Dodging Bullets

At least I felt like that's how today was going to end. I'll explain later.

I've been listening to some stuff this week that I haven't listened to in a long, long time. I just rediscovered Camper Van Beethoven. I can't remember the last time I played anything by them. I got to thinking about them while listening to Cracker, another band I haven't played in a good, long time. I also dusted off some old Squeeze, Madness, some old Elvis Costello and the Peter Gabriel back catalog. It's nice listening to some of this stuff that's gone neglected. Hearing some of this music brings me back to simpler times.

After losing my shit over my weight last week, I'm happy to report that things got back to normal this week. Once I got back into the swing of things, everything was back where it was supposed to be. In fact, this morning I got on the scale and saw a number in the 180s for the first time in months. It was 189.9, but it was still in the 180s. I know tomorrow I'm going to rebound, but as long as it isn't 8 pounds, I'll be happy. I had a big dinner tonight and I'm still feeling over stuffed hours later. I'm hoping I'll be able to get outside and do some walking sometime this weekend, but the forecast doesn't look like it's going to happen. Rain, rain and more rain. Coming home from dinner tonight, it started pouring, so that scratched tonight's attempt. I probably should lay off the walking a little while longer anyway, to give my foot a chance to rest. I really overdid it last weekend and I don't need any new problems.

A couple of weeks ago, Ken was cleaning out his office and found my old Universal Studios Annual Pass. I was shocked when I saw my picture on it. I don't even recognize me in it. It took a very long time for me to let go of that self-image of myself and I'm so glad I have. But I'm also grateful to find these reminders every once in a while. It makes me realize how far I've come and that I will fight tooth and nail to never go back. In comparison, I'm sticking a picture of myself from a couple of days ago. I barely see a resemblance between the two. And you want to know what's scary? I remember thinking when I had that picture taken that I looked really good. Now I see it and I want to cry.

Today the drama at work reached a new high and I think I finally found where my drama limit is set at. Naturally this is all about FrankenKlinger. I think I mentioned in a prior post that she was questioned by the state police about the theft of someone's bottle of Xanax. Well, ever since, things have spiraled out of control. After the questioning, she started coming into work clearly doped out of her mind. She allegedly told someone she's been popping her husband's Valium. And just from the looks of her, I'm guessing she's taking a couple pills at a time. She invited herself into my cube one of those days and I got a good look at her. Her eyes were so glassy that you could tell she was on something. She would be completely incoherent in the morning (more incoherent that her normal amount, and that's saying something). She called out sick the two days before vacation (but still managed to make it to a work sponsered bowling party one of those nights) and the three days after. She showed up yesterday for almost two whole hours. She's milking this victim thing to the hilt. But today things got bad. I was sitting at my desk, talking to a co-worker when we both stopped talking because there was some screaming coming from the pantry. The pantry is located roughly in the middle of the floor. I'm all the way down towards the end of the floor, so the screaming had to be very loud for me to hear it at my desk. It was FK, screaming her head off at the Director of our floor. This would be her boss's boss's boss's boss's boss. She was ripping him a new one for a variety of reasons, including being passed over for a promotion, being questioned by the cops and who knows what else. He tried to calm her down and she didn't take that well either, storming off to his office for more fighting. She left shortly thereafter, but to be honest, all I could think about the rest of the day was her coming back with a gun and having the last word. I'm not joking. I don't put it past her. She's insane and in the heat of everything, I thought she might do it. But I think I know her better than that. She's the type of person to carry a grudge and she will make you pay for it. She knows the rules of the game and she'll do everything she can while staying within the rules, if that makes sense. Now if she would just apply some of those smarts to actually working or getting along with people or just shutting her fucking mouth, life would be better. I'm sure nothing will come of her outburst today. Nothing ever does. Meh.

The Weekend That Was

First off, damn you Pod Is My Co-Pilot. I sat down to write this post when I saw there was a new episode and thought I could do both. Nope. An hour later, I'm just starting this. I wanted to be in the bedroom, laying down and reading by now. But soon.

I just wanted to write up a quick Memorial Day Weekend recap. All I wanted to do this weekend was lay around and chill out. The last few months haven't been all that restful and all I was looking for was a little bit of quiet time. I knew it wasn't going to happen because everytime I try to plan out a weekend like that, it blows up in my face, but I really was hoping.

