Favorite Things Today

Well, while you are apparently bidding your job adieu, I am holding on tight at mine... Ah, to be young and single!

;-P

Today,at work, I was thinking that I had some favorite things to share. Things about work. Is that crazy?

And here they are....

My commute to work in the morning. I read The New Yorker, I drink my blooming tea, and it takes only twenty minutes door-to-door. And this morning on the train, out of the dozen or so people around me, six were reading The New York Times. I think that's nice!

Oh, and I like the opportunity to check out everyones shoes and handbags.

The flowers on my desk. They are a week and a half old and aren't they lovely? And they smell as yummy as they look. The flower stall at Rockefeller Center is da bomb.

My tchatchki. My pictures and cards and whatnot that I keep at my desk. I get to look at the people I love, amongst other things, whenever rI am having a less than ideal moment. And, yes, that is a magic 8 ball.

My vacation day that I get to carry over from last year! I never got to carry over a day before! Woohoo!

Getting out of work at 5 o'clock. And not having to take work home with me. I very vividly remember the years of studio work, where my time was not my own. I have worked my share of late nights and, at least for the moment, I am happy to have passed that chapter in my life. Since I have some other things to occupy my brain and spare time with right now.

My paycheck. It's nice. And they give it to me for making pretty pictures. That's not so tragic. I mean, you saw before. I was drawing a wallaby! And this they pay me for.

My co-workers. I work with people I like. Isn't that nice too? One of my wo-workers gave me that little mask from Venice! And some of my other co-workers gave me the Human Sparkler card! That makes me smile.

I am wishing you very much happiness leaving your job. I think it's awesome. The perfect Valentine's Day gift to yourself!

I, on the other hand, will be staying awhile at mine. And I am good with that.

Bon chance, as Mama would say!

p.s. You look crazy scary in the hoodie! You better send it to me. Hee!

What's New

• I'm loving the camera phone pictures these days. This one in particular cracks me up.
• Korean/French cuisine? = grey creme brulee. That's not right.
• I'm on a major hip-hop soul queen kick. Mo loves MJB. Have you heard her song about PMS? That is some funny stuff "I'm feeling quite UGG-A-LEEEEE!".
• Last day at my job - February 15th! This is going to give me some much needed time off right before my next manuscript deadline.
• This is going to result in a whole new round of goals for the 35 things to do before I turn 36, so look out!

What's new with you?

XOXO
H

Finally

Here's the photo you've been waiting for, Allison - me in the Mean-Eyed Cat hoodie! Like the way I've got the Mean Eye too? I was so grateful for this sweatshirt this weekend.

We hit the road for Portland a little after 6, with lattes in hand. That turned out to be a mistake for me, since a little mishap in the car led to my spilling a full latte all over my coat, down the front of my jeans and all over the back of Kirstin's car. It was a measure of our mood that mostly this just led to a lot of laughing, and a fifteen minute detour to a gas station where Rachel helped me sop up all that milk. I am hoping that Kirstin won't be cursing my name as she drives around this week, smelling the after effects. The coat smelled awful and was totally stiff when it finally dried, so I spent last night walking around Portland in my hoodie and little green leather coat. Luckily we were in taxis most of the time, and there were those warming beverages I had as well, so it all worked out okay.

More on the PDX adventures later. We had a ridiculously good time. If you haven't been out with your girlfriends in a while, plan something now! Something involving music that none of the men in your lives will listen to, and outfits you are not really sure you should wear out in public. Hats, wigs and sunglasses are optional, but they really do add a certain something.

Looking Back

Beautiful Regan and I went to Crave last night for dinner. It's been a good week for dinner and girlfriends. Susan and I hit King's Hardware last Thursday, then Friday was the bar at Thaiku with Kirsten and Erin, Tuesday I went to Portalis with Gena, Pam and Erin, then there was Crave last night. These events included, among other things, a Radiant Flower, a white port spritzer, an excellent Pinot Gris (Pierre Sparr 2004 Reserve), two cheese plates, a charcuterie plate and a pint of PBR. I'm exceedingly fond of PBR.

Anyway, Crave was tasty, but the best part is always the conversation with Regan. She was a fan of the Colorado blog days, and told me last night what a pleasure it had been to read the blog in those days because I seemed so happy. It's true, I was happy. Every day. Giddy happy. Thinking about this made me realize something that I hadn't exactly noticed, or maybe admitted to myself, since I got back.

