Clockwork · and · Candy

Thanks to my dogs:
I now own 50% novelty crotchless underwear
I have no excuse not to through out those shabby yellow chairs, what with the lack of
stuffing and chewed wood.
I clean my carpet All The Time
I get to go shoe shopping regularly
I get to spend hours outside JUST enjoying the fresh air.
I am always warned of suspicious activities, like the mailman and that guy who rides his bike it work.
I get to wakeup to the joyful sensations of puppies wrestling on the bed.
I get to shop for exciting new leather goods.

…And I’m happier than I’d ever be without them.

Because Beija the Scientist was not annoying enough we decided to adopt another dog. All this while waiting for Louis the wonder dog to ramble into our possession.
Our current duo of black dogs Is Beija, a 20lb super mutt, and Stella, a 26lb pitbull puppy. If we ever get Lou(his family is having to move to a rental, probably pet free) it will be lab-mut pit-mut and mutt-mutt in varying shades of black.
After trying several times to incite Stella to wrestle or play tug of war my father pronounced her broken. He does not seem confident in her ability to eat babies or sheer steel with her jaws.
Which, frankly, is ok with me. Maybe it's because she's hit her head on the glass coffee table about 14 times. I heard it happen again AS I TYPED THAT.
My dogs are brilliant.

Pictures to follow.

Someone recently commented that with my engagement and impending house purchase it seems like I'm "on fast-forward to middle age."

This completely suprised me. I never really thought of marriage or home ownership as "middle aged." Maybe less common for younger people but, somehow equating being middle aged (borin?, entrenched? sedentary?) with being in a stable committed relationship and owning a home I can decorate anyway I want, and use the space however I choose. Well, my jaw dropped. It seems obvious, but I hadn't thought of it that way at all. To me these things mean, in many MANY ways more freedom. Having the support, security, safety, and sanity to pursue the things that really inspire me is middle aged?

*shrugs* I guess I've just never cared much for partying and avoiding commitments, which seems the norm for many of my peers.Sometimes I think about moving to another city, or country, but I'm really very happy hear and... it's just a house. Addmittedly a big and serious commitment, but nothing that can't be rented or sold.

What do you think? Am I jumping he gun on fanny packs and disney sweaters?

After one unsuccessful attempt at buying a house(they refused the offer and took it off the market!) we found an even better house a few streets over. We got the house, the price was upped a little, but they're also paying our last two months rent so we can close next month!
It's a nice bungalow with three bedrooms, one bath, a breakfast nook in the kitchen, and the whole place has been updated, new kitchen and bathroom(with refinished clawfoot tub!!!{you can tell that's what sold me on the house}), new windows and HVAC system, new front porch. I'm excited!

Since the 3rd I've had a geology class for four hours a day, plus homework. And the past two days have mostly involved me blowing my nose and being too sick to make it to work. I don't know how I dragged my ass in to class today. I'm pretty sure I bombed the test, at least I made it, and I think everyone else bombed also, so the curved grade should be ok. *fingers crossed*

The only two people I like in my geo class are Emily, the hippy waitress and JR the middle aged man who wears nothing but Hawaiian shirts and has only one arm. Still, better than some classes I've had, and the teacher's pretty much awesome.

Jesse recently got promoted, which means that while money is tight right now, in a few weeks everything should be, if not perfect, then manageable.

After class today I went to the bookstore with Emily. I ran into Kerry at the cafe and made awkward small talk. Later she gave me her phone number, in such an awkward way Emily was like "WTF, who was that girl?"
I texted Kerry so she'd have my number. While I feel no real desire to "mend bridges" I've been bitter and angry long enough. I don't feel I was wrong to be angry, but looking back we were both pretty silly and socially inept about the whole thing.

So, all in all my life is good, if stressful at times. Mostly it revolves around my fiance and my dog.
I know, I'm sooo interesting.


Jesse on  a typical evening




And Beija CUTE ATTACK!

I have a 10 page research paper due tomorrow. Ispent yesterday looking for studies which don't seemto exsist. So I choose an easier topic, get my book list andheadfor the library. Accordingto the website sunday hours are 10-7
Turns out they're 1-10. So I havean hour to kill. Might as well work on an outline, but that's heard with no actual facts or studies.

I know I should have been finishdg weeks ago, but things are tough between illness, school, and work. I'm so annoyed, I feel like I'm on an endless fetch quest which I must complete before I can ever start this monset.

