Borrow v. Buy

I left the office at 12:35pm and walked through the door just after 2pm. That ride home was miserable. So happy I don’t have to go back out into that. I’ve got my pie started and I’m making cranberry sauce tonight.

Remember last month I mentioned Tina Connolly‘s podcast Toasted Cake?

On one of the podcasts I listened to, she talked about her book buying habits vs. her book borrowing habits. Here are mine.

For the most part, I only buy physical books that I think I’m going to want to share or I’m pretty sure I’m going to keep. I do sometimes buy cheap used paperbacks of books that I want to write in or can leave on vacation or stick in the Friends of the Library bin.

I’ll buy electronic books of publications I want to support but I’m pretty sure I don’t care about a physical copy. Or if it’s something I want to read and it’s cheap.

I’m just getting back in the habit of using the library and that’s a post for later. But I tend to borrow stuff that I’m not sure about, that I want to flip through or only read portions of, or that would just be too much to have around the house. Mostly non-fiction, researchy type stuff, cookbooks. Or fiction I don’t think anyone I share books with would like. Or fiction that’s still in hardcover.

The first book I got from the library since I returned turned out to be really good so I will probably buy a copy for someone for Christmas.

I still have to map out my game plan for tomorrow but it shouldn’t be too tough. (Famous last words). Last year everything went great except I cut a finger right at the end and was trying to do 10 things at once and apply pressure and keep blood out of the food. I’m going to try to avoid that this year.

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So Many Things To Be Grateful For

Well, if the morning commute is any indication, everyone has already gone mad. The world’s most mild mannered bus driver honked twice. I can’t wait until Wednesday.

After the whistle blew on Sunday night and we knew we weren’t in the championship I said to ticket partner, look how much money we just saved. The championship match is in Kansas City.

Since I was coming home late on Sunday, I wanted to get organized so it would be easier to get out the door on Monday and I couldn’t find my bus pass.

I’m usually careful with it but the Thursday trip home I was carrying extra things so I’m not sure what happened. I checked all my pockets and the car and the most logical places.

I also called lost & found.

I’d really like to find it but I’m also relieved they don’t have it because the bus customer service center is at the mall and my favorite place (besides the airport) not to go on Thanksgiving weekend is the mall.

I’m going to guess that it’s gone but maybe I’ll find it behind the washing machine this weekend.

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We Demand Paper Towel Parity!

Well, my boyfriends lost last night. We had a great season. Lots of great moments. We’ll be back next year. I already saw notice of pre-season games starting in February. Yay.

The above is from the restroom in our section. We complained about the meager paper towel stub on our season ticket holder survey and we could swear the following game it was even shorter.

Meanwhile, this is from one of the restrooms in the club section. We sit over there during reserves matches.

After I prepared the photos for this post I realized there’s no way to tell whether that’s really one hand-wave. I could have cheated. But I didn’t.

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These Are The Dahlias You’re Looking For

I think I picked the wrong photos yesterday and these are the ones I divided. I’m sure I’ll mix them up before this is all over so really they’ll be surprise bulbs.

Remember last year when I wrote about loving the last place team?

Tonight I am going to my first western conference championship. We’ve got a little hole to dig ourselves out of, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility. I will be cheering my face off, and also wearing a lot of layers.

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Bulbs Are Taking Over The World

Remember last time I dug dahlias? It was 2005, you might have not even known me then.

It was a terrible, terrible job and I vowed to never do it again.

But I lost my mind today. I have a few major bulb mounds out there and we’ve had a freeze. It’s been dry and a balmy 50 degrees. Come on, how bad could it be?

Urgh. What was I thinking “dry?” Sure, water is not falling from the sky but the dirt is a robust mud. I don’t know how they do it at the dahlia farm but I fought a giant mass out of the ground and then tried to break it apart. I tried to shake the dirt off.

I got them in smaller pieces and then put the hose on them.

By the end I was wet, cold, my hands muddy little icicles. My pretty shop that I busted ass to tidy this summer/fall had dirt and mud everywhere.

I only dug two plants. The pink.

And the white. If they make it through, and last time I lost a lot due to my terrible care, I will have about 100 to share. Of each. If you live near me I’ll give you some.

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Goldfinch

If you’re someone that knows me this would be an obvious xmas present but I couldn’t wait and already bought my copy.

I’ve read the first few pages but I put it aside until I could finish another book and also I’m wishing for an afternoon where I can sit on the couch for hours and really get into it.

Then I had a couple of terrible commutes and I started a book that was on my nook that I read about 75 pages of and was going to finish but urgh. Do not like so I quit it at the end of the commute.

I also accidentally started a soccer book about a fan in Italy following his team around. I’ve read about 5 pages and I’m already in love. It’s 447 pages, soccer dorks unite!

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Started is Half Done

Giant traffic jam this morning so I got to work late so I only have time to mention that: I already started Christmas shopping. Yes, me, the person who always whines how I’m not in the mood for the holidays and I hate shopping and urgh, kill me now. I’ve bought more than one thing and even put some of the things in gift bags. I just need to keep it up before the last minute.

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My Fortune

Flying Heritage Collection in Everett, Washington. Really great museum. Worth the effort if you’re in the area.

Last night we had takeout and there were three fortune cookies.

I took one and Bob took one. My fortune was, “You will soon receive an email of great importance.”

“That’s a stupid fortune. I don’t want it,” I said and I grabbed the third cookie.

My second fortune was, “Time heals all wounds. Keep your chin up.”

“That’s also a stupid fortune,” I said.

Bob said, “Sorry, I got the good one. A bold and dashing adventure is in your future within the year.” He gave it to me.

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That Time Of Year

I think November starts the big marketing push for everything in life. Not just the holidays.

I’m getting marketing calls at the office almost every day. Several places have my name and tell me we’ve spoken before and then they tell me what they want to sell me — something that I’ve already told them doesn’t apply to this business so even if we did buy things from random people who phone we wouldn’t buy this because we don’t need it.

And then the endless emails from any place I’ve ever purchased from online. I end up unsubscribing from everything. Even the ones that promise they’ll only send you 1 email a month or only a few times a year — there’s always a week where they send you three in one week and then I’m done.

I found a new recipe to try for Thanksgiving: Green beans, mushrooms and cipollini onions. There’s our one green thing.

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The Lions’ Sack

It never fails that if I string together a couple of award-winning nights of sleep over the weekend, Sunday night I will wake up at 2am and stare at the ceiling for a few hours. Bob was up around 4am and we chatted a bit, mostly about being awake and wishing we weren’t. I was thinking about getting up and making tea and reading but next thing the alarm blasted out Huey Lewis and the News and frightened me awake. Great way to start the day!

I went through all my glasses and put the ones I don’t need into a sack for the Lions or whatever that service club is that will take your old glasses. I asked Bob to grab me a bunch of +2’s at the dollar store. +2 or +3’s I can’t remember how strong I get. Kids, write this down: once you hit your mid 40’s your eyes completely go to hell. If your eyes are hell before that, I’m not sure what happens.

I now have glasses in every drawer, the car, the backpack. I accidentally left a pair in Timbers ticket partner’s truck and later found them and then left a different pair behind.

Last night I realized that my back-up pair for work was in the Lions’ sack which meant there was no back-up pair at the office. Do you have any idea how screwed I am if I don’t have my glasses? I don’t even like to eat without my glasses on. Problem being addressed.

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