holy crap, i knit!

Here is the best shot of my first project (in progress). I'm doing a knit, knit, knit... to knit, purl, knit, purl... to knit, knit, knit...etc. Hence the striped effect. I am not doing anything regular and too patterned. I want it pretty irregular as far as the stripes go.

I simply was going to cast on so my friend Jenn could come over tomorrow and help me, but I just got going and couldn't stop. In fact, it's calling my name again!!!

The yarn is from Manos del Uruguay. It is a pure wool, hand spun and hand dyed. It's rather slubby and wonderful. Jenn's requirement for me for yarn buying was "find yarn you love and that sings to you." I am loving my bamboo needles too.

I'm so damned excited that I am actually knitting!!! Can you believe it? I've wanted to learn for so many years that it just blows my mind knowing that I am actually doing it! I'll post a picture of the scarf when I'm done. So far, no screw ups...knock on wood now!

The reason the photo is not so good is that I've still not charged our camera and this was taken with my new webcam. Not too bad, works in a pinch.

Okay, I'm off to knit more. I want to knock Kev's socks off when he gets home from work (he had to go in for a few hours since Halloween is a hugely busy time for them and he's a good person).

my girls

Simon and I are sitting in the cave watching random t.v. I realize that the girls are both missing. I peak up to the living room and there is no Josie or Chloe. I tiptoe back to the bedroom and find them, having a little slumber party...(was trying to post a picture but the camera has pooped out...dead battery)

Oh, my girls.

I've always thought it would be sweet for the dog and the cats to get along really well. I have always suspected that Simon would be the one to snuggle up first (not that Chloe was that close to Josie). Now I'm thinking that Chloe and Josie may just surprise us. :)

the grinch

Every year we debate whether or not we should buy candy to hand out to the kids who are supposed to be coming by the house to be the grubbing candy hoarders they are (and we all have been). This year, like last, we will not. When we first moved into the house we bought candy because we really thought there would be little goblins and princesses coming by to ask for sweets. Nope, we ended up with a few bags of candy that we ended up eating ourselves. We now know that that is not what we need to do. So I'm going to hunker down and not leave the light on for Kev... because this year, Kev is going into work for a few hours, which means salad and pizza for dinner tomorrow! We'll get up early and go for a hike, to wear the dog out.

I will probably finish the laundry that I started today. Joy. Speaking of laundry, there's the nag now...

"did you get my voice mail?"

So I got a call today while at work. Mamasita. She left a voice mail. Before I could even listen to it I checked my email and found an email from her as well. She was asking if I'd checked my voice mail. She found great tickets for Puerto Vallarta for January 1st thru the 5th, could we go? Um, YES! I asked my boss and he told me to ask my coworker if he thought it would work.

Once she purchases the tickets, IT'S. A. GO!!! I hope I'm not tempting fate by posting already about it, but she's going to purchase tomorrow. We all get in around the same time and leave at the same time too. I have two skirts I just purchased (both were under $12!!!) that were bought with the thought of Mexico this winter (we knew we'd be going because my Mamasita is the most kind and generous person EVER). I've got tops figured out for them too. So, I have a few more outfits to obsess on....Tee hee!

Have I told you how much I love my Mamasita? Not just because she is doing this wonderful thing for us, but because she is an amazing woman. She makes my heart feel warm and fuzzy. Just knowing that I get to see her in a few months makes me smile like a big goon. I can't stop! I just love her so much and am so happy that her son picked me! (yeah, he's pretty okay too...)

it has begun

When the house to our north sold it sold as a house and a lot behind the house. Not thrilled about this idea we hoped that the person who had bought the house had struck up a deal...

No. Such. Luck.

The ground leveler (yeah, not so sure what the machine is really called) was out this morning, leveling the ground out behind their house. We will have to pay attention and not just open the door to let Josie out these next few days, weeks, months, because we know that the fence along the north side of our backyard will be coming down. The good thing, each of the homes this company has erected has gotten fences around the backyard (if you can call what they have a yard).

I am a bit sad, but Kev made the point of "well, a house there is going to be better for our property value than the cars that used to be there, and the nastiness that was there after the cars left."

I'll get pictures as they progress.

what do you think plazajen?

Well PlazaJen, what do you think?

