What do you do when your tupperware is missing!?!? (not a laughing matter)

not totally related... but hilarious!

Okay, so... I got rid of the Worst Roommate of All Time (if she ever stumbles upon my occasional mentioning of her then I hope she will take what I say into consideration, for her own future well being.)  She has now been replaced by a shiny new roommate, who has a very positive reputation among my friends so I felt confident that she was a good choice. Even if not, I assume I could only go up from where I had been.  So far, she has proven to be all that I hoped, which is low maintenance, friendly, tidy. Yippee!!!!!  The relief is wonderful!!!

{Note to my Roomies - if you are reading this (doubtful) you may want to stop here if you tend to be sensitive. Honesty is a thing to be valued, my friends}

Somehow, within a week and a half of my new roomie moving in, three of my newly purchased and adored Pyrex tupperware dishes, as well as a newly purchased IKEA cutting board, VANISHED.  At least that is what they want me to believe, they being the person that took them!!! (I just envisioned myself snarling, screaming and pulling my hair while saying that, maybe tearing my clothes, like Biblical times.)

I have scoured the kitchen and repeatedly asked both my roommates if they have any clue as to the items whereabouts, to the point of nearly cornering and interrogating them.  Both have claimed ignorance, to which I have responded something like, “I’m just baffled! I mean, I’ve looked everywhere! I haven’t even used them lately - and I mean where - where on earth could a cutting board go!?!?” (lots of broad hand motions.) To which they quickly agree, “that’s so weird...” while slowly backing their way out of the kitchen leaving me silently pleading: wtf!?

Now, I do not believe that either of these gals are prone to lie.  I know that one of them (Roomie 1) might forget that she had, perhaps, transported them to her boyfriends house to make him dinner or something, but not lie. The other gal (Roomie 2) I haven’t known long enough to say for sure, but as I said, she has great references.

So where does that leave me???

situation a) Roomie 1 completely forgot that she left the items elsewhere

situation b) Roomie 2 is actually a liar yet to be exposed

situation c) Roomie 2 broke them, lost them or did something with them she feels she can’t admit to

situation d) I misplaced them, even though I feel I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I was not using those items near the time of their disappearance

situation e) The Worst Roommate of All Time came back into the house and took them, thus further confirming her status as The Worst Roommate of All Time.

I’m thinking E.  I know you’re thinking I’m crazy, but Worst Roommate of All Time claimed that she “lost” her key - curiously, right after she had come back to the house to pick up her last load of items.  I was skeptical from the moment I heard it. Well, crazy or not, for the sake of my sanity I had the locks changed within 24 hours of the thought entering my mind. 

Now that I can check that off my list I am still short 3 Pyrex dishes and 1, hardly used, cutting board.  The reason I’m still flaring my nostrils about it is because I know that it is actually very unlikely that Worst Roommate of All Time would actually come here to take those random items (too lazy.) So the question still remains: Who Dunnit!!!!!   Aaaaggghhhh!!! Will I ever sleep again??? 

But seriously - I really just hope it was me, and I really hope I find out - soon!!! 

Advice is welcome - to all of you virtual air molecules out there, buffering and releasing  my rants. (It's been pointed out to me that the previous sentence doesn't make sense. I'm okay with it.)

Lets Reconnect...

Hi there.  Uh, this just in, my new alarm clock has failed to go off for the past two mornings and just now I set a tester time and it went off. So... what the heck?

A lot has been going on in my little world. A lot that I can't, and probably shouldn't, share right now, because I'm pretty sure most of you would categorize my sharing as "complaining."  But things have definitely been tricky. I am learning.  It's the acting out what I am learning that is so hard.  Learning to speak my mind, instead of letting my blood boil and veins pop like Spencer Pratt, is a big one.  Instead I just cry to my cat, "I'm not cut out for roommates! I'm just not!" ...or relationships or work or...
I've been so consumed by personal dramas (which I am not used to) that I have completely forgotten where I was going with anything else in my life!  Even my blog!  I've found myself desiring to retreat and hideaway from everyone so I don't have to deal!  But I know that's not what's right.

