Weekend Update. With 40% More Cake!

We have a lot of cake at our house. Well, we did before last night.

Friday night, Darlene and James came over for a zombie fest – Zombieland and Fido. Zombieland was fantastic. Except at the end. Where the girls were stupid. Sheesh.

We had pizza and our guests brought a chocolate cake and apple pie. This should have been a sign that weekend diet plan was shot to hell.

Saturday was shopping. Big event shopping.

Laptop shopping.

Actually, it wasn’t so much “shopping” as it was going to Best Buy and telling the guy what I wanted and buying it and bringing it home. Rae-rae (defined by Urban Dictionary as a “Polynesian transvestite”, thankyouverymuch) don’t just go buy expensive products without doing her homework.

To start, I had a spreadsheet that listed all of the laptops I thought were pretty. Cause you gotta start somewhere. I had columns for the vendor, model and the price. Then as I read about them, I determined what my priorities were and added columns for them – RAM, hard drive, number of USB ports, did it have a 10 key, did it have a gloss or matte area around the keyboard (fingerprint issues) and what were the overall reviews (good or bad).

In the end, it came down to a Dell Inspiron (in pink) and an Asus (in boring ol' black). I had a print out for each of them, so when we walked into Best Buy and were approached by an eager salesboy, I quickly held up the two printouts, as if to shield the onslaught of selling, and said “I want to see these two laptops and that’s it.”

Uh....well....uh...okay.....

He showed me the Dell (shiny!) then the Asus. I didn’t like the Asus because it has a 10 key, which is nice, but throws the keyboard off center. I want the keyboard centered in front of my screen. Because I am neurotic like that. And I can buy a USB 10 key for $20 and just plug it in when I need it, which is only when I balance the checkbook (which I am refusing to do because BECU blows goats right now and their two statements a month have completely screwed up my register, but don’t get me started…)

Where was I?

Oh yes. The Asus (which I keep pronouncing as “ASSus”. Hee.) It also had keys that were flat, so when you run your fingers over them, it’s more difficult to tell them apart. The Dell has beveled keys. That creates a nice distinction between the keys and therefore, I can type faster.

So, a Dell it was!

I told the salesboy I wanted a pink one, or if they did not have a pink one, a red one would do. He went off to check and came back a few minutes later to tell me all they had in the store was blue. Baby blue. Yuck. He said he even called around to neighboring stores, and there were no pink or red ones. But look how pretty the blue is!

I said thank you, but I want pink, so I’ll just go home and order it online.
And we left.

My instant gratification was squashed.

And even squasheder when I tried to order a pink one online and they were out. But they had red. I like red. And Todd won’t look like a sissy if he has to use it. I’m such a good wife.

Saturday night, we had JD and Alison over for some veggie enchiladas and sangria. They brought a chocolate raspberry torte. Oy. Delicious.

We just sat around and visited. It was a nice low key evening.

And Sunday. The Semi Okay Bowl.
Well, first there was sleeping in until 10:00am, then just laying there with my eyes open staring at the wall for half an hour. That was nice.

Todd and I got all domestic and cleaned and did laundry while waiting for the game to start. He also helped me color my hair, since I can’t do it our clawfoot tub now. I stood on my tiptoes and hung my head into the kitchen sink while he used the extendo faucet to wet my hair and then rinse the color out. He’s a good husband.

The kids hid downstairs in Tyler’s room as they 1) don’t care about football and 3) don’t like the screaming when we watch football. Steve came over right before kickoff and Stephanie joined us at halftime. And they helped us polish off the cake. Gawd bless them. There were also pigs in a blanket, chips, pizza rolls and of course, a veggie tray. To balance it all out.

It was a boring first half of the game, but boy howdy, the Saints were fired up after halftime! I’m sure many people thought the Saints just got lucky by getting to the Super Bowl, but they showed that they can play the game. I did feel bad for Peyton – I just love him, as a quarterback and as the host of SNL. But he has his ring, so let the underdogs have the day in the sun.

And after the game, I headed straight for bed. Not because of my excessive alcohol intake (shocking, I know) but because I think the pretty purple pills that I started on Friday are making me sleepy. They also prevent me from drinking, which is both a blessing and a curse, I guess. No wine for me. Sniff.

I’m very aware that something is amiss with me. I think we were just so cracked out busy the past year that I really didn’t have time to stop and think about how I was adjusting to my new role and my new life. Now that we actually have some downtime (and it's winter again), I find that I get out of bed in the morning, only because I know I can come home and go back to bed that evening. I have absolutely no energy and find it hard to muster any.

There are other symptoms that I talk about with my therapist, so we thought we’d try some medication, maybe just to get me through the SAD season. Those of you who don’t have a SAD season may think it’s a crock, but let me tell you, there are a lot of depressed zombies walking the streets, despite all the coffee, because we have no sunshine for months at a time (although, the last few days have actually been pretty sunny and warm. Weird)

I also bought a dawn simulator, which is recommended for SAD symptoms. The sun doesn’t fully rise here until 7:30am (this month. In December, it was around 8am) so waking up in the dark is hard for someone like me who can sleep for 12 hours straight. A dawn simulator is an alarm clock that gradually lights up, as it leads up to your set alarm time. Once it's the alarm time, the light is at it's brightest, so you wake up slowly. We'll see if that helps my mornings.

So, back to the cake. Yes, I've had a couple of pieces of cake this weekend. Shoot me. But it was totally worth it.

Weekend Update

My goodness, where does the time go? Seems like it was just Friday, and I was looking forward to relaxing over the weekend. Yeah. It never works out that way.