I think it is Polly that I'm thinking looks like my Josie. Or is it Suzy?

my dog, she's part cat

Ever since I walked in the house with my knitting (snicker snicker...I really can't call it that, it looks like a ball of yarn vomited on a couple of sticks right now), anyway, ever since coming home with the ball of yarn and the knitting needles the dog, she's gotten more insane (I never thought it could really happen, but lo and behold, it has). She follows me around as though she is attached to my hip when I am carrying my work to the sofa (or anywhere in the house) to attempt to work on. Nose, in the way. Eyes, full of excitement and expectation. I really don't know why she's enamored with knitting. I'm kind of wondering if I took it to the park with me, could it be strong enough to hold her attention? Does she want a ball of yarn to play with? Is she really part cat?

kitty sneezes

I'm sitting in a quiet room. Just by myself (or so I think) when the smallest of sneezes happen from under the desk. Chloe slinks out and wanders away. I think she was sniffing something that was *ahem* a bit dusty under the desk. Poor thing. I guess I could get rid of the dust bunnies, but her sneezes are so cute and sweet. Unlike Simon's who leaves you needing something to mop yourself off. I've never known a cat to sneeze like Simon. Hell, we don't call him Slimin' for nothing.

It's a rainy day here in Portland. No big surprises there really. The funny thing, people are acting surprised (and annoyed). I remind them that it's towards the end of October and it's the time the rains normally begin. We had such a great summer that I think people are saddened to see it go. I'm ready for a little rain, personally. I'm ready to pull out the warm sweaters and fantastic scarves (which I might try my hand at making...scarves, not sweaters yet). It does make it more difficult to get myself up and motivated in the morning, but soon we will be setting our clocks back and I'll regain some of that morning light. Sunday, October 30. Nice! I love it when it coincides with my day off. I can hardly believe that it is almost the end of October. Time, she flies once you are older.

I remember as a kid thinking that summertime took years to pass. Days, took weeks. It was bliss. Now, I look up and the month has passed, a week...you'll miss it if you blink. However, I try to make my weekends stand still. I figured out how to do that too. By doing things. Getting up early and actually enjoying the time away from work. I have friends who don't understand my lust for getting up early and getting out of the house, be it hiking with Josie and Kevin or running an errand before everyone else is up and out. I just enjoy the quiet that is around on Sunday and Monday mornings. It's like the world is all mine, and those few others I see out and about. We smile at each other with knowing glances. If the others only knew the quiet they were missing...

learning to fly

On Saturday night I was to go to my friend Jenn's house to return the steam cleaner, I mean deep cleaner...wait, I really mean glorified vacuum. I got home from work, said hello to Kev (who was sitting on the couch already in his lounge pants) and jumped in the borrowed car and headed over. Not only was I supposed to be returning the borrowed machine, but we were going to have dinner as well as a knit session. I've never known how to knit. This has always felt odd for me, not knowing. Although, I feel like I've always known how to, but have never been shown how to start...

I'm getting ahead of myself though. I show up and there are the most amazing scents emanating from Jenn's kitchen. She made Risoto. So good! There was butternut squash, asparagus, sun dried tomatoes (she'd dried herself)...creamy goodness! As I was pouring our wine (my contribution to the evening) I realized I'd forgotten something. Yes, you guessed it, the cleaner. CRAPDAMMIT! She lives out in Northeast, a good 25 minutes from my house in Southeast, so there was NO going back for it. We devised a plan to have me drop it off the next day (the day of craziness).

We ate glorious food that were flavors new to me. We consumed the bottle of wine, which had been one of the two bottles I got for my birthday (this particular one was from Chloe...she done good!) and then we got to knitting. She is an amazing instructor, she says I'm an incredibly fast learner (remember, I already felt I knew how to, just lacked the instruction). She had me knitting and perling and sent me on my way. I immediately screwed something up when practicing that night and have only picked it up once since. I'm thinking I should take it in with me to work so when she comes in (she takes needed breaks at my store when her work is driving her up the wall) she can tell me what I did wrong. I want to start over, but don't know how to bind this bit off before doing so and I don't want to rip it all out because it's my learning that I will be able to giggle at later.

So, I will take my knitting in with me to see what she says.

