Things that suck/Things that don't suck (revisited)

It's been quite a while since I've done one of these lists, so I figured I should provide an update:

Things that suck:

• The fact that I got a letter from AISD today saying that The Geej did NOT, in fact, get in to the school I put her transfer paperwork in for despite my full and enthusiastic participation in AISDarmageddon. Damnit!!
• My garage door opener is broken.
• Lots and lots and lots of medical bills arriving in the mailbox. All at once.
• Being absolutely unable to find a neutralish paint color I like to repaint The Geej's room, guest room and laundry room. Why is this so hard?
• Didn't sleep worth a damn last night--tossing, turning, coughing, sweating. Poor BH.
• My pitiful looking fingernails/toenails that are SCREAMING for a mani/pedi.
• Attending meetings via conference call.
• My cat Doug, who I swear is 1/2 rooster, waking us up at 5:30am with his pathetic meows simply because he wants attention.
• That, once again, I'm going to pretty much miss 100% of SXSW, except of course for all of the hiptards populating the Whole Foods downtown for the next week or so.

Things that DON'T suck:

• How hot BH looks in his official Texas Parks and Wildlife gear. Meow!
• Dinner cooking in the slow cooker all day long.
• I've got a tour planned tomorrow afternoon with the principal of another school that looks good (on paper) and that will hopefully feel right for The Geej. If not, we'll have to implement Plan C, which will be a pretty hefty financial hardship for us.
• This INSANELY beautiful weather!!
• All of the trees/flowers/bulbs are starting to bloom, and we should have a GORGEOUS wildflower season due to all the rain we got over the winter.
• I made it through today without a nap!
• Regaining the ability to sleep on my side without major neck discomfort.
• Tony, the friendly neighborhood cat. (I need to get a picture of him so I can post it. He's so damn cool.)
• The fact that La Turista is SHAVING HER DANG HEAD, live on t.v. next Wednesday morning!!
• Two weeks from today, BH and I will be at the beach. By ourselves.

Random Photo Monday

The view from the floor-to-ceiling windows in the "Signature Room" ladies' room on the top of the Hancock Building.

Other women who had the same idea as me, lined up to take pictures in the loo.

A mellow dog sleeping in a store-front window in Roscoe Village (Chicago). The sign reads, "All dogs appreciate the value of naps." There was another canine snoozing on a couch just inside the window area.

A cool, sort of freaky photo of Shiloh taken by The Geej.

Some lemon/basil veggie and shrimp kebabs we made on the grill this weekend. YUM.

A very self-satisfied little girl, her dirty babydoll, and a very patient dog.

Things I'm loving right now.

The Daily Coyote.

Raising Sand--the duet album with Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, produced by T. Bone Burnett. So. Damn. Good.

Italo's.

Acorn squash.

My new laptop at work.

Sweater weather.

The Tolerability Index.

Aster's Ethiopian Restaurant.

The Post of the Beast.

Yes people, this is post Number 666. That means it's only appropriate to share these with you:


Holy Mayflower! Who the HELL would spend $300 on these "Harvest Greeters"?! If I drove up to a house to have Thanksgiving dinner, and these two were standing in the front yard, I'd just keep on driving until I found the nearest Luby's. I have no idea how I ended up on this mailing list. Must be the work of Satan.


Speaking of Satan, how 'bout those wildfires in Southern California? Damn, y'all. If it's not earthquakes and mudslides, it's wildfires, killer traffic jams, outrageous real estate prices, and Britney Spears. I do not envy the people in SoCal. But that doesn't mean I want them to move here. We're all full up.


On a lighter note, I'm pretty sure that The Dark One had little to do with our SPECTACULAR fall (finally!) weather here today. Simply amazingly crisp and clear and perfect.

Other things that I'm currently loving:

• "America's Most Smartest Model" on VH-1. I LIVE for t.v. like this.
• Kiss My Face "C's The Day" body moisturizer
• Honeycrisp apples
• Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. It's comedy and American History all rolled into one. What's not to love?
• Celestial Seasonings "Tension Tamer" tea
• Koriente
• My Pure Beech 100% Modal Jersey sheets
• The 19 year old pajamas I'm wearing

That's all I got, fools. Got to go rendezvous with Ms. Vowell and call it a day.