Day 203

Ran to my place to do some tidying. Visited with the roomy.

Walked the dog and watered then headed over to my uncles house for pasta and weird autobiographical art house films about crazy people.

Read some more random comics.

Day 202

Walked the dog. Came home and made biscuits and chicken fried steak for dinner. Watched a bunch of TV with the roommate. (Venture Bros, Best Week Ever, Wipeout, Robot Chicken, and I Survived a Japanese Game Show.) The roommate bought and installed a ridiculous fancy microwave. Robots will take over the Earth, it is certain.

My vegetables are all sprouting and I’m pleased as punch. Soon there will be all manner of delicious things to eat. Yay!

Day 201

Walked the dog. Ran to Ballard with Steve to check out Sweet Posie’s famous red velvet cupcakes, but they were closed. So we hoofed it over to Cupcake Royale instead.

Picked up chow on the way and headed home to BBQ. Delicious. It was nice to see Addy.

Returned to Theo's and read some comics from my Bermuda Triangle style pile.

Day 200

Woke up in extreme arm pain. Dog walking was a bit uncomfortable.

Had breakfast at Julia’s in Cap Hill with Josh and then dropped in at the aquarium to see the remodel. (Very pretty but not very useful/interesting.) Had some time on our hands still so we headed up to SAM to check out the Impressionists collection. Pretty good. I’m not much of a Monet fan, but they had some good stuff (including Degas, one of my favorites.)

Had ice cream.

Watered the plants and walked the dog.

Went home and watched the first disk of the BBC mini-series, Ultraviolet with Jim. I really like it and think it probably could have gone beyond a mini-series. (Although the end may not allow for that I suppose.)

Day 199

Picked up Sean and helped Paul and his parents paint his condo. My arms are quite tired.

Had dinner at Samurai Noodles with Kim and then went to the M’s game (against Detroit). Beard Papa’s is opening a location at Uwajimaya and had cream puffs for sale at the stadium.

Recap of game:
Ate cream puff.
Ate second cream puff.
Losing kind of badly thus falling asleep.
Had Dr. Pepper.
Scored a home run.
Kim caught a ball.
Garlic fries.
Scored another home run for the win.

Today was a satisfying day.

Day 198

Caught Hancock with Jim, Deuce, and Paul. Hancock was fine.

Had lunch at Qdoba. Then Deuce and I saw Wanted as well. Very good movie.

Frosted my cake and scurried up to George’s for a BBQ. Had a nice time.

Day 197

Made a cake for the BBQ on the 4^th. Watched TV with Jim. Wipeout may be the best show in the history of TV.

Had dinner at Dan & Katie’s. It was great to visit with them again.

Today was a good day.

Day 196

Left work early on account of my face hurting. Jim and I loitered at The Stop then had dinner with 2.0 at Red Robbin.

Finished The Nocturnals. Beautiful art, but it was very hard to follow. Read a few more comics.

Day 195

Had partial root canal. Took pain killers. Had left overs.

Steve visited and killed spiders.

Puked.

Finished Th1rte3n, which was pretty good.

Read more about it on my less boring blog.

Today = Not good.

Day 194

Holy Crap. I totally don’t remember at all. I read some comics from last week. Watched some TV. I guess that was it.

Day 193

Got up early, walked Theo and dropped by cat-sitting house to water plants and feed Smoky. Had breakfast at the diner with Paul and ran to get some new paint samples. Ran to Kieran’s to get new containers for my patio. Swung by Fred Meyer’s to pick up some soil and herb plants.

Stopped for a slurpy at 7-11 and got the annoying mating dance action from some dude. (Whose girlfriend was there.) (And rough looking.)

Planted:

Radishes

Cucumbers (one for pickling and one for tzatziki)

Peppers

Bell Peppers (Yes, I am an optimist.)

Basil

Sage

Rosemary

Slurpy was melted in the ricockulous heat before I had anything planted at all.

Had Chinese food at FSD.

Watered all the plants at Theo's and took a nice short walk as it was hot as hell.

Watched disc 1 of season 3 of Weeds. Read more Th1rte3n.

Had the vapors from the heat.

Day 192

Got up early and cleaned my cat sitting house. Ran back to my place and devoured toast and watched some Colbert Report. Paul came over and helped me move my footboard out to my grandma’s shed (it was just very big for such a small room).

Had lunch at Tona’s and ice cream at DQ and retired to Paul’s to examine paint colors. I am experiencing high levels of anxiety regarding these paint colors as the colors I have chosen coordinate with Paul’s art and furniture The colors others have suggested are nice too. The issue is that Paul has a lovely collection of comic book art which has a very bright primary pallet and I think that painting his house in smoky greens etc. would not present the art well.

Meh.

Ran to dog sitting house and walked Theo. Paul dropped me back at my place and I ran a few errands and then headed to poker night at The Stop. Josh joined the group and we split into three groups with one staying to play games, one going to see Wanted, and the group of Kim, Josh, and Paul and I going to Wall-E. SO FANTASTIC!

Chatted with Josh and returned to Theo’s to crash.

Day 191

Coworker who is leaving took a bunch of us out to lunch. Had some delicious pie.

Happy Hour with the coworkers at Las Brisas in Edmonds after work. Pretty warm outside.

Went to the cat sitting house and watched Bones with Smoky who was super cuddly.

I'm convinced my reflux is back. As I was supposed to attend a wine tasting party and instead stayed home murring on the couch with stomach pain.

Day 190

Took exploratory journey to Double D Meats in Mountlake Terrace with Brad to inspect their uhm… meat. Pretty awesome and great prices. I'm looking forward to exploring further in the future.

Had grilled steaks and started Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (but left in the middle as it was kind of … not boring, but just not very compelling and a little too clearly going to end badly).

Dropped Sean off at Shank’s. Refreshed my manicure and watched Bones. Fell asleep on the couch at 10ish. (Because I am old.)

Read more Th1rte3n.

Spoke with Steve.

Day 189

Brought cake to the stop and a bunch of folks including Hotness & Ferritnick were around to eat some Happy Wednesday Cake. It was good times.

Had dinner at a new Mexican place with Paul. Worked on picking paints to match Paul’s art and furnishings. Then watched SNL featuring Big Beef.

Read more Th1rte3n.

Spoke with Steve and Grandma.

Today was a good day.

Day 188

Work was stressful, as I did not take the ridiculous over-precaution that I usually take and did not prevent an irritating problem. This year’s review was spectacular and in order to retain my star status, I need to pretend to have god-like omniscience. Oh well. Demi-god it is.