Friday night was movies with Trish and Dan and pizza. And westerns. Fun stuff. The most relaxing portion of the weekend.

Saturday, we Downings-n-Marsh were all very productive. We cleaned out the carport and took a truckload of stuff to the dump. Kayleigh swept out the carport and Tyler broke down cardboard boxes for recycling. It was a fun family project and the result is no more crap for the rats to hide in! Yay!

After cleaning ourselves up, Kayleigh headed over to a friend’s house for an overnight and Todd and I headed to Canada. Uh, I mean Lynnwood. Which is almost to Canada.

Todd shot some footage of Kyle Steven’s performance at the Comic Stop and afterwards, we had dinner, then attended my first Chinese New Year party. I am a rabbit. That’s my Chinese sign. I like it. I like bunnies. This however, is the year of the Ox. I’m not sure what that means for us rabbits. I met lots of new people, and I think I made my man proud in front of his friends. Especially when I talked about my boobs. When in doubt, talk about yer boobs.

Since the party was in Lynnwood, and it didn’t let out until around midnight, we were up very late. But Todd still got up early Sunday morning to have coffee with his friend, while I slept in, drooling and dreaming until my phone rang and woke me up. Then I got myself together and walked over to my new friend Stephanie’s house so that I could offer up my two cents on decorating ideas for our shopping trip. We weren’t very productive in the shopping department, but it was nice to have some coffee and girl time. She came home with three adhesive back hooks. At least her daughter can hang her coats up now.

By that afternoon, I was quite pooped, so Todd fixed nachos and we curled up on the couch to watch the Un-SuperBowl. Although, it was pretty super. Would have been superer if the Cardinals had won, but oh well. They gave the Steelers (although, some Seahawks fans still tend to say Stealers) a run for their money and that’s better than we all expected.

And after the game I broke out all of my wedding notes and brochures and ripped pages, along with my BRAND NEW LABEL MAKER and spent the next two hours organizing my papers and labeling my Holy-Crap-I’m-Actually-Getting-Married wedding binder while sprawling all over the bed and watching The Office.

Yes, that’s my idea of a great night.

And now I think I have a sinus infection.

My head hurts, my cheeks hurt, my teeth hurt. Ow. I’ve been itching like crazy and it occurs to me that it’s because I’ve been loading up on Sudafed for the past week. My sinuses tend to clog up right as we lay down to go to bed, so I've been popping a Sudafed nightly. Which dries me out. Which makes me itch. At least it’s not lice. But it does indicate a problem of some sort.

(No, not a drug problem. I can stop anytime I want. Really.)

Thankfully, I have yet another doctor’s appointment* this week, so maybe he can prescribe an antibiotic or something to clear it up.

I think you’re all caught up now.



*Not to worry. This appointment is just to represcribe my massages. No biggie.

Weekend Update

Quite the busy weekend here in Raechelle-land.

Friday night was our normal, routine movie night. And it was great. Trish and Dan came over, we had spaghetti, watched Wall-E. My nerves were frayed for some reason, but other than that, a lovely evening.

Saturday morning, Todd and I got up early and toured the Sanctuary at Admiral, a venue for the wedding. And we absolutely fell in love with it the moment we walked in the door. We had every intention of shopping around, but after getting an email with information about another location and looking at a couple of other websites, we decided the Sanctuary is exactly what we want. So there. Done deal.

Later that afternoon was shopping with Christmas gift cards. I bought four new bras. Crazy, I know. But those babies are $30 a piece, so what better way to spend free money?

Saturday night, Kayleigh went to a sleepover, Tyler had a friend stay over, so Todd and I actually got to watch TV, on the big screen ALL NIGHT. We watched Get Smart, too, which was actually very entertaining.

Sunday morning, Todd went off for coffee and I made the boys french toast while tidying up and doing laundry. I'm so domestic. Then I headed out to meet Jamie for sushi and shopping.

But my plan was foiled.

Did you know that rats eat car cables? I knew this, as Todd had to have his spark plug cables replaced a few months ago. But just like everything else, you think "Oh, that'll never happen to me."

Ruby will tell you differently.

When I got in my car Sunday afternoon, it sputtered. A lot. I called Todd out to get his opinion, and he said, yes, it seems the rats have gotten to your car. Crap. Of which there was a lot under my car, another indicator that rodents were involved.

So, I called Jamie and asked her just how much she loved me and how badly she wanted to see me. She's a good friend, so she drove down, picked me up, and we had lunch at the Blue C in Southcenter (rather than the U Village, like our original plan) and shopped around for a bit. Plan = salvaged.

I took Ruby to the nearest Goodyear center Monday morning (at 8:00am ON A HOLIDAY!) then Todd treated me to breakfast afterwards. Because I was sad and I missed my car (and the money I was going to have to spend) already.

After breakfast, back home to clean up and head to Macy's to spend more free money on some new bedding. But first, a call from Goodyear.

And it was bad.

The rats had apparently not only eaten through a spark plug cable, but also my fuel injector cable. An $1100 part. That requires ("to start with") four hours of labor.

Shoot.Me.

After the initial panic set in, I called State Farm to tell them the situation. Bobbi said she's heard of this before, and yes, it's covered under my comprehensive. Big.Fat.Whew.

But now, a second issue. If you remember, I mentioned a while back that my rear brakes needed replacing. They were down to 30%. Well, now they're down to a ridiculous percent and it's looking like it's a warranty issue. The guy at Goodyear said I have 16,000 miles on my car and my rear brakes should not be that low.

So I've got that on plate as well. Good times.

