27 April 2015

sexy

You know what's sexy?
Being uncomfortable all day because your pants are too tight.
Your husband grabbing your gut and trying to play with it. Yes I said "gut," not "butt."
So yeah, my stomach is feeling better and I can EAT! But I think I went a little overboard there for a while in celebration. Time to reign it in.

Today's after-work exercise lasted for twenty minutes. I had good music.
Dinner included more of those vegetables that I'm determined will not rot in the fridge.
Plus a cookie and wine. I'm not trying to be a hero.
(Husband is also being forced to eat a salad because I said so.)

The cable is out-in-out-in-out which is always fun because Comcast rules. Netflix = Freaks and Geeks.

26 April 2015

Things and bits

Exercise: Since the first real exercise since like 2013 (no matter how short) happened last week, I decided that I will try to fit in something every other day. Even if it's only 15 minutes it's still better than nothing. I was noticeably sore the day after the exercise so obviously that was a skip day, and then Saturday was spent walking around the race track and that definitely counted because that was exhausting, so I guess that means I'm 2 for 2. Which is good because my pants still don't fit.

Face: Itching like nuts and I can't figure out what to put on it to moisturize/calm/de-itch. Oddly enough the cream the doctor gave me dries it out as part of the healing and I think that's what's causing the itch. But overall it seems to be getting better again so I'll keep at it.

Books: Reading a lot lately thanks to e-library books. Most of what I've read has been meh or good enough, but I really enjoyed The City of Ember. At first I hesitated because I'm totally over post-apocalyptic type books- Hunger Games and Divergent really were enough, but I read the sample and it hooked me. I literally sped through it in an afternoon. It's exactly what I've been looking for- an easy read but interesting enough to keep me reading, and not too wordy or descriptive. I skipped over very little. I started reading the second book which is not as good as the first; it moves a little shower than I'd like. But hey, it's free!

Watching: Scrubs on Netflix. I always enjoyed the show and would watch it whenever I'd see it on, but I was never a faithful watcher. Maybe it's because now I work in a hospital, but it's hilarious and crazily accurate.

Eating: Lots of salad greens because we bought a big bin and they're already starting to get slimy bits. I hate wasting food so I picked out the bad bits and am going to try and eat it all. Plus I bought a ton of vegetables and I really don't want them to go bad so here's to veggies this week! Also been snacking on some dark chocolate covered espresso beans I randomly found at the store.

Wine: I usually go through phases and now I'm back on the red wine kick. Just for your information.

23 April 2015

reasons why I'm cranky

So my skin was getting better, and then it started to get rash-y again. I feel ugly.
I haven't been sleeping well, partly because of the cat's nighttime antics, and partly because of anxious dreams and I don't know.

I felt really disgusting and sluggish today.
I was either bloated or I've started gaining weight and my pants were uncomfortably tight around the middle all day. Yuck.

On the drive home I decided that I was a disgusting sluggish blob and some exercise might do me good. So I got home and took Andy for a walk/run around the block. We made it 15 minutes before my mp3 player got locked on a ballad and I couldn't figure out how to unlock it. By that time I'd already worked up a sweat and we were close to home, so 15 minutes was all the exercise I got. But it still felt pretty good. Which was surprising. And nice.

After that, I was still bloated and yucky, and didn't want to eat anything heavy so we went to the grocery store and I made super awesome salads. Yes I said super awesome next to the word salad. Of course at that point I was starving so I wolfed it down, and then my stomach started to hurt. That's what I get for eating right and exercising.

Then I figured my habitual glass of wine probably wasn't a good idea, and instead drank lots of water. I'm really hoping that the choices I made this evening will lead to a good night's sleep. Because 15 minutes of exercise and salad and water 1 time are enough to make a difference, right???

22 April 2015

I like to personify my plants

Spring is in full swing. We're going to have to do a bit of growth control on the wild bushes soon, but most of the new growth is very welcome.

