1. If all goes well, today we are FINALLY closing on our house after 6 months of aggravation. Moral of the story: if you have a decommissioned underground oil tank and don't have the paper work showing that it was properly decommissioned, then remove the %*#& thing before you list your house. And don't take advantage of people who are 7 months pregnant and essentially homeless.

2. Looking forward to seeing Senyar as well!

3. I really hope it doesn't snow much.

1) Finishing up a small freelance project and hoping they like it; if they do I'll get lots more work from them.

2) For once the big storm is going to miss us, yay! It is sunny and smells a little spring-y.

3) I just started doing Instagram and it's really fun. I have 3 followers! Anyone else do it?

TPS, I am sure Costco will be crazy before a big storm! I'm going today too; need garbage bags, dishwasher soap, canned tuna (theirs is so much better than BumbleBee or Chicken of the Sea) and a big bag of oranges. Will probably pick up a rotisserie chicken too for an easy dinner tonight. LOVE those chickens.

1b. We are SO ANGRY with the sellers and their lawyer and the environmental company and basically everyone involved in this mess, and I was so thrilled to hear that neither the lawyer nor the sellers were going to be at closing. just found out that the lawyer will be there after all. Ugh.

1c. PS I love this house and am so happy we are getting it!

1) Texas continues to be fun, although I got way too drinky last night ( no good Scotch in this state! Bah!)

2) I am consumed by twin desires, go horse riding and get sassparilla soda

3) I am have insisted we to to a tourist trap cause it was the model for a minor location in Fallout: New Vegas.

I'm on my tablet atm, and about to go into a meeting, but someone feel free to start an instagram page in the Mechazens section of the wiki. Then post it to the front page so people know about it! (looking at you, kangaroo, you can do it, I believe in you)

WHELK WHERE IN TEXAS ARE YOU. There is so good scotch here

1) DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT. Just had a meeting with the boss' boss and I'm losing my office to some new faculty member. I love this little place. I don't want to be crammed in with three other people who drive me nuts on a regular basis.

2) Older Boy got a recruiting letter from a middle school because of his grades. We went to their open house and he wants to go because they have dance class. We've got another year to go, so maybe he'll get others? The whole magnet school concept kind of gives me the creeps.

3) My karate instructor's dojo shut down because the investors pulled out, so he had to get another job. Bummed because he had a good thing going. We'll do private lessons, but it's not the same.

2a. Costco trip postponed until Monday. Just as well; I couldn't find my big IKEA bag to schlep stuff home and I have to pick up Oliver tonight, so Monday is better. This does mean I have to figure out an alternative for lunch- I was going to have a Costco hot dog :D

1. *hack* *cough* *wheeze* *sniffle*

2. We are on day two of our current round of testing at the Duke Canine Cognition Center. My dog isn't the best test subject, in that she is not motivated by either treats or toys. She tolerates the games enthusiastic graduate students try to play with her for a few minutes before she plants her ass on the floor and refuses to move. At least she's another data point.

3. I want Senyar to come and visit ME!

San Antoino!

1. It's snowing. While it's nice to have an excuse to stay home, it wasn't suppose to snow and now we've got 3-4 inches instead of the "up to 2 inches" now in the forecast. Grrrr.

2. Still pregnant. Daily pep talks to kidlet are not working. But I start maternity leave Monday (because screw the idea of working up to delivery). And given my doctor will be away for most of next week pretty much ensures I'll go into labor while she's gone.

3. So sleepy. I need a nap.

1. It's a snow day for me, even though all there has been so far is slush. Oh well, still glad I'm not driving in it. I just woke up from my nap and I have a big list of things to get done.

2. I've been grary over my pathworking lately. I have to come up with some sort of creative project for the West and I have no idea what to do! I need to spend some time meditating and chatting with the Lord and Lady to get some guidance.

3. At the rate this snow is going, I'll have to go into work tomorrow. I do have actual work to do, but in reality, I'd much rather stay home. I'm not pleased with this current total lack of motivation regarding my paying job.

1. On vacation this week (have time I must use up before the end of April, and most of the other weeks are taken up by others). I'm so very glad that I don't have to be at work - we have most of the supplies we'd need (forgot bottled water), so we'll be set food wise. I'm hoping for snow - one last snow!

2. My Beau and I attended an estate auction on Sunday and one of our purchases was a cedar chest full of love letters from 1926 to 1933, between the couple who eventually married and bought the house. The majority of the letters were from 1929 to 1931, while the gentleman was at Harvard Law School. I'm trying to sort them by months now (got them sorted by years at this point) and wondering if I could make a blog or a book from them. They are very cool.

3. I was planning to do some spring cleaning, but I'm feeling particularly lazy this vacation. Maybe later...but I'm thinking of making cupcakes. Much more fun.