We did, however, accomplish our mission of new bedding, after sitting on the floor at Macy's for 30 minutes talking about what we liked and didn't. We went from one end of the spectrum (formal, damask) to the other end (casual, rustic). And then we went to Bed, Bath & Beyond and bought a quilt we had noticed a while back. It's got the blue of the carpet and the tan/brown of the walls, and a little red to boot. Perfect!

Sunday evening was dinner and a movie - Southland Tales. Oy. Have you seen Donnie Darko? It's from the same guy, Richard Kelly, which means it's just as weird. The best scenes were the ones with The Rock, swear to gawd. And Justin Timberlake. Yes, I know how that sounds, but Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock - one of mom's many boyfriends) is hysterical and Justin Timberlake is flat out creepy. And sad. Have you ever seen him on Saturday Night Live? Oh.My.Gawd. He is fantastic.

Okay, I'm starting to sound like a 13 year old girl now, so I'll just say, the movie has some good scenes. But someone also gets shot in the eye, so if you're squeamish about those kinds of things, skip it.

Now you're all caught up.

Conflict of Emotion

I don’t like to see a local business close, but I really never understood how Bella’s stayed in business as long as it did. The one time I went in there, I fell in love with some pajamas. They were $119. Huh. For cotton pjs. Wow.

I don’t know of many people who would spend the kind of money Bella’s was asking for, but I’m sure they’re out there – maybe the same ones who paid $400,000 for a new one bedroom condo in the neighborhood?

I know I'm not a Ballardite anymore, but I'm sure West Seattle is going through the same thing. Tons of great little boutique shops that are so expensive or overpriced that I (nor any of my friends or family) will never be able to buy anything in there.

And, call me cheap, but even if I could afford $119 pjs, I wouldn't buy them.
Because they're PAJAMAS.

Busy, busy, busy....

Busy weekend, busy at work, busy weekend coming up. Life is just flying by.

Friday night:

Had a football party at Todd's. Go 'Hawks! The margaritas and good company definitely helped my crappy day.

Saturday:

Rough day. No one in the Downing household slept very well on Friday night, for a variety of reasons, so we were all pretty pooped on Saturday.

Todd and I began the day by looking at a house that is owned by Steve's girlfriend.

[chirp chirp]

Weird, you say? Nah. Not really. It's only weird because it's not weird. Know what I mean?

We met both her and Steve at her house then walked around the corner to the house that was for sale. It was very cute and in some ways perfect. But in a few ways, not so much. So we chatted with them for a bit afterward and had some good laughs standing out on the sidewalk in the sun. Steve and Todd have a few similarities so they banter back and forth pretty well. It was nice to see.

That afternoon, we went to Doug & Ann's engagement party. This was supposed to be at a park, but weather wasn't looking too stable, so they moved it to a restaurant/game room/pool hall. The kids were in game heaven and I kicked butt at pool. Apparently I don't need jack-n-cokes to win four games in a row!

After the party, we ran some errands, which included swinging by my apartment to pick up some more clothes. I had every intention (once again) of planting my heels in and staying at my apartment Saturday night, then going back to West Seattle on Sunday. But, as we know, I tend to get all caught up in the hugs and the fun, so I decided to stay with Todd Saturday night as well.

And the kids were going to their uncle's to play games so that left me and Todd....alone. For hours. Hee hee.

We went out to dinner and then swung by the Corner Pocket to play some more pool and watch football on the big screens. And I declared that the Corner Pocket could very well become my next Lock-n-Keel. Except I won't throw up in the Corner Pocket. Promise.

Sunday:

I took a giant step in the relationship. I left Todd's to go have lunch with a friend at Greenlake. Then went back to Todd's. Just like it was an average day. Like I was living there.

And I didn't panic once. NOT ONCE!

After lunch, Todd, Kayleigh and I went school shopping. Bought some supplies and some clothes. And boy howdy, did the mom in me ooze out! I was holding the pants up to her to see if they'd fit. I made her put on a button down over her t-shirt because she hates going into dressing rooms. I bit my tongue when she held a pair of jeans up and exclaimed that she loved them, even though my first thought was, "We wore those in the 80's and they were ugly then and please don't have them in her size." No, no. If she likes them, she likes them and I am not going to be one of those moms who gives their kids a hard time about what they wear. Within reason. No g-strings sticking up out of the jeans. I mean, really.

After shopping, back to the house for MORE CLEANING!

Today's task: Todd's room.

This time, I took before pics. But we're not entirely finished, so you'll have to wait until next weekend for the before/after pics. We didn't get started until around 5, so Todd worked one corner while I worked on the closet.

His waist size has decreased by a few numbers in the last year, so I got rid of his big pants and tidied up what was left over. I may have even consolidated things in order to maybe, um, make room. You know, in case new stuff needs to be put in there. Somewhere down the line. One of these days.

Ahem.

Where was I?

Right! We worked into the wee hours (7pm) then re-heated some pizza and watched some movies. Of course! Cars (by Pixar) and Raising Arizona ("I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!"), which Todd and I both fell asleep during. Pooped we were.

Monday:

Up somewhat early to look at houses. But first, Home Depot.

Ah, the smell of lumber in the morning. Love Home Depot!

We picked up a towel rack for the half bath (because the towel just gets thrown on the countertop and you KNOW Rae-rae can't handle a towel just thrown on the countertop) and a second towel rack for Todd's bathroom. Because some chick has been hanging out there a lot and she's leaving her towels over the shower curtain rod and they're just in the way. So, now she has her own towel rack.

Not panicking. Not at all.