A bit of a plant roundup:

The flowers I hunted down and planted a few weeks ago not only held up through the storms we've been having lately, they have all started to bloom and they really spruce up the front walkway. I'm so proud of myself because they look like they've been there all along.
Kitty quality control is obviously very important around here.

Before

After

These plants can actually grow to take up some pretty significant space, so for now I'm resisting the urge to plant something pretty in the spot in front of the window.

Miss Gardenia got a bloom last week, and the many buds have started to follow her fragrant lead. The storms weren't as kind to the gardenia, as I found some of the buds and flowers blown from the plant, but she seems like she'll be resilient enough.


I've determined that delicate little herbs don't do very well outside and should be best grown on the kitchen windowsill. Thyme seemed promising at first but is now reduced to little more than a few lingering sprouts,


while Basil and Parsley seem to be thriving.


Sage is still on the edge of droopville and perksville.


Zucchini are growing leaves well enough but they always do well until it comes time to grow actual zucchini. I may need to do a bit of pollinating if the bees and butterflies don't show up.


The citrus tree has flowers and little green citrus fruit type things.


I was surprised to see pretty little purple flowers show up on the wandering jew.




Even last fall's mums and last Easter's lillies are full of buds. Don't you love the turtle planter? The previous owners left it and I happily plopped the lillies in it. We keep it (and the garlic) on the bird bath because the dog has tried to eat it.



This guy's always been a bit droopy no matter what I do. A bit of epsom salts dissolved in water seems to be giving him new life. Little shiny new leaves keep popping out. You can do it, houseplant!


The rosemary I planted last year seems to be doing well in this spot. I have hopes for a nice big rosemary bush one day!


The flowers I picked up at the grocery store make me smile every time I see them. They're doing a great job cheering up the breakfast table.


19 April 2015

Craft night, spring edition

Since the last craft night was so fun, I decided to host one. Only Ashley, Dayna and I actually crafted; everyone else talked and drank wine. Which is completely acceptable.


Ashley and I both lacked creativity when it came time to pick a craft. After much deliberation, we decided to paint wooden door hangers. Despite my usual aversion to chalk board type things, I opted to paint mine with chalkboard paint. Ashley painted hers to say No Soliciting and also arranged some plants for her bathroom.

(Not Meryl Streep's best moment)


Dayna made bow ties


and a Gooey butter cake which everyone raved about and I'm going to make GF. I just need to go buy more cream cheese because we used it all up in the Buffalo Chicken Dip which I ate WAY too much of.

I also tried this recipe, which I pinned a while back and have been meaning to try. It was the perfect opportunity because I ran out of butter and eggs. For the record, it tastes like it doesn't have butter or eggs. Quite dry; won't be making again. What a waste of 1.5 cups of GF flour! I'll be using butter in my cakes from now on.

In addition to the door hanger, I picked up a small cross stitch kit. I've been meaning to re-learn how to do it, mostly because I want to make something with dicks/ curse words/ an atypical phrase. Hobby Lobby doesn't carry stuff like that, so I picked the least ugly one I could find. Progress:

18 April 2015

skin adventures

Friday morning, before the cat pee wars, I went to the dermatologist. I know it's hard to believe because copays are apparently my best friend, but I've never been to a dermatologist.

I was motivated by the rash on my face. Not only is it unsightly, it's uncomfortable and rather than recede once I changed cleansers, it decided to spread. I also decided on a skin cancer check while I was there, because- fair skin + growing up in southern California and Texas.

Long story short, the skin check was a lot like the gyno, minus the boob massage and crotch violation, and the gown opened in the back instead of the front. He definitely saw my boobs during the inspection, and shifted the waistband of my panties to check the skin there, but nothing crazy. He even checked around on my scalp. Odd but not as uncomfortable as a pap smear and 100% peace of mind because my few little freckles were declared benign.

