ANON

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T06:40:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for my life...

thankful for my husband and son for being my chosen family

thankful for our extended family who will travel today to visit us in our new house

thankful for family who has to work or who are celebrating elsewhere today (love you guys too)

thankful for wonderful friends

thankful for health and happiness

thankful for good food and a warm house

thankful for a beautiful park nearby where we can walk

thankful for my education (thanks, mom!) and opportunities

thankful.

good news

2008-11-08T10:09:00.000-08:00

My blood pressure was good when I went to the doctor yesterday. After four months of not eating as well as I intended to, not exercising as much as I should have (but I did carry a lot of boxes of books up and down stairs for three weeks!), and being super stressed about house purchasing and house owning and house repairing, my blood pressure was completely normal at my appointment. Like 120/78 normal! Not 130/85, not so bad. Not 140/90 or 140/100 scary but still first level hypertension.

I guess deciding to let stuff go and carrying boxes of books was all I needed. Plus, breastfeeding. I think I've lost a few pounds from feeding the little (twenty pound) guy.

So, no medication for me and I can just keep trying to lower the salt in my diet and lose the rest of the baby weight in order to get even healthier. No meds!!! Yay!

Yes We Can!

2008-11-05T06:35:00.001-08:00

Obama Day!

Prop 8 is tainting this wonderful day for me, but I am full of hope.

week of suck

2008-11-04T15:55:00.000-08:00

Being a renter sucks

Being a homeowner sucks

Being an adult...is full of challenges.

house!

2008-10-17T11:53:00.001-07:00

Just waiting for the deed to record and the keys!

stress

2008-10-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

From experience, I can say house-buying is more stressful than:

Organic Chemistry
The California Bar Exam
Childbirth

*all put together* (okay, maybe not all put together)

Whew! We're in the home stretch though....

self-centered? who, me?

2008-08-26T13:35:00.001-07:00

You Belong in the Baby Boomer Generation

You fit in best with people born between 1943 and 1960.

You are optimistic, rebellious, and even a little self centered.

You still believe that you will change the world.

You detest authority and rules. Deep down, you're a non conformist.

What Generation Do You Belong In?

Wordle

2008-07-31T10:54:00.000-07:00

wordle

almost a month

2008-07-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

of almost no sugar

and

almost no cheese

and

I've lost a couple of pounds! With very little exercise, because I've not been walking to the park much at all. And results anyway!!! Yay! My blood pressure is moderate. Not good yet. Not back to normal. But not crazy high either. So a more restrained good job, me.

The no sugar (or very little) thing is not as hard as the last time I tried it. That was a year or so ago and I wasn't really very motivated, no health issues or anything, just doing it on a whim. I guess when it matters, I have will-power. Go figure.

today...

2008-07-10T12:30:00.001-07:00

Babyzone says I'm 57 weeks pregnant. Hee.

Home!!!

2008-07-07T12:16:00.000-07:00

Our Beta is home. WHEW!

Beta

2008-07-05T20:04:00.001-07:00

All I can think about is our lost cat. She got out two days ago and we haven't seen her since. I am worried. She is the sweetest cat and not equipped to live outside.

Day One

2008-07-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

Reduced Salt
Reduced Sugar
Walking to the Park

...done!

One day down. Tomorrow, keep up the good work during a holiday!

Liam's Big Week

2008-07-02T16:03:00.000-07:00

Liam rolled over for the first time today! Besides that, he's gotten even more grabby. He grabs toys (on purpose) and my clothes. He loves to grab cloth and pull it up over his head. He also discovered his feet this week. And he laughed on his own; I wasn't laughing (I was yawning) and he just laughed!

Yay!!!

He's also fifteen pounds. More than twice his birth weight. He's huge!

Three Months

2008-07-01T12:55:00.000-07:00

Three months as in...

The adorable munchkin is three months old.

But also:

I have three months to lose weight and lower my blood pressure, which was never high before I was pregnant, or my doctor is putting me on medication. She wanted to put me on meds today, but I promised to start charting my blood pressure every day and exercising more and eating better. Since the fires are making the air unhealthy, I cut back on walking. My doc said to go walk at the mall. Is the air any better there?

new pics

2008-06-10T11:50:00.001-07:00

Pics

2008-03-27T10:46:00.001-07:00

He's here and we're home!

