Thursday 11/13, I got home a little early and knew Eric would be there by 6-6:30 so I did a few things (can't find bathing suit top!) around the house, flipped through mags, talked to Susan and eventually heard from Eric at 6:50. Running late, be there by 7. I steamed veggies and had an apple with peanut butter for dinner and watched WoF and Jeopardy. Eric arrived by 8 then watched me finish the rest of the lemon cheesecake. I half watched Ugly Betty and read an infidelity article while he looked at football stats online. We went upstairs and showered then climbed into bed and he read one of my books (Native People, I think) and I flipped through a mag. We talked for a little while before turning the lights out and going to sleep.

Wednesday 11/12, Had a very nice 7-month anniversary note from Eric in my lunch, aww! Toward the end of the day he texted asking if he could come up because his power was out and of course I said yes. I stopped at the store on the way home and read some mags when I got there. Eric showed up not too much later. We talked and he told me about his day then we started looking up the islands on google earth and I showed him Auntie's houses then he went looking for islands used by the US gov't for military purposes and it's insane the number of beautiful islands they use for the express purpose of landing planes and testing bombs. It's a crime really. I started dinner and he didn't eat much because he's trying to cut back and as a result I went overboard and finished the salad and the broccoli and carrots. Then I had a piece of cake and licked my lips then tried to kiss him and he was all grossed out and wouldn't let me and held my face back and we just laid there laughing hysterically as I tried to force my face toward his. We watched some tv and ANTM was hilarious. We were laying on the couch and he started singing this ridiculous song about Marjorie and how she got kicked off and I kept pushing up on his chin so he couldn't start then he eventually did and sang something about taking her crazy ass to first class on her way home. We were both laughing so hard I could hardly breathe. I finished cleaning the kitchen then went upstairs and he'd made the bed and I had some grooming time in the bathroom and started packing but can't find my pink bikini top, a mystery that must be solved. Eventually climbed into bed while Eric watched some British military special and I read. We talked for a little while then fell asleep.

Tuesday 11/11, We woke up and relaxed in bed and fell in and out of sleep and laughed at each other and the barrier he made so I couldn't breathe on him. We got up and had some breakfast and started getting ready and for some reason I was irritated at him and he suggested something that would help me relieve some of my aggression. Waxing his back. I was worried I was going to botch it but I actually did a pretty good job. We used 14 strips and still didn't get it all but cleared the noticeable stuff. I think next time I could do it in less but I was getting my bearings. He had red bumps all over his back so I put the oil on it and it looked much better. We got dressed and headed out calling Mom on the way to meet at the lamp place. We found a bunch that I want for various areas of my house so now she has some options. We were there for a while then headed up toward 148th and went to a little teriyaki place and had some laughs at his beef jerky and high tailed it out of there. We went to Goodwill next where we picked up a book on HI and I got a hilarious halter dress for the murder mystery party that's magenta and has sparkly leopard spots all over it. We headed back to Issaquah and went to the costume store and Ross then Safeway and I stayed in the car due to cramps then home. I laid on the couch while Eric started the lemon cheesecake and I read and played online. I called Susan to see if she wanted to come over for dinner then called Court to get tips and tricks for Oahu. She said she'd give me her brother's number and I was all "Oooh, George!" and made inappropriate jokes about leaving Eric at home and going out with him instead. We laughed. Also made plans for getting together when we're down there for Thanksgiving. Susan arrived a little after 5 and Eric had dinner ready by 6. It was really good. He rubbed the chicken with mustard then coated with herbs de Provence which smelled and tasted soo good. He pan roasted these little potatoes too with olive oil and green onions, mmm! We watched the Wheel and Jeopardy and talked then had cheesecake. Susan left a little after 8 and Eric watched a program about the Hobbits in S. Asia and I finished my AD then went upstairs to watch the end of Biggest Loser. We got ready for bed and I read a little but was tired so went to sleep and he continued to watch tv. I wore my heat pack to sleep.

Monday 11/10, Mailed Alix the phone. Peggy told me I could have the whole week in HI if I wanted because she's going to stay somewhere else. I got home and Eric arrived about an hour later and I was doing stuff and trying to get pants on when he came upstairs. There were leftovers so we ate those and watched some educational television then up to DQ. We sat and watched the hilarity of that place. The guy eating his sundae at the counter while people continued to order next to him. Totally weird. Also the guy who sold Eric his board shorts. We went home and I forced him into watching two SatC episodes. We got ready for bed and went to sleep.