Another cool thing is that my new friend (I have to call her red shoe Jen because I now know many many Jens) also knits and told me if I ever have questions and am knitting at work to call her, she too works around the corner. She can give me help as well.

I do feel like I'm learning to fly.

sunday craziness

I had such a busy Sunday. Everything I said would happen did, and more!

The most fun parts of the day included:

Going to the dogpark to meet Jen and Buckley. He's a 3 year old 1/4 Rotti 3/4 Bull Mastif mix. He's a beast, a gorgeous, goofy, funny, adorable, heart stealing beast! :) Jen and I had a lovely time walking around the dogpark while Josie barked and Buckley wandered around. Finally, once we got away from all the crazy dogs that Josie felt the need to try to monitor, they played! YEA!!! We've talked about getting together to go on walks together. They don't live that far from us, another YEA!

After the dogpark Jill and I went to the Nordstrom Rack we hadn't been to in quite a while. We both scored! I got my tall black boots, worthy of being worn at work (even though I don't sell them, they are comfortable looking and if I wear a skirt this winter, I wanna wear boots!). I even got a couple of really beautiful skirts for whenever we get to go to a warm, sunny place in March (that's when we are hoping to get back to Mexico).

Today we hiked, after taking Ahmed's car to his house. We actually went walking on Leif Erickson drive, we walked and jogged. A total of 4 miles, one mile of jogging, three of walking. We felt great! We have gone grocery shopping, went to the pet store and got a chew bone for Josie, catnip for the cats and we met some really cute cats who were up for adoption...

We've had dinner and are watching silly television as we work on the laundry. Fun, fun!

things i really do adore

1. My boss (Kindness personified!).

2. Warm sunny days in October...IN PORTLAND (I can feel the air and it feels great!)!

3. Potato soup (which is really more like a stew because it's soooooo goo-y and thick).

4. Knowing that tonight, I learn how to knit (yes, Jen, I will report back...maybe with pics, I'm still not sure if I will take the camera or not tonight).

5. People who are secure in their own skin (something I've recently discovered in myself).

6. Husbands who come in looking for shoes for their wives (even if it's not something I have...a high heeled clog?) with the hopes that they will find THE PAIR.

7. When customers are absolutely fun and laugh with me (when they laugh at my jokes, I'm in heaven!!).

8. When people come in whom I've not seen for a really long time and it freaks them out when I remember certain details from the last time they were in (which was about a year ago).

things i adore*

1. when people pace outside of my store while chatting loudly on their cell phones.

2. when customers try to one up me with their knowledge on how the shoes I sell should feel/fit/etc.

3. bad radio that plagues me (yes, I know...cds, but I've already explained why I don't like those too).

4. the fact that when I try to text message Kevin he doesn't receive them (same goes when he's trying to text me).

5. when people ask me what styles other stores carry (and I'm not talking about OUR other stores).

*in case you didn't catch it...I'm being sarcastic. :)

damn you continental airlines!!

I logged into my yahoo account. I got excited, I had mail. Somebody heard my plea for a "hello" and responded...

Continental Airlines OnePass Miles...just wanting to let me know I have accrued no more miles and those pitiful ones I have aren't enough to even go from here to Seattle. Gee, thanks.

it's saturday...

How can I tell, you ask? Well. You see dear reader it is like this... My little corner of the internet gets really quiet. My animal list members all have things they are doing and don't post near as much (remember, I have told you before, NO LAUGHING AT ME!). My friends and family (except for Dad this morning...I mean Captain Dude, or do you prefer your other alter ego, Thunder Man these day?) anyway, afore mentioned friends and family all have lives therefore do NOT get online. Well, I should say if they do get online it's not to write to me and tell me how fabulous I am. And quite honestly, I would even just take a "hey, what-cha doin'?" email on Saturdays...so. damn. boring.

Work is going to prove to be an ass kicker today, I have a feeling. It's going to be a beautiful day, first off, and I'm tired. Two things that always = busy ass day!!

I'm still at home anticipating this day. Drinking my first latte of the day.

I had a dream last night of my tattoo. It is going to be beautiful! Although in the dream it covered almost my entire right leg (don't worry parents, won't happen that big). I also dreamed that my dear friend Jill started working for my boss at the shop I used to work at (not related to Clogs-N-More at all) in the NW 23rd area. It was all very weird and surreal...