Had dinner with the cake girls and then had our final cake class. All of us were having a hard time with our roses and the final cake situation was not ideal, but we finished and are excited to move on to new cooking challenges.

And the margaritas that followed at Diane’s. Delicious.

Read some Th1rte3n.

Day 187

Completed bedroom reorganization-palooza. Watched some Bones. Frosted the cake that I complete Sunday.

Spoke with Burke and Steve.

Read more Th1rte3n. My god, I am taking forever to finish this book. Although I would finish it faster if I read more than 5 pages a night…..

Day 186

Went shopping all day with Addy for clothes to wear to her sister’s wedding. Experienced a repeat of Friday’s PIN debacle at Target. Grrrrrr. I guess I'll call the bank tomorrow.

Helped roll appetizer rolls for a coworker’s retirement party.

Had Indian Night at FSD. I made “starlight” yellow cake with chocolate frosting from the new Betty Crocker cookbook. Neither were good at all. I was not impressed in the slightest. But the family was simply happy to eat cake.

Watched The Savages, which was well made and somewhat compelling, but very lacking in the screen play department.

Watched an episode of Bones and read more Th1rte3n.

Spoke with Steve.

Day 185

Watched cartoons. Returned to my house and worked on culling my comic collection and separating unread items into piles by title and in order. My floor: covered in comic piles. But it has to get worse before it can get better… right?

Picked Rachel (so good to see her) up at the airport and went to the Thai-ger Room for an early dinner. Had dessert at Trophy Cupcakes. Walked Green Lake with Rachel, Scott, and Jackie. Met Maya, Jon, and Sarah for cocktails (2 over 2 hours) at the Green Lake Bar and Grill. Had a really good time.

Returned to cat sitting house at midnight. Sober and fine. Read some more Th1rte3n. Went to bed at 12:30.

Woke up at 3:30 and ran to the bathroom and hurled for four hours straight. I am guessing it was food poisoning (or my reflux is back again?), as I had only two cocktails. I cannot speculate as to what caused this, but suffice it to say, it sucked a lot. Tired, confused, hurly Quiana was convinced it was Salmonella and that hideous illness was coming.

Wished for death. Brushed teeth furiously. Assigned blame.

Day 184

Left work early for margaritas at Sarah S.’s house with Angie.

Had my haircut.

Had dinner with Steve and Addy. Had weird PIN incident (reader rejected my pin- pretty certain that I didn’t misremember a number I’ve used for almost 6 years… just saying), just put it through as credit.

Loitered at 7-11, like old Cuban men. Tried giant chewy nerds (yucko).

Saw Harold and Kumar.

Read more Th1rte3n.

Spoke with Mom.

Day 183

Ran to cat sitting house to meet with owners. Car failed to start on the first try. Started on the second try, but of course I was convinced that I would have to spend this weekend signing away another 4 years of debt on a new (to me) car. (End result: 6 total additional years of debt instead of 2. AND consumer debt/student loans after age of 30. NO THANKS.)

Bought neat portable hands-free speaker phone (Parrot brand) from Circuit City. It is really handy and I can use it in the car or while I’m cooking.

Worked on organizing my closet into a more effective space.

Read more Th1rte3n.

Watched Bones.

Spoke with Steve, Grandma, and Burke.

Day 182

Went (meaning: was stupidly tricked into going) to the end of the year celebration/annual turnover "going away" party at the boss's boss's house. Was there forever!

Came home and organized my pile of recipes. Got Chinese take-out and watched National Treasure 2 (which was very funny and while absolutely not believable at all ever in any way, I enjoyed to an embarrassing extent.)

Read some Th1rte3n and crashed.

Day 181

Stayed at work late and consumed a salad for dinner. I was extremely full.

Went to cake class and was let out early. Was ravenous and ate half a grapefruit and some chips.

Watched Venture Bros. and Robot Chicken with the roommate. Fell asleep watching a show called 30 Days (I think). Pretty good. It's not the show's fault, it is the roommate (I think).

Read a little NG and passed out.

Day 180

Had a dental appointment. Dealt with a huge project at work and went home to take pain killers and suffer. Ate half a brownie, 1 piece of chocolate, and an ice cream sundae cone. No idea why.

Watched Bones and organized my old papers.

Watched The Golden Compass with Jim. Meh.

Day 179

Watched some SNL with Jim over breakfast. Caught The Happening matinee, went home disgruntled and tidied.

Went to Brad & Cynthia’s for a Father’s Day BBQ and laundry fest. Watched Indiana Jones, then brought Mariah home. Packed up laundry and hauled it home.

Read more Nocturnals.

Day 178

Slept in and missed all of Skunk Fu and most of Viva Pinata. Made poached egg whites, coffee and English muffins, while watching Spectacular Spiderman.

Met with Grandma and Olivia at Country Village and did some shopping. Bought an apron. Then Mariah and Meagan met us at the tea house for lunch.

Met Steve at my house and ran to let Sammi and Riley out. Got Slurpies on the way to Lynn and Michael’s for Theo’s birthday party. Very entertaining.

Ran back to the house and picked up the cheesecake and left, but then returned to grab Jim’s cell phone. Went to George’s for Mary Ann’s birthday party. BBQ was consumed, presents were opened, and while the others played games, we loitered in George’s office talking about nothing at all.

Left quite late and returned home to continue reading Nocturnals.

Today was a very good day.

Day 177

Took a half day and went shopping for furniture with Jim in Everett. Jim thinks he may have found the table.

Dropped by the store then made tacos for dinner for Steve and Addy. Baked a cheesecake while watching TIVO'd Cartoon Network.

Read some more Nocturnals.

Day 176

Met a new neighbor, Peggy. Seems a little weird. Lucky me.

Got together the items needed for cheesecake.

Tidied and read some Nocturnals.

Day 175

Met a new neighbor, Krissy, when she asked us to help her put together her son's big wheel. Took a long time. She seemed nice (by which I mean she also despises the awful neighborhood brats).

Got take out teriyaki. Watched some TV.

Day 174

Work is CRAZY.

Had dinner with Angie and Barb. Attended cake class. Still not thrilled. Less cat pee odor = less learning?

Came home and chatted with Jim.

Spoke with Jason B. and Burke.

I'm super stressed about work right now, but I am keeping it together. Go team me!

Day 173

Had a TON of work to do.

Came home and prepared my cake (and frostings) for cake class. Watched Venture Brothers and Best Week Ever with Jim.

Puttered.

Read more Th1rte3n.

Day 172

Had hashbrowns and watched part of Transformers. (Big Beef!)

Said my depressing goodbyes to mom.

