128

I tell myself it’s only 128 miles away. A 90 minute drive; max of two hours if there is a lot of traffic on the four-lane highway- one hour if it’s an emergency.

I comfort myself, and hopefully him, by sharing little tidbits about the college town as I remember it. Which bars are fun, which are bars are a haven of douchebags, the best grocery stores, bank locations, how to get the best discounts on internet, cable and other money-saving tips that every college kid loves to hear.

I remind myself that he’s almost 21, not a freshman by any means, simply transfering to a new school to follow his heart’s dream which is of course what I want for him.

I occupy myself on the drive down by singing loudly to music, checking out passing license plates, catching up on phoen calls and letting out my road range where applicable. (Side Note: speeding up behind me when I’m already going over the speed limit is unnecessary. Furthermore, no need to swerve back in forth in the lane behind me.)

I am a flurry of activity when we arrive at his new apartment 128 miles away. Unloading, unpacking, moving, hauling, assembling, cleaning, dusting, soaking, de-greasing. (Since when do landlords leave houses messy for the next tenant? Uncool.) My parents are flurries of activities too.  

I sneak hugs in when he lets me and hold back the tears as best I can.

I arrange the presents I got for him on his bed: a stuffed animal that we both had growing up; a Moleskin Journalist’s notepad and of course a letter with some emergency cash. I do this when he’s not looking.

Post Wal-Mart trip (there is only one Target in this town 128 miles away from us, and it’s on the opposite side of town from where he lives), I busy myself with de-greasing the blinds that are right next to the stove cursing the girls who lived there before him for not being very good at domestic diva-ness.

He hugs me from behind, tears streaming down his handsome, grown-up, almost 21-ear old face, thanking me for the gifts in choked tones. I drop my greasy rag from the darn blins and hug him back. Tears pour from my face. I promise him I’m always here for him, no matter where he lives. He promises me he’ll be okay. I promise him that yes, he will be okay. He’ll be more than okay. He tells me he loves me.

We hear our parents coming and quickly divert the tears and our faces.

My dad is the first to leave (we had three separate cars. It takes a lot to move a college kid, you know). He’s never been good, and why should he be?, at his kids moving out of his house.

I am clinging onto the minutes here, in this great apartment, with this great brother, with Darling doing the exact same thing. We’ve done everything there is to do for the time being.

We leave with our lists of things to remember for next time we visit which is thankfully in two weeks, to celebrate his 21st birthday.

I stand on the sidewalk, hugging, wishing him nothing but success as he starts a new career path and new life, remembering all the big sister moments I’m so proud to be a part of, knowing that our relationship has become closer and stronger in the last year, reassuring myself that the miles won’t change that. I’m a ball of snot again (allergies, I’m blaming it on allergies) and force myself to walk to the car. He’s crying again because he’s really a lot like me.  

I call Irish and tell him we must move 128 miles away for the next three years. Being the solid rock that he is, he tells me it’s no problem. He tells me that my brother will be okay. He reminds me of the trip we are taking in two weeks.

Another 128 miles and I’m back home.

My parents and I treat ourselves to Mexican & Margaritas. My brother texts each one of us here and there. We finish a pitcher of margaritas.

My brother called me this morning for help with some college campus stuff. I realize that his experience pursuing a Journalism degree is not going to change our brother/sister relationship. In fact, I think we’ll become best friends as a result. I still miss him like crazy, but it will pass. Plus, it’s only 128 miles away.

A Recipe: Moving Soup

Ingredents you will need:

* Four rooms, full of over two years of furniture, household appliances, the necessities needed to live and of course the obligatory junk that accumulates
* One incredibly patient, supportive and surprisingly strong (in all aspects of the word) boyfriend. Acceptable substitute: best friends who bring wine to help during the moving process.
* One 4-door Honda Accord. Full tank of gas desired but not required.
* Three flights of stairs in an old apartment, but charming, apartment building
* 83- the average temperature preferred during moving days
* Two movers, aged approximately 21, and one very large truck
* Ten or more boxes. Acceptable Substitute: Five or six boxes that you unpack each trip you make to the new residence.
* One flight of stairs at your new residence
* One and a half rooms, some basement space and the cupboards at your boyfriend’s place to cram all your belongings
* Four trash bags full of junk tossed to the curb
* Three trips to the curb with things you decide not to move

To Make Moving Soup:

Combine one strong boyfriend, one Honda Accord, various boxes plus other large furniture, as well as three flights of apartment stairs. Repeat until Honda Accord is full: every nook, cranny, floorboard, trunk and the area near your feet must be jampacked. Deliver the contents to the New Residence. Repeat three more times, unfortunately without the aide of your strong boyfriend.

