Packed?

I leave tomorrow. Am I packed??

No.

"Why?" my brother asks.

Well, the best answer I can give is this:

Procrastination is what I do best.

I'll let you know how far I get.

I miss the Olympics already...

I'm still buying myself flowers.

Sweet Dreams

I should stay up all night talking to Beth about Mr. Purefoy more often. I was rewarded by a most exquisite dream in which he loved me most dearly. Oh man was it a great dream. *sigh*

The only thing that would have been better last night was a dream of DS, which is more rare than I would like, especially when he's away.

I had to tape the women's figure skating finals because of my climbing night on Thursday, and I'm just now getting around to watching it. This Dick guy that is commentating.. ugh. I wish he'd shut up already. He can be so rude, and he worries about things like the skaters being "pretty" and their shoelaces being tucked. I much prefer Scott Hamilton's commentary, who can point out mistakes without being overly negative and always explains the good qualities the skaters have.

Now, I plan to finish watching my favorite part of the winter Olympics, and then sleep some before work again tomorrow. Hopefully, tonight I'll dream of my heart.

Purefoy

If there isn't a James Purefoy fan club yet, I'm starting one.

Hubba Hubba!

Stamp

What do you guys think of me having a stamp made that looks like this to use on the backs of cards I make and what have you?

That was a long sentence...

Smooth Linking

I would like to take a moment to say how happy I am that some of my blogging buddies have recently discovered each other, thereby making it easier for me to get from one blog on my "daily read" list to another.

Most of you have been linking to one another for some time, and I had worked out a reading order that allowed me to read everyone in one long chain.

But alas! New blogs appeared that I've fallin in love with, and then were only my own links to get me there. This required me to read through the chain, and then go back to my page to visit the others individually.

But now! Now you are all nearly linked up again, and I can read through you in only 2 chains!

And there was much rejoicing. yea.*

Also, I cleaned a 5.11 tonight.

Thank you and good night!

*please tell me you get my joke.

Hello Embossing Gun!

The first ever Sleep Goblin Craft Night was a huge success!!

I only had one turnout, but just talking about it has aroused the interest of several others. Tonights theme? Making cards. My friend, we KT1, brought her embossing tools, which I had never experienced before.

I LOVE THEM!

That's probably the next thing I'll buy when I have money again.

Here's what I came up with. They're still works in progress, but I hope to get them to selling status!

The ants and sand are clear embossed, and the quote is gold embossed with a quilled sun.

Stamped leaves with clear embossed dragonflies and swirls.

I don't eat food.

I'm having company tomorrow for the first time really since my birthday. It's just one friend coming to craft with me (which I'm very excited about!). However, my housekeeping skills have really slackened off since DS left. So I've spent the evening cleaning.

The urge struck me to tackle the fridge, which really is abandoned now that DS is gone. I went through and got rid of everything that had expired. Now, I've known for some time that I'm not the best person in the kitchen. What was left after the purge pretty much confirms it.

I don't eat food.

As you can see in this picture, the only "food" I eat includes spaghetti, apple sauce, and yogurt. I'm always stocked on good things to drink though. I love having a choice in the beverage department.

As an example of the influence DS brings to the kitchen, I threw away old mushrooms, pickles, oranges, grapefruit, carrots, salad mix, garlic cloves, an onion, and some other things I didn't recognize.

At this point, even the fridge is calling for a return.

Come on Wednesday!

I'm going to FRANCE!!

I finally found a website that isn't worthless in regards to seeing things in Lyon.

http://www.en.lyon-france.com

I encourage you all to check it out, and then help me decide what to do.

I keep having the urge to pack, but I have to tell myself, "not yet!" Ahh! And then I wonder, what should I pack?? Will we snowboard, or climb, or go dancing??? I have no idea!!

Planned Wedding? Check!

DS and I like to talk about a lot of things. Today, we discussed our ideal wedding. (Note, this is not an announcement of an engagement, as there is none.)