Things officially kicked off at 3:30 on Friday. I had a half day of work because I was attending a retirement party. I had fun but was itching to get home and start my long weekend. Ken picked me up at 3:30 and brought me home. And I actually got to start in on my "nothing." Got home, putzed around the house for a little bit and then headed out for a walk. The weather was beautiful and it felt good to get out there. When I got home, I played on the computer, threw in a load of laundry and went to bed. It was a nice, relaxing Friday night.

Saturday I slept in. When I got up, I went downstairs and was going to start my normal housework. But I didn't have to. Ken actually started house cleaning. I don't know why, because he NEVER cleans the house. EVER. I think he was feeling guilty about it or something, so I took full advantage. He cleaned and I went out for a walk. When I got home, I showered, grabbed a stack of comics and my iPod and spent the afternoon laying out on the front porch reading. Although I hoped that this was how the weekend was going to go, there was no way in hell I thought I would have an afternoon like that. Ken spent the whole day cleaning, mostly concentrating on the kitchen. He went through two or three of the cupboards and somehow managed to fill three bags of trash. We have so much crap, and he's only scratching the surface. And because he did all that, I let him slide with his lack of vacuuming.

Saturday night I had plans to meet up with Matty Malone. Matty lives about four hours north of here and I've known him on the Twitters for a long time now, but this is the first time we were going to meet in person. He had plans that brought him down from the boonies. We headed out to meet him around 6pm and arrived at his hotel at almost the same time as he did. He was still grabbing his stuff out of his car when we pulled in. Matty's awesome, I have to say. I think we clicked pretty easily. I was nervous (hello, when am I not nervous?) to meet him, but Ken said that it didn't show. I don't know that I believe him, because I know I had a few awkward pauses in conversation. But that's just me, take it or leave it. We went out to dinner at a place in Saratoga that I'd previously been to with Melanie the last time I saw her. My dinner was delicious, but Ken said there was something slightly off with his. He and Matty got the same thing, and I think Matty agreed. I let myself get dessert (peer pressure, dammit). A Tollhouse Cookie Pie Sundae. After dinner we went back to the hotel (where Ken snooped around like crazy) and hung out for a few hours. I had a really good time. It was an awesome reason to get out of the house. Saturday couldn't have been more perfect.

I figured I would end up paying for the awesomeness of Saturday with Sunday. I figured wrong. It was a lot more of the same as Saturday. Started the day with another hour long walk. Did grocery shopping and a (very) little bit around the house. Ken and I tried going to the same model home we've been trying to go to for the last few weeks only to be denied again. This weekend they were only open by appointment. The previous few Sundays there was no one there. We're going to see this place if it kills us. After a couple more errands, we were home and I got to do more laying around and reading. After dinner, I went out for another hour long walk. It was my fourth since Friday. I've commented previously that I've had issues with walking (my foot, my sciatica). What I've been doing before going out is take an Alieve or some other pill to dull the pain so I could walk. I decided on Friday that I'd take a pill with me, but I'd only take it if I needed it. I didn't on Friday. Or Saturday. Or Sunday morning. Or Sunday evening. My sciatic nerve was definitely telling me it was there, but it was managable. And my foot was fine, for the most part.

So today I got up and headed out for a walk, pill in pocket, but untaken. We had some running around to do today, so after helping Ken set up his drip irrigation system, we went to Target, BJs, Staples, my bank, his bank, the gas station and Lowe's. He dropped me off and then he went off to a nursery while I got to lay around and read some more. Seriously, how perfect has this weekend been? Actually, it could have been a little more perfect if I actually didn't allow myself to get sucked into the computer after dinner tonight. I'm just a smidge behind in the reading I wanted to get done. But I have tomorrow for that. Yeah, I took tomorrow off of work. I was originally going to take Friday off, but the retirement party got in the way and the entire day wouldn't be mine, so I changed it. And tomorrow is the day I get to do all the things I've put off all weekend. I really wanted to clean my office (it's a disaster again), I need to vacuum, and a couple of other little chores to do. I think I'm going to forego walking because, like an idiot, I went out a second time tonight and I found where my limit was (and went over it, naturally). My foot is throbbing, but I haven't taken anything for it. Yet.

