Here we are again…
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Here I go again
So, remember how I talked about wanting to (among other things) see Mamma Mia! (again) at Shea’s this February?
Well, yesterday Rand came home holding two tickets for the February 13 show.
And how did this fabulous turn of events come to be? Well apparently a good while back, Adam asked Rand if the two of us would like to join him and his fiancee Jolene for the show. Rand said he thought that would be swell, and Adam and Jolene gave us the tickets for Christmas. Rand, however, wanted to surprise me and waited until now to tell me–so he could be sure I didn’t make alternate plans. Or buy tickets for Mamma Mia! 😉
This will be my third time, but Rand’s first (apart from seeing the movie). Many, many thanks to Adam and Jolene for the awesome gift. Squee!
Money, money, money
I’m finding myself wanting a lot of things these days, and having trouble deciding what is worth the money and what isn’t.
As I already mentioned, I’m still waffling over this whole gym membership/Wii thing. I know I need to start getting active, and I just don’t know what the best thing (for me) is. I suspect that whatever I choose is going to involve spending some money.
I think we need a new water heater. We cannot take two consecutive showers without running out of hot water, and the tank takes a LONG time to recover. Our home is entirely electric–there is no gas line into the house. I am aware that gas hot water heaters are more efficient than electric ones, but that’s just not an option. I have no way of knowing how old the hot water heater is, but from the little research I’ve done in the past couple of days, it does not appear that what we have is very efficient at all. (It’s a 40-gallon tank with an FHR of 32, and the energy efficiency is terrible.) I really have no idea what it will cost to replace/install a water heater, nor do I have any idea what we need.
While both of our cars are currently running fine, we recognize that we should probably plan ahead for replacing at least one of them.
Our laptops are also both aging. Rand’s seems to be giving him more trouble than mine is giving me.
We’re both finding ourselves mildly strapped for cash since the holidays and our stay in NYC…nothing we can’t handle, of course, but it means this month is probably not the best time to be spending oodles of cash. Tell me that as I’m enviously eying tickets for both Rent and Mamma Mia at Shea’s this month/next month. Not to mention how desperately I want to shop for some new clothes/shoes. And I’m not even going to get into the whole iPhone thing…
And looking around the house? Don’t even get me started. Very soon, I’m going to be posting some pictures of my kitchen…at the very least, we WILL be tearing down wallpaper and painting in the near future. More on that to come.
So yeah, this is what I’ve been spending my weekend thinking about. I shouldn’t complain too much–I know that we’re in a very good position compared to a lot of people right now. (On the other hand, while I’m hopeful, I have no guarantee that I will have a job in September…)
Ah well. I’m off…got to buy groceries and eat dinner before doing some lesson planning this evening. Any advice on the water heater thing would be welcome!
Cue tumbleweeds
So yeah, it’s been pretty quiet around here…between the craziness of before Christmas, during Christmas, post-Christmas traveling and getting back to school, there just hasn’t been a lot of free time. And what little I’ve had, I’ve mostly spent vegging out on the couch.
I’m starting to settle back into my daily routine here…although it hasn’t been easy…and one of these days I’ll sit down to tell some tales of our travels. (I don’t know what my problem is, but I can’t seem to focus for long enough to write a proper blog entry these days. As it is, I’ve already revisited this post three times, not even two paragraphs in. Sigh.)
I’m very happy to see the weekend looming on the horizon. I’m realizing that it’s been a while since we had a full week of school, and today just dragged. The kids are goofy, and I’m exhausted.
In other news, I stepped on a scale over Christmas break, and I was appropriately horrified. I am the heaviest I’ve ever been. So this Monday, I joined up with my school’s “Biggest Loser” contest…not because I have any delusions about winning, but because it will keep me honest. I have to weigh in every Monday, and if I gain, I have to pay. I’ve been trying to be better about what and how much I’m eating and drinking this week. Next step–exercise. I want to feel like I need to join a gym, because I will never, ever exercise outside in the winter. (in addition to hating being cold and wet, I’m mildly asthmatic. Breathing the cold air=wheezing.) And when I’m at home, well, it’s way too easy to get sucked into other stuff. I dread this. There’s a BAC for Women close by, which is probably my best option…but I hate them for their hard selling and relentless phone calls. Also, I hate that I can’t go to their website and find out how much a membership is. I have to go there and listen to a sales person yammer at me, and I don’t want to do it. There is also a Planet Fitness nearby which has the advantages of being very reasonably priced and gives me the ability to sign up online. However, Planet Fitness is equipment-only…no classes. I like classes. So, what to do? (Suggestions welcome)
And that’s it for me. (ooh, goody! a whole post completed!) Happy-almost-weekend!
