I met Peloquin for lunch today at Vishnu Villas – he likes to take me to the Indian buffet for my birthday.  We have done this pretty consistently over the last few years.  And then, I return the favor later on when I feel like Indian food again (which is frequently), and we trade back and forth.  It is a good arrangement.

Before leaving the house, I was in the process of changing into some clothes I could wear to the gym, and as I wandered past my TV I thought, oh, I should try that Jillian Michaels video – it is DUE soon.  So I did.  And then I had to change again, because I was disgusting after Jillian had at me.  THEN I went to the gym, read my book on the elliptical trainer, and had a good hour of me-time.  I think I should just buy an elliptical trainer so that I can do this comfortably at home, too.  I’d be less likely to get distracted with the computer (or, I could put my LAPTOP on it somehow, and MULTITASK – god, that would be nice) or Pocket Frogs.  I love Pocket Frogs.  I told Peloquin about my obsession with it (he can relate, because he also loves collect-y type games – I remember from when we used to play Kingdom of Loathing together).  Neither one of us has any patience for waiting, and one of the way the games keep you coming back is to draw things out – like, my frogs have to incubate in their little eggs for awhile until they hatch, and when I find treasures in the pond, it takes awhile for them to be delivered to me…and there’s only so much space in my habitats and mailbox, so I can only have so many items.  MANAGEMENT of THINGS.  I haz it.  Also, I want to breed ALL the frogs and fill up my froggydex.  Yeah.  There’s no point.  I am not going to get anything out of this except personal satisfaction.  Or maybe I’ll collapse in tears and despair because I’ve done it and there is no more (there will probably always be more – that’s how these things work), or because I’ve wasted so much time on it.  Oh well.

Peloquin bitched about work.  And then asked me how *my* work was going.  Yeah…I left early yesterday due to female issues.  Cramping ones.  Hello, uterus, how’s it going?  *RUMBLE!*  You know, though, I could have stuck it out (not the uterus, the DAY), and stayed, but I really just wanted to lay down and not be at work anymore.  So, that’s what I did.  That and Interval Training!  And errands.  I’ve known P. forever (or close enough to) – over 20 years now (ACK) – and it still sometimes throws me, because we don’t see each other *that* often, when he asks how I’m doing.  Where do I start?  What do you want to know?  He asked me follow up questions, so we were fine…but this came up the other night at Top Shelf, when the lovely and talented, but mysterious and enigmatic (mostly because I don’t know her very well) PT asked me how things were going.  What things?  I never know what to say.  Do you want to know about work things?  Thought things?  Writing things?  Which things?  And then there isn’t really enough time to get into ANY things, so my response is inevitably lame.  *eyeroll*  Why is socializing such a pain in the ass?  I guess part of it is that whenever I see her, I’ve already had A Day and I’m over my outgoing, bubbly, extroverted, reference personality and Done With People.  So, I don’t default to the whole ask a bunch of questions yourself to get/keep conversations going.  I am thinking about Rest.  And saying, “I’m exhausted, and So Done With Work” to someone every time you see them…well, it’s a little boring and repetitive – even if that’s exactly how you feel.

So, P. and I talked about cooking, weird flours, work, bosses that are clueless and hate conflict (I, also, do NOT thrive on conflict – but at least I am willing to address it), families, food, BEES!, research possibilities, and more).  And then I forgot to give him the coconut flour I’ve been carrying around in my car the last 2 weeks in anticipation of seeing him.  So after I went to Whole Foods for my hand lotion (I <3 Whole Foods), I drove back to his office (he’s in the process of moving offices to a HUGE space with a door that locks – lucky him), located him, got to SEE the new office (*jealous*), and dropped off the flour.  Bit of a detour.

I decided to go hike around Busse woods a bit.  I was hoping to get in by the water, so I could look for water birds, but the parking lot and trail I picked didn’t really take me to the place I thought it would.  And the trail got really icy, so I turned around early.  It was a beautiful day, though – for about 30 of the 60 minutes I was out and about.  I saw hawks and chickadees and some other tail-flicky birds (with red on their heads?  Not sure exactly what they were), and deers (and deer droppings – piles and piles), and a squirrel.  Got some good photos, too.

Returned home and played with the buns.  Powder doing better (drinking on his own!).  Oatmeal getting into mischief (and boxes).  I have taken some pictures and made a video of him squeezing himself into bun-possible places.  Windows Movie Maker is pretty easy to use, as it turns out.  I always put off using it (or anything else, for that matter), because it *seems* like a hassle.  Can’t say that it’s the best thing I have ever produced, but it worked for my purposes.

I mentioned my octopus in a previous entry, and realize that if you are not on FB, or diligently following my Flickr stream, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about.  Educate yourself, if you dare.