1. Got new car! A spanking new Ford Escape, with 4WD!! Woo-hoo!

2. Due to #1, I need to majorly looking at cutting expenses.

3. Because of #1 and #2, I am considering switching from Comcast cable to Verizon Fios. Has anyone ever done this? Is it a miserable experience? Will Comcast offer you a better deal if they know you're leaving?

1. Yesterday was one of those inexplicably black days that hit on occasional when one chooses not to medicate for depression. Thus, today seems a whole lot better despite the fact that I slept in until 9:30.

2. I got a new piece of guitar gear yesterday that will make playing guitar through headphones a whole lot easier. A Sansamp GT2 for those who care.

3. I got a new computer/guitar pickin' chair, and now Sookie has the piano bench all to herself. I am thinking of recovering it with a carpet remnant.

Argh! Too far south! Enjoy the Alamo.

1. Senyar gets here really soon! Yay! Beating the snow.

2. Kid had a playdate over the weekend with a new friend of hers. I really like his parents, and they live a block from us, so I am going to keep suggesting playdates with him. It sucks when your kid latches onto another kid whose parents you don't gel with well. *shrug* I guess it won't matter so much in a few years, but now it does.

3. I am on my 4th giant cup of tea for the day. Something about the cold weather really brings out the tea drinker in me.

1. Excited for Senyar visit.
2. Excited for JanetLand visit.
3. On March 15th (next Friday), my hip hop improv group has its first anniversary show. I am pretty excited. So glad we've been able to keep it going this long. (You should all come, it's free.)

Wishing I was meeting amro and her baby, too! Good luck with the house, you crazy kids.

1. This morning, assisted and preached at the "Lutheran" monthly service at my school. Dress code for the chapel wants black dress shoes worn by presiders/assistants but a mix up in the morning (i.e. getting readyin a dark room) meant that I brought ThePinkSuperhero's black heels to change into rather than my own shoes. Everyone at the service just thought my red chucks was just how Lutherans are - being WILD and REBELLIOUS all the time. I dunno. I'd be happy with that label though.

2. I also left my half-completed notes for my sermon at home so I had to wing it. It went okay - and its always fun when an Archbishop thanks you for your message.

3. Tonight I'm leading the midweek Lenten service at my church since my supervisor is out of town. I must remember to pick up cheese and wine for the post-service fellowship time.

1. Jealous of Senyar for her trip, but since I just got back from HI, I do not expect much sympathy.

2. The weather has turned nasty again.

3. Just got a guitar like this. No cutaway, rosewood back and sides and spruce top. I had to leave it in the case for 24 hours for it to acclimate. Pretty excited to start playing it.

stynxno- I would have LOVED to hear the reaction to your rebellious Lutheran heels instead.

1. Just got back from a great trip to a family friend's wedding in Buenos Aires. I went with my fiance, my sister and her friend, and my dad and his wife. Family trips can be trying but this one was fun and everyone got along well. People in Argentina go out so late! One night we had 11:30pm dinner reservations.
Also, fiance and I danced at the wedding til 2:30 and then went to bed, and were roundly mocked in the morning by the locals for not making it til 5am.

2. Taking 2 short work trips soon which I am looking forward to, one to the main office in Pittsburgh and one to a conference in Chicago. Trying to book tickets and hotels now.

3. Wedding planning is not my bag, baby. Family and friends are being nice and maybe a little too "helpful" sometimes and everyone wants a "job" to do but then no one is actually doing the thing. MIL wanted to be in charge of flowers, so I said ok go for it, wildflowers would be nice but just find a place nearby and it will be fine. But now I am getting emails about how I really should go upstate with her to see the arrangements at different florists in person and that I should research what is in bloom at the time etc... sigh. I guess I need to make it clear when I say "just do it" I sincerely mean "just do it and don't talk to me about it because I really don't care that much."

4. Met with the rabbi who will be officiating for the first of our counseling sessions, and she is a little more hippie-dippie than I had hoped. But she is a long time friend of fiance's family and he likes her so it will be fine. Not being a wedding person is making these obligations and appointments all seem like a drag; maybe if I was starry-eyed about my big day it would be more exciting and fun.

It's still Wednesday here.

1. I think something's bothering Crosbie the dog. He's licking the inside of his mouth and yawning more than he usually does. His teeth were recently cleaned and the vet can't find any sign of a problem.

2. Last weekend I had an aunt and cousin staying here, which was awesome.

3. Planning to go to bed early tonight, which in my terms means pretty much now.

1. I'm in New York.

2. I'm in New York.

3. I AM IN NEW YORK.

1. PhD has begun! With super friendly meetings with head of research who is also my ex-supervisor. It turns out my current supervisors are both on leave next semester so I need to find a temp and I am tempted to ask her but I can't tell if she thinks I'm actually good, or if it's 'hey, I supervised you that time!' or 'be nice to all the new PhDs'. So I'm stalling. She wants me to do my confirmation stuff early too.