A Proud Accomplishment

Today was my 600th consecutive day since my last soda. I always feel really good when I hit a milestone, but it also makes it even harder for me to contemplate having a soda. I've released myself from my soda fast, but I know that once I take a sip, I break the streak. I keep thinking What Would Monica From Friends Do. She wouldn't let the streak die. So neither can I. But I want to and will, sooner or later.

The Week That Was (aka A Whiney Post)

Finally, I think I finally found the time to sit down, undisturbed, to write something here. The last couple of weeks seem to have been busier than usual. And it's not that I've had a lot going on. I really don't think I have. But trying to fit in everything I've wanted to or needed to do has been very difficult for me. Last week was probably the worst in terms of time. This week was much better and next week is looking to be the best yet. But for tonight, I just want to recap the week that just was. My birthday week.

Let's start with Sunday. Sunday I had an invitation to a friend's house for a birthday (not mine) bbq. I kept going back and forth with myself over it. I wasn't going to know anyone there (for the most part), and that always freaks me out. I really don't need to repeat myself, I'm sure, but social situations are hard for me. The older I get, the harder they get. And the bigger the situation, the harder that is for me, too. I ended up pussying out and decided to have a quiet day at home. The last few days like that I'd planned ended up not happening, so I was kind of excited for it. Until Ken entered the picture. He tried going to a model home nearby a few days earlier, but it was closed, so he asked me if I wanted to go. If I did this one thing, then I could have the rest of the day to myself. I agreed, even though I really wasn't in the mood to go house hunting. And I really should have known better, too, because it's never that simple with Ken. We went to the model house, and again, no one was there. There was a sign up saying that the agent was off property and wasn't sure what time they'd be back. So Ken took that as permission to start driving around all of hell and creation looking for houses. We didn't really find anything, but we found some potential areas to check at a later date. On the way home, he decided we needed to stop at the food co-op to pick up a few things. We got home and I had only about two hours before I needed to start dinner. So much for my day of beauty.

Monday was my birthday. I turned 43 this year. It's just a number, I know, but I don't know how I feel about 43. I liked 42. Liked it a lot. But I also tend to like the even numbers better than the odd ones.

I took Monday off from work. Not because it was my birthday, but in spite of it. Three weeks ago I made an appointment at a new podiatrist's office and the first appointment they had was my birthday. My appointment was at 8:30. Since it was my first visit, I made sure I got there a little early to fill out paperwork. And then I sat. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. At 9:29, I was finally called. I was annoyed, but very happy to get in to see the doctor. I don't remember if I mentioned what was going on with my foot, but I've had some pain for the last few weeks. Not sure what is causing it. It could be the neuroma in my foot, it could be some sort of joint issue or arthritis, I don't know. I get in to see the doctor, tell him what's going on and he tries to get my foot to show any of the symptoms I've been having. Naturally, my foot felt fine. He doesn't have much to go on. He tells me that since it's only been hurting a short time and it's feeling better to give it some more time. Since you use your feet every single day, it doesn't get a chance to heal itself as quickly as other body parts. If it's still acting up in another six weeks, come back. Needless to say, although I understood what he was saying, I was irritated. I wanted to go in, have a diagnosis and treatment. The foot still hurts on and off and it's annoying me.

Since I knew I had this appointment and I was going to take the whole day off, I also scheduled an oil change and my car's yearly inspection. That, too, didn't go quite as planned. Turns out that my brakes were shot. This wasn't a huge surprise to me. But I didn't realize the extent to which they were gone. Between the brakes and a couple minor issues that needed addressing to pass inspection, the damage was five hours and ten minutes worth of waiting followed by a bill for $1090. Happy birthday to me.

I forgot to mention how I started my day. I weigh myself every morning. I find the daily weigh ins help keep me on track. Monday morning I got the surprise of my life. I was the heaviest I've been in over a year. And for no apparent reason. My weight spiked and I'm still trying to figure out why. I can't for the life of me figure out why it jumped like it did. I was nearly 200 lbs. I've been between 190 and 192 steadily for the last few months.

