I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of winter. I’m tired of not being able to breathe outdoors or feel the sun on my skin. I’m tired of short days and slippery driving conditions. I’m tired of my dirty car and not being able to see green grass. I’m tired of stale indoor air and having to layer my clothes to stay warm. Mostly, however, I’m tired of winter food. I miss fresh fruits and vegetables (yes, I know, I’m a picky eater and don’t like a ton of them, but I miss the ones I do eat!). [Editor’s Note: Someone at Flickr suggested I credit the owners of the photograhers, lest the auto-linking of the images not be enough. These first two are from /JUSTIN/ and siblmp, and the big one below the jump is from Queen_Pigletta.)

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popularity: 41%

1. Protocol :: Server
2. Girlfriends :: are forever
3. Shoulders :: the burden
4. Coming home :: I’m… (Caedmon’s Call song)
5. Let it in :: Love
6. Honor :: thy father and mother
7. Tyler :: Liv
8. Thriller :: MJ (who else?)
9. Angela :: Langsbury (Murder She Wrote, anyone?)
10. The winner is :: me! (duh)

popularity: 44%

1. _Exploring new places_ is the best thing about traveling.
2. I love a good _hot cocoa and a snuggly blanket_ when I’m cold.
3. I often use _____.
4. I’m reading _The Beautiful and the Damned by F Scott Fitzgerald_ right now; I _don’t like_ it.
5. _Politics_ is something I dislike talking about.
6. When I visited _Pensacola and Mobile_ I most looked forward to seeing _the ocean, which was disappointing_.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to _dressing up for ’s work party_, tomorrow my plans include _getting a new car stereo installed_ and Sunday, I want to _feel the sun on my skin_!

popularity: 45%

What two words do you want to see together right now?

Spring

Time

Wouldn’t that be nice? I’ve had about half a dozen conversations in the last 24 hours about this very subject. We’re all tired of this winter. It’s seemed incredibly long - we were spoiled with a few years of mild winters, and this one has been particularly cold and harsh, and it just never seems to end. I’m ready for spring. I’m ready for green grass and feeling sun on my skin and storing away the long underwear (if I ever find it) and going for walks and the smell of flowers and… you get the idea.

Spring also means getting our house ready to sell and starting that process, which should be interesting. I’ve never done that before. It also means trying to find a house that both and I like in a location that’s compromisingly convenient for both of us. That should be a trick.

popularity: 39%

Today, for your reading pleasure, here are some articles I found interesting:

• Suburban bus riders are getting free coffee this week - Friday for me. Wow. (From the Pioneer Press.)
• Also, we will be having a lunar eclipse tonight, and the sky should be clear. I read that it should be easy to photograph that, though it might be too cold for me to try (from the Strib).
• Bush is in Rwanda - an interesting article highlighting some contemporary history in Africa, the UN, and the United States (from the New York Times).
• Higher Education and Upward Mobility - a look at economic mobility in the United States and how higher education relates to it (from the New York Times).
• Sounds like they’re figuring out how to avoid multiple pregnancies with in vitro fertilization.  Something I like to hear.  I want nothing to do with birthing twins or more.  I’d rather have nothing to do with in vitro, or giving birth at all, but if we decide to have kids and it seems that it might only be possible with in vitro, I’d give it a try.  this is after the therapy to deal with my irrational fear of childbirth (see how I didn’t link to some page with scary statistics about the horrors of childbirth?). (From the New York Times.)
• In the mood for fondue?  Someone waxes poetically about it (from the New York Times).

Lastly, a funny quote about married sex.

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Between blowing my nose, sleeping, eating, and knitting, I spent most of my time this weekend playing The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. I’d link to the game directly, but all gaming-related sites are blocked from our work servers, so you’ll just have to search for it yourself. Friday night and I went to Best Buy and I picked up that little gem for my DS as well as an old version of Mario Brothers (don’t ask which one - I don’t know, and it doesn’t really mean that much to me). I was unsure about Zelda, because all of the video games I’ve played have either been puzzles (like Tetris and Dr Mario) or action (Mario Brothers, of which I enjoyed most of the brand new one, except that World 8 is super hard and I decided I didn’t feel the need to torture myself and finish it). Zelda is different. Sure, there’s some action - some killing of monsters and the like - but a lot of it is questing and searching to find things and figuring out stuff. Well, needless to say, my worry over spending the $35 (which generously offered to give me and he’d play the game if I decided I didn’t like it) was for naught. I got almost nothing else done over the long weekend. No laundry. Almost no cleaning. It’s sad, really. But I’m enjoying myself, so that’s good. And I did get my week’s worth of homework done last night, so I haven’t totally lost touch with reality.

