taking stock

Hey dudes. I saw this “Taking Stock” post over on Making it Lovely (the idea seems to have started with Meet Me at Mikes) , and I liked the idea/I love lists. I was probably due for an update anyway, so here goes!

Making: nothing, but I could probably make the handkerchiefs I have fabric for.
Cooking: whatever I can scrounge up. Grocery shopping this weekend!
Drinking: coffee and water.
Reading: I just stared HP & the Order of the Phoenix. It’s been a while since my last series re-read.
Trawling: anywhere on the internet I can find a doorbell.
Wanting: an endless supply of dollars.
Looking: for a bedroom rug.
Deciding: how much I want to spend on a rug, hahaha.
Wishing: see “Wanting.”
Enjoying: the shorter commute I have now.
Waiting: for 5pm.
Liking: my Harry Potter re-read.
Wondering: if I should have a movie marathon once I finish the books.
Loving: the weather this week!
Pondering: curtains.
Listening: to the sounds of the office at the moment.
Considering: yard work.
Buying: dental work, soon- gettin’ a couple cavities filled, boo.
Watching: so much good TV lately! The Good Place is a new show worth mentioning.
Hoping: the election goes the way I’d like it to.
Marveling: at all the leaves on the ground (but also thinking some people need to rake).
Cringing: about the dentist appointment I have this afternoon.
Needing: a rug in the bedroom.
Questioning: how to answer some of these.
Smelling: nothing at the moment. Maybe my coffee?
Wearing: jeans and a sweatshirt, same ol’ same ol’.
Following: so many house blogs.
Noticing: the things people wear to job interviews sometimes, holy moly…
Knowing: the election will be over soon.
Thinking: this thing is hard!
Admiring: drawing a blank here, sadly.
Getting: nervous about the dentist even though I know it’ll be fine.
Bookmarking: Christmas gift ideas.
Disliking: all the political ads on TV.
Opening: multiple tabs of things to read.
Giggling: at the list I just encountered.
Feeling: a little sleepy, a little antsy.
Helping: only myself today.
Hearing: people in the conference room.
Celebrating: Friday! Oh, also the Cubs I suppose.
Pretending: winter isn’t coming.
Embracing: fall, at least for now.

another State Fair in the books

We survived another great year at the fair and, as always, ate more than is at all reasonable.  Most items are shared, but not all of them. We tried a few new foods this year, most of which were worth trying but are all ultimately not being added to the permanent list.

2016’s list of eats:

• mini cinnamon rolls & coffee
• mini donuts
• footlong
• cheese & meat samples
• 3 types of jerky from The Jerky Shoppe
• lobster roll
• deep fried Snickers bar
• porketta wings
• Italian sausage
• funnel cloud beer
• 2 beer flights
• candied bacon donut sliders
• wine slushie
• “Minnesota corndog”
• frappe
• corn fritters
• fried green tomatoes
• ice cream from the dairy building
• giant turkey sandwich
• all-you-can-drink milk
• more beer!
• cream puffs
• 1919 root beer
• double-decker s’more
• deep fried nachos
• cotton candy
• another footlong
• frozen banana
• Kate & Mat got custard without us
• Jim got a steak sandwich without us

gotta start somewhere

This weekend we moved some things over to the house. Nothing too exciting, just stuff out of our storage closet, a box of books, and a few kitchen items we don’t have any immediate need for. Friday we brought his parents over. They gave us a lawn mower they happened to have, so that’s awesome. We also met a neighbor – an old German lady who lives on the other side of the alley.

Saturday night while Darren was at Metallica, I went over and lined the drawers in the kitchen and unpacked some dishes. This took a lot longer than you might think.

 

Today Darren mowed the lawn and I replaced the shower head. Ha.

 

We met another neighbor too! Judy, who lives across the street with her husband Chuck.

Tomorrow while I’m at work, Darren plans on picking up another load of supplies from his parents (painting stuff, a ladder, etc) and then bringing his friend Dan over to help caulk the gaps in the baseboards and trim (which are not original to the house). Old house, uneven walls, blah blah.

Here’s the rest of the list, as she currently stands. Some of this can and will wait until after we’ve moved in.

• fill misc. holes in walls
• caulk baseboards and trim
• cover crawl space access so the cats can’t get in
• clean out the random stuff that’s still in the basement
• install ceiling fans in dining space and kitchen
• murder all the weeds & poison ivy in the backyard gardens
• also murder weeds growing through the patio and driveway
• add screens to front porch windows
• repair screen on back door
• repair garage door
• replace back steps
• install gutter or gutter alternative in back
• replace missing trim in stairwell

Paint:

• Living/dining room walls AND ceiling
• Half bath
• Office
• Master bedroom
• Closets
• Back Porch
• all the baseboards and trim need a fresh coat
• touch up… pretty much everywhere else

things that made my year – 2015

Happy 2016!