Being happy in Colorado totally ruined my tolerance for unhappiness. I thought I might grow lazy in Colorado, have a hard time adjusting to not having my days be "my own", but really none of those things happened, exactly. What happened instead was this impatience, a certain itchiness that comes over me when I'm not happy. Waiting things out, muddling through, sucking it up? Not really an option these days. I am painfully pro-active when it comes to addressing my own unhappiness. We'll see how that works out for me.

In the mean time, the good news is how comfortable I have become with happiness. It comes over me in this rush of feeling and it's like I'm...

... at home. Home. On the couch, with my wooly shedding rug, my new candle burning, and my feet up on the coffee table. I have a newfound appreciation for my couch. Turns out it's remarkably easy to be happy on this couch. Even when you spend a week reading more than a hundred performance reviews on it.

Of course it helps when you mostly spend time on it in between running out for shenanigans with the girlfriends. Oh, and did I mention that I'm going to Portland this weekend with Kirstin and Rachel, for Kirstin's birthday? Talk about Here Comes Trouble! Hee.

My Excuses...

I know that you probably think I haven’t been posting much lately out of apathy or pure, unadulterated laziness, but that would be far from the truth!

Oh no, I have been a busy, busy bee!

I want to write, I have these ideas of what to write about (I have a dream involving you, your wedding/rock concert and me dyeing my hair blue that is just begging to be written down) but then the day gets away from me and, next thing I know, it is 1 AM and I really, really need to go to sleep.

A sample example of my crazy schedule (crazy for me, that is – I don’t make any assumptions about the relative craziness of anyone else’s schedule).

Wednesday, January 24

6:30 AM

Wake up, hit snooze button, cuddle for fifteen minutes with husband, then drag aforementioned spouse out of bed to get dressed and go to the gym.

You don’t want to know how badly we need to go to the gym.



7:30-8:30 AM

Work out.

Vaguely attempt some mild cardio on the elliptical trainer while watching Meredith Viera (so much better than Katie! No tanorexia! No bleached-blonde hair!) interview some pseudo-psychologist on the effects of a woman earning more than her husband. Important information people! Lift free weights, do some floor pilates.



8:30-9:00 AM

Shower, dress for work. The facilities at Chelsea Piers are nice, with private showers, KissMyFace bath products, free razors and blow dryers. I actually remembered to lotion! Red letter morning! I should be here more often.

9:00 – 9:30 AM

Rush to work on the subway. Read Tiki Barber article in the New Yorker after losing interest in the Vladimir Putin article.

My brain cells are a little challenged for international politics so early in the morning. Without caffeine.

9:30 AM – 12:45 PM

Work. I spent the morning drawing a Mala (Rufous Hair Wallaby), trying very hard to not make it look like a rat, and a Purple Crowned Fairy Wren for a logo for an Australian endangered wildlife fund-raising organization. Also worked on our quarterly newsletter, a new property website and a new property brochure.

12:45 PM – 1:30 PM

Ran to the library, checked out two good books (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance on CD for the drives to Vermont!) and two trashy books. I am a renaissance woman, no? At least a woman of broad tastes. At least a woman of plebeian tastes, okay? Picked up cheddar broccoli soup for lunch. Ate at desk.
1:30 PM – 5:30 PM

Work more.

Geez, you’d think these people were paying me or something! Fine tune Mala and wren drawings. Get critique and redraw Mala with a baby (baby Mala, that is) in its pouch. Trying not to make the mom look like a rat and the baby like a cow. Drawing a Mala takes looooottttts of time.



Also, take two tea breaks. Mmmmm Hazelnut Vanilla Yogi Tea!


5:30 PM – 6 PM

Design invitation for charity casino night, that I stupidly agreed to do pro-bono. These people don’t give me the love I need, but I am a sucker for the cause. And I get free tickets to the event.

6:00 -6:30 PM

Subway to freelance job.

Brief stop at Wolford to check out their sale. Endure hateful glares from salesperson as I ignore their regularly-priced items ($50 for stockings! $180 bra! $80 panties! People! Did little fairy fingers spin them out of butterfly wings picked by virgins?) for their picked-over sale items. None of which would ever fit me.

6:30 – 11:30 PM

Freelance on book project, at their studio.

