February(2005)

Hello everyone!

Time for the February update.  I'm now sending this to everyone Bcc so if
you do decide to write an update yourself, it's more obvious that you should
send it to your list of people, not mine (though I had damn well better be
on that list!)  I was so happy to get updates from those of you that had
time.

I was going to wait to send until we are in the new house, but figured it
will be crazy for a few weeks, so I'll send now.


Things I learned this month:
1. My dog is a bush pooper.  Not Turtle, she poops on the McDonald's lawn
like clockwork.  But Eddie waits until he sees the most difficult bush, then
wiggles his but back to the bush and promptly poops.  It's completely and
utterly aggravating.  On the one hand, I'm pleased that he's completed his
business and I can now head back in soon.  On the other, I still have to
somehow get in there and retrieve his business.

2. Damian is poop-bag-selfish, similar to how I am food-selfish.  We're
taking the dogs out for a walk.  We have one good poop-bag left (the kind
where you have the cardboard handle so you don't have to touch anything) and
then will have to use regular plastic sacks for the other dog.  We know that
if we go to the left, Turtle will poop first (McDonald's to the left); we
know that if we go to the right (Church bushes to the right), Eddie will
poop first.  Normally, Damian follows my lead as to which way we'll be going
that walk.  This particular occassion, very innocently he says, "Let's go to
the right."  I say "OK" and don't think anything of it.  I realize, as we're
walking torward the bushes why Damian has suggested this route.  I start
pleading with Eddie to wait.  Like clockwork, Eddie does his business and D
gets to use the good poop bag.

3. We are experiencing the rarest of winters here.  It's sunny almost as
much as Colorado. Completely amazing.  Let's hope that my enthusiasm for
being her carries me through next winter which is sure to be constant
grayness and rain given this winter's complete craziness.

4. The person with the alarm clock on her/his side of the bed ends up with
the responsibility of getting up first.

5. When you're having a deck sealed "to maintain the color of the wood" make
sure they understand that staining it WHITE does not maintain the color of
the wood! They had to rip down parts of our deck and put up all new stuff to
get it back to cedar color.


Major Activities for the month:
- Workouts continue to go well.  I hit a big motivational bump a week or so
ago, but things are almost back to normal.  Have switched to the Stair
Master for cardio and this is quite challenging, not like the the stroll
through the park Elliptical machine workout I was doing.

- House: It is done! (except for a few odds and ends schedule to be done
this weekend or Monday or Tuesday).  We are supposed to close Tuesday -
Thursday.  It's weird because in Oregon you sign 72 hours before you close.
I'm not sure how that works.  There is some doubt as to whether the close
can happen on Thursday due to timing issues with our mortgage company and
their inspection, which will really suck considering we've got everything
scheduled for delivery on Friday and Saturday.  I'm just hoping it happens
on schedule.   Anyway, we should be moving on the 18th!!


Movies I saw this month:
- "Swimming Upstream" - quite good, though not as good as I was expecting.
- "Closer" - horrible, horrible movie.  Bad acting, bad script, bad, bad,
bad.
- "Million Dollar Baby" - excellent movie.
- "The Motorcycle Diaries" - v. good movie.
- "Kinsey" - good movie.
- "Finding Neverland" - excellent movie - I highly recommend.

I have now seen all Oscar nominated Best Pictures.  I'm rooting for "Ray"
and Jamie Foxx for this role in it, though I'm not sure that's going to
happen.