I am having a delicious Greek-inspired salad today (”inspired” because it has lettuce in it, which true Greek salad does not, and also because it doesn’t have olives or tomatoes, because I don’t like those) - romaine lettuce, cucumbers, feta cheese crumbles, Greek dressing (store-bought), and for kicks, a hard-boiled egg. It’s quite delish. (And yes, I am eating lunch at 3:15 in the afternoon, and no, I didn’t eat breakfast, and I’m just all completely turned around food-wise today - I almost got a frappuccino this morning instead of a mocha, for Pete’s sake, if that tells you how confused I am.) I highly recommend.

This, of course, led me to a quick search on TasteSpotting for “greek salad” (only a few posts, which taught me some of the above). But lately, what I’ve really been craving is … eggs. I know, weird. Warm eggs, specifically. Eggs Benedict would be lovely, but so would a nice poached egg just about any way you want to prepare it for me. (I actually prefer my Eggs Benedict without the Canadian Bacon, aka ham, so if you want to go ahead and give me real bacon or a nice salmon cake, that’d be excellent - notice how I avoided making any cheesy pun with the words excellent and eggs there? I’m looking out for you.) And if you search TasteSpotting for “eggs,” you get nearly 300 beautiful pictures, and I want to eat all of them.

Normally, a craving like this would signal to me that my diet is lacking in protein at the moment - such cravings usually come in clumps, like when I want chicken or eggs or cheese, and then I realize the common denominator and that I haven’t eaten much of that particular item lately. But I am absolutely, positively sure that my diet is not lacking in protein. No way, no how. The quantity of steak consumed by myself is, well, just disgusting. We went out to dinner (Granite City, which I highly recommend) on Thursday for date night, and I got a steak, which meant leftovers. Those were eaten on Sunday for lunch, followed by a lovely dinner of… grilled steak. Yes, I did used to be a vegetarian. Used to being the key words there. There’s nothing like a steak from the butcher made lovingly by exactly the way I like it (medium rare, with the “special seasoning” rubbed in).

So if I don’t need protein, why exactly am I craving eggs? It’s not like I need cholesterol in my diet (though I don’t need to worry about it either - my test results always come out lovely, thanks to good genes). What else is it that eggs provide?

While I ponder this, I’m going to go drool over pictures of eggs on TasteSpotting. Join me if you wish (sorry, can’t post a link directly to a search on their site)….

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Check out the author’s name of this book: Unruly River.

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[Editor's note: Sorry, pictures are a little weird right now, because my Flickr plugin for WordPress isn't working, and I'm not sure why. Hopefully I'll get it fixed and things will return to normal soon.]

I’ve really been digging this photo (seen on Apartment Therapy). I’m wondering what I could possibly do in our relatively small bathroom (OK, it’s normal sized, but there’s just really not much one can do with a normal sized bathroom, is there? Every bit of space is utilized to the max!) that is similar, and I just can’t think of anything.

In related news, just got a call and we have a house showing tomorrow night! After a month of nothing (and contemplating what it is we need to do next, do we drop the price, etc), and one weekend of getting a bunch of little (but extremely painful and tedious) fix-ups done, this came at just the right time. Over the weekend, I cleaned the wall behind the kitchen sink and touched up paint in the kitchen, and touched up paint in the garage as well. finished the baseboard in the bathroom, which was a huge project. I also spent a long time Sunday morning cleaning the fridge (so very gross), and worked on our network, which involved moving computers and lots of cables and… stuff. So tonight, we’ll do a little more clean up, will fix the spot on the bathroom ceiling (don’t ask), and I’ll patch the bit of paint by the baseboard in the bathroom. And then tomorrow someone will come and fall in love with our house and offer us our asking price and life will be grand! OK, that may be pie in the sky dreams, but it could happen.

