Friday, February 29, 2008

One-Liners

Hi. My head is full right now. So full that I can't come up with a post, but only post titles. So here you go: all of the post titles that may have had posts attached to them if I had the rest of the week to sit here to write and subsequently figure out the last 48 hours. I will preface this list by saying that while I am not a perfect person, at least I strive to be honest.

Dogs Get it
Jonesing for Spring
Taxes: WTF?
You know what God is Thinking? Are You Delusional?
Judgment Sucks
Things You Should Never Say in a Shoe Store...
Why is it Still Cold?
Down to the Last Thread of Sanity, and You?
Road Trip, Anyone?
I Have No Intention of Being Patient
Bitchiness is Highly Overrated
I Need a Week in the Woods
Fat Cats, Farting Dogs and Why I Drink Red Wine
Baby Cages Really Are a Good Idea
Heterosexual Life Partner
Tofu-Farting Hippies
"Hi!...Hi!...Hi!"
The Weather in Bozeman
I Do Not Need New Boots!
Is It Bad When There is More Ice Cream Than Veggies in the Freezer?
Dancing in the Living Room
Why Middle-Schoolers Should Be Banned From the Coffee House
Coping Mechanism: A Pizza and a Six Pack
I Do All My Own Stunts

And finally,

At Least I'm Still Laughing

Cheers,
NC

Song of the day: Move Along by the All-American Rejcts

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Why I Love Charlie

I was up at the mountain today having my weekly ski afternoon with Charlie, the mega rock star seven-year-old wonder kid. It was just the two of us today as the volunteer list is getting a bit thin as the program winds down (next week is sadly the last week). It was snowing pretty heavily and everything was covered in thick powder, making Charlie one very happy powder-hound. I don't know what got into him, but he just had no interest in practicing turns, stopping or keeping his arms up today. The only thing he wanted to do was snowball fight. He threw snow at the instructors, the liftees, the other participants and passersby. He even pitched a few handfuls at people from his vantage point in the chair lift. There was just no stopping him.

As we were making our way down his favorite gully run, I manged to trip over my skis and fall (big surprise, right?). The ensuing conversation went like this:

"Haha! You fell!" says Charlie, who quickly flings a wet, heavy handful of snow at my neck.

"Hey now--reign in that snow throwing, okay? Let's snowball fight at the bottom of the run. Sound good?"

"But can I through snow at you when you fall down?"

I pause and think about this. "Yes. But only when I fall down and only when we're in a desiginated snow ball fighting area like the hut. Deal?"

"Deal."

I haul myself up, dust myself off and look down to see Charlie scooping a fresh handful of snow. "What's that for?"

"Oh. I'm waiting."

And then he smiled. SMILED a great big, "I know I'm super cute and there's nothing you can do about it" smile.

I love this kid.

NC

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Finding the Humor In It All

The three dogs I live with, Sage, Ike and Echo, are just that--dogs. They are furry, chew on bones, track in mud, bark at passing cars and fart with abandon. They whine to be let in, luxuriate in front of the fire and occasionally get caught with their heads in the trash bin (Echo is usually the culprit there). But every once in a while, they are much more than floppy dogs covered in mud and that's what gives me pause (pun intended).

They're not my dogs and I'm hardly a foster mommy to them. From the human perspective, I'm a babysitter; from the dog point of view, I'm a litter mate, but I do feel some sort of connection to them. I guess it's because they make me laugh even when I'm in a foul mood. Or the fact that when I come home they each jockey for my attention and obnoxious baby-talk. When I block the entrance to the rest of the house with chairs when they're wet and muddy from being outside Echo wedges his head all the way under until he is just barely past the barricade just to be closer to me. And when I'm working on the laptop Sage walks up to lay her head across the key board, just in case I hadn't noticed she was already there. They dance with me in the living room when I'm blasting the stereo, lay their heads in my lap when I'm working and if I let them, they'd share my beer with me.

