Sicky Part II

I'm a bit better. Despite going into tech this week I skipped out on work today. I figured I wouldn't be able to be very productive and I KNOW they don't want my coodies. We'll see how tomorrow goes. I'll keep you posted.

Sicky

I've got a cold. Me no happy. Every day and a half is a new symptom. They're not adding on to one another. Just switching out with each other so that's good. Still pretty horrible though. Today is the day of no voice. I hate being sick. I hate being allergic to cold medicine.

My sis is on her way with soup. Yeah, she's pretty much the best. Kaisara & Daryl brought me soup earlier today. Sure wolfed it down for not being hungry.

I repeat, I hate being sick.

If You're A Member, Go Comment

Hey! One of my baubles has been included in an Etsy treasury! Click here to check it out while it lasts. If you're an Etsy member (it's totally free), sign in & comment on the treasury. The more comments, the more etsy admin notices the treasury & the more likely it is that I could be on the front page.

Thanks for indulging me!

Baubles Galore!

Many of you who read this blog already have one of my awesome baubles. You are not my target market (sorry). But you know people who need a great little gifty idea. Hostess gifts, company gift exchange, whatever. Really, how many candles & cookie mix in a jar does one need?

Tell your peeps who need a little somethin' to stop by my shop. I've recently added a bunch of new baubles that are lookin' for good homes.

Market me people!

Dancin' Machines

Yeah that's right. After a summer of not much dancing Kaisara & I have both jumped in with both feet. We started a West Coast series on Thursday nights where we've been taking the beginning (mostly a review) and the intermediate (holy cow that's some new territory!) classes. Most weeks we've even been staying for the dance afterwards just to cement our new moves into our little brains.

Two Saturdays ago we took a beginning Lindy Hop intensive course that was over 3 hours of class. It was a blast! We were totally tuckered by the end of it but we learned alot. Not many new moves but how to do them better & all the more important how to link them together. It was great!

I think we're going to be brave & try the intermediate Lindy class this Tuesday. Hopefully our toes (and egos) won't be too bruised after that experience.

In these last few dance filled weeks I've learned something about myself as far as dancing goes....I'm not very good. I can do coreography & be where you want me on what count you want me there. But social dancing? Not so good. Poor Kaisara has to lead me with an iron fist. He practically has to shove me around (& I've almost eaten it a time or two). But I'm learning to read his lead & he's learning to lead. So that's good.

The best part is we sure are laughing alot. Sometimes at each other. Sometimes at "us" being total goof balls. I think the teachers get a kick out of us and we really try not to be too disruptive but come on people, we're supposed to be having fun! Most of our classmates are so stoic & serious. I've been wearin' one of the most stoics down though. He's smiling now!

So we're having fun. We're learning alot. We don't look like much other than a couple having a great time with one another while trying not to fall down or knock each other out.

Oh Yeah. You Don't Know This Yet.

I've been meaning to post this but then think of myself as being a little narcissitic. Then I think I'll post it anyway & then I forget. Thus is the cycle of the Cate brain. I've started a Lucky Zelda blog. Not much goes on there but I'm trying. Anything to increase traffic of buyers to the shop ya' know. Anyway, I occassionally post things there Etsy related so if you'd like stop by from time to time.

Oh yeah, here's the link.

Pheww!

Wow! I'm glad that's over!

Yesterday was the big craft faire up in Claremont. It was crazy hot with no breeze but I had a good time. Lots of family & friends made the trek to stop by & say "hi" & encourage me. Priceless.

After the price of my booth & my sales I took home just over $250 so that's cool. I sold more than I ever have at a show (which was $0). So it was a good day & I'm glad I did it.

Thanks to everyone who supported me by stopping by with a smile, buying things (you're bad), letting me crash at your place, etc, etc. I love you guys!

Almost Here

The big shoe (as Ed Sullivan would call it)is this Saturday, October 25th. Some of you have expressed an interest in attending so I thought I'd give you my info.

I (We actually. I'm sharing a booth with another Etsian) will be in booth #494 which is located near the intersection of Bonita & Harvard Avenues in downtown Claremont. The show is open from 9am to 5pm rain or shine (I'm praying for shine!).

There's absolutely no pressure but if you do end up going to the show please stop by to say "Hey!"

More Famouser By The Minute

Check out this slideshow. The Orange County Register came & took some photos in our shop last week.

Irritated/ing

I'm finding that when people as a whole are irritating me I'm actually irritated with myself. I hate that.

Totally Hooked!

So I'm a little slow. I've been hearing about it for years. Daryl & Bronwen are both total geeks about the show. I've been hearing about it from Daryl while hanging out & from Bronwen at work. You'd think it would have happened sooner but I just watched it. BATTLESTAR GALATICA IS AWESOME!!! I love me some science fiction. I wish I could go back to the conversations of Daryl talking about it & now it would make sense & I'd get a glimpse of what is to come (and to be honest, I'd care a little more).

I borrowed Daryl's season one DVD's and blasted through them (though not as quickly as Kaisara). I could do without what I consider too graphic sex scenes. Adds nothing to the show other that "Man! I don't need to see that!!!" being said (not every episode). Other than that I've no complaints. It's exciting, good entertainment.

Now I've just gotta pry season two outta Dana's house.

Supporting Boobs

Yep. Today was the day. Today Team Galatians 6:10 participated in its 3rd Susan G. Komen Foundation Race for the Cure.

New to the team this year was Kathy, Ursula & our youngest member at 4 months of age, baby Avea. After a year off (of racing not supporting) Kathy & Becca returned to race with us. And three year veteranos Cat & I returned.

The weather was great. The event was awesome. The company couldn't have been better.

If by chance you're sad because you hadn't a chance to donate, buck up! You still can. Donations are being accepted until October 17th. Just click right here & you too can support boobs. Come on, whether you got 'em or not, I know you like 'em!