Re-order the pagenation, which means re-doing all the thumbnails in the back of the book and make many many type edits. The tail end of these book projects is always the most tedious part of the process. Edit edit edit. Blah blah blah...

Take fifteen minutes to eat dinner (chicken katsu!) standing up in their studio kitchen. When I get weary, I think of all the credit card bills and acupuncture this is paying for.

11:30 – 11:45 PM

Subway home. Finish Tiki Barber New Yorker story.

11:45 PM – 12:15 AM

Attempt Quality Time with husband by watching Top Chef. Husband falls asleep on couch, suspending Quality Time. Drag him to bed.

12:15 – 1:00 AM

Wash face, brush and floss teeth, go to bed. Read, in an attempt to put myself to sleep. Happily, it works.

At 7 AM tomorrow the whole thing starts all over again.

How To Be Happy

Keep it simple

What a Winter Should Look Like

The house was all cute when we got in Friday night. It snowed big flakes and, by the time we got up on Saturday, it was a winter wonderland. It was so cute, I had to take a polaroid for you.

Because everything is cuter in a polaroid, right?

And indeed we did hit the slopes this weekend. And, verily, they were hard packed and fast! Not as fast as "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy." But pretty fast.

Hermann Maier fast.

I took it easy, since I wouldn't want the hormones and whatnot that we've been pumping into me to go to waste. No black diamonds. No tearing down the mountain as fast as possible. No tree runs (it helped that there was no snow in the trees.) No terrain park.

Hee, I say that as though I ever go into the terrain park! I don't even go into the baby terrain park, and it has nothing to do with its most unfortunate name - Jiblet. It is because I am a chicken, yo! No jiblets for me!

Eugene patiently waited for me at the bottom of each run. I think he was happy for the break. Telemarking is definitely way more of a workout than snowboarding. All those deep knee lunges and whatnot. Good for the booty! Yay for his booty!

We met up with some friends for a couple of runs and then headed back to the house for dinner. I was so wiped out by the time we got there, that I had to take and hour-long nap before I could summon the energy to cook.

I made a lovely roast pork loin (from the Silver Spoon cookbook) and chopped spinach (from the nice people with the freezers over at Birdseye.) We watched a DVD of Lost, Season 2 and fell asleep around ten.

Woohoo! Skihouse! Partay! Psych!

Sunday, we both moaned about how sore we were. Euge assuaged his pain by working on his shed (ah, the sweet narcotic of power tools!) I lazed around on the couch, drinking yogi tea and reading through the Slim Aarons books that Mom gave me last year.

Oh, and I made use of my lovely new vacuum cleaner. You could eat off them floors now! Yum, right?

We managed to go to the mountain for another two hours in the afternoon, but it was a pretty weak rally. Five runs and we were both ready to pack it in. The ten degree weather and wind chill was doing exactly zero for our aches and pains.

We're getting old. I better start working on that list soon, right?

Two-Stepping is the New Snowboarding

So, here I am this weekend. Okay, this was actually taken, um, three years ago, but you get the idea. I was at the Hen tonight! Damn, I love that place. Caitlin went with me, and I have to admit that around 7:00, an hour before we were supposed to be there, I started to lose faith a little. What if it wasn't as great as I remembered it? What if there weren't plenty of guys to dance with, as I had promised Caitlin there would be?

I shouldn't have worried. True, Caitlin spent part of the lesson without a partner, but then someone stepped up and showed her the ropes. After that, there was hardly a minute to take a sip of beer. I had forgotten that, in addition to just being so damn fun, the whole two-step thing can really be a workout.

Some of the regulars I knew from three years ago were still there, but the funniest thing of the night was that a guy who has talked to me in the coffee shop before came up to me and said "You look really familiar to me - do I know you from somewhere?". It took me a second to place him, but then I did, and told him that we had met in Fiore. He gave me a funny look and said "Wow, I would never have recognized you from there, you look completely different here." That's an especially funny statement given the fact that I haven't changed my hair in the last year, and was wearing something I would have worn at the coffee shop. When I asked him what was different, he said "I don't know, you look more... introverted at the coffee shop, and here you're... totally not!". And then some Credence came on, and we went out for a dance. If you haven't been dancing in a while, Ali, I highly recommend it. Remember how much fun we used to have at the swing nights in NY? For some reason, dancing puts a lot of things in perspective for me. Life just doesn't have to be that complicated, you know?