Was late to pick Kim up as I am lame. Went to the big Asian mall in Richmond. Had cream puffs, bought stuff, coveted other stuff.

Arrived at border and endlessly sat. Ate some sushi. Car boogied.

Eventually shot south at a great rate of speed. Dropped Kim off. Went to Ye Olde Family Homestead. Junior Squad ran to Target (where I bought a bright green shirt which reminded me of Speed Racer) and then Best Buy (where I bought the cable adapter that I had gone to Target for in the first place.)

Had homemade potato soup. Made and devoured a box cake.

Came home, called Mom & Grandma. Puttered and passed out.

Day 171

Had buckwheat pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Left early for MetroTown Centre to buy some new work clothes and a handbag for mom. Did really well at shopping for her. Didn't like anything for me, which is fine as I am totally broke.

Had lunch at a place called Nando's. Really good.

Watched Southland Tales.

Had a fight with mom.

Had leftovers.

Watched National Treasure- which I strangely hated less this time. In fact, I kind of liked it. (Burning with shame.)

Read more Th1rte3n.

Spoke with Addy.

Day 170

Took the day off. Had a bagel and watched music videos with Jim. Puttered around.

Picked up Kim, raced Northward. Good drive. Somewhat lengthy wait at the border. Not sure why.

Dropped Kim at her friend's. Picked up mom. Met up with Darren and went to the good Greek place in Port Coquitlam. Stopped by Blockbuster.

Watched Stardust. Still awesome.

Today was a good day.

Spoke with Terry and Grammy.

Day 169

Ran some errands, including a brief and not terribly fruitful trip to Value Village.

Tutoring student canceled again, which bodes poorly. Took the opportunity to pick up some presents for mom's birthday and come home in time to watch a documentary on the T-Rex and some The Old House.

Steve came by and we had dinner at former Hongs and chased it with ice cream from Dairy Queen. Then he kept me company while I worked on organizing my room.

Jim returned and we had a long convo, during the course of which my brain was in a near constant state of misfire- no doubt due to lack of sleep.

I seem to be coping better with all the change now, although I can't seem to sleep past 5 am, which is super irritating.

Spoke with Czarina.

Day 168

Sarah scored our New Kids tickets and I am as giddy as a school girl (literally).

Worked late and went straight to Meagan & Jay's for Grandpa's birthday party. We all got him candy. I think everyone had a good time discussing this summer's major excursion: the international rock hunt.

Came home and had a nice chat with the roomy.

Read some blogs.

Spoke with Steve and Jeannine.

Day 167

Got new door panel fasteners (very exciting) and met with Angie to do some gift shopping for my family.

Had L&L with Angie and Barb then met Sheena at Jo-Ann’s for out first Wilton Cake Decorating Class (1), AKA the weirdest cake decorating class in the history of leavened bread.

As soon as I walked into the classroom I smelled cat pee and thought, “Oh there have been cats in here.” Then I thought, “Oh, it is probably not bring your cat to work day here at the craft store.” And then I realized that someone here smelled like cat pee. Knowing that none of my friends smell like cat pee, and guessing that the coach bag toting soccer mom and her adorable daughter probably don’t smell like cat pee, I guessed that the hefty toothless lady with the hairy chin was the source of the odor. Imagine my surprise when I learned that this former professional barrel rider/goateed/cat pee perfumed lady was our instructor.

She did not seem to know what was going on at all and at one point in the class actually pulled a hair out of her frosted cake. Also her frosting rose was bullshit.

It was AWESOME.

After class I rushed home to tell the roomy about the toothless cat pee lady only to find he was not home. So I called my mom and she essentially told me that I was a judger and that not everyone can be expected to meet my hypercritical standards and that I need to learn to just allow others to “just be”. (At which point I can only assume that she rolled a doobie and did a little yoga.)

Caught up on some blogs and crashed.

Spoke with Steve, Grandma, and Grandpa.

Day 166

Had dinner with Jim at Voula's Good Eats. Very good.

Cruised down to DBS for drinks with a very large group and had a nice time.

Read more Th1rte3n.

Spoke with Bonnie.

Day 165

Got up early to feed and walk the dog. One cat would not come out from under the bed to have breakfast (nor dinner, actually). This is because cats are hug jerks.

Picked up Sean and met Paul for the Speed Racer matinée (now 6$). It was fantastic.

Continued my campaign to reorganize the house until Family Sunday Dinner time. Pot Roast Night! I did something like 6 loads of laundry. Brad and I watched Dead Alive (Kiwi Zombie flick) and Bright Future (another in an endless series of incredibly slow and weird and confusing Japanese/ultimately pointless movies we continue to watch for no discernable reason). Mel and Jess did not make it.

Ran home and finished up a few things around the house. Chatted with Jim.

Spoke with Addy.

Read a bit more of Th1rte3n. Still no cohesive anything, each chapter still excellent and then a let down.

Day 164

Got up early and walked the dog, then started cinnamon rolls. (The sugar crystallized instead of caramelized- too high heat?) Had cinnamon rolls with Angie and her niece, then we ran to Target to grab some retirement gifts and wander aimlessly. Dropped them back at the house.

I popped by Starbucks for some tea and headed over to Ron & Czabrina’s. Chatted and watched garbage TV on VH-1.

Ran back to Theo’s and served him his dinner (and me mine) and took an extra long walk. Because we got totally lost,I thought we could loop around, but in the end we had to flip around and retrace our steps. Ran home to shower and do my hair. Picked up Chris and headed to Jeannine and Mike’s Rock Band party. Had a wonderful time!

Spoke with Chris, Lynn, Burke, and Paul.

Day 163

Dropped in on George at The Comic Stop. Brian came in a bit later and we gabbed for a while.

Fed and walked Theo. Sat down with the cat to watch some TV.

Read more Th1rte3n. Sometimes when authors want to cover several different people’s stories they simply intersperse the character’s chapters. Now unless they are connected by theme, time line, or some other concept, this never ever works. What happens is that you draw the reader in and then drop them cold and one chapter later I can’t remember who is who and if they meet, I do not get it, because I have forgotten by then. Here I am, cold, and wondering why Rickard Morgan is screwing with me.

Spoke with Czabrina, Steve, Grandma, Mom, Burke, and Amber.

Day 162

Ran to the bank to deposit some checks (refunds! Yay!) and change my address, and headed to WESCO to pick up new fasteners for my car door. They should be in by Monday. There was a very unfortunate motorcycle accident right at the corner and it reminds me to mention that wearing inappropriate clothing while riding motorcycles is profoundly stupid. Full coverage helmet, biker jacket and pants, and boots are the only way to go. This guy was t-shirt and brain bowl style helmet and suffered for it. He is lucky to have survived.

