33 posts tagged “weekends”

It has been a really good weekend. Nothing in particular, really, so much as just appreciating and really being in the moment for lots of little things. That's what life should be, of course, but I feel it so much more right now because for so long, I really couldn't. I couldn't break away from my stress and worry about work enough to be the moments life is made of, and I was missing them.

Friday, Lee and I trimmed The Vinster's claws and gave him a bath. Not something His Weazness enjoys, but a necessary evil for him and tons of fun for us. Well, maybe not the nail clipping part. But there's nothing funnier than a freshly washed ferret rolling furiously around on your bed to dry himself off. And perhaps to punish you just a bit for plunking him in the tub by getting your sheets all damp.

Isn't he so cute all clean and fluffy?

After Vin's washing-up, Lee headed to bed. He's working this weekend at the PT job, and gets up at 4 a.m.! The good news for him is that he's done and home shortly after 9. I headed up to The Pub with the family. Friday marked the 3rd year anniversary of the death of a very dear friend of ours. His wife and several of our friends who were also close to him were there, and we toasted him and shared stories and remembered and did a lot of laughing and a little crying. It hurt and felt wonderful all at once.

We did the kind of shots HE used to do, which are much stronger than what we'd usually choose on our own. Mom laughed and said he was looking down on us and getting a huge kick out of watching all of us get simple for him.

This morning, I slept in until Lee got off work. Then I went out in the yard with my coffee and found my first jalopenos were ready for plucking from the garden. Just two so far, but one of them is a BIG pepper!

We went shopping later in the day, for our yard and for Father's Day gifts. We found the coolest quirky little store, a garden shop that also just sold all sorts of homey things from fireplace accessories to hot sauces and apple butter. The "greeter" at the store was a beautiful cockatiel, who shouted "HELLO!" at us from his cage the entire time we were browsing. I love places like that.

Later, we went with Lee's daughter and her boyfriend to a birthday dinner for one of her friends, and got to meet some of her crew. At some point during the meal I missed a called from my friend in Florida. She was calling to ask me if I would be one of their references as she and her husband go through their adoption process. Nothing would make me happier. They will be such wonderful parents, and she'd all but given up on that ever happening.

Life is good in so many ways. Freshly washed weasels, meals with family and friends, toasts and laughter and tears in memory of one who left too soon, bright green peppers plucked from the garden, talking birds in off-the-beaten-path shops, and a miracle for a friend who has waited so long for it she thought it was only a dream.

In such big and small ways, the world is a wonderful place.

 

I've been an atrocious blogger of late, haven't I? Almost two weeks have gone by since I last wrote.

Rather than start with a recap (which would mostly just be the incredible busy-ness of daily life anyway), I want to get this last weekend down for posterity.

Lee's 41st birthday is tomorrow. We hadn't really planned anything in particular, other than that I'm getting him a tattoo that he really wants as his gift. So yesterday morning, he decided that what he wanted to do for his birthday was take a weekend fishing trip. Even though we'd made zero plans, his brother was free and able to go with us. So we headed out to Conowingo Dam, about an hour from here:

Our original plan was to camp at Susquehannah State Park. Their web site said the campsite opened in May. We'd hastily packed the tent and all the camping equipment we have, which really isn't much. But when we got there, we found the campsite wasn't opened for the season yet. See what I mean - no planning at all!

Not to be stopped, we headed to the bait shop anyway. Actually, we went there BEFORE we knew there would be no campsite, since we also hadn't figured out WHERE the sites were and needed directions. The bait shop reminded me of something out of the movie "Wrong Turn." The guy working, presumably the owner and the only person around, looked like he was a hundred and had never left the woods, and had long white hair that seemed stained yellow in places. But he was a very sweet guy, not a psychokiller, and although it took the 3 of us to decipher exactly what he was saying with his strange accent he managed to give us decent directions to the camp.

Which of course, was closed.

We decided to hang out anyway and just find a spot along the river for them to fish and me to chill out, play with the camera and read. The first spot we tried was a bust. And as we explored the wooded trail along the water, we came to a wreath on a tree that said "In loving memory of Mom and Mike." We wondered aloud why it was there. Was this a favorite spot of the family who put it there, or had whatever happened to "Mom and Mike" actually happened there?

