Last day of vacation for me today. I slept in, lounged around, went to the goonie goo goo doc hit the barnes and noble for some fresh words, walked around the mall, ate some great Charley’s junk food and then saw JUNO. It was delicious. heartfelt. poingant. delightful. I heart Michael Cera and Ellen Page.

It was a great day. Home now to piddle and putz. We’re having a nice dinner then hitting Charlie Wilson’s War after. I know there is a HUGE football game on. It’s even my team and my coach. but I’m shaking things up this month. I’m toasting the new year and eating the black eyed peas on jan 2nd. I’m not just following the same steps as previous years. I’m a Maverick. Seriously.

Let’s talk about Iowa. not only is it freakin cold up there, but tomorrow IT BEGINS. The first in the nation to choose. It will be interesting to see what happens, eh?

Till tomorrow, take care. Enjoy your second evening of your new year!

I love January. I love the feeling of fresh starts, of energized motivation, lists of goals that seem so clear. I love that everyone starts out on the same level. As of today, we all get a do-over. I love that. Cheers to you and to a fresh start! I hope your New Years Eve and Day were everything you wanted it to be.

I went up to the bar to watch the OSU bowl game. Go Pokes! OU plays tomorrow night. We had a nice group and then about a hand full of us stayed and eased on into the NYE celebration. MGirl and her man, Dre and her man, two friends of theirs(who had one helluva night.) and Moi. I had a great time. There was a lot of laughter, great toasts, cold beer, friends that I hadn’t seen since the breakup. It was just fine. I crashed on a couch and rolled into the frontier this morning to sleep and laze the day away. Gert and I tried to go see Juno tonight but the lines were ridiculous so we went to dinner instead. Nice face time. Very grown up. One drink each, some fish and chips. I have the black-eyed pea salad in the fridge. I’ll have a bite before the clock strikes to ensure a little luck! All in all a really nice way to bring in the new year.

Tomorrow’s my last day of vacation. I have my goonie goo goo appointment at 11:30 then may go over to the mall and shop a little and catch a movie or two. I wish I had a buddy, but everyone is back at work so I’ll go it alone. I have some projects to do, work on my 2008 list to post. I love reading everyone’s list. truly.

I’m off to cruise some real estate sites. get motivated for the Budget. Have a great night ya’ll. Cozy up on the couch and let’s see what ’08 has in store. It’s GOT to be better than “07. GOT TO!!!

Here’s to another year of Clooney Love!

It’s the last day of the year. Go figure. Had a great time Saturday night with Chrome, Joe, Gert, Mgirl and company. Lots of laughing. Lot’s of discussing. Lot’s of everything. Face time is rare and good, I needed it for sure.

Yesterday I drove Chrome back into the city for her car and came home. Stopped and bought groceries. Good groceries. Vegetables and soups and things to take for lunch. I felt accomplished. Came home and did laundry, vacuumed the carpets, brought wood up to the house, watered the greenhouse plants, did dishes and waited for BonusMom to return. We had bean soup and roasted potatoes and cornbread for dinner. I hit the sack early with some of the livestock and a book. It was great.

Got up this morning and went to my goonie goo goo doc for another visit. He was impressed that I had held onto the good stuff as well as I had. He pushed a few more buttons and moved some of my bones around. He almost made me cry with the diagnosis of my heart is too hurt. he says you have to start guarding your heart more. It has so much stress around it. You have to really focus on keeping the negative out. he says I’m like a sponge and I soak up whatever is in front of me or around me. I need to focus on good and light and energy and guard the heart. He then, to further prove his point, pushed on a few buttons around my heart and G.D!!!! Shit hurts. Ok. Ok. the fact that my heart hurts is not news to me. I was however, surprised at the amount of pain the buttons held. Huh.

Then I went to the supply house and bought products and color and a blow dryer for Gert and delivered that and came back to the frontier where I intend to be lazy for the next few hours before I head back into the city to watch OSU in their bowl game and ease into the NYE celebrations. I want for your evening to be filled with laughter and promise. We’ll talk more about all of it tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another day!

plus I cut off the majority of my cuticle of my right pinkie finger with the raw metal edge of the FuckingBroom at work last night.
for those counting that leaves one finger on the right hand that has not been mangled by shiny sharp shit. the ring finger is looking for a new home and will not be surprised if I wake tomorrow with six fingers on the left hand.
ANN BOLEYN!!