So, here I am, re-entering into the things that were/are important to me.  I've had a few things that I wanted to document and share with you but several of my belongings have mysteriously gone missing, one of which being my camera.

****

I will proudly declare that I have achieved something I never thought I would.  I now run aprox. 6 miles on a regular basis!  All at once! No stopping!  AND uphill!!! Well - half uphill, of course.  I am so proud of myself!!  But even accepting the new title of "athlete," I still fall victim to pity parties.  I was inconsolable a few nights ago.  I felt like all my efforts weren't doing anything and the years of my prime were being squandered by my muffin top.  I pouted shamelessly to my boyfriend while eating in bed, using the scale I'd bought that day as a tray.  It was a low moment.  But we all have those, right?

Well, I'll end my ramblings for the night with this:  My boyfriend and I went to Tahoe over the 4th of July.  It is so incredibly beautiful up there!  We went on an amazing hike up to 8,000 feet. Even though the temperature was in the 70's we were hiking in snow! It was so cool!  We stopped at a gorgeous lake w/ miniature icebergs floating in it and had lunch while taking it all in.  I was able to borrow a camera and get some pics!  It was breathtaking!

It is called the Wild Flower Hike. Normally the hillsides are covered in wild flowers, but they had a late snow this year, so there were just a few buds.

Amazing!!

Critter company

Oh yeah, there was a crazy guy that swam out to one of the chunks of ice. Freezing!!!

Stuck?

Yikes!!!

Yet, the guy managed to inspire a follower...  I love the expression on his face! The water was soooooo cold!

crying over spilled enchiladas and dirty forks...

Ugh. Friday hasn't brought me the relief it usually does. My weekend started with a messy plop when my left-over delicious enchiladas fell to the ground as I was leaving work late. I'll be honest, I dropped an F-bomb, that's how good those enchiladas were.
Once I got home, I called my boyfriend to lure him to hang some curtain rods for me by suggesting we "veg-out" at my place (he doesn't have cable, I do.) But, his phone was acting up, as every phone he's ever had seems to....  There was a lot of, "what?" "I saaiidd..." "I didn't hear any of that!" and "arrggg!!!" We both got totally irritated and, well, I'm blogging instead of hanging curtains. Stupid.
Then, just to embrace the moment, I started getting depressed about my life. Where is it going?! What am I doing?! What do I want?! I have no idea! Pout, pout, pout, pout.
I'm getting the growing impression that my BA in Sociology might be completely worthless to me. There is nothing I can do with it, that I want to do with it. Pout, pout, pout, pout.
I decided to empty the dish drying rack a few minutes ago. Yet again, I found dirtied, disgusting and completely unwashed dishes sitting on the rack, the clean dish rack. They're like little dirty rats trying to blend in amongst clean white mice. They are the strike of an oblivious, or defiant, roommate. I haven't figured out which it is. I stashed some of the particularly dirty dishes in my cupboard as evidence to back up my argument when I address her. Last time I brought up the issue, she looked at me like I was crazy and I had no proof to offer her. That won't happen again!
I'm hungry now. I've got to find something to replace my left over enchiladas. I think some frozen Trader Joe's pizza, a glass of red wine and a sewing project might be just what I need.

Please share your plans for this weekend, I'd love to hear if you're doing anything fun, inspiring or creative! Or just anything! I'm really tempted to go to IKEA...

Decorating!!!! Sound the Trumpets!!!!