Between the quirky bait shop and that, my writer's imagination was going into overdrive. So I was kind of glad that Lee and Cliff decided it wasn't the best fishing spot.

We headed up the road just a little farther and ended up here:

Those pictures were taken much later in the day, of course. We spent several hours there, them fishing without much luck. I finished a book and started another, watched a fishing crane out on the water, and several rowboats meandering around.

We contemplated trying to stay there overnight, since we had all the camping stuff. But it was too close to the road, and traffic was rare but loud. It was drizzling on and off, and in spite of the fact that I have hillbilly roots I prefer camping sites with indoor places to pee. So Cliff suggested he get us a motel room for the night as his birthday gift to Lee so that we could stay out at late as we wanted without having the drive home ahead of us. We hung out till about 10, then headed off in search of a motel.

With some help from a store clerk where we stopped and got a bottle of wine, we found a motel. Armed with wine and a bucket of chicken and fixins' from KFC, we settled in for the night. The guys were soaked and muddy and had to rinse their clothes in the sink and dry them using the air conditioner. KFC gave us no utensils and we didn't realize it until we were in the room, so we ate like neanderthals. But the wine was yummy and mellowing after a long day outdoors and we sipped and talked and crashed out on the 2 double beds and watched a Sopranos rerun and all fell asleep.

The next morning dawned chilly and filled with an all-day pouring down kind of rain. Since we were there, they wanted to go back to the dam and fish there before heading home. We stopped at the quirky bait shop again so they could stock back up. The same old guy was there, this time with a cute little chihuahua who he put on the counter for us to pet and play with. The little dog acted like it wanted to follow us home, even yipping and sort of growling at the guy when he made him get down and go back behind the counter.

We stopped and checked out a few other places before heading to the dam:

Ignore Lee's goofy gesture there in the one with his brother! I'm not sure if it was intended for Cliff who was ragging on him or me because I kept trying to retake the picture LOL!

Anyway, the rain just kept getting worse, so I left them to go get soaked at the dam while I curled up in the van with a book and watched the river and the fishermen until they were ready to roll. We got home a while ago, Lee and I took a wonderful nap, and I'm now just enjoying the feeling you get when you've got a great weekend in your tail lights but still have a week off ahead of you!

It has basically been a relaxing weekend around here, with the exception, of course, of football.

Yesterday morning we took down the Christmas lights outside. We'd tackled the tree right after New Years Day, but with Lee being sick we put off the outside job that required him climbing on the roof. Neither of us wants me - The Poster Girl For Clutziness - up there! So that was Saturday morning, with frequent warm-up coffee breaks.

After that I pretty much just did laundry and cleaned the bathroom. We had been planning on watching the game at home, but as it got closer to kickoff Lee realized he really wanted to be around the crew and share in the moment with a bunch of other rowdy Ravens fans. So we went to the pub.

I'm glad we did, because he really had a blast. The bartender who was working generally only works daytime, so we don't see each other much and don't really know each other. She noticed that I was one of the quieter people in the place, and said "You don't get into football much, do you?"

Lee and four or five others immediately ALL chimed in with "Oh, yes, she does. She's just (and here they leaned in and whispered for dramatic effect) ... a STEELERS fan."

During a Ravens playoff game, this is kind of like being the person who shows up to an AA meeting with a bottle of vodka!

We left pretty much right after the game, and I still feel sort of run-down today. I should have stayed home and rested as I'd planned, but I'm a dumbass.

Lee got up and went to the grocery store this morning and is now making a pot of his delicious chicken chili. We'll eat that and watch the Steelers game this afternoon, and that's about it. Next week, we drag our butts back to the gym. We took this week off between him being sick, me teetering on the verge of feeling sick and working such long hours, and neither of us wanting to deal with the "New Years resolution" gym crowds. But we're jumping back in this week.

We'll have to adjust our schedules and be more on top of our game to keep caught up with things around here now. We got spoiled by his old job, where he got off for the day at 2. He'd do most of the erranding and chores and figure out what we were doing for dinner all before I even got to leave work at 6 or so. Then we'd go to the gym, and even though I was pretty much gone from 7 am - 8 pm or so most days, I didn't have too much to worry about once I did finally make it home. He works almost as late as I do now, so we'll have to get ourselves adjusted and organized!