Merry Christmas!
Strike a pose, there’s nothing to it
Jen tagged me. I was at work when I saw the post. I took this with my phone.
Rules
- Take a picture of yourself.. riiiiiight.. NOW!
- DO NOT change your clothes. DO NOT fix your hair.. Just take a picture.
- Post that picture with NO editing.
- Post these instructions with your picture.
- Tag 10 people to do this!
Ten? Really?
Hrm…
Okay. Jessica, Nicole, Linda, Caoimhe, Kelly, Julie Anne and, oh heck, whoever wants to play. Just leave me a comment if you do. 🙂
Snow day
I’m going back to bed. I wish I’d known this before I showered…
Movie meme
The movie quote meme, which I saw first at So Anyway…
1. Pick 15 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. NO GOOGLING/using IMDb search or other search functions.
Looks like we’ve got ’em all, folks…thanks for playing! 🙂
1. I got a question. If you guys know so much about women, how come you’re here at like the Gas ‘n’ Sip on a Saturday night completely alone drinking beers with no women anywhere? (Say Anything, Emma)
2. There’s a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It would be a pity to damage yours. (The Princess Bride, Adam Selzer, Eden)
3. That’s it? Some faceless guy rips off all your clothes, and THAT’S the sex fantasy you’ve been having since you were twelve? (When Harry Met Sally, Emma, Eden)
4. I’ve loved two women in my life. I lost one to cancer, and I lost the other ’cause I was so busy keeping my job I forgot to do my job. (The American President, Emma, Adam Selzer)
5. I mean, Led Zeppelin didn’t write tunes everybody liked. They left that to the Bee Gees. (Wayne’s World, Eden)
6. Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K. (Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Adam Selzer, Eden)
7. I’ll trade with anyone who has a Jacuzzi. (The Muppets Take Manhattan, Lyanne)
8. I believe in two things: discipline and the Bible. Here you’ll receive both. Put your trust in the Lord; your ass belongs to me. (The Shawshank Redemption, Amanda/pafuts)
9. This is the captain. We have a little problem with our entry sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and then – explode. (Serenity, voiceofkiki)
10. I got it! You daughter’s not your daughter, and the cash that used to be the jewels is now your underwear! (Oscar, guessed correctly by mom! Yay, mom!)
11. Oh, Joel Miller, you’ve just found the marble in the oatmeal. You’re a lucky, lucky, lucky little boy. ‘Cause you know why? You get to drink from the fire hose! (UHF, Adam Selzer)
12. In fact, I think most Scottish cuisine is based on a dare. (So I Married an Axe Murderer, Eden, Jenn)
13. It’s not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting *ideas*, and *thinking*… (Beauty and the Beast, Eden, Deoris)
14. Son, if I’d only gotten to be a doctor for five minutes… now that would have been a tragedy. (Field of Dreams, Adam Selzer)
15. Please get out of my Van Halen t-shirt before you jinx the band and they break up. The Wedding Singer, Adam Selzer
Feeling better
So Thanksgiving morning, I woke up with what I thought was simply a particularly bad allergy-induced sinus headache. I medicated as I normally do and waited for it to go away. Sadly, it did not. I spent the day, pleasant as it was, feeling kind of achy and out-of-it. Friday was mostly the same; groggy and foggy-headed. Saturday and Sunday it all caught up with me. I slept a lot, sat on the couch and watched a lot of TV and movies, and didn’t leave the house. I tried to grade some papers on Sunday afternoon…I got a few done, and then had to stop because my energy reserve was completely sucked dry.
We’ve watched a bunch of episodes of The West Wing, the new Futurama movie Bender’s Game, The Thing, and some other things I can’t remember.
I ended up taking a sick day yesterday, so I could continue to recover, and it was more of the same. Sadly, Rand ended up catching…well, something. He went into work for a couple of hours yesterday and then came home and did the fever/chills thing for a while. I’m not sure he’s got what I have, because I didn’t run a fever like that. Today, I went to work and he stayed home.
I feel much, much better. I’m still a little tired, and feeling kind of behind in my work. Here’s to getting caught up. I hope everyone had a great holiday!
Thankful
I don’t have a lot of time for a long and profound post this morning…we’re getting ready to head out to my second family’s Thanksgiving celebration. Suffice it to say that I have much to be thankful for. I have a family who loves me very much, and another one that has warmly welcomed me with open arms. I have amazing friends, both near and far. Even if I don’t get to talk to you as much as I would like, please know that I love you all dearly, and that I am so grateful to have you in my life. I have a job–a good job–that is helping me to gain valuable experience and become a better teacher. I have a home, and a wonderful husband who shows his love for me every single day.
So yes, I am deeply thankful.
I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!