2008-03-25T00:18:00.001-07:00

Our adorable baby arrived the morning of March 20th and we are all happy to be home today. Pictures coming!

Pi Day!

2008-03-14T12:32:00.000-07:00

The baby's EDD is tomorrow. (The counter is wrong...Leap Day error, I think.)

It will probably be another week or two until he is actually here, though.

Still on bed rest. Also, I am sick. Good times.

Ha ha ha ha ha

2008-03-12T11:23:00.000-07:00

Still no bebe

2008-03-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

but his hospital bag is packed!

I am the Knitting MacGyver

2008-03-05T17:45:00.000-08:00

So I was out and about (at the hospital, before they put me back on bedrest) yesterday, with a cable knit hat project, but without a cable needle! Or even a double pointed needle, which I usually use. So I used a pair of sunglasses to do the cable knit rows.

And it worked. Kick-@$$!

My husband then said I was the knitting macgyver, a name I LOVE.

A Surprise Baby Shower! Awwww.

2008-03-05T08:32:00.000-08:00

Learner's coworkers are the best. They threw a surprise baby shower (during yesterday's lunch hour while Learner was in the middle of a jury trial) for us! I wasn't there, but people made sure Learner came home with cake for me as well as a bunch of cute presents and a hand knit baby hat!

I've never gotten a hand knit gift, and I don't think I could have made one this cute if I tried.

Yay!

Now, how do you send a thank you note to a whole office?

Knit Sweater Master

2008-03-03T18:30:00.000-08:00

I knit another sleeveless sweater. It is cute. It will fit when I get my body back. Yay! Plus, I knit it up faster than the last one. I'm getting better!

There are one or two small changes I want to make...for the next sweater, I guess. Then, maybe I'll go back to hats and scarves for a bit.

Leap Day!

2008-02-29T06:11:00.000-08:00

Okay, it's not looking like the baby will arrive today....

Still, Happy Leap Day, everyone! We won't get another one of these for a while.

My mom sent me this...

2008-02-28T12:17:00.001-08:00

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination are omnipotent. Calvin Coolidge

From what I remember growing up, my mom has valued education and persistence more than other goods and traits. Consequently, I have valued them too. Of course, sometimes you are on the wrong track, and persistence starts to look like "staying the course" no matter how wrong your direction. I can think of times when realizing I was going the wrong way and turning back was not only the right thing to do, but I was thankful that I realized I should stop and reassess my direction early enough to fix the problem.

I have always been a fan of Aristotle's golden mean.

You heard it here first...

2008-02-24T13:50:00.000-08:00

Ralph Nader is secretly a Republican.

Tee hee hee

2008-02-20T13:22:00.000-08:00

I actually had a lovely Valentine's Day, because my husband is quite the sweetheart, but I came across this picture and it made both of us laugh.

Bwahahaha!

Old TV

2008-02-20T09:44:00.000-08:00

Mama's Family. Currently on one of our six channels, in reruns of course. It occurs to me that I am most like their dippy neighbor Iola because she makes crafty items like crochet/knit tea cozies. Which are hated and mocked by the complete losers that make up Mama's family. Oy.

Except the stuff that I knit and give away is pretty. Right? Right???

I mean, the experimental, ugly stuff I keep to myself. Like my very first sweater. I'm wearing it now, but it's not like I'd inflict it on someone else. My friends and family are very patient, but even I don't want to wear this thing out of the house.

Okay then...

Dream World

2008-02-19T15:57:00.001-08:00

Does anyone else have places that they visit in dreams, over and over again? I have a fake three floor middle school that I go to every so often, a huge loft with exposed brick where I spend time, an "Alaska" that isn't anything like the real Alaska, an old "San Francisco" that isn't like real San Fran, back-stage at some theater, and probably other places too.

I also dream, every so often, that I have papers to write or I won't graduate from school. I've been out of school for five years.

