If You Don't Answer, I'll Just Ring It Off the Wall

Here is Coadster in college. It seems she hasn't lost her attitude at all...

So, Coadster called me last night. As I've said, I hate to talk on the phone. I have no idea why. I think it has something to do with how socially challenged I am. I can't see the person who is talking and it makes me antsy and babble and then I get distracted by whatever is going on in my house at the time and only half listen, which makes me even more antsy and babbley and it really just isn't my thing. Of course, Coadster loves to talk on the phone and now that she lives somewhere else, talking on the phone is a necessary evil. I'm sure Coadster laughs her ass off after I constantly say, "So, what else is going on?" In order for her to talk more, so I don't have to.

Anyway, Coadster called me yesterday to tell me she gave blood for the first time. She is O negative, (universal donor) so her blood is in demand. Coadster is a HUGE wimp about that kind of thing, so it was even bigger deal that she donated. I'm proud of her.

Stinky is starting to go through that stage that Coadster went through when she got closer to being 18 - the one where she was a self-absorbed pain in the ass. Lord knows, I love them both, but I do have to roll my eyes sometimes. This morning, Stinky and I got into a little spat and she said something to the effect of, "Well, I thought I lived here, so I wouldn't have to...(be more conscientious about whatever)" I informed her that she does live here, but she's not the only person who lives here. So, she did step down and realize she was being hard to take, but we've been having more and more of those special moments lately. At least I've been through it with Coadster before, and I know it's just a phase.

Wiped Out. No Concentration.

Here is a rolling hill.

Well, kids. I don't have much to write about today. Things are good, good, good. Last night I gave plasma while the guy rode his bike. Then we met at home and cooked and ate and drank wine. Then we had a great talk until it was time to pick up Stinky. Sure, it sounds rather mundane, but I like that. I also like that The Guy is as open and honest as he is and we can pretty much talk about anything. It's so refreshing.

Tonight The Guy is going to his mom's house and Stinky will be at her youth group. I will have the house to myself. I plan on running my 6 mile route and then doing a couple of quick cleaning projects. Then I have the option of working on the painting/drawing I want to start, reading my book or watching a movie. I love being presented with those kinds of options.

Too Much Information Driving Me Insane

Here are the shadows of my friend Bry and I.

So, last night The Guy and I decided to go back to spending Monday night the way we used to before we lived together. We met at the Dublin after work for a drink. I get out of work earlier than him and I sat down at an almost empty bar to wait.

There was a woman with layered, dyed blonde hair sitting to my left and she told me she was from Fort Dodge and was here staying with a friend of hers in the hospital. She said she had been here for a week and that she missed her grandson...Then she told me she was legally blind...Then she started telling me about her son dying and her subsequent suicide attempt...Then she asked me what my name was.

I'm not sure what it is about me, but I feel like I have the word, "therapist" written on my forehead sometimes.

Birds Singin' in the Sycamore Trees

Here we are at G.'s party. In our world, bunny ears are never not funny.

I know I sound like a broken record, but I had another great weekend. On Friday night the guy and I went out for sushi after work and then picked up Stinky and went home and watched Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant in The Philadelphia Story.

Here is the guy with his game face on, getting to ride his first race since the accident.

On Saturday we got up and got some things done around the house and some errands run. I also got a nice run in, while The Guy was getting stuff at the store.

In the evening, we went to our friend G.'s birthday party at Sam's Pizza. We split a stuffed pizza and had a couple of drinks and then went home around 9. Stinky got home shortly thereafter and we all watched some episodes of Shaun the Sheep together. Both The Guy and Stinky had seen it before, but I hadn't. I liked Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run, so I wasn't surprised that it was as clever and fun as it was.

Here is the guy kicking ass at the finish line.

On Sunday we got up early so we could head to The Guy's first bike race since the accident. Our friend Bry showed up, which was nice. The Guy ended up placing 2nd in his age groups. That would be impressive if he HADN'T been in an accident where he broke his back and that prevented him from working out on his bike for a few months.

After the race we stopped and ate a late breakfast and then went home and took a nap. We woke up and headed to bike shops to test ride cyclocross bikes. I've been pretty interested in that sport since I saw it last Thanksgiving. I'm thinking about competing in it sometime this Fall. I've talked to my brother and he said he might come down and do one with me too. Anyway, I test rode a couple of bikes, but I'll probably get one on-line from some place that can be hundreds of dollars cheaper than the name brands at the shops. I'll also be able to use the bike as a road bike or for racing if I decide to do that too.

