Things I Might Do Today

It's supposed to be 88 degrees today. I don't have air conditioning. I have a basement. What can I do?

• go to a movie or three
• eat loads and loads of ice cream
• hide in my basement (reading or watching tv)
• head to the lake and just stand in it
• camp out at my folks' house (They have A/C.)
• lay perfectly still and think cool thoughts.

Hmmmm.... we'll see what happens...

Movie of the Day: The Ice Storm. Sounds pretty good right about now.

Beach Head

I've spent the past week hanging out with relatives and reading Harry Potter. Both adventures are done now and I'm trying to recover from what we called "Beach Head." It's that feeling you get after going to the beach. You know, the "I've been in the sun too long and it's wiped me out. Don't expect me to think clearly." Some of us have had "Beach Head" for multiple days this week and can finally try to regain control of the situation.

Sleep. Stare at the wall. Do a little laundry.

Movie of the Day: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Saw it yesterday. Very good.

Blog Slacker

Hi! I know I haven't blogged for a long time. Sorry about that! Things have been nutty here:

1) Wonderful relatives are here from Pittsburgh (since Sunday).

2) In what little spare time I have around all of the "See Duluth" activities, I've been reading Harry Potter. I'm nearly done. Then, I'll breathe, blog, and turn on a radio.

Movie of the Day: Sneakers. Watched it last night with the family. Good flick. Outdated, technologically, but still good.

Getting Home

Do you have a routine when you arrive home?

Whenever I get home after dark, I like to look up to see if there are any visible stars out. Typically, this involves me walking and leaning way back, therefore nearly falling over and then worrying that my neighbors will think I'm drunk. (I don't drink.)

Any way, tonight, the stars are amazing!!!! I vowed to head out to my hammock after dumping my to-go box and checking my email (it's an addiction).

Since it's a chilly night, I grabbed a sweatshirt and headed to the hammock on my deck. The same hammock that my friend Susie wants to rent every so often. I tell her she can use it for free whenever she likes. Everyone should have a hammock.

Every time I look at the stars, and especially tonight, I'm always reminded of just how huge the universe is and how tiny I am within it. So many things seem so important until I sit outside and look up at the stars. In the grand scheme of things, only a few things really matter: faith, family, friends.

That's it.

Movie of the Day: Stargate.

Random Things I Love

1. Pacifica Hawaiian Ruby Guava candles

2. freesia flowers

3. Dora the Explorer Animal Crackers

4. pretty rocks

5. windchimes

6. magnets

7. Fisher-Price Happy Apple toy

8. My Stuffed Animal, Sam Ole.

Movie of the Day: The Lion King

Ticket Stubs

It's been 5 months since I went to Paris and London and I am finally, finally putting together a scrapbook of brochures and ticket stubs. I can't imagine that any of it would be super thrilling for people to look at, but it's fun for me to have the memories arranged in a book.

I mean, I've had photo albums full for months now, but none of them are written in and they only include actual photos. This has "tube" tickets, maps of museums, and silly stickers that I bought when I got back (You know, the kind they sell in the scrapbooking aisles of craft stores. I couldn't resist!!!). So, it's a little cheesy, but fun.

Movie of the Day: The Emperor's New Groove. Silly with a good message.

Nit-Picky

I'm having one of those days where you finally get to the things that have been bugging you, but were too small to attend to earlier. For instance, I need to wash my windows. I'm not quite ready to do that, but I have now cleaned the sills between the screen and the window. Yes, I know it could have been done when I washed the windows, but now I feel better any way.

It's small, but productive.

Movie of the Day: A Bug's Life. Ants: small, but productive.

Old Friends

I spent most of Friday hanging out with friends from high school. I just did the math and we've known each other for almost 20 years. This freaks me out more than I can express. I'm not "old enough" to have had friends for 20 years. Oddly, I have other friends who I've known for 27 years. Eek!!!

Any way, it's interesting to think about what these friends were like in high school and what they have become now. What jobs they have. Who they married. What their kids are like. Very, very interesting.

I wonder about the subtle changes that I don't see during our short visits.

Movie of the Day: Breach. Very good.

Day Trip

I'm heading to the Cities tomorrow for the day. I'm meeting two friends and their kids (2 boys each). I'm psyched. We're meeting in the afternoon (after naptime), which leaves me the morning to goof off in the Cities alone. Hmmmm.... what to do?

Bookstores?
Craft stores?
A museum (nah...)?
???

Suggestions?

Movie of the Day: 1408. Saw it last night. Creepy.

A few Duluth photos that I took yesterday...

I've been distracting myself with www.websudoku.com lately. I find that I don't have the patience for it (or other puzzles) during the school year, but now, I'm looking for something to challenge my brain. Cryptoquips are fun too. The Jumble in the paper is okay. Sometimes, I just guess the answer without knowing the letters. I've also found that it's easier to just say the letters the way they are and let my brain sort them out instead of writing out possible combinations. Goes faster.

Movie of the Day: Batman. The one with the Riddler.

Weird. My blog won't let me give this a title. Grrr... Here's what it would have said:

Girl Power!

In the past month and a half, baby girls have entered the lives of four of my friends! Three of these cuties have joined the world in the last 10 days! I think it's interesting that they are all girls. Their names: Tess, Sophie, Rinnah, and Luli. Sweet.

Movie of the Day: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

The Name Game

Okay, so Tuesday was the last day to vote for my willow's name. Now, I was gonna hypenate everyone's suggestions, but 1) it would be a long name, and 2) that's wimpy. The name is.....

Windy Willow,

suggested by Tracey. Yes, it's windy out and I will now be able to tell just by looking at Windy.

Movie of the Day: Wind in the Willows (kid movie).

Ramblings

Okay, a little stream of consciousness for this fine day:

My toes are cold.
I'm wearing a sweater (it's cold out).
I fixed a ring yesterday that's been broken since October. It took 2 minutes.
I have three cds in my stereo and for some reason I get sick of the second one first.
I keep thinking I should dust my car (inside).
I called Walgreens yesterday to find out how to dispose of old cough syrup: Dilute. Soak up with paper towels. Throw in garbage.
It's the last day to suggest Willow Tree names.
I like when people talk fast or with accents (other than my own).
I'm nervous to open an iTunes account, but finally have found some songs I want to buy.
I'm reading Grace (Eventually) by Anne Lamott and sometimes I'm surprised at what she's willing to put in writing. She's very brave.
My aunt has started a bead-making business and they're pretty. (More on that later).

Movie of the Day: A River (stream?) Runs Through It.

Creating Space

I'm trying to sort out old books, clothes, Cds and movies. It's a good feeling to know that there will be open spaces in my house. Room to grow or for something new. It's exciting.

Movie of the Day: Spaceballs. Those guys are nuts.

Books

Do you ever walk into a bookstore and have the urge to write a book?

I do.

Is that weird? I don't think I could write fiction. I just don't have the patience to formulate plot, etc. Plus, I tend to meander in my conversations (yes, I know I can't finish a sentence, just like my mom, before starting a new one).

Any way, sometimes, I wonder....

Movie of the Day: Saved. Watched it last night. Hilarious. And scary.