how do they do it?

How do people who routinely work 12 hour days manage it? I've put in quite a few of those lately, but I was thinking about time allocation the other night, and I realized that a 10 hour day, when added to commuting time, time to get ready in the morning and wind down at night, and I've not got 8 hours for sleep during the night - goodness help me if I want to accomplish any chores around the house. As a result, my sink is full of unwashed dishes and I have one hamper filled with clean laundry, one with dirty. Shoes are scattered everywhere - that cat has taken to curling up with them:

My fridge is stocked with snacks and frozen dinners rather than food to be cooked - when it's not empty, and that's if I don't either order in or go out.

So that's the answer to where I've been - working. Unfortunately, work doesn't make for interesting blog posts, And my wallet doesn't like all the eating out, especially since I've decided that with all this working I've earned a vacation that I can't really afford. I don't think I care, though. I deserve a break, of the sloth-like variety. I tend to be a go-getter, or at least a go-see-er on vacation, but I intend to go somewhere pretty and not see, instead I will just sit. Sit until I don't know what to do with all the time I've got between 8 hour sleeps, or more, and thoughts of getting up before the sun to watch the clock while I cuddle that cat, thinking about whether or not I'll catch the fast bus, or even the one bus, not the one ten minutes later... well, all those thoughts will be forgotten. It's going to be amazing. And maybe all that sitting will give me more interesting things to say.

Things lost in bars...

• Favorite winter hat (Boston, MA, Washington Square Tavern) - I loved that herring bone cap with the pink ribbon.
• Favorite winter scarf (Boston, MA) - that was also the night I saw a girl friend get kissed by another girl and picked up the only straight man in a gay bar - worth it.
• Brand new khaki jacket (Boston, MA) - present from Momola, but that doesn't count as lost - it got stolen.
• iPod (Seattle, WA) - fell out of a jacket pocket making the transfer from cab to street at a conference. I was heartbroken and had to go buy myself a replacement immediately.
  
• cellphone (Boston, MA, Beacon Street Tavern) - going away dinner after a good-bye party (and a lot of tequila) at the office - losing your phone the night before people gather to help you move out of your apartment? inadvisable.
• blackberry (Boston, MA, Washington Square Tavern) - last night in Boston on this recent trip, blackberry was the casualty of Daddo's scotch tour. At least that's how I'm telling it.
• We don't need to discuss the number of times I've lost my dignity.
  

is it the debate or the food poisoning?

Yup, I ate some bad oysters during my stay on Martha's Vineyard. They didn't get me right away, but in the middle of the night, right before we were supposed to get up and pack out, I woke up running to the bathroom. I spent the rest of the night trying desperately to sleep in between kneeling to the porcelain and the gurgles in my gut. Oh, it was awful. I had to listen for when Momola woke up and call out to her on the stairs, "I'm going to be less than usless this morning." There's nothing quite like being almost 30 years old, rushing out of the shower to stand, dripping and towel-wrapped, retching until tears come and having your mother have to come hold your hair. I made it through ferry, car, plane, and final car rides without losing anything else, but really, there was nothing left to lose. I arrived at my parents' house completely undone. I spent Monday napping at their house with the cat lying at my hip. I ate toast and broth.

Today I went to work. It was decided early on that I had no interest in my opera ticket for this evening, so that was given away. Shortly thereafter I decided that a full day might be too much for me. First I had a meeting to go to. It ended with a pizza delivery, and despite the hunger the smell awoke, the mingled smells of tomato sauce and jalapeno peppers quickly chased me out of the room. It wasn't too much longer that I was on the phone with Lady, telling her I had to pack it in soon. She listened briefly, and then announced, "you're about to become the girl who stops the train. I'm coming to pick you up." I assumed she was referring to the fact that Metro shuts down whenever someone sniffles, not stopping the train by falling in front of it, Anna Karenina style... She kindly drove me into the city, where I promptly fell asleep.

I'm awake now and watching the debate, and I'm so glad that McCain wants us to achieve peace in the world - he said so. He also tells us every time he's on tv that America has the best workers, the most productive and the most innovative. I'm not so sure about that these days. It was India that gave us Scrabulous, after all. And tell me more about the greed, excess, and crony-ism in Washington and Wall Street, old man, tell me more. Act like you never heard of the Keating Five. Also, I think Palin is rubbing off on him, because his sentence structure leaves something to be desired tonight. Way to side-step and ignore Darfur, you old jerk, you didn't even say the name. I should probably stop now.

Here's to some food with flavor tomorrow, assuming the politi-speak doesn't keep my stomach turned.

a place to summah

Wednesday morning found me at an airport... again. Travel was for fun this time, however, and that Lady and I were headed north to my favorite state. And not just Massachusetts, but Martha's Vineyard! I never made it to the island when I was living in Boston, but we found ourselves with a place to stay, so to Martha's Vineyard we went. It's been lovely, and I am already in love with this place as a vacation destination. We've wandered all over the island, and there will be more to come, but for now, here's a self-portrait I took on the beach:

only somewhat pink...

