Counting Down

For those who may be wondering, I have begun, but not finished, the Move.

The movers came today and took a fraction of my belongings to the new house. They also took a larger fraction of my pocketbook, but it was worth it to have someone else move the piano, dresser, couch, etc.

Because I'm in forgiving company (I am, right?) I will reveal that it took 8.5 hours to prepare the few items the movers did take. So, I have some work cut out for me in the next 10 days.

If you missed the photos of the (empty) house, they are on Flickr. Check back in a year or two for an updated, decorated view.


photo: Chicago Daily News. 1903. Two men loading household goods into a horse drawn van while a girl stands nearby on moving day [photo]. DN-0000718, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society. From American Memory http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/cdn:@field(NUMBER+@band(ichicdn+n000718))

Tagged

The Duchess has tagged me again. I don't have 8 friends to tag in turn, but I can at least fulfill part of the duties of a tagee. It's the least I can do in payment for enjoying all the good tunes she spins on her blog.

8 FAVORITE TV SHOWS
The Closer
The Bionic Woman
Homicide: Life on the Streets
Sports Night
Boomtown
Lost
Law & Order
Life on Mars


8 THINGS I DID YESTERDAY
Worked
Ate frozen Macaroni and Cheese
Watched two episodes of Prime Suspect
Baked cookies
Taught seminary
Folded laundry
Worked
Worked


8 THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO
Seeing my newest nephew (and his family) in March
Seeing my dad very soon
Being totally moved into the new house
Reading the new Laurie R. King novel in April
A visit to Utah in July
Seeing my mom in April
Spring Break
Christmas

8 FAVORITE RESTAURANTS
Wendy's
Tin Star
Chipotle
International House of Pancakes
Macaroni Grill
Tomato-Tomato
Mom's house
Linda's house



8 THINGS ON MY WISH LIST
Tenure
A lawn mower
Independent Wealth
All my family living in one state
9 hrs of sleep a night seven days in a row
A Personal Soda Fountain
Personal chef

Beverage Blog

How long could a non-tea and coffee drinking teetotaler sustain a blog about beverages? Probably not very long, but that's what's been on my mind lately (it's not a very fertile place).

• My current go-to beverage is Diet Barq's, which I can't buy where I live. I stocked up at Christmas, so I can get my fix for a few more weeks.
• My current evening beverage, meant to be drunk with dinner but which usually turns out to be the same as bedtime (please, no comments), is orange juice and (diet) lemon lime soda. I'm apparently craving sugar (go figure).
• I recently discovered that in a pinch, evaporated milk, Ovaltine powder, and a microwave (with a utility knife to open the milk) will produce an acceptable hot drink.

I think that exhausts all beverage ideas. On to the next stimulating topic!

Life Lesson

I may be closer to age 40 than to age 30, but I'm still learning new things all the time.

Case in point: When you finish the last Lindt truffle, discard the bag. DO NOT leave the empty bag in your desk drawer. To do so is a sure set up for disappointment or even heartbreak.

It's Not Magic...

but it is good news.

Since deciding to buy a house, I've been obsessively manipulating the old-school Excel spreadsheet where I keep track of my finances, forecasting different scenarios for rebuilding some cash savings and repaying the people who have loaned me some short term money. Last I checked, it looked kind of grim.

Suddenly, things look a lot better. I don't know if I made a mistake previously (I hope I'm not miscalculating now) or what happened, but things are looking OK. I'm trying to not tempt fate by thinking about things like layoffs, transmissions falling out, freak tornadoes, etc. Slow and steady wins the race, right?