2. Kiddo is having her first real sleepover. Last I heard she's sharing fart okes with hr cousin and auntie. Sounds like fun.

3. I finally got a Mirena! So far so good but like anything, as soon as I can't have sex (48 hours...) that's all I want to do.

rmless2: I am wedding planning as well and I totally empathize. Also, because all our siblings/friends are out of state, I can't put anyone "in charge" of anything, so I have to do everything. And my husband has been crazy-busy with the new job and all other existing obligations and responsibilities. SIGH. I want this to go so well!

1. I passed the Minnesota state drivers' knowledge test on the first try, so my new drivers' license will be forthcoming in a few weeks! I hope the picture comes out better than the one on my passport.

2. Since I started training last week but haven't turned in a time card yet, I don't know if I'll be able to get a first paycheck at the next pay period or if it will be the one after. Must bug new boss about that today.

3. Last night, we sold a large piece of furniture that just wasn't going to fit into our new bedroom and since my husband had bought it for me as a gift, he gave me the proceeds. I'm now going to turn around and put $100 of it into my new in-state checking account to cover all the monthly fees to the end of the year.

1. Wow, I wish I was in New York.

2. Debating on whether or not to build a snow sculpture, as I should probably try to dig my way out or around something and make the most of it. Great exercise although I always end up achy in some odd way, and it will probably melt tomorrow. There no shortage of things that really should get done, but, good god, it's enjoyable to blow stuff off.

3. That catfood is not going to get itself and I'm wondering if I have the time to smack around another phd on behalf of the English language. At what point did everyone become so empowered on making up definitions and confusing the crap out of people who don't exactly have the best grasp of language skills in the first place?

1. My brother has gone to a mental health clinic for 5 weeks - I really hope that he can get a clear diagnosis and treatment plan in place after many trying weeks of his latest episodic series. It is most likely bipolarism, so he will need to do a lot of adjusting and changes when he comes home.

2. Coaching my estranged husband through a big job change and his current depressive episode. He's really making an effort to do it all while keeping as balanced as possible - so I have hopes of him succeeding.

3. Treated myself to the complete series of Poirot starring Davis Suchet - and quite frankly he's my favourite man (with the exception of my wonderful and exhausting son) in my life right now.

3. Wedding planning is not my bag, baby. Family and friends are being nice and maybe a little too "helpful" sometimes and everyone wants a "job" to do but then no one is actually doing the thing. MIL wanted to be in charge of flowers, so I said ok go for it, wildflowers would be nice but just find a place nearby and it will be fine. But now I am getting emails about how I really should go upstate with her to see the arrangements at different florists in person and that I should research what is in bloom at the time etc... sigh. I guess I need to make it clear when I say "just do it" I sincerely mean "just do it and don't talk to me about it because I really don't care that much."

Huh. It feels like you are quoting me verbatim from nine years ago. :)

gomi, sounds like quite a bit of a challenge with your brother and your husband. Strength! (dutchism for: hang in there)

gaspode and trishalynn- Feel free to share any tips for sanity preservation and avoidance of drama that you've found so far!

gomichild- I'm glad you are doing something for yourself after taking care of others.

Well, for my MIL and SIL who were bugging me with exactly the same sort of stuff, I had to sit them down and say very very nicely exactly the same thing that I said to my husband when I first started dating, which boiled down to: "when I tell you something, you have to believe the actual words that come out of my mouth, and not look for hidden meanings and not think that I am 'testing' you or trying to trip you up. I'm not. If I say I don't mind, I really don't mind. And if I say you should be in charge, that means I do not want to have to sign off on it".

And yeah, I said it that plainly. (Because in addition to being twittery worriers, my husband comes from the world's biggest "guess" family which sometimes makes me want to blow my brains out. Lucky they are all super nice.)

OMG gaspode, that describes the difference between me/my family and mr alto's EXACTLY. Dammit, if I say something, please do me a favour and believe it. I'm used to it now, and they now know how to deal with me, but early on I found it just plain insulting that they appeared not to take what I said at face value.

Wedding planning wasn't too stressful for us but that's because we opted out of much of it - no flowers, no seating plan, no bridesmaids, no first dance, just a quick wedding, good food, music and lots of wine. But that approach doesn't work for everyone.

I AM IN NEW YORK.

Yay! : )

1. On the last day of a 6-day (work) trip to Vietnam.
2. Very glad to be returning home this afternoon - exhausted, but the trip went well, so that's good.
3. Not looking forward to the 3-flight, 16-hour trip home.

Treated myself to the complete series of Poirot starring Davis Suchet

Those are the BEST. I want to marry Captain Hastings.

I've been watching the Joan Hickson "Miss Marple" BBC series on Netflix; looks like I need to queue up David Suchet "Poirot."

Those are the BEST. I want to marry Captain Hastings.

Oh, I say!