Also, I am still sick, so while I was relatively productive this weekend, I did not get everything done that I’d hoped. I did make it to JoAnn and the thrift store on Friday night. I came away with some awesome calico that I then used to make a sewing machine cover and a new ironing board cover (check the Flickr photostream for pics) from the thrift store, and the notions (bias tape, really) that I needed from JoAnns, as well as plenty of fabric I probably didn’t need (but oh so cute!). The drive home was a little sketchy, as I’d taken a full dose of Alka-Seltzer Cold & Sinus earlier and it had fully kicked in. After showing off my purchases to (who is so wonderful as to always seem interested), I went to bed and slept for 12 hours.

Then there was the cleaning and house projects the rest of the weekend, as discussed earlier, as well as fixing up some loose ends on sewing projects. I have a few pictures to show you today, and a few more tomorrow, as the pictures we took yesterday need to be re-taken (what was I thinking, wearing that grey ratty tank top in pictures, or out in public?).

And we got our wedding quilt, which arrived on Thursday, put on the bed and photos taken (to send back to the creator, my aunt, and also to , who wanted to see).

I also discovered that my steroid cream (for the itching) does wonders for red, painful sunburn. My legs have returned to a normal color and stopped itching completely. Yay for steroids! Just kidding. Kids, use them responsibly. If I didn’t, I’d have no more skin left on my legs at some point (because topical steroids thin the skin, and that is just no good, so you have to be very, very careful and use sparingly).

I think that’s it.

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1. Cry :: Don’t
2. Stretch :: -es are good
3. Efficient :: by nature
4. Brunch :: Party
5. Afro :: for the white man, but it’s cool, it’s cool (what movie is that from? Bonus points if you answer correctly!)
6. Preheat :: to 350*
7. Delicious :: Surprise
8. Global warming :: is real
9. Actions :: speak louder than words
10. Ride :: on, cowboy!

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Last weekend, as you may know, was spent camping. This is the only other weekend between summer and fall semesters (because yes, classes start on Wednesday for me! already!), which means I (we) have big plans. Here’s some of the things I’d like to get done:

• Finish up a bunch of the little projects around the house (like the last little corner of baseboard in the bathroom, the spot on the bathroom ceiling that needs to be patched, the few spots in the garage that need to be sanded and re-painted, getting replacement rollerblinds for the upstairs windows)
• Clean out the fridge (something spilled - something sticky - quite a while back, and I can no longer ignore it), and bleach the kitchen dishrags (they start to smell….)
• Work on some more sewing projects (I’ve already finished two this week, and I think I could knock out at least two or three more this weekend), including a new ironing board cover, which is sorely needed
• If the weather cooperates, drive into downtown St Paul and take pictures (because it’s all pretty right now due to the impending GOP Convention, and I’d like to see my beautiful city through different eyes)
• A quick trip to JoAnns for some supplies and one to CHAP thrift store tonight
• Some baking perhaps, though I’m not specifically inspired
• Some fabric organization and closet cleaning, after a few weeks of stashing and our camping trip, so that my morning routine gets back to normal

Unfortunately, this may be how I end up spending my weekend:

OK, so that’s not me, but after browsing through my Flickr photostream, it became clear to me that I don’t really have any photos of myself sleeping. Why might I spend my whole weekend doing this? Well, I seem to be sick with a summer cold. While we were camping, I thought I was coming down with whatever had (the sore throat seemed to be a bad sign), but I willed it away (”nope, I’m not sick, don’t know what you’re talking about). But, regardless of my willpower, camping is not exactly the best way to help your body stay strong and/or heal. There was a bunch of crappy sleep (true, we got to lay in bed for nearly 10 hours each night, but I spent a good portion of that time either awake and uncomfortable, or asleep and uncomfortable, or waking up and painfully sore), freeze-dried food (which tasted good for the most part, and met nutritional requirements for energy etc, but probably wasn’t the most nutrient-rich ever), and the lack of Vitamin C at my disposal. There was that clean wilderness air, but instead of being able to breathe better, I was stuffier (leading me to believe that I do probably have allergies like and and more recently - I’m just late to the game, like glasses, that they all got when they were junior high-aged and I waited until I was nearly 30).