Sewin' Like a Crazy Person

Haven't had much time to post. I guess I've been sewing lots to take that time up. But come to think of it, I've been doing all of my sewing at work. I've been getting there early to sew on my purses & am sure to bring my lunch so I can eat quicker & have time to sew while still on my break. All of this to get ready for the giant craft show a little over a month from now. Anyway, I guess that doesn't explain my lack of posting. Perhaps I've not much to share. So in true Cate fashion I'll give you a list. Stream of conciousness of what's been on my mind:

Super excited Sharon's parents are soon to be here permanently.
Thankful that Emma's had her trach out for over a week & is doing great.
My workroom is a total disaster & I've been trying to make a dent in the mess.
Been sewing alot not knowing if it will sell.
Dana & Jeremey find out this week if it's a boy or girl. I'm betting boy.
Kaisara's cute, huh?
Nina the Ninja Kittie is feeling much better after a nasty kidney infection.
I'm glad summer Bible study is over & can't wait for Marci's study to start.
I miss Dani.
I wanna go dancin'. Haven't been in months, literally.
We (and by "we" I mean Kaisara) are going to install a ceiling fan in my workroom.
I gotta get started on Daryl's drapes. The elusive traverse rod is finally in possesion.
Sent Melanie off to South Africa for a year via Oregon for 4 months. Sad face/happy face.
Feel blessed that Daddy's feeling better but am still scared of the unknown. That's great for the prayer life though.
Start a HUGE show at work on Monday.
I should eat breakfast now.

I'm in! Come Up & Shop!

Several of you know, many may not. Back in June I sent an application to be a vendor at a huge craft show in the fall. I got a fellow etsian to share a booth with me 'cause the booth fee was crazy expensive & we sent in our applications & photos of our goods. We got in! It's the Village Venture in downtown Claremont.

It's a crazy big show. It's the 27th annual where last year 25 THOUSAND people walked through this thing. I'm excited. I'm scared. I've never done well at craft shows. I've never really sold a thing actually. If I don't sell anything at this one, I'm done with them. Now I've just gotta build up my inventory in hopes to sells some goods!

Here's a link to the show's sight. I'll post more info when the event's closer.

Gotta sew!

A Month To Go & Still Behind

I can't believe September's almost here. How did that happen?

I just got a reminder email from Susan G. Komen for the Cure that the Race for the Cure is just over one month away. For a third year, I'm heading up team Galatians 6:10.

With a month to go, I'm half way to my fundraising goal & am still looking for team members who would like to join me. Here is a link to my donation page where you can either join my team or financially support my participation to help find a cure for the "C" word.

Will It Ever Slow Down?

I'm SHOCKED! Shocked I say! It's been almost a month since my last post. That's just nonsense! Kaisara & I had a busy summer & I thought that was unusual. Apparently not. We've got something going at all times. Hard to say "no" when it's all good stuff though.

I'm back at SCR working on a new musical, An Italian Straw Hat. It sounds very cute & silly & not at all what you want to watch if you're looking for a deep meaningful theatre experience. Right up my alley!

Tomorrow's my birthday. The big 3-4. Wow! Not sure how that happened. Something's happening to celebrate but as the birthday girl, I'm not in the loop. Guess I'll just have to leave work looking as cute as I can & be ready for anything. Thanks to Cat & Kathy for taking me to birthday lunch on Sunday. I had a WONDERFUL afternoon with you both.

I'm awaiting to hear if Lucky Zelda has been accepted in to a gy-normus craft show. In order to apply I had to get a seller's permit. So now I've got to charge sales tax & stuff. I'm sure it'll be mucho more money to get my taxes done now. Oi! Anyway, the craft show people mail out the notices 08/29. The show's in November. Cross your fingers for me. Just in case, I've been trying to add to my inventory. It'll be exciting if I get accepted. I'll keep y'all posted.

Daddy had surgery on Monday. It was a long wait to get to the O.R. (months, in fact) but now that it's over he's doing much better. It's so hard to see your invincible Daddy hurting & there's nothing you can do to make it stop. Thanks for those who knew & prayed. For those of you that didn't know, I didn't leave you out intentionally, I promise. Life just is too busy.

Again I ask. Will it ever slow down?

Even with the no-fun stuff with Daddy, I can look at my life of 34 years & smile. I feel unbelievably blessed and wonder what I did to get handed a life such as mine. I'm loved beyond measure by family, friends, and most importantly, Creator.

Life is good.

New Muscial

Man! Do I have some perks in my line of work! I make beautiful dresses with ridiculously expensive fabrics & get to keep the trash-scraps. I get to ask handsome actors, "Can I help you with your pants" and not only not get sued but am often taken up on it. And I get to see some really great shows for my favorite price...free.

Weeks before working at CTG Katie asked me if I wanted to be her date & see a show she's been really looking forward to, "The Drowsy Chaperon" at The Ahmanson Theatre. I'd heard of it from Bronwen (who loved it). I said sure. Katie mentioned she thought she could get $20 tickets. I said, "even better".

Then I got the job at CTG. I wasn't working on "The Drowsy Chaperon" but on a show for the Kirk Douglas Theatre. I thought I'd be brave & put some feelers out for some tix to The Ahamanson. That didn't really go anywhere.

A couple weeks later (my stint there was only going to be 2-3 days) management said they got an email offering tickets to "The Drowsy Chaperon" to all staff. Me no staff. Me over-hire. I still almost jumped up from my sewing machine. ANYWHOOO...Not only did I get 2 tickets to the show, one of my co-workers didn't want hers since she'd seen the show (and loved it) & gave hers to me. Awesome.

Called Katie. Said hey! Our date is free & by the way I'm bringing a couple other folks. Kaisara & Daryl were down. So there we were. Then Katie (who started this whole thing in the first place) went to Florida to visit the parental unit. I invited Cat. She's down. Then Daryl had a work emergency & couldn't go. Called Kathy since her & Cat could car pool. She's down too.

So off we go. Kaisara & I carpooled with Iris & Johnny. Cat & Kathy would meet us there.

THE SHOW WAS SO AWESOME I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU!!! The four of us were laughing out loud the whole time. We're still quoting it & laughing about it.

If you have an opportunity to see it, you should totally go. All I will say is don't wait for intermission to pee. And... there's a pair of roller skates.

I'd totally see it again right now. I'd EVEN pay for my ticket.

Kitty Background Story

So here's the story: Kaisara & I went to see "The Drowsy Chaperon" at the Ahmanson Theatre a couple weeks ago (that's another post). We carpooled with my co-worker Iris & her hubby, Johnny. After the show they were dropping us off at Kaisara's work to pick up our cars when Johnny noticed a kitty under Kaisara's car. When we got out I called to her & she seemed interested. I walked up to her & she walked right up to me. I snatched her up & called my sis. Jen said we had 3 choices: 1 let her go 2. take her home for the evening & take her to the Santa Ana shelter in the morning 3. take her home for the evening & lie to a no-kill shelter saying that we found her in their city.