I have been biting my tongue, rolling my eyes, muttering under my breath, waiting for soooooooo long for the time in which I would be able to have CONTROL over my living space and decorate, clean, whathaveyou to my liking! That time has come!!!!!!!!!!!! BLAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!! (That is me shrieking and jumping for... well, I think mostly relief.) Yes folks, you guessed it, I cannot lie to you.... I no longer live with my mother!! No, no I did not move out, she did. Truly, I am very happy for her. She fell in love and is starting the new beginning she's always wanted. And truly, I've missed her sooner than I'd expected.
But that is the reason behind my lack of posting recently. I have been digging through junk and fixing things that have been broken for the last decade. I've realized that where my mom always kept our spices was a terribly strange place - under the sink. Hmm. I've also learned that our second shower, which my mom has used to store shoes since we moved in 13 years ago, actually isn't broken, as she had informed my brother and I. In fact, her stacked shoe boxes were hiding some very cute turqoise tiles that I plan to show you once I figure out how the heck to get the grout non-very-brownish.

I have a new friend that will be moving into our spare room and I can't wait to make this place feel different. One of the main things I really want to do is to find some interesting artwork to put up on the walls. I made my first purchase the other day. It's just a print and I've been having a hard time deciding what styles I like, but something about it kept drawing me back to it. So I got it!!!  It's by Ali Cavanaugh, an extremely talented painter. Doesn't it look like a photo?

Tell me what you think!! I love the colors and the minor details, like how the girls pink strap is twisted a little.

I was also recently told about a really cool site called 52 Editions. Each week they post a piece of photography from an up and coming artist and they sell it at a discounted price, just for that week. It's a great opportunity to collect some unique work without having to go broke!

I also totally gave in and bought a canvas print from Urban Outfitters that I felt was a little overpriced. But, I actually really like it. But that's it, only two pieces so far.

I've been browsing through a really cool decorating book to get ideas. It's a great source of inspiration and design techniques: Domino: The Book of Decorating

Friends! Help me find new art for my house!!! Post a comment and share your favorite artists or places to find interesting pieces. I would really appreciate it!!!

Oh Mr. Darcy!!!

Things have been looking up!

Not to worry, my main squeeze and I have reconciled, through tears (mostly his) and frustration (mostly mine) we have, as hoped, come out stronger. Those of you who know that our break was just barely over two weeks may be cynical about what could possibly be accomplished in such a short amount of time. And let me stop you before you dismiss us as weak or pathetic for not holding out longer - not speaking to the person that you call multiple times a day to say, “I was just wondering, do you think I'd look good with bangs,” or “I’m on my lunch break, yup that’s it,” or “I think one of my teeth feels wiggly,” is incredibly hard! Not to mention that is 14+ days of not knowing if you’ll get back together! Given the topic, I would like to apologize to my friends that had boyfriends in high school or college whom I would roll my eyes at when they’d heave an I miss him sigh while on a girls weekend away. So, my Hunka-Love and I are back on and it was just in time for Valentine’s Day, thank God! In the words of Mr. T, I pitty the fool who takes a break right before Valentine’s Day. Duh! Oh the Stupidity!

We celebrated Valentine’s on Saturday by going to one of our favorite restaurants in town, Opal. If you are in the Santa Barbara area consider this restaurant on high recommendation. We love Opal because…

The food is amazing, every time

The atmosphere and location are great

We get V.I.P seating and they treat us like royalty!

Although, on this occasion the highlight of my night came just before dinner. As all Santa Barbarians know, the S.B. Film Festival has been going on and none other than my absolute favorite, Colin Firth, was in town accepting the Performance of the Year award at the Arlington right next to Opal!!! When we were headed to dinner he was arriving at the venue. He graciously went around to all of the fans spilling over the barricades. I was springing on my toes like a mechanical rabbit, gripping my camera in ready position, I can’t believe it’s him!! Mr. Darcy!! Normally, I am much too cool to lose it over a celebrity but for him I made an exception. I shakily asked him to take a picture with me and slipped my arm around his silky suit jacket and thought, am I allowed to touch him - I'm touching him! I think my expression in the photo says it all:

(don't know who the creepy photo crasher is on the left, don't let her ruin it for you)

After the photo was taken I realized our moment was up, so before he could move on to the next crazed fan I blurted out, "You're my favorite!" He gave me one more priceless Mr. Darcy smile. I'm sure he'll remember me.