Getting Old

2008-02-19T15:40:00.001-08:00

So...My So-Called Life ran when I was a senior in high school. I can't say that I was anything like Angela, but at least back then, I identified with the kids in the series. Now I identify with the parents. They look so young! Plus: they take ballroom dance lessons in one episode--I so want to try that! And then they get audited by the IRS, which might be my biggest fear. Don't ask me why I fear the IRS. And they have a huge house. I covet their house.

Sweater is done...kind of

2008-02-18T10:20:00.000-08:00

My very first knit sweater is finished, unless I decide to add sleeves. But it's kind of cool without them. I'm not sure I'll be able to wear it much either way because it fits NOW. I am thinking of starting another sweater that will fit after I lose the baby weight...and for that sweater, I could go all out and do sleeves.

Lincoln was gay?!

2008-02-18T09:40:00.000-08:00

Did anyone else hear this on NPR over the weekend (or was it last week)?

I know they end up saying "no one really knows," but come on, people.

Anyone?

The plan so far....

2008-02-17T11:15:00.000-08:00

Cloth diapers seem like a good idea, but I'm not sure we can pull them off as renters. Maybe for the next kid. Or maybe we could switch after buying a house. Hmmm....

On the other hand, baby-carrying, co-sleeping, breast-feeding, no TV, making our own baby-food, and teaching the baby to sign are all on the list of things we hope to do (or not do).

I think I know about five or six ASL signs already. Signing is really fun.

2008-02-11T09:07:00.000-08:00

Sum up life in six words?

I guess for today, "baby due in thirty-two days" works.

35 Down, 35 To Go!

2008-02-08T10:38:00.000-08:00

35 weeks down, that is. Only 35 days to go! Woo hoo!

Pregnancy makes you forget stuff...

2008-02-06T12:08:00.000-08:00

No kidding.

Vote!

2008-01-31T16:37:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know it's not until next week, unless you are voting absentee like I (almost) always do. The one time I voted in person it was raining and I stepped in a puddle on the way there. Voting absentee rocks, people.

T-46

2008-01-28T13:16:00.000-08:00

Although the official countdown (to forty weeks) says six and a half weeks to go, the baby *could* be here (and healthy) in just three and a half weeks. Wow.

Bed Rest

2008-01-26T16:53:00.000-08:00

I am working on a knit sweater. Our baby-shower will be put off until after the baby is here.

2008-01-24T15:32:00.000-08:00

The weakness in me

Show some emotion

Love and affection

Me, myself and I

Drop the pilot

Living for you

Willow

Rosie

I think my mom played Joan Armatrading to me when I was in the womb. I just love these songs. Yeah, some of the the videos suck.

"Free" Time

2008-01-20T13:48:00.000-08:00

I am on bed rest. I am still adjusting to the news. I feel fine, so it's strange to have to stay in bed all the time.

On the positive side, I have been reading a lot. Just finished The Jane Austen Book Club, which a friend read and left with me last weekend. Half-way through Mommy Wars. Perhaps I will finally knit a sweater.

tgif?

2008-01-18T20:20:00.000-08:00

So I spent six hours at the hospital while they ran tests. It wasn't that bad. Most of the time, I got to chit chat with some really nice ladies I will be seeing twice a week for a while. Plus, it was all in a comfortable bed. How can you beat that?

mommy wars

2008-01-17T09:48:00.000-08:00

The book is a set of essays by working moms, stay at home moms, and hybrid moms on their career and parenting choices. It's kind of fantastic.

T-59

2008-01-16T15:59:00.000-08:00

Counting down!

Awesome people I am lucky to know

2008-01-08T13:45:00.000-08:00

My husband is awesome and spent the last week protecting me and also saving the world. And he still managed to find time for some boring chores too.

My sister spent the weekend saving the world as well.

I guess with the storms and everything, there was a lot of world saving to do.

My mom is awesome and I need to get her something really good for her birthday.

84% like who?

2008-01-07T13:23:00.001-08:00

84% Chris Dodd
82% Hillary Clinton
82% Barack Obama
80% John Edwards
80% Bill Richardson
69% Joe Biden
66% Mike Gravel
65% Dennis Kucinich
42% Rudy Giuliani
38% Tom Tancredo
34% Mitt Romney
31% John McCain
25% Mike Huckabee
23% Fred Thompson
15% Ron Paul

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

I checked out Chris Dodd and I guess my candidate has already thrown in the towel. That's just great.