These dogs, for all their silly, dusty, bone-chewing antics, have become slightly more than just my roommates dogs. They've become co-workers, workout companions, dance partners, assistant chefs, wake-up calls, jokesters, friends and sounding boards. And yes, even I am rolling my eyes at myself for my "oh-my-gosh-these-dogs-are-so-cute-and -let-me-tell-you-all-about-them" post, BUT they really are that great. And when you live in the frozen, red state of Montana and spend more time with your roommates dogs than any other humans in your life because you work from home four days a week and can't stand to be out at night because it's too cold, then yes--you do get to know and appreciate them more than you thought you would. Besides, they're cuter than most humans I know.

NC

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Spring Was a Vicious Rumor

It snowed on Monday. And by snowed, I mean that three very soggy, very heavy, very COLD inches of snow fell out the sky and landed within my line of sight. The nerve... And here I was getting ready to pull out my lightweight jacket, dust off the old sandals and squeeze a lime into my beer. And I had legitimate reasons for being lulled into the unsafe notion that spring was just around the corner. The weather had been sunny. At 65 degrees one day you could even say it was warm. The dogs were getting restless and tracking mud into the house instead of snow, flip flops were being hung in the shoe store and on one fine afternoon I realized that my cheeks were flushed and that (gasp!) I was warm. So no, I was not happy when it started pouring down heavy, soggy spring snow. I was practically a Scrooge about the whole thing and protested by not shoveling the walk, which is city law here in Bozeman, until the afternoon.

But I do have to begrudgingly admit that it was pretty. Because it's heavier spring snow it clung to each and every tiny branch and twig, giving the neighborhood a kind of winder wonderland look. It was also the perfect type of snow for snowmen and while no snow statues were erected anywhere in town on my part, I did seriously think about it.

NC

Monday, February 25, 2008

When You Don't Have Cable

My roommate, who is away on business this week, has left me in charge of his three English setters and one ex-barn cat. Hunting season is over for these guys so they have taken to being very annoyed, anxious and verbal. Even the cat is getting her shots in. Every time a dog walks past her she reaches out and smacks them across the face or bites them on the leg. The other day I saw her latch on to Echo's face with both paws and bite him on the nose. With the lack of exercise and spring snow and thaw going on the interplay between the animals has become hilarious.

More on this later...for now I'm going to fall asleep.

NC

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Decisions, decisions, decisions....

As of late I've been trying to figure out what to do with my life. It hasn't been an easy conversation with myself, or with those I've hashed it over with (to whom I say THANK YOU!!!! a thousand times over). I have weighed all the options, written out numerous pro and and con lists, done hours of internet research and surprisingly enough have not come up with an answer to the fabulous questions of, "what do I do with this life?" Apparently Google can't answer that one. Go figure.

But I am beginning to realize that plans, though they may be well thought out and discussed, are not bomb-proof. The universe has a way of jumping in and changing whatever idea it was you had, and before you know it you're running down a new path. Funny how that works.

So while I may be making plans, I'm also going to be keeping that little fact in mind. After all, it's not like I have a choice.

NC

Song of the day: The Essential D.J. Shadow CD

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Sleepy Goodness

As I try to type this I am falling asleep. I worked all day at the shoe store, went to a birthday party, and now I'm all curled up and the warmth of the laptop is making my sleepy. Tomorrow I have absolutely no intentions of getting out of my pajamas before noon. I'm going to work, write, research, drink coffee and sometime in the afternoon venture out of the house to find groceries. Sounds like a fabulous Sunday to me.

NC

Song of the day: Josephine by Brandi Carlile

Friday, February 22, 2008

Red Wine and a Hot Bath

You heard me. And now I'm sleepy and warm and happy and going to fall asleep.