After four Honda Accord carloads have been deposited at Your New Place of Residence (aka Chez Parents), wait patiently at empty, internetless apartment for the Two 21-year old movers and their laaarrrge truck. Proceed to clean baseboards, window sills, dust all corners, vacuum, mop, Clorox all surfaces, scrub and repeat until the movers arrive.

Worry about competence of movers as they proclaim they are tired, sore, and, um, move your futon down all three flights of stairs but then cannot get it out the front door. Cue return of futon to empty apartment, making sure to include one broken light bulb in the hallway, large dents and scratches on the walls as part of the failed futon side dish that accompanies Moving Soup.

Once large truck is full with the large “pieces,” of furniture you own and apartment is (mostly) empty, proceed to Your New Residence with the Movers following you in their laaarrrge truck as they failed to get directions from Point A to Point B.

Instruct movers on location and placement of all pieces of furniture within Your New Residence. Once movers are watered, tipped and paid, begin to navigate the minefield that is your bedroom, hallway, and adjacent rooms full of boxes, artwork and random stuff. Take it one room at a time, slowly mixing the contents of the boxes until they create one beautiful New Residence.

Chef’s Note: The last step, navigating the minefield that is the boxes, bags and mounds of stuff you own may take several days. Or weeks, depending on your schedule. Be sure to allow plenty of time for this step so as to not feel overwhelmed. Promise to your dear eaters readers that you will post pictures as soon as the New Residence is picture-worthy. Rejoice in the fact that you only have six or seven bruises, stronger arms, legs and butt muscles as a result of this move.

June 2009 Recap

Current Book(s):
The Miracle at St. Anna by James McBride
(I just finished Julie & Julia by Julie Powell so that I can see the movie when it comes out.)

Current Music:
Dave Mattews Band: Big Whiskey & the Groogrux King
Maroon 5
Twilight Soundtrack

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure:
Eddy’s Slow Churned Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Current Colors:
Bright green
Brown
(not to wear, for decorative purposes only)

Current Obsessions:
Unpacking at my parent’s house
Felicity via Netflix. Currently on Season Three.

Current Drink:
Dr. Pepper Cherry
Water

Current Songs:
You & Me, Dave Matthews Band

Current Movie:
Anything mindless and girlie

Current TV Show:
True Blood
Clean House (I am addicted to the darn show)

Current Wish-List:
More vacation time
Being able to work from home more often

Current Needs:
SLEEP (Which is a recurring theme each time I do these recaps)
To sit down and send cards to friends and family

Current Triumph(s):
I’ve made it to the halfway mark in  my summer class!

Current Bane(s) of my Existence:
Unpacking.
Getting someone to take apart my futon & move it for me since the movers had no success with that

Current Goal(s):
Be completely settled at the ‘rents by August 1st
Plan a fall vacation with Irish
Schedule some much needed Nora-time

Current Indulgence:
Cheese.

Current Blessing:
Too many to count but here are a few: the temperature is not in the 100s. Work is busy which makes the day fly by. Jack is totally adorable when he plays with his stuffed animal toys (they even go with us on walks).  

Current Slang or Saying:
Oh really?

Current (Fav) Outfit:
My Anne Taylor Loft jeans, pretty much any top, paired with appropriate heels or flip-flops

Current Excitement:
New Orleans work trip/peppered with some fun starts this Friday
Halfway done with my grad class
Figuring out next grad school steps
Saving money since I’m no longer living in an apartment

Current Mood:
Happily fatigued

 

Bullets on a Wednesday

* License Plate Renewals. So, not sure what it’s like in other states but Missouri doesn’t make it easy. Not only do we need to have the State Inspection completed, we also need to have our emissions tested (which I’m online with for cars that are older and not up to par), two years of personal property tax receipts (yeah, we pay taxes on our freakin car), insurance proof and then the State of MO paperwork they send you. The silver lining to the stupid stormcloud that is license plate renewal, which fortunately only comes around every two years is that they ran out of June license plates so they gave me July plates. Woohoo for an extra month of license plate validity! (It’s all in the small things!)

* 365 days. Irish and I made it to the one-year mark. In celebration we each took the day off. Despite the fact that we spent some time running personal errands (like licenese plate renewal, purchasing a new refrigerator and dropping off clothes at Goodwill) we had a leisurely brunch at our favorite breakfast place, watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer (movie, not TV show), read, took a nap, and indulged in some delicious Mexican food, ice cream sundaes and saw The Proposal. Irish surprsied me with a a sweet card that brought me to tears and some really great earrings and the very same kind of flowers he brought to me on our first date. All in all, a very good day.

