follow through

okay folks. so, after yesterday's post, thoughts and wallow I decided i really needed to follow through on what i said i would do and that was make a list and cross at least three things off of it.

chalk in hand, i carefully wrote out a list of five things. the goal would be to finish all five but if three got crossed off that would be just dandy. but just before i could begin operation list i was scooped up by stacey and we headed out for a bite and some fresh air. while thoroughly enjoying the company of miss za and her mom, my food and an ENORMOUS bottle of fizz, i did not however succumb to the grand sugary beauty of a red velvet macaron. and before you think stacey is an evil evil friend for plopping that pretty down in front of me, she did ask if i wanted sweet and i said nope but to go ahead and enjoy without me. so she did and i didn't. go me!after a jaunty walk back to the car (where no one fell or stepped on hoes or slipped on banana peels). i was soon settled back home and contemplating the list. taking the easy route, i grabbed my uke and bumbled my way through java jive and some sort of attempt at rhythmic strumming.before i got too cranky at my lack of talent, i pulled out a pen and a happy homemade lobster card and wrote a letter to the mama a-go-go. she writes us such wonderful and frequent letters and i always tell myself i need to write back and now finally i did. phew! i want to start writing more and so i need to practice. especially if we are going on our trip!after letter writing, i tackled the top of the work table/bench thing that i had wrapped up in holiday decorations. the umbrella tree got closed, all gifts and ornaments got put away and the fabric got folded (but not put away) and suddenly there was a clean space where there hadn't been in a long, long time.so there...three things off the list but soon four would be crossed off as it was time for dinner making. i pulled out some chicken, a head of cauliflower, a shallot, peas and rice and whipped up a yummy curry roasted cauliflower with turmeric rice & peas and shallot cooked chicken with a dollop of homemade cucumber sauce. it smelled wonderful, tasted even better and i felt accomplished enough to get lazy on the sofa with my sudoku puzzles.

this weekend will be spent with the mister. we will walk, hike or ride somewhere (maybe) and have a general good time driving each other batty. have a great weekend!

good thoughts on vacation

ever have one of those days where all the things you like about yerself seem to have slipped out the window in the middle of the night? not fun. humorous maybe, if you have the right perspective, but kind of a downer never-the-less.

i wake up this morning from odd dreams of stolen cars, kidnappings, missing backpacks and too many gelatin desserts. it takes me another hour and some odd minutes to brave the morning. the room is chilly, the covers feel good and all thoughts of productiveness have flown the coop. by the time i roll myself out of bed, my mouth is unhappy with stale toothpaste and the blanket creases on my face have moved in. i do the bathroom dance and groan at my reflection. i pull a brush through my hair swaying to the ticky-tacky tones of the static electricity that pop pop pops around me. with red socks on my feet i make my way through the tiny casa and on auto-pilot, i swipe the computer on, fill a kettle with water, squirt some honey into the pyrex and drop a flowering ball of jasmine into the puddle of sticky sweet.

as the water heats up, i swallow my morning pill, saline up the nostrils and wash the dishes in the sink leftover from the night before. there are warblers in the garden eating up a storm and taking hits in the birdbath, the sky is blue blue blue with a smattering of flimsy clouds. i peel a tangerine and eat it at the window as the water comes to a boil. unceremoniously i dump the water into the pyrex, give the honey a swirl and sit myself down in front of the screen that i am far too fond of.

i check my email and blog activity and upload a couple of pics to flickr. i suddenly remember i am brewing tea and stand up with a cuss and a stumble. the tea is okay, not too bitter and jasmine sweet. i add links to mr. a-go-go's post on the travel blog and get up to pee. exciting, no? i look at myself in the mirror as i wash my hands and wonder how is it my hair has already sad racooned itself all up? just last week i was in love with my hair on my head, still love the hair just not the face that goes with it right now. do you know what i mean?

what is it that tweaks our point of view about ourselves? was it the weird dreams? is it just a cycle of funk? i fall prey to this when the good thoughts go on vacations and i feel that okay, it's time for a wee wallow but then the good thoughts will return all rested and tanned and i can take a look at my notebook of plans and ideas and happily twist and shout until i have produced something. yet, the first day or two without them happy thoughts is a bit of a bummer. i'll dance out of it, no worries there but today i am just not in the mood and a little pissed off that they have gone. next time, give me some notice, okay?

so, to get through today i have written out a series of small goals and if at least three of them get crossed off the list then it will have been a good day. or at least, a good enough day. darn, why am i doing the no sugar thing right now? usually, when in a funk, i bake....fiddlesticks!