And so I have spent this entire week blowing my nose. I just bought a new box of Kleenex for my desk here at work, actually, having run out. I also re-stocked on Emergen-C. But I haven’t taken any cold medication, because… well, why. Truthfully, it’s just a very annoying runny nose. Oh, and the being tired thing (more so than usual). But then yesterday I started feeling slightly… fuzzy. Kind of the feeling that I get when I take cold medication (which I’ve always attributed to the meds). It’s unfortunate to have that feeling and yet not be receiving any relieving effects from meds. I may have to re-think my standing on cold medication (which is: avoid it like the plague, and if it’s truly dire, go for Alka-Seltzer Cold or something marked children’s).

So I really feel like spending the weekend in bed. But I also want to enjoy my weekend to its fullest. We’ll see which part of me wins out!

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It would be nice if I had a co-worker right now. Yesterday, both of the other girls who answer phones were out, so it was just me. Today, the new one is here, but darned it if I can’t find her. I was going to run to the post office (and mail out some yarn that someone on Ravelry bought from me) and go to Walgreens (I’m out of Kleenex and need some Vitamin C - I have a summer cold), but I guess I’ll just sit here instead. Did I mention she goes to lunch at 11:30, so basically by the time I find her it’ll be time for her to go on her lunch break? Grr.

I know, I know, my first post in almost two weeks and already I’m whining and complaining. My apologies. My break from blogging was not my fault, other than perhaps my poor choice of web hosts. Bygones now, because I am no longer paying for hosting service. We’re now hosting the blog on the server we run out of our house. And spent a good long time yesterday and the day before that fixing everything up so that it would work like it used to.

During my break, there were many times I wanted to tell you all things, but I couldn’t, because when my host is down, there’s no blogging. OK, sure, I could have pulled up Notepad or gone all pencil-and-paper, but that just seems barbaric. I guess we’ll just have to live with the fact that there are unsaid things, because I can’t even begin to remember them.

Instead, I’ll post a picture of our recent camping trip, and a link to the rest of the pictures. I posted on Flickr a bit while not blogging, so I had at least some outlet. More posts in the future, I promise!

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1. Month to month :: Living
2. Adjusted :: Gross Income
3. Prank :: Phone Call
4. Mop :: the floor
5. Clarity :: of Mind
6. Parenting :: Techniques
7. Glenn :: Close
8. Fingerprint :: ID
9. Pineapple :: Print
10. Attorney :: at Law

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To post anything, that is.

But I’ll give you some pictures anyways.

All from Ikea… some current favorites of mine:

In the center is the new desk for the Expedit bookcase that I want to get (the bookcase, and then the desk just makes it all that much better) when we have a new house if I have a craft room. The rest of it is just fun.

Some fabrics and textiles that I’m liking (but won’t be purchasing).

And some fabrics that I might get up the gumption to purchase, if I find the time to go over to Ikea sometime when it’s not super crazy. Like not right now, because the whole back to school, college, whatever thing is going on and Ikea can be crazy then. But, you know, later.

Happy Friday!

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It seems that all noise is bothering me today. I succumbed to putting on my headphones to play some music today (though that’s generally not acceptable practice since I often have to answer phones), and even my beloved Botticelli-Groban mix was aggravating me (and you know that Andre Botticelli can’t really be annoying, so it’s clearly me). I think I need some white noise at work to block out the assault from all around me that has been going nonstop since 7:30.

Also, I need some non-computer work to do since my right wrist just gave out completely and refuses to assist with any more typing (or mousing I assume, though I haven’t asked). So clearly this post is going to be cut short since typing with one hand is no fun.

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I’ll avoid ranting about class last night, or co-workers today. My co-worker and have already heard it, so I suppose it’d be like beating a dead horse to re-tell those stories a third time.

Instead, let me tell you about the genius thing I did today (and it’s only 10:30 am!).