In the evening, The Guy went to play pool with Bry and Stinky went to her youth group thingy. I went to G.'s house for a bit, then came home and watched the movie, The Orphanage. If you haven't seen it and you like really scary horror films - check it out. At one point, Stinky and I were on the couch with Archie lying between us, and we jumped and screamed and Archie went running. Funny.

Fat Bottomed Girls Will Be Riding Them Too

Here is an abandoned farm house. Creepy.

So, last night The Guy's friend was supposed to come down from Minneapolis for dinner. They ended up getting snow there, so she stayed to ski and didn't make it down until 10. Since The Guy already promised Stinky dinner out, he wanted to uphold that and we let her decide where we ate. She chose to go to Pagliais Pizza and we had a lovely meal. The Guy's friend showed up and we talked with her until around midnight. That's pretty damn late on a school night. It was worth it, though. She was really cool and fun to hang out with.

So, now onto the weekend....Tonight the guy and I have decided to just chill out. We're going to probably try and get some sushi and then come home and watch a movie and hit the hay pretty early.

I plan on running and getting a few things done during the day on Saturday. We kicked around the idea of going on a Spring ride with a bike group here, but I think the 36 degree temps and chance of snow is enough to dissuade us. Saturday night we will celebrate our friend G.'s birthday. We probably won't stay out super late, on account of what's going on Sunday morning.

Sunday morning will be The Guy's first cycling race in a year and since his accident. We've heard it will be hilly and it's still supposed to be cold, but I'm still excited to check out the scene. Bicycle racing is so much different than running races in that there is all kinds of strategy to it. It should be pretty interesting.

How about you all? Will you be chilling out this weekend or racing around?

Songs of Desperation, I Played Them For You

Here is a burrito kitten.

I had a good swim this morning. The Guy gave me some more pointers and I feel like I'm getting better and better at it every day. Today while I was swimming and trying to implement some of The Guy's suggestions, I started thinking about people being coachable and what that means. When I was a kid, one of my aunts used to try to coach my brother and I on the breathing part of swimming by making us bob up and down in the water until we couldn't take it anymore. Just so you know, not the best way to encourage an interest in swimming. If anything, it made me ever weirder about getting water up my nose.

I was coached for running from the time I was 10...Probably not very well either. When I was having a bad race, my high school coach used to stand on the side of the track, smoking a cigarette and yell, "You stink, Churlita. You stink!" I did have one decent coach in high school - my sprint coach and I can still hear her in my head yelling, "Lift your knees, ladies!" when I am starting to fade at the end of a road race. Pretty good overall advice for anyone who wants to run faster or keep running - lift your knees.

So, as far as me being coachable....I think it depends on the coach and what and how they're telling me to do a thing. I can be obstinate, and certainly my first instinct is to resist whatever advice I'm given. (Why I do that? I have no idea...) But after I have time to let it sink in, I finally try to use the parts I find useful. So, I guess it's a bit conditional...I'm eventually coachable - if I find the coaching helpful and it isn't just someone trying to motivate me by tearing me down. (which never works for me, by the way)

The Guy has been a very helpful coach for me. He doesn't bombard me with info or demand that I do what he says. He just suggests a few things and once he thinks I've mastered them, then he tries a few other things. Today we worked on my stroke and trying not to raise my head so much when I take a breath. This time, I actually tried The Guy's advice right away. Weird. Maybe I'm more coachable than I thought.

Doctor My Eyes Have Seen the Years

Here is The Guy and me. Not the best picture of me, but The Guy looks great.

So, that little writing exercise below does need a lot of work. I wrote it at work, so my brain was being sucked by the beige cubicle walls and it didn't say everything I wanted it to. I wanted it to be a little more about the person I am now too, but under the guise of physically being exposed and how different both physically and mentally I thought I'd be at this age. I guess, overall, I feel really good in both aspects. Because I work-out, in some ways I'm in better shape than I was at 19 (when I never worked-out and ate crappy food and drank too much beer). Emotionally, I'm in way better shape than I was in my twenties. Thank god.

I feel like I need to keep reevaluating this whole aging business to keep it in perspective. Who knows what will happen later, but at 45 years of age, I feel better and am in better shape than I was 20 years ago. If you had told me that would be the case when I was 25, I doubt I would've believed you.