Thank God something went right on Monday, though. Monday night we had dinner plans with Sean and Jeffrey. It was our second double date and I had the best time. I needed something fun to take my mind off of how defeated I'd allowed myself to feel. What I love about when the four of us get together is watching/listening to Sean and Ken. They are both talkers. Jeffrey and I less so. So it's fun to watch them in action. If there had to be a downside to dinner with the boys, it was when Sean and I exchanged birthday cards. I thought about getting him a little something, but couldn't think of the right thing and certainly wasn't expecting to get something. But he did get me something. Something so fantastic that I feel very guilty about not getting him something. I will make it up to him, some day, some way when he least expects it.

Tuesday came and I was pretty miserable. I have a hard time letting go of stuff sometimes. But it was good to get back into the swing of things. I thrive within structure and getting back to work provided that for me. I found a birthday present waiting with the mail when I got home and that cheered me up. However, the car thing wasn't going to die away, at least not yet. We had an appointment to bring the cats to the vet for their annual check up. We took my car and discovered that I now had this new squealing / squeaking noise that wasn't there before. Whatever they did, they did something wrong. Clearly. After work on Wednesday, we dropped my car back off at the shop for them to figure it out. Turns out that one of my rotors was shot. But the guy said that it should be covered under the warranty. "Should be covered?" Um, how about let's not even go there. The rotor was just put on the car on Monday. There's no question. "Should be." Meh!

But things are getting back to normal and I'm pleased. The weather is actually getting to where it's supposed to be for this time of the year. The week started out pretty chilly. So much so that I turned the heat on in the house on Monday. It's mid-May. We don't need the heat! Yesterday it was in the upper 80s. Today it was lower 80s. Absolutely beautiful. I was originally going to take today off and make it a four day weekend, but changed my mind. Today was the retirement party for one of the supervisors at work and there was no way I was going to miss it. I adore Rosey and I'm going to miss her like crazy. So rather than take the day off, I went in for a half day and then went to the party directy from work. Now I'm taking Tuesday off to make up for today. Seems fair to me.

Tomorrow night I'm going to meet Matty Malone in person for the first time. I've enjoyed getting to know him via Twitter and am looking forward to meeting him face to face. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. Of course I'm nervous. Social situation, remember. But he's already been forewarned that I'll be awkward.

The rest of the weekend is unscheduled and that makes me very happy. I just want a chance to veg out and do nothing. Hell, maybe I'll even catch up on emails, blogs and comics!

Laying In Bed

It feels like I haven't had ten minutes to just chill out this week. I
know that's not entirely true, but it sure feels like it. Right now
I'm laying on my bed, watching the American Idol finale and typing
this out on my phone. I don't have a television in my computer room,
which is a good thing, because I don't know if i'd ever get anything
done. TV would distract me from the computer, computer would distract
me from the TV.

I don't really want to write too much tonight, mainly because I'm
typing this on my phone. While I do love Babs, she's kind of annoying
to type anything lengthy on. But I wanted to post something. It's been
bothering me that I haven't been able to put aside the time to write
much here lately (not to mention being able to keep caught up on
email, blogs and everything else.). But maybe it's a good thing, too.
Monday was a pretty craptastic day and I'm afraid of what sort of
whiney mess I would have written then if I had the chance. A few days
removed from it and hopefully I'll have a more objective point of view
when I finally write about it.

But that's it for now. More soon.

Sent from Babs, my iPhone

Heading To Bed

But writing a post first. About what, I'll figure out as I go.

