I Was Getting Ready to be a Threat

Here are my Valentine's Day flowers, more close-up.

So, my night was tons of fun. The Guy and I went to the Dublin and met Bry and my favorite bartender, S. We had a drink and then headed to Mickey's to eat. We had a great time...Even if most of it included the guys making fun of my orangutan like qualities (big cheeks and long arms) and being so loud and obnoxious that we'll have to wait a while to go back there again.

While I was having a great time, Stinky was starting her evening off at work in an interesting way. She got there and saw 6 cop cars and police swarming the parking lot. Apparently, some woman went to the store, bought groceries, but then hid a bunch of liquor in her baby's stroller. Then when she got caught, she started attacking the store managers in front of her 2 year old. Classy.

So, poor Stinky got the worst of this night...But at least she wasn't bored at work, right?

We Come and We Go. That's a Thing That I Keep in the Back of My Head

Here is a pic of me and my family. I'm dead center in front and my mom is in back looking a little tired.

Today would have been my mom's 79th birthday. I can't imagine what she would have looked like old. I would love to have been able to find out though...

Today was a good Valentine's Day. The guy and I didn't get all mushy or anything (besides the flowers he got me), but we had a nice Monday evening and enjoyed each others company and appreciated each other and flipped each other a ton of shit. It was exactly how I wanted to spend Valentine's Day with him...And any day really. Which I think is how it should be.

We had one drink at the Dublin, had a nice meal at the Atlas, picked up Stinky from work and brought her home and she told us about some bad part of her day. She really likes the guy and opens up more to him than I've seen her with almost anyone. That is really nice.

We went to play pool with my favorite bartender S. I sucked, but S.and the guy were really patient and trying hard to help me out...That is until S. just started giving me shit about how long my arms were and telling me I needed a 7 foot pool stick. He's pretty damn funny... Just ask him.

I hope you all had a wonderful night and spent it with people you love...Even if, or especially if, one of those people was you.

A Woman is a Woman and a Man Ain't Nuthin' But a Male

Here is a HUGE wasp nest.

Well, kids. I had a good night tonight. The guy and I went for Mexican food and margaritas and were joined by our friend, Bry and my favorite bartender S. It was a bit loud and raucous with all four of us together. I hadn't had a chance to hang out with those two chuckle heads in forever, and it was good to see both of them. Now I'm tired and I'm going to bed to see if I can make myself get up early enough to run tomorrow morning. It might be kind of tricky...

Heaven's Never Enough. We Will Never be Fooled

Icicles hanging on my house.

Tonight was a nice evening with the guy...For the most part. He had some bad news and was pretty sad about that...As was I.

But we went to the Dublin and had a drink before we went to Banditos and ate and had another margarita. We called it a night pretty early. I wanted to get up early and try to run in the morning and I'm sure he wanted some time alone to process things and get ready for work tomorrow morning.

...In bad cat news - Archie got his rabies booster shot today. He was a trooper about it, but still managed to poop in his carrier on the ride home....At least he's consistent.

Everybody Here is Out of Sight

Stinky and one of her friends.

So, tonight we deviated from our normal Monday night shenanigans. Instead of Mexican food, we decided to eat appetizers at Graze. The guy made plans to meet his friend Bry to play pool at a billiards club across the way at 7. So, we decided to go there, where it was handy, due to the time constraints. It was just as nice. I went over and watched the boys play pool for a bit. I don't really know how to play myself, but the guy said he'd be happy to teach me some night. Sweet!

I left the boys to their own devices and went to pick up Stinky from work about 9. I texted her to let her know I was in the parking lot and didn't hear back from her. I walked into the store and found her with a full shopping cart. She said some jackass tried to steal a bunch of stuff and got caught and she was assigned the task of putting it all back. She still had so much to do, so I told her I'd help her to make it go faster. It always feels kind of personal and voyeuristic going through somebody's groceries....Especially when what they tried to steal was so weird. There was organic breast milk tea (?), about 10 cans of Dinty Moore stew, a six pack of Heineken, latex gloves, lube, berry flavored condoms and a big pack of diapers. Stinky was a little grossed-out by it all, but I told her we definitely couldn't begrudge them the condoms. As far as I'm concerned, anyone with that kind of grocery list, probably shouldn't be procreating again anytime soon.

Something's Wrong, You're Not Naive, You Must Be Strong.

Don't let the holy light confuse you - this cat is up to no good.

