Holy crap.  So that's what it's like to sob with pride.  Can I vote right now please?

Carl Bernstein looks like the result of what would have happened if Jimmy Carter mated with Orville Redenbacher.

So, I knew that when I got up today I was going to have to get my butt in gear so that I could get a couple weeks' worth of work done in just a few days so that I would be able to keep Will's Dad entertained when (if) he comes up to visit.  I know the amount of work I must get done.  I know this.  In fact, I am so completely focused that this is what I have gotten done so far:

I have watched one and a half episodes of Gilmore Girls, taken a shower, mailed a bill for Will (ha! rhyming!), talked to our landlord about the cat who keeps pooping in front of our door and marking our neighbor's doormat, washed a few dishes and removed the keyboard level off of the desk I inherited from Will.  And it's only ten until noon!

You will notice that I have not yet actually accomplished any sort of paying work.  Because I? Am a master of focused work ethic.

Or something.

This weekend has mostly been spent working on stuff and then feeling tired.  My friend Patty had a barbecue yesterday, but we didn't go because we were just too exhausted after half a week of sleep deprivation.  Instead we stayed in and enjoyed having a house full of food.  Some people get their kicks out of having fancy schmancy electronics.  Others get giddy over fancy cars.  I? Feel like the richest woman in the world when my kitchen is stocked with enough food to feed us for a few weeks.  Does this make me weird?

Today we finished the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  It was okay.  I know that there are people out there who will say that it is the most stunning piece of cinema to ever have been produced but I thought it was mostly okay.  I did get into it near the (first) end when Golem came out of nowhere to fight for the ring and I was really really happy that Charlie didn't die, but other than that, my official vote is "they're entertaining."

This? Is more than I can say for the Golden Compass movie.  The Golden Compass movie just made me sad.  I had such high hopes for it!  It has a great cast, its based on a book that I have yet to hear a bad word about and I know that movies don't often live up to the book they are based on, but…wow.  This movie was just…convenient.  Oh look! The little girl is clever! And oh look here's a polar bear just when she needs one! Bleh.  I think the problem was mostly that, instead of delving into the real content of the book, they decided to approach it like a children's story and leave out all of the character and plot development.  I couldn't help but start making fun of it.  Oh and Daniel Craig, who is one of the top billed? Had, like three appearances.

We heard from Will's Dad today and it looks like he is heading up our way on Wednesday.  Maybe.  Remember, we don't know if he'll actually come up or how long he will stay.  Will's sister mentioned that their Dad had to either be back in Texas or back on the road to Texas by the sixth, but we'll see.  Again, we'll not talk about my emotions surrounding this possible visit of an undetermined length.

I'm making it sound like I dislike Will's Dad, which I really don't.  Honestly.  I like him fine.  It's just that Will's family dynamic is kind of complicated and it isn't really my place to discuss it.  Dirty laundry and all that…though honestly, I'm just afraid that someone in Will's family will read this, take what I write the wrong way and then I'll have to deal with a bunch of drama.  And since someone from Will's family will be (maybe) spending an undetermined amount of time staying with us, it's better to just leave it alone.

I don't know how much I'll be able to post over the next few days.  I'll need to get a few weeks of work done in a few days in case I have to spend a lot of time playing hostess.  Ugh.

Oh and, obviously, it is a certain time of the month so I am extra super cranky.  The other day I actually said to myself "Wow, even though I don't have any reason to be, I am really pissed off!"  and then I spent thirty minutes pouting on my couch.

Happy Monday!

Somehow this week has become completely exhausting. Okay it isn't actually somehow, it's more of wow, this week has become completely exhausting. On Wednesday I did manage to get quite a bit of my work done and by Thursday I was almost completely caught up. Then on Thursday, Will's sister decided to come visit and somehow we ended up seeing the Dark Knight. The 9:45 PM showing of Dark Knight. We didn't get out of the theater until well after midnight. And then because Will's sister wanted to talk to Will about World of Warcraft (they both play) so we didn't get to bed until about two in the morning…and then had to get back up again at six and, um, we haven't ever really gotten a ton of rest since.

And have I mentioned that Will's Dad might be coming to visit? He's in Oregon visiting Will's other sister and might come up to see us. And? We don't know whether or not he will actually show up. Or, if he does show up, we won't don't know when he'll show up. And if he decides to come visit, we don't know how long he will stay. The deal is that he'll visit if he wants to and he'll stay until he feels like driving back to Texas. It could be a day. It could be a month. Let's not talk about how this makes me feel.

So, if I suddenly completely stop posting it's because I'm trying to keep Will's Dad entertained. Again, let's not talk about how this will make me feel.

*Scrubs

I have been completely productive and a total slacker all at the same time.  I was in and out of the library by ten after ten this morning.  I went to lunch with Will.  And this afternoon I did a tiny bit of grocery shopping.  But work? Real work?  I've meant to get to it all day but keep getting distracted. Which isn't the greatest sales pitch in the world for my next bit of business.

I've been toying with the idea of taking a couple of classes at Portland Community College this next semester.  I can't afford to take too many classes (money or time wise) but I am itching to get back into a classroom.  Have I mentioned that I am a giant nerd and if I could afford it I would do nothing but take classes all day long?  I enrolled in PCC last year right after we moved up here but haven't been able to afford going.  I still can't afford to go full time but I might be able to swing a part time deal.  Or maybe I'm just daydreaming.  I could wake up tomorrow and decide that what I really want to do is….um….train for a triathalon like JLo! Or something less filled with activity and sweat.