Couldn't let her go. She'd get mushed by a car or eaten. Couldn't take her to Santa Ana shelter 'cause that's never a good idea for several reasons. Couldn't lie to another shelter 'cause that's just wrong. Soooo, officially we're fostering the kitty. Unofficially we'll keep her if she's a good fit to the family.

Jen checked her out. She's about a year old. She had ear mites (they've been eradicated). She doesn't have any intestinal parasites & any other coodies. She may however be pregers. We won't know for sure for a while (no pee-on-a-stick tests for kitties apparently).

Zelda's pretty scared of her. Not Zelly's fault though. You know with the sneak attacks from behind & the ninja style attacks from under the bed and all. Who could blame the 70+ pound dog fearing the dread of the 5 pound kitty.

She's a tortoise shell with beautiful green eyes. I think her head's a bit large for her scrawny little neck but she's a pretty thing. Sorry folks. No pictures for now since the camera's gone AWOL. Kaisara's to borrow one from his work tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.

I'll Start With A List

It's been a whirlwind of a couple weeks. The only way I can think to catch ya'll up without a mile-long post is a list. I'll try to come back with other posts to fill in the details. I'll start with the most recent flurry of activites & work backwards.

Mon., July 21st: Life's back to normal. Actually cooked dinner & started on Mt. Laundry. I'm officially out of clean chonies.

Sun., July 20th: Church, lunch w/new friends, tea w/Sewing Circle, dinner w/Kaisara's brother, Tony & his wife, Jennifer.

Sat., July 19th: Drop Kaisara off at worship team practice, go to pet store for kitty supplies, pick up Zelda from Mom & Dad's, pick up kitty from my sis' hospital, drop off Zelda & kitty at home, back to the pet store for proper kitty food, pick up Kaisara, go to Jeremy & Dana's for taco night/"Batman Begins", head to Big Newport for "Dark Knight".

Fri., July 18th: Work, head to OC fair for awesome fair food before seeing Train & The Wallflowers in concert, go on giant ferris wheel with Daryl.

Thurs., July 17th: Work & that's it! How'd that happen!

Wed., July 16th: Drop off kitty at my sis' hospital for a check up (she's probably pregnant), work, Bible study, dinner w/friends, realize it's Crista's b-day & I haven't sent her card (don't even have a current address).

Tues., July 15th: Work, call Mom to wish her a happy b-day, head to L.A. for dinner at Philepe's & show The Ahmanson, find stray kitty, take it home & start trying to find her a home.

Mon., July 14th: Work while recovering from 3-day weekend, water co-workers garden.

Sun., July 13th: Last day of vacation, enjoy 6 1/2 hour train ride home, unload car

Sat., July 12th: Happy 11th Anniversary to Kaisara & Me! 10+ mile bike ride (each way) to the beach & back again

Fri., July 11th: Leave for San Luis Obispo at 4:45AM, enjoyed the 6 1/2 hour train ride, rode 1 mile to our B & B.

Thurs., July 10th: Drop Zelda off at Mom & Dad's, work, call sis-in-law to wish her a happy b-day, water co-workers garden, pack for the weekend & realize the digital camera is lost.

Wed., July 9th: Work, Bible study, dinner w/friends

Tues, July 8th: Work, dance lesson in friends' livingroom, dinner afterwards

Mon., July 7th: Start new job, water co-workers garden & pick vegetables I wasn't supposed to.

Guess it's a mile-long post anyway. Oh no!!! Gotta go! Gotta pick up friend from airport! Guess it hasn't slowed down too much yet.

Doin' Great

Lack of posts have been due to a crazy-busy couple of weeks. Things should slow down a touch after this weekend. I'll fill you in then.

The great thing is, it's all been good stuff that's been keepin' me busy!

My First Treasury!

There's a thing on Etsy called treasuries. There's a limited number of them but if your timing's right, any Etsian can make one. They're little galleries of 12 items usually with a theme. Someone used one of my bags to include in their treasury! Here's the link, take a look! At leaset that explains why it's been viewed over 250 times. Now all I need is someone to buy it!

Work Update

I've been holding off on posting on all this because 1) I wanted to tell a dear friend before she just read it here but alas we haven't been able to end the game of phone tag & 2)I knew it'd be long & would take a while to type it all out. Now I've got you all excited about what it is, I'm sorry that it's not life changing news. Just news.

Here goes:
During my last 2 days at SCR my manager got a call from 2 costume shops that were looking for over-hire help. That's me! She gave them both my info since I was about to be fired there & would be available. The first was for Center Theatre Group (CTG). They're the shop for the Ahmanson, Mark Taper Forum & The Kirk Douglas. The second call was from Opera Pacific (who I worked for years & years ago as over-hire). I've been really wanting to get my foot in at CTG so I called them first. She didn't call back so I figured she wasn't interested. I took a week's worth of work at the opera. They're in Santa Ana (literally 1 1/2 blocks from my childhood house) so it's nice that they're close. The day before I started at the opera, CTG called & wanted me. Since I had already accepted the opera job I had to turn it down. Bummer. Longer gig, bigger shop. Oh well. I'm a woman of my word.

The week at the opera went great. No stress as I was just stitching & not making any decisions. Nice. At the end of the week the shop manager/designer asked if I had any experience cutting womens' wear or just mens'. I said that I almost exclusively do women's wear at SCR. She offered me the job of being the women's cutter for this opera (Barber of Seville). It's a really small show for women & she didn't want to hire a year-long contract just for this show. I said that I'm booked at SCR in the fall but if it was already cast & she had the measurements I could do it during the summer. She was so excited. I start that gig on July 7th (and I'll make more $ than I do at the office!). Super glad I got the Janet Arnold books as a SUPER generous gift, huh?!

After that I had 2 days at home & got a call from CTG. They had a last minute casting change & needed help. I've been up there for 1 1/2 weeks & have been invited back for their huge season coming up. My foot's in! The commute is a killer but I've been able to carpool with 2 other gals that I know from SCR. Still a long day. At 8am I ride my bike 4 1/4 miles to jump in the 1st car. We drive 1/2 hour up the freeway to pick up the next gal. Another hour on the freeway & we're there. Repeat in reverse for the way home except Kaisara picks me up at 7:30pm where I've parked my bike. As I said, I'm pretty booked at SCR in the fall but I told CTG I'd keep them posted.