So here I am, waiting to go catch the bus (yeah, I know I still have Ahmed's car and I'd drive it into work, BUT he's taking his van in and so there would be no way for him to drive it home tonight. AND we have the agreement that I'll take it to him on Monday). I've thought about it people, it's the only logical way to do it...I. Love. My. Boss. (and his fan-freaking-tastic car!). Plus, if I drove, I'd have to pay for parking. Not a pretty thing at all...and we don't validate.

who are you?

Thanks Jen and Carrie... GO HERE (to see why I thank them)!

My Superhero Identity is:

Name: Madame Woman (that's right, but you can just call me Madame)
Special Power: Psionic Blast (beware, it's powerful stuff)
Transportaion: Nuclear Tricycle (I tried a bike, but the trike...much easier)Weapon: Ion Cannon (I was called Shannon the Cannon at one point, shit, they were onto me!!!)
Costume: Fibersteel Skin (I am soooo glad I laid off the ice cream, it's a bitch to get the damn suit on after a binge!)
Sidekick: Squeaky Sally (yeah, I'm shopping for a new one though, she's annoying as all get out!!! She lets them all know we are on our way, no surprise entrances for me)
Nemesis: Nancy the Mad (Let me tell you about her...she's no good, all kinds of evil that Nancy is...and she's CRAZY!!!)
Tragic Flaw: Addicted to solitaire (just one more round, no...one more, wait, one more after this one...)
Favorite Food: Strawberries (if you could dip those suckers in chocoate, I'd be one happy gal!!! Oh wait, the damn suit shows EVERYTHING, nevermind!)

yeah, update on the update

I have to say I have the kindest, most generous boss EVER!!! He is lending me a car this weekend so that I can do all the things I would like to do. His daughter sadly did not pass her driving test (which is a weird thing for me to handle...her driving...since she was only 13 when I started working here) and so they have an extra car. At first he was going to figure out how to get me their minivan. I was touched. The mere thought of his generosity is enough to bring me to tears. Next, he decided instead of trying to find someone to go to his house to get the van he'd just leave me with his car...his 2005 Honda Accord...the car I drooled on when he got it at the end of last year...SPEACH!LESS!

weekend update (or run down)

Another one. This is right when I turned on the camera. I kept telling him he was going to ruin his eyes, Dad, but he doesn't/didn't listen (just like us kids probably never listened).

It's a cool morning here in Portland. Kev's sleeping in (damn him and his Friday morning sleep ins!), I'm drinking my latte feeling rather sluggish (although not near as sluggish as I was yesterday), I'm wondering how my weekend will unfold (I have a few ideas of how I'd like it to unfold).

My weekend will hopefully include the following (and knowing me, it will!):

Tonight- I'd really enjoy going to a party one of my reps/friends is having. She even helped me figure out which bus to take right after work, but since Kev is going out with Chuck tonight I have no ride home (bus service is wonky and I really don't like the idea of transferring late at night in a dark, scary part of town...something I'm sure most would understand). So, if I can come up with some crazy alternative plan B I will still go.

Saturday- My dear friend Jenn and I are going to get together and we will do the following: eat dinner, I will learn how to knit (or try to, she assures me it is very easy), and then she will take her deep cleaner home when she heads that way.

Sunday- Meet with Naomi the tattoo artist (can hear the "damn, thought she was over that idea" now) at 10:30. Chat with her and share ideas. Probably around Noon meet Red Shoe Jen (still have to actually have a conversation with her instead of her voice mail...got two minutes into an actual conversation with her and then customers walked in...later left a voice mail, I hope she doesn't think I'm nuts) anyway, we are meeting and introducing her dog (I think she said his name was Buckley) and Josie. She suggested a dog park we've been to before, but it's kind of small so I might suggest a different one where Josie actually runs, like a real dog, with other dogs! After we hang out for a while and say our goodbyes Jill and I will run around a little on the quest for the perfect brown knee high boot (me) and anything she feels she can't live without.

Monday- Hike, somewhere high so I can take the camera if'n it's not raining...yes, laugh because it is almost always raining now...it IS October in Portland afterall. I'm thinking Angels Rest again. Haven't done that one in a while. It's hard, but the pay off makes it worth it!!!

