Thursday, March 27, 2008
I haven't been reading as much lately. I have been very obsessed with radiolab podcasts. I listen to them on the el, which is better than reading because (a) I don't get motion sick like I tend to do while reading, (b) it's easy to do even if standing up, and (c) I can keep listening even after I get off the train. I am learning a lot of interesting factoids, and the topics are often related to psychological phenomena.
Hugsband and I are going to bourbonnais this weekend to my uncle's where we will refinish our dining room table. he has a lot of space and tools, and it should be much safer than working on it in our tiny, poorly ventilated apartment. the table currently has a dark finish. together with the very dark wood of our chairs, medium wood of the baseboards and door trim and the light wood of the floors, makes a menagerie of wood finishes. does that matter? I don't think so.
Hugsband has also been (SLOWLY) working on the kitchen. it's almost completely repainted. I now want to paint the backdoor bright red, and then we're set in that room! I think painting the kitchen was on our to-do list for october. it's amazing how hard it is to summon up the energy and motivation for home improvement projects when there are walks to take, books to read, and- in Hugsband's case- countless movies to watch.
spring is apparently here. I noticed that I can now get by with wearing a single pair of pants on my morning commute, instead of many.
Hugsband and I "babysat" my 15-year old "step-sister" back in august when my mom and Colin went on their brief honeymoon. it was a trying and traumatic time, but we somehow persevered and made it though. I thought most of the battle scars had healed until I tried to use my ichat program today. apparently, missamerica537 was the last user (I don't IM much) and had screwed up all of the settings so badly that I wasn't able to log in. the only hard and fast rule during her stay was NO IM'ING!! because she has been known to use it inappropriately to talk with men ('not on my watch!' I naively thought). she must have snuck during the night to use my computer because I closely monitored what she was doing during the day. I spent nearly 2 hours today messing with it and trying to regain control. to no avail! I was (am?) furious.
thank god that I am an adult with my own house because if I had to live with that child (or any female who uses "missamerica" as a username), I would go insane.
Hugsband and I are going to bourbonnais this weekend to my uncle's where we will refinish our dining room table. he has a lot of space and tools, and it should be much safer than working on it in our tiny, poorly ventilated apartment. the table currently has a dark finish. together with the very dark wood of our chairs, medium wood of the baseboards and door trim and the light wood of the floors, makes a menagerie of wood finishes. does that matter? I don't think so.
Hugsband has also been (SLOWLY) working on the kitchen. it's almost completely repainted. I now want to paint the backdoor bright red, and then we're set in that room! I think painting the kitchen was on our to-do list for october. it's amazing how hard it is to summon up the energy and motivation for home improvement projects when there are walks to take, books to read, and- in Hugsband's case- countless movies to watch.
spring is apparently here. I noticed that I can now get by with wearing a single pair of pants on my morning commute, instead of many.
Hugsband and I "babysat" my 15-year old "step-sister" back in august when my mom and Colin went on their brief honeymoon. it was a trying and traumatic time, but we somehow persevered and made it though. I thought most of the battle scars had healed until I tried to use my ichat program today. apparently, missamerica537 was the last user (I don't IM much) and had screwed up all of the settings so badly that I wasn't able to log in. the only hard and fast rule during her stay was NO IM'ING!! because she has been known to use it inappropriately to talk with men ('not on my watch!' I naively thought). she must have snuck during the night to use my computer because I closely monitored what she was doing during the day. I spent nearly 2 hours today messing with it and trying to regain control. to no avail! I was (am?) furious.
thank god that I am an adult with my own house because if I had to live with that child (or any female who uses "missamerica" as a username), I would go insane.
Monday, March 10, 2008
when I finished running at the ymca today, I went to the gym to watch Hugsband's tae kwan do class. I hadn't seen him yet today and was surprised to see that he had shaved his beard and now sported a cop mustache. he was so impressed with himself that he had trouble keeping a straight face while going through his moves. I love watching Hugsband at TKD. he takes it VERY seriously. the others in the class are very quiet when they work. Hugsband, on the other hand, is downright rowdy. he makes a loud, confident "phish" sound each time he moves to strike. I laughed aloud last week when he forgot his routine and "phish"ed in a tentative, uncertain way. like "phish??"
not much else has been happening. I spin, Hugsband pretends to punch stuff, and we go to work.
other people's lives are interesting, though. we did take a trip to LA at the end of january. it was great to see our old friends. everyone seems happy and successful. our friends Bill and Steven were doing particularly well. they have an amazing house in the hills that always reminds me of the house they go to for the party in 'less than zero.' the pool has colored lights, there's a grotto, and the screening room rivals most movie theaters (plus, the snacks are free!!). the night we were at their home, they were hosting a terrible movie party. the guests bring the worst films they can find and then vote on which one to watch. during the film, everyone yells out comments. it was the most fun I have had in a very long time. Bill & Steven were preparing to host a party in mid-february, and the entire casts of dynasty and heroes agreed to come. I am not sure how that combination came to be. Steven was dying for some Joan Collins/Linda Evans drama, but aren't they awfully old to be throwing each other in the pool. a man can't help but dream, though.
not much else has been happening. I spin, Hugsband pretends to punch stuff, and we go to work.
other people's lives are interesting, though. we did take a trip to LA at the end of january. it was great to see our old friends. everyone seems happy and successful. our friends Bill and Steven were doing particularly well. they have an amazing house in the hills that always reminds me of the house they go to for the party in 'less than zero.' the pool has colored lights, there's a grotto, and the screening room rivals most movie theaters (plus, the snacks are free!!). the night we were at their home, they were hosting a terrible movie party. the guests bring the worst films they can find and then vote on which one to watch. during the film, everyone yells out comments. it was the most fun I have had in a very long time. Bill & Steven were preparing to host a party in mid-february, and the entire casts of dynasty and heroes agreed to come. I am not sure how that combination came to be. Steven was dying for some Joan Collins/Linda Evans drama, but aren't they awfully old to be throwing each other in the pool. a man can't help but dream, though.