In other news, no wonder I've been so torn between Clinton and Obama.

Sunshine versus Rainbows...hee!

2008-01-04T09:47:00.001-08:00

Debate on "The Poop"

I [heart] Hillary

2008-01-03T20:56:00.000-08:00

I think Hillary Clinton should start a "I [heart] Hillary" campaign, like the "I [heart] NY" campaign that helped make more people like New York City. After all, she's the senator from NY.

Not that I don't like Barack Obama. Congrats to him tonight.

ETA: Of course, perhaps there is a potential problem with that "I heart Huckabees" movie.

2008!

2008-01-01T17:59:00.001-08:00

Woo! Learner and I had a great New Year's Eve and I am looking forward to so much in 2008!

ETA: Now, besides feeling the baby kick, we can see him kick too! It's weird, but good.

food issues

2007-12-29T10:20:00.000-08:00

new book

I can't remember where I first heard the idea that most of what we eat today isn't really food, but the idea really struck a chord with me.

2007 Pretty Much Rocked

2007-12-19T08:25:00.001-08:00

Getting engaged. Getting married. Finding out we're pregnant. Feeling the baby kick. Learning to cable knit. Experimenting in the kitchen. Taking a first responder class at the local fire station. A good year.

Ever hate a seemingly harmless slang word?

2007-12-11T08:16:00.001-08:00

I hate the word "preggo." That is all.

cooking up a storm

2007-12-10T12:33:00.000-08:00

A slow storm. I bought a Crock Pot recently and am having fun experimenting with some simple recipies. Yesterday I made veggie chili. Today I am making potato corn soup. I *love* that I can start cooking and then leave the house to run errands. Woo!

Cable Knit Hat--Update!

2007-12-09T15:19:00.000-08:00

I was at REI recently and saw the *exact same* hat that I knit by hand on sale...the only difference was a small strip of felt lining and a Northface label.

You Tube

2007-12-05T09:02:00.001-08:00

see here

Holiday Lights!

2007-12-01T21:46:00.000-08:00

Learner and I drove around this evening looking at Christmas lights that are already up decorating tons of houses and front lawns in our area. It was so much fun!

Happy Side Dish Day! (one day ahead)

2007-11-21T09:59:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone who lurks, but never posts to my blog.

Happy Thanksgiving! I don't eat Turkey or Tofurkey, but I love most of the side dishes. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, peas, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, YUM.

Plus, I am feeling so happy and thankful at the moment for...my mom who organized a huge wedding reception for Learner and myself, two months after we ran off and got married. There are plenty of other things too: Craigslist, where I just got a fantastic glider/rocking chair; my husband for being sweet, friends and family for being themselves; Trader Joes for being kick-ass; the internet; and more and more the more I think about it.

Have a great day, everyone!

Soooo close

2007-11-12T15:24:00.000-08:00

Learner and I are so close to being all moved and settled into our new place. Whew!

De-clutter-o-rama

2007-10-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

Well, I have donated four boxes of books and a dining room table and chair set, and thrown away and recycled as much as possible, including giving away my TV and DVD player (a 5 changer one) and TV stand, and my only regrets are things I still have in the house!

Don't trust anyone over 30...

2007-10-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

Is it *over* thirty? Because I'm thirty today! Yay!

ETA: A certain sweetheart sent me beautiful, surprise pink lilies. I'll post a picture when I can.

Donate!

2007-09-24T16:07:00.001-07:00

I am donating a bunch of textbooks to our local juvenile hall. Yay! I get to stop lugging them around and worrying about where to put them. Even better, donating them should mean someone will be reading them! I never even open these books, which range from pre-high school all the way through law school.

De-Clutter!!!

2007-09-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

We're about to move to an as-yet undiscovered but fabulous new apartment, so I am decluttering an entire house in preparation. Yesterday, it was kind of overwhelming. Today, I am sugarated and shredding old correspondence already!

Surprise!

2007-09-13T13:33:00.001-07:00

Shhhhhhhh

2007-09-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

dun dun duuuun

We're moving!