Sunday 11/9, When I woke up Eric wasn't there but I went back to sleep anyway then he woke me up to say he was going to get coffee. When he got back I heard him messing about in the kitchen and it was like 8. I finally got up a half hour later to find him in front of the tv and keeping an eye on a quiche in the oven. I couldn't believe it. I had a bowl of cereal and sat on the couch with him in my pjs. We watched lots of cooking shows and Alix called with phone / parents drama so I had to do all kinds of haggling and Eric was getting increasingly frustrated and said maybe he didn't want to go to dinner that night. Eric talked to S&C to find out when to go over and we ended up cuddling on the couch and laughing and having fun while the game started. I finished up a magazine then went up to shower. Eventually we made it out the door after I had a piece of pizza. Chrystol called to say she was on her way to the market and we saw her as we turned and found S there. Since the boys were enthralled with the game I got some mags out of the car and perused. I talked to Alix, Mom and Dad and finally got the phone situation figured out. I fell asleep on the couch multiple times with my limbs strewn across Eric. S had to go to band practice and left us there to talk about rehab and crazies and Eric running his mouth. We took off for Mom's and stopped at Walgreens and saw Hilary and Izzi there then picked up Grandma and there was still bitching about family. Grandma made us laugh by saying that husbands are a pain in the neck and hardly worth the trouble, but stated the same for wives and made Eric laugh. Dinner was fine and Eric got a full taste of Alan's side and had some interesting observations. Jonas was playing with a phone and Eric made everyone laugh by asking "Are you going to a party" and he answered yes then said he had to call his Mom and Eric goes "She's right at the end of the table, don't waste your minutes". Dessert was good, except Grandma said "Dinner was good, but I didn’t care for dessert. I don't know who would have picked that" or something, which almost killed Eric. We sat around talking for a while then took off, dropped Grandma, and home to watch DH and I got through a bunch of emails then upstairs to bed and Eric did something that irritated me so I let him have it and he eventually apologized.

Saturday 11/8, We woke up semi-early and cuddled then I was acting spicy and he called me out and I got over it and that was it. He went downstairs and got me cereal and eventually we got up and went downstairs and watched cooking shows forever (gave Eric lots of ideas) and I read some stuff online. We'd had a bit of a bet about giving in to sex and I was determined to win but he ended up forfeiting anyway as he watched me seductively walk upstairs to take a shower. When I got out we ended up messing around for a while then back in the shower and finished getting ready. We hung around the house for a while then left for the auto show at the event center. We found great parking and went in and perused for a long time and my favorites were the Audis and I didn't want to get out. Eric's favorites were the Zap car and some other little electric truck with no emissions. We were in there for a long time and we both got hungry so we left and headed into the ID for hum bow but came up empty due to the late hour of the day. We drove back to Bellevue and stopped at the store for dinner stuff and he wanted to try one of the recipes. We got all the stuff then went home and he started and I helped peel carrots and the squash then he finished the rest while I sat on my ass probably doing nothing. Chrystol called and invited her and S over and I told them to come on over and that dinner was on it's way and also to bring Lulu. They arrived a while later and I cleaned up a bit and we all talked and watched some tv (Cops) and ate Eric's delicious dinner of roasted veggies (with lots of garlic, red onion and potatoes in addition to the squash and carrots) and ricotta and mozzarella and baked onto a delicious pizza dough. I ate a ton. We had brownies for dessert and tried to coax Lulu down from the top of the stairs. I showed C my farm and I think she was only mildly interested. They left around 11 I think and we did some cleaning in the kitchen then up to bed and SNL. I made it through about half (more than Eric) then went to sleep.