So here you go, a list of what we decided:

1. Not too formal, or stuffy.
2. Pretty
3. Good photographer, since we won't remember much without it
4. Open bar
5. Dancing

Ta DA!

As DS says, "Well then, our wedding is officially planned!"

And you women act like this takes time...

bah

This weekend was not my favorite weekend of all time.

Because our store closed on Thursday, I made myself forego my weekend off and went to work yesterday. It was a sad day, but I just can't afford to miss a day of work when I'm about to go to France.

I slept in today. Then I went climbing, which was cool. I missed it on Thursday, since DS forbid me to leave the house. Well, that's not really why I didn't go. No one else wanted to leave the house, and it's hard to climb by yourself, unless you boulder, which sucks. But sadly, I couldn't finish my 5.11 today. I didn't climb bad though, but I really wanted that 11.

I went to the Glass Nickel, a totally awesome pizza place. I was too poor to really enjoy it. And.. I missed my one and only tv show in the process. I would have taped it, but going out wasn't planned, just suggested in the course of the evening.

So basically, this is what I'm saying. My weekend off is over, and I basically did nothing. *sigh* I miss DS.

I did finally put something up in my store though, just a simple good luck card. And I found a crafting partner, so that's cool.

Let's be more positive, shall we? I'll be in France a week from Wednesday!

Wow that's cold!

I knew it was coming, but I'm still surprised. Our high today was 18 degrees, which hit at midnight. You heard right. The temperature has been falling since midnight, and will hit a low of -12 tonight, with a windchill of -30.

-30!!

For me, this means that the car got mad at me when I tried to start it after work. It also means that literally minutes after my heat goes off, the temperature in the apartment drops back below the setting.

For Wisconsin? They're doing some fundraiser tomorrow called the Polar Plunge. You guessed it. These crazy northerners are jumping in Lake Monona tomorrow.

-------------------------
M.T.: Remember that car that I watched die yesterday? They're trying to jump it right now. It's not really working. I'm guessing you were right about the cold making it worse.

Snow Drifts

Work was indeed called off today. I went for a ride in the car (I love all wheel drive!) to get some pictures for DS.

The wind has been blowing very hard all day, creating some really cool drifts. I've only ever seen stuff like this in mountain pictures. I think there's a word for this, but I don't know it.

Anything solid and unmoving broke the wind and created niches for itself in the snow. This one was made by an electric box outside my apartment.

Even large rocks did it.

All the snowblowers cracked me up. We have no use for snowblowers in Kentucky. There was this cute little old lady who was pushing one around her driveway, and I wanted to take her picture, but I thought older people would be more likely to yell at me. I know I'm looking forward to that part of growing old (right DS!). So I just smiled at her, waved, and drove on.

I drove by some parks to see if there were kids making snowmen, or sledding, or ice skating. There were no kids, unless they were watching their parents shovel/blow snow. I wondered why, until I got out of the car long enough to take some pictures around the apartment for DS. It's cold! I have to say, this is the first time I can really say I've thought it cold here. I like the cold, and was looking forward to some great winter, but 30 degrees just really isn't that cold. Not to me anyway. The wind, and the snow it sent flying, made my face and hands freeze very quickly, even with gloves on.

It's supposed to get even colder this weekend. That means our snow will stay! I'm excited to have winter back!

SNOW: Chapter 2

I didn't know it until late last night when I accidentally watched the news, but last night's snow was the first wave! This morning is "The Main Event". We're supposed to get 11 inches!!

And work just called and said wait to come in because we might close for the weather! I could be on the verge of my first ever work Snow Day!!

I love you Wisconsin.

UPDATE: HOLY CRAP! LIGHTNING AND THUNDER!! YES!! THE BEST SNOW EVER!

Blitz: London's Longest Night

I just finished watching a program called Blitz on PBS, about a night of bombin on the city of London by Germany during WWII. There was actual footage of buildings burning, and people who lived through the night telling their stories.