At the moment, I'm feeling an overwhelming urge to curl up on the couch with a blankie and re-read the first Harry Potter until the Steelers/Chargers game comes on. I'm not sure why I'm thinking about Harry - I actually have 2 new books to start. Maybe I just feel like I need a little childhood!

 

I feel like I haven't sat down and really blogged in forever. I've posted bits of this and that, but the closer we get to go-live of our new system at work, the more discombobulated my worklife gets and the fewer hours I have to think. Heck, the fewer hours I have to sleep, eat, breathe ... so it makes sense that my blog mojo has sucked.

Now that I do have a moment to relax, my brain doesn't even know where to begin. So here's a bit of randomosity.

1.  I am in coffee creamer heaven with the holiday flavors that have come out recently. Chocolate Mint Truffle? Vanilla Spiced Rum? Caribbean Cinnamon Creme? I have them all.

Who would have thought that something as awesome as coffee could get even better?

2. I am completely loving my rainy Saturday of nothingness. I'm washing all the laundry I didn't get to while I was washing-machineless (funny how you can get by on bare essentials when doing otherwise means longer at the laundromat!), listening to country music, and letting the hellish week that was roll off my back. The Chocolate Mint Truffle creamer is helping with that.

3. Lee is so excited about tomorrow's Raven's game that talking about it with him is like being with a kid in the car on the way to the best amusement park in the world. I'll be he won't be able to talk for a week. Heck, he's just getting his voice back from last week's game!

 

Isn't he cute? This is him when we were heading to last week's football fun (a good day for him, a not-so-good-one for me). He was trying to imitate "The Rock." Not bad, huh?

4. Speaking of listening to country music, I just heard that song "Drunker Than Me" for the first time. Freakin' hilarious! It describes the attitude of soooo many of my guy friends (who, strangely enough, are all bachelors).

5. And again, speaking of country music, I think if I was a country singer, this would be my album cover:

 

 

We don't have to worry about that happening, because a rabid weasel on crack can sing better than me. But if ...

It's funny, I very rarely like pictures of myself. I tolerate them, or think they're OK or "good enough." But this one, I actually like.

6. Remember how I was talking about the whole "naked people in the locker room" thing? Well, yesterday took the cake. There was a naked chick sitting on a bench on her cell phone, tearing whoever was on the other line (her boyfriend or husband, I assume, because she referred to his balls) up and down. Apparantly he hadn't called her back fast enough for her liking, and while on the treadmill she'd gotten all worked up over what he was doing instead of calling her.

I try not to look, really. But it's hard not to stare at someone who is nekkid as the day she was born and screaming her head off at some poor schmuck whose balls are in grave danger!

7. I am also loving Facebook Scrabble. Fun, fun, fun! 

8. I made a pact with myself this weekend after killing all of last Sunday on football pub-time, that I'd stay out of the family bar this weekend. But Mom called me last night and really wants me to come out tonight. She's got some tough stuff going on and needs to vent. And as much as I chew her ear off about everything that goes wrong in my world, I could never say no.

Let's hope I have the self-restraint to avoid a stupid Sunday hangover.

9. Last night after coming home from the gym and dinner, Lee and I curled up on the couch and watched "The Wizard of Oz" together. I love that he actually WANTED to watch it, and wasn't just doing it because I wanted to. I absolutely adore that movie, no matter how many times I see it.

Earlier today, I couldn't get the Witch Is Dead song out of my head. Now, I'm stuck on "If I Only Had a Brain."

10. If I only had a brain, I would be doing something productive instead of blathering on and on. And since I'm supposedly somewhat intelligent, I should probably live up to that. Happy Saturday!   

I've mentioned that I'm built more like my Dad's side of the family than my Mom's. It seems that's not all I get from Dad.

He tends to blurt whatever is on his mind right out, cursewords and all, regardless of where he is or who might be within earshot. Since he runs a bar for a living, he's usually in a place where that's perfectly OK. Usually, but not always.

Anyway, I have learned to curb that side of ME quite a bit at work. Unlike Dad, my desk isn't a bar countertop. I have to be a little more refined on the job. But at home, I slip right back into the family way.

This weekend, Lee and I decided to join a gym. We've been using the universal equipment and other assorted workout stuff that my friend has set up in his garage. But winter is on the way, and pretty soon it will be a little too cold for that. Besides, I'm kind of jonesing for a swimming pool.