Went home to grab some stuff for my dog sitting gig. Fed and walked the dog. Made pork chops and fell asleep before 9 watching some true crime show with the cat in the den. Woke up at 10 and went to bed.

Spoke with Mom, Steve, and Meagan.

Day 161

Picked up Auntie and drove her to work (van was getting an oil change).

Ran to the bank. Didn't get to the auto supply store, bank or library. (Because the former two were closed and I was too irritated to bother with the latter.)

Had dinner (and pie! courtesy of Steve's mom) with Steve and Jim. Must procure additional chairs. Very Important.

Unpacked and organized more.

Started Th1rte3n by Richard Morgan. Not sure why I unabashedly love Richard Morgan's work.

Day 160

Unpacked the kitchen following a Trophy Cupcake breakfast, almost finished all the way.

Ran to Storables and Target to pick up a few new things. Ran into Susan from HS and I think she was kind of rude and judgie.

Unpacked till dinner at Herfy’s with Jim. Dropped into Fred Meyer’s to pick up chow for Wednesday night.

Worked more on unpacking and finished Daughters of the North. Very good, but it did feel rushed at the end.

Day 159

Met Steve, Addy, and Steve’s parents for breakfast at Julia’s and picked up some Trophy cupcakes for later. Ran back to the house and worked on unpacking for a few hours. Went to Brad’s for a BBQ, Paul joined the family. Returned to Riley’s to pack up my things, and went home to unpack more.

Jim & George picked me up and we met up with Deuce to watch the Red Socks completely destroy the M’s. Great seats and garlic fries tho.

Stopped at Occidental for discount hot dogs (I abstained) and returned to the house, where I promptly passed out.

Day 158

Watched Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull with Auntie, Sean, and Mel. It was good but very silly.

Met Paul at my old place to transfer my old stuff to new folks via Craigslist. They were adorable. Tidied and had lunch with Paul.

My apartment manager called to cancel the next morning’s walk through and we rescheduled it for that very moment. My deposit check is in the mail!

Brad picked up some old junk for the dump. Paul and I moved the rest of my junk, and I spent the rest of the day unpacking.

Returned to Riley’s and read until bedtime.

Day 157

Got up quite early and headed down to my old place. Arrived at just before 8 and moved all my boxes to the security hall and loaded up my car. Had an ice tea and scone from Peet's.
Soon Kim arrived, closely followed by Brad & Sean. Grandma and Roy arrived at about 10:20 (after talking me into starting the move at 9) and Ron and Czabrina showed just in time to help move the last few things into the car.

Arrived at the new place in time for the guys to assist in the unload. Kim stayed put to help get boxes in order and Paul, Brad, Sean & I went back to my place to pick up my exercise bike.

Had pizza at Brad's and returned to start unpacking. Unpacked for a while, then went back to the dogsitting house.

Later joined a bunch of people at George's for BBQ and Rock Band.

Wussed out early and went home to catch some z's.

Day 156

Started another dogsitting gig.

Went to bed early in order to be prepared for the early am move.

Spoke with countless people to confirm plans.

Day 155

Stopped at Home Depot on the way home to collect some cleaning materials and new burner cups for my stove. (Took one look at those filthy things yesterday and said “fuck that”.)

Watched This Old House (I have no idea why I adore that show. But I wholeheartedly do) and cleaned like crazy. Picked up a burrito at Tacos Guaymas.

AMC was showing Jurassic Park and I was able to watch most of the film. I was impressed all over again by how well made the movie is and how well it held up.

Spoke with Steve and Jim.

Day 154

Came in to work stupid early to meet with someone and they totally didn’t bother to show.

Tore apart my entire kitchen to wash it down. Started packing the most awkward stuff and started cleaning

Watched an episode of Bones and fell asleep.

Spoke with Megan, Brad, and Paul.

Day 153

Grabbed groceries on my lunch break and also picked up some crispy mint m&m’s. Yummy.

Dropped some stuff off at Value Village and didn’t go in to look for more, but really wanted to.

Traffic was an abomination. Some guy blew off his turn at a double lane four-way stop (on his phone of course) then tried to poach my turn. Then when I didn’t let him he flipped me off and honked. Seriously, just because you spaced out your turn, does not mean you get to make me miss mine. You can wait till Eastbound traffic gets to go again because Southbound learned to drive in Jersey and ain’t taking no shit off a no one.

Picked up two books at 3^rd Place in Ravenna.

Ran home, picked up teriyaki (I have had more teriyaki in the last two months than I normally eat in a year), and helped Burke with a mail merge. Steve dropped by to take pictures of my stuff for craigslist, then put up an ad and ripped it down half an hour later. Packed the rest of the kitchen (now there is just my fridge, about eight doomed Nalgenes, one plate, one fork, one knife, and three glasses) and almost my entire bathroom.

Watched an episode of Bones and the season finale of Reaper.

Spoke with grandma and Paul.

Day 152

Picked up my car from Jeff’s. Apparently when I last had my brake pads changed, they didn’t use the kind that squeal when they are running down and since my car wasn’t jerking or squealing when I used the breaks, I had no idea that my brake pads were pretty much gone until they were metal on metal. Good times. So they replaced the brakes and rotors and changed the oil and $550 later I was done.

With my remaining $50 I signed up for a cake decorating class.

Worked pretty late and went straight to Brad’s to pick up the stuff I had left there. Helped make dinner (Spaghetti) and do the dishes then headed off to meet Chris, Amine, Jen and her friend, and Andy at the Stube.

Read more Daughters of the North.

Spoke with Grandma and Steve.

Day 151

Left my car at Jeff’s and Steve dropped me at Ye Olde Family Homestead. Made bacon and chocolate chip waffles with Auntie. Ran to Costco, Bath and Body Works, and Bed, Bath, and Beyond(!). Bought some new hangers and I am unreasonable excited about them.

Watched Arang (Korean horror/detective movie) with Brad. Had a Hamstravaganza! Watched Ugly Betty and an independent film about street art.

Started Daughters of the North, by Sarah Hall. Very good so far and a very fast read.

Feeling a bit over dramatic about my car situation. I think that I am right to be frustrated, but I need to be sure to keep perspective.
That I chose my path.
That I am safe and healthy.
That not crashing into things with my car is a very good thing and well worth the money.
That maybe my car only breaks when I can most afford it?

Part of the joy of having an anxiety disorder is that everything is initially upsetting and panic inducing. It always takes me a bit of time to push down the panic and logic myself out of the problem. (This is why I will never survive the zombie apocalypse.)

