Saturday 2/7, Castor was still out of it and fairly whiney. Eric and I rolled around in bed for a long time then showered and got ready for the day. The vet called to see how C was doing and I told her and she said take it easy with him and that if he wants to turn back take him back right away. Sos called and said they were on their way and I'd found some trails for them to look at. When they got there we finished packing up and decided on Coal Creek Falls partially because it was 5 minutes away. We drove up, got out, introduced the dogs and they could really care less about each other so that was good. Grabbed a map and started climbing. We decided to try a few different trails and thank goodness there are maps because there are so many you could easily get lost. We checked out some of the blocked off sections and Castor was pumped to sniff and pee on everything. We talked a lot and are planning a group trip to camp in some yurts later this spring and summer. I found out we were going to dinner later that night which I thought was called off in lieu of them bringing lunch over. We finally found the falls and that was cool, though I was worried about Castor and his not drinking but finally did. He had so much energy he was pulling the entire time and I was growing increasingly frustrated because he wouldn't settle the f down. I stayed way back because he didn't pull as hard when there was no way he was going to get out in front. My arms and sides were killing me by the time we were done. He’s so strong it blows my mind. Sos and I were getting really hungry and the boys kept wanting to explore and we found these old vents that must have brought the gasses up and out of the mines. Crazy. Castor was still pulling, even after 4 miles. We went home and they brought all their food up. Two kinds of salami from Salumi and two cheeses from a cheese shop in the market, not clear if it was Beechers or not. Then they brought some apples, pears and bread and some fun fizzy drinks. We gorged. I was starving and we ate a ton. We hung for a little bit then they took off and told us we'd see them in a few hours. Eric and I relaxed and we both started taking a nap but then woke up. Castor was out and I was thankful, also because he was back to acting normal. I'm not sure what else we did. Maybe just talk and relax. I eventually took a shower and got ready for dinner. Sos and Jake showed up and Eric had talked to Schuyler and soon we were off to the Chinese buffet. I was a little scared. Chrystol and Schuyler arrived shortly after we did and we all went in. It was pretty big and we started right in. I had maybe three plates and like four plates of dessert. We talked more about a yurt trip and / or renting a house or something. We all did a little experimenting but Eric was the most adventurous and tried pig's feet, and something else gross that I can't remember. We all stuffed ourselves then drove over to Fred Meyer but all came out empty handed. C & S followed us back to my place then Sos and Jake left. Chrystol looked at cats online as I tried to convince her to adopt another one, especially from the HS. The boys left to get coffee and I showed C the stuff I'd gotten for Eric for his bday and vday and almost got caught. We looked through mags and talked. We half watched tv and mostly just hung out. They left around 11:30 and we told them we'd see them the next morning. We watched some SNL but were too sleepy to finish.

Friday 2/6, Dropped Castor off early for his dental exam and worried about him all day. Got a call saying I could pick him up anytime and that he was still waking up from the anesthesia. I got off work early since I went in early and swung by and he was out of it, but not so much he didn’t run out of the dr office. He was tipsy in the car and his eyes were glassy. When I got home Eric was there because he'd gotten off really early. Eric took Castor out and told me he almost fell over while lifting his leg. Eric picked up stuff to make dinner and had it all prepped by the time I got home. I relaxed then pleaded with him to start dinner early. We got the deep fryer emptied and Eric cleaned it out then he realized he didn't have enough grape seed oil so he ran to the store and back and started on the rest of it. Burgers with blue cheese and huge slices of pepper bacon with avo, tomato and all the other fixins. He made a huge salad with cucumber and onion and avo. The fries were very good and he made a ton. We couldn't eat them all. I couldn't even come close to finishing my burger. I only ate half. They were at least a half pound each. Huge. We watched Swimming Pool and Eric really liked it and we discussed it afterward. We were both exhausted and had a full day the next day so we went to bed fairly early with a still out-of-it Castor.