It was a busy weekend. We had dinner out with friends Friday night, and I had my girlfriend coming to town for an overnight visit on Saturday. Because I'd worked 3 12-hour days and 2 10-hour days over the workweek, I hadn't done jack you-know-what around the house. So Saturday afternoon, I wanted to spend some time whipping the house into shape before she got there. We've been friends long enough (since college) for her to know that I'm not exactly Martha Stewart, but still.

So we decided that finding a gym we'd both enjoy would be Lee's Saturday project, while I did house stuff. He went on his way with just a few specs from me:
- Before signing up, make sure they have all the weight stuff you want, treadmills and exercise bikes for me, and a pool.
- Look around. See if you find can find at least a few chicks who look more like me than like a Barbie. Yeah, although I feel a LOT better these days, I'm still a little self-conscious. No one wants to be the only girl in the gym who DOESN'T look a model.

We also agreed that we just wanted the basics - access to all of the facilities. We didn't want to pay extra for classes or trainers or anything like that. He was a little worried because usually, in our division of labor, "talking to salespeopley types" falls to me. And I'd warned him that the person he spoke with at the gym would probably try to talk him into more than what we wanted. After all, that's their job.

Off he went on mission-no-so-impossible.

He scored at the first place he checked out. Not only was the place a mix of people (not everyone was Paris Hilton or Arnold Schwarzenegger), but it wasn't overly crowded, and had all the equipment we wanted, including my precious pool. And a steam room and hot tub!

He called me all excited, wanting to give me all the details and the price ranges, which were very reasonable. After telling me about the hot tub, he gave me the scoop on the monthly fee for both of us. It didn't sound bad, so I said:

"That's for all the facilities we want, right? All the facilities and none of the extra bullshit?"

I got no reply except for a nervous giggle at first. And I could hear a not-no-nervous, and maybe just slightly offended twitter in the background as well.

When Lee got home, I just shook my head at him and said "Babe, you really should know better than to put ME on speaker phone." It didn't take long to figure out that he'd had me on speaker and the woman who was setting up our membership had heard my little bullshit comment.

Oh well. Guess I'll just hope Mondays are her day off so I don't have to see her during MY first visit to the new gym!

...because it was such a good one!

 

I just love when Sly curls up on my lap and snoozes.

I did lose a Sly-related bet last night, though. Lee and I tried to make the Redskins/Browns game interesting for ourselves by placing a friendly wager. I took the Browns. See, our division of labor as relates to the pets is that "I clean up anything that comes out of Vinnie, and he cleans up anything that comes out of Sly."

Well, thanks to the Browns, I'm responsible for Sly's butt this week too. Sigh.

 

This has always been Sly's favorite spot in the house, because of the way the sun comes in through the window all afternoon. He likes it even more now with the new plant. Amazingly, he hasn't tried to whap or eat the plant yet!

 

I call this one "we should be raking instead of goofing off with the camera." But hey, the leaves haven't all fallen yet. That's a good excuse, right?

And last but not least, I just think this is the most precious thing ever:

 

Way up high on my list of "qualities I look for in a guy" is "must love critters." I scored an absolute touchdown on that one!

Yesterday was one of those days that managed to be busy but at the same time move along at a perfectly happy-making pace.

I was dreading the first errand on deck for Saturday morning - to either go and get our phones repaired or upgrade them. The more hours I spend at work, the less time I want to spend dealing with chores that involve interacting with people on my days off. That makes me sound a bit more antisocial than I am - I don't mind being out and about to have FUN, I just don't like errands and chores. I prefer to be doing something at home rather than standing in a line somewhere. But the cheap phones that came with our plan were on their last legs. They froze up all the time, they didn't hold a charge for anything, and were just plain annoying in their attempt to make it clear that they'd long outlived their life span. So off to the store we went bright and early Saturday morning.

But I was pleasantly surprised. Instead of the disinterested or overly pushy salesperson I've come to expect from these kinds of encounters, we were assisted by a downright easygoing and friendly guy who actually knew what the heck he was talking about. We walked out with two new phones - and now that mine is pink and Lee's is blue instead of having two black ones, we won't accidentally leave the house with each other's phones in the morning.

Next up was a trip to the produce stand, supposedly to stock up on fresh veggies before they shut down for the year.

