yoga, books, movies, tv & too many crime procedurals – not necesarily in that order
I feel like I keep saying I’m swamped but I frankly still feel like I’m swamped. There are possible (good) changes afoot at work but I won’t know more on that until the end of the week. In the meantime we’re making an almost-cross-country roadtrip for a wedding. With any luck at all I’ll be able to update from the road.
Right now I’m geeking out in my basement while my Kindle software updates and I avoid packing my clothes. Before I go to bed I have to have all my clothing packed and pretty much be ready to go as soon as I get home from work.
Packing list:
roadsnacks
music – update mini-player
clothes:
1. shorts because it will be hotter than the third circle of hell, plus humidity
2. skirt for wedding
3. nicer shorts for reception
4. black flats, green chucks
5. one pair of jeans because seriously, it’s MY vacation
6. toiletry kit
7. sox
8. one sweater, one jacket
9. one purse
10. metric asston of t-shirts in varying degrees of niceness
The most important thing has already been accomplished: loading a Dunkin Donuts locator onto my droid.
With so many things to blog about, where do I start?
How about this: I’m watching I Hate Valentine’s Day and I think maybe the only thing Nia Vardalos has changed since My Big Fat Greek Wedding is her eyebrows. Alas, it’s not a change for the good. I find these eyebrows or the makeup or something about it to be weirdly distracting.
Books! I finally finished Finch. While I enjoyed the story I loathed the fragments. I will not reread it and I won’t be looking for more of VanderMeer’s work. Also finished The Year of the Flood, Atwood’s latest and I really enjoyed it. In fact, it made me want to reread Oryx and Crake (again) and then YotF right behind it. I didn’t though – I read Silver Borne, the latest Mercy novel from Patricia Briggs. Pretty happy with the whole novel but I think I put more details on my 2010 reading list page.
I’m also in the middle of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Not sure if I just hadn’t heard anything about it but I was expecting something really different. Thus far, engaging protag and interesting story.
Our flights were uneventful. Against what must be the largest number of odds, on each flight I was seated next to someone who was going to be visiting our new hometown in the near future. I really loathe seating process of Southwest. Frankly I don’t see anything wrong with being able to check and and get my seat assignment early, INCLUDING a spot next to my spouse, rather than depending on the kindness of strangers allowing me to sit next to him. Add unnecessary seat-partner anxiety to all the least fun parts of air travel (cattle call loading and unloading) with a dose of ‘whoever gets there first, wins’ and yeah, it’s not my most enjoyable travel. I was also not enamored of the Southwest/Kevin Smith debacle, where they were dicks and he was unjustly thrown off a flight. Those things mean I’m not sure we’ll be flying Southwest again.
Seattle was lovely as are my long-distance friends. Probably I’ll upload some pictures soon and then get on with the whole yoga post.
HA! SPN reference!
Our flight was uneventful – good, because thanks to the incredibly slow airport security we made it to the gate with only 3 minutes to spare. That meant not sitting together but I ended up sandwiched between a very nice man and his son.
Per usual on the plane, my kindle was an icebreaker. After some gadget talk, I discovered the young guy was a local (Denver area) U student who’s going to finish his final degree credits at Spouse’s campus. What are the odds?!
On the plane I FINALLY finished Finch. Good book, wicked annoying writing style. Starting The Year of the Flood. Also not purchasing books for a while as I have at least 20 unread on the kindle.
We arrived to warmth and sun- not a bad start, even if it doesn’t hold. Spent most of the afternoon at Pike’s Market and are looking forward to a return for breakfast. AMAZING beer and sushi at the Tap House Grill last night after getting our first dose of PNW rain (mostly a drizzle, done by the time we finished dinner.
The Sheraton is a nice hotel we wouldn’t stay at on our own dime, especially because despite ridiculous price tag they STILL charge $10 A DAY for WiFi access in the room. WTF. Thankfully phone browser remembers passwords. What did I EVER do without my Eris!? Best travel tool, evar.
Most entertaining moment of trip so far- having to explain to Spouse “hipster”. It’s like being in a foreign country…
I started feeling a cold coming on yesterday during work and by the time I left, all my joints were achey. When I got home I had reached full shivers, so I took a full ambien (I usually take half) a couple of advil, and passed out.
Cut to me waking up 10 hours later and, frankly, not better. The fever hasn’t broken, I’m still achey, and my head feels like it’s going to explode. Turns out working a month with 2 days off also wrecks havoc on your immune system. I got off easy the week of Xmas but the cold is having its revenge.
Right now I’m catching up on last night’s TV and eating dry Trix. Awesome.
I’m just waiting until 4 am so I can call out sick and then I’m headed back to the land of the unconscious sickies.
This evening, I was in one of the largest shopping areas I’ve ever seen – and yes, I’ve been to the Mall of America. This place was like if the Mall of America threw up outside and scattered nothing but shops and restaurants for like five square miles. Alas, there wasn’t anything that I really needed to buy and since I’ve got a super short holiday gift list it was nearly a wasted trip.
On the plus side, there was an Ulta location RIGHT near where I had to drop the Husband so I was able to replenish my Pur Minerals foundation/powder and finally restock my supply of Lincoln Park After Dark and Lincoln Park After Midnight. Then I got a sandwich and camped out in the Barnes and Noble with my kindle.
Mercy was back on tonight! I really really heart this show such that, like Castle, I can totally ignore when they do some preposterous shit because the show is written well and the casts have such good chemistry that I just. don’t. care. I love Mercy.
In book news, I’ve slightly abandoned The Woman in White for Death’s Daughter by Amber Benson. Possibly winter is a better time for Wilkie Collins and 19th century gothic fiction and based on the near 60 degree temps today, it is NOT winter – at least not yet. Technically I’m well-enough stocked on my kindle that I don’t need books for at least a couple of months, at the rate I’m going.
Because I can’t leave well enough alone, I’ve also got a plan to paint the upstairs bathroom tomorrow. I know.