Thursday 2/5, I got a call from the vet reminding me of Castor's teeth cleaning the next day. On the way home I stopped at the bank to deposit the $$. At home I sat on the couch listening to music and going through magazines but realized Castor was probably stir crazy so took him out for a little walk then back for more mags - got three more out of my way. I made Castor some dinner then myself and Eric called while I was preparing. We talked about the weekend and plans and the next weekend. After we hung up I tried RH Eric but his phone is still turned off. Watched some tv and ate some GO pears and eventually went upstairs and got ready for bed and read a little more and watched music videos on youtube that Paste said were the best of 2008. Went to sleep early-ish because of an early morning. Had all sorts of bizarre / frantic dreams about missing Castor's appt and being able to take him out beforehand. Ughh.

Wednesday 2/4, I called Sos after work and she wanted to know if we wanted to hike over the weekend and hit the Chinese buffet, I said yes. We talked about some other things and hung up. I read for a while on the couch, talked to Mom, made some dinner for me and Castor, talked to Eric and told him about the hike (he's all excited now) and also his birthday weekend. I didn't really watch tv, I just tried to get through that VF and finally did by the end of the night. Showered and stayed up late reading.

Tuesday 2/3, Eric called to tell me he was in Wallingford with Rich and that he would come by later because he forgot some of his stuff. I told him I was on my way to the mall to meet Susan and would see him later. I made it there pretty quickly and met Susan in the Gap, except she scared the shit out of me. I picked up some stuff for Eric then we went to J Crew where I found some more good stuff then Banana Rep but didn't find anything I loved. We went to Nordstrom and checked out BP and talked about Garbage and how I didn't like it when I was 16 and it came out and wondered why Shirley Manson was in such a bad mood. We perused shoes then headed to my car and over to the park to get our walk on. Castor was very excited and sniffing everything and I attempted to keep him roped in when other dogs went by and he did pretty good. We talked as we went around and it felt good to get some exercise (two laps = 1 mile). I dropped Susan off at her car and went home. Eric wasn't there yet and I was starving so I started making some quesadillas and was piling all this stuff on them and Eric came home and he had Chinese (no more mex he said). He saw me stuffing my face and laughed. I ate a lot. We hung in the living room and watched our shows and laughed and cuddled and I read part of a magazine and eventually we went upstairs and hit the sack.

Monday 2/2, Eric came up after work but I beat him home. There were a lot of leftovers so I heated up the rest of the artichoke dip and Eric worked on quesadillas and I ate some chips and guac and I ate way too much of everything. We sat on the couch and waited for GG to come on and I was only half paying attention to it because I was also doing my taxes because I finally got my mortgage statement. Finished those up upstairs while we watched Bachelor then the terrible show and Eric fell asleep. I made sure to tell him who was voted off.

Sunday 2/1, I got up early and dressed and had some cereal and headed out to get gas. I called Kay-See to say I didn't have time to drive out to Seward Park to walk and that I'd see her later. When I got back I took Castor for a long walk to get his exercise on. He did pretty well and I brought the treats to try my hand at working on his walking behavior. When I got back Eric was gone but he shortly returned and had gone to the store for more supplies. We both got going on our respective chores - him cooking, me cleaning. We worked our asses off for a good three hours and finally I was done and told him I was going to go shower. I got ready and helped him get the food out and put the finishing touches on everything. Chrystol and Schuyler showed up around 1:00 and were amazed at the spread. All the food was soooo good and Eric surprised me with bruschetta and it was delicious. Mmm. I ate a ton. Next was Kay-See and she was impressed with all the food too. Gary said he was going to come over so I gave him directions and as we were hanging out Sos called to say they had just arrived home and wondering if they could come over. I said of course then Gary arrived. We all hung out and talked and the girls half-watched the game, it was more talk about Belize and music than football. Sos and Jake came and had some food and it was just a fun day all around. Castor behaved himself for most of it but he was anxious so I put him upstairs for a while to calm him. It didn't really work. I kept him on the leash and that did the trick. Funny. Everyone was yelling at the tv by the end. K left early because she was tired, then Sos and Jake to watch the rest of the game at home but mentioned going to the coast over the weekend so we'll see. I started cleaning up and we socialized and eventually Gary left and then there were four and Castor calmed way down. Finally S and C went home and we finished cleaning and exhaustedly collapsed onto the couch. I went through some magazines and eventually we went upstairs and Eric watched AFV for a while and I was so tired I went to sleep. He wasn't far behind.