H-EYE

Kevin got me a webcam. Simon, he adores it. He's such a cutie and I just love the fact that he's all kinds of curious about it. Then again, he IS a cat...

wow, three in one day!!! can you handle it reggie?!?!

I just sold a pair of shoes to a woman. She's been in before and I remembered her, although the name had escaped me. Last time she'd come in she was alone. Tonight, she had her husband (?) with her. He looked vaguely familiar. As she was paying he was standing next to her and looked at me with an odd look on his face. He said, "Did you work somewhere over on 23rd before? You look familiar." I explained that I had worked over on 23rd about a million years ago (okay, more like four and a half) and that he had a great memory. He said he thought I seemed familiar.

I had another person do this to me and what really surprised me is she remembered my name! I used to get coffee from her at what used to be called Aphrodite. It is no longer that, I'm not really sure what it's called anymore and now that Coffee Plant is in my world I honestly don't care anymore. :) That one, freaked me out a bit. Cool, but odd since I'm always the one with the crazy memory. I have frightened a customer or two by remembering slight details about conversations we'd had or what not when they'd been in... two years prior...

wow, really?

I am amazed by my fellow human beings at times.

Fiction, kids, fiction.

my own personal hell

Back when Kevin was moving in with me, prior to getting married (don't judge!) I spent an evening with a good friend who was visiting from Tennessee writing a decree. This decree stated that he was never to play any Bob Dylan while I was in the apartment, in the car, etc. He was, and still is, very aware of my dislike of dear old Bob. He understands and therefore does not play any of his music (which is what I hear most people call the sounds Bob produces) when I am around. WHY does the local radio station I listen to at work NOT understand this decree? I mean, COME ON!!! His voice to me is like the sound metal makes when it rubs against another metal object, or when you scrape your teeth on the tines of the fork....gagghghh! Can not stand that sound, I can not stand the sound that Bob emits and you can't make me!

I just got done trying to ignore "Like a Rolling Stone" by dear old Bob. I couldn't tune it out, I couldn't turn it off, I just had to suffer. I have a hard time changing the station when I have customers in the store. And when said customers are HUMMING ALONG it makes it worse. I imagine myself having a royal freak out and screaming at them wildly while doing everything in my power to get to the radio or remote control so I may in fact change the station. But I don't ever do it. One of these days Alice...

When I was visiting my sister in LA I got a taste of XM radio. Man, I want! We saw the little do-dad you use to transmit it to your car, body, house at Target. Only $50...not bad. Then Kev said, "you do know you have to subscribe to it, don't you?" Yes, dear, I do know. I've not looked into how much it costs, but boy I can only imagine radio at work with NO commercials, NO repeats...sigh.

according to reggie

My blog has gotten stale. I don't know if he feels this will all of a sudden wipe away all and any block I have for coming up with fantastic and new things or if he thinks that I'm holding all the "good" stuff back and not sharing...it boggles my mind really.

I yelled to Reggie as Kev was talking with him yesterday to start his own damn blog so I can bitch and moan about him. I don't think he's going to. Kev's suggestion was a word of the day blog. Who knows, maybe Kev will start that one.

My Dad told me to tell Reggie to look at my sidebar to check out blogs I find entertaining. I told him I thought he didn't want to get sucked into blogs of those he doesn't actually know. Little does he know, he's missing out on some hysterical people!

do this!!!

My friend Kerri sent me this:

1. in the google search bar type the word: failure
2. click the "i'm feeling lucky" button...
3. report back

what a weekend

It was a great weekend. We shared time with many friends, we ate much food, I yacked a bit....

Kev got me a snazzy new web cam for my birthday. I've learned how to use it with Yahoo IM but am a bit confused how to make AOL IM realize it is connected.

I went and got the damn upholstery hose for the steam cleaner. Although honestly I refuse to call it a steam cleaner since the flipping thing doesn't produce heat and actual steam. You mix the solution with "VERY HOT TAP WATER". How in the hell does that make it a steam cleaner?!?!? Oh well, spot cleaned the carpet again where Josie had been going. Got her a new bed at Target to put at the spot when it's all dry so she doesn't continue using it for a potty. Kev just ran the regular vacuum and is unloading the dishwasher. I've got a bit of laundry to do before tomorrow (mostly, what I'm wearing now...this will get interesting since we are going out to eat BBQ tonight). I suppose I should go change and start a load so I can have things hanging to dry by tomorrow.