Day 150

Apparently made some error as to when my dog sitting clients were returning and scurried out at great speed. Of course forgetting to return their bus pass.

Had brunch with Addy at Julia's and wandered around Wallingford. Returned home and watched Bones together while I packed.

Attempted to join a bunch of folks at a BBQ at Leigh's, but my brakes made a scary noise and I decided I had better just take my car into the shop in the morning instead. Stayed home and watched Law and Order instead of going out.

Teared up, but didn't cry. It is just so incredibly frustrating to never be able to get ahead. I know that every month I pay my rent and have electricity and can do everything by myself is a success, especially considering how I was raised. But I am just utterly demoralized by the constant strain of just squeaking by.

I know that almost everyone is a pay check or two from homeless (though they may not know it), and that I have family that will help me, but it kills me to ask for favors. It just burns. I'm sharp, well educated, and employed. I live within my means. I do what I am supposed to do. I just don't know what else to do. But there is clearly something that I'm not doing or something that I am doing wrong.

It is as though someone knew that I was getting that economic stimulus check this week and just wanted to see if they could fuck with me. Two years running my car has broken and taken up my tax return. So by now, I should be adjusted.

I keep being afraid that I will keep pushing ahead but that the status quo will stretch like the horizon. I just can't shake the feeling that I'm a fuck up.

Spoke with Grandma (she said my uncle James and Grandpa would come help me move, so that at least is good news), spoke with Steve to arrange dropping my car off, and spoke with Paul and Monica to cancel my attendance of a concert at Nectar.

Day 149

Took the day off to convalesce. Tidied a little bit but mostly dozed off and on.

Met up with Gordy, Monica and Fran for cocktails at Barca. Retired to Mon's to chat.

Drove back to the dog sitting house and passed out.

Day 148

Bad day at work. Still sick.

Returned to dog sitting house. Couldn't stay off the phone. Spoke with Mom, Mebbie, Steve, Paul, and Jim.

Watched Torchwood and passed out early.

Day 147

Worked a short day.

Had dinner with Steve and Addy. Then watched TV and had ice cream with Steve.

Then I passed out to feverish snorfly sleep with the kitty and dogs.

Feeling a little better.

Day 146

Stayed home from work very ill.

Slept till 3 pm. Had some oatmeal. Watched Rendition (quite good). Heated up some pasta and then fell asleep watching The King of California (also very good) woke up and finished it in time for Reaper.

Really asleep by ten.

Day 145

Felt a bit crummy at work.

Ran home to feed and exercise the pups then headed to Benaroya for my final National Geographic Live! lecture of the season. The photographer was fairly interesting and her work was quite good.

I'm bummed that it is the last of the season.

Felt pretty terrible by bedtime. Read some National Geographic and passed out.

Day 144

Helped Friday at the Registration/Information booth most of the day. Was still extremely tired. Spoke with mom briefly. Steve and Addy popped in for a very brief time.

Dropped Friday’s car at her friend’s place and headed down to Ipanema for dinner. The food was fantastic and it was nice to unwind. Sat with some really nice guys and had a nice time.

Looking at volunteering at the con from a post-con perspective, I’m not sure that I will want to volunteer in the same capacity again. This is not to say that I didn’t enjoy the con, but I think I don’t have enough interest in comics to sustain the level of dedication needed to bust my ass for three days. I do have a level of friendship with the people running the con to bust my ass for some increment of days, but probably not three straight.

There is something in the nature of fan-dom that I do not possess. For some reason seeing Bill Pullman at World Wraps was a much more interesting experience than paying Wil Wheaton to sign my ass. (Which I did not do, btw.) (And I did not meet him at all as he ran out of books and I couldn’t convince myself to stand in line for forty minutes to buy a picture of him dressed as Wesley Crusher.)

Also, as it turns out, not only am I not so fond of regular folks, I am also not so fond of my nerdy brethren. Which is to say that I am the lowest level of social function allowable in my estimation. Which is to say that I hate people. Which is a bummer as conventions typically features a lot of those.

Where was I? Ah yes, I had a dinner entirely composed of peppers, mushrooms, meat, cookies, caramel, and booze. Hooray!

(Final parenthetical sidenote- this blog is getting lengthy and Doogie Howser MD-esque, but I will not reign myself in, because this is my boring blog and I am not bound by rules and conventions and numbers of lines and I am wild and full of words and thoughts about Jamie Bamber’s British accent, the necessity of soap and social skills, and not actually having things signed by Wil Wheaton. So there.)

Day 143

Spent the morning selling badges. Was transferred to Jamie Bamber’s (who was very polite and gracious) booth. Had tacos with the Scales and picked up a few things from Chris Yates (kind of a dream boat, actually)(and really polite)(not that I’m stalking), which was awesome. Then ended the work day helping out at the charity auction. Had dinner with most of the volunteers at Rock Bottom (had a sundae). Paul and I retired to my dog sitting house. I was out like a light.

Today was very exhausting, but it was good to pull my weight this year and actually help my friends out.

Day 142

Met with Jim, Paul 2.0, and Gavin at The Stop, loaded Paul’s van and made two trips to the convention center. Dropped off the van at Paul’s office. Put together some badges. Accompanied Friday to Lake City to switch cars with her spouse and met her family (adorable). Had dinner at The Dragonfish with some of the gaming crew, Friday, Paul and Jim. Mooched a ride back to The Stop and returned home to pack for dog-sitting.

Day 141

Had a good tutoring session, although I am very unimpressed with my student’s English teacher. Packed and prepared my apartment for viewing and watched some Torchwood.

Day 140

Dropped by Half Price Books to get rid of the ones 3rd Place would not take. (Another $30!)

Paul came over to assist with the packing. He also brought a whole bunch of boxes. Courtney dropped by to pick up the TV.

We packed a whole ton of stuff and got my place partly ready for tomorrow's viewing. (This move may not kill me after all.)

I watched an episode of Bones while finishing tidying.

Spoke with Megan and Grandma.

Day 139

Went to 3rd Place Books after work to sell some things back. Made $40, and then promptly turned around and ordered The Perfect Scoop. (An ice cream cookbook that I've been lusting after, but would not allow myself to buy because it seemed frivolous. I spend at least $50 a month on comics but a $20 cookbook for ice cream is just CRAZY.)

Had a baked potato with chilli and cheese while watching What Not to Wear (these women are so scared to love their bodies. It makes me happy to see them trying clothes on and realizing that people come in many shapes, and that they can still look and feel good).