The last couple of days, I’ve dreaded going out to the kitchen or coming home from work, because I’m afraid I’m going to find out that he’s died in the night or while I was away, and I’m going to feel horrible about that.  I’ve been thinking about it so much that I dreamt I took him to the vet to be put to sleep…and I woke up bawling.  Poor bun.  I just heard him drinking (on his own!) and I gave him some apple (which he loved), so I’m hopeful that maybe he’s rallying.  Or mending.  Or whatever.  I am hopeful, but still nervous about the State of Bun.

There was also a guy on the phone who was perplexed because we couldn’t get him a brand new textbook (we aren’t allowed to request current publication year materials – too new! from other libraries outside of our system), like, yesterday.  He seemed to be getting angry with me…I couldn’t exactly tell, because he also seemed to be having a conversation with some other party (either on the extension or in another room).  I wanted to ask him – several times – “Are you talking to ME?”  I waited for him to repeat himself just to make sure it was me we were talking to – he certainly wasn’t listening to anything I said to him, as I went over the reasons why we couldn’t request the book and the procedure for considering it for purchase in our own collection.  Telling him that it was unlikely to be purchased – because it’s an obscure textbook – didn’t seem like it was going to go over well (or at all or any of the subsequent times I’d try to explain it), so I just passed on his request to “the appropriate selector.”  I’m so sorry, PC.   You’re going to pound your head against your desk when you get him on the phone.

Then, also on the phone, there was a woman who was YELLING at me because she couldn’t log in to Freegal (our new music downloading service) with her card.  When I asked her what her card # is she acted all coy with me and said, “Now I know this is a card from another library, BUT!”  But that’s what your problem is, honey.  I can’t make that number work for you.  That’s how they check to see that you’re one of our patrons using our services.  “But I pay into your tax district!  I can show you my bill!”  I am gobsmacked at this point.  So I say, “Now, we can have an argument about this, but it doesn’t actually serve either of us – the reason your card won’t work is because it doesn’t have our prefix.  If you do live in our library district, you can come in and get a library card…  Although, if you then have to give up your other card, you’re also going to be giving up some of the privileges you have at that library.”  I ask her if her home library has a Freegal subscription.  “I don’t know.”  We both go online and discover, YES!  Yes, it does.  They have the same catalog of stuff, and she can totally use her card to access it.  Somehow she’s not angry with me anymore.  In fact, it was when I cut her off and told her arguing wasn’t going to help.  Which I thought was a bit childish on my part, and which I immediately regretted.  But, seriously?  It calmed her down.  Weird.  WEIRD.

I think if I just accept that this is how things are going to go for today, I might be able to get through it.  I have a presenter coming tonight – I hope that goes well.  I’d hate to round out the day with an hour of nervous and embarrassed humiliation.  That’d suck for sure.

I’m making myself work on my sketchbook.  It’s hard.  I mean, not when I’m actually doing it, but if I stop for any reason I find it difficult to return to it.  I was going to work on it last night, but I couldn’t make myself do it.  To bed, to bed, I said, that is all I want to do.  I will work on it first thing.  First thing.  Yes, well, there’s a big rug rolled up on my dining room table – where I intend to get all kinds of work done – and it must be moved before I can begin.  But it goes in the kitchen.  And the reason I haven’t replaced it in front of the sink is because I keep meaning to vacuum and wash the floors in there.  Which I should really do.  So, yeah, before breakfast, I cleaned my kitchen.  And ate 4 trinidads.  Because I was hungry and I wasn’t making breakfast until the kitchen was cleaned.

After the kitchen floors were done, I still had the floor-cleaning water and a bathroom with a floor that could probably stand to be washed.  So I vacuumed and washed that, too.  And then noticed there was dust on the shelves, and the toilet and all of the surfaces probably needed cleaning and wiping and scouring…  So I did those, too.  And then I was able to replace rugs and make breakfast and sit down at my table and work on my sketchbook.  I finished 6 more pages, before there was gluing and drying and waiting.  Waiting, waiting.

While I was waiting I went to the farm and feed store to pick up some more bunny kibble.  Bunnies like their kibble and would be upset (and hungry) if they had to forego it.  There would be a sea of displeasure and disapproval at ankle level.  Grr.  Since I was out I also went to Walmart to return the extra lamp that we didn’t end up needing for our painting adventures this past week (bom called as I was enroute to ask me to bring some more LIGHT so we could SEE while we painted).  I lost the receipt, but Walmart is good about just giving you a giftcard with whatever amount it is that you’re due.  I picked out some other stuff and got supplies to make the BOX thing that I promised our library’s friends group.

I’d sketched out an idea for it prior to leaving the house.  This was pretty amazing, as I was without inspiration until I picked up my pencil.  I guess sometimes the body-subconscious connection is better than racking one’s brain.  I’ll write about that later when it’s done and talk about the process.  For now…I stained the box.  Had to pick up some stain and a brush to do this – thank goodness they sell it in small cans.  Also, I picked one that’s supposed to be a combination stain and protector, so I should only have to use a couple of coats and not have to apply anything on top of it.  I want the box to look really OLD and maybe a little battered, too.  Like something has been trapped inside of it for a long time and is just now breaking free.