After Home Depot, the houses. Ack. The seemingly-perfect-but-oh-my-gawd-what-were-they-thinking-with-that houses. It is amazing what people will do to a house to get you to buy it. Yes, the marble countertops are pretty and yes, it's a brand new front door, but do you really think I can't smell the smoke in here? Are you going to knock off money so that I can get the carpet replaced? And what are you thinking with that fake wainscoting? You simply glued wood to the drywall. That doesn't count. And by the way, I know you just painted a piece of wood and nailed it above the fireplace. That is not a mantle. You couldn't even sand down the end of the board? Sheesh.

So, the houses sucked.

Onward.

Back to the homestead for more cleaning. Five hours of cleaning. It was a smidge painful at times for Todd, running across mementos and keepsakes, but he was strong and determined and stated more than once that it was time to move on. I kept the piles separated (Goodwill, give to someone, trash), loaded up my car with donations and provided lots of hugs. We ended up clearing off one whole wall of boxes, and although we declared ourselves done for the day, I strayed to the other wall. I just couldn't stop. Just one more box. One more! But Todd's stomach told us it was time to get some food so we headed out for dinner.

And it was then I made the comment that I needed to go to Target to buy something to wear to work on Tuesday. Because I just didn't want to go home.

Luckily, I had a t-shirt with me that would go well enough with the skirt I had worn on Friday so no run to Target was necessary. Which is good because then we wouldn't gotten home in time for the season premiere of Gossip Girl!

Jessica doesn't stay with me anymore. I can blog about Gossip Girl all I want.

After laughing at and mocking Gossip Girl, the very productive Downings (and Marsh) went to bed.

Whew!

Are you as tired as I am?

And here we are, another week. Ah, but a short week! And you know...I don't think I have anything planned for the evenings. Well, laundry tonight, but that's about it.

Whatever will I do with myself?

Weekend Update - GO! GO! GO!

Rumor has it that Todd isn't too motivated this morning to blog, so maybe I can get this done before him. Hee hee.

Friday night - FOOTBALL. Yeah baby! Seahawks won their first preseason game against the Vikings and we had a small, but nice, crowd to yell at the TV with. And Trish and I now have every intention of making food and being the hostesses with mostestess every Sunday for the games. This big plan was decided after a couple glasses of wine, so we may need to reevaluate.

Saturday morning consisted of a full on breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon, then a mad dash to Ikea for organizing gear. In and out in 45 minutes. A new world record, I'm sure. We came home with drawer organizers, bins for the office, and cargo nets for all of Kayleigh's stuff animals, which are now hanging above her bed. I personally would be afraid those things would fall on me in the middle of the night, but she's young and daring, so we'll see how it goes.

The afternoon was extremely productive, until we had to run off to dinner and "Crazy For You", a play done by Todd's theater group, Twelfth Night Productions where I got to see my man in true form as the cool popular guy. After the show, the cast was milling about, chatting with people and one after one I would hear, "TODD!" in a very high, screechy female voice. Quite popular with the ladies, he is. As a matter of fact, even last weekend when we were in Bellingham, I heard that familiar screech. In the consignment store where we were shopping. I said to no one in particular, "It's a good thing I'm not a jealous woman. This could get ugly."

And Sunday began early with a last minute dash to meet our real estate agent (after stopping for much needed caffeine, of course) to view a house. A very cool-retreat-like-would-accommodate-a-pool-table house. After that, there was more organizing and cleaning (I'm infectious, I tell ya!), then dinner, then Blazing Saddles (which, yes you guessed it, I had never seen) and a glass of wine. What a lovely way to wrap up a fun weekend.

Again, I had every intention of coming home yesterday afternoon, but for some reason, I just wasn't able to tear myself away from the big, burly man hugs, so it turned into a full weekend visit. A good sign, since I'll be spending seven straight days with the Downing clan here in a few days, doncha think?

And, Happy Monday, what did I find when I emerged from the bathroom this morning?

A latte and a croissant from The Best Boyfriend Ever (herein known as TBBE).

[insert big ol' mushy grin here]

Whew! Done!
What's the time on that, Bob?

It's A Sickness, I Tell Ya....

I just meant to drop off some stuff. Stuff from Todd's after we cleaned out the basement. And then I just thought I'd go in to see if they had shorts cause, ya know, mine are too big and I'm going to California in a couple of weeks.

Then somehow I found myself in the shoe department, and REALLY, I was just looking for some cute flats that I could wear with a couple of my dresses. But then I hit the boot aisle and well....crap.

Because I don't have brown ones, that's why
And they were $8.

Shoot me.

Glutton for Punishment

I just made the very grave decision to look at the swimsuits on the Victoria's Secret website.

And from Ordinary Angels, I hear Micah's voice in my head:
"What the hell were you thinking?!"

They've got all kinds of categories:
Beach Sexy
Miracle Bra
Very Sexy
Body by Victoria
Shop by Top
Shop by Designer
Shop by Category
Destination: Summer
Must Haves

And I found myself mumbling, "How about a "I'm 33 and I Weigh More Than 90lbs and I Just Want to Cover My Ass" category? Where's that one?"

They don't have that category.

Oh, but Newport News does. They're ugly, but they cover yer tush.

Oy.

That's okay. My cheap little suit suffice for the mere week I need it. That's one of the perks of living in Seattle. You don't really need to have a swimsuit. Unless you're one of those water lover types that likes to swim and kayak and crap. Luckily, I am not one of those people.

I prefer wool sweaters, thankyouverymuch.

Total Score!

Okay. Yes, I know it's June, and I know we just had one of the hottest weekends EVER, but come on!

How could I not?

Goodwill. Thirty bucks. Leather.
SCORE!

I can't wait for fall.

Weekend Update

Or, Damn It Feels Good To Buy Again!

But that's a little later....