But I was immediately sidetracked by the fall displays everywhere. Pumpkins! Gourds! Indian Corn! We left with our veggies and a boatload of fall fun. I spent the early afternoon putting together decorative displays from all this fall goodness. We put one on our kitchen table and took the other to my grandmother's house. She was thrilled. She used to do this kind of decorative homey stuff all the time, but doesn't really have the inclination for it anymore. So it made her happy to have someone do it for her.

After a soup and sandwich lunch with the grandparents, we went to our friend's house and worked out in his gym. Then it was back home to make crab cakes, baked potatoes and salad for dinner and curl up for some movie time. We broke out some of the wine we got at the mountains, had a few glasses, and relaxed. After the movie, we bundled up, took a lantern candle and went outside and sat on the deck for a while, just enjoying more wine, the moon and the clouds in a crisp fall sky.

It was wonderful.

Lee got up at some crazy hour this morning to get some fishing in before football time. I'm making a pot roast (I know ... first I make homey centerpieces and now I'm cooking - those who know me are seriously wondering if they should call out the alien abduction squad to find out who this chick is that's living in my body and what the heck they've done with the real me) and reading and drinking coffee on the deck.

Later, we're heading back to the bar we found a few weeks ago - the one that shows all the NFL games going on at once on the various big-screen TVs. The Steelers and the Ravens play at the same time today, so that's the best way for both of us to see our games.

Did I mention how much I simply adore weekends? Happy Sunday!

 

 

So, here I am at work on a Sunday. Actually, I'm winding down now, or I wouldn't be Voxing.

The funny thing is, being here today wasn't so bad. The team of coworkers who also had to be here is an enjoyable group. We did what we had to do while monitoring the various football games on different people's PCs, and had a lot of banter going. The project director ordered in pizza for all of us. That was the first takeout pizza I've had since early August, and DANG, it was good!

Hey, a girl can't deny herself when she's stuck at work on a Sunday and the smell of pizza is wafting through the room, ya know?

Oh, and another co-worker brought in his Wii and set it up in a spare room in case anyone got cross-eyed from doing data validation and wanted to take a break.

So, all in all, I'd never work on a Sunday unless it was unavoidable. But doing so today did remind me that it isn't my job that drives me insane -  it is all the managerial political stuff. When the managers and demanding stakeholders are away and it's just us worker-bees (yeah, I know I'm technically management too, but I just don't seem to do that well at thinking like a manager!), things are actually OK.

I'm also proud of myself for getting up early and doing a brisk long jaunt around the neighborhood this morning. The exercise put me in better spirits, and I just love wandering through my neighborhood and seeing all the fun fall things everyone is doing with their yards. It makes me as happy as a kid to see pumpkins and other fall decorations springing up on decks, porches and walkways. I just love this time of year.

Anyway, while I was walking, a friend's mom drove by. She pulled over and asked me if I needed a ride home from church (I was walking buy a little neighborhood church at the time, and I guess she thought I was coming out of it).. She knew that I didn't have wheels a while back, and probably thought I was walking to get somewhere rather than just to walk. I explained that I was just exercising, and she said "oh, no, really, get in. I'll give you a ride - you don't need to walk home from church!"

What was really weird is that I was wearing my bleached-stained sweatpants that I clean in, and a really ratty old T-shirt. I can't believe she'd think I'd show up to a church in that!

I finally got through to her that I really WASN'T walking to get anywhere, just for the act of walking itself, and she smiled, said OK, and drove off looking like I had three heads.

It was just kinda funny.

I'm REALLY glad I didn't take the ride, though. At least now I don't have to feel AS guilty about the pizza meltdown.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday! I'm heading home to console my sweetie on what sounds like a VERY close game and then decide whether I'm going to watch the Steelers with mom at the pub tonight or get to bed early. Right now, I'm definitely leaning towards the game.

Fall is in the air and seeping into my pores this weekend.

First, at the pub last night I had some Irish Mist. I love sipping on this stuff, especially by a campfire. There was no campfire in the pub, of course. Although one of the guys did manage to catch the grill on fire while making burgers for the game last weekend. That's about as close to a campfire as you'll get at a city pub, I suppose. But Irish Mist is all about fall and winter to me. It is sharp and crisp like autumn air and falling leaves, but thick and smooth too, like a cozy blanket or woodsmoke.  