And now I'm off to actually get something done….or eat dinner.  I'll decide which in a minute.

My shoulder and back are doing much better today.  Now I'm down to a slight pinchy-burny sensation exactly where I think the muscle tweaked.

Once again my library trip got put off for a day, but I have to go tomorrow or one of the books I requested will be sent back and if it gets sent back I will be so completely pissed off at myself because I've been waiting for it for.ever. Also, the new Laurie Notaro is waiting for me to pick it up and I so cannot wait to read it. Still though, if you saw the size of the stack of books I'm taking back?  You might put the trip off for a few days too.  Hi, my name is Erin and I'm a library-holic.

Speaking of books and libraries, today I made not one but two trips to the Powell's satellite store down the street from our apartment.  The first trip was this afternoon with Wendy and Fi and then tonight I went back with Will and actually bought a couple of books–books that I kind of had talked myself out of buying during the first trip over.  Will is not a good shopping companion.  His version of support is "but look! They're used copies! And you need them! It's okay, you should buy them!"  I am now the owner of this bridal guide and this wedding planner.  And then, of course, I had to buy one of the awesome Powell's Green bags (only ninety nine cents) to carry the books.

Will also bought books, he decided to buy a boxed set of the four Lord of the Rings books.  I guess showing me the movies on Sundays made him decide to read the books and I say, more power to him.  I am so happy that he is voluntarily choosing books over World of Warcraft.  There just aren't enough positive words available to tell you the emotion I feel when I see him pick up a book.  On purpose.  For fun.

On the subject of things that Will and I both enjoy we kind of rented four more movies at Hollywood Video tonight.  I meant to just run over the weekend's choices (Stardust, The Holiday and Martian Child) and run back home, but instead Will met me over there and we ended up bringing home The Onion Movie, Breach, Smart People and The Golden Compass.

We have no self control.  It's so sad.

Last night I went to bed thinking "tomorrow will be great!  I'll go to the library first thing, maybe stop by Voodoo Doughnuts and then I'll come home and get to work!"  I planned to enjoy what promised to be gray skies and "some" showers.

Then I woke up at 3:30 this morning because my shoulder and back were hurting (like hurting enough to get me out of bed and taking some advil) and then I stayed awake until 5:30 or so because as it turns out, my particular muscle strain/sprain/pull makes it impossible to breathe deeply while lying down.  Breathing? Yes.  That deep satisfying filling of the lungs? Not without pain. So of course I spent two hours trying (in vain) to fight off these gigantic yawns which wouldn't stop.  Seriously, like every minute I'd have this intense need to just…yawn.  And I'd open my mouth and breathe with my gut (thank you six years of Choir and body memory) only to start gagging because that wasn't what my body wanted. At all.  Finally I grabbed another pillow and just propped myself up so that I could yawn all I needed to without feeling like somebody was shredding my muscles with a cheese grater.  And yawn I did.  One big ass yawn right after another until eventually I fell asleep like that, which sounds incredibly uncomfortable but it wasn't.  I learned to sleep sitting up over a decade ago (damn. oldness) as a way to get some sleep during my many bouts of unmedicated bronchitis.

I sound so incredibly healthy right now.  I should put out an inspriational video!

So yeah, in total I got about five and a half hours of sleep and it's already raining and thundering.

I have decided to change my plans to the following: I'm going to down some advil and then prop myself up in bed with a heating pad, my laptop and some sort of television show on DVD.  After lunch I think I will take a hot bath.  Then, if I am feeling better, I'll go to the library.  If not, I'll see how I feel tomorrow.

Honestly, I'm really mad at my muscles right now.  I realize that the only difference in my plans if my muscles weren't hurting would be working in the living room instead of in my bed but seriously? I feel like an invalid. And when I'm not moving I feel like I'm making a big deal over something tiny.  But then I try to move around and oh yeah, hey! that hurts like a son of a something! Arg.  Oh and certain montly mood swings are starting right on schedule.  Double Arg.

Am moody.  Please send muscle relaxers.

So yeah, earlier when the cat was doing that kneading thing on my back because the smell of the vaporub was…enticing her? Apparently if you don't discourage the cat from such activities, they will later come to you and try to eat you.  EAT. YOU.

Which is how Will found himself running for the camera a little while ago to take a picture of Poppy standing with her back feet on the back of the couch and her front feet on my shoulder while she bit at the t-shirt I was wearing.  If it weren't for some lens cap issues I'd have a very embarrassing photo to post here.

Another weekend is coming to a close but you know, I'm kind of looking forward to tomorrow.  Our heatwave is due to be over and this next week is supposed to be cool and rainy.  Yeah, this is the same weather I bemoaned in February…and March…And April, May and June…but after a heatwave, nothing is more welcome than a thirty degree drop in temperature and some cooling off rain.

This weekend has been spent lying around and, um, getting stuck.  My particular muscle pull/sprain/ouchiness is right at the crossroads of a few muscle groups–the muscles that help me move my head, roll over and reach up over my head.  I've been downing Advil and doing the ice and heat thing and it seems to be healing slowly but surely.  And using frozen cubed potatoes for an ice bag? Is so not as good as using frozen peas. Take it from me.  Another important lesson learned: to get the cat to give you an impromptu backrup, slather your shoulder area with Vaporub, throw on a shirt and then lie down on the couch on your stomach.  If it weren't for the feline drool soaking through the shirt it wouldn't have been an unpleasant experience at all.

Tomorrow is supposed to be chock full of activity.  I need to do some grocery shopping and return roughly fifteen pounds of books to the library.  I think I'll carry them in using my other arm.