Friday 11/7, I got off work a bit early and got a call from Eric saying he would be up sooner than expected as well. Kay-See called and I told her to come up and she said she'd call later. When he arrived we picked out a recipe (potato and broccoli soup) and headed out to the store. We got lots of veggies, smoked gouda and bread with giant garlic cloves in it. At home Eric pretty much made dinner while I swept and did other house-y things and made brownies. We sat down and I wanted to show him a video and put it on then he started in with the negativity and I lost it. I got up from the table and went in the kitchen and was fuming, started yelling and crying about it because I felt he was being so absolute about everything. Anyway I just stayed in the kitchen and cleaned and cried, but he couldn't hear, and finally I pulled it together and K called and I got the sense that she wasn't coming then Chrystol called and I told her we were thinking of seeing a movie and she seemed interested, then not interested. We ended up just watching Borat and things were civil but I was still feeling gross. We went up to bed when it was over and went to sleep.

Thursday 11/6, Apparently I didn’t keep record of this day. It is a loss. Being the 20th I have no idea what I did on this day. Maybe Susan came over, or maybe we went dancing. Perhaps Susan has kept better record.

Wednesday 11/5, I got home and a light was on in my living room that I know I didn't leave on so I called up from the entryway "Hello?" thinking maybe Eric came up to surprise me, then at the top of the stairs "Hello?" and nothing. I went down to get the mail and called him on the way. No answer. I called Mom to see if she'd been over. No. She stayed on the phone with me while I went room to room with a big knife. I found nothing missing and was wracking my brain trying to figure out how the light could have possibly been left on. We hung up and I tried to not think of it and took out the recycling and Eric called and I told him and he was very supportive and we talked about HI and how he did a little research and about the weekend then hung up. I talked to Sos about meeting at my house then took out the nasty garbage out and was doing some dishes when I swore I heard footsteps upstairs so I freaked out and went downstairs to stand by the front door until Sos and Jake showed up. When they finally did Sos went through the house with me and I determined the only place someone could be is in the attic but not likely. We took off for the place Hakim had found in the ID and he called while we were on the bridge. We found it no problem but it was closed and Hakim said it was good news that the Crawfish King was moving in, but I thought he said "Sausage King" so we all laughed. We decided to walk and eventually walked way up to almost Rainier and went to Lemongrass and though it wasn't Thai it was good. We all got something and I think everyone enjoyed their food. We mostly talked politics and how wonderful this country will have a chance to be again. It was nice to have a multifaceted conversation with a group of intellectual people. Other news: Carmen is working as a physician’s nurse in Edmonds and Hakim's at the UW getting his MBA (I think in business). We had a lot of fun and walked back down to our cars and got some UPS gossip on the way. We talked a bit more before hugging goodbye and heading back to the Eastside. When we got there Sos and Jake walked through the house with me again and all looked ok, they left and I basically barricaded myself in my room after talking to Susan and her reminding me of the clowns in the attic, eek! We talked for a long time but I was tired so we hung up and I called Mom back to tell her I was ok then took a long hot shower and went to bed.

Tuesday 11/4, Election Day! Finally, no more fucking political commercials - from either side! Though I will miss the one where D. Burner says the FISA bill sucks and how it's supposed to show what a potty mouth she has and that D. Reichert would never use such foul language, never mind that maybe the FISA bill really does suck. Call it like it is girl! Eric texted me when I was at the post office saying he got the time off work and was in for Hawaii which made me ecstatic. When I got to work I booked our airfare, or I guess I should say Peggy booked our airfare so it's all set. I called Sos on the way home to make sure we were still on for the next night for dinner with Hakim and Carmen, we were. I stopped at PCC for some mozzarella because Eric was making dinner and needed it for the chicken. At home I tried to do a few things around the house and was semi-successful. I talked to Alishia for a long time about the election and her house. Eric called to say he wouldn't be there until 6:30 because of long lines at his polling place. He came upstairs when he got there and I was thoroughly engrossed in election news. I had my computer refreshing and tv tuned into NBC. He had a bunch of news for me and was all excited about HI and we went downstairs so we could cook while we talked. I got going on the lemon pound cake and he got the chicken and pasta going. He told me some interesting news but that I wasn't allowed to tell anyone. We got everything going then sat in the living room and continued watching coverage. We were enjoying dinner when it was announced that Obama won and it was such a shock as the network came back from commercial and we were like "Wait, really? For real??" and cheered. Alishia called and said as soon as it was announced in her complex she heard cheering and celebrating. It was insane and I felt such relief. Not excitement, just relief. We continued watching and thought McCain's speech was very gracious and was surprised at his speaking ability. Unlike our current (on his way out!) president. Then Obama's speech and thought it was very good as well and couldn't believe the shots of nationwide celebrations. Crazy. When is the last time such excitement has been exhibited over a presidential election?? None that I recall. Anyway, so we got the pound cake out and Chrystol called while it was cooling and we chatted for a minute then I put Eric on so he could talk to Schuyler and I went to cut up the cake. It was still really warm and was delicious even without the frosting that I didn't make. We watched for a little while longer then went upstairs and Eric got right into bed while I did some other things then Prop 8 was going down and we got into an argument about why people are against it. He thinks it's money and that somehow people perceive gay marriage as costing them something. I said it's unnecessary hatred. Then we erupted into an exasperated argument. I told him I needed to take a shower and he said fine, he was going to research it. I told him "Good, prove me wrong! I hope it's about money and not bigotry, prove me wrong!" and when I got out he told me I was right. We managed to both get over it and I read for a while as he watched more coverage and we went to bed by 11 probably.