2007-09-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

Learner got a new job. We're moving!

Naked Barbie Dolls

2007-09-03T12:44:00.001-07:00

My favorite local band, the Naked Barbie Dolls, played a free gig at the Starry Plow in Berkeley yesterday. And they dedicated a song to me! That's a first.

Worn Out

2007-08-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's the heat (106! Again!) or maybe I'm getting old, but going to classes, lugging around heavy books in the hot sun, and studying has been completely exhausting.

Maybe I should drop my classes and take some different ones, like art, or Spanish, or English.

Seriously, I only have until Tuesday to return $450 in books for a refund if I'm not going to stick out this semester. Plus, someone else might still be able to take my slot in micro (which turned people away)....

Of course, maybe I just need some more protein in my diet. I've been really lazy about cooking lately and I don't have a lot of instant protein foods.

Buried in work...already

2007-08-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

I studied too much for micro this week (two quizzes already!) and not enough for anatomy (one quiz). I don't know how I'm going to do all this work. I think I will get a study group together, though.

Anatomy

2007-08-28T15:49:00.001-07:00

Very cool teacher. Fun lab. This semester is clearly going to be a lot of work.

Microbiology 101

2007-08-27T16:57:00.000-07:00

I started fall classes today and micro was great! I have missed science classes and labs. Of course, I have a lot of old chemistry and math and stuff to review. But I liked my classes today.

Anatomy tomorrow. Woo hoo.

I'm back, baby!

2007-08-23T10:08:00.001-07:00

I've been locked out of my blog. I know, very sad. But I'll start posting again...

Now.

Best. Fracking. Episode. Ever!

2007-03-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

Do not read if you are a BG fan who has not yet seen the season finale!
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Kara's alive!
The final five!
I've seen Earth...!
And some legal drama that was professionally interesting for me as a trial attorney...who knows a lot of other trial attorneys....

Two and a Half Weeks

2007-03-18T21:46:00.000-07:00

Well, the living apart from my fiance arrangement has been old for about...the entire eight months we've been separated during the week...and I finally decided to quit my job to come home. I'll miss the job, but not quite as much as I miss my fiance.

Wish me luck! I gave three weeks notice, but I've got a ton to do before I leave.

Engaged

2007-01-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

Learner and I are engaged. Whew! It's hard to concentrate on anything else.

No Sugar...48 hours

2007-01-16T15:45:00.000-08:00

I recently read a book about the evils of sugar and decided to cut back. It's only been a couple of days, but it's pretty tough not having any sugar. I had a small glass of orange juice yesterday morning and no sugar since then...or at least, no refined white or brown sugar, no refined white flour, no honey, no hot coco, etc. My book says that the cereal and milk I had was full of sugar. (This is NOT cereal where sugar is a main ingredient...just regular cereal.)

Sick

2007-01-08T16:54:00.000-08:00

I hate being sick. I hate missing work. Grrr. Hope all of you are well.

No quitting the band, people!

2006-11-12T14:22:00.000-08:00

So I have been at the new job for three months. I love my clients. I have done at least eight trials. I am not so much loving having a long distance relationship and covering an extra day in court for more than a month so far because we have an attorney out on sick leave. She was supposed to be out for one month...which has already come and gone...but it will be another month or more before we get back to normal. Normal is busy enough, believe me. Grrr....

So this will probably be my one post for the next three months...unless I spend Thanksgiving on the computer at my parents' house. :)

Hope all is well with you guys, if I have any readers left.

Life so far...

2006-08-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

The job is going okay so far. Interesting work and nice co-workers.

It's very hard being back home only two days a week. I've put over 1000 miles on my car in two weeks. If I keep up at this rate, that will be 26,000 miles for the first year. But Learner has been very supportive. And my family and Learner's friends in the new city have been great.

I would say I'm still deciding about this change. But I'm cautiously optimistic.

Prius

2006-07-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

I bought a Prius. Woo woo!

New Job, New Place, New Car

2006-07-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

I am about to buy my first car ever, move to a new city, and start a new job. Believe it or not, I also have even bigger fish to fry. Secret fish.