Joy, aren't you glad you popped in to see what was happening in our world today? Thrilling...no?

note to self

Always take the day after your birthday off if it is flowing right into your weekend...

I woke feeling rather groggy this morning. Nothing like a horrible hangover, but just out of it and sad I was having to go into work. I'll deal, I always deal. It's funny because when I drink wine I tend to wake in the middle of the night with a headache and cotton mouth. I drink almost an entire small bottle of water and by morning I'm just groggy and wishing I could stay in bed (why I don't drink wine on "school" nights often).

Kev has told me that tonight, we go to El Tapatio with various friends at 7:30. I'm happy!!!

i love you all!

Oh my girlies...

I am so honored that the six of you could come out and join me in celebration (and was thoughtful of all those who couldn't be there at Southpark with us...).

Jill, Chaz, Jenn, Amanda, Shannon, Yoon...wow, what amazing women I know! Thank you all for making my birthday that much brighter. I can't wait to see what Kev has in store for me tomorrow.

My friend Yoon popped into the store this afternoon, right around 4:30. I'd not seen her for some time. She's a customer turned friend (I seem to pick up many of my friends at the store). I instantly asked her what she was doing tonight to which she replied, "nothing, what's up?" I asked her to join us for my birthday celebration and she happily did so. It was a night full of annoying men (we will forever call that portion of the bar the "axis of evil" and when going to the restroom it's "just left past the axis of evil"), fabulous wine and other libations, amazing conversation, and beautiful friends. I've had such a wonderful day and am thankful for each of my friends, those who could be there with me physically and those who were there with me in spirit (you all know who you were...try all of you!!!).

Okay, I'm off to consume bottles of water (I only had three glasses of wine so not too bad) and find a silly book to read.

'night!

in love

...with mozilla firefox!!! No, the comment a few posts ago did NOT have any influence what-so-ever over my choice to download it at work. The memory of opening my faves in tabs was the reason.

I suggest you all try it today...purrrrrr.

cold pad thai with scallops...

Last night after an incredible yoga practice Diana, Jill and I went out for dinner. Pad Thai Kitchen...drooooool. The best Thai in town! I ordered my favorite, pad thai, scallops, medium heat. PER!FECT!

So, today's birthday lunch (ahem, ahem, nudge, nudge...) will be cold pad thai with scallops, medium heat. Nothing makes me happier than that. The simple things.

remember to breath

when stressed, try this:

take a nice deep breath in, count to three or four, let it out slowly, counting to the same number. keep breathing with inhale matching exhale in length. see how it makes you feel. do this for five breaths. feel better?

i do.

list time once again...

1. Finish paying bills (home and work).

2.Get Judy's email address so I can pass along all the information for her reps so she can email her own orders in for the kids store.

3. Put together fill in orders for a couple companies.

4. Break down some recycling.

5. Call the OR Dept of Revenue and ask them where the hell our tax money is!!!

6. Call Stark Vacuum repair and arrange to have a hose held for the steam vac I borrowed (which broke while I was using it...grumble).

7. Deal with customers as they come in (ongoing event).

8. Send my dear Tanya her birthday gift.

9. continue tagging things onto this list as the day allows...

italics=done...couldn't find the strike through

Thanks Bekah!

i am one

One person is all I am. I can't do five things at once, I can only do one...although with multi tasking I can attempt to do all. However, to multi task is to half ass. I don't like doing anything half assed. So I continue with my mantra "I am one". I understand that things need to get done quickly. I also understand if I get things earlier and not last minute that I'll actually do them and get them done well. Last minute sometimes equals sloppiness as well. I don't like sloppy, especially when my name is attached to the project, or whatever it is I'm working on.

So, I take a deep breath and continue on with the things that needed to be done yesterday and think to myself, "I am one."

she knows, she knows

Why is it my inner guide always knows things and I sometimes listen and sometimes don't? Why don't I always listen?!?! Please, let me listen...

Example 1:
thoughts to myself..."I should really wear a belt today." Results: I don't and all day at work I am spent pulling up my pants, which is damned annoying.

