1. MLK Day, so day off. Played volleyball 6am - 8am. More than I usually play, so it tired me out. Legs sore.

2. Came home and watched the inauguration. A happy day, although I have to admit that I am about as partisan as anyone, hence if it were Romney getting sworn in, I would wish for an airstrike. So not surprised at Republicans' lack of enthusiasm.

3. It is not getting over 30 degrees in Eugene, due to an inversion layer which makes a bunch of freezing fog just SIT here. We went to the coast yesterday and it was sunny and warm and bright and beautiful. But with this air stagnation, people are discouraged from burning wood, but burning wood is the only way our house gets warm enough. So been cold for a few days, but might have a fire tonight because this is supposed to break up tomorrow.

1. Walked down to the inauguration.
2. Ran into my mom, niece, and nephew. I knew they were there, had dinner with them last night, but so very amazing to run into them in a crowd of 500,000 (or whatever it was). Cannot believe I ran into them.
3. Had a nice lunch on the way home.

I'm sorry to hear about your acquaintance, senyar.

1a. Off for MLK Day too. I made the mistake of checking my work blackberry. Bleh. I'll deal with it all tomorrow.

1b. Have a bazillion things that didn't get done since I decided to start knitting a pair of socks yesterday.

2. I had a follow up appt with the diabetes dietician this morning. More diet tweaks in hopes of not having to give myself insulin shots. 8 weeks to go. And the kidlet best not be late or she will be given a talking to post-delivery.

3. My doggies are entirely too cute even when they're annoying. And I need a "No Solicitors" sign as I'm getting very tired of people knocking on my damn door, which means I get barking and growling for too many minutes.

bluesapphires, do you have a partner? Just wondering because you never mention one, and having a kid on my own was something I was very seriously considering before I got together with my now-husband.

1. I left work a touch early on Sunday since I was a touch hungover in the morning and I needed to run errands. Came in to work this morning and decided that I wanted to be anywhere else and so I left after making up the time from Sunday.

2. There's a condo board meeting tonight which I should really go to, but I am also really feeling like nesting and doing my chores and going to bed early. This is the first meeting that they've held in over a year (which is illegal, but I only have so many battles I can fight) and so I feel that if I don't go (and no one else goes) that they'll feel like they can not hold meetings.

3. Can I just go snuggle with my kitty and not have to do anything like study for the Wicca 101 test or decide if I want to take the next session of lessons or choreograph the several routines I have up in the air or or or or? That'd be great.

1. At work today, and working on tax stuff. but traffic was non-existent! and parking was plentiful!

2. I suddenly have a sore throat (came on around lunchtime), so I am not going to workout tonight. hopefully it's nothing, and will go away after a night of rest.

3. worked on organizing the bunny/sewing room yesterday for hours and hours - it's almost done! I'll be able to craft and sew soon!

1. It is cold and windy here in a way that I forgot could happen. The high was 7, and the wind is whistling and rattling the windows so badly I'm having trouble hearing anything else. The cat has surgically attached herself to my lap, and I think we both appreciate the extra body heat.

2. Had an unmotivated week or two with exercise, but I'm feeling back on track. Did a good circuit training workout this morning, which felt good.

3. Just signed up for a guided tour of the "Hidden history and mysteries" of the Field Museum of Natural History. I'm rather excited about it.

amro: bluesapphires, do you have a partner?
Nope. Having kids was always my #1 long term goal and I decided given my worst than abysmal dating record, it was time to move forward. Plus 3 years of my dad lobbying for a grandkid was more than enough.

1. Stupid holiday, so the one bus I need does not run today.
2. I found what may be the perfect place for me to live in Seattle. I check it out on Wednesday.
3. Brushing Sookie every day has resulted in soft, extra-thick fur. When she curls up to me at night, she's a miniature fireball.

Already? I just "touched base" in Saturday's "touch base" thread. Well...

1) Amazon.com Customer Service has impressed me. I went for the one-month free trial of Prime membership and used it to order two small ($10) items with free 2-day shipping. They were shipped via a neverheardofthem shipping outfit called Ontrac who reported them as dropped by my door at 5:15PM on Thursday, which was when I was literally outside my door working on the semi-dead Subaru. Yeah, sure. I sent off a controlled ballistic explosion to Amazon, who apologized profusely, offered to refund or replace-at-no-charge (I picked the 2nd option) and extended my Prime trial another month. Good. Today, the replacement package arrived, via the same dicey shipper, Ontrac, with the original package on top of it. Gonna be a good boy and return the duplicate to Amazon.

2) Still sucking on cough drops and my latest batch of Hall's is in the new "A PEP TALK IN EVERY DROP" packaging with short messages of encouragement on the individual wrappers. I saw one that told me "You have it in you!" and replied "Yes, it's in me, it's a virus and I'm TRYING to get rid of it!" Yes, I talk to cough drops.

3) Another car-mechanically-inclined neighbor offered to check out my almost-dead Subaru. He was hoping he could acquire it for a pittance and fix it up, but his initial offer couldn't match the California Car Retirement Program ($1000) and the more he dug into the workings of the engine, the more non-workings he found. It is a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a thousand pounds of Japanese steel) He was able to make a couple small adjustments which should make it easier for me to drive it in to the dismantler's (one of the requirements of the Retirement Program). Another small step forward toward putting this mystery out of its misery.

