in a million

i miss the blog so much! it has been a very long time.

i have nothing really to say except! that two days after the new sunglasses, i went to the lake, and i stepped on them. when i put them on, they were all wonky. the left side was like half an inch away from the side of my head. i thought they were lost forever.

but then i just started gently bending and bending. it seemed like nothing was happening, but when i put them back on, they felt ok. not perfect, but well enough to wear.

i have never been so busy in my life, but everything is super fun and rewarding every day. many new friends. always learning.

somebody who i used to know

so the update to the sunglass chronicles, because i know you're all on the edge of your seats, is that of course i remembered where pair #1 was 24 hours after i bought an almost identical pair #2. so i called REI, explained the situation, the guy on the other end of the phone was totally understanding.

when i went in, it was their big sale of the year day when you get 20% off a full priced item if you're a member. so i was pretty excited about that. pair #1 and 2 looks like this (plastic tortiseshell), and pair #3 looks like this (brown aviators). when i got to the register, i found out all sunglasses were 25% off, so i got $6 back after the exchange, even though pair 3 were originally more expensive than 2.

which meansss my $60 sunnies were actually $24 or something after using my dividend. makes me so happy. i've worn them every moment i've been outside since. including this weekend when i went camping. i got to hold an 8 day old baby for about an hour. he was so sweet and teeny.

now my back is bruised and my hips are sore from sleeping in a tent. not to mention the bug bites. i took a nap tonight at 6 intending to sleep a couple hours and woke up at 10, still so sleepy. fun weekend though.

4,644

is there anything better in life than standing at the cash register to buy something, then the cashier asks if you have a member card, you say yes, he looks it up, and you have $22 worth of credit on it? so now your $50 sunglasses are $28?

i lost my sunnies a couple of weeks ago, and i decided they're either gone forever or i don't mind having two pairs of sunglasses, so i went to REI this morning and bought a new pair. they're very similar to the old ones, and i am thrilled that they weren't full price thanks to my dividend credit.

catch a falling star

i have an infestation of fruit flies in my house and the other day when i went to round rock, faj had a custard cup of vinegar on the counter with saran wrap with holes poked in it and there were a whole bunch of fruit flies dead inside it.

so yesterday, i did the same thing and left it out overnight. 6 flies.

today, i rinsed it out and was about to put vinegar back in, but i decided to try honey instead, just to see.

so far, vinegar 6, honey 0.

delicious salads this week for lunch: beets, salad mix, goat cheese and walnuts .. and.. rotisserie chicken in pieces, walnuts, blueberries, celery, mayo & a little vinegar.

both were more expensive to make myself than they are to buy per pound already prepared. i think. but you end up with a lot more, so it feels like it's a better deal. and you get to cook something. or chop. i love chopping.

we can drive

this morning, the boy (yes, my valentine. still around.), and i were in the car and i was thinking about how clean i felt after a shower and that cavemen must never had that same feeling in their whole lives. upon mentioning this to him, he looked at me like i had completely lost my mind. for a few minutes, he didn't even say anything. he just kept driving, glancing over, wide eyed, shaking his head. i can tell you that that behavior isn't normal for this boy. he always has something to say, an opinion.

so i was telling my mom that story this evening and she reminded me that grandpa mannix used to tell them (she has 2 younger brothers and 2 younger sisters) that none of the kings and queens of the world lived as well as they do now. they had lice and corsets and no deodorant. they powdered themselves in lieu of bathing and must have always felt (and smelled) awful.

after that, i just felt a special connection to my grandpa, and not crazy at all.

but they love him

have you seen humans of new york? i had seen it skipping around facebook a little bit, but i looooveee it so much. i guess one of the best things about traveling is that it makes you want to devour every culture and find the common thread. and/or realize the differences.

friends get angry when i tell them i don't have any desire to visit NYC, but i just don't. although HONY has been very interesting. fun to glimpse into their lives.

the other exciting thing on the internet is that smitten kitchen is releasing a cookbook. if i hadn't just spent $54 at the j crew outlet that wasn't part of my budget this month, i would definitely order it. that, and if i had any time to cook. though i did make potato salad (without a recipe) and polenta (also without a recipe) this week.

that's kind of an interesting side note. did you know that when you google polenta recipes, you'll find recipes ranging from a 1:2 corn meal:liquid ratio, all the way up to 1:4? i ended up with 1:3 and it's delicious. 1 cup corn meal, 2 cups chicken stock, 1 cup half & half, plug a sprig of rosemary from majjy's, two pinches of red pepper flakes, S&P and 1/4 c of parmesan that i had to scrape off of some previously cooked butternut squash.

you can mix anything into polenta though. next time, i think i might add little chunks of cooked zucchini or something to make it a little healthier. and more cheese. for added calcium. ...

green eyes

this is from becca's baby shower a few weeks ago. those are my friends from high school.. rachel, bec, stacy and natalie. stacy is due may 26th with baby #2, allie ann.

busy weekend and even busier week next week with interviews for our next round. should be fun and exhausting.