Today I woke up early, read a bit of a terrible book by a local author then gave up, watched last week's Mad Men, got ready for Sunday School tomorrow, read the new Consumer Reports, did laundry, went to Costco with My Heart's Desire, came home and put everything away, washed new Pyrex set (have been making lots of casseroles and freeze-ahead meals), filled the candy bowl, watched Hamlet 2 (a great, campy movie!), answered the door and gave away candy to kids of all ages, watched part of the World Series (My Heart's Desire is a Yankee fan), then remembered to set back the clocks.

Relationships

My mentor gave me the following relationship advice:

Relationships are 50/50

That does not mean that you put in half the effort.

You have to put in 100% of your 50%.

Pennies From Heaven

I recently received a check for $78.27 from the health insurance provider I had in 2004. I was not reimbursed properly for some physician co-pays 5 years ago. And my gym sent me a check for $96.75.

How, oh how, to spend this unexpected money?

• $34.34 on a new, cute wallet – mine has bitten the dust (zipper broke on coin pocket, sends change flying everywhere)
• $21.58 on Q-Tips (seriously), buy 2 big honking packages, get 1 big honking package free. How could I resist? Each Q-Tip is only $.0041!
• $9.04 on mascaras (2), one for home, one for gym bag
• $24.99 on pedometer (Consumer Reports recommended)
= $89.95 on fun, necessities, and fitness

Which leaves $85.07 as a bonus credit card payment. Yay!

Grateful

I am grateful for: having created a healthy workout routine, green tea, Trader Joe’s A Midsummer Night’s Cream, French toast made out of cinnamon raisin bread, flannel jammies, library books (I would go broke fast paying for all the books I read), spell check, Halloween is this weekend (yes, we have decorated, including a creepy fake rat in the window!), and not having to have the last word.

Splurge

That's right. I had to cut a few coupons to save up.

A few weeks ago at the Farmer's Market I bought some handmade hippie soap - it smells so good! And, yes, I bought it from a real, live hippie. The soap is grainy, which I like. It's almost too grainy, which I didn't think was possible. It has a good, clean smell (rosemary and peppermint) and as I've been using it the smell has gotten stronger, not fading, which is what usually happens.

Usually when I want a pick-me-up I buy flowers, which are cheerful. I also love to have flowers at work because I love color. Also, my office is windowless and I love to stare at something alive. The flowers only last a week, max.

I didn't realize how much I would enjoy the hippie soap - not to say that I enjoy it more than the flowers (I'm a fool for blooms) but I'm enjoying it for a lot longer.

Autumn leaves

One of my favorite things about living in this area is having four seasons of just the right length.

I love fall.

The beautiful leaves, the crisp air, the chilly mornings and evenings, the digging out of sweaters and jackets. This weekend My Heart’s Desire and I saw so many leaves falling it was raining leaves.

I see beautiful foliage almost everywhere I go.

When I go for walks in the mornings, it’s dark and chilly now, and the leaves crunch under my sneakers.

Today I woke up at 6am, read cookbooks, watched the sky get light, ordered a pair of jeans online for under $40, went to Sunday School, came home and had lunch with My Heart's Desire, debated going to Costco, decided to go another day, enjoyed the sunshine, went to the gym, picked up a foam roller and Fage at Target, came home, read the paper, went out to meet a mentee, came home and had dinner, a local green salad (lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes from the Amish market) and veggie sloppy joe, watched an episode of Friends, gave My Heart's Desire Eat This Not That, did laundry, and decided to watch tonight's Dexter on demand tomorrow.

Today I got up early, went to the organic Amish market for produce (their tomatoes and honey crisp apples are so good!), met a friend and saw Bright Star, then we chatted and shared a Mediterranean appetizer sampler over a long, leisurely lunch, picked up Alice Hoffman's Story Sisters book on CD from the library, came home and did chores with My Heart's Desire, including bringing in wood from the shed (it's almost fire time!) and taking down the Happy Birthday sign that's been up in the dining room since Aug, watched Charlie Bartlett (meh), had dinner separately but together, then read. Good night!

Just me or wildly inappropriate?

I recently went shopping at Macy’s. I parked by the children’s section and when I came out these caught my eye:


Apple Bottom Jeans. For little girls sized 7-16.

This message is too sexy for little girls, as the phrase “Apple Bottom” is used to describe a type of butt. A round "juicy booty" as found on a grown woman.

And the slogan:



Picked fresh daily (sorry the photos aren’t the greatest, was using camera phone) is none too subtle either.

Can’t we let little girls be, well, children? And way past size child 7-16? Society’s ever-increasing sexualizing of little girls is very disturbing. My Heart's Desire asked, "What's next? Apple Bottom Pampers?"

Drive, Park, Walk, Metro, Walk, Repeat

This week I worked downtown for a few days, which made me really appreciate my usual commute, which is around 12 minutes.

To get downtown, I drove for 25 minutes, parked, walked for 5 minutes, took the Metro for half an hour, and walked for 15 minutes. Just one way was about 75 minutes – more than a week of my usual! I really am spoiled that my regular commute is such a breeze.

I’ve never lived farther than about 30 minutes from work. How people do those long commutes I have no idea. Taking ages getting to and from work is not how I want to spend my time.

Short commute = happy me :)

In which I go to Wal-Mart (despite my 20-year girlcott)

Yesterday I did something I thought I would never do. I went to Wal-Mart.

I'd been staying with my Mom and was bitten or stung by something repeatedly and was having an allergic reaction. I needed Benadryl and I needed it bad. I had already taken my emergency tablet that I keep in my cosmetic bag last month when I got stung by a bee picking raspberries.

Where oh where was I to get Benadryl, the magical elixir? Only one place in town carries it: Wal-Mart.

So off I went, to the unhappiest place on Earth. Wal-Mart, which not only carried Benadryl, also was big and clean and well-stocked and sold it to me cheap. Blessed relief from swelling, stinging, and sneezing!

Here's hoping I can go another 20 years before setting foot in a Wal-Mart again. And I already replaced my Benadryl spare.