It's been quite a week. I know I mentioned earlier in the week that I started the week out exhausted. Well, it didn't get any better. In fact, I don't know that it got worse, either. Just weirder, I think. I got up too early on Sunday, took no nap and stayed up way too late Sunday night. When the alarm went off Monday, I knew I was doomed. I tried going to bed relatively early on Monday night and I didn't hurt nearly as much on Tuesday. But Tuesday night I stayed up late again with all my trash tv and I really felt it Wednesday. And Thursday. This morning I woke up around 4am or so and started debating with myself if I should leave the alarm clock as is (set for 5:15am) or let myself sleep in a little while longer. I decided that I was too tired to keep doing this to myself, so I reset the alarm for 7am. (I don't have to be to work until 8:30, though I go in at 6:30 most days.) It took just minutes and I was back asleep. I managed to pull the blankets up over my head at some point after that. I only know this because Ollie jumped up on the bed and saw I was completely covered and started clawing at the blankets to uncover me. He does this to me typically on Saturday mornings when he feels I've slept too late. He wakes me up and I figure it must be almost time for the alarm. I pet him and he cuddles up with me. Then I look at the clock and I got pissy. It was 5:16. A minute after the alarm would have gone off. Little bastard. So I got up and started my day, sleep defeated. I was at work by 6:30 and everything was going pretty well... until about 9am. I started to crash. Hard. This week had finally, officially caught up with me. And that's when I noticed the clock stopped ticking. And it didn't start ticking again until about 4:30 this afternoon, coincidentally the exact time I left work. Funny that. I hate days like this. Not because time is dragging (though I can't say I'm a fan of that), but because I don't like where my brain goes. When I'm tired like this, it seems the walls in my brain collapse and all the things I try not to think about come flooding back. I spent a good part of the morning today going over my list of people I've wronged in my life. Someone from junior high that I haven't thought about in years, someone from the early 90s who I led on, someone who really needed me when she was down and out and I wasn't able to be there for her... You get the picture. I hate all the shame I feel when I think about the things I've done. I guess if anything, it shows that I've grown some since those experiences. I hope to hell I've learned something about how to treat people. I know I have a lot more learning to do, though, just looking back on my recent history. I'm going to be 43 years old next week. Isn't it about time I learned how to act like someone my age?

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm greatly looking forward to my foot doctor appointment on Monday. I'm so annoyed by the pains I'm feeling in it. The weather is starting to get nice enough out that I should be walking more than once or twice a week (at best). The times that I've been going out, I've popped a couple of Alieve tablets (or Tylenol or whatever) before leaving the house to compensate for the aches. It's mostly been working, but it's not something I want to keep doing. I hate having to take pills for anything. It's not anything I ever want to have to do. Sure, it's great to have them for an emergency back up, but as part of my daily routine...? No. Ken's on enough of a regiment of pills for the two of us.

It's coming up on 11 pm. I wanted to watch the LOST finale tonight (I was too pooped on Wednesday night), but I ended up wasting the last couple of hours playing online, getting nothing done. Ack! Maybe I'll watch it until I'm too tired to keep my eyes open. I keep hearing it's so good, but I've managed to avoid spoilers. I want to see it before I accidentally find out what happens.

Holy Crap

Holy crap, I'm tired. It's Monday, I should be feeling refreshed, but I'm feeling anything but. This is how I feel on a Friday after a grueling week, not a Monday. But stupid me got up at 5:15 am yesterday to go out walking and grocery shopping. I had every intention of taking a nap yesterday afternoon, but I never found the time. Then, despite how sleepy I was getting last night, I had to stay up to see Donald Trump "hire" Joan Rivers. Tonight it's lights out as soon as Charm School is over. I need to be refreshed for tomorrow. I can't do two days feeling this pooped out.

You know what else was awesome about today? FrankenKlinger decided she needed to talk to a friend on the phone and tell them all about her mother's raw and chafed vagina. And naturally she doesn't understand the concept of indoor voice. So no matter how loud I was playing my iPod, I still kept catching pieces about how raw it was or how she just can't spread her legs like she used to. All very appropriate office chatter, of course.

Ken is still on the wedding kick and it's still killing me. Not only did I walk into his office yesterday to find him researching resorts in California to have a ceremony, but today in the mail he got the Disney Wedding Planner dvd. He keeps yelling up to me to come down and watch it with him, but I'm so not in the mood. Not tonight.

Speaking of the mail, I got the most awesome letter today. Have you ever gotten something in the mail that made you feel so good, totally out of the blue? Well, that was me today.

I know I wanted to write more stuff tonight, but my brain has shut down. Lucky you!! Instead I'll leave you with this awesome YouTube clip.

Saturday Night

Today was such a quiet day. I love boring, quiet, uneventful Saturdays. After the week that just happened, it was a nice change of pace.