Saturday 1/31, We got up fairly early and Eric went for a run while I got ready for our photo shoot. I talked to Dad and he told me how to get to the soccer fields. We headed up and stopped at a little coffee place and Eric got me a scone. We found the fields fine and walked Castor around to burn some energy. Dad got there and we quickly did the pictures and we were laughing at each other and soon headed back into Issaquah. We stopped at the pet store and I got some more soft training treats and Eric bought Castor a Himalayan cheese treat thing. We went home and relaxed then we took Castor for a walk and practiced some of his "tricks" and he did ok. Back at home I fell asleep on the couch at some point while watching tv and Eric let me sleep. We headed down to the Dog Manners class and got situated and that went pretty well but I was glad to get out of there. Next up we went to the store to get all the party supplies. At home we foraged for dinner and I talked to Kay-See about the night's events and told her we'd see her later. Mom called to tell me to come over to pick up kitchen stuff she didn't want anymore. We picked that stuff up and headed to the Garage. We found K and some guys I didn't know playing pool. We hung with them and K handed her pool stick to Eric to take over. He had fun meeting new people and playing and I talked to K and Bethany when she got there. We discussed dog training and the baby and relationships in general. We got some food and hung out then I talked to CB for a long time and he's an interesting guy. Eventually we moved to a lane and there was a rousing round of bowling. People began peeling off and after it was over we took off too, giving K a ride home. I was exhausted and couldn't believe I was going to have to get up early to get all the party stuff done. We got home and watched SNL for a while until I fell asleep.

Friday 1/30, Eric arrived shortly after I did and we hung out and ate dinner and I talked to Dad. Castor started acting so weird and licking the carpet all over then ate one of my receipts that was sitting on the floor. Eric and I were laughing so hard and Dad commented that at least we're staying entertained. I finished organizing all my credit card stuff and put it all away. Eric ran to the store for some stuff while I finished and when he returned we put on Blackrobe and ate popcorn. He liked it and we went up to bed shortly after it was over. We had lots of play time and got out the blindfold. Heh. Went to sleep after midnight.

Thursday 1/29, Dad called to see if he wanted me to come over to put in some of my new lights so I said yes and expected to see him relatively shortly after I got home. He didn't show up until 6:30 or so. In the meantime I did some credit card receipt filing and organizing and am making headway and intend to have it done before the Superbowl party. He arrived, got the light in the entryway installed but you can see into the top so we rigged it with some ear plugs until I can figure out a permanent solution. Dad hung around for a while and Tigre and Castor played then Dad left and I made HH and it was delicious. I ate a lot. Had some jello for dessert and watched Ugly Betty until Eric called. We talked about the weekend and other stuff then hung up and I watched Office. Went upstairs, showered, let the dog out, settled into bed. Had a restless night then Castor woke me up and seconds later the earthquake struck. It was pretty weird. Seemed like it lasted 15-20 seconds. I wasn’t sure if it was an earthquake or if the neighbors were slamming their doors repeatedly. Went back to sleep after determining it was the former.

Wednesday 1/28, I mostly updated my restaurant thing and finally finished as I was watching a baboon special on tv. I had a spinach salad with chevre and m&ms for dinner. Eric said he'd call later because he was out to dinner then Kay-See texted she was bored and if she could come over. I talked to Susan for a little bit then K arrived and we got the M&Ms out and talked for a long time and it looks like she might be able to swing going to Belize. Eric called and I told him I'd call him back later. K stayed until 10:40 then headed out and I called Eric and we talked until well after 11. I was exhausted and went to sleep.

