And Feed Them On Your Dreams

Archie is a cranky old cat, when he first wakes up.

Last night I went on a lovely run with my friend E. after work. When I got home, Stinky was working on her financial aid form. Since it was her first time, she had used a .com address, instead of a .gov. She was on some page that looked like the FAFSA, but turned out to be something that you were supposed to pay for in the end. She had almost finished filling it out, before we figured out what was wrong. So, then she had to fill out the real form. Poor thing.

Heidi is such a pretty girl.

Luckily, Coadster called right when we needed her, and she helped Stinky get it all done. Coadster seemed pretty happy to help. She always likes to think that Stinky and I are helpless without her, even though it isn't true...For the most part.

Archie checking out the tea tray The Guy brought in for me on Sunday morning. Don't worry, he didn't fall in.

Tonight The Guy and I are taking Stinky out for her birthday dinner almost 6 months late. She went to a football game on her actual birthday, and then when Coadster and her boyfriend came home that weekend, Stinky forgot to ask for the time off of work. So, we went to dinner without her and then let her know later how nice her birthday meal had been. We're really sweet like that.

Anyway, we're finally making up for it tonight. She wants to go to a place called Blackstone and asked if she could order the appetizer of cheese they set on fire and everyone has to yell, "opa!" before they put it out. She likes to live on the edge, that one.

This Heat Has Got Right Out of Hand

Does it ever feel like the birds in your neighborhood are out to get you? They did this to me less than a half hour after I washed my car. Stupid, dumb, ignorant birds...

Well, kids. I'm not sure where any of you live, but it is hot as hell here in Iowa. This is the first really hot weather we've had since we moved into our house. Of course, the lack of air conditioning didn't seem like that big a deal when we moved in in November.

Tonight I gave plasma after work, but didn't dare run, since I would have been too dehydrated even if I had all of my fluids. Instead, I came home and Coadster and I finally took care of the last form for her financial aid. It's due June 1st, so we're pushing it...As usual. Then Coadster went to her dad's and Stinky came home and I made some more fresh de gallo salsa that we had with guacamole and lettuce on quesadillas. It was about all we could get ourselves to eat when it was so hot.

This weekend I started reading Graham Greene's The Quiet American. Coadster suggested it and she's been really good at recommending books I wouldn't have chosen on my own, but am so glad to have read after the fact. So far, The Quiet American is good escapism. I've always been interested in the history of Vietnam and this book takes place during the French occupation and war, but before the Americans entered the picture.

Okay. I better try and hit the hay. I sleep even worse when it's this hot.

I Watch It As It Loses Form

I'm out of recent pics and I'm trying to get excited about Spring. Here are some flowers that I'm going to plant in my backyard garden as soon as I can.

Remember how last week I said it was all about calming down and getting some alone time and living in my own little world? Well, actually that's pretty much my goal every week. But in addition to that, I'm trying really hard to get shit done this week. So, that means today I finally got my garage door fixed. ($144 later...) and can actually park my car in there again. How novel.

I also finally had my annual doctor's appointment about 6 months late. Oops. My doctor is pretty awesome. We're about the same age and temperament. So, when I told her I had this place on my lip that keeps chapping in the same spot over and over, she said she needed to set me up with an appointment in the dermatology clinic. "Yeah. That was what I was afraid of. They hate me there because they think I'm too tan for how light my eyes are and they give me brochures telling me that I should only go outside on sunny days wearing all black longsleeves and pants and carrying an umbrella. If I did that, I'd die of heat stroke while I was running long before I could ever think of getting skin cancer from wearing shorts and sports bras when I run in the Summer in Iowa...." And she said, she knew. They were like that with her too.

"We'll just make sure we schedule your appointment before it gets warm out, so you won't be so tan yet." How great is that?

I called the guy who said he'd put my counters in for me, and left a message. He hasn't called me back yet. I'll try again at the end of the week, but if it doesn't work for him to do it, I have a couple of other options. You know me, I'm a girl who always has a back-up plan...

Better Stop Dreaming of the Quiet Life

Here is a fish in a tank. It's the only standing water in Iowa that isn't frozen right now.

So, here's what happened. I took a half day off to do my taxes, and got them all done for the most part. Which means I'm awesome, right? Wrong. I couldn't actually e-file because I guess not all the forms are out, and now I have to wait until mid-February to submit them and finally get my refund. Grrrr. At least they're done now, so I don't have it hanging over my head. Which means I can start playing video games again, reading books and am ungrounded to do things besides sit around and so actively NOT do my taxes, but not do anything else either. I'm emerging from a kind of a weird purgatory that those of us who are chronic procrastinators create when we have something to do that sounds too practical and probably involves math. Hopefully, you are not like me and don't have to ground yourself just to get anything done. GAWD!

On the plus side, I gave myself an alone time afternoon, AND I accomplished something. I feel stupid ever complaining about my lack of alone time, because my girls will be gone all too soon and then all my time at home will be spent by myself. But I not only like, but I need to be alone at least once or twice a week. When I get that time, I'm a way better parent and more pleasant person to be around in general. Although, I'm sure with as silly as I was being tonight and with all the goofy dancing around the house that occurred on my part, my daughters would rather I were cranky and shushing them every five minutes while I clumsily tried to work with numbers.

Tomorrow will be a new, less taxing day. No, it won't be seventy-five degrees and sunny, with birds chirping around me as I walk to work, but I'll just have to picture that in my head and try not to slip on the ice. Tra, la, la, la la...