The skin condition he dubbed contact dermatitis, I guess we could call it idiopathic because I don't really know what caused it. He said normally skin will get irritated by something simple and will heal quickly, but the skin around the nose and eyes will not heal simply because it's more sensitive. The great part? He gave me samples to treat it and I didn't have to go to the pharmacy to fill any expensive prescriptions. I like this guy.

Chris and I both noticed a decrease in redness after the first application of the cream, so that's a good sign. Especially because the doc said no makeup until it heals. And I have a class to teach Monday. Don't mind my ugly face rash, folks. I'm just here to teach you how to use the glucometer.

17 April 2015

Pee wars

I spent most of today on my hands and knees, smelling the floor in the craft room every few inches.

Why yes, the cat did pee on the carpet. The carpet. The long-pile carpet. Which, I found out, is infinitely harder to clean than regular carpet.

Not only did the cat pee on the carpet, she pooped on the carpet. Which was actually pretty awesome because it was really easy to identify the location of the first pee spot. The second pee spot was a little tougher to find. I'm glad I'm a pee veteran and suspected there might be more than one spot.

Back to cleaning this god forsaken carpet.

Damn you, previous owners and your lofty shag-type carpet choices and patterns that hide stains. There's so much more of the actual carpet fiber, and you can't readily identify pee areas. Once you sniff out the spot, you kind of have to massage and comb the cleaning products into the carpet with your fingers. Yes, I combed the carpet with my fingers today. Several times.

Why is there even pee on the carpet? My guess is there was another dog vs cat incident while we were gone. And this time instead of a courtesy pee on the rug/tile, the cat meant business.

It just so happens that I'm hosting a craft night and the cat peed in the craft room two days before. Nice, cat. Which is why I spent most of my day off on my hands and knees, sniffing and massaging product into the carpet with my fingers. It sounds stark raving mad, but it has to be done.

Cat pee is not to be taken lightly. Left alone or cleaned improperly, one pee spot's worth of odor can take over an entire house. Or the cat will go back and pee there again. My home will NOT be destroyed by my animals, damn it. I will not be the smelly house. I attack every pee spot swiftly and completely until no odor remains.

Solutions:
1. Clean and clean and sniff and clean until the odor is gone. I've literally been cleaning and crawling on my knees and scrubbing and massaging fucking carpet for two days. I busted out the carpet cleaner for two rounds and I went ahead and bought an entire gallon of Nature's Miracle.
2. The litter box has, sadly, made a more permanent appearance. In the master bathroom, so that there will be no reason for her not to use it, and also so Andy won't dig around and eat the poop. Elena told me she was prone to do that when they had her. Gag. It's super annoying because the litter gets everywhere and bathroom = bare feet + litter = gross and annoying, but I'd rather sweep litter daily than clean that damn carpet again.
3. The cat gets thrown outside the front door when we leave. Not only does she spend WAY too much time hunkered down in the bedroom, but this will reduce the chances for inappropriate pee choices and she will not have to directly confront the dog, who obviously goes in the back yard. It will also hopefully reduce her tendency to get bored around 4am and start meowing and running around the house. Not fun, cat. We have to get up and go to work. She still has the option to come inside via the cat door, but oddly enough she rarely makes the trip around the house to the back yard. Probably for fear of the dog, but right now it works.

So that's the newest story around here. I can't help but think that if the dog weren't around, NONE of this would be necessary. Yay for that. But also the cat is kind of a cunt and if she were less of a bitch this would also not be necessary. Yay for that.

At this point, combined with the INCREDIBLE amount of shedding going on between the two of them, I want to throw them both out and declare them outside animals and make my home my sanctuary again. But Chris would never go for that because he loves animals and stuff. Yay for that.

P.S. My mom got her hair cut the same day I got mind cut (by our regular hairdresser), and apparently it turned out lopsided and horrible. Maybe I didn't make a mistake after all. Because right now even my ponytails look cute.

11 April 2015

hair cut

I just had the weirdest hair cut.

Yes, I cheated on Lori to try out the place literally right next to my house. I walked in hoping it would be quick. I literally rolled out of bed, went to the vet, then went to get a hair cut. With wild bush-lady hair and no makeup.

