You're Doing It Wrong

This morning we went on our normal walk on the Discovery Trail. This weekend is a big international Volkswalk event in Vancouver (WA, not BC, in case there is anyone reading this who doesn’t know me) and it turned out they were on the same trail — only we were going the opposite way. We said good morning to about 300 people from all over the world. It was a pretty fun way to start the day.

Yesterday I read Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason. For the first 50 pages or so, I was just thinking Bridget is the world’s biggest idiot and how can I even finish this book. But once I got to the part with the interview with Colin Firth, it was too damn funny. And it was a nice break before I crack the next sword and dragon book, Stone of Farewell, which is the shortest book in the series weighing in at a scant 727 pages.

This was my week: Sunday night U2, got in bed after midnight. Went to work early on Monday and then left early to see Memento. Got home after 8. Tuesday is yoga – got home after 9. Wednesday I did grocery shopping and by the time I got everything put away it was after 8. Thursday was a family dinner and I got home after 11. This morning I got up early to take my car in. This situation has also led to poor eating so when I got home today I could barely hold my head up I was so tired. I took a nap at 2:30 and I slept so hard I had scary dreams that had to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and it was like I could not move. But after I woke up I started feeling relatively normal again. I think a good nights sleep tonight and I’ll in good shape.

We’ve been talking about replacing my car. I’ve been driving a Honda CRX since 1986. This is my second one — I bought it in May 1990. It’s got 113,000 miles on it and is sort of beat up but a decent car and well maintained and, key: paid for. I need about $800 of random maintenance and was trying to talk myself into just getting something new (used, but new for me) now but since the car place tells me its in mechanically great shape, I don’t drive that much and it gets great gas mileage, it seems foolish to replace it. Why not just put the money that I’d use for a car payment into savings? If the car disintigrates, I’ll have a stash for a new one, and in the meantime, I’m driving a healthy car. So I think I’ve talked myself out of a new car. Maybe I’ll put a cheap CD player in as a consolation prize.

Today we bought LeRoy a new computer for the office. We went to Costco and I’m glad I asked Billy to come with me because the thing came in a box the size of a small apartment. We wrestled it out to the parking lot and it wouldn’t fit in the car. This woman in the parking lot says, “Need a bigger car?” So we had to open the box and we could get the tower box in there (the big box had 2 smaller boxes in it) but the monitor box wouldn’t fit either so we had to wrestle that out of the box. It’s, of course, raining. We got it back to the office.

Then I had to set the thing up. I feel sorry for the random computer illiterates who have no idea what they are doing. On a scale of 1 – 10 with 1 being stone age never seen a computer before and 10 being programs a computer you built out of handy things laying around the house — I’d put myself at a solid 6 and it took me all frickin day just to get the mail, Internet and word processor set up and all the little “we can do this for you automatically” nightmare switches turned off. The true test will be when LeRoy powers up and tries to work with it. You could get email, surf, word process and print when I left.

I am crabby again today and now I’m wondering if I am just crabbier than the average person or am I just more up front with it like, “Look here, I’m crabby.” Or do I just have an unrealistic expectation of how joyful I am supposed to feel and being disappointed, label it as crabby when instead it might just simply be less than being content.

I’d also like to know why people let their dogs take a big dump in the middle of the street and just leave it there. I’m talking about a friendly and quiet residential neighborhood where lots of people like to walk. It seems like if you’re a dog owner, you’d be acquainted and prepared for your dog’s doodies, so why do you leave them in the street and who do you think is going to pick them up?

I remembered what I was going to say, yesterday, about something that didn’t work — my bangs. If I don’t do something with them the first 5 minutes out of the shower — they develop a mind of their own and no amount of products or cruel, intense hair-blowing will convince them to change their ways. Normally, it’s a big split in the middle and some flippy stuff going on. How come the beauty magazines don’t address this problem?

Today it is insanely sunny and I felt like I should be at home weeding. Except it wasn’t as warm as it looked. Yesterday it was downright cold (by my lizardy standards) and I didn’t wear enough clothes or bring a proper coat so I was cold all day.

Today I brought a big hurkin coat and was stuck carrying it around.

When I logged in I intended to complain about something that wasn’t working but now can’t remember for the life of me what that was.

Right now I am reading this book called The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams. My sister-in-law gave me the entire set for xmas and it consists of 4 brick books — except the last two are actually one volume. When I saw them I said, “What, is Tad Williams an insomniac?” I am about 300 pages in (only about 600 more to go in this volume!) and I like it okay, but it’s hard to read in dribs and drabs. I need to devote an entire, butt-aching afternoon so I can really get into it. Maybe if the weather is crappy this weekend.

I was wrong about the traffic — maybe that’s when we change the other way. My on/off ramps from I5 to the Morrison Bridge were closed today due to bridge construction so I have to remember to take an alternate route — this is particularly important when I go home, otherwise, I’ll be stuck in traffic hell with everyone else and we’ll all be trying to figure out how to get on the freeway.

So I have a question — do we have the past few years of booming economy to thank for every friggin roadway being ripped up and “improved”? I figure, government, once they get the money together they have to push the whole project through a bureaucratic nightmare, so it would make sense that they are just now getting around to all the work. Downtown Portland is currently a haven for orange cones.

Today I talked to my Auntie about my sourdough bread disaster this weekend. The first rising was HUGE – out of control. The second rising, not as impressive and the final proof the loaves didn’t do squat. I don’t get it. My lovely shaped hearth loaves looked like then melted into a flat beetle thing. I baked them anyway and the crust came out crunchier than you might enjoy and it tastes too salty. I am disappointed, but I guess that’s how you learn. Auntie said her sourdough wasn’t perfect either but she said her tasted good.

We just got the new MacAddict so I’m going to play.

Switching to daylight savings always feels strange. It’s already almost 2pm and it’s like I’m worried about being behind. Then at 6pm you look at the clock and it’s light outside and you think, “dang, it’s already 6 o’clock.” It’s just bizarre how your mind gets all psyched out when the time changes. Also, it seems like the day after the time changes the traffic (commute) is always hideous — why would that be?

I keep thinking that somehow I will “get organized” and be able to provide much more entertaining posts on a regular basis. Not sure how exactly I expect to manifest this.

Yesterday I took the day off because Bob is on Spring Break and we looked at computer toys and bought a new tape deck and saw “O Brother Where Art Thou?” which we both enjoyed. It seems like people are either Clooney lovers or Clooney haters and I have always bucked the trend by being completely indifferent. (Never watched ER). But after that movie I think I could be converted to the lovers without much problem. I might rent “Out of Sight” just to make sure.

I seem to remember our neighbor telling us she was getting a dog quite some time ago, like more than a year, but I don’t remember ever seeing one. Now suddenly we have the derranged barker out there all day long — I’ve just noticed in the past week or so. I like dogs but hate barking and if you know me and are going to say “What about Sundance?” I will repeat for the zillionth time, Sundance is NOT MY DOG.