Rx: Eat Chocolate As Needed...

As I write this, I am burrowed in my huge down comforter on my bed. My hair is pinned back the way I used to wear it in Junior High. Beside me is a one-pound box of See’s Candy - given to me, that is the only redeeming aspect of it. It has been a rough several days. I have had the house to myself this past week, which turned out to be unfortunate timing. My boyfriend and I decided to take a break, for various reasons, hopefully amounting to the strengthening of our relationship. We have not spoken or seen each other for what feels like an eternity. As our time apart grows I feel like the island I am on is slowly floating further from his shore and I am becoming accustomed to being alone. I wish a roommate would come home so I could hear their shoes taping around the house!  My dad offered his support, all though not in the way I'd hoped, suggesting I date around because he feels getting married before thirty is a good way to ruin your life. In addition, there are the usual culprits: work has been chaotically busy, all my pants have mysteriously shrunk, my neck pain is taking on a life of its own and today I sent freshly brewed coffee cascading across my desk full of papers.

So, what does one do in a time like this? I bought a hair brush - the first one I have ever purchased. I have always argued that hair brushes are unnecessary, conditioner does the job. Maybe my hair has gone through a change recently, because after leaving work late, nothing sounded better than combing out that baby dreadlock on the back of my neck that’s been showing up towards the end of each day. Sitting in my car, I brushed my hair with my new brush. It felt so comforting, like I was nursing my tired self. It reminded me of when my mom used to brush my hair when I was little and pull it back into a neat ponytail with a frilly hair tie. I brushed for awhile, slowly, feeling the pin points of the brush rush over my scalp, working through the knots, making my hair calm and soft. I finally understand why those girls in school would have their hair brush in hand at the start of each period and run it through their hair like a nervous tick. If I’m not careful, this could become a dependency. I think I’ll give my hair just a few more quick strokes… again. Can you brush too much? Should I be concerned?
For tonight, along with the See’s candy, I will put away my daily nagging stresses (beat them off with my hair brush actually) and let go of my uncertainties. I know they’ll be right where I left them tomorrow. I’ll have my hair brush ready.

Masterpiece and Master Scam

I've added another song to my playlist. This is an older one as well but I recently stumbled upon it. It is called "Saeglopur" by the innovative and astoundingly beautiful, Sigur Ros. If you haven't heard of them, well, get to it. This particular song I think is literally breathtaking. It gets a little loud half way through but the beginning... I recommend turning it up and closing your eyes to soak up all the intricate layers of sound.
Another track on my playlist, "Gobbledigook," is from their latest album which contains several more upbeat tracks.

Totally separate topic:
I went online to purchase a subscription to the magazine Real Simple as a gift to my close friend. I deeply, deeply love this magazine. I cherish each issue that comes out and read it cover to cover, flagging all the fabulous ideas, crying a few tears and laughing like old friends with each months heart warming feature article. A topic often featured among it's shiny, broad pages is how to save money and avoid uneccessary or hidden costs. Well, today, after completing their very simple (duh) and clear online form, I was flabbergasted when the following message appeared on my screen: "Thank you for purchasing 12 issues of Real Simple with automatic renewal." Automatic Renewal???? The fine print on this form must have been so microscopic that I don't even recall seeing it hidden amidst the brightly colored submission form with text large enough for the legally blind! Oh, Real Simple!? How could you do this? Betray such a faithful follower! Really! I expected more from you, Real Simple! I... I can't believe I am saying this... I... I am disappointed in you... Real Simple (sniffle).

Sincerely,

Disheartened and jaded reader.