While at CTG I bumped into another gal I've worked with & for in the past. She mentioned Laguna Playhouse might be swamped with work. I dropped an email (I worked briefly with them in the spring). I start there this Tuesday for 4 days of work. Awesome.

Three months of being unemployed has so for turned out to 2 days. I've only been to the office for 4 days. That reminds me, I need to call her & let her know it's gonna be a while 'til I'm back there.

I'm spoiled rotten I tell you. Spoiled rotten. Not taking a moment for granted.

Was Something Supposed To Happen?

I was brave. I was taking one for the team. The team wanted to see The Happening. I was willing (last time that resulted in a freaked out, motion-sick Cate after Cloverfield). I was scared, but willing. As you all know, me no likey suspense/scary. However, I did like Sixth Sense & Signs albeit at home with ALL of the lights on & laundry to deal with when i needed a break. But I was strong & went to see M. Night Shyamalan's latest. I knew that something was wrong for sure when half way through I realize I wasn't scared. I hadn't been scared the whole time. I wasn't even all balled-up inside wondering if it all was gonna turn out okay. What's wrong with me? Oh wait. It's not me. It's the lame movie. I'm all for an action movie. I'm all for a movie that is, as my sis' in law says, "too much story". But this one didn't have either. Nothing really ever happened. No action. No suspense. No scary. No story. No acting. Sigh.... No acting. Oh well. Guess I'll get my Kung Fu Panda on next weekend.

We Were Awesome

Kaisara & I took back-to-back dance classes tonight. 1st was the Charleston Swing (which we'd done a couple times before months ag0). 2nd was your standard Charleston. Rather hard to switch gears after rocking at the swingin' style for an hour. We did soooo good. In the first class it was us, another chick & 2 other guys. Nice & small. The teacher (& new owner of the studio) said the whole class needs to move up to intermediate Charleston Swing next time 'round. Oh yeah!

We were a little squeaky with the standard Charleston but since it was our 1st time out I'd say that's allowed.

The studio got bought a couple weeks ago & this was our first time back since the switch. The changes they've made to the classes & the space itself I very much like.

Don't you worry boys, Kaisara said he's having fun too. Getting him there is the tough part. Once he's there he has fun (he's good too). But that's how it is with anything that's not going out to eat, a movie or paintballing. We're awesome. Can't wait to go back!

Every Time, Really?

It frustrates me to no end that EVERY time (I don't even think I'm exaggerating much here) that there's a religious figure in a movie, play, or other work of fiction, it turns out that they're villainous, corrupt and/or sick & twisted. I'm not here to say that everyone in the church is without fault. (Oh please, don't get me started on that one! I'd be on the top of the list). I'd just like religious figures in fiction to not be the go-to when looking for something seedy. Priest does NOT equal child molester. Southern Baptist Minister does NOT equal wife beater. Rabbi doe NOT be sneaky. Heck! For that matter, a televangelist does NOT equal money grubber.

I know leaders in the church have caused pain. Hasn't everyone? I know that it's a relatively new thing for it to be socially accepted to even write fiction with such a statement. But please. Every time I watch a movie & there's a churchy type of someone in it, they're what's causing the drama. It bores me. It frustrates me. Frankly, it offends me.

To quote Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

What to do now?

I'm fired again. I was fired from the usual place a week ago & worked last week at the opera. So this week I'm fired-fired. I know this is a luxury not many people ever get to experience but here's the trouble: I've got so many things I want to do, need to do, and/or should do I don't know what to do now. I think I go through this every time I'm fired. I spend my time being fired, walking in circles figuring out what to do and never get anything done. Weird.

I've got this office job starting tomorrow but that's not a 9-to-5 thing for me so there's still time for me to get all my stuff done. If only I could figure out what, how and when, I'd be stylin'!

Don't you yell at me! I know I'm a lucky girl to have such a "problem".

A Wish I Had A Raspberry Beret

Yesterday Kaisara, Katie & I went to see a show at Cat's school. It was Hamlet. Sort of. Ya' see it was Hamlet laced with Prince songs. It's called Hamlet (The Artist Formerly Known As) the Prince of Denmark. It was rad. I'm really only familar with Prince's radio hits but the show had others too! The one we kept singing on the way home was a Chaka Khan song, "I Feel For You". The words were changed for the man rapping in the intro of the song. Instead of "Chaka Khan, I wanna rock you, Chaka Khan" it was, "Hamlet's mom, I wanna rock you, Hamlet's mom". Just one of the times we all were crackin' up.

The kids did great (some greater than others, as is the case with any show, student or professional). Cat had done a great job with the costumes (ya' gotta love Aardvarks!). Not only did Cat put together this show but they're also running the original Hamlet in rep with this one so of course, she had to do them both at the same time. In case you don't know, that's HUGE!!!!

Ladies & gentlemen...I give you...The Amaaaaaaaaaazingggggggggg Caaaaaaat! Well done, my friend. Thanks for a great show!

Best Opening Night Ever!

Friday was opening night at work for our last main stage show, Taking Steps. All of us in the shop were really looking forward to this one. It did not disappoint. But really, how could it? Set in the 1970's with a 6'3" actor in a sage-green double knit polyester leisure suit & bad hair piece while one of the other characters thinks she's a gifted dancer and demonstrates her moves for anyone who will humor her. It was awesome. It was only to be topped by the after party.

Opening nights always have a reception of sorts after the show. Offering appetizers and desserts that they somehow try to theme with the show and beverages. This was the best yet. As you may know (from your parents' photos) the 70's were quite fancy so they must have had money left over for some extras. The food included fare such as: deviled eggs, mac & cheese, celery filled with cheese whiz, meat loaf & mashed potatoes and fruit salad. Desserts were blue, white & pecan rolled balls (truffles), chocolate-dipped rice krispy treats and HUGE containers filled with candy. There were celophane bags & chinese to-go boxes to fill with the candy. Sour balls, candy neckalaces, fun dips, candy cigarettes, & pixi sticks. Ahhhh the childhood memories. To top it off there was a 70's d.j. complete with disco light ball & a photo booth. All was free & all was enjoyed by all.

Below are the photo booth pics of the night. Kaisara couldn't make it so Katie was my date. All of the pics aren't very flattering but when are they? Enjoy!