Okay, here's the latest installment of my 35 things to do before I turn 36.

- re-frame my Elizabeth Peyton poster
- frame my Flatstock posters before I buy more at Flatstock 2008. Cause you know I will buy more!
- write and send a real letter at least once a month
- make a photo book of the ranch photos
- go two-stepping at the Hen

One down, 34 to go. I think I'll try that last one again next week too!

Here I am this Weekend!

Okay, not really. This picture was taken in Utah two (or was it three? Yikes!) years ago. I will pretty much look the same though. Same coat, same pants, same helmet. New gloves.

My riding attire is not so trendy. It is the same. Year in, year out. I am the Audrey Hepburn of snow boarding. I leave the Gwen Stefanie-inspired gear to the girls who match their boards to their toenail polish. My board is black.

With dolphins!

This weekend we will be hitting the slopes for the first time this season. I don't care if I spend half the time skidding around on mud - which is a real possibility - I am going to be out there!

I miss it! I miss snowboarding so much!

It's so awesome (already with the snowboarder-esque adjectives!) when it's crisp and chilly and the snow is dry and fast. Or damp and mushy. Or I would even take icy and slick at this point. Which is also a real possibility.

Euge and I have so much fun together on the mountain. Of course, he's been skiing since he was three, but when we started dating he started free-heel skiing so that we could be beginners together.

He picked up the telemarking a bit fast than I did the snowboarding. I have that whole rational fear of going downhill fast and hitting things hard, whereas he doesn't seem to mind genuflecting his way down the mountain at high speeds.

Still, I can keep up - mostly - now. Okay, except in the bumps. So we have a great time! Except in the bumps. And I want to have that great time this weekend!

We did not buy a house in Vermont so that I could spend my weekends rolling up snowballs in a video game.

Though - as Mom can tell you - Katamari Damaci is da bomb. (Again with the rider lingo!)

Finally, it seems like it has gotten cold enough to make heading to the mountain worthwhile. Normally, December and January are a bit of a throw-away, but still we get out. This year - nothing. Nothing but 65 degree days or icy rain. Not exactly ideal weather conditions.

I haven't even had my picture taken for my season pass yet and that, my sister, is just wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

So don't call this weekend between 9am and 5pm. I will be at the mountain.

Unless of course both of us are so wildly out of shape that we have to quit early. Which is also a very real possibility.

Yo, Where is the Snow?

I never should have mocked the holiday ladies in their wintery chaps.

You have all the snow and we have none. Not even in Vermont.

This weekend, come hell or high water, I am going snowboarding. Even if it is in the mud. And t-shirts.

There will be pictures, believe it.

Snow Day

Here's the view at the end of my street today. Looks like Narnia, don't you think? Today was another weird weather day in Seattle, with lots of snow here on Queen Anne, but apparently not enough up north to close the office. By late afternoon it was slushy enough to drive, but too late to feel like it would be worth it, so I phoned in to some meetings and read performance reviews. Five out of a hundred and fifty taken care of! You think I'm kidding, but I'm not.

Hey Me Too!

I loved the kayaking photo you posted, Ali, and it reminded me of something I need to add to the list. Last April Erik from Anacortes Kayak Tours did a great custom tour for us while the writing group was staying on Orcas Island. We saw seals and eagles and lucked out with a sunny day at a time of year when we really had no reason to expect sunshine. Sigh. Look at the water, and the mountains in the background. And I look hot in a life preserver, right?

Here we go, five more things to do:

- Go up in the Space Needle once a month while I have my annual pass
- Light more candles
- Start looking into a Big Trip - Madagascar? Iceland?

- Go kayaking again

- Check out the new Olympic Sculpture Park, which opens January 20th

Why I Love a Hockey Game

Just thinking about the '33 Things to do Before I Turn 34' list makes my brains ache, so I am taking a pass on that just for the moment. But in the after glow of going to our first hockey game, since the league started back up, last night... I will tell you why I love a hockey game.

1) The hockey fans. They are rabid, they are passionate, they are contagious! They are foul mouthed in the extreme - which you know I love.

You will never find a sporting event with more moustaches and turtlenecks. Seriously, it's like the wardrobe of the hockey fan - with the team jersey lovingly draped over the turtleneck, of course. There is very little bling and nary a model in sight. Donald Trump is never in the front row at a hockey game. That's because hockey fans are for real. For. Real.