Friday night, I attended movie night at Tbone's. Work was miserable, although I can't pinpoint why, so it was a good night to lounge around and zone out with movie, wine and nice people.

Saturday, it was 80 degrees and blue skies, so Jamie broke out her orange karman ghia!


Ladies a'shoppin!

After two hours at DSW shoes and walking around for twenty minutes in a pair of $90 black, Ralph Lauren heels that looked so fabulous on me Jamie said even SHE would do me, I walked away with only a pair of $25 flip flops. With beading. Because beading is right up there with the whole lacy-undies-isn't-just-for-special-occasions thinking. Apparently.

So we shopped until we were pooped, then I came home. And had a lovely evening with myself. Hitch was on. It's a good chick flick that gets me all optimistic about love and shit.

This morning, I had every intention of going to the U District Street Fair to see a couple of bands, including Thornton Creek, but then Jamie couldn't go and a street fair isn't something you do alone, so I stayed home. And I may have cried for just a second. I've been a smidge lonely the last few days, even with movie night and shopping with Jamie, so when my plan changed and it left me alone for the day, well, it made me sad.

But then I remembered I wanted to go to Goodwill to get some new shorts (because *ahem* mine are all too big) and that spurred me to clean out my closet.

I even got rid of some shoes. Shocking, I know. And yes, my fake leather pants are in that pile Sorry, Shaun. They're just too big now.

So I dropped off two bags of things at Goodwill. And came home with another bag of stuff. It's a revolving door. And even though I went there looking for shorts and little tank tops, I ended up buying two fluffy gray sweaters and a pair of gray cargo pants. Funny, huh? It will be cold again, so it makes sense in my head.

And speaking of gray:

See those gray hairs? It's like they all just sprouted up in the last six months. Baffling.

Where was I? Goodwill!

I also got a couple of red things for the boudoir.

And now we're at Sunday evening. The Simpsons are on the telly, and I'm starting to think about dinner. I should have gone grocery shopping today because the dinner options are limited. Chips with cheese melted over them (a favorite), edamame or goat cheese and crackers. Hmmm, decisions, decisions.

I have lots of soup.
But as you know, I hate soup.

Random Thoughts

The word "bullshit" is in a headline on CNN.com. For some reason, this shocked me. You just don't see that word on official news sites. Kind of like the first time they could say "ass" on a sitcom.

**********

Esther Update:

Esther has not been home for the last two nights. And if she has, she's not letting me know about it. I haven't heard a peep from upstairs. And it's been really nice.

**********

There is quite a battle for a certain parking spot in my lot at work. I've always parked in the same spot, up against a little flower planter area thingy. And then the maroon Honda Element parks next to me. And then red truck parks next to him. We have a system.

Then one day this big, new suburban was parked in my spot. Huh. Does she not know that I park here every morning? She must be new. And she also must arrive before 8am (and before me), because she parks there every morning now. It's screwed up the whole system.

Until last week, a brand new, even bigger suburban started parking there. And the smaller suburban was forced to park back in the corner. Ha! But still! It's my SPOT! Has been for two years!

Well, I got here early yesterday, and I beat them all. As I was getting out of my car, the bigger suburban whipped around and then realized that her spot wasn't open. I smiled at her.

But then I was late again this morning and I was forced to park back on the other side of the Honda Element.

**********

Yes, this is the most exciting thing going on in my life right now. Well, that I can actually blog about. My christ year is already proving to be quite interesting. Times, they are a changin'.

Stay tuned.......

**********

I've started wearing brown and black together. How do we feel about this? I'm undecided.

**********

Facebook annoys me.

I get this message that says "Someone has flirted with you on SpeedDate! Click here to see their message!" Well, of course I want to see who's flirting with me. But you can't see it until you invite 15 of your friends to sign up for this application. I don't want to do that to my friends. I just want to see the damn message!

So screw 'em. I got enough going on without some random weirdo on Facebook contacting me to say "Hey baby..."

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My 30 days are up! I CAN SHOP AGAIN!

But I shouldn't. I kind of like having a positive bank balance for a change. Oh, but I must celebrate. Somehow. Hmmm....

I'm thinkin' more undies. Nothing says celebration like lace!

Or nightstands.

**********

My Horoscope for today:

Yahoo:
This is a time to relish your personal freedom -- do something by yourself today.

Yep, all signs point to shopping.
Or a manicure.

I'm all about the signs....

Well, I Declare!

I am making a declaration! I mean it!

And if I put it on the blog, well then, I have to adhere to it. You people hold me accountable, whether you know it or not.

{ahem}

As of April 15th, I will go 30 days without purchasing anything that is not essential for my survival. This includes:

• Nightstands or anything else for the boudoir
• Clothing
• Shoes
• Hanky Pankies
• Wine (unless it's part of the grocery shopping trip - cut me some slack)
• Manicures
• Bubble bath
• Movies (even $3 Crest movies)

In addition to not shopping, I will limit myself to one (1) meal out per week, with adult beverages. ONE. This "meal" includes breakfasts and lunches.

Of course, there are a few exemptions (aren't there always?)

• Morning coffee. It's $7 a week. I pay more than that for underwear now.
• Massages are, in fact, "essential for my survival", so I will keep my future appointments.
• Anything purchased with gift certificates. Cause I can't pay bills with gift certificates.
• Mother's Day cards.

I am motivated to get those credit card bills down! MOTIVATED! Why? I don't know. Let's not question it. Let's just declare, and then hope for the best. And 30 days seemed like a good trial period. If it goes well, and I don't die, well maybe I'll do it for another 30 days. And if I do it for a few 30 days in row, maybe I'll get my credit cards paid off before I'm 60.

