In my defense, I did say I was sorry
About that last one. I really feel terrible that I managed to bring down my friend who has conquered morning sickness only to be brought to dry heaves by my website.
And then I was going to update but the only thing that happened was that D’oh declared he was no longer going to take stuff out of Pocket’s mouth that she shouldn’t be eating while we are walking her, so of course the next day I had to do it and of course I pulled out…well, I don’t want to gross you out again but let’s just say someone should have rethought their decision not to fly south for the winter. See, look what I have spared you. You’re welcome.
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In other news, Project Pull Myself Together has been moving forward in fits and starts. One casualty of my crazy self has been my house. Basically I lost interest in it about 9 months after we moved in and have let just about everything in it slide since then. Now, it is a little hard to concentrate on decompressing, de-fatting, and de-depressing if your environment is a craphole, so I have been endeavoring to improve my own little corner of the world.
First I rearranged my kitchen counters in such a way that makes so much more sense that I am mad at every person who has been to my house and did not suggest I rearrange them this way. I finally cleared off our dining room table, our coffee table, and various other tables of crap and have sort of managed to keep them crap-free. One such table is the one I am using right now. Would you like to see? Tough, here it is.
I’ve had this table forever and I love it, but it has always, since the day my parents gave it to me, been covered in piles of mail and newspapers. Now, though, I am finally going to use my cute little writing desk for actual writing. Before, I used it to hold all this stuff:
Now, of course, I need to find a place for all of that crap.
I have to say I am getting better about working out, although I am not at all better about whining to D’oh about how much I don’t want to. We finally FINALLY have worked out a daily schedule that actually works for each member of our little unit, including the whackdog and I have given up TV for Lent…sort of. (Basically, I have given up watching TV by myself. I am not sure that is interesting enough for its own post, but I’m sort of thinking about it so let’s just leave it for now, ‘kay? Besides, now you have something to look forward to!)
I am still working on the food thing. I am a good cook, but a lazy one and lately, an unimaginative one. I keep falling back on things I’ve been making forever and while they’re not awful for us, I know they’re not as good as I could/should be doing. And also I cannot cook brown rice in such a way that it doesn’t taste like hard bits of boiled water. Seriously, how are you all doing it? I tried the chicken broth thing once and could not tell the difference. What are you people eating? I need some new ideas here. (Preferably ones that do not involve expensive additions to my spice cabinet, this little family is trying desperately to stick to under $100 per week for our grocery bill.)
While I’m asking your advice, perhaps you could tackle this one for me. (The following is way boring, feel free to skip!)
I am currently undergoing a bit of a water shortage. At my old job I drank water constantly from giant plastic gallon jugs I bought and kept in my office which was about ten feet from my desk and about 100 feet from my car, thus even though they were heavy, I didn’t have to carry them that far. Now, I work in a building three times the size of my old one, am rarely near my desk and never near my car which is now across the street in a garage. Also, I am completely conflicted about buying bottled water these days due to the whole “lifetime in a landfill” thing. We don’t have a water cooler at work, and although I have read all that stuff about tap water being the same as bottled, I work in a public library and even though it shouldn’t, the idea of drinking out of that tap sort of squicks me out. Any ideas? I bought a reusable water bottle that I knew was going to irritate me when I bought it and it completely has. For some reason it is designed to not stay closed. (Genius! I love to spill things! Who doesn’t?) But the main problem about those is that they do not come in a big enough size that I wouldn’t have to refill them at some point during the day.
Thus, I am flummoxed. Please fix this for me, because basically what I am doing now is wasting money on one little 20 oz. bottle of water a day that isn’t enough to feed my water addiction and isn’t helping my savings plan. Then I come hope completely dehydrated which makes me grumpy and then I drink a lot of water at night, then I have to pee in the middle of the night and sometimes that makes me think I’m pregnant which I never am and I am having enough anxiety in that particular area so just please, golly, give me an idea already!!!
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In completely unrelated news, I think this site is in need of some love, so I’m going to be getting rid of some pages, adding some others, and basically just tinkering with some stuff from now on. So, if I completely break the darn thing, it’s been nice having y’all around!
I will be on the lookout for a more suitable water bottle for you - I know I’ve seen something I think would work, but it may have been in the hell called Walmart. If that is the case you are out of luck because once again I have sworn not to go back there.
What are you already cooking? I hear you on the spice thing, so I can either give you recipes that I have made at home (where there are no spices except ground cinnamon and allspice that has never been opened), or I can slide some extra items onto a Sysco order and get you whatever you want. Just let me know.
1. I hope D’oh doesn’t take the same stand when you have children. Then again, if your child has a dead bird in its mouth, you’ve probably got other parenting issues.
2. If you have cleaned up your desk and given up TV, why aren’t you posting more often? Also, what a charming little calendar you have on your desk.
3. What to cook? I have one word for you - soup. I can send recipes if you need them.
4. Have you tried brown minute rice?
5. Rob will be getting back to you with an answer to your water problem. Here’s another one - how about you bring 2 (nonspilling) reusable water bottles to work? The ones I bought for the kids are spill-proof, and since you work in the children’s part, maybe people will think it is normal for you to have a preschooler’s water bottle. I know it is against our upbringing to have 2 of something, but if you’re using them both, I think it will be okay.
You have a Trader Joes within walking distance (now that they have spent several million dollars putting a sidewalk on 29) albeit a work out back up the hill. I know you don’t like the earthy employees but the chicken sausage collection alone can solve at least 2 (7 for Rob F) meals a week for weeks without duplication, tasty and healthy. I also buy fish there once a week which means yes, I eat fish at least once per week even when it is not Lent, which I must say has come a long way from fish sticks.
Just drink the tap water, you work in Montgomery County second only to the state of California in terms of green regulations, & your new library water is probably better than your house.
TV s—s as Top Chef has now proved so why bother, which surprises me that none of you bloggers has talked about, in shock? We’ve been reduced to the Biggest Loser and Its Me or the Dog if it is not sports.
Cheer up, you are young, married, employed, homeowner, dog owner, smart, funny, just go out and buy yourself a bigger trash can.
Yeah, what Drew said. And buy broccoli slaw - it stir fries in like 30 seconds.
I may not be any of those other things (oh, except married), but I do have the Cadillac of trash cans.
Oops, I think you did it again. (Caused me to dry heave that is.)