Monday 11/3, At work Peggy told me she booked a condo in Honolulu but that she wouldn't use the whole thing and would pay for me and Eric to use the first 4 days so that was very exciting. I went to the store after work and it was pitch ass black and it sucked. I got what I needed then home and started putting things away and snacking and Eric called and I told him and he had some concerns with work and money but said he would let me know the next day. I ate while we talked and we discussed some other things then hung up. I did some other things then Susan called so I talked with her for a while about the election and her days off and Thomas and his sultry voice. After we hung up I got ready for GG and about half way through Kay-See called and asked if she could come over and we could talk story, I said sure. After the show was over Ian im-d me and asked me if I was going to Sos' for Thanksgiving and I knew exactly why he was asking but I played dumb then asked some questions I already knew the answers to. K arrived and I told her Ian had just im-d me and that it had to do with my stories but I had to say bye first so I told him I had to go then he started writing some things to K so I communicated and we did a little more then I hid my online status so I could get my stories going. Eric kept texting and finally I told him to give it a rest and called him clown which I'm sure made him chuckle. First I guessed 3 things I thought her stories would be about as we cozied into my bed. I started with my stories and she was in shock and we just sat there and laughed and "OMG"-d. Then it was her turn and I was not happy with her stories but I'd had a feeling and all I can do is be there and try to be a good friend and give the best advice I can. So we talked until 11:30 and I think it was somewhat productive then she took off and I got ready for bed, ripped some cds and finished off an Allure. It was 12:30.

Sunday 11/2, We woke up semi-early and had gotten an extra hour of sleep because of the time change. We talked and cuddled for a little bit then got up and ready and out the door so I could gas up at Costco. We drove out, no lines then over to 6th for donuts. We both had one and split another one and that place is very good. I wish they had something like it up here. From there we went to Tacoma Boys where I picked up some apples and toilet bowl cleaner and we marveled at all the wonderful candy, meats, cheeses and gourmet items they had. Eric said he'll make me the cranberry, spinach, feta stuffed pork chops we saw. From there we drove over to UPS, parked and started exploring the new Science building. It's really crazy and there's the cutest little cafe where the fountain used to be in a Louvre-esque glass pyramid. They renovated the old part of the building and it looks nice. We walked around campus and laughed at the flyers showing Palin with vampire fangs that were posted everywhere. Down to the Sub and walked through then back up toward Wyatt but the doors were locked so we walked back through Thompson so I could use the bathroom then back to the car. We drove up to Proctor and parked because I wanted to peek into the cute little shops. I got an ornament for Mom and a "P" key chain for Aubs for her birthday then kept walking and into the Northwest store where I almost bought a map of the south Sound hot pad. When we emerged it was pouring so we strategically made it back to the car and decided to go try to find a movie, but after our detour and no good movies we decided to head to a shopping area. We went to Ross and Marshall's and I got a cute green loaf pan and we started talking about lunch so we headed back to his house. When we got there we fried up the remaining hash browns and ham and heated up the other half of my Philly cheese steak and sat in front of the football game and ate. I grabbed my magazine and read a little until I fell asleep. Eric woke me up to tell me my phone was ringing but didn't get to it in time. We sat on the couch and talked for a long time about San Diego and other stuff until 7:30. I packed up and said our goodbyes and we were sad to leave each other but soon I was on the road and talking to Susan. We chatted all the way until I was home then I unloaded the car and headed up to my room to tend to my farm. I watched Desperate Housewives and unpacked a bit then into bed to read and to bed.