Good night,
NC

Song of the day: Trip Around the Sun by Jimmy Buffet and Martina McBride

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Just Throw Snow At It

I had my once a week sanity break today--volunteer skiing with the kids up at the mountain. It was the perfect day for early spring skiing. Blue skies, no wind and highs in the 30s. While there wasn't any powder, it was nice to soak up the sun and enjoy some time with the kid I get to work with. He's an amazing little creature with a devilish personality and full knowledge of just how cute he is. He's quick and funny, and just when I think I've gotten a handle on how he skis and the best way to predict where he'll go next, he changes his mind and I end up chasing him down the mountain, hoping that my supervisor isn't watching. I can't use his real name (confidentiality issues) so we'll just call this seven-year old prankster Charlie. While some of the kids in the program have mental disabilities, Charlie has cystic fibrosis but is doing very well. Apart from the occasional cough he's just like any other normal, happy kid, though I would venture to say that he's cuter than most, but that's just me.

Today Charlie and I skied with another volunteer that I met while going through the training for the program. Since we've skied a little together, Megan and I are a bit familiar with how the other skis, though this means that she has seen me take a dive or two into the slopes and I have watched her confidently propel herself down the mountain with the grace and ease of a certified part-time ski bum. Humbling? Um...yeah. The three of us had a great first few runs and Charlie had even been coaxed into skiing with his arms in front of him to help him balance as opposed to dangling at his sides.

One of Charlie's favorite runs skirts down a narrow gully into the trees, a perfect ski haven for smaller people to practice their turns and pop over small jumps. When you first drop into the trees it feels a bit like you're popping down a rabbit hole. I went first and charted where the jumps were to let Charlie know so that he didn't go hurtling over them too fast. Behind him came Megan, watching to make sure Charlie was slowing himself down in time, controlling his turns and generally being a happy kid.

At the very end of the run, just as it comes out of the trees, there were a series of eight or nine bumps in a row that sped me up much faster than I expected them to and seemed to have come out of nowhere. As soon as I came out of the trees and stopped, I turned to make sure to tell Charlie to slow down over the bumps. But just as soon as I had looked up I saw him confidently slow himself down and gently cruise over the bumps without a word from me. No problem. He even hockey-stopped parallel to me and sprayed my boot.

But as I was standing there telling Charlie that he did such an awesome job, that I was really impressed with that hockey stop and that we should probably take some picture for his parents, I neglected to realize that where I was standing was perhaps not the best choice, and looked up just in time to see Megan come barreling out of the trees and tackle me to the ground, missing the wide-eyed seven-year-old by half an inch. There was even a wooshing sound followed by what could only be described as a cartoon-style thud.

As Megan and I tried to untangle ourselves, a combination of embarrassment and worry came out in the form of "I'm so sorry!...Ouch,where's my ski pole?...Don't worry about it--I shouldn't have been standing there...Are you okay? Are you sure?...Here, move your left leg over there, and your right leg there and I'll help you up...I can't believe I couldn't stop! Really, it's okay", and other things two genial pre-adult women say to each other when they've just accidentally gone toe to toe in front of the kid they're supposed to be keeping track of. Charlie, in the midst of all of the polite concern and apologies, began laughing and plunked himself down while happily throwing snow at us, as that was his contribution. He wasn't the least bit concerned. And of course we started laughing, too, even while trying to haul ourselves out of the heap.

I love this kid. Here we girls were, each apologizing profusely and Charlie's idea of how to managed the situation was to sit down, laugh and throw snow at it. I'm sure there's a life lesson in here somewhere, something about not taking things seriously when you're in the wrong place at the wrong time and someone accidentally tackles you metaphorically. And while I'm not entirely sure of what that little lesson is exactly, I do know that sitting down and laughing about it is something we could probably all do a lot more.

NC

Song of the day: Crash Into Me by Dave Matthew's Band

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Swimming

My head is full with so many thoughts that I can't even grab one to focus on for a post. The three main focuses in my life, work, family and friends, are all one giant crazy ball in my head. I keep trying to untangle it but as soon as I start to work on one knot I realize it's connected to another, and I get lost and confused all over again. It's almost silly to try and make sense of it.