So, today was off to a rough start. The beast decided to plague me all night long by pouncing on me every two seconds while I tried to sleep. I kept thinking he'd get tired and finally go to sleep, but as far as I could tell, that never happened. At some point, I finally got fed up enough to throw him out of my room and close the door. He didn't meow much either. I did hear him trying to open the door with his paw for a bit before he gave up. Needless to say, I didn't get a lot of sleep last night.

I'm not sure if it was the lack of sleep or the margaritas, but my brain and my belly weren't all that happy today. I suffered through it all and slid my way home on the ice and got to take a little nap before I started my evening.

Surprisingly, tonight turned out okay. I talked to Stinky for a bit, before she headed off to a basketball game, ran to the store and made potato leek soup. Yum.

We'll see how it goes tonight with the orange demon we call Archie. I'm hoping for a pounce free night of sleep. Wish me luck!

Gotta Gotta Be Down Because I Want It All

Here is a cyclist going down a ramp.

Um, so...I'm not really sure what to write tonight. This weekend was so hectic, I'm still kind of recovering from it. Today it rained and tomorrow it might snow. I'd say it's Iowa at the end of December, as far as the weather is concerned.

This evening I picked up the guy and we had a drink at the Dublin before we headed to Banditos for really good Mexican food. At one point, a waitress came by and just gave us a pint glass full of Margarita for free. She said it was a mistake. Then she said she gave it to us because she met me through our mutual friends, Bridget and Kathleen. I vaguely remembered her, but was glad she remembered me so kindly.

Of course, drinking that Margarita made me even more stupid and now I have to leave you with this sub-par blog post. Feel free to blame the generous waitress with the good memory. I know I am.

I See the Bright and Hollow Sky

I forgot my camera and had to steal D.'s photo from FB. Boom Boom asked me why I never posted about him on my blog anymore and I didn't want to let him down again.

Sooooo. Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of buying my house. Crazy. So much has gone down since then. I still love my house and so glad I bought it - no matter how house poor I feel sometimes.

Tonight I went to the Dublin after giving plasma. Erik and Boom Boom were in town. I hadn't seen Boom Boom (I love calling a guy with a Phd Boom Boom) in well over a year and it had been several months since I saw Erik. I met Erik's current girlfriend and filled him in about the guy. I think it's kind of nice when you get to a point with your ex where you're totally fine talking about relationships with them and feel good that they're happy.

I stayed a little longer than I had planned, but there were so many people out that I wanted to get to talk to as many of them as possible. I finally took off and gave my friends Shecky and K. rides home. Lovely, lovely.

The even cooler thing, is that tomorrow is Friday. Yea! Both my girls will be in Cedar Falls for the state football championship. I'd be surprised if they got home before midnight.

The guy and I are planning on making dinner. I'm just going for simple with salad, miso soup and spicy peanut noodles.

On Saturday, the guy and I are visiting another small town. I think we'll either go to Kalona or the Amanas. I'm sure wherever we choose, we'll have fun.

And what about all y'all? Will you be wondering what happened to the last year, or creating adventures in the current one?

Keep On Rockin' in the Free World

Kids. It's late and I have to go to bed.

I voted, but from the sounds of it, my vote didn't do what I wanted it to. Sigh.

After I voted, I met a couple of girlfriends out at George's for a beer. How American is that of me?

Anyway, I hope all your votes went the way you wanted. Me? I'll just keep trying to get the good guys in office. Hopefully, we'll get 'em next time....

Don't You Wonder What We'll Find, Steppin' Out Tonight?

Here is a pic of Stinky and G. making graffiti art.

Well, kids. I might as well just be honest with you, I have a little margarita buzz going. I met the guy after work tonight. We went through some stuff in his storage space and he let me borrow several of his books and then we stopped at Los Portales for Mexican food. It was the first time since the accident that I actually got to spend a little time alone with him. Remind me never to take that for granted again...

The thing about the margaritas at this place, is that they were much stronger than the ones we get in Hills. So, by the time I got home, I realized just how saucy I was. Eh, I figure maybe I needed it. Now, I shall take my leave and try to sleep this little buzz off. Adieu.

You Came in With the Breeze

Here is some assorted stuff sitting out in the sun.

Tonight will be one of those nothing posts. Sorry.

The guy came over for dinner. We had a wonderful night, great food, wine and conversation. Now, it's late and I'm pretty useless. Here's hoping you all had such great nights that it ruined your blog posts too.

Things Replace Things, Days Replace Days

Dude. I am so out of pictures right now.