Now, in the interest of talking about what I eat all the time (ha ha, Pamela), I'm building a meal tonight around the frozen somosas we got at Trader Joe's about a month ago. I'm making curried red lentil soup and salad and serving it up with bread and mango chutney. I hope it's as delicious as it sounds.

Picture Yourself When You're Getting On

My friend Bry "helpfully" stretching out my hamstring.

Here are some observations and ponderings from after I went swimming last week:

Locker room.

The youth sucked out of it by Spring Break and the early morning hour.

Older Women,

Naked.

Our faces and bodies bare.

Eyes resting on uncovered bags.

Skin has lost its blush.

Still, all the laps, weights, reps, and stretches preserving most of us pretty well.

After we're all modestly wrapped back up in fabric,

With our faces back "on" and our bags safely hidden under foundations or powders,

I am always left to wonder:

How would my 25 year old self feel seeing my 45 year old self so exposed?

Would I be disappointed or proud of what we had become?

Back On the Chain Gang

Here is me holding my achin' butt after the first part of the ride.

The only bad thing about wonderful weekends, is that they have to end. Although, they are fun while they last and we always have the memories...

This weekend was lovely. On Friday night The Guy and I ate fish tacos and drank our white russians and watched The Big Lebowsky. it was some good, dorky fun.

This what was got once we reached Oxford. Yum.

We woke up fairly early on Saturday. Stinky worked at 7. The Guy and I had a nice breakfast of eggs with sauteed shitake mushrooms, red onions, green pepper, garlic and swiss cheese. I served it with wheat toast and cut-up bananas with raspberry preserves drizzled on them. After we ate, we worked on changing out a few of the storm windows for screens. Of course, that meant cleaning screens and washing windows, but it's kind of nice to be able to see out of them now.

We then loaded up the car and headed to The Guy's storage space to get his tandem bike. We rode to Oxford and it was an interesting experience riding that far on the tandem. I had to learn to pay attention to starts and stops and pedaling at the same pace. I think it went pretty well. We ate at Augusta restaurant. It was started by a couple displaced after Katrina and it had a good mix of food. I had the shrimp po'boy sandwich, that I thought was a tad dry, but tasty none the less. The Guy had a catfish reuben, and I thought that was excellent. We also split some lobster bisque that was very nice.

We hopped back on the bike and headed home. It was a long ride for my first time out this year, but it felt great. The guy and I had our jammies on by 7 and watched The Crazies. We thought it was going to be the newer one, but it was the George Romero original from 1973. It was actually, a happy accident. I was glad we saw it.

The Guy getting ready to cross the street to the restaurant.

On Sunday we got up and got a few more things done. I bought bagels that we ate with cream cheese and smoked trout. Stinky went to church and then to a volley ball tournament. I cleaned the hell out of the bathroom, while The Guy worked on some other projects.

At around noon, The Guy met his ex for lunch and Stinky and I hung out and got groceries together. I dropped Stinky off at home and she went running and I met The Guy at the pool for a swim and a steam.

In the evening, G. came over and ate tostadas with us and told us about her weekend. All in all, a great Sunday evening.

One of the many positive influences The Guy has had on us, is waking up earlier in the morning. This morning, Stinky and I and The Guy actually sat down and ate breakfast together. I know it sounds weird, but Stinky and I almost never do that on a week day. It was so pleasant, I'm thinking we might actually have to make a habit of it.

I Ain't Wasting No More Time

I thought you all would appreciate a cat photo-less post today. So, this was outside a junk store on my way home from work. I thought it was appropriate for the upcoming weekend.

last night was nice and mellow. The Guy went to spend some time with his mom and Stinky was at work. I took the alone time to give plasma (I'm no longer anemic. Yea!) and be all domestic. It was good to relax last night so I could get ready for the weekend.

Tonight The Guy and I are having fish tacos with some spicy slaw, refried bean, salsa and guac for dinner. Then we're making white Russians and watching The Big Lebowski. It's been a while since I've seen it, so I'm pretty excited.

Tomorrow we'll probably get some things done, but then we're going to take The Guy's tandem (two person) bike out on a 50 mile ride to Oxford and back. Once we're in Oxford, we'll eat at the Cajun fusion restaurant there before heading back. I hope I'm in good enough shape to make the trek.