Today, it rained on and off all day. The gardens actually flooded a little with some of the torrential downpours, and even this late everything outside is soggy and drenched. Lee actually bundled up in his raingrear and went fishing early this morning. As for me, I didn't leave the house all day. I listened to the rain fall on the roof and watched it out the windows. I drank hot tea and curled up in my favorite blanket and napped. Again, that's all fall. Usually I whine about dreary rainy weather, especially on the weekends, but today I welcomed the excuse to be lazy.

When Lee came home, we watched the debate on the computer. He actually watched it last night while I was at the pub with my family and some friends, but wanted to watch it again. Then we curled up and took a nap (for me, the second one of the day - I must have needed it). Later, we made grilled chicken salads for dinner and watched a movie. Now he's snoozing, and I'm wide awake after a day of alternating between naps, tea and coffee. So I decided to tackle that age-old indoor sign of the changing of the seasons: The Closet Swap.

Luckily I could do this even with him sleeping in the bedroom without waking him, since the spare bedroom doubles as the computer room and my Girl Room and is where I keep all my clothes. When he moved in, he was amazed at how sweet and thoughtful I was for moving my clothes out of our bedroom closet and into the other room so that he could have the space. And I WAS sweet, but there was also an ulterior motive. Vin weasels the closets in our bedroom, since he's allowed in there. The spare room is off-limits to weasely types because we store so many breakables there, and thus my clothes are weasel free. Lee doesn't seem to mind the weaseling of his - probably because he doesn't have to look dressy at work.  

So, now the summer things are packed up and put away. The fall clothes are out in all their glory. I did a lot of weeding too - some stuff that is now too big is bagged up to give away. Keeping too-big clothes around is an excuse to let your butt grow.

I ended the evening with my ritual taking-out of my favorite jacket - a tailor-fit black leather. Last fall, it was snug. I could wear it, but I barely used it because I didn't like the way it fit. This year, it fits perfectly. Now that's a Saturday night slice of happiness.

Of course, now that I've stashed away the summer wear and pulled out the fall stuff and broken out the jacket, we'll probably have a heat wave.

Tomorrow we plan to just kick around the house in the morning, then go get a workout in, then meet my family at a local Italian restaurant for my grandmother's birthday dinner. It'll be the first time Lee and I have eaten out since we started the diet and exercise. I've had a few girlfriend lunches at work, but at a place on campus that has lots of healthy choices. Tomorrow will be a temptation ... this place is a den of delicious creamy pasta dishes.

I'm working on my "just say no and order the fish" mojo.

Happy Saturday night!

Back when we didn't have a vehicle, Lee and I spent A LOT of time in the city, particularly in Fell's Point. It made sense, since that's where we had our first date.

But since getting the van, we've spent a lot of time exploring the places we couldn't get to as easily before, and have neglected our old stomping ground. So on this beautiful late summer Saturday that felt more like fall, we decided to visit our old haunt.

 

The Cat's Eye pub is a place of fond memories for me. It was the first bar I went into that didn't belong to my father, back in 1990.  And I've spent a lot of time there with friends, hanging out and listening to music and watching the harbor out the windows. When I lived downtown, my roommate used to "borrow" my dog and walk her along this street, and then take her into the Cat's Eye with him for a beer. He said having the dog along made girls talk to him more. A guy I went to college with has a band that plays there monthly, and during the first year after my marriage ended I spend many a drunk and silly night there, listening to them play and laughing it up with my friends and learning to be a thirtysomething single girl.

Lee and I wandered in and had a beer on our first date, and watched the bartender serving up oysters on the half shell in the back.

Yeah, I have some fond memories of The Cat's Eye.

Next to the Cat's Eye is what I personally think is The Best Coffee Shop Ever ... the Daily Grind.

 

 

If that's not enough stuff to choose from, here's some more:

 

Lee and I wandered in and got some java for our stroll around the city. Yum. Nothing beats it.

So we strolled the waterfront and our old stomping grounds, and realized that although we don't think about it much, we really love this place in the heart of Baltimore.

As we were leaving, I saw this. My drive-by photo-shot sucks, but it made me so happy I'm posting it anyway:

 

Yep. I love my city.

And I love being IN my city with my guy.