Tuesday 1/27, I had a nice evening at home alone. I talked to Eric and asked him if he was going to watch BL and he said no, probably KCTS. It was too bad he didn't because Curtis Stone was on, mmm. I read before bed.

Monday 1/26, Eric called as soon as I was off work to see what I was doing and if he would mind if he came up; I said sure! At home I did some cleaning then got hungry so ate my omelet and topped it with goat cheese. Eric arrived around 6 and made some rice for leftover curry and we watched some shows. We talked and giggled on the couch then watched Bachelor and it almost killed him. I made some popcorn that we devoured. We went upstairs after and got ready for bed and watched that terrible show and went to bed.

Sunday 1/25, We got up and I took the dog out and got ready then we headed to the vet for Castor's boosters and ear checkup. He knew as soon as we got there and was pulling like crazy to get the hell out of there. The appt went so fast because we got the no-nonsense team. His ear is finally good, thank god. I called Susan and we headed into Seattle to her house. She was disappointed we didn't bring Castor in but it was so wet and muddy out he would have made a mess. Next time. We hopped in the car and went to the GO and I got 11 boxes of cereal and a shit load of other random stuff. We loaded up the car after finding Eric, who'd been MIA since we'd arrived, and headed to Volunteer Park. We walked around with Castor and took pictures and Castor got loose and bolted for some people and the lady wasn't happy. Sorry. He's not so good at coming yet. We went back to the car and drove down 15th, parked and attempted lunch at Smith but no poutine until 2, bah. Went to Coastal Kitchen and waited for a while then got a good table up above the hot guy table. We had a nice brunch but wanted to get the hell out of there and back to Castor who we assumed was a pupsicle by that point. He wasn't. We drove Susan home then drove back to Bellevue where we relaxed and I made jello. We went over and picked up Grandma for dinner and that was a bit stressful but we figured it out and headed to Mom's. Dinner was ready when we got there so we sat down and did best and worst and had a nice dinner. Castor and Tigre played on the deck for a long time. We had a nice baked pear dessert then talked in the living room for a long time and Mom took me upstairs and gave me something to keep safe and to confirm the picture was not on the wall (per AL’s account). We took Grandma home then headed home and watched EHM intermittently with 48 hours or something. Went to bed not too late.

Saturday 1/24, Eric got up early and went for a run so I got my computer out and started updating restaurants and ate some breakfast by the time he got back. He showered and climbed back in bed with me and we messed around for a long time then showered off together and he used my towel which made us both laugh. We got dressed and headed out with Castor. First to Big 5 to check out weight lifting benches then over to the pet store to order a tag for Castor and also picked up some food to help him eat in the morning and Eric got him two pig ears. We parked at the post office and headed down the trail looking at sheep and chatting then back to the car. Over to fedex to print out the sheet for the doggy obedience class. We went home for a little while and watched cooking shows (I saw a salad I wanted for dinner that night) and Eric took a mininap while I did more updating of my spreadsheet then we took off for class. The lady reminds me of Nic's mom and using the clicker should be interesting and we learned quite a bit in the first session. After, we went to the store and blew $80 then home where Eric made dinner and I cleaned up and we were out of there by 6:30 with the food. We arrived at Chrystol and Schuyler's at 7 on the nose. Dinner was served up and we ate almost all of it and the salad was an incredible success. We sat around talking for a long time after dinner and Chrystol got out some gluten free cookies that were surprisingly good. It was soon time for the movie so we walked over, brrr, to the Majestic but the movie was sold out so we walked back and has several ideas between us of what to do and decided to drive up 99 to find Pass-o-Guav. The place was closed but now we know where it is at least. On our way back a car full of idiots almost ran me off the road which had me swearing up a storm. We grabbed the dishes, said good night and headed home. Castor was happy to see us and I took him out then we turned on the tv and got ready for bed. SNL was a repeat and I fell asleep about 20 minutes in.