For the past couple weeks I've been trying to work out kinks in those three aspects of my life. It's kind of put me in a negative place where I can't think straight or make good decisions. But after having a nice long chat with myself (and finally getting a good nights sleep) I've come to the conclusions that life really is strange. Not bad, not scary, not horrible and not tragic--just strange. Sometimes the littlest thing can turn out to be the biggest and just when I think that I've figured something out, and that I understand it, time chips away at it and gives me a new perspective that completely changes the original meaning. The craziness and beauty of the confusion makes me laugh a bit. And that's the best part for me. The fact that I'm still able to sit back, do my best to look at the big picture and laugh is what keeps my sane.

And what better defense is there against uncertainty than a little faith and great sense of humor?

NC

Song of the day: You Can't Always Get What You Want by the Rolling Stones

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Synopsis: It's only brief to protect the innocent

So what did Courtney and I do when she came to town? Well, aside from eating and drinking we shopped, walked around downtown, went to a banquet, sat on the couch and talked, played pool, attended a horse auction and went horseback riding. It was a very full five days that just zipped by in an instant. The blond Texan by way of Oregon was quite taken with Montana. In fact, she may be back in a month or so for a second visit. In the meantime I'm still recovering from her being here (in a good way:-).

And why am I not saying more? Because this is a public page and I have heard horror stories of people having employers, potential employers, coworkers, parents, professors and the like reading blogs they weren't necessarily meant to see. I'm not saying that Courtney and I did anything stupid, or that we got in trouble with the cops, or that we tattooed or pierced anything (not that getting tattooed or pieced is a bad thing), but we did have a very full, much-needed good time.

What I can say about her being here is that it felt really good to hang out, relax, laugh and enjoy life.

Cheers,
NC

Song of the day: The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson

Monday, February 18, 2008

Silence? Really? Huh....

I know I promised I would post all about Courtney's visit to Montana, but that's just not going to happen tonight. Since she was here I fell a bit behind on work and am now in the processing of catching up.

So tonight I'll catch up with work for the magazine, tomorrow I'll catch up with work for the shoe store, and hopefully tomorrow night I'll get all nice and caught up on here.

Whew...

Cheers,
NC

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Leaving Boze Angeles

No--not me. Courtney heads home to Eugene tomorrow morning. I'd love to post all about it, but it is her last night here and I would feel rude to not hang out and enjoy a few last beers and laughs.

Talk to you all soon.

Cheers,
NC

Crazy days

Um...I'll just need to post tomorrow.

Cheers,
NC

Friday, February 15, 2008

What You Bite Off

I think it's hilarious when people try to make sense of Courtney. I'm all, "do you not understand what you're getting yourself into?" and they're all, "I really think I'm on to something here."

Yeah. They're crazier than her. I sort of let them go after that.

Cheers,
NC

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Salmon and Wine

We shopped for clothes, and then we shopped for shoes, and then we bought the groceries. We lost and found Courtney's wallet twice and then finally resorted to keeping it my purse like we did when I was in college. And considering that I'm a klutz, the fact that I'm the responsible one is hilarious.

We were out late last night, so now I'm going to go pass out.

Cheers,
NC

Song of the day: On the Road Again by Willie Nelson

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Go

Courtney came to town today. She showed up in a green miniskirt and black boots, topped off with a knee brace (long story--don't ask). We bought yogurt, plum jam, a case of beer, whiskey and vodka and are now getting to know my roomie. He's mildly dumbstruck with tornado that has hit his house, though I think the two of them will get along just fine. I'll just add a bit more whiskey to their glasses and it will be all good.

Cheers,
NC

Song of the day: Lose Weight by Morcheeba...Courtney and Tom picked it, not me

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

People Tags

My roommate, the hunter/author/environmentalist has his opinions, most of which I agree with. It makes for a nice, happy home to be able to yell at the campaign coverage together and not have to argue over what music to listen to or what beer to drink. It's also nice to be able to speak without having to worry about offending the other (as one of my guide students once said, "when Nicki goes into a bar, sailors come out blushing"). In essence, living here suits me just fine.