Saturday 11/1, In the middle of the night I woke up because I was so hot then minutes later heard one of the doors slide open then Schuyler say "Just turn it off". They got it and I went back to sleep. Eric woke up early to clean the kitchen and got breakfast started but I kept waiting for him to return to bed and when he didn't I eventually got up. When C heard I was up she forced herself to get up too, having justified climbing back into bed because I wasn't up yet. We all hung out in the kitchen while Eric cooked and I told everyone about my Robert Downy Jr. dream and how I kept making out with him but I felt bad for it. Eventually we ate our pancakes, eggs, hash browns and ham - it was all good. We hung out and took our time getting ready. As Eric and I were cleaning up we got into a bit of a tiff because I was being a brat about voting and he called me out. I was moody. We all got ready and headed out in Eric's car for a day of fun. First we took a tour of the neighborhood then it was off to the swap meet. Jason asked if he needed a stamp after paying to get in and the lady was like "If you want one, I'll give you one" in a mostly hostile voice. We laughed and headed in. C and I checked out the ridiculous clothes and Eric and S found outfits they wanted us to dress in. I flirted with the piercing guy then smiled at the tattoo guy. We walked around looking at all the stuff and marveled at some of it. Wigs for $5. We eventually made it outside and wandered for a while and eventually headed back to the car without having purchased anything. Next we went on a tour of S. Tacoma Way and over by the abandoned brick furniture store and millions of pallets. We went downtown and walked around looking at antique stores especially Licks which was jam packed with tons and tons of shit. We were getting hungry so we grabbed some popcorn on our way to the light rail downtown. We hopped on and rode to the Harmon and had some lunch. There was some slight confrontation on the Nader / Obama front but I held my own with the help of a little old lady's t-shirt at the next table. We took the light rail back to the antique shops and the security guard complimented Eric's shoes and I proudly stated I picked them out and he was like "Um, wow, good for you. I guess." It was funny and everyone laughed at me. On the way back to the car Eric told us about the hunky baristo at Starbucks who hit on him. We piled into the car and headed over to Schuyler's parents' house to meet the new dog, Charlie, a huge chocolaty poodle. We marveled at the work the boys did in the back then went in and talked and ate candy and played with the dogs. We headed out and back to Eric's where the boys hung in the living room and Chrystol and I climbed into her bed and gossiped for an hour or so and yelled things like "Stop it, that tickles!" and "Cute panties, can I try them on?" and thoroughly amused ourselves. We finally got up and joined the boys and I helped Eric get dinner going then the boys got the fire started and apparently there was a big spider. We gorged on dinner then watched a Pavoratti special and had some laughs then they all packed up their stuff and hit the road back to Seattle. Eric and I stayed on the couch and watched AMW then the news. We started getting ready for bed and showered and climbed in and had a little play time and went to sleep.