I’m starting the year with a list, because lists are my favorite. Okay, really I just enjoyed doing this last year, so here’s my “Things That Made My Year” for 2015. Sticking with fifty:

1. Nephew Johnston
2. Disneyland
3. playing in the ocean at Laguna Beach
4. being in California in March while it was blizzarding here
5. The Great British Bake Off
6. finding a great YouTube channel for yoga
7. playing WoW with Darren
8. seeing a lot of touring Broadway with Rebekah
9. Hotline Bling parodies
10. cinnamon & clove coffee
11. cinnamon & clove everything (ok, really just coffee and applesauce)
12. Jon & Anna’s moment of fame
13. when I saw that kid snuggling with his cow at the State Fair
14. quote from Darren that made me cry laughing: “I don’t wear underwear, just a baby sock.”
15. our 5th wedding anniversary ❤
16. Pluto!
17. marriage equality
18. Grace & Frankie
19. my super fun awesome 30th birthday
20. Darren’s new job
21. new ornaments full of symbolism for our tiny Christmas tree
22. Boots Botanics products
23. my brother keeping me from losing my mind on more than one occasion
24. and letting us borrow his truck for a couple weeks. Who knew I’d enjoy driving it so much?
25. homemade sweet potato soup
26. drinking on the stoop with the good neighbors when our power went out
27. quinoa lasagna
28. Tyler & Kim’s wedding/mini HS reunion
29. that picture of a bald raccoon
30. spacetaco
31. the Caroll Spinney (Big Bird) reddit AMA
32. I started playing World of Warcraft early in the year and I am surprisingly into it (see #7)
33. binge watching all of Master of None in one night… two Fridays in a row.
34. so much more on Netflix: Tig, two John Mulaney specials, Aziz… it was the year of comedy.
35. re-reading some favorite memoirs
36. end of the year Star Wars marathon
37. Penguin the Magpie
38. donations to Planned Parenthood
39. being able to make monetary donations occasionally without totally freaking out about our budget
40. tumblr
41. guided meditation, even if I’m not very good at it
42. Sufjan Stevens’ newest album, Carrie & Lowell
43. If Stanley Tucci Were Your Boyfriend
44. The Small, Happy Life
45. not being sick during my Christmas break for once
46. Gaelic Storm at the State Fair
47. making Darren a penis cake for his 30th birthday, because he asked me to
48. dog snuggles, aka snuggz.
49. Tim’s “Made My Year” list
50.  A Brief for the Defense, which I found on Tim’s list. I’m not generally into poetry, but this one is unreal.

2015!

Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I think I forgot to make resolutions. I’m fine with that.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

A coworker, a coworker’s wife, many FB friends, but most importantly Jenna birthed Nephew Johnston!

Did anyone close to you die?

Grandma. ❤

What countries did you visit?

Just this one, but at least we made it all the way to the coast.

What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015?

More money, as per usual. Ooh, also 100% healthy and cavity-free teeth plz.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

No babies in 2015! Finally went on a proper vacation. Paid off some debt too, so that rules.

What was your biggest failure?

I dunno, probably not paying off even more debt. Also, getting our rental car towed. I am still embarrassed about that.

What was the best thing you bought?

A new TV stand. Thanks IKEA! Our living room looks so much better.

Whose behavior merited celebration?

All the badasses at Planned Parenthood, fighting the good fight.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

I CANNOT EVEN WITH SO MUCH BULLSHIT COMING FROM SO MANY DIRECTIONS with the Trump and the guns and PP doesn’t “sell baby parts” omg

Where did most of your money go?

It’s a toss-up between my dentist and the car.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?

DISNEYLAND

What song will always remind you of 2015?

Hmm. Something by TSwift, probably. Maybe Shake it Off, even though it was released last year.

Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or Sadder?

I mean right this second my face totally hurts so I’m probably sadder, but over all… same?

Thinner or fatter?

Maybe thinner? Maybe the same.

Richer or poorer?

Probably about the same.

What do you wish you’d done more of?

Adventure!

What do you wish you’d done less of?

Worrying.

How will you be spending Christmas?

Christmas Eve with my family, Christmas Day with Darren’s. Hopefully D doesn’t have to work Christmas Eve.

Did you fall in love in 2015?

Yes, with California.

How many one-night stands?