I have a lot on my mind.

So much for 13.1

2006-07-27T03:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been holding out hope of running this Sunday.

Our goal was to run the half marathon in San Francisco. On the way, my knee got messed up, Learner got heat exhaustion, and we got way off our training schedule. (That's a lot of "gots.") But I was still hoping to go out and see what I could do. I went to the gym two days ago and ran/walked (because of knee pain) four and a half miles. Not really long enough or fast enough to finish the half marathon in the (pretty generous) time limit. I didn't push myself to the absolute limit, of course. I had time constraints and I am being careful about my knee. I wasn't wearing my knee brace. But, still, it's pretty clear that it would be a large challenge to try to finish the 13.1 miles, and even more of a challenge to finish it within the time required. So that's one issue.

The bigger issue is this: we have something more important to do on Sunday now. Learner wants to visit his brother and it might be the last chance for a long time.

So this is it: the death of 13.1. But I think I am becoming a runner. I have never been a runner before, and I like it so much, I don't want to jeopardize my ability to run by pushing my knee injury into an even more serious problem. I think becoming a runner (of a few miles, a few times a week) is pretty cool, whether I can race this week or not.

Stressors

2006-07-27T02:14:00.000-07:00

I read an article about life stressors that listed both good and bad events as incidents which add to the baseline of stress to a person's life (or a family's life). So, getting married is up there with losing a job. Moving to a new house counts just like the death of a pet. I think there is an implication that the number of stressors is more important than the type, so getting married, starting a new job, moving to a new house, getting a pet, having a child, and whatever else good that might happen to a person would be more overwhelming than just one bad event.

I'm not sure that the good and bad should count equally, but I am starting to think that a large number of life changes can be very stressful. Not like I'm about to have a kid or anything. :)

What do you guys think?

Knitting Update: Starting Over

2006-07-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

I made a mistake and then couldn't figure out how to fix it, so...I'm starting over. Tomorrow. Grrr. The ribbing and the beginning sweater were going well.

New Job

2006-07-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

I was just offered a new job. It will involve relocation/a long commute, long hours, and low pay. On the other hand, it will be representing clients that I love to represent, training opportunities, and stable, full-time work.

Wish me luck.

Knitting Update: I'm making a sweater!

2006-07-24T21:50:00.001-07:00

Yes, it was at least 111 degrees today, and yet I am excited about knitting a sweater. So far I have knitted half an inch of ribbing. I am very proud. I am taking my first ever knitting class---Learner signed me up for intermediate knitting---and I just don't know whether I would have done this on my own. On my own, I have made a shawl, some nice scarves, and a couple of hats. During the next four weeks of this class, I will knit a toddler sweater. In lavender. It's going pretty well so far. I love having a teacher there to fix mistakes and show me how to purl properly. (I guess I didn't manage to teach myself purling all that well---even though I thought I was doing it correctly.)

So, sweater time! I have to get back to my ribbing.

Wedding News

2006-07-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

I loved my sister's wedding.

To start, her dress was beautiful. Next, City Hall in San Francisco turned out to be a fantastic place for the ceremony. While I had no idea what to expect, all of the details were touching, laid-back, and fun. The civil ceremony included simple, meaningful vows. The groom's two sons were the official witnesses--I didn't know you could have witnesses who are under eighteen years of age!

Dinner was wonderful. I didn't take the limo to dinner, but I heard the limo was lots of fun. Our family has a lot of kids and all of the ones at the ceremony and later at dinner were well-behaved. My sister and her husband picked out wonderful almond champagne for dinner. (They also provided red and white wine.)

Then, a smaller group of us (those without kids) headed over to jazz at Yoshi's. My parents love Yoshi's, so I've been there for jazz before, but I found out Friday that my new brother-in-law did the acoustics for Yoshi's, so he's got the inside track. We had great tables reserved for our whole group and we stayed for the second show of the night too. (You can always do that if they have room.)

Finally, my parents put on brunch the next morning at their house for the bride, groom, and groom's parents. It was nice to have even more time with them, particularly when we could kick back in jeans and sneakers. Of course, my sister was still wearing her wedding bling, but other than that, everyone was casual.