Kim came over and helped me pack. Until I lost my tape. So we ran to Target and picked up some more tape, a retirement card, and panda pj bottoms. (Hey, I had a gift card and I am sure Jim and his friends will appreciate me wearing pants.)

Came home and packed some more. Had panic attack realizing that I am down to 6ish days at home before I move. Kim left and I found my original tape.

Watched the Daily Show.

Spoke with Steve and Mom.

Day 138

Snagged fudgsicles, milk, and yogurt from the store. Traded some books back to Half Price.

Drove home and drove around for nearly an hour and a half looking for parking. Between tap dancers, sports at the lake, Cinco de Mayo at Tacos Guaymas, and construction I searched from a few blocks south of 65th and east of Ravenna to several blocks west and could not find parking. I finally gave up on going home and meeting up with friends at TG for the holiday. I parked in the load zone spot and rushed my now hideously deformed fudgesicles into the freezer- to no avail. They were hopelessly melted.

Chris and co. decided just to go the The Stube, but I was already northbound to The Stop to meet up with George and Paul. Hung out there a while and then Paul and I dropped by Wendy's for dinner. Yay crispy chicken sandwich! We went back to his place and watched two episodes of Big Bang Theory, HIMYM, and the first episode of this season's TAL.

Watched the Colbert Report while getting organized for the morning.

Spoke with Steve.

Day 137

Went through my clothes and found another entire garbage bag to send to Goodwill. Also went through my keepsakes and tossed a bunch of old stuff.

Did some cleaning and filing while watching Karate Kid. Loaded up my trunk with books to sell and laundry. Headed up to the Comic Stop for a Con meeting and stopped at the library on the way. We mostly just chatted while the junior volunteers, all cutely excited, did all the work.

Had baked potato bar at Family Sunday Dinner. Made Mother's Day dinner plans, watched Ugly Betty, then Rosemary and Thyme.

Read a few more comics and then crashed.

Spoke with Mom and Czabrina.

Day 136

Met Grammy in Snohomish for furniture shopping and lunch. Didn't find a lot in the way of furnishings. I did, however, buy a New Kids on the Block pillow case, so that kicked ass. I am probably just going to have to go with a modern drop leaf table, as I am concerned about sturdiness when I sew. As for nightstands, I have no idea.
We had lunch at the Cabbage Patch. I had ice tea, a pot roast sandwich, and a slice of lemon sour cream pie. Very good.

On my way back I stopped in two thrift stores. No good furniture in either, but I did pick up an umbrella in the shape of a Hershey's Kiss for $3.

Picked up Steve and loaded up my car with boxes and met Jim at the new house. Unloaded the boxes and had lunch at Sorelli's Pizza. Very good. HUGE thick slices.

Dropped Steve off at home and watched Torchwood while tidying. Read a few of last week's comics.

Spoke with Bonnie, but missed a ton of calls from others. Oh well.

Day 135

Work still sucking.

Had cocktails at Scott's with Diane, Kevin, Angie, Lynn, and Michael for Diane's birthday. Then Angie and I ran over to Macy's to pick up three 7 quart Martha Stewart Collection Dutch Ovens (50% off!). (One for me, and one each for my Uncle and Grandma. I swear I don't need 3!) I am looking forward to perfect pot roasts and no-kneed bread. Of course, we also stopped by Daiso and bought a magnet and a cake box set. Angie picked up a dessert mold in the shape of a koala head and I am burning with envy. We also stopped in at Sephora, as I was out of powder. I impulse purchased some 2$ purple nail polish as well.

Finished The City and The Stars. Highly recommended.

Day 134

Great day.

Work sucked, but I had a good tutoring session. Post-tutoring Steve and I went up to Everett and grabbed some chow at the food court then watched Iron Man with the Comic Stop crew. It was fantastic.

Iron Man, tutoring, and a root beer float! Yay!

Day 133

No new comics in my box, so I went straight home instead of to the Stop. Accomplished my goal of packing my books, movies, CD's and general miscellanea. Also packed up some seldom used clothes and my desk and nightstand areas. Packed so much that I ran out of reasonably sized boxes. (damn)

Started OCD-style checklist of things to do for the move and things to get rid of. I fear there will be a dump run.

Gave written notice for the 26th, so hopefully I can get everything moved, disposed of, and the apartment cleaned in 3 days. Or I'm screwed. HA HA HA HA. *whimper*

Watched Law & Order.

Attempted to play Yoshi's Cookie and the unthinkable happened. My Messiah gaming system is broken (since when I played it yesterday). It would not play Yoshi or Mario 3 (the only two games left unpacked). I will now slowly go insane. I now have both a non-working Messiah and a non-working, original 1985 NES. Damn it.

Read more The City and The Stars/watched The Daily Show and Colbert Report.

I got a lot accomplished today, but my Messiah suddenly blue screening me really threw off my groove.

Day 132

Tough days at work continue.

Grilled with Steve and Addy.

Watched Robot Chicken and read more of The City and The Stars.

My house is a depressing mess of piles to get rid of, packed boxes, piles I'm not sure what to do with, and mess I have not dealt with because of all the damned piles.

Day 131

Went into work just before 6:30 for a ridiculous meeting. Left early. Dropped off some library books.

Tidied my place and watched Bones (from season 1), How I Met Your Mother, and Big Bang Theory while I packed.

Then passed out. (At 10, sheesh.)

Day 130

Fed Quincy breakfast and watched the news.

Went to Brad's and had to go to three different auto supply stores to get replacement bulbs for my turn signal. (Almost forgot! My car is now wearing its first piece of duct tape. It is holding the cord to the signal casing. This is like a training bra for cars. Today it is holding together a loose connection, next year the ENTIRE BUMPER.)

Helped Auntie cook dinner. Watched Ugly Betty and Lars and the Real Girl (fantastic). Jess was quite sick.

Went home early to tidy and prepare for the week. Finished up an episode of Bones. Read a little more The City and the Stars.

Spoke with Steve and Mom.

Day 129

Watched cartoons and made dutch babies and bacon with Amber. Went shopping. At Target a woman started screaming hysterically. Amber started to walk towards the sound, but I would not let her as other people had walked over already. (Blood curdling screams in crowded shopping centers do not equal me running over. It does not seem prudent. And certainly not necessary with a gathered crowd.) A woman had passed out and EMTs arrived as we were leaving.
We also went to Ross and I bought 2 shirts, 2 pairs of shoes (one for inside one for out), and two dresses for under $70.

Picked up Addy for lunch at the Sunlight Cafe and mani/pedis at Blushing Beauty. Fed Quincy and Smokey dinner. We returned to Steve & Addy's for her birthday party. It was quite fun. Everybody likes a cowboy party.