* Moving on up. So next week is the big move back into the parents house. I still have a lot of boxes to pack and I know it will be a pain but it’s definitely going to be easier for me. Currently I have stuff strewn about in three different places, I don’t have a sense of “home,” and I’m kind of tired of living out of suitcases. While I’ll still fauxhabitate with Irish being at my parents will allow me to feel grounded in one spot, get my “nest egg,” into good shape and oddly enough, allow me to relax at the same time. I’m a little nervous about giving up MY space and MY freedom but I think it will all work out.

* The Studies. After the move and after next week’s midterm, I’ll be making an appointment with my advisor to discuss my options. At this point I’ll either forge on and finish my MBA (I only have four classes to go) or switch tracks and get started on an MA in International Affairs. This is of course pending the financial aspect of it all which has yet to be determined. I feel good about my decisions and my changes so far; everyone (including my fabulous blogger friends, thank you all very much) have been incredibly supportive and positive. I’m excited to see what’s next!

* New Orleans. Two weeks from Friday I’ll be on my way south for a week, mainly for work but additional I plan to check out the Ghost Tour, the Book Tour, historical sites, cafes, bookstores, delicious food and I’ll probably wander around Bourbon Street again just for the experience. There’s a good chance EP and her boy will meet up with me and Irish for a day or so which means I don’t have to wait another year for a blogger meet-up!

So I’ve shared what I think you guys want to hear about but is there something I’m missing? Any questions you want to ask? Anything is fair game, so ask away. Leave a comment and I’ll post the answers!

Monday GiST

I’m just as guilty as anyone else I’ve whining, bitching and moaning on a Monday.

Call it a Case of the Mondays.

Call it a quarterlife crisis.

Whatever it is, I realize I need to overcome the Monday Blues, especially on a rainy day which makes it 100 times harder to get out of bed so while the world is all doom and gloom, I’ll try to sparkle and smile today.

Things that will help me stay positive:

1. Wearing my new black patent leather peep-toe shoes I found at Marshalls which is the first time I’ve ever found anything at that store, which I suppose is a “win,” in itself.

2. A cup of green tea brewing next to me. I’m trying to caffeinate without soda this week.

3. The insane amount of spring cleaning Irish and I accomplished over the weekend at his place, complete with a donation pile, new shelves to house books, and repurposing a coffee table to open his living room.

4. Chorizo dip. We made our own yesterday in the mini crockpot (a gift from Irish) using ingredients from a local Mexican Market. It tasted almost like the queso fundido from our favorite Mexican restaurant.

5. Two days until the Dave Matthews Band concert.

6. Having a personal day approved for June 23 so that Irish and I can be together on our one-year anniversary.

7. “The Hangover.” Seriously, go see it. I laughed the whole time.

8. Making plans with Darling to see “My Life in Ruins,” this Saturday.

9. Heading out on a walk with Jack and Irish to Starbucks to purchase my newest addition: Non-Coffee Double Chocolately Chip Cream drink.

10. Duds n’ Suds = the name of the new laundromat that Irish and I found. They serve beer, have a big screen TV and a large sitting area. Double bonus: next to the Mexican Market, a Mexican restaurant as well as Subway. It’s a tad pricier than the other places but the dryers really work, it’s clean and offers more than any other place we’ve been to.

11. Impromptu trips for ice cream. Great way to end a weekend.

12. Falling alseep to the sound of Jack snoring and “Sister Act,” on TV. I can be such a child sometimes.

13. Coming up with a workable plan for moving out of my apartment in the next few weeks.

The Story of Jack & His Dog Bed

A few months into my relationship with Irish, he suggested we (I) get Jack a dog bed.

I was nervous as to how Jack would take to the bed considering I had spoiled him as a pup: comfy blankets and towels in his crates; sleeping next to me on my bed starting at age two until, well about a year ago. 

Knowing Jack’s propensity to tear apart things that are fluffy I thought surely I’d come home one day to see a massacred dog bed in my living room.

Maybe it’s because I took Jack with me to PetSmart to choose his own bed.
Or maybe it’s because I coaxed him into the first night with a few treats.
But ever since I brought that bed home about nine months ago, Jack and the bed have been rather inseparable.