Oh, kids, It was another one of those Monday nights. The kind where I basically got off work, rode my bike, ran, ate, and rode my bike for much of the rest of the night. In other words, it was perfect.

This week, I went down to the Dublin only to find that it was just myself and JS riding. I asked him if he still wanted to go and he said he did. I texted my friend Bry to find out where the hell he was. He called me back and said he thought that no one else was going, so he went on his own. He was already in Hills, but told me he'd wait for us to get there.

JS and I had a great talk on our ride. I met him when I was 22, but he moved to Boston shortly after, and just moved back into town this month. So, we know a lot of the same people from college and chatted about art and politics and biking and cross country skiing. The headwind was a killer, but it was good for me to try to keep up with JS in that wind.

When we got to the restaurant, I decided I was going to drink a margarita. JS ordered some food, and tequila because he had promised our friend G. that we would toast her and her broken toes and possible broken foot. The bartender was happy to see us. He asked us where Bry was. He wanted to listen to me flip him some more shit and was worried that wasn't going to happen. Bry finally showed up. He said he had gone back to hide and when we rode by, he was going to sneak up behind us and scare us, but then he never saw us ride past. So, basically, Bry is a big fat dork.

We all had a nice ride back and planned our next ride on Sunday night next week. Since it will be Labor Day and our friend Ellen will be in town, we decided we'd do a longer ride and stop off at a park by the river and have a fire. JS asked me if I'd want to hang out before then, and I told him sure and just to call me and let me know when he was going down to the Dublin or whatever. It's always good to reconnect with an old friend...Especially one who likes to ride bikes and helps you give your friend Bry a hard time.

Monday, Monday, It Was All I Hoped It Would Be

Hey, almost as gratuitous as my garden shots, are my dance party shots. Let's hear it for sweet, sweet gratuitousness!

My first day back at work was a-okay. Really. I had a lot of work to keep me busy and no one got in my face about anything...Which are my two favorite things to happen at work.

I ran a very muggy 6 mile route after work and then went to my friend K.'s house to hear all about her amazing weekend in Chicago with a special someone. I love it when my friends meet great guys. It gives me hope. Sadly, it seems the only nice guys we meet, live outside of my town, so even though I'm hopeful, I'm not stupid...Maybe I'll have to start taking road trips.

Anyway. Where were we? Oh yeah. I went to K.'s house and my friend T. and her baby were in town from St Louis. It was so wonderful to see them and drink a glass or two of wine. Another friend was there and then some neighbors and their kids stopped by. It was a nice mess of wine, women, and song, and cute kids and dogs. It turned out to be a great beginning to the week.

I Was Happier Then With No Mindset

Here is a photo of a bird at the garden store we went to this weekend. I took it with my phone and I still can't get the angle right. So, the bird looks like it's on acid, or maybe it looks like I was on acid when I took this.

This will be hopefully very short. I went to my friend's St Pat's/Housewarming party thingy tonight. It's late and I've had a few and I don't trust myself not to write something that won't sound very, very loud through the computer.

Basically, I didn't get anything done after work. I didn't run, I didn't do any cleaning, and I didn't work on my kitchen. What I did do, is hang out with some great friends and have an amazing time drinking, eating and talking shit - the trifecta of fun.

Soooo, Happy St. Patrick's Day! I don't plan on going out, since I celebrated tonight. Both my girls are babysitting, so I'll go running, probably stop by my friend's Allison and Bob's house (where Stinky's babysitting) and check out their house that has been totally gutted and remodeled. Then I'll have my place to myself to work in the kitchen and read some more of In Cold Blood. Who knows, maybe I'll get all crazy and drink a beer while I read.

She's Got Legs, but She Forgot How to Use 'Em

Well, shit, kids. It looks like I done fucked up the whole NaBloMe thing already this month. Did I even make it halfway through? Hell, who knows. What I do know, is that I had a lot working against me.

First of all, I wore these polka dot tights out tonight. Do these tights look like the kind of things you'd wear if you seriously thought you'd get home by midnight to blog? No, they certainly do not.

Secondly, my girl crush was in town. What? Did you expect me to leave the dance party early? Impossible.

Then, not only did Poptart come to town, I had a special guest appearance from the frozen tundra that is the UP of Michigan. That's right, Rachie drove down too. That brings the tally to Three fun friends visiting.

Here's Poptart being so cute that I don't want to go home early. I blame her.

We also had a lot of hair learnin' to do. Did you know this guy puts Elmer's glue in his mohawk to keep it perky like that?