When I walked in to make an appointment the lady kept having to go back and ask questions from the two other ladies cutting hair there. (Turns out they're Iranian and have these fabulous accents and are ridiculously beautiful- even the older lady who helped me) I certainly felt like frump girl with my strange skin and wild hair.

So the lady took me back to wash my hair and it was like she's never washed hair in her life. It was getting in my ears and it was too hot and I don't think she rinsed the shampoo off the back of my neck.

Then she started to comb my hair. Very hesitantly. When she started to cut my hair she kept dropping things. She dropped a total of 3 combs during the hair cut. It was as if she's never cut hair in her life. I got nervous but figured if it ended up terrible it's long enough that I could get it fixed. I don't really get too worked up over hair because it grows back and all that.
She spent like 20 minutes on one side, then spent about 5 minutes on the other side. She kept going over sections she'd already done. I was really starting to get nervous.

Normally when Lori cuts my hair, it's quick and she knows I don't like it styled; I just get it cut and move on. But this lady insisted that I get it styled. When she asked me how I wanted it dried, I just said whatever was quickest. Then she went to ask the other hairstylist which way was quickest (!).

At that point I just closed my eyes while she blow-dried, somewhat awkwardly. I kept thinking that this lady has no idea how frizzy my hair gets when blow dried, and she didn't even use any product. I was going to end up like a q-tip.

When I opened my eyes, I was very surprised. My hair looked really pretty. At first glance, nothing was lopsided or crooked. It looked like a really good hair cut. It was much more expensive than Lori (about 2x + tip), but that's what I get for cheating on her.

Maybe this lady was recovering from a stroke or was just clumsy or just hadn't cut hair in a while and that's why she was so awkward. Either way, she was very nice. I'll see how the haircut looks and how I like it after a couple of weeks. That's the real test.

P.S. I can't find my cartilage earring. She probably combed it out. For the record, Lori never does that.

09 April 2015

skin, again

My skin has been pretty good lately. Since the change in birth control (and its stability) and the change to coconut oil, I've had minimal breakouts and they heal faster. In the shower I've been using the Clarisonic with whatever generic acne cleanser is on sale at the drug store. Either the Clean and Clear Deep Action Cream Cleanser or the generic equivalent.

I recently opened a new bottle of the CVS brand and I'm not sure if it's due to the change in cleanser or something else, but I've developed little patches of irritation around my nose and near my eye. At first I thought they were those bastard underground zits or maybe an eye infection/stye, but after a few days they're smaller bumps with a scaly texture and the whole area feels irritated and looks red. And they're spreading.

I suppose the logical thing to do is clean everything I use on my skin, switch cleansers, and see if it clears up.

07 April 2015

Need new friends

I was thisclose to creating a meetup group:

Looking to find more friends in the same situation- specifically married women with no kids in the area. Would like a friend to call and hang out with a glass of wine and not have to drive all the way into Houston for it, or arrange for a babysitter, or watch the kids all night. Not that kids are bad; Simply trying to see if there are any women in the area who are looking for similar kinds of friends. If so, let's meet up! 

You know, something like that. It was a rough draft.
What stopped me from completing it? You have to pay for it. Merh.

I've spoken about this at length.
How my old friends are great but we are drifting apart because we live much father apart, and our lives are so different now so there's not as much to relate to and it's harder to make our schedules mesh.
How it's harder to make new friends as an adult, especially in the category of married and childless by choice in the suburbs.
What I'd love is a friend in the neighborhood [so it's really easy to walk down the street] that likes to drink wine and enjoys things like Harry Potter. Chris has an old racing friend that is exactly that, but she lives in Dallas.

See, people like this DO exist, I just have to find them. Short of putting out an ad in the community newsletter, I'm not sure how to do that.
The search continues...

06 April 2015

Today

This cake and coffee, for breakfast.