The key to success will be enlisting Jamie's help.

As a matter of fact, Jamie, my enabler, has initiated a shopping trip tomorrow evening. She does not know about this genius plan yet. I committed to shopping before I came up with it. This is why the plan starts on the 15th. Well, that and my Birthday Brunch-n-Spa day is Saturday.

So, between now and Tuesday (did I mention I took Friday off? I have some shopping to do......) I will live life to the fullest in Target and Nordstrom. But come Tuesday! I am On The Wagon.

I spend a lot of time On The Wagon, don't I?
Sad.

Anyway, I will be On The Wagon! I will pay off my credit cards! I will put money in savings! I will start off year 34............wait.

My Christ year is 33. April 14th means I have completed my 33rd year of life. I've ALREADY HAD my Christ year. Your Christ year is your pivotal year!

Well. Last year WAS the big pivotal year, wasn't it? Huh. Or does your Christ year start on your 33rd birthday, going into your 34th year? Anyone?

(Exceptionally funny thing here - I googled "your christ year" to find clarification and the first site to pop up was my blog. It's a weird full circle kind of thing.)

Where was I?

Oh, right.

Here I go! Responsible adult! It's only 30 days. I can do this!

Wish me luck.
Send gift cards.

Now That's More Like It!

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Work could take a back seat to your personal enjoyment today. A romantic interlude could highlight the day, whether with a current love interest or perhaps somebody new. Be alert and look for the signs.

And as if to reinforce this, a co-worker just sent me an email:

"Interested in a blind date? He's 6'1", likes sports, motorcycles, cars, fine food, and travel. Here are some pics in case you can't see his page. Lemme know!"

Wheee!

And from the Houston Chronicle:

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Why save your dollars for a rainy day? It's so much more fun to spend money on a sunny one! Anyhow, rain or shine, you're due for a splurge. You reinforce your belief in abundance by spending bigger.

Ironically enough, I just got a lovely little birthday gift card in the mail! And it's actually sunny today!

The universe is lovin' Raechelle!

And I need more coffee!

Monokini

I can't tell you how happy I am that the monokini is back in style.

Or has it been back in style for a while, but I'm just noticing?

Anywho, I had a couple of these when I was...ahem....younger and they are very flattering for those of us who have big ol' child bearing hips and a rather large boobular area. And, unfortunately, I will need to buy a new swimsuit this summer.

My two piece looks ridiculous on me now.

What Can I Tell You?

Let's see...

I tried to shop on Sunday. Everything was closed. Big stuff, like Target, was closed. Who knew? I braved blinding rain to go all the way down to Ikea for my nightstands and, while Ikea was actually open (and full of children in their easter church going attire) they were out of the nightstands. Wonderful. Every other store I tried to hit was closed, so I came home. Only to find that Aurora was also closed so I sat in traffic (still in the blinding rain), talking to mom on my headset (and accidently using the F a lot because I was extremely upset) for a very long time.

Once I got home, I immediately got into my jammies (or as Jessica calls them - pjammies. Which I absolutely love.) and curled up on the couch for the rest of the day. And then the sun came out. Freakin' fantastic.

**********

I lost my nosering. I was cleaning it and it fell down the sink drain THROUGH THE HAIRTRAP. Tenacious little thing. Since I was going up to Capital Hill Sunday evening to watch a movie with the Sheauns, I just walked to Laughing Buddha and got another one. However, it was apparently too small because the post kept falling and poking out of my nostril. Which will never do. So I called the apartment maintenance people yesterday and asked if they could please remove the elbow from the sink drain and see if the stud was still in there. And it was. I found it on my sink when I got home yesterday. Whew. Crisis averted.

And I think I'll drop off some brownies for the maintenance guy because I felt really weird asking him to fish my nosering out of a drain.

**********

Jessica stayed last night. We went to Blue C for dinner and to trivia at a pub afterwards. When we got home, she let me subject her to home movies for merely the cost of a bottle of wine. As long as her glass was full, she was enthralled in the videos. And that is why I love her.

**********

I have not seen Jamie since Thursday and I'm starting to have withdrawals. So we're having dinner tonight.

**********

My birthday is coming up.
Wha...? Who said that?

**********

I'm either depressed or getting a cold. I have no appetite today. And that is a clear sign that something is wrong. Maybe I just need a hug. It's amazing what just a hug can do for your well being. Everyone should get a hug at least once a day. From someone. Except from a crazy person on the street because that may not be so good for your well being.

But it might help them.

**********

I did not get a hollow chocolate easter bunny this year. Now, I'm not blaming anyone, I'm just letting you know. It's probably best. I don't need the calories. I tried on all of my shorts recently, and believe it or not, they're all too big. I see more shopping in my future. Especially since....

**********

I bought my first plane ticket of the summer! Going to Nestorville for a week in July. I'm going to run around barefoot (well, walk around. I don't run unless there is something very large and scary chasing me), play in the creek and discuss all of the pros and cons of cow manure. It is truly a magical time.

**********

Hmm. And I think you're all caught up now.

Quick Weekend Update

Rumor has it, you're jonesing for an update.

Friday - happy hour with co-workers, then catching up on Lost with McP because we missed it Thursday while dining with Shaun.

Saturday - Blunch with JamieB, then more shopping. Actually, shopping was unproductive. Which is probably best. Got the shears for the bedroom, now just waiting for the curtains to arrive. That evening, more Lost with McP. I made the offhanded comment I'd like to watch the very first episodes now that we've come so far, just to see if there were any clues in the beginning. So we rented the first couple of disks of season 1. I wouldn't say there were a lot of clues, but it was interesting.