All in all, a wonderful weekend.

Yard Work...Manicure...Wedding!

2006-07-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

It has been a long week of tough physical labor, psychological stress, and severely limited compensation, but it is here: Friday. Oh, yeah, and my sister's wedding! I am psyched. The line-up is: ceremony at City Hall, dinner at Kincaid's, entertainment at Yoshi's. Then, brunch and errands on Saturday.

The Neverending Story: More Hard Yard Work

2006-07-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

Learner's mom has been staying with us since Saturday. There is a ton of yard work that needs to be done and that is why she came. Of course, it's so hot here that we have to start working early every morning and work until we just can't stay out in the sun anymore. She's planning to come back next week for another five days and maybe the next week after that.

I can't believe we're not done yet. We've weed-whacked, weed-pulled, cut, and raked enough weeds and branches to fill up our huge green bin for yard waste probably five times over. Maybe six. There's still more to do.

It feels good to work out in the yard, though, It's good exercise.

Hard A** Yard Work

2006-07-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

I'm weed-whacking and raking out in the back yard in 87 degree heat. It's only 9 am and it's already 87 degrees. Of course, it's only 9 am and I've already done a ton of work. So I think it's been a good day.

My Sister's Wedding: T minus six days

2006-07-15T16:38:00.000-07:00

My sister is getting married this coming Friday. Woo!

14 Years, 5 Months, 13 Days

2006-07-10T19:54:00.000-07:00

14 years, 5 months, 12 days excluding the end date

Alternative time units
5278 days can be converted to one of these units:
456,019,200 seconds
7,600,320 minutes
126,672 hours
754 weeks

Walking Update: Knee Problems

2006-07-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

Today is one week after my run with major knee problems. I walked three miles. I thought the 100+ degree heat would be the problem. Unfortunately, my knee bothered me more than the heat. Damn.

Friends are the jelly in the peanut butter of life.

2006-07-08T19:24:00.000-07:00

That would be my paraphrase of an old Peanuts comic. I was just talking to one of my oldest friends about what's going on with her life and what's going on with my life. It had been a while since we caught up and the last I talked to her, everything at her job was going well. The situation has changed...drastically. Even though I couldn't really help her, I could listen and sympathize, just like she always does for me. Still, it brings me down a little bit when my friends (and family) are going through tough times, and I wish I could do more.

Running Update: Major Knee Problems

2006-07-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning we ran. My knees do okay on dirt and pavement but asphalt and gravel are another story. I'm recovering from some major pain now. Here's hoping I can run/speedwalk the half marathon at the end of this month.

My Poor Baby

2006-06-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

Learner had surgery scheduled yesterday. Then he was groggy. This morning, he was still groggy...and didn't remember anything we talked about yesterday.

The waiting room was decent, though. A bunch of nice people befriended me and complimented my knitting. I finished a hat and started a new scarf.

The highlight of my day was early on: when we arrived, the "surgery information" volunteer checked us in and asked if I was Learner's wife. When I said "no, just girlfriend," she said, "That's just as good. Sometimes better!" That made us laugh.

Heat Exhaustion

2006-06-26T16:04:00.000-07:00

Heat exhaustion is scary. We are experiencing triple digits here. Learner felt ill for half the weekend because of the combination of high temps and running.

My knee hurt too much to run. Lucky me.

If you're running, you're winning.

2006-06-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

I bought a running book and it says, if you're running, you're winning. So, I'm winning!

Boogers of the sea

2006-06-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

Learner and I went to the Arcata Oyster Festival this past weekend. (We stopped at The Sea Ranch on the way up and back.) First we stopped at a stand that had grilled oysters with garlic and butter. I tried to swallow a whole oyster...unsuccessfully. But later, I cut up a fried oyster and doused it in coctail sauce and managed to eat one bite. There are no photos of either of these incidents because they happened too quickly.

Basically, oysters are gross, y'all. But Learner had so much fun, the trip was worth it. He ate 30 oysters, I ate 1/30th of an oyster. It's all good.

Running Off the Berries

2006-06-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

4 miles this morning felt great. Must be the fueling up on chocolate dipped berries. Wooo.