There could be a long post with pictures coming, but for the time being, let me recommend the following:

• for the friend who recently admitted her love for owls, Etsy. I know you’re already familiar with the site, , but as I was perusing the “vintage” category, I found more owl stuff than I could ever get you. And seeing as how it’s about 6 months too early to start buying you birthday or Christmas gifts, I’ll just have to recommend you get yourself over there.
• for the friend who’s remodeling her kitchen, Organized Living. I did a quick perusal and found their section of drawer liners, , so you should be set there. They probably have cutting boards as well. I can’t remember what else you were looking for, but they probably have it. Oh, and I found salt and pepper shakers you should get over on Etsy.

So there you have it. Nothing much of substance, but what did you expect?

popularity: 45%

1. Passport :: Visa
2. Small world :: It’s a…
3. Radio :: contact
4. Marine :: Sub
5. Wall :: Plaque
6. Wanna be :: a Rock Star
7. Pigtails :: Freckles
8. Hyphen :: -ated
9. 9.99 :: close but no cigar
10. Unrated :: director’s cut

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If I were going on a shopping spree, had the need for any of these items (because really, what would I do with a John Lennon Action Figure?), and had unlimited storage space, here’s how I might spend my money…. read the rest »

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Yesterday’s Valentine’s festivities included picking up dinner for me (Jimmy Johns), and me attempting to stay awake until 9pm. I also showered and put on pants. It was a big day.

So those complaints I had on Wednesday about being sick? Yeah, they nearly overwhelmed me by the end of the day. Somehow, I made it all the way through knitting class, perhaps sheerly by force of will. I got home at 9, gave a kiss on the forehead, crawled into the shower, and then into bed. I woke up feeling even worse. I hurt everywhere. There was no way I was going to work. So I re-set my alarm for 8 so I could call in sick, took some more medication, and attempted to get some more sleep. At 11 I decided to get out of bed, so I wandered downstairs and stared at the television for two hours while eating animal crackers, before figuring out that television was crap and my time would be better spent sleeping. So I went back upstairs to bed. I got up at 4, showered, put on real clothes, and stared at the TV some more. called on his way home from work wanting to know about dinner. (Have I mentioned we didn’t go grocery shopping this week? It seemed like a good idea at the time, but perhaps it was not.) He was quite wonderful about my inability to pick out food, and found something I was able to consume. For my part, I managed to stay awake (kind of) until 9. I read for a little while in bed, and fell into blissful sleep. For those keeping track, I was awake perhaps 8 non-consecutive hours yesterday. Woo-hoo. Good thing we didn’t have big V-Day plans.

This morning I woke up feeling [comparatively] much better. I debated for a long time whether or not to come in, but eventually decided to go to work. Perhaps that was not the wisest choice, but it’s made now, and it’s fairly quite here today at work. I’m at maybe 60 or 70% (compared to yesterday’s 10-20%), so I can be slightly productive. Thankfully the phones have only rung once and it was for . And my annoying co-worker has the day off. Plus we have Monday off for President’s Day (though I do have to go to class).

So, I’m going to try to make it through the day. I’m hoping won’t get sick, which is a reasonable hope since I’ve never gotten sick from him. Thankfully I finished my homework for the week on Monday night, so there’s not much to do this weekend. Some knitting and cleaning and grocery shopping. Oh, and hopefully getting a new radio put in my car. All sorts of fun in our house.

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I am regretting taking this knitting class now.  If I hadn’t signed up, I could take off an hour early tonight, and be on my way to the bus right now, with the promise of bed not too far off.  But, since it’s only a 3-week class and I will probably have to miss half or all of next week’s class, I have to go.  I have been getting steadily sicker all day.  I came down from my Alka-Seltzer high, and when I took my next dosage I only took half, but now I just feel like crap.  And my legs are jumpy.