Plus, the bartender chicks were totally hot and who wouldn't want to stay a little longer to talk to them? No one, that's who.

And what of the guys?

I think the guys seemed to really dig me. I would hate to disappoint them by depriving them of my presence. I'm not a total asshole.

So, yeah. I screwed up and now I'm not officially a NaBloMe participant, but I think I'll still keep trying to blog everyday for the rest of the month anyway. Maybe next Friday night I won't have so many obstacles in my way. Maybe.

Sounds of Laughter Shades of Life

Here is one of the last photos I took of beautiful Fall foliage. The other day, there was a huge gust of wind and I saw almost every leaf fall off the tree outside my window at work. I'm sure all these trees met the same fate.

Soooo, I went out tonight and it was fun. I drove, because I didn't think I'd feel like drinking. But you know how it is, Erik bought me a beer and then K.'s boyrfriend, A. bought me a beer and next thing you know, I'm wishing I had walked downtown.

At one point, my friend K. was trying to help me out by being my wing person, but she was a little too drunk to do the job effectively. She saw a hot guy standing behind me, holding his jacket and waiting for his beer. So, she turned to him and said, "Hey, if you want, you can put your coat underneath her and she'll sit on it for you..." He looked confused and then horrified and then K. and I started laughing hysterically at how NOT helpful that was. He very politely declined and then I'm sure he made that twirling of his finger around his ear motion to his friend, to indicate how crazy he thought we were. Again, it's not like I'm looking anyway, but I'm glad that happened, because I'm sure we'll laugh about that for years to come.

I switched to drinking water and was trying to sober up, when we left our bar stools and went to sit at a table with some friends. Of course, I sat in between two people, one of which I knew and the other was someone I didn't know, but from the conversation it sounded like she might be currently dating the guy I dated last Winter. Which was fine, I like meeting new people. As it turns out, she and the guy who was sitting on the other side of me, both just happened to be Republicans. I really like the guy, no matter what his politics, but I also really don't want to have to talk about Obama's tax policies at a bar. I'd also rather not have someone try to convert me to their religion at a bar either. If you want to talk about sex, or drugs we used to take when we were young and stupid, or music, or which Star Trek movie sucked, or point out hot girls or guys to me, I'm right there for that, but anything very serious, makes my head hurt. The good thing was, it sure sobered me up really fast. I was in great shape to drive K. and A. home and get to my place as well.

The moral of the story tonight is, don't let your friend try to hit on a guy for you by asking him if he wants you to sit on his coat. Trust me, it doesn't work. And if you're trying to sober up, just sit between two people who want to tell you all about tax policies, it is one sure fire way to do it.

You'll Drink the Night Away and Forget About Everything

Here is a picture of my beer and my phone and my girl crush's fanny pack.

So, the Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt word was Drink, chosen by DMarks. It was a great word for me for a few reasons. First, I've been running a lot this weekend. The weather was perfect on Friday and Saturday. Today, however it was warmer and much more humid. Since I've been spoiled by the nicer weather, I forgot how important it was to hydrate before I run on the hotter days. I ran the full six miles today, but I was so wiped out afterward, I had to rest and drink tons of fluids. Oops.

The second reason the word was perfect is that this weekend I had to serve as my own cautionary tale. Apparently, I can't drink half as much in the Summer as I can in the Winter. It's kind of weird, huh? I think it's because my metabolism gets so high in the Summer and totally shuts down once it gets cold outside. Plus, I run so much more when it's nice out, and I sweat out all the toxins during the day, so it's like starting fresh every single night with no way to build up a tolerance.

So, kids. The lesson we learned this weekend is to drink responsibly - whether it's alcoholic or non-alcoholic. Now, I think I'll take my leave and watch some After School Specials.

Doot Do Do Do Do Doot Doot, Livin' in the USA

Here is a picture of my girl crush and my friend Erika drinking the delicious punch Erika made for the bachelorette party a couple of weeks ago.

So, apparently today is the day where I embrace my inalienable right to be hungover and walk around town with a belly full of shame. Since I'm not so good at holding my liquor, I have to be so careful about keeping track of how many pints I have. But last night, the guys at my table kept filling up my glass when I wasn't paying attention and now I'm a little worse for wear. I just hate it that you have to pay to play, you know?

It all started innocently enough. My friend J. called me and asked if I wanted to go for a beer. We used to work together at Great Midwestern about a hundred million years ago, and he had just broken up with his latest girly a couple of weeks earlier, so we had plenty to talk about. I really was only going to have a couple of beers. I'm trying not spend any money so I can save up for my trip.