I have one night stand. It holds many things.

What was your favorite TV program?

Law & Order: SVU. I caught up on several seasons and regret nothing.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

My teeth. I turned 30 and they were like HAHAHAHA FUCK YOU AND YOUR FLOSSING AND YOUR FLUORIDE MOUTHWASH WE DON’T GIVE A SHIT ENJOY SOME PROBLEMS

What was the best book you read?

The Doctor is In: Dr. Ruth on Love, Life, and Joie de Vivre

What was your greatest musical discovery?

Sufjan Stevens’ newest album. So good. So sad.

What did you want and get?

Maybe I should answer this after Christmas. Kyle got my name in the drawing and I know he’s getting me something off my list!

What did you want and not get?

A million dollars.

What were your favorite films of this year?

I seriously cannot remember the last time I went to a movie. Maybe we’ll go see Star Wars.

What did you do on your birthday?

I threw myself a party at home and it was the beeeessssst!

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2015?

Neutrals 4 lyfe.

What kept you sane?

Yoga. I confess I haven’t been to the studio in months though. Thanks, Lesley Fightmaster!

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

ADA Rafael Barba. In the non-SVU world you may know him as Raul Esparza.

What political issue stirred you the most?

WHAT DIDN’T OMG

Who did you miss?

The fam.

Who was the best new person you met?

Nephew Johnston! Literally a new person, and also the best.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2015:

Listen to your dentist.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

I can sleep in ’til noon anytime I want
Though there’s not many days that I do

50 things that made my year

I got this idea from Tim, who was inspired by another blogger. They both went to 100, but I found 50 to be… well, easier.

In no particular order, fifty things that made my year in 2014:

1. ringing in 2014 in Fort Kickass
2. yoga
3. headstands and the other cool stuff I’m learning to do with my body. That sounds dirty.
4. construction of the Green Line finally finished and now I get to take the train to work
5. my resolutions for the year: eat more cheese and eat more burritos. Massive successes.
6. that time the White House had a real-life Big Block of Cheese Day
7. that genius burrito Kickstarter campaign
8. the even more amazing Reading Rainbow campaign
9. we got rid of our janky old car
10. I learned to knit
11. PuppyCam happened again
12. that time Enli and I encountered a squirrel in the yard carrying an entire egg roll in its mouth.
13. RiffTrax Live was perhaps a life-changing experience.
14. Clay Aiken ran for Congress, his opponent died, and he still lost.
15. Finally took Darren to the original motherland of Bagley, WI. It was kind of sad, but I’m glad we made it there anyway.
16. So many office happy hours.
17. Peanut Butter Oreos
18. I started making my own BBQ sauce and life may never be the same.
19. The horrible upstairs neighbors broke up and moved out.
20. that time I saw Derek Jeter in real life and spent the rest of the day singing Derek Jeter’s Taco Hole.
21. Sharknado 2 and the existence of the Sharknado theme song
22. the day of my oldest brother’s wedding, I learned that my Twinkle is gonna be a dad (in like 2 1/2 months, whaaaat!)
23. So, yeah: Cody got married, Tyler got engaged, Kyle and Jenna are having a baby. I’m piggybacking off my brothers and their Big Life Events.
24. that time a bunch of us only worked until noon and then went to a baseball game
25. playing Goldeneye for the first time in probably 15 years
26. midterm elections happened and I got to experience the joy of not voting for Mike McFadden.
27. we went to a hunting-themed wedding where the groom wore a camouflage tuxedo jacket and it made my life.
28. I watched so much good TV, thanks in large part to Netflix. Psych, Twin Peaks, all of Gilmore Girls, yet another West Wing rewatch… to name a few.
29. the OMG Literally Dead Instagram account
30. spending a day swimming and bar-hopping with Brenna, and more friends joining in
31. lunch on the “patio” at the Blue Door with Kate, in the rain
32. so many birthday cupcakes!
33. I finally read The Princess Bride
34. Other “made my year” books I read: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Hyperbole and a Half, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, The Ocean at the End of the Lane
35. mom gave us copies of her pregnancy notes so I scanned ’em.
36. watching Enli and Winston wrestle
37. I saw a very impressive Beatles tribute show
38. I made cheese
39. yet another excellent day at the State Fair
40. we put in new seats at the Orpheum and it was crazytown.
41. I crocheted several adorable things for Fetus Johnston.
42. these ladies
43. this guy
44. these little monsters
45. air plants and my ability to actually keep them alive
46. when Kelsey’s question for Nick Offerman ended up on the Tonight Show.
47. this picture of me and my dad
48. all the things that made (and continue to make) me laugh really hard, like this gif.
49. meeting a bunch of new friends
50. many, many excellent cups of coffee.

