All Systems Go

We have a scanner that works, we have scanned some documents, we are getting this job done. I've begun to feel about my adoption documents the way I feel near the end of the Pikes Peak Marathon, as if I've been doing this for long enough already, and isn't it time for the snacks yet? In particular, there's a section of trail on Pikes Peak that is not far from the finish, but far enough that there are no other people around and no aid stations nearby either. It's quiet and possibly beautiful, but it's hard to tell when you're exhausted. It's in that section that I get the urge to sit down on the side of the trail and let mountain rescue find me later and carry me the rest of the way by horseback. That's how I'm feeling toward our paperwork now. Where is mountain rescue and their horses? I know that I just have to keep going, that the end really is near, if not entirely in sight just yet, but oh, man, a horseback ride with someone else holding the reins sure would be nice right about now.

Office Space Style

Tonight I sat down to scan in all the adoption documents we have completed, and our scanner decided not to work. I was all set to get a good chunk of the never-ending paperwork done, and then...nothing from Epson 2480. I expect that kind of crap from our printer, but come on, Epson. Throw a girl who's sick of the drudgery a bone. It would have been nice to get this done tonight. Now Epson and I are going to have a date in the backyard with a tire iron. If you've ever wanted to destroy a piece of equipment Office Space style, you should come over.

I'm kind of kidding, but then again, maybe I'm not. We could roast marshmallows afterwards and have s'mores. What do you say? Should we do it? You can bring your frustrating, broken electronic equipment, too.

Good News

The health care bill just passed in the House. Lucy Snowe would like to take this opportunity to remind you that she supported Barack Obama in his historic run for the presidency. This makes her feel like she's a part of the moment today.



You're welcome, United States of America.

Developing My Skill Set

I spent the afternoon with my big kids, and by "with my big kids," I mean I was sometimes in the same house they were in, but mostly they played with their friends. I get the sense that, despite the lack of quality time spent together, Mary Liz would prefer that I still take them to school and pick them up most days. And, oh, I hate to disappoint the girl that raced away from my car because her friends across the street were home, but my life is ever so much better now that my days are not broken up by drop-off and pick-up and sometimes interrupted altogether by random days off from school. I still love the kids dearly, but I do not miss the Catholic school schedule, and I do not miss how many times a week I popped into Starbucks to grab an iced mocha to have in the car while I waited for them. Not that I don't love my baristas and enjoy chatting with them, but the habit was doing nothing for my waistline or my wallet. It's just all around better to have made the change. It was a hard change to own up to, and it was excruciating explaining to the kids' mom that, yes, I really did need to change my schedule, and no, it wasn't personal, but pretty much every day I am so glad I made the choice that I did.

This was no small thing for me, saying what amounted to a gigantic NO to people who really felt they needed me. I come from a background of serving and serving and serving some more, and if someone needs something and you can do it, you should! But that's not something that's really true; sometimes even if you can do it, you really shouldn't. I have learned this the hard way, and I am getting better. It is a good lesson, and if the end result of the effort is always this good, I have an excellent incentive to develop this skill further.

Diet Schmiet

All week long I've been eating better than usual. I hate to call it a diet since I really don't believe in dieting as is often defined by the American public, but I do believe in eating better to be more fit, which is what some people call a diet, so...conundrum. My good food to free-for-all-with-chocolates cycle usually goes like this:

1. Eat really, really, really well.
2. Start to add back in treats, but still eat mostly healthy food, including defined meals (healthy breakfast, lunch, AND dinner).
3. Get busy, feel like I can't be bothered by preparing actual food, slowly slide into a mix of coffee and sweet snacks, sweet snacks and coffee.
4. Get sick of it and return to the beginning.

I've returned to the beginning, and I'm still in the phase where it's pretty much awesome. This time, though, I'm making some changes to see if I can prolong my time at #2 and put of the slide to #3 for longer than usual. Ultimately, I'd like to be at #2 all of the time, but I know myself, and I recognize that the spiral to #3 may well happen again eventually. Still, I feel like I should do something a little differently in the #1 phase before trying to hit my stride at #2. So even though I am trying to eat healthy food all the time, if a friend calls for coffee or a family I am working for buys lunch out, instead of saying no, I'm just being wiser about what I get. A tall instead of a grande. No cheese or sour cream when I know that good guacamole will satisfy me just as well. So far, so good. As I head into the holidays, I'll get a better sense of how I'm doing. I figure if I can make it through all the holiday gathering without either eschewing all treats or going full-on hog wild with the cheesy casseroles and desserts, that bodes well for my future balance.

I do find that it is good to go into the holiday season with a lot of practice at moderation and a renewed sense of how well I feel when I eat well. I'm not good at willpower, but practice and proper motivation do me a world of good. I'll let you know how it goes.

Another One About My Cat

Lucy Snowe feels left out if she cannot sit right next to me while I am working. Making cream cheese mints isn't very cat friendly, and I swatted her away from the table several times before she took what is her usual alternate perch.



She does the same when I am standing at the sink peeling and chopping vegetables. It's inconvenient, but I like it quite a lot. Eventually she moves on to something else anyhow, like holding down the clean laundry. Always a help, that cat.

Cleanliness is Next to Snobbery

Have you ever felt as if no one's home or kitchen could possibly as messy as or messier than yours? I am here to make you feel better. Behold:


Click through to flickr to see the notes describing my not-so-secret kitchen shame.

That's my kitchen right this minute. I have all sorts of excuses, but it boils down to life getting in the way of proper clean-up and my stubborn streak still insisting on getting things cooked. In particular, I was hellbent on making chicken & rice soup from scratch, plus getting my apples into the crockpot and on their way to becoming applesauce before I left for yoga. By the time I'd peeled and cored and sprinkled liberally with cinnamon, I only had time to walk out the door, leaving this gigantic mess in my wake. Please note that I did take out the chicken carcass and other assorted compost. I should get a gold star for that. Later, hope to earn another gold star by unloading the dishwasher. Such ambition on a Tuesday evening! It will go down in history as...lacking. I'm okay with that. Because you know what? That applesauce tastes really good.