I'm not sure what's going on for Sunday. It's supposed to rain for at least part of the day. I hope it stops for a bit so I can get a run in and The Guy can get a harder bike ride in.

How about you, the blogging community? Will you be watching The Dude or riding bikes with The Guy this weekend?

I Just Had to Trust Imagination

As promised - my catnip PSA. Here is Archie climbing all over the guy to get to the dangling things on the ceiling fan.

Here are Archie and Heidi completely straight and sober.

Here is Heidi eating catnip.

Here is Heidi huffing catnip.

Here is Heidi feeling the effects.

Here are our cats on catnip. Any questions?

Senses Working Overtime

Our friend Bry turning the laser on himself. When cat toys go bad...

Last night was nice and mellow. I tried to give plasma but my iron levels were too low. Damn.

I went to get stuff to make soup for dinner tonight and then got home and reheated and dressed-up leftovers while The Guy messed around with his car and cleaned things up around the house.

After dinner we decided to provide ourselves with entertainment by giving the cats some catnip. Archie had never had it before and holy hell! He loved it. He ate it and rolled around in it and went plumb loco for it. We laughed our asses off watching the two cats half-heartedly fighting each other over the catnip by swiping at each other with their paws, but while still lying down. I did take some pics, but forgot to bring the camera to work to upload them. Hopefully, I'll get them up tomorrow.

Tonight our friend G. is coming over for dinner. She won't get here until a little after 7, so I'll get a run in first. I'm making potato leek soup, salad and bread. Stinky loves this meal, so she even agreed to grace us with her presence. Nice.

Have You Been an Un-American?

The cats seem to be getting along better.

Monday evening was very nice. The Guy and I both went running right after work. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to after the accident, but he's gone a few times and says his back feels fine. Nice.

The Guy gave Coadster the laser pointer thingy to mess with Archie. Awesome.

After we finished running, The Guy took myself, Coadster and her boyfriend out for Sushi. My girls love sushi, but Coadster's boyfriend hadn't had much experience with it. He ordered teriaki chicken. the guy kept trying to get him to taste some sushi. He finally broke down and had a bite of Coadster's and said he thought it was all right. When Coadster was trying to show him how to use chop sticks, I suggested he just ask for a fork. He said, "No. I'll feel like a dork. I'm so American." Funny.

Archie's a little slow on the draw with the red dot.

Coadster and her boyfriend leave today. it was great to see them, even if only for a few days. stinky was sad that she only got to hang out with Coadster for about a half hour yesterday. I told her that when she comes back for a couple of months this Summer, they'll be fighting in no time.

Archie defying gravity to get that bad dot.

But I Know Our Filthy Hands Can Wash One Another's

Me scaring one of the guests with a loaded Archie.

Oh, but this weekend was a busy one. On Friday, the guy and I had a nice dinner and watched True Grit. It was a DVD someone I knew copied off the internet, so the sound was off and the quality wasn't great, but I still liked it a lot.

The Guy peppering the conversation.

On Saturday we woke up fairly early and ate some French toast and veggie (fake) sausage, then set to work cleaning the place up before The Guy's mom came over for the first time. She loved seeing Heidi again, and of course, like most sociopaths, Archie was very charming while she was over. We took Stinky and The Guy's mom out for lunch and it was so very nice.

Then The Guy went to ride his bike and I went to run. We met back at the house a bit later and ran some errands. We made a trip to Menards to pick up a few things and then came back home and ate meal of bread, leftover shrimp, salmon pate', cream cheese and smoked trout. Yum.

We headed over to a friend's pre ST Patty's Day party where I may have had a little wine and could possibly become a little louder than I should've, but people should assume that's what will happen when I show up, right? Anyway, it was a fun party and The Guy and I stayed out past 10 o'clock. Crazy, I know.

Yea! Coadster is back for a few days.

Today was okay. I had another bad migraine, but I guess I should be used to those by now. The Guy got up early and took care of a bunch of things and that was so very nice. Then he went on a long bike ride with his friend Bry and Coadster and her boyfriend got here and took Stinky to the mall with them. I tried to get a few things done, but the brain pain made that kind of tough.

Everyone got home about the same time, I took Stinky to work and then we had a a couple of friends over for dinner. I made cheese tortellini with pesto sauce, linguine with Alfredo and sauteed chicken and The Guy made an excellent salad. The Guy and his friend Bry went off to play pool and my friend G. stayed for a while and we had some good girl talk.