And they dance. even the Grandmas dance.

2) The speed of the game. You know how they always say 'Ginger Rogers had to do it backwards and in heels'? Hockey players have to do it backwards on ice. It moves so fast, it can make you head spin. And they get to body check. And sometimes they brawl.

Gloves and jerseys off boys!

3) The player's names - Jagr, Shanahan, Kasparaitis, Krog, Hollweg, Ortmeyer... seriously... I could do this all day...

4) The rallying mentality. The Rangers were having their... umm.. buttcheeks handed to them last night, and they were down 0-5 at the end of the second period. When they came out on the ice for the third period they were boo-ed. They were bums! But in the first eleven minutes of the third period they scored four points and they were back in the game.

Our hometown heroes.

They still lost, but those eleven minutes were pretty great.

5) It makes me want to skate on our pond. Not that our pond is frozen, because it's been too warm. But still, I'd like to. In theory. I do have skates, y'know!

6) Slapshot. Really, just the best, funniest sports movie ever made. Easily my favorite. Hee! The Hanson Brothers! Paul Newman! Something you should do before you are thirty six is rent that movie.*

And go to a hockey game.

*Miracle was pretty good too. And Mystery, Alaska. And I know you love football now, so one of my other favorites is Any Given Sunday...

Yo! Check it out!

Travel on over to Klosekraft to see the great list she made, inspired by Shameless Self Promoters inspired by Hula Seventy. I love it!

35 Things To Do Before I Turn 36

So, a while back, I fell in love with this post by Andrea, an Atlanta blogger I am fond of. She hosts Photobooth Friday on her blog, and you know how I love the photobooth photos. I was especially entertained when she went to NYC recently and posted her photobooth pics taken at that notorious watering hole, Niagara. That, of course, led me to wonder if Lakeside Lounge was still there and whether they still have their photobooth and whether Andrea knows about it. Don’t know the answer to the last question, but Lakeside Lounge is indeed still there, if you believe the internet, and they do still have the photobooth, and in fact, they have a whole section of their website dedicated to photo strips that are, I warn you! Really not safe for work, so much... You aren't surprised, are you?

They also have profiles of the bartenders, and I was left wondering if their Lara is the same bartending Lara who used to always smell like vanilla essential oil and die her long center-parted hair sort of magenta and who stole my BF from me in 1993. Okay, she didn’t really steal him, but it sounded more interesting that way. He came back later, but I didn’t want him by then. Who would have?

Anyway, I did have a point, it was about Andrea’s great post about 36 things she wants to do before she turns 37. With her permission, I am stealing this idea and am going to do my own list here of 35 things to do before I turn 36. Ali, are you game? Here are my first five:

- plan another beach weekend
- try my first intarsia knitting project, preferably something featuring the International Rock On symbol
- attend the Tomales Bay Writers conference again in October
- eat a dozen oysters every month with an r in the name
- take some more photobooth pics with the lovely ladies featured above

What are you gonna' do before your next birthday? Ali? Anyone? Bueller? I want to hear!

Izze, the Godfather, Buckwheat and Pleather Shorts

Hey, reader! When was the last time you made a regular weekend feel like a long weekend? Ali, I know you go away to Vermont a lot, and I commend you for that and imagine that it makes your weekends seem long.I hope it does, at least. But the rest of us probably frequently use our weekends for errands and other things that suck up the time without necessarily recharging us.

Not me! Not last weekend! I took my Chucks and headed off for a beach weekend. What I came home with was shoes full of sand, a white limpet shell, a new knitting project and one of my favorite New Year's Resolutions so far. Here it is:

Eat more oysters.

Good, isn't it? When I announced this to the table at dinner, Hon said "Like how many do you think? Three dozen a month?" and I smiled, thinking this was a little ambitious. Then she said "What about when you order sushi? Do you ever get oysters then? That's a good way to squeeze a few more in." And that's why she is one of my favorites, because she knows how to squeeze in the fun. So much so that when I went home, my abs were mysteriously sore. When was the last time you got an ab workout from all the laughing? That takes a lot of laughing.

If you don't have a weekend away planned any time soon, I highly recommend it. How hard can it be? Throw some clothes in a bag and go get lost. The fun is waiting for you.

My Favorite Blossoms

So, every day since I got them, I have been enjoying a blossoming tea. I love them so much! It's like having a fresh bouquet every morning.