Friday 1/23, Home after work where I did a little tidying then Eric arrived and we'd decided to make dinner and he had the idea for curry but when we got to the store we decided to slum it and do pizza hut instead and put our order in then waited 20 minutes and back home. We put on Limbo and started eating and made some headway on the pie. Eric liked the movie and had an optimistic take on the ending. We were being sassy with each other and ended up upstairs chatting then I said something that upset him (LPC's trademark technique) and we went back and forth having a discussion about it and I was finally able to articulate what I was trying to say and he apologized but we ended up going to sleep instead of anything fun because I certainly wasn't in the mood anymore.

Thursday 1/22, I went straight to Factoria from work and arrived at the Rack at the same time Susan arrived at Target. I started perusing the men's section and picked up a few things then Susan found me and she gave me her opinion on a few things. We continued to look around and eventually checked out and both headed back to my house. I made some risotto as we talked in the kitchen then moved to the living room and talked and watched WoF and Jeopardy then watched Castor give himself a blow job. We were both horrified and couldn't watch. Ugly Betty came on and Susan decided to head home so I walked out with her and moved upstairs after taking Castor around. Eric called at 9 and we talked until almost 10. I showered and went to bed.

Wednesday 1/21, I had my meeting with TJ and he was very nice, if not a bit flirty. Plus he gave me a gift card so that was totally unexpected. On my way back I told Mom I would come to MI after work. I went to the MI bookstore and exchanged the book Alix got me for xmas then called Mom and headed over to Grandma's. I walked Castor around then Mom showed up and we went in to the storage unit and started rummaging around. I found some good stuff and some amazing stuff and we loaded up the trunk then I started home. I heated up some dinner when I got home then called Eric. I started sorting through my bills and getting things squared away and eventually went upstairs to bed.

Tuesday 1/20, Did some cleaning and laundry, made some rice for Castor, finished some mags, finally. Ate leftovers with rice and half watched tv. Eric called as BL came on so we chatted for a long time and tried to decide what to do this weekend. I brushed Castor and cleaned him up a little then gave him his last heartworm medication stuff, so that was good then eventually upstairs where I cleaned my bathroom on the commercial breaks. Susan called and we discussed plans for Thursday. I read in bed for a while then lights out after 11.

Monday 1/19, I beat Eric home and was reading on the couch when he arrived. He'd picked up tofu and a bunch of veggies to make stir fry all for 10.50. I was very impressed. He whipped up dinner quickly and I continued picking up and reading my mag. We ate dinner and it was good then watched GG and Eric was dying. I looked up TJ on facebook and Eric's like, "He wants to stick it to you babe, trust me, I know" so I laughed about that then we went upstairs to get ready for bed and watch Bachelor. I did Castor's ear and he was fine and soon into bed to cuddle with Eric. He fell asleep during that awful Beauty show but I was sucked in and finished it.

Sunday 1/18, We woke up and Eric wanted to take me out to breakfast so we got ready and he took the dog out and I called to put our name on the list at Pancake House in Kirkland. We had a little wait when we got there but I helped the hostess so she sat us earlier and gave us a good table. I had a dutch baby and it was delicious. After breakfast we went down to the park by the water and let Castor sniff around then back to the car. We stopped at the Humane Society to see if I could find that volunteer to thank her, but no dice. We went home to use the bathroom then back in the car and drove up 90 to do some sightseeing / exploring. We talked and pulled off and found a trailhead for snow shoeing but turned around and headed home. We relaxed and Eric watched football and I went upstairs to watch Tudors and fell asleep then woke up but fell back asleep again and felt so out of it and groggy. We hit the road to Mom's but stopped at the store then over with Castor. He was much better this time and the dogs left him alone for the most part. He played with Tigre a little. Dinner was good and we hung out for a while then took off. Eric took off shortly after we got home for Jason's birthday at the Zoo so I went up and watched my shows and Castor kept me company. Got ready for bed and to sleep.