D:

pardon me while I go find a puppy to kick.

I spent the morning gardening. It's nice to get out and enjoy the weather. My three hanging planters are full, One with white wave petunias, and two with a combo of sweet potato vine, lobelia, and and something which currently escapes me. I also have purple columbine and a pink azalea which I’ll plant when the paint on the pots is dry.

I went by to visit my mother and steal sand paper. I came back with two bags of fabric, my shoe rack, all my paint, a decorative birdcage, a large antique flower tin, some cuttings of mint and lemon balm, and a sanding block.

Still to do on the back patio:
Hang hooks for planters and wind chime.
Paint DAV chairs yellow and white
Hang on the fabric.
Purchase a small outdoor rug and some tiki torches.

Still, it’s coming together rather nicely.

So the chair of the department where I work has recommended that I help the grad students the English in their dissertations, and charge them 15-25 dollars an hour for the service. He figures it will probably take me around 20 hours per dissertation.

Does anyone have an idea if this is a fair rate? Or who I would ask to find out?

Damn if I don't need the money though.

Have you ever had the sudden epiphany that someone is an utter waste of oxygen? It happens to me a little too often. I try to be nice, give people the benefit of the doubt but.... sometimes they force their douchebaggery so far down my throat I can't Not Notice.

One of my housemates, the SO of Kay, one of my best friends, always seemed like sorta a dick. But I thought he was just socially inept, that he was just too shy to show his true feelings, surly that was why he was always an aggressively sarcastic jerkball.

After an hour of listening to him talk about What's Wrong With America, I can conclusively say, "I hope you die in a fire."

He spent the whole time talking about how marriage was ruining the country because it made people unhappy, and polygyny was the only natural way of things. He argued that the concept of monogamy comes from the bible (I have plenty of reasons to dislike Christianity but the notion of marriage is not one) and everyone would be happy in his ideal world or nubile concubines(ok I may be paraphrasing a little here) once they "got used to it."

He went on about how he'd like to make social change accepting this sort of lifestyle. While I don't agree with 95% of what he said I encouraged him to write a mission statement and start a blog(his purported first step) but he said he "doesn't have the motivation." This after blaming a lot of "problems with america/marriage" on people being to lazy and stupid to think for themselves and do something about a flawed society.

I can take a lot of shit, but proud hippocrates sends me over the edge.


Here at the things I started out knowing about this guy
He was in the air force and made 'mad cash.'
He liked to play video games.
My friend Kay liked him a lot.

Here are things I've learned about him.
- He can't "remember" to write down his schedule at work, set an alarm, pay a bill, take out the trash, ANYTHING he doesn't want to do.
- He spent a YEAR using up the money from the air force until Kay and his brother had to cover his rent.
- He finally got another job, which he is in constant danger of losing because he will sleep with his alarm blaring for HOURS and chew Kay out whenever she tries to wake him up in time.
- This is probably a result of staying up playing rockband until two hours before his shift and saying "don't tell me what to do" if anyone mentions going to bed earlier.
- He is incapable of picking up after himself
- He expects Kay to cook and clean for him because she doesn't have a job(he's covered her rent ONCE out of three months she's been unemployed, this after she paid his deposit for him[which was more] and still bitches about "covering her" constantly)
- He says openly that because he makes the money and "covers her" he doesn't need to treat her as any kind of a priority, or even with any respect.

Pretty soon I'm just going to stab him to death in the night!

First off many apologies to hallu for not replying to her email. It's been so crazy lately, things have been getting lost in the shuffle. I started a reply when I got it, then had to rush off somewhere and forgot until today. I am a bad friend.


Today I finally took photos around the house. It was 9 pm so they lighting was poor, but it is something anyway. Just the living room, dining room, and kitchen. It looks so much smaller in pictures.

( Onward to Eye Candy )


That's it for now. I might post some of my bedroom if I ever get laundry done. But don't hold your breath.

Some Things Which Make Me Happy

Gelato and Spiced Chai lattes
Seeing people achieve goals
Mi Oso
Make up
Dressing up
Fixing things
Making things
Wearing corsets.
Crazy hair.
Well manicured nails.
Bubble baths.
Teachers who really care. So many have changed my life and touched my heart by going above and beyond the call to help their students. Sometimes me, sometimes others. But It’s always inspiring.