All in all, a pretty damn nice weekend. I'd say.

Let's All Get Up and Dance to a Song

The Guy and I with some friends last weekend.

Well, kids. I hope everyone in Japan and the West Coast is okay...And that includes any of my blogging buddies.

So, this weekend proves to be a busy one. Tonight I'm making tofu shrimp stir-fry and miso soup and we're watching a movie. In my mind, it's a perfect Friday night.

Tomorrow I'll try to get up early and get some cleaning done. Then The Guy's mom is coming over and checking out his new digs and visiting the cat and meeting Archie. Poor woman. We'll go to Oyama for lunch and then I think The Guy will go back with his mom and ride one of his bikes home while I run and get a few things done around the house. We're also kicking around the idea of getting a swim in later in the afternoon.

Saturday evening we'll stop by a friend's pre-St Patty's Day get together for a bit.

On Sunday Coadster and her boyfriend come home for a couple of days. Yea!

What are your plans this weekend? Will you be hanging with family, or hanging with family?

Her Lucky Stars Give her Just Enough to Get Home

Here is Chicago.

Soooo, last night was nice. We made black bean chili and cornbread and guacamole and The Guy made me a lovely cocktail of vodka, cranberry juice, lime and a splash of tonic water. Stinky stopped by on her way from one thing to another. She said she was starved. I told her to help herself to what we were eating. In the past, she's always claimed (without ever trying it) that she didn't like black bean chili. Last night, though, she actually tried some with some cheese and cornbread. She loved it. Of course. Silly girl.

This morning, The Guy and I got up early and swam before work. I'm planning on running after work and then I might try to get some relaxing in. I'll let you know how that goes...

Apparently, I don't have a lot to write about today, so I'll quit while I'm behind.

If Looks Could Kill They Probably Will

Archie ruling the roost.

Here's the dealio. The Guy moved in over the weekend. We talked with all concerned parties and everyone was happy with the situation....That is, except the cats. They have been adjusting and hissing and growling and establishing dominance and I think we're finally on the upswing with that. Here is a photo journal that documents the whole process.


Heidi is the new sheriff in town.


The Guy consoling Archie after he was deposed.

The Guy offering Archie up to the Heidi goddess.

Heidi giving Archie the smack down. Archie finally discovers being submissive to a hot babe isn't so bad at after all.

That's Entertainment

Here are some more pics of Union Station.

So, today I want to talk a little bit about my Megabus experience. For those of you who don't know, the Megabus is a handy little way to get from certain places to other certain places, quickly and cheaply. It cost us about what we would have paid in gas, but we didn't have to drive in Chicago and got there in about 3 hours and 50 minutes. not bad.

There is pretty much any kind of person on the Megabus. On the way there, we saw an older, seemingly fairly wealthy couple (judging by their clothes and the rock on her finger) as well as plenty of students and also Chicago inhabitants. So, with all those different kinds of folk in a small space, there are bound to be culture clashes.

On the way to Chicago, K. and I sat next to a very geeky guy from Des Moines, who was obsessed with his cell phone and would talk loudly about it to anyone who would listen...Or anyone who was just there. Once we got to downtown Chicago, the Des Moines guy kept saying dorky things like, "We don't have one of those in Des Moines," or "Hey, that looks like the Family Matters neighborhood." At one point he took a pic with his phone and said, "I need to get this on Facebook, right NOW...."

To which, the African American Chicago native sitting behind him said, "You might want to wait to do that until you get off the bus and can take pic of something better. You do know that's a parking garage, right? Yeah. you're gonna see plenty of those." Hilarious.

And yes, Bro-In-Law, it is where they filmed that one scene in the Untouchables.

Going home on Megabus wasn't quite as entertaining...Unless you count being scared shitless as entertainment. K. and I both commented on how unhealthy the bus driver looked the minute we saw him. He was one of those older guys who look 9 months pregnant and almost assuredly had diabetes and a bad heart. He also coughed up some powerful sounding loogies the whole way home (EW!).