The other night my friend, Courtney, sent a text message saying she wished there was an open season on people, as she had a certain person rightly in mind. I repeated the wish to my roomie, who replied that he thought she was absolutely right. In fact, he said there shouldn't be a season, but rather that upon birth you receive five people tags, to be used however you choose. Sex offenders? Gone. Over crowded prisons? Quickly reduced. And if you should pass away without needing/wanting to use all your people tags, they can roll over to your next of kin, who can distribute as necessary. Of course the tags wouldn't be legal until a person is at least twenty-one years of age, which could lead to one hell of a 21st birthday.

I love this idea. So did my mother, although I should mention that this is the woman who has been let out of jury duty at least once by answering the death penalty question with, "Hell yes! Let me flip the switch!". Yeah. They sort of let her go home on that one.

Cheers,
NC

Song of the day: The entire Pilot Speed album. Yep, it's that great.

PSA

Hi all,

Last night I got two comments on my previous post (yay!). But, a couple minor problems popped up. The first comment was anonymous so I can't write back and say thank you!!!! for your/their friendly feedback. If whoever you are wants to remain anonymous that is just fine, too. Just know that I say thanks. If you do want to let me know who you are, and you have my personal email address, drop me a line.

The second comment was from Alice, which was also totally sweet. Alice, I tried to email you with your regular email and it bounced back. What is your new email address? I want to know what's going on in your fantastic life!

It's snowing this morning, which is making it hard to tear myself away from the couch/fire/dogs/coffee pot, but someone has to sell shoes in town.

Cheers,
NC

Song of the day: Blister in the Sun by the Violent Femmes

Monday, February 11, 2008

Countdown

Ha! I finally came up with a blog subtitle/description (as seen in the heading above). And you thought it couldn't be done. I know it's short, and maybe it's even cliché, but it is accurate. I also decided to design a new page. The photo of the road behind the blog heading is one that I took as I was leaving Eugene back in June when I started out on this crazy journey.

My totally awesome, fabulous, wonderful and amazing friend, Courtney, is coming for a visit this week. She arrives mid-day on Wednesday and I cannot wait till she gets here. I spent most of today doing all the essential cleaning, making sure the floors, windows, throw rugs and the like all had the stink blown off them. And then I got headed down that all too dangerous road of over cleaning, which generally takes the place of professional counseling, and started oiling the floors, washing the curtains, wiping down the baseboards and dusting off the big horned sheep head that hangs over the dining room table. I got the cobwebs off his horns and then named him Sid. My roommate, who shot the thing and had it mounted, doesn't seem all too pleased with this.

For those of you who know Courtney, you are probably more than slightly aware that she is, to put it as simply as possible, an experience. But for those of you who have not been so lucky as to meet her, I will just say that while she is here I will do my best to capture the beautiful collection of playful insanity that is this person. Think Thelma and Louise without the cliff jumping bit.

Cheers,
NC

Song of the Day: Pretty Girl by Tom Petty

Sunday, February 10, 2008

The Love It List

So I've been on a bit of a green kick lately. Part of it is because I've been reading Daniel Imhoff's book, Paper or Plastic and the other part is that I've had a bit of a shake up in my life over what it means to be green and live well (and while I could dive into this and get all poetic about epiphanies and personal beliefs, who really wants to go there?). Anyway, I've been out shopping today and reading labels on just about everything I purchased. Just for the hell of it I've come up with a list of products that are great at what they do and also great for the environment. I thought I'd put this out here because I know that most of you who read this blog are genuinely concerned about what you buy and what it may or may not do to the planet and your body.

Cosmetics:
Some cosmetics, lotions and soaps contain what are referred to as parabens, chemicals that are used as preservatives. While the FDA hasn't definitely concluded that parabens are toxic, they have stated that products cannot use any more than 25% percent parabens. In the meantime cosmetics companies have started to eliminate parabens from their products and using alternatives. Burt's Bees, Avalon Organics and Aveda, just to name a few, make great products that are paraben free and use post-consumer materials in their packaging, which are 100% recyclable. Their soaps are also biodegradable and use real essential oils as opposed to synthetic. The Avalon Organics lavender body lotion has been my top find in new cosmetics so far. It's got a great scent that is strong at first but then quickly fades so it won't overpower whatever other perfume you might be wearing. For more info on parabens, check out the FDA website at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-para.html

News:
For green news (and sometimes just a quick laugh) I click over to www.grist.org. They are a Pacific Northwest NPO internet-based magazine that reports on the environment. They also have political news, product info and links to buy items that are eco-friendly and fun. I love that they have a funky, cool, non-dirty hippie look and tone. To be green does not mean you have to be a socks with sandals wearing extremist, thank you very much.

