James also sent me this video, as an inspiration for what can be done with limited acreage. This is his sister’s farm, and it’s the life I want. Now.
26 Jan
If You Haven’t…
If you haven’t read my friend James’s post, please read it. It’s very cool.
So not to be all publicly corny, but I’m real glad this guy joined my department. I like weird, interesting people with weird, interesting stories. And good brains. This guy is weird and interesting, with stories to match. Sure beats the whole, “so what are you gonna do this weekend?” conversations!
23 Jan
My Own Personal Herman Cain
Well, Zumba is well underway. And I’m AWESOME.
Not really, actually.
Not at all, in fact.
Tonight, I pulled a muscle. Or perhaps I didn’t. Perhaps this muscle just came to life after a glorious 15-20 year hiatus. And so, dear friends, I’ve named this muscle Herman. And why, you ask? Because it came out of nowhere, got after my body, continues to irritate the piss out of me, and won’t just go away.
It’s fun, though. Terrible and awful and hot and sweaty and far too fast-paced for my slow and wholly uncoordinated ass, but fun. So far, so good.
18 Jan
It’s Okay: I Deserve This.
Nate and I are just really stinkin’ happy. It’s a little weird, a little surprising, and a whole lot of awesome. Maybe it’s pathetic that, at 34-years-old, I’m enjoying my first healthy, emotionally-mature, genuinely happy relationship. I mean, I’ve been happy with other men — a shout-out here to Mike, who still kicks ass — but I don’t think I’ve been in the right place, in my own life and mind, to create the right relationship until now. Nate and I are real good. It’s totally foreign to me, and I love it.
Of course, who knows…I’ve been through enough crap in my life to know that everything could go down the shitter tomorrow. But I doubt it, in this case. I feel respected and trusted and cared for and listened to and appreciated and loved — for exactly who I am, exactly the way I am. It’s freeing and wonderful, and it makes me appreciate my Nater more and more every single day. It’s good. Real good.
17 Jan
Read This
Sorry for more death talk, but it’s important. So please, read this: What Doctors Know — and We Can Learn — About Dying
For me, the most profound paragraph was this:
Doctors also know that undergoing heroic measures is a lousy way to die. They’ve seen what it’s like for an elderly patient to end up in the ICU, hooked up to machines, often semiparalyzed, in pain, lying on what philosopher Sidney Hook called “mattress graves” during his own terminal illness. At a recent meeting I attended, one emergency physician tearfully admitted she didn’t think she could stand to hear the sound of ribs breaking as she performed CPR on yet another elderly patient who almost certainly would not survive.
The article above stemmed from Ken Murray’s piece “How Doctors Die (It’s Not Like the Rest of Us, But It Should Be).” This piece should be required reading for everyone over 12. Now get to it.
16 Jan
Otorhinolaryngology
I’ve been feeling sick for a couple weeks…sometimes really sick, sometimes just a little under the weather. Last night I could hardly stand it; felt like my entire head was gonna explode. So I committed to seeing a doctor today. And that’s what I did.
I have ear and sinus infections. Hopefully the antibiotics will help soon, but I feel nothing but p-r-e-s-s-u-r-e all around my face and ears and neck and head. It kind of sucks. I hate infections, too; I never know they’re infections, so I figure I just have a cold or flu that will eventually go away. Thus, I don’t go to the doctor. Thus, things get worse. By the time I finally do go to the doctor, the infection is bad and I feel like total ass. Which is where things stand right now.
15 Jan
Aint We Grand?
We went to Grand Casino – Mille Lacs for a buffet dinner with Nate’s family tonight. I wasted $2 on the slot machines, but then felt a lucky streak inside. I asked Nate’s dad, Fizz, to loan me $20 — promising I’d pay him back with my winnings. Just a few short minutes later, I won $150. Sweet.
13 Jan
Thanks Dave!
My old college buddy Dave sent me this video. Guess which one will be me, starting on Wednesday!
12 Jan
And Now, You May Giggle
Here’s something funny. My friends Megan and Alicia suckered me into joining them for Zumba classes, beginning next week. It’ll be good for me–you know, the whole “trying something new” resolution and all. But I think an honest assessment of the situation is in order:
- I haven’t done anything even slightly resembling exercise for oh, say, 10 years.
- I am severely uncoordinated. I am likely to fall and flail around throughout the entire hour-long classes. This is likely to be funny to everyone in the class–except me.
- My face turns red and hot after about 3 seconds of motion. So I’ll be red and sweaty-looking before we even begin.
- My boobs are–how can we put this delicately?–enormous. And before all you men and B-cuppers out there suggest any particular sports bras, let me assure you: they won’t work. I could wear 15 of them, to no avail. No, that’s not fair. I’ve never worn more that 3 at a single time–but that didn’t work. Maybe 4 will be my lucky number?