Got home quite late and immediately passed out.

Day 128

Baked a white layer cake with white frosting for Addy. Had margarita's with Amber and chatted with her till the wee hours.

Spoke with Grandma, Steve, Bonnie, and Mebbie.

Watched Bones.

Day 127

No tutoring today so I dropped by the thrift store to look for the new furnishings I need and ended up buying Yoshi's Cookie for the NES and a purple duck umbrella.

Met Steve at Display and Costume to shop for Addy's birthday party. Can't reveal the theme, but it is AWESOME. Then we had a burger at the Ram.

Went home to pack and tidy, watched The Daily Show, read the most recent Walking Dead and Fear Agent comics.

Spoke with Amber and Addy.

Day 126

Went to the stop and ended up loitering with George. Later Paul and Tom showed up and we continued to loiter.

Watched Men in Trees and packed.

Spoke with Steve.

Day 125

Work is depressing. Between the weather, political climate, economy, and work place things are pretty much craptastic for me right now.

Packed up from dogsitting and met up with Paul for dinner at a diner (with dessert from DQ) and TV viewing. We watched Aftermath, HIMYM, and Big Bang Theory.

Tidied and unpacked.

(Celebrated Earth Day by not showering. Take that hygiene!)

Day 124

Had dinner with Lynn and Michael then saw Dennis Dimick speak on climate change at Benaroya Hall. He was not gifted in the area of public speaking, but the importance of this topic seems to have moved him to act.
(Confession time: Chris, I told you I didn't believe in Global Warming to piss you off. Sorry, dude. It was really funny tho.)
It made me motivated to put more effort into green living, but I still can't see how slowing our carbon emissions will save us from the consequences described. We need regression, not slowing. Will taking shorter showers rebuild the polar ice caps? I don't think so. BLEH! (See, Chris, this is my actual belief.)

Came home, played ball with Quincy, read more The City and The Stars, and tidied.

Day 123

Watched Shoot Em Up (AWESOME) with Quincy. Then played some ball and read a little.

Went to Sunday Family Dinner (Mexican Night!) and played some wii games with my Auntie (my arm is sore from getting just one more achievement in hoop shooting).

Watched Law & Order, SVU because this is what women staying alone in other people's giant empty houses should do just before bed.

Read some more of The City and The Stars. Still kicking ass.

Day 122

Woke up early and watched Viva Pinata while making sausage soufflé and coffee cake. Angie joined me for breakfast and shopping. We hit two Goodwills, 2 Value Villages, and 1 St. Vincet's. I bought:
1 pillow in the shape of a blue footed boobie
24 Easter egg shaped jello molds
1 apron featuring Welsh vocab words
2 packs of unopened Easter cupcake wrappers (and an "8" birthday candle)
8 sets of knitting needles (for a dollar!)
1 pair of green slacks
1 shirt with flowers
1 pair of scuba-diving sock monkey pajamas
1 present for someone who reads this blog
1 mug that proclaims its adoration for San Francisco
1 cardboard sign featuring a hippo that informs the viewer to be sure that their brain is engaged before opening their mouth (for Lynn)
1 full deck of playing cards featuring famous world explorers

Had pizza at Chris and Andy's with Chris, Andy, Jenn, Mairead, Ramesh, Amine and Leigh. Leigh and Andy made the pizzas and they were delicious.

Watched The Brave One with Quincy and Smokey. Started The City and The Stars by Arthur C. Clark. It is very good so far.

Day 121

Found out that a close friend and coworker is to be laid off. I'm pretty ticked off.

It was snowing like crazy, so I left work early. Steve and I went shopping for a new BBQ, accessories, and food to grill. Snow should not interrupt our Second BBQ of 2008. Went to Loews, Home Despot, and a BBQ shop in Ballard, snagging a Krispy Kreme and a Cupcake Royal cupcake on the way.

On the way home we stopped for limited edition Iron Man Slurpee cups and straws. We were heckled about Slurpees in the snow by a man buying WINE at 7-11. I think when you buy wine at 7-11 you are not in a position to judge. Additionally, the African man behind the counter made Steve pay for my limited edition Iron Man holographic Slurpee cup and matching straw. Suck it, Steve!

Made perfect steaks, asparagus, zucchini, and roasted garlic. YUM.

Swept the snow from my car and went home to pack some boxes.

Today would have been awesome if work could have managed not to completely blow.

Day 120

Worked a very long and crappy work day. We had a budget cut meeting, replete with lay-off news. It stinks.

Tutored my awesome student who wanted to stay after we finished her English homework to work on more, totally not required, poetry. That was pretty much amazing.

Plopped down in my chair and had soup and grilled cheese and watched Torchwood and the Colbert Report. Played a little Dr. Mario and Super Mario Brothers 3.

Day 119

Woke up phlegm free (ta-da!) and headed into work.

Jim and I grabbed burgers at Quincy's in Seattle Center and headed over to Key Arena to see Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., Rhianna, and Kanye West. Lupe Fiasco was fantastic, N.E.R.D. was also great, Rhianna was... kind of boring, but Kanye West absolutely blew me away. He had a whole storyline behind the concert with space ships and gold painted ladies. Notably (or inexplicably) in the middle of the show, when all hope was lost, Kanye got reinvigorated by listening to Don't Stop Believing. Nothing perks me up like a bit of Journey.

The concert went pretty late, so I went straight home and conked out.

Today was super-awesome.

Day 118

Woke up feeling crummy, but not terrible, so that was a nice improvement.

Worked.

Came home, packed another box. Watched Deadliest Catch and had some tea. Finished The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, which was fantastic. I recommend picking it up.

Spoke with Grammy & Steve.

Day 117

Woke late. Used my neti pot and things came out of my nose that absolutely do not belong there- think slabs of congealed turkey gravy. From my nose. MY NOSE.

Went to work. Coughed a lot.

Jim and I had dinner at a shnazzy Argentinian place, Buenos Aires Grill. It was awesome. I had steak kebabs with peppers, onion, and fancy bacon.

Then we saw Marjane Satrapi lecture at the Moore. She was very witty. It was also awesome.

Finally we popped in at Cupcake Royale to chase the steak mouth. Also awesome.

All in all, if not for the nose gravy/coughing fit/Stevie Nicks voice this day would have been spectacular. As it was, the day was still awesome.

Day 116

Tidied a little. Still sick, though, so I finished the disk of Torchwood flopped on my bed.

Went to Family Sunday Dinner where we had a breakfast for dinner extravaganza. Crepes with strawberries and cream, chocolate chip waffles, muffins, bacon, sausage, and tofu sausage. It was pretty much awesome. (Tofu sausage is quite delicious when wrapped in bacon....)