So I’ve been working on this horrendous coding project which has me so bored that I’m literally falling asleep at my desk while doing it (seriously - the moment I turn away and do something else I’m fine, but when I turn back to the computer to work on it, my eyelids get heavy). Tuesday was rough, so yesterday I decided to attempt to keep myself awake by, um, eating 1/3 box of those Ritz crackers and cheese sandwiches (but the Target brand, which is even better because the cheese is yummier, in my opinion). I probably would have eaten more, but, well, that was all I had left. You can guess that this is not helping the I-don’t-own-any-pants-that-fit problem.

Today, however, while packing my lunch (and rummaging through the fridge for things that I could bring), I found a container of green beans from last week’s farmer’s market, all washed and ready to go. So today, to keep myself from falling asleep and also to keep myself from eating… myself into oblivion (though tells me this is the incorrect usage of this phrase), I am eating green beans while coding. Not nearly as tasty, but they still do the trick. Plus, extra fiber in my diet! And nutrients and vitamins and micronutrients! Always a good thing.

I looked up the nutritional analysis for raw green beans, and here’s what I found:

• Serving size: 3/4 cup
• Calories:25
• Total carbs: 5 g (2%)
• Fiber: 3 g (12%)
• Fat, Cholesterol: 0
• Great source of: Potassium, Vitamin A, & Vitamin C.

So there you have it. Do my pants fit yet? Yeah, didn’t think so.

I was really thinking that I should try making fried green beans - I had them and they were yummy. But the recipes I’ve found are for beer battered fries, and frying in general makes me scared, and we usually don’t have beer in the house (I don’t think wine-battered is a good idea), so I haven’t yet. Oh, and I haven’t really had any spare time. Maybe I’ll stop by the Farmer’s Market today and get some more so I can try this weekend (I heard they have sweet corn finally, and I definitely want some of that).

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(Click on the photo to go to the Flickr page with links to each one if you’re interested.)

Recently purchased/thrifted fabrics from July, finally all washed, ironed, and photographed.

A bug at our house on Sunday (you’ve gotta click for the closeup, trust me):

(For perspective, that black thing he’s sitting on is about the size of my palm.)

And, has gotten a little too used to the bedroom door being open:

Lastly, good reasons to love the public library:

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First, the good thing: today’s XKCD is awesome, assuming you’ve ever been to church and grew up in the 80s.

Then, the bad thing: I seem to be unable to dress myself well these days. This has culminated in today’s outfit, where I am wearing white shoes with grey pants. I know, perhaps not the “OMG the world is going to be blasted into oblivion by aliens or that meteor or whatever,” but important to me nonetheless. The factors? I did not do laundry like I should have last night, so all my khakis are dirty. I can’t wear the closet full of skirts today, because my legs are really itchy, and itchy plus nylons is not good. Trust me. Plus, many of my pants are sitting in storage, because I got a bit chubby. Lastly, my feet have shrunk, resulting in my failure to own any black shoes that don’t cause me pain, sandal or otherwise.

If I didn’t itch right now (with some nice red bumps thrown in for good measure), to the point of having to use the anti-inflammatory cream my doctor gave me, I’d be OK for the rest of the week, because my skirt wardrobe is fine and fits and if it fails me, I have a few dresses I can wear to work. But, um, yeah, I do itch. Badly enough that I’m anxiously awaiting 9 a.m. when I can take my Zyrtec, which yesterday brought me such relief that I promised to kiss the feet of whoever created it. Such is life. Oh, and I have absolutely no idea what it is currently that I’m allergic to. I’d say that the new lotion is suspect, but I haven’t used it yet, because I’ve been using new soap. I’d say that was suspect, except that the itching started before I bought it. We haven’t changed laundry detergents and I’ve only been using baby oil (which brings some nice relief when I only itch a bit) on my skin. Maybe I should check the salt level in the water softener? I have no idea. The problem is that symptoms are so slow to appear that it could have been anything in the last few weeks that I’ve come into contact with.