1. Stynx's parents and bro/SIL came to town for Oliver's baptism on Sunday (Aunt, Uncle and Cousin also drove from Philly morning of). It was nice having everybody around. They all loved time with Oliver- particularly Grandma and Grandpa! We got some free time today while Oliver hung with them at the hotel.
2. I feel like our summer calender is already totally jam-packed. Visits to the Jersey shore, a wedding, a family trip with Stynx's family, visiting my family in FL. I'm looking into doing some fun "athletic" events- the Brooklyn Bridge swim and a Dirty Girl Mud Run. Oh, and a move at some point, no later than June 30 when our lease ends. So exciting!
3. Thinking about/looking into moving onto Stynx's seminary campus (in Chelsea) for the next academic year. Would be very convenient for Oliver, since he goes to daycare there. Would make my commute longer, but right now Oliver spends way more time on the subway than I do and I'd like to fix that. Plus the campus is nice (has an enclosed lawn), plus there'd be a ton of people around to hang with, plus there's LAUNDRY in the buildings, plus plus plus. We'll see how it goes. No matter where we go, I'm getting pumped to move and it's only January! This is the time of year I get stir-crazy, thank goodness I have lots of stuff to keep my mind occupied.

occhiblu, can you throw me a link about that Field museum tour? I'm intrigued (might want to steal the idea!)

Thinking about/looking into moving onto Stynx's seminary campus (in Chelsea) for the next academic year. Would be very convenient for Oliver, since he goes to daycare there.

That is two blocks from where we always stay when in NYC. Plus, close to the High Line. Very pretty little area.

Miko, it's through SideTour, which I only recently found out about (I think it's new?), which operates in NYC, Chicago, and DC. This will be my first experience doing a tour with them, but their offerings sound really really cool. Their website appears to let you view content only if you register, but here's the direct link to the Field Museum tour, and here's the copied text, in case that doesn't work:

* Isabelle Burtan studied museum collections as an archaeology and anthropology major at Harvard
* Learn about how museums obtain, organize and display objects from other people and cultures
* Discover fun facts, weird histories and ghost stories on a walking tour of The Field Museum

When a museum opens a new exhibit, most of their work has been done. What the public sees is a carefully curated display with every detail in place, staged for optimal viewing. But what we’ve missed are the months, if not years, of decisions, negotiations and occasional dramas that occur behind the scenes.

Isabelle Burtan became fascinated by the secret side of museums as a student. The Chicago native studied archaeology and social anthropology at Harvard, focusing her research on the hidden histories and silenced voices of museum collections, and interned with the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Today, Isabelle remains a fan of all that is weird and bizarre, with a passion for sharing stories and fun facts.

As you tour The Field Museum with Isabelle, she’ll demonstrate the history and legalities of how museums collect art and represent other cultures. She’ll also divulge interesting tidbits about The Field, like how it got its name (a story that involves a World’s Fair and a fight) and the ghosts that are reported to lurk there. Then, prepare to encounter the strange world of museum taxidermy and its hidden history, check out mummy X-rays and learn how those artifacts are procured, and pay a visit to the hall of gems to get a lesson in reading a display case like an expert.

Nope. Having kids was always my #1 long term goal and I decided given my worst than abysmal dating record, it was time to move forward. Plus 3 years of my dad lobbying for a grandkid was more than enough.

Good for you!

This is Tuesday, but since I had Monday off it feels like a Monday, so . . . .
1. Very very very cold weather. Hard to get the house warmed up in the evenings after work.
2. Speaking of work, I have a lot of anger about it at the moment, which makes it hard to be there. No chance of another job though so I'll just have to get through it as best I can. After all, it's only 14 more years until retirement.
3. I am also having a communication problem, in that I don't like the way I am being communicated with.

occhblu, thanks. Cool on all accounts - glad to find out about SideTour, and this is a great example of late trends in museums...backstage stuff. Cool cool. I appreciate the info!

occhblu, thanks. Cool on all accounts - glad to find out about SideTour, and this is a great example of late trends in museums...backstage stuff. Cool cool. I appreciate the info!

1. Finally finished my grades (11:55pm deadline online tonight). Exhausted. Should go to bed, but Serena's playing live at the Australian Open, quarter finals. Tight third set. Can't go to bed now.

2. Tomorrow I'll be grading state English regents, at another building. Don't know about parking. Might need to take the bus from my school, and it's so, so cold. :(

3. Saw mom Monday. Jon and I went up to Connecticut. Managed to avoid most snow and traffic. She's doing well, knock on wood. We brought her a grilled pastrami rueben and some onion rings from our favorite greasy spoon, the Merritt Canteen, and she loved it. Nice to see her with a good appetite.

(What day is it?)

Ugh JanetLand, #2 and #3 apply to my life right now, too. Except that I was planning to get a new job soon. Now I'm planning to get a new job STAT!!

I hope things work out for you :(

Oh, hello, it's Wednesday. My time has generally been like JanetLands - just, work is driving me bonkers and there's not much I can do about it.

1. Monday off, which was nice. Got the kids to clean more than usual

2. Weighed myself and I've lost some 20 pounds since last April when I blew out my hip.

3. That's happy, but not as happy as the muscle structure I see peeking through the skin occasionally. I'm not lifting terribly heavy weights, but it's getting there.

3a. Decided to add sheet music to my cradle for this year. I want to learn to sight-sing.