Mark It With An "N"

Hello to my mmm, I think, three remaining readers. It's true. I confess, the twelve followers below is a bit of a deception. I bullied most of them into clicking the "follow" button and they probably haven't returned since. If you look closely you'll see that one of the twelve is me. On another note:

A William Sonoma catalogue came in the mail today and my heart gave a little flutter when I spotted this beauty. I have to say it, OMG! Can you imagine all the lovely little things I'd bake and wrap with pretty ribbons and label with this oh-so-cute embosser! And the sweet little cards I'd send with my embossed emblem on the back, and the darling wrapped gifts I'd give with the embossed tag! Can you imagine it? I can, I am right now and it's wonderful!  But, one thought interupts my dreams of crafting bliss and that is, truthfully, what if my last name changes??? Uh, okay, I know... this is so embarrassing and rediculous of me, but I can't help it! I wouldn't want to waste a whole embossing template on a last name I'll never use again (God help me)! And I wouldn't want to count my chickies before they hatch so... I'm thinking this is a great engaged or already married item to purchase. Hmph. Oh, if only I could know which name to order right now...ahem! Okay, just kidding. Maybe I could order some with just my first name... or a nickname... ooh, or an alias. It would be perfect to have before Valentines day. Can you imagine the scrumptious Valentines I could send with my little embossed envelopes! Sigh.

A Modern Thank You Card

I just added a new song to my playlist. Actually, it's an old song that I used to love. Something reminded me of it recently and I couldn't wait to hear it again. It is Little Star by Stina Nordenstam. You may recognize it from the movie Romeo & Juliet. Back when the movie came out I would listen to this song and imagine what my first kiss would be like with Leonardo DiCaprio. Surprisingly, that is not what drew me to it this time. Simply put, it's just so darn pretty.

Speaking of lovely music, I had a birthday recently and decided that I would forego the sentimental homemade Thank You card for a modern upgrade: a mixed CD. I wrote little messages on the disc and will wrap each with a pretty ribbon. I think it gives an otherwise predictable Thank You letter a little flair and something to give back. Oh how creatively ingenious of me, brag, brag, brag! Pardon me, I'm a bit excited about it. The truth is, I have been very lazy about reading and writing lately but have devoted much appreciation and dwindling of time to music and longed to share my favorite songs. Some might even say I force my music upon others... but I don't feel that's accurate.

I will have to try and pick up a book or back of a cereal box or something this week to help with inspiration; I'm afraid, though, my grammar has fallen beyond repair.

Time for bed! Today at work I came dangerously close to drooling on my keyboard and succumbing to the ever-threatening hunchback, due to lack of sleep. I'm hoping tomorrow our bookkeeper will give my fresh face a sweet complement rather than a concerned, "you look tired..."  Goodnight!

Fuel for bloggers remorse:

Hello there. No, I have not forgotten this blog. I have thought about it, sighed and avoided it, but forgotten it - no. I have lacked inspiration lately, as well as completion of thought. Everything I've written lately has been an aimless babble bordering on self pity and as interesting as small talk. I strongly dislike small talk. You may notice, I have a book on small talk on my reading list. I'm trying, or going to try, to change my outlook on small talk so I no longer have to dodge people I recognize at the mall. I'm pretty sure most people can tell that yes, I do see them and I do know who they are. If you have spotted me at the mall hiding behind a kiosk of hair straighteners it's not because I don't like you, it's just because I don't feel like sharing all the new things that aren't going on in mylife right now. I'm trying to spare you the boredom and fake laughter which, lets face it, is what small talk thrives on. Okay, okay, I'm getting bitter.

I'd better just come clean right now. The previous post about Christmas songs to come was a lie. There will be no such songs. I wanted to find unique Christmas songs but all the ones that sounded nice lacked that Christmas feeling and, well, now Christmas has come and gone.

My cat is snoring like a Saint Bernard. It startled me, I thought there was someone moaning outside my bedroom.

Tidy Ribbons and Such...