Sure, during the day Jack will jump on the couch and the bed but fortunately lint rollers and vacuuming take care of the dog-hair-disaster that he leaves behind.

But at night? He gets all unsettled if his bed’s not in the same room as us. Or if he can’t find it. Or get to it.

Last night, after schlepping my Vegas suitcase, my “regular,” suitcase, school work and all of Jack’s necessities to Irish’s place, we left the dog bed (accidentally) on top of one of Irish’s chairs. Suddenly we noticed that Jack wasn’t in the room and instead looked like a Dog King, lying in a bed atop a very comfortable reading chair:

When I clean, I move the dog bed which receives a look of disapproval from Jack, not to mention he follows the bed from room to room, making sure a) I’m not throwing it away and b) that we aren’t leaving on a road trip.

If we do go on a “road trip,” either to my parents’ or Irish’s house, Jack stays close to his bed:

 

<all photos taken by Blackberry camera so please excuse the Demon Dog eyes & bad lighting. Photo Credits: Irish (bed on chair) and Nora (bed in car)>

May 2009 Recap

Want a real post with some substance written by me? I’m guest posting for Lys today on My Roads Not Taken. Hope you enjoy the post and Lys’ new home!

Current Book(s):
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Dark Lover, by J.R. Ward (it’s my plane book for Vegas. Haven’t started it yet!)

Current Music:
The Killers
The CD that SleepyJane made for me
Paul Simon
The Supremes
(yeah, my music is all over the place. I’m aware)

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure:
Frozen Junior Mints

Current Colors:
Black, blue, white

Current Obsessions:
Making weekly meal plans
Going to sleep at a normal time (I’ve been in bed by 10:30 every night for the last week)
Finding time to relax

Current Drink:
Rich Chocolate Slim Fast
Water

Current Songs:
Funny the Way It Is, Dave Matthews Band

Current Movie:
I’m craving a Sex & The City Movie night so we’ll go with that

Current TV Show:
True Blood (new season starts June 14th)
Rescue Me
Moonlight (sadly we are on the last disc)

Current Fave Photo:
At the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure StL last year (with Darling). I hope to do it again in June. I may even run it instead of walk.

Current Wish-List:
More hours in the day
Melt away five pounds magically (hahaha, yeah right)
A few new clothes for summer for both fun & work

Current Needs:
Go Grocery Shopping
Dye my hair again before Vegas (wow, this is a fascinating list.)
To print the millions of pictures I’ve taken in the last year for framing, scrapbooking, sending to friends

Current Triumph(s):
I’ve cut back on unnecessary spending
Learning to go with the flow more

Current Bane(s) of my Existence:
Graduate school. Starts on Monday. I love it once I’m there but the homework is going to stink.
Figuring out when I will have the time to move out of my apartment

Current Goal(s):
Make a weekly schedule for myself which outlines school time/work time/gym time
Four days a week at the gym
Healthier grocery shopping

Current Indulgence:
Ted Drewe’s ice cream, please

Current Blessing:
That after Vegas my social life kind of dies down. I kind of need a break.
As usual my awesome friends, family, dog

Current Slang or Saying:
Oh really?

Current (Fav) Outfit:
White “boyfriend cut,” pants from the Gap and my silk black top from Banana Republic

Current Excitement:
VEGAS.
Returning from Vegas and relaxing for a bit.
Coming up with a few fun presents to give Irish on our one year
Jack is almost five!
Moving home = save up lots of $$ = happy Nora

Current Mood:
Overwhelmed.

And with my current mood mentioned, please be aware that I may be a tad more absent from blogging as I dive into my final five graduate school courses headfirst. No, no, not at all once. I have three nine-week semesters between now and then end of 2009. I’m taking two classes each for the next two semesters and then my final class October-December. If I’m not working, sleeping, eating, attempting to be a good girlfriend, friend, sister, daughter, dog-mother I’ll have my head stuffed in books and notes for awhile.

Discoveries

This past weekend I discovered….

… that I’ve grown up a lot more than I realized. This also means I’ve grown apart/away from some of my friends in ways I never imagined.

… that I don’t have a very high tolerance for ignorance.

… how amazing it can be to laugh over memories from my past, especially those I had forgotten about.

… that Jack is a cuddle-whore and will cuddle with anyone who lets him.

… that my parents are there for me, even if it’s a Saturday night at 10:30 pm when I’m having a mini-meltdown from hosting out of town friends all weekend.

… that bee stings really freakin’ hurt!

… that Irish will always be there for me. To take care of the bee sting. To walk Jack. To tell me it will all be okay when I realize that my life is quickly changing.