2014, as she happened.

Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I made two resolutions: 1) eat more cheese. 2) eat more burritos. Yes I did keep them, thank you very much. I might even make the same resolutions for 2015.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Someone people I’m FB friends with, but not real-life friends. SOON THOUGH. Soooooooon.

Did anyone close to you die?

Not as of today, and it better stay that way.

What countries did you visit?

Alas, I only got as far as Wisconsin.

What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?

Okay, I always say more money, but that will be true until I win the lottery (which will be never because I don’t play the lottery). More travel, too.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Another year has passed without a fetus. Win.
OH AND I learned to do a headstand.

What was your biggest failure?

I didn’t get around to paying off my Macy’s card. So close! Fuck you, Macy’s.

What was the best thing you bought?

Subaru!

Whose behavior merited celebration?

I’m drawing a blank here.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Uh, basically all the police at this point, and the whole justice system.

Where did most of your money go?

The shaggin’ wagon, which I love, but goddamn if we haven’t spent a lot of money on it.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Yoga.

What song will always remind you of 2014?

I don’t think there is one. I feel like there’s rarely a song that will always make me think of a specific year. One exception is Grand Theft Autumn, which takes me right back to 2004.
Although, “I Don’t Give A Shit About Anything” by The Drug Budget might get the job done.

Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or Sadder?

Happier.

Thinner or fatter?

I think thinner? Maybe I’m the same, but with more abs.* Not fatter though, so that’s nice.
*My abs are only visible when I flex, and even then it’s only the top two. Don’t be too impressed.

Richer or poorer?

I got a raise a few months ago, so richer by default.

What do you wish you’d done more of?

Adventuring.

What do you wish you’d done less of?

Drinking, although I’ve improved.

How will you be spending Christmas?

Christmas Eve with my family as always. Although we still don’t know whether or not Darren will be able to come. Stupid work.

Did you fall in love in 2014?

Only with things. Obviously I still love Darren and my friends and my pets, but I already fell in love with all of them.

How many one-night stands?

The likelihood of me having a one night stand is extremely slim.

What was your favorite TV program?

Hmm…  I’d have to say The Mindy Project.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Newp.

What was the best book you read?

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling.

What was your greatest musical discovery?

The Drug Budget has been around for a lot longer, but I first heard them play on NYE. Quite good. Quite.

What did you want and get?

A new car!

What did you want and not get?

A bigger apartment.

What were your favorite films of this year?

New films? Guardians of the Galaxy was the only movie I’ve in the theatre this year. I guess I still have two weeks to change that…

What did you do on your birthday?

We went to dinner at Flame (RIP) and I had a really amazing burger, but I also paid for a single trip through the salad bar just so I could get a shitload of those cheesy hashbrowns. I will miss you, cheesy hashbrowns. Then we went to the bar, which was not planned as a birthday thing but y’know. Wingin’ it.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014?

If I could live in leggings and tunics (or long, flowy cardigans) I’d be a happy camper.

What kept you sane?

Yoga and Netflix. Not at the same time.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Taran Killam. Or maybe Chris Pratt.

What political issue stirred you the most?

Bitches trying get all up in my uterus.

Who did you miss?

My mom.

Who was the best new person you met?

Probably Mat. Yay Mat!

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014:

Something boring about making sure your income tax withholding is correct. No shit.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

Life is a playground, but it takes a lot of work.

parent of virtues

It’s been a while since I posted about being grateful. I’m okay with that, since it was getting to the point where it was pretty much the same things with every post. But today feels like a nice day to remind myself.

• Work has been good to me this week. Ticketmaster offered us a few tickets to the Vikings game on Sunday and I was the only one who wanted them, so I brought Darren and his friend Mark to the game. They were Touchdown Club tickets, which meant free food and drinks and the cushiest seats ever.

• Also I got a little bit of a raise. Little is better than zero. Plus praise, which rules.
• Kyle and Jenna are married now. New sister-in-law win!

I cried a few times, mostly because Kyle cried. Betrayal! Brother tears are kryptonite.

• Got to see my family and some high school friends at the wedding, which was an excellent bonus.
• We’re going to the Renaissance Festival on Sunday. It’s the last day so everyone will probably be out of the good mead, but I don’t even care.
• The weather has been lovey. Sometimes there’s nothing better than that.