Anyone who is a crafter knows about the amount of stuff you acquire in order to be well prepared for whatever inspiration or crafty conundrum may enter your day. Paper, embossing gun, yarn, ribbons galore, several types of glue, beads, stamps, glitter, fabric... just to name just a few. I recently attempted to downsize my numerous craft storage boxes and was immediately overwhelmed. So, I focused in on the area that seemed most chaotic: the tangled and severly intertwined, yet splendidly colorful, ribbons.  I hunted for a better form of containment and found a rectangular basket of my moms that wasn't really being used. Then I detangled, diligently, just like the good 'ol days when your yo-yo string got in a knot, times twenty... nine. My cat padded by pretending to be disinterested until it struck her that this was the best project ever and she became relentless in trying to participate. With little thanks to my cat, I ended up being quite pleased with the final result.

I had the brilliant idea of tying the smaller scraps of ribbon onto the handle of the basket to keep things somewhat orderly. Nice, right?

I got a little distracted after organizing the ribbon and my ever searching attention turned to color sorting the books on one shelf of my bookcase, yes, just one. I noticed of friend of mine had done this and I found it curious, so I thought I'd try it out. I've been undecided for about a week but I think I'm leaning towards... liking it! It looks orderly, wouldn't you say? My boyfriend pulls all his books out a bit so that the binds line up evenly, creating a smooth look. I think I'll try that next.

P.S. I got some little glow lights from IKEA. I think they give my room a romantic flair (wink).

An Independent Saturday...

Oh Independence... how puzzling you are. My boyfriend has made plans on this pleasant Saturday that do not include clingy little me, so I have been forced to rely on my independent self and turn my focus to my much neglected To Do list. I started my morning (11:30am), quite hopeful, beaming in anticipation of all that would be accomplished. Now, several hours later, I have found that having no plans can leave me feeling a little... aimless. Here's how the day has gone so far: First, I decided to update my picture frames, several of which contain photos of people I no longer know. I sat on my bed and looked at them, each carefully placed around the room... and did some thinking... laying back on my bed, I listened to the neighbors loading their dogs into the car, then I looked at my nails for a while and picked at something irresistable on my arm. I then thought, man, it's dry out, so I put some lotion on my hands and eventually, I went to the kitchen and looked in the fridge, the selection was disappointing. Then I decided I should sew. I sat at my sewing desk (one of my favorite places) and I admired its amenities, my magnet board with the colorful little magnets, my stylish french colonial lamp; I acknowledged the aesthetic way my sewing supplies were set out on the table. I decided to add to the ambiance so I lit some candles, then thought, this might be a nice photo for my blog, so I took some pictures. Then I uploaded the pictures on my computer, after which, I went through some from the last couple months and deleted a few blurred or particularly unattractive shots, and made a mental note to post and print certain ones. Then I closed my lap top... I sat. I looked at my curtains, I noticed a pile of dead bugs at the bottom of my window sill, probably the remains of some spiders eatery, I corrected my posture and gave several moments of worry to the dowager's hump I fear is looming in my future. I inevitably returned to my slump and looked at the pictures I had pinned up on the wall above my desk and read the fortunes I had kept from past fortune cookies. I contemplated my chipped toe nail polish and finally, I got up, went into the kitchen, looked in the fridge and reconsidered its contents. Being independent is a lot harder than I thought.

So I'm one of those girls.... oh.

I never thought I'd say this but, being in a relationship has made me realize that I, in fact, am... needy. I never imagined, okay, well, I kind of suspected, but hoped I would never succumb to the whiny and pathetic habits of one of those girls. But here I am arguing with my dude because he's been too busy painting his apartment for the past what feels like forever to be spending time with me! Boo! Even as the words escape my mouth I know I'm not being fair, but I just can't get over it. Yes, I know we'll spend time together soon, but that doesn't cut it. The quota on hang out time zeros out at the start of each week! (Clearly I sound crazy.) So we discuss it, he's very sweet yet rational, I reluctantly agree and then I realize I still feel dissatisfied and reinstate my original argument. He lets out an aggrivated sigh and now I'm sure he's going to dump me. I am doing what guys hate, I tell myself, even I hate it! But it's no use, Needy girl is behind the wheel and there's no telling how far she'll go to have her needs met. Lets just hope my man sticks around long enough for me to Buck Up!