Stories like this, of pain, and overcoming, always make me sad. But I also become very proud of what it means to be human. It is a terrible paradox that I both so deeply love and so deeply hate people as a whole. One for what they bring to life, and the other for what they take away from it.

As someone who has spent 6 years studying architecture and it's historical and social importance, I couldn't help but take note of one woman's quote about the night her city burned. She lamented not only the buildings burning, but what those buildings represented to her and everyone in London. She said, "I watched the history of my city burn and disappear. Who has the right to take a people's city away, their history?"

One of the hardest parts of my profession is getting people to recognize how much the built environment means to people. It's this environment that binds the history to the people, and makes it real. A museum, while educational, can only do so much to convey what has happened. To notice that, and say "my history is burning" was such a powerful statement to me.

Beef vs. Chicken

This is a bold proclamation: chicken ramen noodles are far superior to beef ramen noodles!

I suppose this is also a proclamation that I've broken down and started eating ramen noodles again...

The good news is you know how much I love snow!!!! We've gotten inches, literally INCHES, in the last hour!! YES!!!


It may not be a New England blizzard (I'm still so jealous, btw), but I'm so so happy :) I just wish it were more like 10 inches, instead of 3-5.

Happy Valentine's Day DS

We met out of spite
Messaged you out of the blue
We talked every night

You came to see me
Reached for my hand
I felt butterflies inside

Tired of driving
We got an apartment
We can't wait to get home

Now 1/2 my heart
Is 1/2 a world away
I can't wait until it can be whole

Olympic Inspiration

Tonight was a night full of the true Olympic spirit. The kind of stuff that feels me with so much emotion that I almost want to cry. I know a bit about this kind of athletic perseverance, having competed twice on a national level, and winning gold one of those times.

The figure skating pair finals were today. The pair expected to win, Totmiyanina & Marinin, have been recovering, psychologically, from a fall that left Totmiyanina unconscious and with a severe concussion.Tonight, they overcame their tentativeness to win Olympic gold!

Even more inspiring were Zhang and Zhang, the Chinese pair who came into the Free Skate in second place. Attempting to land the first ever quadruple Salchow throw, Zhang Dan fell, hurting her knee. Their program was stopped as she was checked by her trainer to see if she could go on. Not only did they finish their program, but the finished well enough for a silver medal!

It's moments like these that make you marvel the human body and the human mind. Not only the physical aspect of overcoming falls, but mentally as well. I know first hand that getting hurt doing something makes it that much harder to try again. It's hard to shake that fear that it will happen the same way. What if it's worse?

So, I applaud these skaters and their well-deserved Olympic glory.

Of course, along with this is a recognition of your limits. Zhang checked in with her trainer before continuing her performance. And today, Michelle Kwan withdrew from competition after falling in practice the day before. I love Kwan, and have followed her throughout her career. It's sad to know that she's forgoing her last opportunity to win gold, but I respect her ability to step back and be honest about her physical state. It's one thing to persevere, another to damage yourself permanently.

-------------------------
After watching the Leno, I've discovered that I'm at least as good at snowboarding as Tom Green. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. Probably, it's bad.

To all my shorties*

Here is a Valentine for you all. I bought the Making Fiends card set last year around this time, and have decided this is my favorite.

So this is for (in no particular order): M.T., Janelle, Oscar, Bee, Monkey, Calzone, Mo, Kimberlina, Spinning Girl, BOBI, Willie, and of course my family. You guys are my loyal readers, and I love you.

--------------------------------
* I'm known for using hip slang long after it's cool. Not like I keep using it too long, but I start using it after it's gone. I'm too white for my own good...

Kicking butt!

BAM! Take that climbing wall!!

So Thursday, I had an amazing day at the climbing gym. I didn't talk about it because, well, most of you guys have no idea what I'm talking about, and that's no fun. But let me elucidate. I'm sure I've mentioned that climbing has ranks of hardness. Most people start around 5.6 or 5.7, which is not much harder than climbing a ladder. Once you reach 5.10, there are degrees within, like 10a, through 10d. Similar steps happen the harder you go, and I think the hardest is what? 5.15? You'd have to ask DS. You can finish a climb, and you can "clean" a climb, which means you make it to the top without falling.