Example 2:
thoughts to myself and the out loud to Kevin..."You might want to take a dry tee shirt on our hike today." Results, we end up getting dumped on and he was thankful for dry clothing.

Example 3:
thoughts out loud to Jenn, my steam cleaning friend..."I hope the machine doesn't break while I am using it!" Results: The hose for the upholstery cleaning rips in two right as I spiral it back onto the machine and have it hooked ever so nicely in each little spot designed specifically for holding the hose in place. This leaves me with nasty, and I mean nasty, water and sludge from the living room through the hallway and into the kitchen where I had taken it to make disposal of the nasty water easier, you know so I wouldn't slop it all through the house? I suppose I should have let her use the machine first, but then again she only has rugs to clean so I would have ended up having to call her to let her know that the hose broke anyway. I now am searching for the Hoover Steam Vac Ultra hose (do you think I could find the part number ANYWHERE? NO!) It's model #F5872-900. Hoover.com is of no help.

Luckily I did get all the steam cleaning done AND the vacuum part isn't affected by the hose not working so at least I didn't destroy the entire machine. Ugh.

Kev and the animals are all currently locked in the bedroom until carpet, area rug and sofa are dry. All I can say is it's damn nice I got done with the sofa prior to it breaking...can you imagine a half done sofa?

Note to self, LISTEN TO THE INNER GUIDE, she knows, she knows.

you must know by now

How much I adore my dog. She's such a funny creature. She's sweet. She's a lover. She's a goofball. She's happy. She's crazed and insane. She's a pain in the ass. She's...MY pain in the ass.

This was taken last night when she was feeling exceptionally snuggly. Her tongue is warm. I love kisses from her, although not when I'm not expecting them. That would fall her into the PITA catagory. The stealthly walk by kisses...not so much. The "give me a kiss" or "can I have some sugar" kisses are all kinds of what I'm about.

I can hear it now, the "ewwwwww, dog kiss" comments. Until you know the love of a good dog, you'll never understand why I love my dog T H I S much!!!

I heart my Josie!

she came in!

So remember the girl Jen whose red shoes we were stretching? I posted if she was reading the words I was writing she should come pick up her shoes...

She came in. Sadly she couldn't find the link on Jen in KC's site, but that's okay because I showed her what I'd done and we got a huge laugh together. It was lovely to start my day with a wonderful gal and a giggle or two.

The very cool thing, we figured out we live in the same area and have swapped numbers so we can get together sometime and hang out. Man, this job is great. Not only does it feed the shoe addiction (the addiction it started mind you) BUT it has given me quite the group of really fabulous friends!

Anyway, just wanted to let you all know that she got her shoes...cuz I sooooo know you were all losing sleep over it. Especially you Reggie and Russ!

my friday night...and then some

My friend Jenn and I got a surprise hang out night last night (Fri). It was so much fun! I also got a surprise in the mail from my dearest Tanya who is stuck in GradShitTownsVille, Illinois for Grad School. Jenn's house got me the loan of her in-law's steam cleaner (more on that later if I am feeling up to sharing). Tanya's surprise landed me with the most beautiful, hand knit, GORGEOUS scarf with the sweetest note of birthday greetings (so I opened the package a week early, she didn't say not to!!). I am nervous about the steam cleaner, not nervous, but annoyed we have to use it in the first place (again more later...we'll see). I am in love with the scarf that is the accessory I didn't know that I wanted but now that I have it in all it's gorgeousness I can't imagine not having it in my life!!! Don't you agree that Tanya is amazing and talented and her scarf ROCKS? Don't you adore friends like Jenn who loan you large equipment, AND the cleaners that go in that equipment, so you can have your sanity back (really, I'm getting to that in the next paragraphs)?

I was going to take a picture of the steam cleaner as well, but that is just an ugly reminder for myself why we needed to borrow it in the first place. Okay, Mom, get ready because this story, she ain't pretty...

While I was gone in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago (man, it's been that long?!) Josie decided that instead of holding her bladder (I know you see where this is going but I will continue) she would go in a small spot on the new carpet in the cave. Since my darling husband has a fairly weak sense of smell he didn't smell it upon arriving home. No, there was no visible wet spot as the color of the carpet we chose is perfect at hiding things like that. When I got home that Sunday night/Monday morning I instantly was smacked upside the head with an odor that was not pleasant.