Speak French to me...

No Girls Allowed! I have just been rejected, generous charitable help refused, turned away at the door, shoo-shooed. I offered enthusiastically to help my boyfriend and his roommate paint the living room walls of their apartment. “I have painted a room before,” I informed him.
“Um, nah, it’s okay. We got it.” was his reply. I assured him it would be to my enjoyment and he assured me right back that my help was not only unneeded but unwanted (in only slightly kinder words.) Meaning, he and his roommate were going to have some quality beer drinking, grunting, burping, and spitting time; no place for a gal like myself. Instead, I reluctantly returned home in my ready-to-paint outfit, darling Geraldine Doyle hair band ‘n all, and comforted myself with a bowl of mint-chip ice cream and fun French music. Tisk, tisk, those boys!

But you shall reap the benefit. Here are a few songs, so fun and lovely, they make it impossible not to feel quite splendid while listening to them:

*So Nice (Summer Samba) - Astrud Gilberto
*Samba De Mon Coeur Qui Bat - Coralie Clement
*Que Reste-T’il De Nos Amour - Charles Trenet
*Assedic - Les Escrocs
*Je Cherche Un Homme - Eartha Kitt
*C’est Si Bon - Eartha Kitt
*Brazil - Django Reinhardt
*La Vie En Rose - Louis Armstrong
*Remember Me - Heitor Pereira

These songs are actually all from the movie “Something’s Gotta Give.” It seems I am the only person that loves that movie. Most people laugh at me when I share that nugget of info. Still, it currently holds a spot on my Christmas list.

Sincerely, Puzzled Roommate

Maybe some of you could help me out with this. I mentioned in the last post that my mom and I recently rented out a bedroom. We love our new roommate, she is sweet, friendly and seemingly normal. Since I am the adult child that won’t move out, this is my first roommate experience and I am realizing there may be some roomie dynamics I have yet to learn. Take the latest episode for example:

Our roommate has been gone all weekend, I'm not sure where she went or when she is coming back. It is Monday morning and I am getting ready for work. The minutes remaining for me to drive to work and arrive on time are quickly dwindling and the last thing left to do is brush my teeth. Right as I put on my second shoe, about to head into the bathroom, I hear my roommate walk through the front door, into the bathroom, lock the door and start the shower. Hmm. I definitely don’t have time to wait for her to get out of the shower, but the garlicky pizza I had last night, I fear, is still with me. I remember I have a toothbrush and toothpaste at work, phew! But what if I didn’t…? I ponder this for a minute sitting on the edge of my bed. How does that work exactly? Should there be a rule that you check in with the household before occupying the bathroom for long periods of time? If it had been my mom that snuck in the shower I would simply pound on the door and demand that my teeth have priority, but I don’t want to scare my new roommate away. So tell me, is this something, as a housemate, I just have to deal with? Maybe everyday there are people like me, walking around unshowered, unbrushed or unshaven because their co-resident claimed the bathroom first. What are we to do?

My life not moving meets 20 Things

My hands are sticky and citrus smelling from eating an orange. I bought a pomegranate for the first time yesterday but I'm afraid to open it. I'm not sure how to tell if it's ripe. It looks so strange and foreign on my kitchen counter next to the oranges and peaches, like an alien pod. The temperature outside is creeping towards about a gazillion degrees Fahrenheit and the difference in temperature inside my house is negligible. I am sitting underneath the fan, moving as little as possible, trying to stay cool. I have struggled with feeling as though my life is not moving lately. A couple factors have attributed to this: I still live with my mother and I don't really know what to do with my career. These have been my boulders to jump for the past five years or so. I have gone back and forth, sideways and straight about initiating change and have yet to follow through. Of course, there are ways I justify my life choices, or maybe lack there of. It is definitely cheaper living with my mom, although at times emotionally draining. We've gotten a roommate recently who is balancing out our mother/daughter madhouse. And, who really knows what they're doing at 24... and 8 months??? But I feel I am drastically behind and picture myself a crumpled old woman sharing a bed with my slightly more crumpled mother. My foresight is telling. It's time to try something more than... this.