deep breath. check back tomorrow and we'll see if i have returned to normal. three things, right? i can do this. and please oh please, if you feel compelled to comment or contact just gimme a squeeze, i know all about the ups and downs of disorders and meds and i adore all the warm fuzzies but i just wanted to share because i am sure, or at least i hope, that i am not the only one who gets funky like this. maybe i shouldn't be listening to edith piaf right now...

better late than never: the january bed

i knew i needed to use a wee bit of flannel and since i used the polka dots last month, that left me with the brown snowflakes. i also wanted to use the quilt that mr. a-go-go made because all them little bits of yellow add some cheer for possible gray days. but when i got it all put together there was just too much blue and a too much blah so i whipped up some felty flowers for a punch of color and added a wee yellow quilt to the foot and ta-da! now it's happy. happy january! how have you made YOUR bed?*yup, skully gully now has a friend though mister hasn't named it yet...we're nothing if not at odds with our decor.

still with the week in review: dec 28- jan 3

the last week of 2009 went fast and furious. not a whole lot other than some thrifting with roomie, discovering a new nifty thai place (vegan even) and a wee bit of crafting and visiting with stacey and the gang where we talked, talked, talked and exchanged "stockings". too. much. the first of the new year was spent wandering our local cemetery for our traditional viewing of the holiday decorations. it fascinates me the vast green, headstones and then christmas trees, tinsel, santas and such. i at once feel sad for those who feel compelled to decorate the graves of their lost ones and then sad again for those graves that have no decor. such a contradiction going on in my head. either way, the day was gorgeous, the sky blue and the holiday decorations were quite pretty in their own tragic way. after the cemetery, we headed out to alhambra for banh mi from our favorite sandwich shop which we ennjoyed in the park on our blanket complete with an itty bitty nap and a fosselman's run for chocolate dipped strawberry and lychee ice cream. soooo good!saturday we took over kitty duties for some friends and made sure the oldster got her pill, water and food. after that, we hunted down a local pho place that managed to satisfy our lurve for the soup. not perfect, not great but completely enjoyable even if it was a tad too salty and the noodles overcooked. maybe the next bowl will be better as they smatter their broth with a wonderfully scented smattering of star anise and clove. it smelled sooo good! we will be going back.and finally, sunday. we got out the bikes (well, the mister did) and then we cruised on down to our local subway stop, hopped on to downtown and then transfered to the gold line and rode out to pasadena. at our stop, we cruised the bikes over to the pcc swapmeet and took a quick look around. i had hoped to take some pictures but the folks were camera glarey and there really wasn't much worth photographing unless you count those glarey folks. as we wandered around the stuff, crap and junk we heard the doon, doon, doon of a stand-up bass and went to investigate. after enjoying the short concert performed by the phil friendly trio we unlocked the bikes and headed out for the best darn cheeseburgers and a slice of pie. and then, before our bellies could recognize that they needed a nap, we pedaled a few short blocks over to visit with my brother who showed us his latest slide guitar (sooo neat and pretty), his most recent fishing lures and decoys, and their new kitty who is teeny tiny and too too cute.fun!rather than bike up the hills we just came down, we headed south through south pasadena where we caught the gold line at the mission station and soon, we were on our way back home. once home we puttered about the casa working on the blog, making dinner, picking tangerines, pestering the witch-baby, talking about the trip, and watching a couple of netflix discs (loony tunes and the ramen girl).

hope your first of the new year was dandy and may you have many many more of them dandy days. i need to finish the january bunting, make a grocery list for this no sugar thing i'm attempting, get decent so i can head out and pick up quarters, library books and lita who is arriving at the airport from her quick trip to visit her sister. happy january everyone!

attempting to keep track

just want to hit them mundane things we always forget about so in a nutshell today i...

*made the january bed
*cooked up my new year's rice
*had yummy pho with the mister
*fed a friend's kitty
*took pics of my wee circus folk
*began cutting up sweaters for a january garland
*teamed up with mr. a-go-go for our new blog
*ate yummy chocolate
*cooked up a delicious homemade chai
*spent time with the witch-baby
*watched the birdies in the birdbath

i did not:
*pick up quarters from the bank
*do laundry
*have a pity party
*take the car in for some serious car checking

tomorrow we wiil:
*visit with my brother
*maybe ride bikes
*eat chocolate
*and enjoy ourselves...

michelangelo's sock david (in all his...ahem...glory)