Anyway, after we were safely in Iowa, I looked over at the driver and realized he was shaking something fierce. I tried to reassure myself that he was probably just moving with the vibrations of the bus, but it was way more exaggerated than that. Then, when it started to rain, it took him a long time to turn on the windshield wipers. I tried to turn my head away and stop my worst case scenario thoughts like, "He's having a seizure." Or, "He's having a heart attack", or "Holy crap! We're all gonna die!" But then we suddenly started to swerve to the side of the road as an ambulance passed us on the interstate. Soon after, another presumed Megabus employee in a uniform walked up right behind the bus driver and watched him for a bit. He then moved into the seat directly behind the driver and quietly asked, "Bob, are you okay?" I couldn't hear the bus driver's response, but he stopped shaking and the other employee sat behind him the whole rest of the way to Iowa City. Weird, huh?

I Smelled the Spring On the Smoky Wind

Here is the Megabus we took going back to Iowa.

Oh, kids. This four day weekend was insane...in a good way. I have so many stories and news to share, but unfortunately, the thing about having a life, is that you don't ever have time to write about it. Not that I'm complaining...

A very tired gentleman greeting us at Union Station.

K. and I took the Megabus to Chicago and then waited for K.'s boyfriend at the Union Station bar. it's always so weird to get out of a college town, because you suddenly see people your own age. I forgot old people like me still existed and were allowed to roam wild like that.

We took the train to K.'s boyfriend's place and after some furious texting, made plans with my friends Catherine and Poptart. We decided to go to K's boyfriend's favorite neighborhood pub for a drink and some appetizers and then we all met at a Cuban restaurant called 90 Miles that was in walking distance of the show.

The dinner was so nice. I worked with Catherine at La Caca in the late 80's and with Poptart at Great Midwestern in the 90's. We all had a lot to catch up on and we did that in really nice ambiance with a bottle of wine and over plantains covered in garlic sauce. Perfect.

We finally rolled ourselves out of the restaurant and made it to the show.

The Pogues!

It's weird to go to shows in big cities after 9-11. They separate the men from the women so they can feel you up for bombs or guns or whatever. How fun is that? We caught a little bit of the opening band, but weren't all that impressed.

We waited for an hour before The Pogues came on stage. Shane stumbled on stage and my friend Catherine said, "He'll never finish the tour." Then he said something into the microphone and she said, "I can't understand a word he's slurring." The crazy thing about him though, is that he has a really consistent singing voice and the band was wonderful. Since it is about the most perfect drinking music, I saw more old drunk people than I've seen in one room in a looooong time.

I'll tell you more later. I had a doctor's appointment earlier today and now I'm playing catch-up (mmmm ketchup) all day.

Just Want to Spend Eternity Right Where I Am. On the Sunny Side of the Street

Here is a picture of a picture.

So, kids. K'.s dad is doing better and we get to go see the Pogues after all. Yea! i'm so excited. It will be a short and cheap trip. We're taking the Megabus there tomorrow morning, getting into Chicago in the afternoon. We'll have about 5 hours before doors open. I will see my friend Catherine because she's going to the show with us and hopefully my friend Poptart. But that's really the only people I'll have time to hang with.

The doors open at 7 and the show will probably end pretty early as far as concerts are concerned. We'll go for a quick drink, then back to K.'s boyfriend's apartment where I will sleep on the floor. But it will be free and that's a HUGE bonus. Our Megabus leaves pretty early the next morning and then we'll be back in Iowa City in the afternoon.

I plan on running, and getting a few things done when I get back. Then on Friday evening, Stinky asked if The Guy and I would go to dinner at Mickey's with her. I thought that was pretty damn sweet. What teenager actually asks their mom and her boyfriend to hang out with her on a Friday evening. Sure, it's early...And Stinky loves to join forces with The Guy to give me a hard time, but I'm still happy about it all.

So, now I must sleep, so I can get up early and get a swim in with The Guy before I leave for the big city.

If I Go There Will Be Trouble. If I Stay It Will Be Double

Um, yeah. Here's Archie's latest annoying thing to do. How often do you suppose I'll have to get new blinds?

Soooo, tomorrow is my Friday. The plan was to go to Chicago with my friend K. and see the Pogues tomorrow night. Nothing like an Irish punk band to get the St Paddy's holiday started off right. The only this is that K.'s dad was just in the hospital with some horrible infection that wasn't responding to antibiotics. I guess it's better now, but I'm still not sure if we'll be able to go to Chicago or not. I don't know my way around Chicago at all, so I can't really go by myself.

Even if I don't end up going, I'll still take those days off of work. It would be nice to have a couple of days to stay home and get things done around here and run and swim. I'll have a better idea tomorrow night if I'm going or staying.