Inevitably, at some point during the day someone at work admires and comments upon my blossom. (Wow, that sounds vaguely pornographic!) Literally at least three people have ordered the full bloom teas as gifts, because they thought that they were so cool and unusual.

The only problem was that my mug was getting liquid between the inner and outer wall. Not so pretty. So I sent them an e-mail, in case they didn't know that there was a problem with the mugs.

Two days later, last Friday, I got a phone call from a very nice man at Full Bloom Tea. He apologized for my wonky mug and offered to send me another one, which I thought was pretty sweet.

Today, I was having an utter crap of a day when - lo and behold! A lovely package appeared on my desk.


I thought 'Oh, my mug is here. Gee that was quick.'

Then I opened the package.


There were more teas!!!!

They sent me a mug AND more teas!!!! I was so happy!

Then I dug deeper and saw that there was a glass cup too! Then I was super happy!!


I heart them very much at Full Bloom Teas. I hearted them before, but now it is True Wuv.

This is what it feels like to have needles stuck all over you

So, for the last six weeks or so I've been going for acupuncture. Sometimes once a week, sometimes twice.

I go to see this Doctor - he is actually a Doctor! His name is Doctor Wu and his nurse is Mrs. Wu.

She speaks with the rounded accent of someone used to more x's than s's in a person's name. She says 'Hello Allishon' in the most lovely way imagineable, she has very kind eyes and she looks like a nurse out of a stylized film from the 50's. Sometimes I think she looks like what Grandam Lois must have looked like when she was younger.

If she had black hair. And was asian.

Anyways, I go to see them in their office on lower 5th Avenue. It's got four or five treatment rooms and a waiting room with loads of magazines. Good magazines for a waiting room. Like InStyle or Metropolitan Home. Nothing that would be too much of a commitment to read and discard. I don't usually wait long before Mrs. Wu takes me to a little exam room, where there is a massage table, a desk, some chairs, some diagrams and illustrations on the wall and a heater.

The room is always very warm. Like 'I am sweating in my paper dress' warm.

After a few minutes, Dr. Wu comes in. He also has kind eyes and a pleasant manner. But he's not much for expositing on what's going on except to say that my pulse is good. He usually asks what is going on with my western medical treatments (we works with a lot of specialists from Cornell and other fancy places) checks my tongue and takes my pulse. In three or four different places. Places I didn't know you could take a pulse from!

Then he applies the needles.

I don't usually feel it, except for some pressure in the muscle where the needle has punctured. Oh, and when he puts the needles in my ears. That hurst like the h-e-double hockey sticks. Sometimes there are needles in my feet, my ankles, my shins, my belly, my solar plexus, my hands, ears and a special needle for the very top of my head.

Verily, I am a pincushion. and I lie there like one.

My brain goes to strange places as I lay there. I'll start with some productive visualization.. golden eggs... golden eggs... but, inevitable my mind spins off into some strange tangent until I catch myself. They are like thoughts that are not coherent thoughts. Like dreams in a blender.

At the same time, my body begins to hum with energy. My friend HK describes it as 'the needles talking to each other.' That's a little too Hunter S. Thompsonish for me... but they definitely seem to be passing something back and forth between them.

I lie there for 35 minutes. They are very long, interesting minutes. Sometimes I feel like I could levitate right off of the table. Or acquire x-ray vision. Or actually get pregnant.

In the end, Mrs. Wu comes in and gently removes the needles. 'Okay Allishon,' she says, in her cheerful way.

And then I put on my clothes, get in the elevator, take the subway, and somehow - miraculously, strangely - find myself back at my office for an afternoon of work. And that's the strangest part of it, since I usually feel like I should have floated off to Superman's Fortress of Solitude or some equally fantastical place in those thirty-five minute of treatment.

I forgot to mention...

I know you are having quality time with your couch and everything, but I forgot to tell you how we bastardized your TV by watching Judge Judy... or whatever her name is... on it.

I'm amazed that it hasn't started spitting steam out yet...

love you!

I Got Nothin'

I know, another cell phone photo. Where's the quality control on this blog anyway? Look, I work now, people, and when I'm not working, it's dark out, and you know how I hate flash photos. They give me the creeps. Anyway, tonight I went out to dinner for a work thing, and as lovely as that was, it didn't really seem like taking photos for the blog would have been so appropriate. You know? But I would like to know why, after I washed my hands in the bathroom at a certain schmancy, dimly light waterfront restaurant where they bring you a chilled fork for your salad, they smell like the dentists' office. Eww. Must go rewash.