I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough & Gosh Darn It People Like Me

A weird self realization I had recently:

I've been a long-time DDR fan thanks to Brendon. I'm a more recent Guitar Hero fan & an even more newbie on the Rock Band scene thanks to Kat & Cat. I've never thought of buying a game system though. WAY too expensive. More stuff to store, etc. But really I guess it's the cash-ola.

Kaisara mentioned a few days ago that he'd like to have a PS3. "Why?", I asked. "I like the games Jeremy has. I think I'd like them." "Oh." Instantly I found myself pondering purchasing said game unit. WHAT?!?!? Why do I give buying one 'cause Kasiara wants one some brain time but don't because I wanna get a little DDR on? That's so stupid! I'm worth a game system! I'm still not buying one but now I admit to myself that I'm worth one.

A Great Event

Yesterday was the craft show at Cal Poly Pomona. It was really the second annual Hot Rod & Tractor Show with the added feature of 15-ish craft vendors. Had I known it was going to be such a great event for families I'da pushed it more. There were the rods &tractors for the men, craft booths, farm store & nursery for the ladies, free horse rides, bouncer & petting zoo for the kids, and strawberry picking, ice cream, snow cones & kettle corn for everyone to enjoy together.

It was fun watching so many young families enjoying a great day together. Kids were given liberty to run wild in the fields to get all their wiggles & squeals out. Moms & dads could follow if they wanted or not. The staff was all super friendly & the weather couldn't have been better.

My mom came with me to keep me company. I was prepared to sit alone for 6 hours but wasn't looking forward to it. Mom was great. She helped me set up my tables, went oogling at the cars, sat with me quite a bit & I sent her out to work in the fields to pick strawberries. They're delicious by the way. Three big baskets full for $6. Kathy later stopped by for a bit so that was fun too. I also met a couple other etsy-ians. They were super nice. One even bought a couple a pieces from me. Check out their stores here & here.

I sold a total of 3 pieces (the grey polk-dot purse & 2 of my zipper bags) and handed out several business cards. At least it paid for my entrance fee (not by much) & I met several nice people. Who knows what a year can do but as of now, I'll do it again.

Doin' Good

Haven't updated y'all in a bit. Here goes.

I LOVE being a first hand at work again. It's soooo much less stress. I'm workin' with Bronwen which I love. The show is set in the 1970's so the clothes are far-out & super fun. One might say they are RIGHTEOUS!!!

I rode my bike to work yesterday from home. Yep. Made it in 1 hour 45 minutes & wasn't totally sweaty gross either. If you'd like to see my route (& therefore what a total machine I am) just click here. I rode from Kaisara's work again today (that's the norm) but am riding from home again tomorrow. So, so far I'm totally kicking my 700 miles in 2008 goal's bootay! It'd be rad if I could hold to this pace.

I'm selling my wares at a craft show at the old alum, Cal Poly Pomona. Apparently its a tractor/hot road show that'll have some craft booths. My guess is that they're to keep the ladies entertained whilst the men drool over the rods. Anyone wanting to make the trek out there, here's a link. The show's at the farm store so I'm gonna stock up on some awesome produce too.

Up for this weekend is training on Saturday morning. I signed up to work the polls in OC's election in June. Not sure how long training will be but I can't imagine it's that difficult. Saturday night is a b-day party for one of my girls. Sunday morning will be week 2 at a church we're test driving. It was great last week so hopefully this week will be too. I hate church shopping. Don't know anyone who does. Gotta do it though. It's totally worth it later on.

All Good Things...

My days of being fired are coming to an end. It's been almost 3 months that I've had to go to a job on a regular basis. It's been a great 3 months. At times I've accomplished alot and at other times I've enjoyed being still. Here's a list of things accomplished (being still included):

*Finished my harlequin quilt for Lucky Zelda
*Worked 3 days at Laguna Playhouse (super glad to get my foot in the door there)
*Went biking twice with Kat
*Took Cat out for her birthday (best friend + mani/pedis + tea = great day)
*Worked numerous hours at the old office job
*Racked up kick-butt mileage on my bike
*Hung out with the sister unit several times
*Got up to Fall '07 in my scrap book
*Went to the dentist (got an A+)
*Had my hair cut & colored (sooooo much better than last time)
*Went to band practice & sang at a gig
*Re-joined Weight Watchers on-line (I'm down 2)
*Had lunch with Kaisara
*Made costumes for Diavolo Dance Theatre
*Assisted the designer at A Noise Within for their production of "Night of the Iguana")
*Made 15" of progress on my knitted stole that I'm making from a 50's pattern

Next up:

*Make some produce bags for Lucky Zelda
*Remake my own purse 'cause it's nasty
*Go to Randy's birthday party
*Go to Kat & Jody's house (estate) warming party
*$end invoice$ for my $ide job$
*First-Handing for Bronwen at SCR for their production of Taking Steps

Soon I'll be buckling down like a real person. Back to the grind. I'm looking forward to it. I don't think staying in my pajamas 'til 3pm every day is a good thing. I almost got out of the habit of brushing my hair. Yikes! But come May 31st...I'm fired again!

Stretching That Comfort Zone

The rumors are true. Here's a quote from Daryl's blog:

Oh yeah! The band and I will be leading worship at West Community Friends Church in Corona on April 6th. This will be a fun one because we're doing something new. For the first time ever, Cate Esera herself will be joining us on vocals! Dana won't be able to make this one so Cate stepped up to the plate. I think it'll be really cool. If you're inclined to come check it out, we'll be leading both the 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services.

Scary. Daryl & Kaisara have been helping me with my harmonies. I'm a really strong singer when I've someone to follow. BUT DANA WON'T BE THERE FOR ME TO FOLLOW!!! That's why I'm singing in the first place. I even had Dana help me on my parts on the way home from the Getty last weekend (more on that adventure later). She was awesome. Very helpful without making me feel lame. Kaisara was encouraging when he said he thinks I've of 60% of the notes & that if the sound man's good he'll just turn me down. Thanks hon'. Great.

So anyway...I'm singin' with the band. I'm excited. I love to sing. I'm scared. I hate to suck.

Goose & Gander

I just got these pics from the production of Charolette's Web that I worked on in January. My favorite pieces I did were the Goose & Gander. The designs were awesome & the fabrics were great. This was my favorite kids show the theatre's done so far in the 5 seasons they've been doing them.



I also did the old sheep that's in the 1st photo. I didn't make the headpieces for any of them. They were great too! The show was alot of fun to work on.