… that StL has a lot more to offer than I thought, especially when I heard my out-of-town friends marvel at all there is to do here.

… that I have a very unusual love for penguins. I think I’ve been to the penguin exhibit at the zoo at least 15 times. No joke.

… that receiving a stuffed animal still makes me smile more than I thought it would. (Irish bought me a mini stuffed penguin at the zoo. His name is Petey, in case you were wondering.)

… that a glass of wine really can cure everything. At least temporarily.

… that Greek food is positively amazing.

… that you can’t beat original jewelry for less than $5  a piece.

… that I can be a darn good hostess. Within the span of one weekend my friends tried & enjoyed toasted ravioli, provel cheese, Ted Drewe’s and Amighetti’s sandwiches  as well as my mom’s homecooking (all thinks unique to StL). We went to the Arch, the zoo, the museum, checked out the New Cathedral, the Landing, went to a winery, a Greek Festival, a local brewery & bbq festival, rolled down a hill (since FL is flat they wanted to roll down a hill), saw a live band, crashed a retirement party (not my idea!),told stories about my city, and showed them a few local bars. I was up before 8 am each day so needless to say it wasn’t a relaxing weekend but the girls wanted to see the city and so they did.

… that even though there were moments when I was stressed over the weekend when all was said and done, I missed my childhood friend within moments of dropping her off at the airport.

… that I move at a much slower pace than I once did. Blame it on age, my work schedule, the fact that I’m in a relationship, whatever you want. But it’s true. I need more downtime than I used to.

… that even while I was enjoying a break from the internet/twitter/blogs/email, I missed my blog friends.

… that I’m more nervous about going to Vegas than I thought.

… that even if given the opportunity I’m not sure I’d move away from StL. I have made a home for myself here. I really do kind of love it.

… that I am a lot stronger (mentally, emotionally, even physically) than I thought I possible when I need to be.

The Surprise Weekend

Ever have a weekend so perfect (and exhausting) that you know despite your best efforts you won’t be able to turn it into a swoon-worthy, do-it-justice kind of a post?

That was my weekend.

I’ll give it a whirl, anyway.

Fabulous. What’s a better way to spend a weekend than with family you haven’t seen in two years? My Aunt & Uncle (on Darling’s side) are some of the most down-to-earth, amazing people I know. I’d think that even if they weren’t my family. They are always up for anything, smiling, and ready to go. Their purpose of coming in town was to surprise my gram and boy did it work. We had her crying (unintentionally, of course) at breakfast when she saw them walk into the restaurant.

Exhausting. I didn’t want to spend much time away from the family since I only see them every few years. (My parents see them more often as they frequent the Florida area.) This mean that I was up super early on Saturday, stayed up well past the point of exhaustion and then repeated the cycle on Sunday. Throw in some manual labor at Gram’s apartment yesterday (willingly, of course) and you get a very tired Nora & Irish.

Nostalgic.  My Gram moved to the StL in November; we helped her move in, unpack, organize and etc yet my dear Gram still has an insane amount of stuff after moving countless times. Yesterday, while helping her sort through piles of things, I found several photos of my Poppy, various decor items that reminded me of their old house in Upstate New York, our trip to London, England five years ago and more. There were moments I wanted to sit down and cry as I was overwhelmed with missing Poppy and the realization that while Gram is really an independent woman she has never been the same without him. (I am resolving to go to her place at least once a month to help her with whatever she may need. I also took the liberty to put various pictures of Poppy up around her place.)

Organizing. My Gram is active with crafty projects (in fact, she even has some projects she sells and donates which is totally awesome) so she has many boxes of yarn, lots of family photos, really great gnome statues (collectibles!) in addition to the various books, artwork, photos, frames, clothing and etc that are important to her. She has a great one bedroom apartment but with very little storage. Irish suggested reorganizing her closets to maximize her space. So we did. Darling and I rearranged some furniture, the Grandfather clock, the crystal hutch and other things to help her out. When we left her place yesterday evening she said she feels like she’s finally moved in and organized! (Disclaimer: Darling and I see Gram once a week but the outings/visits are usually filled with menial things such as grocery shopping, dealing with odds and ends like prescriptions, blah blah blah. We help her as much and as often as we can, wtih Darling putting in a lot of the legwork but  sometimes takes an army of five people to get things in shape and so we did!)

