things are looking up

And I didn't even have to start wearing make up!

This week I tried to get to bed early and wake up early enough to do my favorite morning routine of yoga, scripture study, and breakfast. I felt energized and healthy each day.

Also helping is the warmer weather. Which, of course, brings with it a chance to resume Ultimate! We had a captain's meeting on Thursday night for the spring league we play on. And on Saturday I went to my first casual pick-up game. It was glorious. I couldn't run very far without panting, but it helps that everyone else is similarly softened by winter hibernation.

Three cheers for smelly cleats, grass stains, and full layout bids!

perky polly picked a peck of potent peppers

but puddly paula poked a pack of porous potatoes



This is discouraging. I may have to start wearing make up on a regular basis. I didn't think my world would ever come to this. But several times in the last few weeks, when I went in to work, my coworkers look at me with concern and ask how I'm doing. One of them went so far as to call me "peaked" (merriam-webster's definition - being pale and wan or emaciated: sickly). This, for the girl who was recognized by her 11th grade cross-country coach for being "most enthusiastic" runner. Because what else do you call a girl who finishes the 5k in 45 minutes and smiling. Still, me and "peaked" didn't even use to share a room.

Alternative remedies to make-up to counteract my pale and sickly demeanor:
- Wear a high pony tail tied with ribbons. Think high school cheer captain.
- Dress in pastels.
- Dark sunglasses, or those creepy glasses with the open eyes painted on the lenses.
- Do vigorous push-ups in my office whenever people walk by.
- Sit with my cheeks resting on my hands, so they're bright red whenever I look up.
- Spread Vaseline on my teeth for a more dazzling smile.
- Sit on an exercise ball instead of my office chair.
- Wear sneakers.
- Close my office door.
- Walk in singing a show tune. "Oooooklahoma!"

Maybe I'll just go to bed earlier.

i'll have the chicken, please

Several years ago, when traveling to my old roommate's wedding, Abe & I decided to listen to Spanish language tapes on the way (yes, I said tapes). The the only tape we could find at the library was an intermediate level. We went for it anyway, with the unfortunate result that the only Spanish Abe knew was "Hay dos pollos", or, "There are two chickens".

We were at the wedding dinner later that weekend, where they were serving a choice of chicken or beef. In passing, we overheard one hispanic waiter say to another - refering to a table's order - "Hay dos pollos".

That has very little to do with the subject of this post, which has nothing to do with the title of this post. The subject being, we just got back from our trip to Mexico!

Trip highlights:
- Successfully getting across the border, and back again.
- Being with all 16 members of my family.
- Seeing old sites and friends in Arizona before going to Mexico.
- Surviving various calamities (dad vs pneumonia, sister vs stingray, brother-in-law vs mexican "police", 4-car caravan vs 4 GPS devices)
- Wearing shorts
- Not putting on shoes for 3 days, but being outside almost the whole time
- Eating avocados

Some photos.


Cute nieces.


Cute nephew


Nephew and me with large white sunglasses & double chin.


Classic Erin/Abe shot.


What Abe did most of the time.

shameless promotion

We just started a blog at my work. I wrote the second post about a day at work when a lamb came to visit the office. Check it out at http://blog.aahom.org/2009/03/16/lessons-from-little-joe/.

this makes me feel like an official homemaker

Remember the time I was out of a job and really into managing my grocery shopping? I'd like to blame that foray on the fact that I was 4 months into a dismal job search and in desperate need of constructive day-time activities. Unfortunately, today I conclusively proved that theory wrong.

Today I bought 2 storage tubs at Target.

Several months ago, I went to an evening discussion at my church about personal preparedness - having adequate savings, avoiding debt (or getting out of it), and maintaining a 3-month food supply. During the food supply talk, I got out a piece of scratch paper and started a plan. I listed all the shelf-life meals my family could get by on for 3 months. Then I listed all the ingredients, the quantities necessary for each, and approximate prices. In a stroke of good luck or sheer genius, the total cost for this 3-month supply of food was almost exactly our current monthly budget for food storage times 12. So in exactly 1 year, with our current budget, we could have a 3-month food supply. I know. Thrilling.

I kept the scrap of paper on my pile of things to do for the next few months. And today I finally took the first step - purchasing 2 storage tubs to keep the food in. The tubs are a better fit than shelves for our space right now. Plus, the idea is to get food we actually eat on a regular basis and put it in storage. If it's on easily accessible shelves, we'll eat it. This way the food is safely tucked away.

So over the next 12 months, I'll look for sales and buy items in bulk until we have everything on the list. Then I'll start over buying the same items and rotating out the old food as the new stuff comes in.

Of course, the whole plan wouldn't be complete without a spreadsheet, shown below.

I don't know what time it is, and that's just fine with me

I'm writing this from the patio of a beach house in Mexico. Which probably means this post won't be very long. The sun is shining, the waves are cresting over the sand, and I've got a bag of chips by my side.

...ahhhhh...

We were almost trapped here. When we got to the airport to fly to Arizona (first Arizona, then Mexico), we realized we forgot our passports at home. We were already through security and had exactly 1 hour before flight time. We called our friends who dropped us off at the airport. They were conveniently just at our house dropping off our car. They got in with our keys and found exactly where the passports were and rushed back to the airport. I got a new boarding pass and went to the curb. They got there just as they were boarding our plane.

Although, now that we're here, I'm just a little less grateful that we have a way back.

napropos

I've been thinking about bringing one of the bean bag chairs I made a few weeks ago into work with me. After lunch I often get really sleepy. I believe a 20-minute nap would do a lot to restore my usual vigor and vim. But I'm not sure how to appropriately integrate a daily siesta into the existing work culture.

Right now, I do the sneak approach. When I feel really zoned out, I put my elbows up on my desk and rest my forehead in my hands. I stay like that for a few minutes thinking, maybe I'll someone catch some ZZZs in this incredibly not comfortable position, and other people walking by my office will believe I'm just thinking hard or have a headache.

But I wonder if a more blatant approach wouldn't be better. Get out the bean bag chair and a soft lap blanket. Set it up in the middle of my office. Turn off the lights and shut the blinds. Maybe play Enya softly. And then set one of those silver bell-and-hammer alarm clocks to go off 20 minutes later.

Oooh - I could even bring in fuzzy slippers!

Da nah, da nah, da nah, da nah nunna nah...

Sickness did not strike Abe & I down for good. Although we were both almost out for the count for a while. Abe was in bed for about 4-5 days straight. I just had one rough night and then a slow and steady recovery (and snotty nose - except I can't mention that here because of the no fluids rule). (However, I think it's a another rule that anything goes within parentheses. So let's here it for punctuated fluid frenzies!)

Continuing the blog time travel, remember the time I got an ipod? It arrived in November. I got it out of its package in December. And in February I finally loaded my music and some podcasts onto it. And I have to say I really enjoy walking to the bus stop with my own soundtrack. When I see other people I often smile because I think it's funny that I have these voices and melodies playing in my head and they have no idea.

Sure, I may be a conservative brown-haired girl in dress pants and a long black coat, but inside I'm rocking out to Cake's Going the Distance.