"Josie peeped in the house."

"She did?"

"Yes, you can't smell that?!"

"No....(gets into the room I'm in)...awwww JOSIE!"

Now, we know that she really wouldn't have peeped inside if she was able to hold it. Kev's work day is much longer than mine and thus, she couldn't hold it any longer. He had been unable to get home to let her out, thus she couldn't hold it. Now she has that smell there to lure her into peeping again, and again, and again. We've bought Nature's Miracle (yes, the incorrect apostrophe is their typo, not mine) and sprayed the hell out of the spot. It worked for a couple of days but then yesterday when I got home...peep.

Jenn told me she'd get the steam cleaner and let me use it first (I am smitten with my friend, not because of the steam cleaner but because she's an amazing woman who makes me laugh out loud...often!). So tomorrow morning I will get up and after me crash course in steam cleaning 101 I will set out to clean the wall to wall carpet, the area rug in the living room and the sofa in the living room as well (neither of the last two things are peep stinky, but just a bit off in their own right and need some attention).

why?

Why do people come in, ask for something and when I show them what I have they say, "Oh, that's not really what I had in mind. I had something more like that (pointing) in mind." So when I remember HEY that comes in that size now and produce said item they come up with all kinds of reasons why it wouldn't work. I understand the first item not being what they were looking for, but the second, the one they pointed out, why?!?!

Just curious...

you are so jealous, i know!

Erin Brockovich. She wears a size 8 shoe! And I just sold her two pairs for herself and one pair for her friend. ROCK ON! She handed me her card. I took a look at the name and said, "I thought that was who you are..." She smiled and said, "Yep, it's me!" Then when I went to look at the signature on the back of the card it was absent and I proceeded to joke that even though I knew who she was would she like to show me proof. She laughed and she showed me her drivers license. We spoke of writing "ask for ID" on our cards, etc. They are in town for some event, but even though I'm nosy I didn't ask what event...

Erin Freaking Brockovich!!! She's an amazing woman. And I sold her shoes!!!

happiness is

A warm pair of socks fresh out of the dryer when your feet are ice cold.

with no fat cat on my head

I woke this morning right at 7:00. I think part of me was surprised because I didn't have the warm, fat, orange cat trampling across my head like normal. I didn't have to pee. I didn't have an alarm accidentally set. I just simply woke up. My favorite way to wake. :)

The animals were all kinds of excited that they were actually getting breakfast at their regular feeding time instead of an hour or so late. I was excited about getting to get up and give myself a manicure (I know, I'd just gotten one last week in LA, but they were just too long...words I never thought I'd write or say about nails growing on my hands...I digress). I was excited because the house was quiet and all mine. I fed the crew, let Josie out and then told her to go back to bed. She did. Every so often she would come visit me, but then she'd go back to her warm fleece lined bed and snooze more. Now there is the faint hum of the washer as it runs through it's rinse cycle and the smell of the heater as it turns on for the very first time of the year. Winter is coming.

Today I was supposed to meet with Naomi, the tattoo artist whom I'm having work on my leg. She called yesterday not sounding like she felt all that well and asked if we could postpone the meeting as she'd been fighting the flu all week. I told her to call me when she felt better. Myself, having just gotten over either a really bad cold or a sinus infection, didn't feel like getting the flu. So I am now waiting for 12:00 to roll around. You see today is the benefit for Mercy Corps at the Yoga Shala. Diana has no idea we are going to join her class at 1:00. I am very happy to get to see her today. A perk for my weekend really.

Diana is possibly one of the most beautiful people I've met since living here in Portland. She's an amazing spirit. She is calming. She is energizing. She kicks my butt... :) Before Jill and I "stumbled" into her class in January I really had no idea what was going to become of me and yoga. I think I thought it would be something that I'd do for a little while, get bored, move on (like so many of the things I do, sadly). But it's become more for me. A way of life really. I find myself in situations where I would have at one point gotten quite upset and frustrated but now instead I listen and take in everything before reacting. I try to see things from every point of view before I say or do anything. It has allowed me to become more proactive in my life.

For this, I thank Diana.