Had happy hour with Cookster last night. It has literally been EONS. Delish. We laughed, we almost cried, we plotted murder and mayhem and did a phone a friend for Bonnie Tyler total Eclipse of the Heart. I love it she hates it. nether the twain shall meet. 17 years of friendship in a nutshell.

Went to a new goonie goo goo chiro yesterday. He could see inside my bones. I swear. Pretty much put my jaw back into place and told me all the shit that was jacked up in my body. He touched a place in my neck and I saw black dots and almost passed out. No shit Lamar. yeah, am going back Monday morning. Pretty sure it’s a good thing. I’m all about some goonie goo goo fixing stuff.

MeShell gave me a run down on all the things I’m doing right. Budgeting. Planning.
Working on health. that does not suck as we march into the year that WILL BE OURS.

work today will be slow but I get so excited thinking about seeing faces that I live. no. love. this ty[ing sans pinkie finger sucks, ya’ll.
am going to get coffee

Well, yesterday wasn’t exactly a bust, I was steady with walk-ins and such. MLynn was my last client so we went to dinner at the Deep Deuce which was great. Hot meal. Cute waiter. Worked on the budget a la previous post, came home sans grocery store and fed the livestock and hit the sack. Woke up this morning at 4am and never really went back to sleep. Sambo decided to have a party for one inside a old navy sack that was in my floor. It snowed last night and the wind is howling rather than sweeping down the plains here on the frontier. The news shows about every third car is off the road for the drive in this morning and I have two appointments today for a total of 65 bucks. Hopefully I’ll get some more but man oh man it does nothing for the motivation!!

Having socialization with the Cookster tonight after work which NEVER happens anymore so I’m excited about that. Have about firmed up plans for NYE…low key watching OSU in the bowl game then just easing on into the night from there…

Hope your short week was good to you! Enjoy the break. I’m off to get another hot cup of coffee and into a hot shower. With him.

1875 the year:
The first organized indoor game of ice hockey was played between two pick-up teams at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal.

The first performance of the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is given in Boston, Massachusetts with Hans von Bülow as soloist.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, English composer was born.

OR

1875: the amount of money LOW BALLPARK I must have each month (not counting groceries, cat food, vet bills or tire rotations) to own my house. A cheap ass small house at that.
Now, you see this doesn’t seem too bad. I have rounded up and figured in and times-ed everything by twelve (months) and the figure I came up with is almost exactly HALF of what I’ve made this year. But the MONTHLY number….where the fuck am I going to get that? By putting every thin dime I have into the bank and not having any kind of a life. other than a naked, non eating life…which would work out because if I’m not eating then I’m going to be skinny and if I’m going to have to be naked because i can’t afford clothing of any sort then I will need to look somewhat decent. Not that anyone will see me. Ever. Because I will have no money to do anything with in order to be social or part of society in any way. This is good. Skinny, naked, hungry cat lady who owns her own home. Who says women can’t have it all??

Ok. Before you all start pounding your drums and jump onto the soap box labeled “you think you got it rough I only make. . .blablabla ” let me just say that is all fine and good. I hear ya. But this is MY story. And it’s my budget and my finances and my learning curve and reality check.

Fuck Ah-ROUND!

I have it. It can happen. But the party is about to be over for this single gal. It’s time to reign it in and cinch it tight. I have a plan and you may have to listen to some bitching over the next few months but I know it will be fine. This is what happens when we grow up. Adulthood. Responsibility. Mortgages and equity and insurance and credit.

Kind of overrated and makes me want to barf.

But it’s that time of year when I start making my lists and focusing on the Do-Over that lies ahead and this is the BIG ONE on my list. I absolutely cannot fathom throwing 600-700 bucks a month to someone else when I could be owning my own place for that much. It works for some, just not for me. Not anymore. I need a room of one’s own. My space. My wagon wheel coffee table. It’s time that I took charge of my life instead of waiting on some “whatever moment” to come along and do it for me.