Friday 10/31, When I woke up I had a text from Eric requesting I take the morning off (yet again) and come hang out because he moved back in with M&R. "Trouble in paradise?" I wondered to myself as I got ready. At work I texted him back that it wasn't happening then decided to do some research and found out some shocking news about Nicole's state and continued to dig but it appears they're still together so I'm wondering why he would've moved back. Don't know. Susan and I traded emails all day about it. Peggy let me leave at 2:30 to run some errands then I went to the store for BBQ pork then home where I loaded up the car, showered and got into my costume (PR) and called Eric. It was almost 4:00. He was having an awful time after his the trailer he was towing shorted out his brake lights resulting in his car not starting. A safety feature Land Rover offers apparently. He was freaking out and needed to get fuses but was having trouble tracking them down and not sure when he'd be home so I called Schuyler and told him and said I would just go down and hang at Best Buy or something but didn't want to go in my costume. I left anyway and sat in traffic for an hour and a half and called other Eric and left a message to try and find out more info then talked to Eric two more times and he didn't know I was on my way and I just agreed with what he was telling me. I got to BB and ended up changing in my car and getting some candy from the greeter at the front door and started perusing. I found some cds to buy and a movie then Eric called and said to come over whenever because he was almost home so I told him where I was and I'd see him soon. I bought my stuff then headed over and found it just fine and brought all my stuff in from the car. I gave him his present and he liked it and my costume. I started helping him prep by cutting all the peppers and we talked about how filthy guys are and the stuff he's into that I wouldn't know about. We had a lot of fun and laughing and got a few updates from the other party attendees. Eventually Chrystol, Schuyler and Jason showed up and the costumes were great, Schuyler as some guy on an expedition with binoculars that apparently weren't x-ray and Chrystol as a butterfly complete with handmade wings attached at the wrists. Both were very good. Eric had food coming out and people started eating and talking then Chrystol flagged Sos down by standing in the window with her wings and they pulled up with the dogs. Everyone talked and had a good time eating and laughing and telling inappropriate jokes about Palin. I got out the dress up clothes and everyone went crazy trying things on and we even got Rowdy into a negligee and Eric into a long black dress. My favorite was toward the end of the night when Schuyler put on the 21 Jump Street jacket and pointed to his back while looking over his shoulder. We got the desserts out (rice krispy treats and Chrystol's homemade wheat free pumpkin pie) and everyone ate up. Sos and Jake took off by 11 and the rest of us started sliding on the floors in our socks and S was playing the piano and singing and Rowdy would join in on guitar and Chrystol and I danced and slid. It was a lot of fun but we finally settled down to play Apples to Apples and for the most part had a good time until Bigfoot was brought up but then it made irritated for the rest of the game, even though it shouldn't have. We played for a long time and I think it was a tie then we started getting ready for bed as S continued to play beautiful songs. Eventually got into bed and told Eric why I was irritated and went to sleep.

Thursday 10/30, I told Susan to come over and did some grocery shopping on the way home then waited for her to call. She was bringing Chinese and I told her to bring whatever because it's all good. She showed up with lots of goodies including home made cookies that were delicious! We dished up and sat in the living room and half watched Cash Cab, half talked. There were two super cute guys and we thought it would be funny to track down the roommate. Then I told Susan her bf was the little Asian guy, Han or something. She stuck around for a while and we talked and played with our farms and I made rice krispy treats and got marshmallow everywhere. She left not too much later and I packed for my weekend in Tacoma and eventually made it into bed and probably read for a while.

Wednesday 10/29, Ian im'd me at work and said he was sorry he'd missed my call then asked if I had kids yet. "No. Big no." I replied, then asked him, "You?" and apparently he's sexin the ladies but "nothing serious". I told him he was a heart breaker and eventually that I had to get back to work. I worked a little late then went on my 2-mile run then home. I snacked on Eric's goat cheese spread then Susan called and we discussed Friday. I made some dinner and watched tv then completed my passport app and got it all packaged up then upstairs to watch the Obama special and I cried all the way through it and wanted to stab Eric for ever putting Obama in the same category as McCain. After it was over I did some other house-y things then Eric finally called me back and had been over at Rich's watching baseball. I told him about the special and was semi-picking a fight but he kept his cool. Eventually we hung up and I got ready for bed, showered and read in bed forever while listening to music.

Tuesday 10/28, I got home from work and took out garbage and did some other house-y things then Eric called and we talked for a while and I told him I would call Sos to find out about Friday. She didn't answer then her answering machine cut me off but she called back a minute later. She confirmed they were coming and we chatted about some other things like Nader and Obama and she's with me so at least the playing field will be even at Eric's. We hung up then she called me back a few minutes later and said she wanted to tell me something but didn't want me to be upset so she didn't want to tell me and wanted to know what I thought and I told her I hoped she wouldn't do something to upset me or whatever then she clarified it didn't have anything to do with her, but with Ian. I told her it was all good and I'm fine with Ian, etc. She asked me a question and I guessed Sasha and she confirmed no then mentioned the wedding and I instantly knew especially after the conversation I had with him a few weeks ago. We were both disturbed by it and discussed it at length until she had to jump off. I had some dinner then called Susan as I headed out to return the rental and told her about it and she was just as unsettled. We talked for a while then I uploaded pictures and my computer was being slow and I was getting irritated and eventually I went upstairs to bed. I called Ian to see if I could get any other info out of him but he didn't answer so I left a message. Did some reading and out.