Then my friend R. showed up with his younger brother and his friends. R. used to be a regular at Great Midwestern, so it was kind of a coffee shop reunion. Luckily, I didn't spend hardly any money, but like I said, I still drank WAY too much. I'm doing much better now, but at one point while I was running, "Tequila" by Herb Alpert and Tijuana Brass Band came on my iPod and just thinking about the title of that song made my stomach turn.

She Says Love is Not What She's After

Here is part of the campus in our town.

Okay, you guys. Apparently, I'm a total fucking idiot and now let me tell you why. I went to supper club with some fun kids at Los Portales and I was such a good girl. I ate food and only had one margarita with dinner.

I dropped my friend K. off at her place and thought I'd head to the Dublin Underground for one beer to see if my friend Libby was there. Luckily, she and her husband were both down there and my favorite bartender was working and some other guys who I think are tons of fun were hanging out too. It was such a great night and people kept buying me beers and when I wasn't keeping up, they bought me little chips which are like beer coupons that you hand in at a later date, so that was cool too.

Eventually, after much swearing and laughing so hard my eyes were tearing, Libby and her husband got smart and left. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't quite as smart and stayed with a bar full of drunk guys and talked about what they wanted from women. I actually love this conversation, because even at my advanced age, I have no clue. According to the drunk boys I spoke to, (and I have to believe them because you know drunk guys would never say anything they didn't mean) all men really want is to have great sex in a committed relationship. Which should make things so easy, because most women I know want that too. So, my question to you guys tonight is, how come it isn't so easy if both men and women seemingly want the same thing?

The other thing I talked to these guys about was honesty. Last Saturday this guy who I met down at the Dublin about a month ago and who lives in another state, was back. He came up to me the minute I walked in the bar and said something to the fact that one of the great things about Iowa City for women is that a lot of guys who used to live here come back to visit and so we can hook up with them, but we don't have to worry about them begging for a relationship. (because most guys are always trying to get women to commit, right? Uh, whatever) Then he said something about a guy I used to date who just happens to live in another state as well. When I asked him how he knew I dated that person, he said that I told him that. I knew for a fact that I didn't, so he probably did some asking around about me and someone else gave him that info. If he told me that, I'd be fine with it. If I was attracted to someone, I'd do my homework too.

The problem I had with him, was all the weird scheming and assuming he was doing. Because he knew who I dated, and that person lived in another town, he assumed that's what I wanted. Wrong. If he had said he wanted to hang out for a while and maybe make-out, I probably would have been into that. Hey, he was cute and fun. I just don't like all that conniving and game playing. The guys I talked to about this, were all kind of half-jokingly saying that it never occurred to them that they could get what they wanted by telling the truth. So, my other question for women is, would you rather a guy be honest about what he wanted, or would you rather he dress it up a bit?

Obviously, I was stupid to drink beer and then stay out late on a school night, but just so you don't think I'm a total loser, I will let you admire my restraint. One of the other bartenders came downstairs as I was leaving and was surprised I was still there. He told me he'd buy me a drink if I'd stay longer, but I actually showed some restraint and walked up those stairs and then came home and wrote this totally drunken, long winded blog post about relationships. You can go ahead and thank me later...Or not.

Spring's a Girl From the Streets at Night

Okay. Here's the dealio. St Patrick's Day is over and it was one for the record books. The other thing is, that my friends are the awesomest that ever lived. Here are my girls at Micky's right before our food came. The corned beef was just about perfect.

Then we went down to the Dublin Underground where I was apparently totally comfortable being my own spazzy self.

Here's a group shot of most of the fun girls who happened to be down there. I don't know when the last time all of us were in the bar at the same time.

I don't know if I've mentioned how awesome my friend D. is. She will always dance to every song with me and she knows just what to do and say, right when I need it.

As you can see, she's also smokin' hot, and that never hurts.

These next two guys were tending bar tonight and definitely need their props too.

Aw. Just look at him. Don't you want him to pour you a pint and dispense you tons and tons of shit? Because he's good for both.

I always have to get a pic of the guy who has the cajones to wear a kilt out in public. Plus, he did a hell of a job taking that group girl photo at the top of this post.

And finally. This is my newest, favoritest couple around. Oh, but it warms a girl's heart to see it.

Okay, that was my St. Pat's day. Sure, it was a little messier in person on my part, but then it always is. So, what the hell did you all do tonight?