What’s your Good Thing / Bad Thing for today?

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…from some horrible coding that is causing most of my body physical pain (elbow, hand, shoulder), as well as putting me to sleep. I’m not overly tired today, but man is this boring. But I’ve got 1999-2003 done, and am partway through 2004, so just… two or three more days of this. Sigh.

The good news is that, while my hands have been busy fixing bad html, my brain has been elsewhere, and I have come up with two (2!) uses for this fabric:

Of course, both uses will require purchasing more fabric, but whatever, this stuff was free. And I don’t have anything that matches it. And I will learn new skills with the two projects I have in mind, and then still will probably have about 2 1/2 yards left (because I have 4 yards, and that is a lot of fabric!). No worries - I won’t be buying this new fabric any time soon. Too many other projects I’d like to work on, you know, in my nonexistent time.

I think it’s time for some more Advil. And then back to work. Sigh.

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(Never thought you’d see a post title like that here, did ya?)

My teacher thought it would be fun if we met off-campus for tonight’s class instead of in our horrible building which is aesthetically offensive and I am allergic to (seriously, it gives me headaches - our teacher suggested it was the carpeting, and quite frankly I don’t care what it is, only that there are a mere 3 classes left in that building). He sent the email out today with the details, and we’re meeting at a sports bar near the Midway campus, which is pretty much what he promised.

I’d begun mentally psyching myself up for this, for as many of you know I hate going into public places alone, especially strange places where I’m not sure what’s going on (unlike Saturday’s brunch with and , where I was 99% sure both of them would show up and I knew the restaurant and everything would be A-OK) or who is there or…. If I’m having a particularly bad day, even knowing the locale and everyone present cannot get me to walk in the door (flashback to a 2000 Christmas party in Michigan that I never attended, though I did drive past it).

It’s all fine, though, see, since I have to go and I’m getting mentally prepared (OK, emotionally prepared, whatever).

Then I re-read the email from our teacher. Hmm. Seems he’s either changed the starting time of class to 6:30 (instead of 6), or he’s made a typo.

Now, of course, some panic sets in. I’m going to arrive early, because that’s what my schedule allows between the work commute and trip back into the city. But how early? If I’m there at 5:45, will I be 15  minutes early or 45? Will anyone else be there? Will I be the loser at the sports bar doing homework? I don’t drink beer! I’ll be starving (because why would I stop off for a fast food dinner when I can have real food), but should I wait until other classmates show up, or just order? Should I get a table at all?

You see, of course, the million thoughts that race through my mind. I was hoping that putting them into words “on paper” so to speak would help them seem… irrational, as they very well are. I know this. But I’d really like to have a hand to hold to walk into Gabe’s with, or at least a friend to go with (you know, if I had made friends with my classmates beyond the better-than-usual classroom rapport that we have going on, which is good, but we aren’t calling each other outside of class to chat about things - everyone works full time and is taking multiple classes and barely has time to get what needs to be done… done, let alone make new friends).

Sigh.

Do you think one day I’ll get over this Social Anxiety stuff, or will I stress myself out about minor things for the rest of my life? If it’s the latter, I’m quite sure it’s knocking years off my life.

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Using no more than 10 nouns, and ONLY nouns, describe yourself. Student (first priority, these days), wife, friend, daughter, sister, aunt, crafter, music-lover, reader, organizer.

If you owned your own store, what would you sell? Books and coffee and handmade jewelry, or maybe yarn and fabric (ooh, that’d be more dangerous than the books). It’s not very original, but they are all things I like and make me happy, and if I’m going to own my own store, shouldn’t I be able to surround myself with things that make me happy?

If you were to name the most comforting thing for you to hold in your hands, what would it be? A steamy-warm drink on a cold day (hot cocoa), a sweetly sleeping babe (thinking of here), the hand of a loved one ()

I’m interested in everyone else’s answers to that first one! Leave them in the comments!

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