And since I stained the box in the garage (while the car was sitting in the driveway), I decided it was as good a time as any to try that trick I’d read about for cleaning your headlights – toothpaste.  So, I scrubbed those, too.  Because I’m totally procrastinating on the sketchbook.  And this is how I get things done.  *sigh*  The headlights look great (shiny! clear!) and the box is drying.  The sketchbook is ready for some more sketching (water color for the background and then I have to decide what comes next).  And I?  May be ready for a nap.  Mmm.  Too bad there’s not more day.

You know what’s so awesome and so weird and so wonderful?  It’s how our lives follow these little parallels that lead us to similar places despite not keeping in touch.  I like that even with the distance and the lack of communication we still find ourselves growing in the same direction.  It’s cool.  You’re cool.  You and S.

I think I gained 5lbs making all the bread I’ve been making.  Oh gawds, and the candy and the cookies and the quick breads.  If I had a real kitchen and didn’t have to knead dough on the table in my dining room, I’d totally skip the bread machine and bake things up on the pizza stone (which I borrowed from my parents about a year ago, but haven’t had the occasion to use).

I *just* researched community gardens the other night, because I was wondering if there were plots in town that I could use/rent/whatever.  I discovered the McHenry county community garden survey which told me neighboring communities have ‘em, but not my town.  Kind of surprising, actually.  I also learned that DP may have lost theirs due to ComEd’s infrastructure.  I think I know where those gardens are/were – used to ride my bike past them on the way to the bookstore when I worked in Mt. Prospect.  *sigh*  I wish the library would let me start one.  I wonder if I’d have the energy (and the community support?) to see it through?  I wonder if I could get teenagers involved…

I can now do about 50 miles on my bike.  Maybe I’ll get a trailer for it and come down and visit you this summer.    We’re renovating the lake house cabin (it’s going to be nicer than my apt. when it’s finished!), so I plan on spending lots of time there this year.  And if things get bad, I can always run away and live there.  Now that there’s heat and gas and Amenities.  I’m tempted already.

I love, love, love what you’re doing with friends – meals and crafts and whatnot.  My photo buddy JK and I have talked about cooking together (it’s something both of us have done with friends and family in the past and would like to do again).  I’ve had a few crafty get togethers – one last year around my birthday (a project open house thingie), and one with my friend J9.  What can I say?  I like makin’ shit.

Please send me some bagels.  I’ll give you my honest opinion.  And if they’re *really* good, I’ll show up on your doorstep with my gardening tools and make myself a fixture in your life.  *grin*

You sound really happy.  And that makes me really happy.

I’ll write you a real letter sometime soon, I promise.

Also, “I’m 37!  I’m not old!” – Dennis

It won’t.  This is day #3 of The Cold.  It’s steadily getting worse, which is disheartening.  Shouldn’t it be getting better?  Meh.  I spent most of the day comatose.  Or hibernating.  I’m not sure either accurately describes my condition.  Unable to move because of the oppressive pressure in my head?  This afternoon I dreamt that I was desperately seeking decongestants.  I couldn’t find them anywhere and had wound up in my parents’ basement hunting through a labyrinth of tunnels someone had dug down there.  When I emerged – pill-less – I tried to shut off the lights and couldn’t figure out what switches went with what fixtures.  Turns out they were having everything rewired.  My head was absolutely pounding by this point, so I just left the lights on and…woke up.  I lurched into my bathroom and discovered that I do, indeed, still have some decongestant meds left over from the last time I had a cold.  Thank goodness.  I don’t know that it’s helping MUCH, but it’s helping a little.  My throat feels really dried out, so the next order of business is to find my humidifier.  I think it’s waaaaay up in a cabinet in the kitchen.  Me on a step stool right now seems dangerous.  I already fell down when I tried to sit and missed the chair.  While holding a full cup of boiling hot tea.  Which I managed not to drop.  This meant that I a.) didn’t spill scalding liquid on me (no burns! yay!) and b.) I had no hands to break my fall (ow, bruised bum).  I need to pay more attention to my follow-throughs on physical things.  I have run into walls before because I stopped paying attention half-way through actions.  *rolls eyes*  I have ADD-induced clumsiness.

Tried contacting a couple of stables this afternoon about riding lessons.  Valley View Acres didn’t call or email me back (I tried both).  Also emailed Bull Valley Barn.  Maybe they want my money?  All I want to do is schedule one riding lesson.  Why should this be so difficult?  Why don’t people respond?  Pet peeve: businesses that don’t respond to email despite giving an email address as a form of contact.  If you’re not going to reply don’t give it as an option.  RUDE.