Bitches Can't Hang With the Streets

Here is a picture of a barrel containing candy cigarettes.

On Friday one of the things I did to piss away time was to obsess over my music. While I was cleaning, I found a bunch of old CD's. I still have another box of CD's in a closet somewhere that I can't find. It's making me a little crazy, because Coadster has asked me several times lately where my Nick Drake is, and I think it's in that box. Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah. I found some CD's and I was obsessing over music, and so I decided to make another whacky mix CD for my friend's K and T.

Because of the kind of music I found, I decided to call it "Now That's What I Call Street" and put a bunch of dirty, gritty, "living just enough for the city" kinds of songs from many different decades on it. Also, I think you all know how hard it is to live on the mean streets of an overeducated, college town like Iowa City, right? Yeah. Everyday is a never ending struggle to find all your organic produce, wait for your soy latte to be made and then talk about Proust with your check-out guy at the Co-op. So, I made this compilation for those of you who are also feeling the pressure of these mean Midwestern bucolic streets. I'll warn Evil-E in particular that there is a lot of rap on here, so he may not be super into it. Okay, here's what I put together:

1. Straight Outta Compton - N.W.A.

2. Flashlight - Parliament

3. Bitches Ain't Shit - Ben Folds. This cover is hilarious if you've never heard it.

4. Roll With Me Henry - Etta James

5. The Next Episode - Dr. Dre and Snoop

6. Don't Push Me - Grand Master Flash

7. Don't You Just Know It - Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns

8. Police and Thieves - Junior Murvin

9. Gangsta Boogie - Love Stink

10. Me So Horny - 2 Live Crew. One of the first songs to deserve a parental advisory label made it on the compilation, of course.

11. Paper Planes - M.I.A. Also, any song with shooting noises made it in the compilation.

12. Inner City Blues - Marvin Gaye

13. Lose Control - Missy Elliott

14. Fuck tha Police - Public Enemy. Yes, they apparently did a cover of this song too. Don't ask me where I got this, on the grounds that it may incriminate me.

15. Tell Me Something Good - Rufus and Chaka Khan. Ch-Ch-Chaka KHAN!

16. If You Want Me to Stay - Sly and the Family Stone. My favorite song of theirs.

17. Pressure Drop - Toots and the Maytals.

18. Random - Lady Sovereign

19. Pusherman -Curtis Mayfield

So, there it is. The soundtrack of my not so urban, Iowa plight.

Let Me Tell You How It Will Be

Oh, thank Jaysus , Mary and Joseph. My federal taxes are finally done. Barring any inputting errors made by me, (and I do happen to be an expert at inputting errors) I should get my refund next Friday sometime. If I made a stupid mistake or twenty, it could be the week after that. Either way, I'll have my dough before the end of the month.

Now, I'm so, so tired and I just want to go to bed. All I want right now is to think good, happy thoughts. Just in case you were wondering, these are what my good, happy thoughts look like:

Ahhhhh.
Ahhhhh.
And ahhhhh.

I feel so much better now.

I'm Happy, Hope You're Happy Too

Here is a picture of the orchestra at All State before the performance.

Seriously, kids. I have no idea what the hell my problem is tonight. I had all this shit to do to get ready for the weekend, and I didn't really do any of it. I even made a list at work of things to accomplish, (and you know I hardly ever make lists) then I did almost nothing on it. Now I have only one evening left, and so I can't procrastinate anymore. I just have to get cracking.

Here's what I did to procrastinate tonight. First I went running at the rec building with my friend K. My IPod, apparently thought that I needed to hear music from the 70's, because besides Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" that's all it played. They were all good songs to run to, and I hadn't heard David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes" in forever.

After our work-out we met some friends at Sam's Pizza for some greasy food. Because it's the only thing you really want to eat after a good run, right? Unfortunately, the service kind of sucked. The company was excellent, so I just tried to focus on that.

I got home and had another great phone conversation with Erik, made a quick run to the store for something that Stinky needed and did the Fonzie fix with my headlight that K. suggested earlier in the evening. When I went to pick her up earlier tonight, I noticed that my left lamp was out. I really didn't want to drive with only one all the way to St Louis, and I wasn't sure what it would take to fix it. K. told me that when hers did that, she just hit it and it worked again. Luckily, mine was just as compliant. I didn't try the next Fonzie step of snapping my fingers to see if two hot chicks would come running. Maybe I should have though, I could have used their help packing and getting ready for the road trip.

You Know We'll Have a Good Time Then

Here's my friend C. all painted up at the Steelers game.

And here's my friend K. looking super darn cute, if you ask me.

So, tonight some of my friends are in St Louis staying at Mr. St Louis' house and watching the Steelers/Rams game in person. I have to say, I'm a little sad to miss it all. I had to work and I have the girls, so there was no way I could go. Mr. St Louis was great about sending me photos and videos of the game. So, I didn't feel totally left out. My friend James joked about sending me a picture of him lying on Mr. St Louis' bed. How mean is that? Yeah, but it's funny, so it's okay.

The good thing is, that I only work a half day tomorrow. Originally, I was going to take the girls out for lunch and a movie and do some shopping, but Coadster has to DJ Friday night in the Quad Cities, so it will just be Stinky and me. Yeah, I know. It's time for another round of "Cat's in the Cradle". Hopefully, I'll have a few more days until they leave for Madison with my brother. And then while they're gone. Mr. St Louis will come up to visit next week about this time. There are so many things to do before that, and I've been bad about putting it all off. I'm sure tomorrow I'll feel like getting two weeks worth of shit done. Don't you think?