If you've never been to Block Island, well, then get on the boat. I flew Friday afternoon/evening back to the east coast, where I promptly fell asleep to visions of vacation. Saturday morning there were crepes in Coolidge Corner and familiar streets to travel, but don't let me vanish into the bookstore, because I had a train to catch. Train and ferry caught, I found myself standing in the sunshine on a breezy island that is all that you imagine small New England beaches to be. It was glorious. Neeners, JanemyJane, and Jane's man Dean and I basked in the glory of nothing to do and nowhere to be. We splashed in the water, played lasso-golf, and read in our beach chairs. I got a little pink, which is why I'm all covered up in the picture. Dean bbq-ed while we drank white wine and played cards. We drove to scenic overviews and stared at animals that one doesn't expect on a New England island (kangaroo??). We laughed, told stories, and laughed some more. It was brilliant. Tuesday found me well-rested and looking forward to finishing the week traipsing about Boston. Rediscovering favorite haunts and tastes I've missed, catching up with old friends. I reversed the ferry and train journey yesterday, made my way back to Eric and Annie's home, pet that cat, and then went for a walk involving a pedicure (beach feet), a coffee, and that bookstore I hadn't let myself venture into on Saturday. I love vacation.

Best Email, Ever.

About a week ago JanemyJane, Neeners, and I were discussing what to bring to the beach. I, coming from far away, offered what I had that was easily carried with me - Uno, one of the best card games ever, and made a comment about playing while drinking. JanemyJane emailed back, in classic form:

"I love Uno! I love being drunk!"

That's just classic.

Miracles and Rewards

Tonight I did the thing no woman should ever have to do. I went (gasp) bathing suit shopping. I've got a vacation with Janemyjane and Neeners coming up at the end of August, and we're going to be lazing about on a beach. Apparently, this requires an outfit, of the skimpy and spandex variety.

I know I'm a big girl, and I need to lose some weight. That said, I don't have a cascade of body issues - I'm pretty comfortable with who I am and how I look. Enough men have been more than happy to see me naked, and that alleviates the secret fears of being scary and hideous - maybe I am, but I don't know it. The part of me I hate most? My knees. It's ridiculous, I know, but I think I have chubby knees, and regardless of how chubby the rest of me may or may not be, I have never thought my knees were attractive. How knees can be attractive, I don't know, but mine aren't.

However, back to the topic on hand; bathing suits are not flattering unless you're a stick. They're spandex, which may smooth part of you, but leaves the rest to do strange things where the constrictive fabric ends. Very few women are comfortable in a bathing suit. The last time I was in a bathing suit was when I was in Greece, and I was too busy being in lurve to think about what I looked like - I love that about being around someone who you know likes you as you are, you lose your concern about your faults. Anyway, it's been a while, and while I still own that bathing suit, I'm not sure I know where it is, and, well, it's a bikini, and I'm not sure I'm ready for that all over again. So, having waiting until almost August, I'm late to the swimsuit market and dreading it. Thanks be to Jane. She clued me in to MiracleSuits. They are, quite simply, magic. They claim to make you look ten pounds slimmer, and I don't know or care about that, because they are comfortable, and flattering, and I liked how I felt in it. Of course, being a bathing suit, I saw some leg cellulite I hadn't realized was there, and those knees aren't hidden, but a girl can't have everything. Block Island, here I come! Note to self, dig out that old wrap...

As a reward, I went to the book store, where I may have forgotten my promise to live frugally this month in preparation for vacation at the end. Let's view it as cheap entertainment, and leave it at that. Besides, I got a new journal for working on blog posts and such away from the computer. I have a couple of stories and rants in the works, and rather than just working them out in my head, I want to flesh them out and edit them for real. I'll keep you posted - hee!

decadence is...

Decadence is getting out of the bathtub in order to refill your wine glass, and then climbing back into the tub. Is it excess to make a sandwich for the tub after a zoo-shift when your hungry? Decadence is puckered toes on a Saturday night. Decadence is knowing that your going to spend your 30th birthday with your very best friend. I don't care where we go, my friend, I just want to be with you.

projects.

Friday night I was invited to a picnic at the zoo - they threw a bash with which to appreciate their volunteers. It was quite the event and a very good time, even if it was humid and sticky out. I like my fellow volunteers, and we don't see each other when we're actually on the job, so these things are always fun. There's a meeting on Tuesday of this week, which involves a short lecture on an animal-related topic, so I'm excited.

After a lovely brunch with the boys - I am quite the little homemaker! - Momola came into the city to help me hand the pictures that have been in boxes for the last... ten months. I'm down to a small pile of boxes in the office that remain to be unpacked - it's books for which I have no bookcase and papers for which I have no file cabinet. I'm making a prioritized list of things I need:

1. vacuum cleaner
2. file cabinet
3. headboard for bed
4. bookshelves (at least two required for books I own, without consideration for books I've yet to buy)
5. nightstands
6. dresser

The order of those last two is negotiable, and all of this waits for two things: my impending Block Island trip with Neeners and Janemyjane that ends with half a week in Boston (hello Washington Square Tavern and Liquid Hair Salon!), and... a vacation with Momola to Martha's Vineyard!!

That's right, two amazing things happened at work this week. First, a proposal I submitted to do some extra work (!) resulted in extra work, but comes with a bonus, so is hard to argue with! Second, Lady and I gave a monetary donation to a girl who's about to spend the next year and so living out of a van (down by the river? not quite) traveling and volunteering - she had a raffle for thsoe who donated, and we won a place to stay on Martha's Vineyard! What's even better, Momola's initial reaction was, "I can't take vacation, you go..." but I talked her out of it and we're headed off for some mother-daughter bonding time, with the possible addition of her best friend (she of "blue sparkling hell" fame) and maybe Janemyjane and Neeners?? The details are far from even being fuzzy, but Lady has agreed to go, and I'm so excited!

Anyway, I'm planning a work-at-home day for Tuesday, and have a plan to take some pictures of the newly decorated place, that way you guys can see my lovely, almost-furnished home!