Sunday - grocery shopping. Cleaning. Kim came by for a bit to visit. Talked with mom. Fell asleep on the couch at 7pm. Woohoo.

And here we are on this fabulous Monday. Note my saracasm. It's like everyone finally woke up around here and wants everything done RIGHT NOW. Well, where the hell have you guys been for the past two months when I've had nothing to do but twiddle my thumbs? Sheesh.

Jessica is staying over tonight so we're gonna party it up in Ballard.
Party. Ha. We'll see.

Freegan = Not Me

I just ran across the term "freegan" in one of the blogs I read daily. I've never heard this term before, so of course I have to research it. Cause I'm addicted to the internet. And it's a slow day at work.

Apparently, a freegan is someone who "employs alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources." I have all kinds of editorial comments going in my head that I could say here, but I'm choosing to be impartial. To each their own. Who am I to judge?

However, this spurs a topic that I've had in my head for a while but haven't blogged about. Consumerism.

I feel guilty now when I shop. Which means I've been feeling guilty quite a lot lately. I mutter to myself, "I'm just part of the problem..." as I'm driving up the ramp to the Target parking lot, along with all the other people who are 1) wasting gas to shop for things they don't need, 2) spending money they probably don't have and 3) adding to the piles of stuff that they will end up just throwing away because they're buying even more stuff.

I normally get in this mindset when I'm shopping for unnecessary things. Say, lamps, pillows, slipcovers......things like that. I really don't need these things in order to survive. And I could be doing better things with that money. Like, oh I don't know, grocery shopping so I don't have to eat bacon for dinner.

Now, when I'm shopping for new clothes because I've lost weight and none of my pants fit anymore, I feel very justified in my shopping. But I feel like I need to explain to someone that I'm not just shopping to shop. I'm not one of those women who just buys, buys, buys. I really do need clothes! I'm not part of the problem right this very minute!

I was rambling to Jamie about this in Target a few weeks ago when I bought the lampshades.

"I will survive just fine without lampshades. I don't NEED them. I love them, but I don't NEED them. So, maybe I shouldn't buy them. But it's not like I'm shopping frivolously. Okay the $18 thongs were a bit frivolous, but for the most part, I don't shop needlessly, right? I'm not irresponsible. Am I?"

(Honestly, I don't know why she likes hanging out with me. I'm exhausting.)

Jamie's response?

"Raechelle, if you were spending $200 on lampshades and then in a couple of months you decided you didn't really like them and went out and spent another $200 on lampshades, then you would be irresponsible. But these are $30. FOR BOTH OF THEM. Just buy the damn things so I can go look at bras!"

See why I love her? She grounds me.

Since I've been in Seattle (can you believe it will be nine years this July?) I've gotten a lot better about reusing. Buying stuff off craigslist and from Goodwill has, hopefully, helped cut down on what goes to landfills and donating my things, rather than throwing them away, makes me feel okay about purging.

But the guilt is still there. It's like the rain - it just seeps into you. Something about this city. I've tried analyzing WHY I buy this stuff. Why is it important to me? Why do I need to have the lampshades match? Why do I need two lamps? There's only one of me. Who's going to use that lamp on the passenger side of the bed? There are no passengers (and this makes me very sad*). Am I a shallow person because I want my lampshades to match?

This may explain why I'm not sleeping very soundly during the night. Too much goin' on in the old noggin. Now, there's one perk to drinking. Do enough of it and by golly, you'll sleep through the night.

That's probably not a healthy way of thinking is it? Sorry.

Anywho, maybe I should bring this up in therapy. Or maybe I should just say screw it, quit thinkin' so much.

Which leads me to, did I mention I just ordered the curtains for the bedroom? Should be in today or tomorrow. Once I get those up, we're more than half way to the completed Boudoir. All that's left are new nightstands (because mine just don't match the dresser, or my vision) but they're not crucial so we can wait on those, and then something on wall behind the bed until I can get a frame with a headboard (but, again, that's not crucial. I have the bed, that's the big thing).

And I'm not posting photos until it's all done, so you'll just have to wait. I know it's just killing you.

(*If you would like to apply to be my passenger, please click the "Email Me!" link to your right. You'll have access to your own lamp and beside table, complete with drawer. A photo will ensure a speedy interview process.)

Wedding Dresses, Girls Night, Cowboys and A Coffee Date

It's been a busy weekend.

Saturday, I met up with Nichole to do some wedding dress trying on. She's getting married in November. Aren't I a good friend? I may have accidently found a few that I would choose for my wedding. So I'm ready. Just need the proposal.

After that, we grabbed some lunch, then I headed to Target. And the stars were against me. It was absolute hell. Between the traffic, the construction and the asinine amount of people, I was ready to kill someone after 30 minutes. I came home with shampoo, Windex wipes and the movie "Once", because I am absolutely addicted to it.

I napped for an hour, then it was time to get ready for the monthly girls' night dinner, this time in my neck of the woods. Rosita's (mexican joint) at Greenlake. Since I hadn't had a margarita in about eight months, I treated myself to three of 'em. Good times.

After dinner, we hopped across the street to the Little Red Hen. Boy howdy, I gotta start hangin' out there more often. I danced my tush off. Then the gals decided the keyboard player wanted me, so they gave him my number. Turned out he was married. Fantastic.

Tangent:
Have I told you about my love of cowboys? Case in point:

Those last two are from Tootsie's Lounge in Nashville. Steve and I were having a wild night. Met up with a couple from Iowa and drank a lot of jack and cokes. And I was grabbing every cowboy who walked by. Steve wasn't helping matters by taking photos. The next morning I woke up with a hole in my favorite blue jeans and neither one us had any idea how it happened. Crazy. Thank goodness I'm out of the phase, right? You'll be happy to know that I did not kiss, nor hug, any cowboys last night. Although I did make eyes at a few.