Thursday, I managed to clean every climb I'd been having trouble with. This is a great accomplishment! DS, trying to give me perspective, warned me that he will have amazing days as well, only to not be so hot the next time he goes. I went to today prepared to be my average self.

I was wrong!

Today, I finished a 5.11!!!! And really, there was only one hold on the whole thing that gave me trouble, after that, easy street!

So with mucho gusto, I say, TAKE THAT CLIMBING WALL!!

(*DS - Here is yet another reason why you need to come.. I can't even call you to tell you)

Oh, and pleasant surprise! I forgot to watch Charmed two weeks in a row, only to tune in today and discover it hadn't been on. Hoorah!

Not as cool as the one below:

Jessica -- [noun]: A real life muppet 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

YES!

You Are Speed Skating

You're motivated, aggressive, and willing to work hard to win. You have what it takes to be hell on skates!

What Winter Sport Are You?

Woo-HOO!! I have actually been thinking for a while that I would like to get into speed skating. This is a direct result of my recent ice skating experience, where I found a sign that announced I was skating on the official Wisconsin Olympic Speed-Skating track. Apparently, this state is known for spitting out speed skaters. We have a lot of medals.

And so I got to thinking.. I can skate in an oval. At least, I stand a much better chance of doing that than my other dream of being an Olympic Figure Skater.

So if any of you trainers out there want to be my personal coach, I'd be happy to pay you with big smiles, a little flirty, maybe some brownies, and recognition when I win my gold medal 4 years from now.

---------------------
For those of you in suspense, DS found me not too long after I posted that. But it was also minutes before I went to work, and I didn't have time to update. Turns out he just went home from work (as it was 6pm there), stopped to get groceries, and then came to see if I were up yet. I have requested that he leave me a note next time so I don't think he's dead.

Hello?

I've lost my boyfriend.

During this excursion of his, he has unfailingly been there every morning when I wake up, waiting to talk to me online. I tell myself this has nothing to do with the 7 hour time difference that means he's always at work, which always involves a computer, when I wake up.

Today he is not there... No e-mail, no message. Just not there.

Is he okay? Did he skip work?

I suppose I will have to go one day without him.

Pretty Much Done

Well, it took most of the day, but I have the site up and running. There aren't actual items for sale there yet, but the layout is finished. At least until I learn more about programming and can make it more unique and pretty.

New Adventure

I had planned to do DS's taxes today, but I've realized that he has more investments than I thought, and am still waiting on two tax things. Makes me feel rather inept finacially by comparison.

Monday wasn't so bad really. It was yesterday that dragged. Even with sleeping in yesterday morning, I was still sleepy, and stiff. The day seemed to go on forever, even though it was much shorter than the one before.

So, I slept in today too. Why not? It's my day off, I can do that.

And now for some exciting news. I have been trying to leach off others for a while now, looking for friends who have webspace, sell their stuff, etc, and trying to get them to sell mine. I wasn't planning to do much of this on a regular basis, and webspace can be expensive. However, I've finally decided to bite the bullet and go for it. I have set up house at one sleepgoblin.com. There isn't much there as of yet. I mean, I'm still finishing Christmas ornaments. *sigh* But, now I have incentive! Tomorrow, I'm buying my seller's permit!

This is not to say that I don't still want to work with those of you I've spoken to about this. However, I've decided that I want a place where I can be in control. I do still think that networking, and working together, provides the best chances for success in the craft business, as it gives people more options, and more reason to keep checking back with your store. This also means that I'm open to discussing working with other crafters that would like to get their stuff out there.

So stay tuned for a Sleep Goblin Crafts store!

Don't Answer!