Here's a Random Thought For the Day

Italian opera singers don't sing in a foreign language when singing most opera. They're just singing in the same language they speak. Must be easier for them to memorize their music.

Don't know why but that just occurred to me.

So Far, So Good

I was really able to rack up the miles this month. February I did really well too. So far I'm above where I need to be for the year to reach my goal in December. That feels great since I got such a lousy start in January with the rain & being sick TWICE!

I'm not gonna start slackin' now though. Who knows when life will happen & I won't be able to pedal myself around so much.

FYI: Over 1 1/2 miles of this week was Kaisara & I walk/jogging. Go us!

I'm Looking Forward To This

I'm tired of Creationism not being viewed as a science as long as Evolution is viewed as such. A MAJOR requirement of science is OBSERVATION. No one that is around now was around then to observe. So, we must take what we can observe, scientifically, and draw conclusions and therefore beliefs from that. I've been called a "fundamentalist" as though it were a large red "A" to bear. When I inquired what a fundamentalist was & they explained, I just smiled with pride & said, "Yeah, I guess I am." I've no problem with the label some have given me. What I have a problem with is being viewed as less intelligent and close-minded. I've examined both sides of this science issue & have come to my conclusion. I am NOT close-minded. How many of those that consider me such have examined the side of the fence that I'm standing on? They wouldn't dirty their shoes with my turff. What many don't take the time to consider is that we ALL have to take SOMEONE'S word for it. We are not out in the archiological digs. We are not in the labs conducting experiements. We can not even begin to comprehend being in front of a computer cranking out the mathmatical equations that our scientist do. We must take their findings, roll them over in our brains and choose who is more correct than the other. You can label some who has gone through examination of both sides of this issue right or wrong but you cannot label them unintelligent or close-minded. Those are the labels reserved for those who have only examined one side.

No matter what side you're on, you choose to believe the science of one side over the science of the other. I'm positive that all who read this blog know what side I choose to believe & yes, I believe it is not only backed by scripture but by science as well. Someone whom I love, trust and admire for more reasons to count, who has studied both sides of this issue more than anyone else I know came to believe in creation over evolution through the study of evolution itself. In their words, "It's just not scientific." Anyway, this person has informed me of an upcoming film that I'm looking forward to "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed". Below is a quote from IMDB:

I got tickets to an advanced screening in Boston and showed up really not expecting anything or knowing much on the subject except 'Isn't Ben Stein that guy with the game show and does the visine commercials' This documentary is about the debate within the scientific community, or lack thereof, between Intelligent Design and Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Professors and journalists are interviewed who have lost there jobs for even the mention of ID with Ben Stein as our host to this all. That is the spring board from where the movie starts, from there it delves deeper into the underlying meaning and reasoning behind why people support or condemn each in an intelligent way. What got me was how he showed both sides of the argument and was not afraid to track down people who supported and denounced each side. And not only scientists. Everyone was given a fair voice unlike some other over rated documentarians who give you their own agenda. If you want something intelligent instead of the recycled garbage Hollywood cranks out, give this movie a watch.

I'm looking forward to what even this, I assume, non-Christian reviewer has viewed as a "fair voice" from both sides. Click here to view a trailer.

This movie isn't about Christians vs. The Science World. It's about scientists being shunned from their community & livelihood for believing, outloud, that their is a "divine spark" in our being. They're not claiming Jesus Christ is the Messaih for all people (I am), they're just questioning what they & we have been taught as science. Isn't that what science is?

For All You CCR Fans

This one's funny too. I can't hear the right lyrics now. Thanks to Greg for sending it to me.

Mucho Silly

This video cracked me up. Kathy emailed it to me months ago. I just looked it up on You Tube for another laugh. Enjoy!

More Photo Updating

I've finally got our before/after pictures of our Master Bathroom. Here's a couple. If you'd like to see more, take a look at my Shutterfly account.

Happy (late) Birthday

Yesterday was Cat's birthday. I drove up to spend the day with her on Tuesday. I guess this post is late in more ways than one.

We dropped Alex off at day care. Went to pick up her hubby's car. It's a Dodge, Magnum. She let me drive it back to her place. SWEET! I love driving different cars. And let me tell you, that's one nice ride. It really likes going 80. What!?!? I had to stick my foot in it a little! Cat understood. I'm sure Randy'd be pleased. Kaisara just smiled.

Anyway... back to birthday celebration. We went over to Victoria Gardens & got mani-pedi's. Much needed for me. The gals did a great job & we walked out feeling a little spoiled.

Off to high tea for us. I made reservations for us at a tea house that was new to us. It was nice. The couple running it were nice too. Although we both agreed that our usual place was still our favorite.

We then hunted down a nearby yarn shop & Cat treated me to a ball of yarn that reminds me of mint julips.

We stopped back by Victoria Gardens to poke around Borders. Kathy dropped in, we chatted & I'm sure drove other customers crazy. We zipped over to Kathy & played a few songs on rock band. Yeah, we rocked it.

Then we had to race back to Cat's 'cause she had to get the kiddos.

It was an awesome day. Happy Birthday, friend. I love you!

Waylaid Again

It was gonna be another great mileage week. Ride into the office on Thursday & ride along the beach today. Thursday I got all packed up, rode to the mailbox first. Good thing since I realized I had a flat. Bummer. Had to drive.

Today Kathy was gonna bring her bike down & we were gonna take on the boardwalk. She called to cancel 'cause she's a sicky. Note: don't drink grown-up beverages while eating cheesy fondue. It's not pretty. I'm sad we missed our ride. I'm even more sad that she's sick. Oh well. The beach woulda been chilly today anyway. Here's to mileage next week!

Photo Catch-Up

Our main computer is back on-line (for now). I thought I'd used this opportunity to catch you guys up on some photos.

First off will be what is normally my New Year's post. Favorite photos of 2007:

On our 10th Anniversary cruise. We had a great time.

One of the many GORGEOUS sunsets on our cruise.

Dana, Melanie & me at Melanie's birthday dinner. Yes, Dana's presenting what you think she is.

Melanie, Katie & me at Katie's birthday dinner.

Daddy & me at the top of Sears Tower in Chicago.

Daddy walking through the snow and rain in Iowa.

My nephew, Savelio at his 1st birthday party with his Grandma Susan.

Greg, Mer, Me & Kaisara just finished sneak-attacking Mom & Dad's room while they were gone.