 

Maxi dress that makes me feel like I'm Suzy. ♥

Got my engagement ring inspected for loose stones and no repairs are needed. A little pro activity on my part to avoid another lost diamond.

Watching Mom and Ash go apeshit in LUSH. Great store, I had to seriously restrain myself because I wanted to buy ALL THE THINGS. I couldn't decide on what was best so I'll do some more research and survey my current products that need to be replaced, and go back.

My baby vincas are growing up.



Not only are they not dead, they're all getting ready to flower! That and the gardenia. It has a ton of buds and I can't wait until they open.

05 April 2015

Field Day

Field Day aka Cleaning Day aka Sunday. I don't know why the military folks call it Field Day. They just do.

Since the latest shower incident was most likely caused by the buildup of soap scum and other yuckies, and recently I witnessed the horrors of mildew and also that strange pink mildew after showering in my contacts, today it got cleaned.

Not just a spot clean of bleach in the gross corners, but a top-to-bottom scrub down with a mixture of dish soap, bleach, and water. Some Comet where it really needed it. I didn't really want to clean the shower, but it had to be done. Chris says I now smell like a swimming pool. I don't care. Even reluctantly clean showers bring me so much joy.

Laundry is almost done and there's a cake in the oven. (What? I woke up wanting cake.)

I cleaned all the winter stuff out of the closet. Bye bye, 5 sweaters and a few cardigans. See you next year. Brought out the summer dresses. Really thought about how I should go through and get rid of the stuff I don't wear. I got rid of a ton of clothing in the big purge right before the move, so it's not as bad as it could be, but still there are items that I haven't worn in years or might wear, given the right occasion.

Roomba is picking up an insanely disgusting amount of dog hair. Every day I'm stunned when I clean out the filter; it's filled to the max. The summer shedding has commenced. I'm so thankful for him.

When I was in organic chemistry, there was one lab where we created dyes, dyed fabric, then removed the dye from the fabric. When it came time to remove the dye, naturally I started with bleach. The first dye was completely gone the second the bleach touched it. How satisfying. The next, I soaked in bleach for much longer than was needed before I realized the bleach wasn't going to remove the color.

I remember at that moment feeling like my entire life was a lie. Bleach is my friend. Bleach will never let me down.
Bleach will not remove all color from everything. It depends on the type of dye/stain. Regardless, I'm still surprised when I bleach things like the dog blankets and the color stays, unaltered. Then I turn around and bleach a blue towel and it comes out white as ever. Still just as satisfying.

04 April 2015

things and such

Today I fell in the shower. I did other stuff too, really good stuff, but I figured I'd start by highlighting the falling in the shower part. It was slippery when I got in, and KAPOW I slipped and fell backwards. Like something you see in the movies. No major injuries, except my knee must have hit something square on because it's developing a bruise and it's very tender. I thought falling in the shower was something people did when they were old or invalid or something. Apparently not the case.

The solicitors are becoming an item on my eye-twitch LIST. Since I put up the sign I've still had to remove those annoying flyers and advertisements that they put around the door knob. I've even tried to call the company and complain when I've found them on the door, but my efforts were minimal and I'd much rather prevent the issue in the first place. So I taped another sign on the door. So now my door looks like this:


Which is pretty ghetto. I got a small picture frame to put on the door or near the doorbell (Can't figure out which would work best) that will say the same thing, but you know, pretty and typed and not taped to the door. However, it's ridiculous. I feel like putting an electric fence around the porch.

We are pretty much ignoring the fact that it's Easter. Family is not doing anything, especially since we don't feel like celebrating without Goob and the parentals decided to head out of town. Chris and I briefly decided to make each other easter baskets, but then we decided it wasn't necessary. We'll just buy some half-priced candy Monday and be just as happy with half the stress and cost. [HALF PRICE PEEPS OMG] I even considered decorating eggs just for fun, but honestly I just don't care! Nor do I want to be eating hard boiled eggs for the next week and a half. Just not into easter this year, I guess.