Saturday 1/17, Eric and I got up early and ready then gassed up, washed my car (with Castor barking in the backseat the whole time), hit Starbucks for liquid caffeine then headed up a few exits to do some hiking. We chose the swamp monster trail and walked for a long time and Uncle Brad called because he was drinking the coffee I'd gotten him and Auntie Heidi and also about Eric's jacket. It was sunny up in Bellingham so I was hoping the sun would come out for us too. We somehow ended up on another trail that led to an enormous tree that has been standing there since before America was a country and had escaped several clear cut loggings. Insane. We walked back up to the power line road and walked back on that. We went home and relaxed and Eric fried up the hand shaven noodles and tofu from the night before with some carrots and rice added, yum! I had plans to go to Kay-See's and then possibly the Harborrats show later on, with Eric possibly joining in the fun and coming with Schuyler and Chrystol. I showered and we hung on the couch and I knew it was time to head out but I didn't want to. I left Eric there to let Castor out before he left and headed into Seattle. Parking was no problem and up I went to K's. She showed me her new blog and the pizza dough in the oven and I suggested going downtown and she liked that idea so we left her house and walked downtown. First we stopped at Nordstrom and perused the menswear section for a sweater and came up empty. We headed back upstairs to look at the pretty designer shoes and to see my long blonde-haired bf who caught us checking him out. I found the prettiest pair of fuchsia pumps but couldn't justify the $200 price tag, even though they looked amazing on. We went to Barney's and checked their merchandise out as well, but nothing. We were hungry so we went to PF Chang's and sat in the bar. We got a very entertaining waiter who was cute to boot. We walked back up to her place, with a quick stop at Starbucks and a hilarious cashier who convinced me to take the survey. We decided to go get a movie (Burn After Reading) then back home where we snuggled in a couple blankets and laid on the floor and had some bread since the dough was no longer dough, but a huge loaf. We talked about finances for a long time and how we'd both seen the Oprah with Suze Orman and it scared the shit out of us. We also talked about Belize and looked at pictures online. Finally we got to the movie and it was good, but not what I expected. After it was over I headed home because I was so tired and since K wasn’t interested in attending the show. Castor was so excited to see me, I took him out then we got ready for bed. I turned on SNL and caught Fleet Foxes but the rest of the show was pretty disappointing. Not funny. I stayed up until 1:45 and Eric still wasn't home so I texted him and went to bed. Apparently he didn't get home until 2:30.

Friday 1/16, At home I was doing stuff around the house and was talking to Susan and Castor started barking and ran downstairs and Eric had arrived and had gotten a haircut, yay! It looked really good and I was very happy. He's back to his straight laced image. We didn't stick around there too long and were soon on our way to Best Buy so I could get Tudors, except they were out and it came out like two weeks ago. Curses. We headed to the park to let Castor run around but there was soccer so we walked him around instead and it was freezing. We went and picked up some Chinese after that and headed home. I think we watched Tudors then went upstairs for some private time. Eric tried to shower without me but I jumped in but then he kept irritating me by sticking his fingers in places where they don't belong every time I bent over. We climbed into bed and fooled around for a long time. I think went to sleep by 11.

Thursday 1/15, I contemplated going to Neighbs but after I got home I felt so tired and just wanted to go to bed early and relax. I updated this, looked through some mags, watched Scrubs & Office, talked to Eric and basically laid on my bed all night. Castor was content with that and brought his blanket upstairs without my even asking him so we could watch tv together in comfort. I went to bed by 11 and slept very very well.

Wednesday 1/14, Had plans with Kay-See but didn't know what we were doing. She wanted to come over so I hung out at home after work and Castor was very well behaved. I had some corn for dinner or something then she showed up around 7:30. I made us hot chocolate while we talked in the kitchen then over to the couch and we talked about friend drama and how it's always easier to see from the outside. We looked at Zack's profile online and K said that's the kind of man she needs, especially being a helicopter pilot and all. Eric showed up at 8:45 and showered while we continued talking. She left around 10 and I asked Eric to help me with Castor's ears then he shook the cleanser all over Eric's clean head and all over my face and we both started laughing so hard and cleaned ourselves up. I showered and we got into bed and watched the news then talked until we fell asleep.