Me and two of my girls (Cat & Dani of course) out in the freezing tundra in front of Coeur D'Alene Lake in Idaho.

Wind + Bike = Me No Likey

Well today's ride was poo-ey. Yes that's a term us cyclists use. At least this one, not that I'm really a cyclist. Poo-ey. It's when you go out on a ride that you know is challenging but you do it anyway 'cause you're a fatty but the wind is blowing in all directions except the one, singular direction that would aid you in getting your tookus to from point A to point B. THEN you get past what you know is the most challenging part of your ride (even when the wind is not whipping all around you except at your back) and come to find out the bike trail you need to take & went 1/2 mile out of your way for is closed & detoured another 1/2 mile out of your way. AAAAAAAAHHHH. Kathy, you would not have done on this one.

Good news is:

1. I did it. I kicked it windy butt it did not kick mine (oh wait that's not what I meant.
2. I got 13.6 miles in today
3. I spent the day with my sis'. She's rad. We scrapped & then played cribbage. She skunked me once (yes that's an actual term in cribbage, just ask Melissa, she's the queen of cribbage) and only mildly beat me the second game.

Any Ideas?

So I'm putting this out to all of my peeps...yes that's you.

For whatever reason I've been feeling a need to increase my Lucky Zelda sales. Perhaps it's being outta work for a few weeks now and almost two full months to go. I gotta sell more things. NO I DON'T WANT YOU TO BUY MY STUFF!!!

I want any and all of your great ideas on how to increase traffic that pulls up to my shop. Obviously my product is great ;-p No really, I'll take product ideas too.

Let me hear ya' people!!!!

That Was A Good Day

Yesterday started off on the right foot & continued that way all day.

First off: I slept in a bit but not too much. Next I finished up an alteration for a friend & dropped it off on her porch (I hope it didn't get stolen, I haven't heard from her). Then a headed up to Rancho Cucamonga to see Kathy & Jody's new house. Strike that. It's more of an estate really. GORGEOUS!!!

After getting the grand tour, Kathy took me to lunch & I had my favorite sandwich: Chicken Pesto at The Corner Bakery. We then took a bike ride that was more difficult than we bargained for. We did find what looks to be a brand new bike trail though & we want to explore it more on another day. After the last half of our 6.7 mile trek we collapsed on the couch with tall glasses of ice water & talked knitting and crocheting for a bit. Then it was back home before rush hour could consume my life.

Kaisara came home from working a side computer job (yeah) & we headed back to Atomic Ballroom's Friday swing classes. We continued learning the Charleston Swing & then get this...Kaisara said we could stay for the next class too!!!!! Learned a little of the Lindy Hop.

Lunch with a friend
A bike ride
2 dance classes

I LOVE being fired.

I Love N.Y.

Stuff like this is why I LOVE New York. Where else would something like this happen. It would've been cool to be part of it or even to see it. I've been to the great hall at Grand Central Terminal (twice) & that would be something to see.

Dancing Machine

Kaisara loves me. He loves me good. He went to a dance class with me. He HATES to dance. I LOVE to dance. I would dance everyday if I could.

My friemd Katie told me about the studio, Atomic Ballroom. We only learned one move. But it was still fun. We learned the basic step of the Charleston Swing. Since we only learned the one move we decided not to stay for the dance. I hope to get there someday. We'll see how willing my partner is.

True? Not sure.

You Are a Pear

You are independent, intelligent, and a free thinker. You can accomplish great things, especially when you do them on your own. You are direct, honest, and sometimes even a bit brutal. There's not much that gets in the way of you and your ambition. While you are hard nosed, you do have a much sweeter side to you. It takes times for you to soften toward someone, but once you do, you'll be their friend for life.

What Type of Fruit Are You?

It's Spreading

Kaisara's got the plague now. Poor baby. Everybody's gettin' this thing. He never spiked a fever as high as I did & he seems to already be on the mend. That's good.

Soapbox Racer

It seems I've picked up a couple soap boxes to hop onto lately. Seems weird for me. Maybe I'm becoming old and opinionated. Not necessarily a bad thing.

The first is regarding art. I learned alot about art while working at Pageant. Mostly I learned that you can like what you like & you don't have to like what you don't like. That fact that you like it or not is not what makes it art.

When creating (whatever the medium) things change. The concept evolves as you work and the end product is yours none the less. You change your mind about that brush stroke, that note, or as is often the case for me, that choice of fabric (I've recently been trying to view my work as art since other artists have told me it is). Your piece evolves while you're creating it and what you end up with can be quite different than your intial concept. That's part of the creative process. That's part of what makes creating so fun (or frustrating). My soapbox platform is this: if you tell someone to create art, approve their concept for your exhibit & later say, in affect, "your art doesn't fit my in my bubble. here's how you can change it so it will...." THAT'S NOT RIGHT. You said to be inspired & create. That's what was done. You stepping into someone's creative process to make it "fit" in the name of "helping" I feel is manipulative. When going to an exhibit of any sort I do not expect to like every piece. Even more so, I do not expect to like every bit of every piece that I do like. I can like the concert but not every song. I can like the painting but not the color of the house. Other's probably like the bits that I don't like. THAT'S WHAT'S SO COOL ABOUT IT! Different things speak to different people. Geeze! You'd think an artist would know that.

That's enough negativity for now. Perhaps I'll rant on my other soapbox later.

P.S. Mine was not the creative process stepped on. I was just a witness who not so successfully bit her tongue.

Gettin' There

So I'm better. I'm not well, but I'm better. I went back to work on Monday (went in late & left early). Tuesday was a little better still (went in late but finished the day out). Yesterday & today I've been there full days. Watch out! Here I come! Of course I'm wheezing the whole way but, here I come.

Treated myself to a new sweet pair of kicks. I love them. I'll love them even more when there fully broken in. They make me smile.

Almost finished cutting out the dress for the fashion show. It's supposed to be completed by the 9th. Not gonna happen with the contraction of the plague & all. It'll be done by dress rehersal though. Though there's been some changes to the overall presentation that I'm not pleased with, our dress is still gonna be the best one there.

Last night out of no where Zelda got bumps all over her face. They were gone by this morning. Not sure what that's about. I'm about to call my vet. Part of what she'll tell me is that I've got a freaky dog. Point taken.

Gotta go figure out what's to eat.

Miss me.

Ever Breathed Through A Soggy Towel?