My phone rang about 5 min before my alarm was supposed to sound. It was set at a reasonable 9:30 am. I didn't have to be up, so snooze was a valid option, but if I felt saucy, I could get some things done. Normal things, like a shower, and laundry, before going to work at 1.

Alas, the call was work. Someone called in this morning, making them 1 short of the required 2 people needed to open the store. I pulled a double duty today. That's 11 hours. Open to close. There are some things about management that are not so great.

This is why I'm tired. This is why I'm just now finishing my papaw's 80th birthday card. (Did you know Winnie the Pooh turns 80 this year? It made for a fun card.) This is why I am now going to bed, and looking forward to sleeping in for real tomorrow.

And if my phone rings.. I'm not answering.

Edit:--------------------------------------------------

Monkey asked to see the card, so here it is. I apologize for the blurriness. My new camera doesn't have a macro mode. :(

It says "It looks like you and Winnie-the-Pooh have more in common that a love of sweets..." Followed by a quilled Pooh holding a honey jar, and a hershey kiss. Inside, it says "You're both turning 80!" etc.

Taxes

I just spent many many hours doing my taxes. Normally, I can do them in about 20 minutes, but today, this was not the case. There are several reasons:

• I had to file partial-year resident forms for both Kentucky and Wisconsin
• I initially filled out a 1040A form
• Only to remember that I now have a business that requires the 1040 form with a Schedule C form
• And of course I remember this after doing Kentucky taxes too, and therefore had to start over.

You can bet I'm really looking forward to doing DS's while he's gone... Though honestly, his are probably much easier, even with his IRA stuff.

Conundrum

Pre-post warning: This may sound weird for someone who professes not to like heat.

Today, the sun is out, and it is a beautiful day. I hate it. This is why.

When I look at my window, I see a cloudless sky, and a bright sun. I think to myself, wow, it must be warm out there.

Wrong!

It's freezing balls out there. It's currently 26 degrees. Feels like 19, as in, the wind is blowing hard enough to make your eyes water in a very uncomfortable way.

I think it should be some kind of law that the sun is not allowed to appear so warm and inviting unless it's at least 40 degrees outside. Also, if it's going to be cold, it should just be cold, and not be all wishy washy about it. I'd like the ice rinks to open back up before April.

Life Aquatic, etc.

I just finished watching The Life Aquatic for the second time. Wow. I love that movie. I cannot stress this enough. I have been wanting to watch it for ever so long, because it seemed similar to the Royal Tenanbaums, and I enjoyed that one. DS, however, always used his veto power (which we each have) when we took our Blockbuster trips.

In his absence, I can catch up on my vetoed choices. This one I borrowed from a friend, and have threatened to never return. It is, by far, the best movie I have seen in a very long time. It's so complicated, so emotional, so real inside such a very unreal exterior. The imagery is beautiful, the acting superb, and the music.. awesome. The inclusion of Sigur Ros as the jaguar shark comes into view.. I actually cried. Not out of sadness. Beautiful things make me cry too.

So if you haven't seen this movie yet, and you have a bit of an imagination, I highly recommend it.

While I was watching the movie, I did the following:

1) Let my hair dry without brushing it, so the curls would stay. (What, you didn't realize my hair was, kinda, naturally curly? They come out easily with a brush, and are hidden by a layer of very straight hair on top. I could easily curl the whole mess of it everyday if I wanted, but I'm too lazy.)

2) Quilled 30 penguin bodies. That's one step closer to having 30 penguin ornaments finished. The really sad thing is that I had made all of the bottom parts already, but had forgotten to put in the white stomachs. I don't know where my brain was that night, but I had to start over. I'm hoping I'll find another use for so many black circles later.

On a completely unrelated note, DS went snowboarding in the Alps today. He has a picture on his blog.

Alabama through Massachusetts

I'm still working on my list/map of the accredited zoos in the U.S. I've made it through Massachusetts so far, and currently have a total of 66 zoos. This number includes one zoo that we've been to, the Lincoln Park Zoo.

This may be more of a challenge than we originally anticipated.