Cleaning Products:
Don't get me started... Basically, household cleaning products should not make you sick, harm the environment or leave behind more crap than they take away. They're suppose to clean, right? That being said, Seventh Generation is my pick for great cleaning products. Their site, www.seventhgeneration.com has a ton of great information. The only bummer with them is that the prices on some of their products are a bit high. When I went looking for a laundry detergent I was really taken aback that it would cost me over $12.00 for a bottle that would cover only 36 loads. I found that All detergent had a biodegradable soap in a 25% post consumer materials 100% recyclable bottle and it was only $4.00 for 36 loads. So as much as I would love to buy the yummy lavender smelling Seventh Generation brand, I ended up going with the cheaper more conventional alternative.

Shoes/Socks:
Ah, how I love shoes. They can tell you so much about a person. I work in a shoe store so I get to see and hear about all the things that certain companies are doing to try to be more green. Simple makes a great little shoe that uses old tires for the soles, liners made from recycled water bottles, and 100% post-consumer paper in their boxes. Keen, Smartwool, Teko and a whole bunch of other shoe and sock companies are also on the recycled materials bandwagon so finding a product that is at the every least attempting to be greener isn't that hard. Visit their websites, or just look on the packaging for more info.

I know I have barely scratched the surface here, but I thought I would mention the little tidbits that I have learned in the past month or so. And I do know that the best product for the planet is always going to be no product at all, but it's not like we can run around naked...though I'm sure some people like that sort of thing. If you have to buy something (and I do believe that soap and shoes DO qualify) you might as well buy what is good for you, the planet and your wallet.

Cheers,
NC

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Catching Up and Freaking Out

Okay, so it's been a few days. I get that. I was busy, I was working I was writing and at one point, I even slept. Want a recap? I could use one myself. Here:

Thursday: Worked on an article for the magazine in the morning. Skied with the cutest little kid you've ever seen in your whole life in the afternoon. Worked on the article again all the way till midnight. Passed out.

Friday: Worked on the article from 6am till I left for work at 8am. Worked till 5:30. Enjoyed a well deserved mini break and then came home. Had dinner. Unwrapped new phone (I mentioned the broken cell phone charger, and thus broken cell phone, earlier didn't I?) from ebay. Dealt with family issues. Passed out.

Saturday: Got up, got pissed off and ate a peanut butter sandwich which walking to work because I was running late. Sold shoes. Lots of them. I was even friendly and cheerful (sort of). Came home. Returned emails, ate dinner and realized that it was in fact Saturday night.

WTF?

And now I'm sitting here, wanting to put so much stuff out here. It's been an intense few days. Lots of work. Lots of stuff. Lots of ghosts walking around. I almost feel I should just pop it all into bullet points and call it good, but that's cheap, right? Whatever. Did I mention being pissed?

Cheers,
NC

Song of the Day: Turpentine by Brandi Carlile

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Retail Therapy

I'm a bit tired tonight and need to get to sleep so that I'm ready and rested to chase a seven-year-old down the mountain tomorrow. A co-worker was confused the other day when I explained that my new clogs were a result of retail therapy. This is how I summed it up fro him:

"I had a long week. Then I had a long weekend. My only pair of black shoes were old and falling apart. They weren't pretty, therefore I didn't feel pretty. I bought new, discounted black shoes. I felt better."

The end.