Since I am notoriously indecisive, especially in regards to bigger things like moving out or a career change I am starting with baby steps. I have compiled a list of goals that are accomplishable at this time in my life to enrich my experiences and open new doors. I tried to come up with 25 goals but I am a bit short so 20 will do. I will add to it as I come up with more.

1. Sew - eventually a wearable article of clothing

2. Learn to play Tennis

3. Take a Salsa/Ballroom dance class

4. Run a marathon or 1/2 marathon

5. Cook at least one meal a month

6. Read all the books I own

7. Join/start a book club

8. Start a blog - yeayah! Check!

9. Start a happy hour club

10. Pick up guitar again

11. Take an acting class

12. Teach myself the piano

13. Make music mixes for friends

14. Paint something I like enough to hang in my room

15. Enter an essay contest

16. Become better at small talk

17. Finish my photo albums

18. Take a self defense class

19. Edit some of my home movies

20. Take a writing class

I am going to ask that you please refrain from mocking my list. I know many of you may have lists that include items such as living with a bush tribe for three years or going sky diving. This is not that type of list. This is my attempt to better myself at things I enjoy, things I want to try and things I know I will actually do. I don't want to feel burdened by a list of extremes. The purpose of my list is to encourage every day inspiration. I have already started on several items on the list and will update my progress regularly. I feel good about it. I feel inspired already. I realize this may not get me out of my moms house, but at least it could distract me.

To take care of a cat...

I woke up this morning to find a flea bite on my eyelid. Some of you might not know how to identify a flea bite, but for me, I see them daily. We have one cat hanging onto life with quite a spring in her step despite her age. The only sign of her aging is that she seems to have gone completely senile. She meows all night long for no purpose and sits in our driveway refusing to move even if you pull the car right up to her. I actually have to get out of the car, move her, and then continue up the driveway. I must, however, claim some fault with the flea epidemic we currently endure. I skipped a few months of her flea meds, maybe like 24 months, or something. If you stand on my carpet for just one minute you are almost gauranteed to find a couple fleas attaching themselves to your ankles. Sick, right? This is my life.

I also never had a litter box for my cat until this year. She was trained to go outside and we never had an issue with it, quite proud of that actually, until about a year and a half ago. My mom and I noticed what looked like a little tootsie roll graveyard in the back corner of our fireplace. Believe it or not, we didn't deal with the issue for sometime. On occaission my boyfriend and I would be watching a movie on the couch and a breeze would blow outside and the living room would be filled with the smell of old, musty poo. Still, months continued to go by in this fashion. It wasn't until a particular evening when we realized change needed to be initiated. My mom's friend came by one night to pick her up for dinner, I had been told this woman is meticulously tidy. I had completely forgotten about our poo ridden fireplace until the woman sat in a chair beside the fireplace while waiting for my mom to finish getting ready (lateness can be expected in our household.) I was praying she wouldn't notice while we kindly made small talk. But eventually, she started looking around the room from her seat until her eyes stopped on the fireplace. She peered for a moment or two, trying to decipher if it was, in fact, what she suspected. Probably then determining by the looks of it that it must have been there for a while. "It looks like there's a little turd back there," she said, as though she was notifying us of news. I should have corrected her, "Turds, actually." It was then up to me to defend our reputation. I made up an explanation of how our cat is losing her mind and just "recently" started doing this. I hurriedly cleaned it up pretending to be so appalled. I should be.

If you saw my mom or I, or came over for dinner, most likely you would never believe we have these sorts of ill things going on. Our home appears tidy, my room is decorated particularly cute, and my personal hygiene is exquitsite. But before we knew it, we were that house Ben Stiller walks into in "There's Something About Mary" where there's a pile of poop in the corner, just sittin' there.

The Culprit