On the bright side, DS's friends are tentatively planning a climbing trip for after he gets back, and there's a zoo from my list where they're going. It's a slim chance, but if I have the money to go, we can scratch another one off the list!

Now, on to my to-do list for the day, which includes running and making penguins (yeah, I'm still working on them.. sorry).

Tagged by Janelle

Five Things
I was tagged by Janelle.

Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot.

1) jayfish
2) corndog
3)Marginal Utility
4) Just Thoughts
5) Adventures in Kicking People

Next, select five people to tag.

1) Moral Turpitude
2) Kimberly
3) Monica
4) Dad (You need to update anyway)
5) Calzone

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Finishing my first year of high school, and being disappointed that the cheerleader stereotype holds up much more in high school than in middle school.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Finishing grad school, and mostly hating it.

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. popcorn (from the stove)
2. ice cream
3. pistachios
4. goldfish
5. cheese

Five songs you know all the words to:
1. "Am I the Only One" by Barenaked Ladies
2. "Such Great Heights" by Iron and Wine
3. "Spanish Doll" by Poe
4. "Kid A" by Radiohead
5. "Cars and Guitars" by Tori Amos

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Build a house that DS can climb. (It's a dream of his)
2. See the world.
3. Take Amtrak somewhere
4. Put a library in my house.
5. Give more to charity.

Five bad habits:
1. Procrastination
2. Underestimate myself
3. Complaining
4. Snacking too much
5. Being picky

Five things you enjoy doing:
1. Painting
2. Singing
3. Reading
4. Playing piano
5. Being with DS

Five things you would never wear again:
1. Fleece (except my jacket liner)
2. Thongs
3. Mini skirts
4. Pointy toed shoes
5. Halter tops

Five favorite toys:
1. My computer
2. The climbing gym
3. Crossword puzzle books
4. My dvd player
5. My cell phone

My Trip

So, a lot of people have been asking about my upcoming trip to France. For starters, he's staying in Lyon, where he's doing much the same thing he would have done here, except he's "building a relationship" with the university there. His advisor wants to set up a collaboration with them. DS is the guinea pig.

*Side Note: I just told the computer to "learn" DS as a word, so it will stop telling me it's spelled wrong. I find that quite funny.

Anyway, we originally intended to spend the weekend in Paris. However, there are some major problems with this plan, the most significant being money. The train tickets from Lyon to Paris, pretty much from one side of the country to the other, are much more expensive than we originally realized. The extra money we thought we'd be saving by having him there (less gas, that sort of thing) isn't really panning out due to my recent pay drop from getting health insurance (worth it no doubt). Not to mention that once we'd get there, we'd need somewhere to stay.

Now, that's not to say that we're definitely not going. Just that it doesn't look like it right now. I would love to, but I think I'll live if we don't make it. After all, I'm still a poor almost-student, who is still paying off loans and looking for a career, as opposed to a job. He's not even done with school yet. We both plan to be world travellers once we get this school stuff behind us. So not going now isn't a life sentence, and I know that.

I do have money saved up for my time in Lyon, so we'll at least be able to see the sights. I'm just not sure it'll be enough for this cross-country trip. Though who knows, maybe one of our mothers will help us out. I'm certainly not above begging ;)

Remember when I alluded to hurting myself when I went ice skating? Well, to be more specific, new ice skates are stiff leather boots. Once broken in, they'll bend just enough at the ankle to move with you, but protect you. Brand new, they cut into your skin. Had I researched the best way to break in skates before actually skating, I might have known it's not recommended to lace them up all the way while the leather is softening. But of course, I didn't do this, and now have a 2 inch long indention on my ankle. I thought it was way cool at first, like a battle wound (I'm a romantic, what can I say). However, now, it just iches, and hurts when the skin stretches.

Lesson? 1) Read about things you're not used to, like professional ice skates, before jumping on the ice. 2) Use the Neosporin and lotion you carry around everywhere, you fool! Jeez!