

Okay, we really need two people around to do this to Bry all the time.

I woke up on Sunday feeling pretty good. I spent the day running, cleaning, listening to music and baking. Stinky worked her store job, so I got to listen to my own music all day. Lovely.

At 6'ish I rode my bike down to the Dublin and met the cycling kids. My friend Bry came up to me and said things were a little hazy the night before, but he hoped he hadn't done or said anything inappropriate to me. It's so funny when guys do that. He must have had some recollection, or he wouldn't have said that only to me. I told him, he did AND said inappropriate things to me. We had a good laugh about it and he bent over and told me I could grab his ass to make up for it. I told him it was okay. REALLY.

Sometimes inappropriate is hilarious.

We rode out to Hills. It was another stiff headwind, but it was great to ride with so many people. When we got to the restaurant, we saw some scary looking clouds rolling in. D and G drove to meet us there and we had a nice conversation. While we ate, a storm rolled in. Luckily, the worst of it was over by the time we got back on the road. Since it was still raining, we decided not to stop and have a fire. The lightning was getting a little scary. We talked about whether we wanted to stop somewhere in Iowa City and have one last drink and all decided against it. I did stand with JS and M and talk for a bit before we all went our separate ways. I was just happy to get home and take off my wet, muddy clothes and climb into my warm, dry comfy bed.

Sunday, September 05, 2010

She Could Steal But She Could Not Rob

At the Club Car...Or what used to be Mike's Tap to any of you ex-pats.

Wow, kids. I might just have to be carried out of this weekend on a stretcher. It's been great, but so, so busy. I'll just write about Friday right now and get to the rest of it later.

The marching band.

I got off at noon on Friday and had an incredible run. It was really nice. I came back home and did some tidying up and some eating before I had to head to the Quad Cities at 4. I've had the hardest time getting decent directions to the Quad Cities from Mapquest lately. I don't know if it's because of all the construction. Anyway, I got lost and had to have someone come get me and I followed them to the funeral home to get Stinky. As we were driving out of town, I got a text from my friend E. She was wondering if I wanted to go out. I had Stinky text her back that I'd call her when I got home but I was going out and she was welcome to join me.

The guy getting ready to eat the egg.

We finally made it back to IC, I got Stinky fed and then I deposited her at the football game. I picked up E. and we headed to my friend's birthday at the Club Car and it was really nice. We had a couple of beers, but we were no match for all the folks doing shots to celebrate my friend's birthday. We decided to check out the Dublin to see who was there. We didn't see anyone we knew there, so I suggested we go to Joe's Place instead. We were so glad we did.

Spitting out the egg. He really did try.

The marching band showed up and played. E. used to be in the band when she was in college, and she had some great stories about it.

After the band left, a guy stood behind me and ordered some pickled eggs. He got our attention and asked us if we were jealous about the fact that he was going to eat pickled eggs and we weren't. We flipped him some shit about how gross they were. Then he asked us to watch the eggs for him, while he took off. We thought it was odd that he would suddenly leave before he even ate them, but then we found out why.

This guy kept showing off his big belt buckle with his name on it. Dork!

The guy's friend showed up a couple of minutes later and started whining about how his friend was going to make him eat the eggs and blah, blah blah. Later he admitted that the eggs were just a ruse to get our attention and they tag teamed us. The first guy was bigger and a little more shy, but more earnest (we both liked him best) and his friend was smaller and talked more shit than even I did. They were totally harmless and fun and they flirted with us all night. They kept saying they couldn't believe how hot we were, but still so fun and cool.

At one point one of the guys said, "Hey, let's play a game where we try to figure out how much older we are than you."

E. said, "Okay. Why don't you give me your ID then? Oh. You were born in 1976? Well, we're not that much younger than you..." E. and I laughed about that all night and never told them our real ages. They even got me to try to play pool. I really don't know how, but they were really patient and actually came close to hitting the ball in the pocket.

Finally, I told E. I had to go home. We said good-bye and they asked us a million times if we wanted to go to their place and hang out. We politely declined. They told us they would be tailgating the next day and then hanging out at Sam's pizza after the game and asked us to meet them there.

We decided that while they were pretty amusing for one night, they'd probably start being annoying if we hung out with them for much longer. So, we let it go. It was a great night and we had a wonderful time and laughed about how ridiculous it was the whole way home.

Thursday, September 02, 2010

Right Past the Fireflies That Sleep in My Heart

If you look closely, you'll see a double rainbow. Too bad it's set against the backdrop of the big scary maul.

Oh, but how I love standing on the precipice of a three day weekend. Actually, I'm off at noon tomorrow, so it will be a 3 1/2 day weekend.

I'm taking off early from work tomorrow to run and then drive to the Quad Cities to pick Stinky up from her uncle's visitation. She's going with her dad and Coadster. They're staying through Saturday for the funeral, but Stinky has that job at home football games that she can't get out of. We should be back in I.C by 6 or 7 if all goes well.

I'm not exactly sure what all I'm doing this weekend. Friday night and Saturday are a crap shoot (and let the crap shooting begin!) but Sunday evening I'm going on an extended bike ride and hopefully a fire down by the river. Hurray!

On Monday my siblings and their spawn are set to arrive. They'll stay through the afternoon and it will be good to see them all.

How about you all? What are your plans? Will you see fire and family?

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

He Found All Hands Against His Own. Found All Eyes Were Looking Down

Here is a barn and a silo.

Today we had our Fall retreat at work. It used to be that we had to do awful trust exercises and role playing crap at them, but I think we collectively and loudly rolled our eyes at that enough, that they actually try to do something useful at them now. Thank god.

We had someone from Disability Services come talk to us. They showed the video I'm Tyler first and then we talked about all the different kinds of disabilities there are and the best ways to help people. I thought it was really helpful and interesting. Because when you think about it, almost everyone has some kind of disability.

I had just talked to Stinky about it this week. She was whining about having to do drive-up (which apparently, everyone at the store hates to do) for a woman who didn't get that many things and how she would have understood it if the woman was disabled, but she thought she was just being lazy. I reminded her that a lot of people can look healthy, but I know some people in the beginning stages of MS, in particular, who don't have the strength or muscle control to lift much. Stinky said she didn't think of that. I told her to try to be as compassionate as possible, because you never know what's going on with anyone at any given time. Now, I just have to remember that too...