That's what I feel like I've been doing since Tuesday. Haven't had a fever for days though so that's good. My time clocks so jacked up though. I basically slept for 2 1/2 days straight. Tried to make myself get up at a decent time this morning so I'd go to sleep at a decent hour tonight. Apparently a decent hour to get up was after 12 noon.

Oi. I'm ready for this to be over.

This is 2

I'm generally a very hearty person. I'm usually sick once a year MAYBE twice but that's not my m.o. Here it is not even the end of January & I've been sick since Tuesday. Thank goodness it's nothing related to the horrific stomach flu I had at the beginning of the month but this is horrible.

Started out Monday evening with a weight on my chest. By Tuesday morning I knew I had something but had to go into work due to fittings. By the end of my fittings I sounded like Froggy from "Our Gang". I could barely get up the stairs to leave work half an hour early. I seriously didn't know how I was going to get to the car. Ended up spiking a 103.5 fever that sent me to the walk-in. The dude gave me cough syrup. Thanks man but that's not gonna due the trick. Problem is I'm allergic to cold medicine so that's all he could give me that I wouldn't react to. At least it's got a little codeine in it so it knocks me out & I'm unaware of how miserable I am.

I'm on the mend. I don't feel as much like someone used me as a kicking bag. I guess that's good. The weight's still on my chest & my ribs kill when I cough. The rest of '08 had better show nicer things for me than January has.

Well that's a record!

This morning Kaisara & the band played at Daryl's church. As usual, they were awesome. I got there early with Kaisara and, as usual, brought something to keep me entertained. I finished another beanie (Cat, Kathy & Dani, you know the type). Any way, I figured, what the heck, put up in the store. I kid you not, it wasn't even up there for 10 minutes before it sold. AWESOME! Now THAT'S the way to do it! Now I'll pack it up & it's off to Ohio (shout out to Crista's peeps).

Anyone who cares to see it can go to Lucky Zelda & click on sold orders. It's cute in a Charlie Brown sorta way.

Most of my in-town readers know about this but I thought I'd let the rest of you know what I'm up to. I am building a runway fashion show gown for this, what should be , really neat event. It started over a year ago as a home school project but has grown into a full fledged multi media event.







I am working with a great girl who designed a dress inspired by Georgia O'Keefe's 1930 painting "Black Hollyhock Blue Larkspur" as well as O'Keefe herself. I've given some input to the design but it's mostly Dana's & I'm building it. Our gown is going to be AWESOME. I keep telling Dana that we're going to win and it's not even a competition.

This event is being supported by the Grove Center for the Arts & Media which is an amazing organization with a mission close to my heart. I'm supporting this event by donating my time to build this gown as a way to support the Grove. I'd love it if anyone who's available could attend. I know that it's a little pricey for an event that you'd normally not attend but it'd mean alot to me if you could make it.

And yes, I'll post pictures once I have them.

Here's the Haps'

Since I'm sure you're all waiting with baited breath, I figured it was time for a true update.

Bicycle: I've settled on a goal of 700 miles for 2008. I'm a little scared I won't make it. But...it's something to shoot for. If I don't make it, no body's gonna yank my toenails out one-by-one. If I do make it, I'm gonna be super pleased with myself (& hopefully have a smaller pants size). The first week of the year sucked eggs but I tried to make up a few miles this last weekend by riding from Huntington Beach pier, down to Newport Beach pier & back again. Almost 12.75 miles. Kaisara went too. He peddled a little faster than our last trip (it's a good thing since I don't even know how he stayed upright last time since he was going so slow. I swear he defied the laws of physics or something.)

Work: It's going pretty well. I've had my mock-up fittings & the only thing that was totally wrong was the sleeve on one of the dresses. Couldn't even get the poor girl's arm in it. Oh well, it's fixed now. Oh yeah, I'm working on The Importance of Being Ernest. Never seen it but everyone tells me I'm gonna love it. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm fired after the 2nd week of February. I don't have anything else lined up yet. There's the office work that's always there. I'm hoping something else turns up.

That's all for now I guess. Oh wait! After almost exactly 1 year our church has a pastor. I'm super excited. I still miss our previous one but this new guy's my favorite of all the guest speakers we've had in the past year & he was with us numerous times. He doesn't just give topical sermons, he really gets into the Word. Yeah! I tend not to be a fan of the topical sermon. I've got a conconrdance. I can look up all the verses pertaining to this, that, or the other. I always try to get something of one but I'd rather just learn the Word of God & what it says. I think that's what Doug's gonna do. Again, yeah!

Ok. Now I think that's all.

How Many Miles?

Hey guys I did it! I made 500 miles in 2007! 565 to be exact. November & December were pretty punie mileage but I rather expected that. June was my best mileage month at 118. That was when I was working at Chapman & biking from the train station twice a day. My butt's the same size though. Which leads me to my survey question. What should my mileage goal for 08 be?

btw: week 1 of the year is a big ol' goose egg due to stomach flu and rain. better double up next week.

Happy New? Blaaahhh!

Not what I pictured for my evening of January 1st 2008. Warning...some yucky stuff to follow.

Kaisara & I went to bed at 11:30. 15 minutes later, Kaisara's snoring away. Clearly I won't be sleeping soon. It's way to noisy & I'm not sleepy. I get up to go to the couch. I wake up at 2am having to, well, you know. It comes to my attention that while sittin' on pot, I'm glad there's a trash can to my right for me to sit on my lap. That was my life from 2am to 7:30am. Sitting on the pot with a trash can in my lap. I HATE barfing! I haven't barfed in 15 years! Literally.

Anyway, Kaisara took me to the E.R. for fluids (because clearly I was dehydrated from the last 5 1/2 hours). I'm so thankful that there wasn't any wait. We were the only ones there. The started me on fluids, took a bunch of blood & a CT scan. Not related to any of this but it turns out I've got a gallstone.

We headed home after almost 2 bags of fluids (my pulse was up to 108 due to dehydration when they admitted me & down to 75 when they discharged me) and all the other tests turned out fine. I went straight to bed & slept for hours. Thought I'd be at work today. Then in the early evening realized I had a fever. 101.5. YIKES! That took it out of me. Apparently normal after a wicked case of stomach flu.

I slept pretty much all of today. In between naps I emptied half of the dishwasher, the exertion of which warranted a nap. I took in an episode of Sesame Street. Needed another nap.

So that's been my 2008 so far. How's yours been?