So this is me telling you I have one more week. One more week to live it up, party like a rock star, and buy everybody a round. One more week to live with no boundaries. Eat. Drink. Be Merry. Then it begins. The Plan will activate and we’ll have to find alternative ways to be social. It’ll be fine.

Right?

Fucking 1875.00

So I don’t think I told you details of the crazy that was Christmas day? Short version, mom went to the emergency room from about 2-5 a.m. for respiratory issues. She’s fine, better. That day though we were doing the Big Meal. I got to finally do the meal. I love cooking the bird, the dressing the sides. I love doing it. I have revised my recipe and refined and tweaked and worked it out to be damned near the best bird you’ll ever eat. I brined it, turning about ever six hours. I had the fresh herbs, the aromatics for flavor. All of it. We should have taken a pic but wanted to get the show on the road so just started carving. The only problem is that after cooking, I’m usually not really hungry. Leftovers are key. Mom packed me a big sack of goodies to bring home. Yesterday I got out of bed thinking about all my leftovers and about a nice turkey sandwich…I got out the dressing the potatoes, the green bean casserole to heat up…No. Turkey.

I got here without the turkey.

That is really par for course.

flop.

In the aftermath that is post Christmas it’s time to get back to it. Now what? huh. For me, it’s back to work today hopefully getting some heads of hair that I did NOT cut in the last three weeks. I need to hit the grocery store which should be interesting because we here in the Sooner State are expecting some weather. For whatever reasons, even the slightest chance of weather makes folks flee to the grocery and clean the shelves. apparently we just stay inside and eat during the winter. Pretty much what i did yesterday, but with bare cupboards it was mostly pop tarts and easy mac. I need a vegetable.

So working today, I need to bring up some firewood to the house and vacuum the floors a bit. Working tomorrow (already Friday!!) with possible plans after work. Saturday after work am heading to pick up Chrome, or possible meeting her somewhere. My friend Rusty is here from Houston and it’s his last night to play as well so we’ll have a combo Hi-how-are-ya-happy-holidays party with them. BonusMom returns to the frontier on Sunday or Monday sometime.

Ok kids that does it for me. Need more coffee and to move the body into the shower. I hope your Thursday is good. Most of us are back at the workplace so I wish you a fast day. Huzzuah. I heart G.C.

for dinner tonight I ate fish sticks, ore ida frys and mac and cheese. apparently this Christmas has reverted me right back to my 11th year.

Survived. It was a crazy hectic trip to Arkansas but it’s done and I’m home and it’s cold outside and the cats are laying on me and a fire is in the fireplace and I’ve been snacking like I
m a size five. Great Day!!! I’ve snuggled in for dual eps of my fave 90210. All is right with the world. Finally.

I am more relieved than anything about getting this holiday over with. I know I was a funhater to my family. I slept a lot. But frankly dear readers, I wasn’t happy. I know that the relationship with Ex-Him was deeply flawed but the one thing we did well was Christmas. Decorations and family and presents and mimosas and brunch inn the morning and naps in the afternoon…it was the family I always wanted. Mine. And looking back I know it was dysfunctional but whatever. It was hard this year. I’m glad it’s over. I feel like I owe my family another visit. I want to go back in a few weeks and hang out without the stress hanging over me of Dad and all that drama.

I have to say Wonderboy was hysterical. everything he unwrapped he said “well I can mark that off my list!” unless he unwrapped a box and proclaimed it to be clothes! He had a good haul this year. I got him some nerf guns so we were at war. He kept hitting my boobs with the little velcro bullets. That’s a visual, eh?

Went up to the bar last night with Mgirl. It was good to just have a drink and relax. Coming home was great the cats were all very happy to have me home. My bed felt awesome and I woke up with livestock all over the bed! good stuff.

I go back to work tomorrow but as of Saturday at 5pm am off work until next Thursday. Huzzuah!!! Chrome is home and am planning to get with her on Saturday night for some face time. I think we’re going to list out our 08 mantras, themes and neuroses!! Mine is I’m gonna date in 2008!!! (please. dear. god. )

What’s going on with you? How was your holiday? Did you come out of it relatively unscathed or do you have a few battle scars? Hopefully healing if yes. Hang tight folks This bitch of a year is almost over. There’s a lot to love about that. there’s a lot to love about George Clooney too!