Cheers,
NC

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Mini Rant: Cured By Ice Cream

It's cold outside, I didn't sell as many shoes as I would have liked, I have a ton of work to do and not nearly enough time to do it this week, my cell phone charger spontaneous broke into five separate pieces, the books I ordered from Amazon still haven't come yet and for whatever reason Katie Couric is using some kind of annoying interactive political map that requires her to continually keep her hand in the screen, making it seem that "Thing" from The Addams Family is in charge of covering what the media is now obsessively calling Super Tuesday.

So no, I was not in the best of moods when I came home from work. The remedy? Sweats, a warm fire, three happy dogs, and eating ice cream in front of the TV with my roommate as we yell obscenities at the campaign coverage.

Woohoo! It's a rockin party in here.

Cheers,
NC

Monday, February 4, 2008

Frozen Panties

My bedroom in the house I live is located in the basement. It's a nice little room with green carpet, an antique short four-post bed, a couple of windows, and pastel pink walls and ceiling. Most of the furniture is rustic and charming, and there is plenty of room for all of my stuff, even my giant box of shoes (I know-shocking). I hung curtains, a makeshift lamp, put up cards and photos from loved ones, and decorated with a few other personal touches (such as the neon velvet Elvis from Courtney via her cousin, Earl) to really make the place my own. Basically, it's a great little room that I feel right at home in.

The only downside to my little oasis of pink is that it's fairly cold. The entire basement, which is made up of a large laundry room, a utility room and another bedroom besides my own is completely without central heat. But that's not to say that I'm suffering down there. I have a space heater, fleece pajamas, hoodie sweatshirt, down comforter, heating pad, flannel sheets, wool socks, wool hat and heated blanket to keep me warm. I'm really rather toasty at night. I just plug is the space heater, nestle down and before I know it I'm happily snoring away.

The only time I notice the lack of heat is when I come down to my room before getting that space heater going. And reach for my pajamas. My frozen pajamas. And it's at that moment, as I'm dangling my icy clothes in front of the space heater, hoping to get them somewhat warm before throwing them on to my naked, pale, shivering body, that I start seriously contemplating running away to Hawaii or Mexico or Thailand or any place, ANY freaking place where one does not have to defrost their clothes before putting them on.

And why, I must ask, does the deicing of the bed not take nearly as long as the clothes? I just jump in with the heating pad and it warms up fairly quickly (not that I'm complaining--I'm just saying it's weird). I swear, if the dogs didn't fart so much I'd get them to warm up my bed and pajamas for me before I bedded down for the night.

Ahhhh....life in Montana.

Cheers,
NC

Sunday, February 3, 2008

There Aren't Enough Hours in the Day...That's My Excuse.

When I was a freshman in college, my roommate and I had this quote taped to the door of our dorm room:

"Procrastination is like masturbation. It feels great when you're doing it, but in the end you're just screwing yourself."

I think I need to make this my screen saver, tape it to the bathroom mirror, put it on a sticky note in my car and then tattoo it to the back of my hand. That's if I get around to it, of course. I hate this feeling of having a to do list that is never complete. It drives me nuts to have an article to write and then not doing it right away. Why do I do this to myself? Why can't I just say that I'm going to do something, and then sit down and do it?

Ugh...on that note, it's time to spend my Sunday night curled up with computer.

Cheers,
NC

Busy Weekend

I've been running around for about a week now. First there was magazine work, then shoe store work and finally volunteer work, all of which warranted their own types of recovery. I meant to stay in Friday night but ended up going out for a beer with my roommate and his friend. I then spent most of Saturday just hanging out, doing laundry and not writing much of anything. Now it's time to go sell more shoes.

Where did my weekend go?

Cheers,
NC

Friday, February 1, 2008

At the Shoe Store....

A woman came into the store today with her daughter and infant grandson. While the baby was cute, he did managed to spit up twice and fart about every three minutes. It's amazing to me that so much stink can come out of such a tiny body.

"Mom, I think Jack might be allergic to milk," said the daughter.

"Him? No, honey he's too fat to be allergic to anything. Try these on--they'd be cute on you."

And that, ladies and gents, was the highlight of my day.

Cheers,
NC