Hilarious. Some things are just funny. Like giving a bunch of Senior Citizen Women “Dream Big,” inspirational placards. Or the fact that every where I looked in Gram’s place yesterday there were lots of silk flowers laying around. Or when Jack was hanging out under the table yesterday morning at my parents and decided to fart, twice. LOUDLY. Or the antique lamp that Darling salvaged from my Gram’s that turned out to be rather phallic looking when it’s plugged in. Add in everyone else’s laughter and it usually winds up being rather humorous.

Surprising. Gram didn’t see her surprise party coming at her apartment community so we pulled that one off well. Throw in there Irish coming to my Gram’s birthday party after his kickball games, how incredibly awesome my brother was all weekend and Irish being a HUGE help all day on Sunday with the heavy-lifiting and organizational ideas at Gram’s and the overall theme of the weekend was indeed surprising. (Side Note: I think I fell in love with Irish all over again this weekend. He was so incredibly awesome with my family on Saturday night and all Sunday, with no complaining, lots of smiles, hugs, willingness to help out. I was and am in awe of how great he is! Words really can’t describe how amazing he was/is.)
 
Romantic. See “Side Note,” above. Irish’s willingness to be so in the moment with my family & I was incredibly romantic to me. Not to mention he brought me a change of clothes when I requested them, took care of Jack all day on Saturday since I was tied up, and hugged me when he could tell I was frustrated/sad.

Loving. With a family as awesome as mine, it’s hard not to have a loving weekend. I couldn’t get enough of the hugs, kisses, close moments for the last few days. I also realized that even though my Gram can drive me up the wall sometimes she’s a pretty together lady with a lot of stories to share. Which reminded me how great a mother I have… which resulted in us making pacts about how we’ll handle things when my parents get older. And Irish. Fantastic, wonderful, thoughtful, caring, compassionate boyfriend. I am so lucky to have him. I’m so lucky to have all of this joy in my life.

And now, if you’ll excuse me I’m going to brainstorm on how I can move to Florida to be closer to my Aunt/Uncle, come up with some really sweet things to do for Irish and send my mom a sweet note letting her know how much I love her.

Mayday, Mayday

I’m feeling the bullet concept so here we go….

* SURPRISE! My Aunt & Uncle are flying in today to give my Gram an (early) birthday surprise. I’m looking forward to the weekend of wine, beer, BBQ and nostalgia with my family. Also? I am excited for Irish to meet them. (I met all of his main friends & family within the first four months of us dating. Since my family is spread out he gets to meet them in pieces.)

* May has been an insane month and it’s not even half over. Over 11 birthdays (some are friends/family of Irish, others are mine), some of which snuck up on me so I have some back-pedaling, cards to send and presents to wrap. And of course the ones that are in-town require birthday parties, baking, presents, family time and parties. I don’t remember the last time I was at home, in my sweatpants, lounging around. As of right now all signs point to Nora Relaxation time taking place after Vegas. Exciting to be busy and seeing my friends, yes but also exhausting. Which brings me to…

* I’m tired. I’m tired of: saying yes to everything and feeling guilty if I say no; of overextending myself; people who don’t call me back; friends who complain we don’t talk or hang out yet NEVER call me; rude people; arrogance; the desire to eat chocolate; 10-hour work days; poor Irish having to work late; not getting enough time with Jack; my work clothes ; my hair hair; corporate America.

*  Plants vs Zombies. Sounds crazy, right? Courtesy of Irish I’m now hooked on a completely silly puzzle game. I plant flowers that have powers to kill zombies. Zombies try to get through the flowers and etc while shouting “BRAINS!” in a very eerie voice.  But did you know that there are zombies who ride dolphins, are on bobsled teams and impersonate Michael Jackson? The game has some very awesome comedic qualities and as Irish says “like a zombie bite I have infected you.”  He’s also excited becuase he’s slowly turning me into a nerd. Awesome.

* School, glorious school. Two weeks from Monday I’m diving back into graduate school classes. In the next 27 weeks I’m taking five classes and will graduate in December with my MBA. I’m dreading the return a little bit but I need to forge on, push through and finish it up! (At least that’s what I keep telling myself.)

* In Livin’ Color. (Anyone remember that show? I wasn’t really allowed to watch it as a kid but I saw glimpses on occasion.) It looks like I’ll be leaving my lovely apartment in August to move home/continue the faux-cohabitation with Irish. The debate over the living situation is enough material for another post but suffice to say Irish and I want to live together but there are some things that are kind of standing in our way. We’re trying to place nice and not piss anyone off so I’ll move home, save up mad money, and continue to more or less live with Irish a few days a week. Should be a win/win.