I’m bringing the black lacy stole I knit to the “clinic” tonight that meets before class.  There’s a spot that has come undone, and I need help fixing it, and that’s what they’re there for.  I also brought my fingerless gloves that bow out instead of clinging to my hands, hoping that the instructor of my class will be able to help me come up with a solution.  And I picked out a pattern to knit for which I can purchase supplies at the Yarnery and use my 10% off coupon.  So, you see, I have to go.

If I don’t go crazy (from the jumpy legs) or fall asleep first.  It’s a toss-up.

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I am sick. Yesterday I sneezed several times, which is unusual for me. And my nose was runny. By the time I went to bed, I had to get up and take some cold medicine for fear of drowning in my own snot (that’s probably a mental image you didn’t need). The box of Kleenex also came with me. The Alka-Seltzer Cold Plus that I took dried my sinuses right up (and thankfully I didn’t wake up feeling all stuffy), but also made my legs jumpy. My throat is sore, a little swollen, and my nose has started to run again (9 hours after taking cold medicine that was supposed to work for 4 hours - this is just one of the problems I have with OTC drugs), and I’m tired. Boo.*

Did I mention I’m on phones all week? And that if I wanted to go home sick I’d have to call a cab if I wanted to leave downtown before 3:40?

I’m going to Walgreens to get more Alka-Seltzer (it’s the only thing I’ve found that doesn’t make me completely batty and leaves me vaguely functional) and maybe some nice soft Kleenex (because what I’ve got isn’t too kind on my nose). I’ve already taken some Emergen-C and have been sucking on Vitamin C drops. Maybe I need a cough drop or something as well. We’ll see what I come away with.

*Yes, I realize that I’m not actually very sick. I don’t have the flu. I don’t have a tumor in my head (though I actually have a friend who just got one removed yesterday, surprisingly - it’s all very strange). I’m not even achy. But it’s still unpleasant to be sick. And I can’t take sick days this week since there’s no one else here to answer phones. That makes everything worse. At least I get next Monday off (President’s Day), and if I’m still sick then (heaven forbid), I’ll take Tuesday off.

popularity: 39%

A couple of posts on Ravelry inspired me to go searching, and here are the pictures I found on Flickr. Note that only the first one is mine; I wanted to include the real pics, but

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popularity: 47%

1. Score :: high
2. Luxurious :: bed
3. Party :: White House
4. Limited edition :: software
5. Security :: console
6. Betty :: Pie
7. Under construction :: site
8. Pest :: ants
9. director :: movie
10. Express :: Limited

popularity: 54%

1. Do you have to dress for work? If so, what is your “uniform”? No jeans was the last major email from HR.  I prefer khakis and a sweater, or if I’m feeling preppy a white button-down shirt with a sweater over it.  Occasionally I’ll wear a skirt, but this requires keeping a stock of nylons in my possession, and I’m not very good at that.
2. How would you describe your style when dressing for yourself, rather than work? Comfort is key, and jeans rule!
3. I have noticed that there seem to be two kinds of dressers in the winter months. Those who love turtlenecks and those that abhor them! Which are you?! I despise turtlenecks.  I wore them all the time as a kid, until I figured out I didn’t like how they made me look (uptight).  The exception to this is turtleneck sweaters, which don’t make me feel the same way, and keep me quite warm.
4. It’s lounging time on the couch in the evening. What are you wearing?  Sweats and a t-shirt or tank top.  Socks.  Cuddled up in a blanket and/or with hubby.
5. Describe your favorite “feel good” outfit!  I always feel like I look good when I wear khakis with a white shirt.  I have some specific clothes that I really like the way they make me look.

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1. I’m looking forward to _pizza tonight!_.
2. _Paris_ is a place I always wanted to visit and haven’t made it there yet.
3. I’ve fallen in love with _Slim Fast and Fiber One bars for breakfast_.
4. Six of one, _half a dozen of another_.
5. Addiction _is a word that’s thrown around a little too often, and like “fetish” is commonly misunderstood_.
6. The _cats_ crack me up! *see picture below
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to _see #1__, tomorrow my plans include _lots of homework and maybe some knitting_ and Sunday, I want to _not feel tired_!

popularity: 52%