Here's where I am now. Do you love my Chucks? I do. Almost as much as I love my couch right now. Which is a lot. I was in need of some good couch time tonight.

So Lucky!

just
So the husband came home last night and very exuberantly announced that his hard work had been rewarded in the best possible (work) way! He got a big ole raise! Yay!

I also am getting a big ole raise! So we won't starve to death this year! or be crazy homeless bag people! Or have to move to Vermont full time and chop our own wood and hunt our own food! I'll still be able to afford razors to shave my legs even!

Whoopie!

Seriously though, we are very lucky people - not just materialistically, but also in the people who love us, in loving each other, in the opportunities we've been given, the places we've been and things we've seen. And all of the great things that are spread upon the path before us - even with a random boulder scattered here or there.

I know that ultimately we want more for ourselves, but at times it's nice just to think how great we have it now.

It being a new year, beyond thinking about goals for the future, I just want to think about this moment too.

And how great it is.

Now hopefully my husband will come home from work someday so that we can go out for a fancy dinner and celebrate!

This is the update you've been waiting for

The Lola update! I hope I am not infringing any copyrights or pissing Marjie (whose name I spelled incorrectly in a previous post, how dreadful!) off by quoting from an email I got from her today.

She writes:

Just to let you know - we are now entering our 5th perfect day - no messes
of any kind in the house. Well - with one exception. Somebody put
the toilet paper roll back on the roller, so there was a little confetti
celebration of our guests and you, her new found love, but I have to confess, if
I were a puppy, I would also enjoy running though a few rooms with the end of a
roll of toilet paper between my teeth. But on the deal-breaker -- house
breaking -- she's been letter perfect. The onus of deciding when it's time
to go outside still rests with me, but we seem to be in synch and she goes on
out like a little trooper, regardless of foul weather. Who could ask for
more? Not moi.

Do you love Marjie, or what? I loved this update. And you all know that this blog is all about sharing the love. With you. Because you deserve it.

Have a great day. And know that sometimes, there really is a good reason not to put the toilet paper back on the roller. I just didn't realize that when I did it. Hee!

Yo Happy New Year

Hi, I am the Bad Allison from Last Year (AKA AMCVintage2006). I'm here to tell you some of the things the New and Improved Allison won't be doing this year.

She won't go to the gym less than six times a month. I know everybody does the gym resolution, but six times a month seems wildly reasonable, doesn't it?

She won't drink Friexnet Champagne, not even to be polite to her hostess. (I am using the word 'champagne' very loosely here) Okay, there are a lot of things she won't be drinking but this tops the list. This and Jagermeister. Definetly no Jagermeister either.

She won't buy more than one pair of shoes at the Saks After Christmas Sale. Okay, it's easy because she already bought one pair, but it's a new year so she could buy one more, right? And of course this doesn't take into account the Bergdorf's After Christmas Sale. Or the After Christmas Sale at Barneys or Bendels... or Scoop...

She won't be late to work. Except on mornings when they think that she should be there at some unreasonable, arbitrary hour - like 9 AM. I mean, the subways are brutal at 8:45! Who can get to work at 9 Am with that kind of crush?

She won't buy her coffee at Starbucks. Okay, that's easy because she's not buying coffee anywhere - but she won't buy their green tea chai either! Too much sugar. How's that?

She won't chastise her husband when he ummm.. toots. Let's just call that a losing battle.

She won't wear orange lipstick. Again, this may seem easy, but in 2006 orange lipstick got tried. And it was as wrong as ever.

And now for some things she will be doing this year!

She will keep track of her dreams better. She had this doozy about New Years at her friend HK's weekend house with Posh Spice and David Beckham. This is good stuff people!

She will change her earrings more often. She has lots of nice earrings and it's sad to see those same sad gold hoops every day.

She will moisturize her face. Every morning and every night. Especially around the eyes. No joke people, the dermis is in need of love.

She will go to bed before midnight every night. Of course, it's always before midnight somewhere right? She didn't specify a time zone.

She will tell her husband she loves him every night. Even if he has just tooted. In bed.

Well, I think that that is about as virtuous as a person can get, no? Unless of course, you have some other resolutions to suggest...