Watched the pilot of The Sarah Jane Adventures with my uncle. I guess if Torchwood is the sexed up no holds barred version of Dr. Who, The Sarah Jane Adventures is the toned down, family friendly version. It was ok. I've certainly watched much worse things. I'll probably catch it on dvd further down the road.

Spoke with Mebbie and Jim.

Day 115

Slept on and off all day. Watched cartoons (tho the schedule right now is just garbage) then Torchwood and drank Chai Tea.

Had ramen with Kim at Samurai Noodles, then walked to the stadium and sat in row 1 for the Mariner's game. Good game. Any game is pretty good with seats like that.

Started The Fortune Cookie Chronicles and it is great. (Started Nocturnals a few days ago and forgot to mention it, I'm having some trouble following it. Probably the zombie plague kicking in.)

Asleep by 10.

Spoke with Monica, Czabrina, Steve, Jim, Paul, and Amber.

Day 114

Dragged my disgusting phlegmy self into work. Left early.

Went to a BBQ at Courtney's and sat around eating my weight in asparagus, bread, and delicious salmon with Steve. Watched Bedknobs & Broomsticks. Fought sleep.

Went home and immediately passed out.

Day 113

Woke up very snuffly and late. Coughed up some mucous.

Went into work and got to use my fancy new computer, which was fantastic.

Same client stood me up for the third time in a row. I officially hate them.

My tutoring student got her weeks mixed up and no-showed as well.

Had dinner at Rosita's and then dessert at Bottega Italiana with Steve.

Packed 2.5 boxes.

Day 112

Still disgusting. Slept most of the day. "Watched" (mostly dozed) more Psych, Big Love, and Bones.

Hacked green phlegm up. It is awesome. Wish you were here?

Spoke with Megan and Bonnie.

Popped in to the office. Coughed a lot and finished up some stuff. Everyone I saw told me I looked like crap. (Thanks, guys.) (PS- I have some congealed green phlegm for you guys. I've been saving it up, just for you.)

Today would have sucked more, had I the energy to focus.

Day 111

Didn't sleep well till I took some cold meds at 12:30. Woke up with almost no voice and painful coughing. Called in sick to work at 7. Slept until 11. Checked email and voicemail. Slept until nearly 3.

I can't stop checking the email and voicemail. My boss is out of town and it is my busiest season. I'm really upset. I'm always sick for long periods of time because I have nobody to back me up in the office. It is nice to be needed but I have no choice but to go into the office tomorrow. I hate to be a whiner, but I simply don't get paid enough to work when I feel so shitty I can't stand in the shower. [Be prepared for further bitching in tomorrow's exciting post: I can't believe I dragged my pitiful ass in here to intercept FedEx in order to pass on these materials to someone else.]

Reheated some chili from the last time I was sick. Ate some bacon bits out of the bag. (Cry for help?) Chased that with the rest of a pint of Ben & Jerry's.

Watched some Psych and napped intermittently. Spoke with Paul.

Today was terrible.

Day 110

Felt extremely ill at work but couldn't leave because I had appointments and important things that could not be put off. So I felt exhausted and panicky in addition to my throat hurting, sinus and ear aches, and general wheezing.

Was supposed to go see the sneak of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but couldn't make it. Didn't make it to the Stube either.

I pulled a bunch of recipes from my back issues of Gourmet and Martha Stewart Living Magazines and passed out very early.

Spoke with Mom, Jim, Steve, and Grammy. Lost my voice by the evening.

Today was not good at all.

Day 109

Watched Eastern Promises and it was fantastic. You should watch it. Cover your eyes during the scary parts tho.

Napped for hours. I feel some bronchitis coming on. Nothing sexier than hacking up a solid sheet of back of the throat phlegm. (Still Single!)

Had chicken noodle soup and dumplings at Family Sunday Dinner (recorded meal convo with digital voice recorder- hopefully I'll figure out how to cut the audio and put it on my blog or at least post transcripts).

The girls left and then we watched King of Kong, which you should also see on account of the awesome.

Finished Adrian Mole and Sense & Sensibility (on Masterpiece Theater).

Spoke with Steve and Addy.

Day 108

Met Beau, Jim, and the Jasons at Paul's to help him move some things into storage. Paul has a lot of boxes of comics and toys. Consider this a cautionary tale. I don't think I was very helpful. Perhaps I should do extra pushups so I can be strong enough to carry stuff.

We had a celebratory lunch (and cookies) and Jim and I headed down to Ikea and Mor Furniture (For Less!). Jim thinks he has couches and his office furniture sorted. I found a drop leaf table that might work nicely for my sewing machine.

We popped in to Loews and looked at paints and I realized that I need to get my shit together to get this move going since I will be dogsitting and working like crazy but, naturally, have made no plans to get any moving accomplished. I think I'll take a few days off work to pack and un-pack.

Next we went to poker night at the Comic Stop and I simply couldn't pull it together enough to actually play anything so I sat around and chatted.

I spoke with my mother.

Finished Bone and read a little more Adrian Mole.

Today felt very long but was good.

Day 107

Did some shopping and left my dogsitting house.

Went to Kim's parent's house and fetched her for dinner at Samurai Noodles and some shopping in the I-District.

Went back to Kim's parent's house and played with their dog and made brownies.

Read more Bone.

Day 106

Went to SAM with Jim to check out the Roman Collection on loan from the Louvre and the 3 panels of the Gates of Paradise ("never to again leave Italy!"). It was super crowded and I wish that we could have come in the middle of a work day, but it was amazing. Very fascinating and just gorgeous. I'm a bit of a Roman history nerd, so that aspect was nifty too.

Afterwards, grabbed a bite at Red Robin (only thing open on the waterfront aside from fish joints). The waitress tried to over charge us but thought when the register said "overpayment" that it meant "overdraft". So all night I was worried about my checking account. (Which is fine, by the way.)

Played with the dogs, packed to go home, and read more Bone.

Spoke with Burke.

Day 105

Measured the new condo to make important furnishing decisions. (Furniture? Yes, please.)

Made steaks, asparagus, and potatoes with Steve. Then we went to DQ for Blizzards.

Read some more Bone.

Spoke with Grandma and Mebbie.

Day 104

Had dinner with Lynn & Michael (mango chicken & pork, carrots, interesting rice).

Saw a fantastic lecture at Benaroya Hall. Herpetologist, Brady Barr was awesome and informative. He had some really interesting things to say about conservation and the way that scientists study animals.

Played with dogs and read more Bone.

Spoke with Steve.