Darren is working in Wisconsin today and at least part of tomorrow (and possibly into Sunday, which will complicate Fest plans but I’m definitely still going) to make up for missing work all of last week due to a major communication fail on the part of his bosses. So we are temporarily super poor, but what can you do. We already have our Fest tickets so no big. I plan on spending tonight and tomorrow doing next to nothing, except watching Netflix and working on yarn-related projects. It shall be glorious, although I’ll totally miss his stupid furry face.

good stuff

My last post may be full of whiny stuff, and there could easily be more where that came from, but there have been good things going on too. So here I am, reminding myself, because I haven’t done so recently. Plus I could use it right now. The snow is killin’ me.

• I skipped my high school reunion a couple Saturdays ago. I do not regret it. Instead, I spent the evening watching Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion with Kate, Susanna, and Amanda. There was pizza, beer, peanut butter cups, and cat wine and exactly zero moments of pretending to care about people you don’t actually like.
• We saw Cloud Cult at First Avenue on Saturday and they were incredible as always. I said at the time that seeing them live is a more spiritual experience than any church service I’ve ever attended. I stand by that statement.

• The weather was amazing for a few days, so Enli and I celebrated with two trips to the dog park.

• It’s my birthday! Here is a gif, made from last year’s birthday present from Kate.

This post is long and super whiny.

Yesterday was kind of… weak. After a couple weird things and several very little stupid things all came to pass, I was exhausted by the end of it.

Some random dude walked into the office yesterday and went off on me when I told him I didn’t keep business cards at the front desk. I mean, “fuck you, you’re worthless, you guys should close,” etc. He also let me know that he was going to tell me about someone he once met, but I wasn’t worth telling. Um, okay? It was a bizarre reaction, but fortunately brief. I did call building security when he left though, because they’re right down the hall and he went in their direction so I figured they should know dude was a nutter.

Then some shit went down on Facebook. Darren’s uncle did remove the comment and said he was sorry, he was just teasing Darren and didn’t mean to be offensive. I told him he should have found a better way to do it, rather than making a sexist comment, and that a grown man should know better. I thought that anyone who came across the thread after the comment had been deleted ought to know that what he said was, in fact, awful. He apologized again, and I am leaving it alone. I wasn’t a huge fan of the dude in the first place, but I let Darren know last night that I have no desire to interact with or be in the presence of the man in the future. I don’t need that bullshit.

Now I’ll take a break from the negative and talk about how I accomplished item #4 on my 30 by 30 list: take myself on a date. It was inadvertent: Kate was unavailable, Darren decided against attending (I knew he would), and Rebekah decided not to skip choir. By that time, it was after 5pm and I was on my own.

So I went to dinner and a show. My solo dinner at Rock Bottom was delicious, but a little boring. I sat at the bar, watched a little TV, played with my phone a bit, talked to the bartender on occasion, and enjoyed the hell out of my food. Good enough.

Mary Poppins began its week-long run at the Orpheum last night and of course I had to go. It was delightful as usual, but again I missed having someone to share it with. Especially at intermission when I was along in my row and was like… welp. I wish the kids behind me would shut up. But the show was lovely. Bert did the dance-on-the-proscenium thing for Step in Time, which is arguably the best number in the show. I mean, I started feeling a little unwell and considered leaving during intermission, but I didn’t want to miss friggin’ Step in Time. I love it so.

Anyway, mission accomplished. Dinner was awesome and the show was too, but I would have rather had company. Ah, well.

So, that was a little respite in the ridiculousness of the day. I did develop a headache and vague nausea during the show that lasted for the rest of my night, but I powered through. Even after one of the noisy, seat-kicking children behind me elbowed me in the back of my damn head. Parents, if your kids can’t sit through a 160 minute event, don’t take them.

Then it took 25 minutes to get out of the parking garage. I was expecting to wait; I didn’t plan on waiting that long. Ten of those minutes were spent in the exit line not moving at all. WTF. Once I was free of that hell, I was off to Taco fucking Bell because Darren had been jonesing for tacos all day and never managed to get them. So I told him I’d pick some up for him, horrible though I think Taco Bell is. And, at 11:30 pm, there was a ridiculous line at the drive through. Of course there was. Youths!

Once I made it through and headed home, I got stuck at a devil stoplight. The walk signal would change to the flashing hand, but then go back to a walk signal. It happened four times before I just hung a right and went around the damn block.

Then I was halfway though showering and the water went completely cold. One leg was shaved, the other was not.

In the end, I figured at least I was effing alive and well and sometimes we just have shitty days. I decided to set my alarm ahead an extra hour and a half because sleep makes things better.

Enli woke me up an hour before my alarm went off.

But I get cupcakes today, so hope is not lost.