Everyone knows I work in an office full of circus freaks. Hell, I think everyone who works in an office is surrounded by circus freaks. Mine is not the exception, but rather the rule. This week was a little more full of circus drama than usual and it really sucked the life out of me. The short version is someone stole a prescription of Xanax from someone in my office. State police were brought in for a report. Seven days later, they're back to question FrankenKlinger, the hag I sit near. She's tight lipped about the whole thing and no one knows what's going on. A few days later, she's brought downstairs for a meeting with the head of HR, someone from the union, her husband and who knows who else. She's seen leaving the building after the meeting in tears. Still, no one knows what's going on. She comes into work the following day all drugged up on something. You look in her eyes and you can tell whatever she's on is STRONG. No one knows what's going on. It's all anyone in the office can talk about. It can't be good or else someone would know something. I'm not getting my hopes up too high for anything to happen. People have been known to sit on porn sites for hours on overtime and just end up with a slap on the wrist. Keep in mind we have a zero tolerance policy on that shit. It would be a nice birthday present for me to find out she's been fired, though.

Otherwise, things are pretty good right now. Mostly. I'm still having an issue with my left foot. I called and made an appointment with a new podiatrist. The pain comes and goes and it's getting in my way of walking. Friday night it felt well enough to go out for a walk, so I did. I planned on going just long enough until it hurt, but it held up well enough for me to do my usual route in full. I'm hoping it feels okay tomorrow morning to go out again. Today not so much. At first I thought the pain might be coming from a new neuroma in my foot, but it feels different this time. I'm hoping it's not some sort of arthritis or a joint issue (unless those are easy to diagnose and fix.) Now if I can get my foot problem licked, I can use the tv time to get outside and move my body around.

It really pisses me off how my body is all into betraying me. Slowly but surely, I'm falling apart. I've got very mild carpal tunnel syndrome in my wrists. Nothing too bad, thankfully. But for some reason, my left wrist flaired up worst than it has in probably three years. It was seriously painful. Tuesday and Wednesday were bad, bad, bad. Thursday was a little better until about lunch time, when the storm front that has been hovering over us finally broke apart. Once the storm was gone, it was like nothing had ever happened. My wrist was back to the way it was on Monday, which was normal. I'm becoming a human barometer. The joys that old age have waiting for me....

My big plans for the rest of the weekend aren't so big at all. I've got a pile of comics calling my name. Tomorrow night is a full night of tv. I LOVE MONEY REUNION, DAISY OF LOVE, AMAZING RACE finale and THE CELEBRETARD APPRENTICE finale. I'm so happy all of my shows are coming to an end in the next week or so. I know that a new batch of shows will pop up to replace them (CHARM SCHOOL 3 anyone?), but the thought of being able to break out of current tv routine I have going on makes me want to do a happy dance. Now if I can just get my foot issues licked, I can get outside and back to a regular schedule of walking and away from the tv.

Monday

Another Monday, another day off for a doctor's appointment. Today I went in for the results of the bloodwork I had done last week. I know it sounds like a simple enough event, but can things ever be easy for me? Sometimes it seems like the answer is no. My appointment was at 8 am, but my doctor moved his office further away from the house recently and I didn't know how long it was going to take to get there with morning rush hour traffic, so I left a little early. I got there and checked in only to discover that I don't have an appoinment. I explained that I made the appointment about 6 months earlier and it was with so-and-so. Apparently because my appointment was with this PA, my appointment was still at the old office. (My primary doctor left that practice for a different one.) So I had the receptionist where I was standing call over to the other office and say I was en route. I made good time getting there, only fifteen minutes late. And then they made me sit for forty-five minutes to get in. That's the one thing about this PA that I absolutely hate. He has no concept of punctuality. Even when I'm on time, I tend to sit and wait and wait and wait. When I finally was able to see him, we went over my numbers. I'm looking really good. My cholesterol was down another dozen or so points. It's the best it's ever been in my entire life. Huzzah! Before I left the office, I mentioned that my foot has been in pain and he wrote me a referral to a podiatrist. I didn't think anything more about it until Ken got home from work tonight and told me that the referral isn't going to be any good since it didn't come from my primary doctor's office. Now I'm pissed off. He did call the insurance company to confirm, but the person he spoke to had no clue (naturally.) Now I have to call my doctor's office and see if he will write me a referral for this doctor. I'm kind of annoyed because it's been nothing but problems since he switched practices. Let's see if this goes smoothly.