This morning, I had a coffee date with a Match guy. He's very funny and nice so it was pretty painless. No biggie. Really.

After coffee, I toodled around Ballard for a bit, came home, watched a movie, fell asleep for three hours and have done absolutely nothing productive at all. Blah. Apparently I am not the party animal I used to be. Again, probably a good thing.

Operation Sexy Undies (and a new chair)

Jamie and I spent all day yesterday downtown (downtown Seattle, not downtown Ballard) on a lingerie mission. She's very distraught that I have no lingerie. I have underwear and sweats. This will never do for a single gal.

First, we took the SLUT downtown. I don't care if they call it a street car, it will always be the SLUT to me. Apparently, paying is by the honor system. No one ever checked up on us.

It was odd. You get on and as the trolley is moving you try to figure out the little pay kiosk and keep your balance at the same time. And doing it in high heels just adds to the adventure. Jamie and I got all fabuloused up. Cause we were DownTown.

Our first store was Nordstrom's. If you haven't cruised a lingerie department recently, let me get you up to speed. Ruffled panties are all the rage. That's Jamie petting them, just for you. She's a team player.

I picked up a couple of Hanky Pankies because I am told they are SO COMFORTABLE. I'm skeptical. But I'm willing to branch out of my comfort zone for the sake of sexy. Wish me luck.

After an hour and a half of looking at underthings, we moved on to bath products. There is now a Lush at Westlake Center. I've mentioned them in a previous post. They have wonderful bath products. I loaded up on the Karma bubble bath. And Jamie loved this sign:

After Lush, we hit some random little dress shops then I hit a code red and needed food STAT. But on our trek for food, we saw this:

One little lone tree in the middle of downtown. My intial thought was, "I bet he's lonely and just wants to die. I bet he tries to commit suicide whenever he can. Why oh why won't those freakin' humans just let me die?!"

Jamie, however, optimist that she is, thought, "I bet he's standing his ground. They took his friends, his family, but he will not die. He will stand tall! He will remind the city that there were trees here at one time!"

Silly woman.

Anyway, we ended up at Il Fornaio. And just in the knick of time, too. It had started raining right as we were walking up to the restaurant, and by the time we ordered, we saw this:

Yes, that's hail. The skies opened up and whammo! Hail. Craziness.

Once we finished our lovely lunch (and complimentary dessert because the ravioli was cold and we let them know about it) it was on to Victoria's Secret. Which is pushing the envelope for me. I'm working on doing sexy, but these freakin' things barely covered anything. I wear undies for a reason. I need them to cover me. Victoria's Secret stuff don't cover nothin'. Jamie, however, is a shareholder I believe.

At this point, our feet hurt, we were tired and martinis were becoming a more prominent topic of conversation. We hit a few more stores, bought a few more expensive lacey things, then hopped back on the SLUT. But first, a quick drink to finish off the day properly.

The Shopaholics:

I got up this morning and could barely walk to the bathroom. My feet were not at all happy with me. But I had to perservere! Because today was shopping for the boudoir day! No foo-fooing it up downtown. Nope. Jeans, tennis shoes and Alderwood mall.

Unfortunately, Operation Boudoir was a bust. Target was out of the curtains and the lamps I wanted. But that's okay - that just meant I could afford to buy a slipcover!

I bought a big ass chair from craigslist last week. Ten bucks! And oh so ugly.

But oh, the power of a slipcover!

My living room is finally starting to look homey.

And whew, I am pooped. A weekend of non-stop shopping will just take it out of you. I still need to make the February birthday cake for work (yes, I know it's March. I've slacked a little...). If I can bare to stand anymore tonight. I'm almost looking forward to work tomorrow. I can sit for most of the day.

Heels and Puffy Coats

You guys are funny. My stories of my boot addiction get the most comments.
Here's a picture for Carrie, because she's new:

See, I got heels. I got LOTSA heels. Bulky heels, stiletto heels, go-go heels. I got 'em all.

But a girl needs an everyday boot. One she can throw on with a simple black skirt and t-shirt and spend the day walking around a market. Without hobbling at any point.

And speaking of new boots, Jamie and I got a wild hair after all this boot talk on our walk last night and headed to Northgate. That's why I love Jamie. At 7pm on a Thursday night, she says, "We may have to go shopping." I said, "Now?" She said, "Why not?" Fantastic!

The $29 Baker boots were a bust. Comfy, but they sagged around my ankles. Even the sales girl said she wouldn't wear them. Jamie says it's just because my legs are too thin. Another reason why I love her.

So I came home empty handed.

*sniff*

But that's probably best, because Rachelle, Val and I are headed to the outlet mall tomorrow. Eddie Bauer has their puffy coats on sale (does anyone else immediately think of George's Gortex coat?) and I've been on a puffy coat kick lately. You know about my kicks. Once I get something in my head, it's stuck there. The only coats I have are my more formal wool coats (and my full length orange leather coat that I haven't worn in two years). I want a casual coat that's a bit more hip than a wool peacoat. And these puppies are warm. Full of down.

And then at some point, I need to buy a dresser. Mine broke. The front of my sock drawer came off. I'm sure there's a way to fix it, but I don't know how and this thing is ugly and it simply does not fit in the vision I have for my boudoir. I'm a single gal - I need to create a love nest. A powder blue laminate dresser that came with my very first Seattle apartment does not say "love nest". It says "I've had the same dresser since I was six years old and I've never had a boy in my bedroom."

So, you can see why I need a new dresser.