- Even though I get hot right away, I’m going to have to wear pants for these workouts, because I stubbornly refuse to shave my legs with any degree of consistency. This will make me hotter, but it’s the price I pay for my supreme vanity.
Classes start next Wednesday, the 18th. Here’s hoping for a miracle, kids.
12 Jan
I Know, I Know
Barley is a Tibetan Terrier, bred to withstand (and enjoy!) bitterly cold, snowy, mountainous terrains. But I couldn’t help it–I just had to buy her a cute little pink coat. Turns out, I’ll be returning it. She is SO ashamed of it; won’t even come within 10 feet of me when she’s wearing it.
Too bad it’s not big enough for Finny; I’m sure he’d love it!
So Ashamed!
11 Jan
Shmoopin’
Barley is quickly becoming a champion shmooper. It makes my heart smile.
Couldn't you just shmoop her to pieces?!?!
10 Jan
Our House is Cuckoo Bananas!
Lucky and Barley enjoy the hell outta each other. They love to play, and play, and play. This video is pretty representative of their lives. The disgruntled rumbles you hear in the background are coming from Finny — whom I tried desperately to appease with plenty of love and shmoops in the background. Eventually, he had enough of all the playing and fun-time. It’s time to settle down!!! Dammit, playtime is over! Settle the hell down!
9 Jan
Out on a Limb…
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and make a call: the Twins will win the 2012 World Series. I know…you don’t have to say it. But it’s my call.
I’m so glad the stupid football season is almost over, because it means Spring Training is almost here, and then the season starts! The longer I live, the more I realize that football is inane and barbaric, while baseball is endlessly complex and cerebral. Go Twins. Baseball > Football.
8 Jan
Stuff, and Things
I think I’m gonna sign up for a booth each weekend at our local farmers’/crafters’ market, beginning this spring and summer. But first, I need to make sure I have farmy/crafty things to sell at such a booth. Which shouldn’t be hard, right? I think it’d be fun–make a little extra cash, do something fun and productive with my free time, meet new people and neighbors, etc. Do you make cool stuff? Do you have ideas of cool stuff I could make? What kinds of fresh produce are you most likely to buy from local markets? What makes booths cool? What else? Ideas IMMEDIATELY, please. And if I don’t get at least 10 comments on this post, well then I’m just gonna give up and cry. So there.
7 Jan
A Far Cry from City-Slickin’
Remember when I lived in the city? I do. And my, oh my…how things have changed in less than one year!
Tonight Nate and I were standing on the front porch while the dogs were outside. We saw lights on from one house, across the pasture and woods, and I found myself slightly irritated. “Ugh,” I said. “It’s like suburbia!”
6 Jan
Nate’s Philosophy of Old Dogs
Barley is the happiest little dog you’ve ever seen. No shit. Her tail is always wagging, and she seems to have a constant doggie-smile on her cute little face.
A couple nights ago, Nate figured this out. He said, “You know why she’s so happy? Because she’s young. She doesn’t know anything. She thinks that something awesome and exciting is about to happen at any second. She doesn’t understand that this is it. This is our life. Nothing more exciting than this is gonna happen.”
Interesting.
But then he said, “Dogs don’t get old and die from old age. They just get bored.”
6 Jan
Feelin’ Old
You know what makes me feel old? When I’m “friended” on Facebook by kids I used to baby-sit, and they have their own husbands/wives and kids now. Cripes.
In other news, happy birthday to my Uncle Don. Though he’s been gone for years and years, I still think about him every day. One of the very best men in the world.
5 Jan
Here
We live here. Farmer Bill is to the right-hand side of the photo. You see the semi-circle pasture below our house in the photo? That’s where I’d like to build our barn and sheds, and have a pasture for our livestock. Granted, I will have to purchase the extra land first. But let’s pretend that’s not the issue. Do you have any great ideas for livestock/outbuildings?
Home
4 Jan
I Love Pips
I love a million things about Nate, but you know what I love the best? He CRACKS me UP. The guy is effing hilarious. So yeah, his buns are amazing. And sure, he’s handsome and sweet and kind and all that BS. But he makes me laugh-laugh-laugh every day.
Edit: Upon reading this, Nate says, “Take out the part about my buns. I don’t want the ladies checking out my buns! I don’t want my buns on the internet!”
3 Jan
Singers and Songwriters I’d Hate to Live Without
- Mike Doughty
- John Coltrane
- Amy Winehouse
- Van Morrison
- Fiona Apple
- Atmosphere
- Dre
- Jack Johnson
- Paolo Nutini
- The Refreshments
Recent Comments