You know it's a bad sign when...

...the movie you are about to watch is preceded by previews for The Benchwarmers and Click. Yikes.

You know you're really desperate when you go ahead and watch it anyway. :) In a couple of hours I will be able to tell you what I thought of the movie Fun With Dick and Jane starring Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni. I do not have high hopes.

A good thing to collect

I have gathered quite a collection of good things this week...

* my hubby has done numerous household chores, making it so that I didn't have to do them
* my principal sent me a complimentary note
* the transplant coordinator at Mayo who had to listen to me complain about what a pain it is to get my yearly crosscheck blood draws done was understanding and helpful
* I was able to find someone who was willing to be suckered into doing my blood draw
* Amy called to tell me that the kidney is doing spectacularly - taking good care of not just Amy, but also the little one she's carrying
* I got to come home relatively early this evening
* my cherry tree is blooming its little heart out even though it is not much more than a 3 foot stalk covered with leaves
* I have been given permission to use the little office off of my room as a classroom library - now I can give my kiddos a little elbow room (they're getting big, you know, almost middle schoolers!)
* there are less than 8 weeks of school left
* we now have 25 students enrolled for tutoring - we are actually making a small amount of profit each month - I think I'm currently earning about...ooh! a whopping 4 dollars an hour
* we got some new netflix today - now I can not only get my Lost on, but also my Battlestar Galactica, my Alian, and my Quantum Leap

Another Sign of Spring

It has finally reached the time of year when the rising of the sun occurs early enough for me to wake naturally rather than to the alarm clock. Today was the first day. As my eyes opened I panicked - "Did I forget to set the alarm? Why is it so light in here? Crap. I'm gonna be late." Seconds later, my phone started beeping at me.

I have the kind of internal regulator that works on simple commands. Light = wake. Dark = sleep. This makes getting things done in the summer a breeze and getting things done on rainy days near impossible. I have to draw all the blinds and turn on all the lights to trick myself into thinking it's sunny out. If I ever moved to Alaska, I would have whole months out of the year when I didn't leave the house. I would have to stuff myself on berries and salmon all summer just to get through my hibernation phase.

I've often considered trying one of those ambient light alarms, but I suspect it wouldn't really fool me. I would wake up, take note of the absolute black out my windows, pull the covers over my head, and attempt to sleep until spring.

Hmmmmm

I haven't had any inspiring thoughts lately. It is SUPER windy outside today. I am working and watching TV. My knees hurt. There are dishes to be done. None of this makes me want to write. Sorry about that.

Mountains in Springtime

What the desert flowers lack in stamina they make up in enthusiasm. The flowers on our hills have gone CRAZY. There are great swaths of purple and yellow all along my commute. It is so much fun to drive these days.

I have read about people having trouble going from the one environment to another because of the differences in the horizon. Cowboys who feel too confined by the mountains or those from the forests who feel that the plains are too open for safety. I enjoy all types of environments, but I am finding that the mountains are my very favorites. I have been living in CA for 8 years and I have been commuting through the mountains for 3 years now. I STILL am awed and inspired by the sight of the hills fading from blue to gray in the distance. Amazing.

It's a disease. I have no control.

I think that Submarina puts some kind of habit forming drug in their sandwiches. I am SO addicted. It has gotten to the point that they start putting the sandwich together as soon as they see my car pull up (okay, not really, but almost!). The order is always the same.

Two foot-long Combo Cheeses on whole wheat. Every cheese except the American (that means we get Provolone, Pepper Jack, Swiss, and Cheddar), lots of lettuce, and a little onion on both. Tomatoes, black olives, and cucumbers on one. Oil and vinegar on the other. Plenty of mayo (I know, bad for me, but SOOOO tasty!) and salt/pepper on both. Cut them in quarters.

Yum. I could eat at Submarina every night and be perfectly happy. Seriously.

Oh. And in case you're wondering. I have tried many times to replicate this sandwich at home. I worked in a deli making sandwiches for years. You would think I could manage. But, no. It never tastes the same. There is some kind of addictive secret ingredient somewhere (I think it's in the bread!) with which homemade sandwiches just can't compete.

...and Harold dropped off to sleep.

As I was driving home, I had a total "Harold and the Purple Crayon" moment. I suddenly realized that the moon was following me, just over my left shoulder, keeping me company. It was comforting to know that if I lost my way, I could simply draw my bedroom window around the moon and draw up the covers. :)