Yesterday I had planned a day of doing nothing but laying around, watching tv and reading. I didn't get any of that. Instead, Ken and I went out looking at houses again. I really wasn't in the mood, but went along anyway. I've mentioned before that we have very different ideas about what kind of house we will eventually end up in, but for the first time, we saw one that was closer to something we could both agree on. It was a ranch (which I don't want, but he does) with an amazing living room. I could see myself there. The rest of the house, however, was lacking. There wasn't enough room that we are both looking for. We want something that has two bedrooms and two rooms that could double as studies or offices. This had three bedrooms. We're not buying today, but it's good to know that there are houses out there that we might be able to compromise on.

And finally, the pictures of me from Saturday arrived via the email today.

Saturday

Another Saturday, another adventure outside the house. I've got to stop this. People will stop believing me that I'm a shut in. For real.

Today was mostly all about me. Me me me. Well, me and my love of comics. Free Comic Book Day got me out of the house and to the comic shop. I mentioned in my last post that I was going to my local shop with Sean. He and his husband swung by the house and picked me up around 11 this morning and we headed right for the store. And like every Free Comic Book Day, it was sheer and utter chaos. So many people crammed into such a relatively small space. Everybody loves free stuff, after all. Two members of the Green Lantern Corps were walking the floor and posing for pictures. I was forced to get my picture taken and I'll post it here when Sean sends me a copy. I just hope it turned out better than some of these shots. I didn't pick up too much stuff while I was at the store. I did grab a bargain priced Power Girl action figure and another comic as well as my free swag. Even though the place was overrun with people, I had a lot of fun. Sean and Jeffrey dropped me off at home before heading to Connecticut for a party (where I know for a fact they ran into adorable Kevin only because I just saw a picture on Sean's blog.)

Next up was my trip to store number 2. One of my best friends in the entire world was doing a signing at the store in Ballston Spa, which is about a half hour north of here. The name of the store escapes me, but I know it's mentioned on Todd's blog. As I was getting closer to the store, I started feeling more and more like crap. Not like I was sick or anything, but mentally. It's been about a year since Todd and I last hung out. Life has a terrible way of getting in the way of, well, life. I find that I've been so caught up in myself that I've made little to no time for others. As that realization was hitting me is when I started feeling like crap. But I walked in, Todd stopped what he was doing and came right up to me and it was just like we hadn't seen each other in a couple of days. In between doing what he was there for, we caught up and both promised to make some time to hang out. The store was a neat little shop and very, very different from Earthworld, the store I was at earlier this morning. It's much smaller but has all sorts of cool stuff. The price on back issues is great. The selection is odd, but wonderful. You'll find a little bit of everything there. I bought a handful of books out of a dollar bin. Got some old war comics, two old Flash issues and a Batman book. Plus Todd hooked me up with a Perhapanauts and an Impule trade paperback.

On the ride home I stopped at Toys R Us. I haven't been in one in years, but I decided to stop and check out the toys. There I found a Kid Flash and Big Barda action figure. I was pretty happy with my finds.

After getting home, though, I've had no time to look at my new books or anything else. Ken was starting to have a crisis about purging our belongings. It's something we need to start doing and he was so overwhelmed, he started shutting down. We started going through some stuff and managed to start tossing or setting aside to sell. He's actually yelling in from the other room for help right now.

We went out to dinner and then Ken wanted to go look at wedding rings, so we poked around the jewelry stores in the mall for a little bit. I don't know why this was a surprise to me, but we have absolutely no common ground interest in wedding rings. I was drawn to the most simple rings while he was all about unique designs and diamonds. I swear, some of the rings he liked could have been from Liberace's personal collection. For real. He kept asking my opinion on the ones he was picking out and I told him he shouldn't ask me. I don't really like anything he's picking out and ultimately, it's not about what I like, it's about what he likes. He's going to have to wear that gaudy piece of crap, not me!

I'm off now to see what Ken wants and then I'm going to watch the Doctor Who Easter Special, which I've not been able to find time to watch. Arrggh!