Monday 3/9, I called Eric on the way home and he was already there so I picked him up and we drove down to Bellevue to look around and go to the library. I got like 5 or 6 cds then we went to the art supply store and looked around and Eric got more calligraphy pens and ink colors. We stopped at the store on the way home and Eric made dinner when we got there. I took Castor out and relaxed and Eric brought everything out. We watched some tv and joked and both polished off our meals. We went upstairs and I wanted to watch Tudors but Eric got hooked on DwtS and couldn't stop laughing. I did some things around the house on the commercials and eventually we climbed into bed and hit the sack early because we both had to be up early.
Sunday 3/8, Eric stayed in bed with me for a while then got up and moving. We got into a snit over how much cleaner he was using (sorry - I'm anal) so I went upstairs to shower and stew and he came up and apologized but we still didn't see each other's point. Eric made me a grilled cheese before we left then fried up some veggies from the prior evening and it was delicious! We got ready and left the house and picked up a cd at the library that came in (Peter Schilling) then went to BB&B where we both picked up some things then drove out to Redmond to do some exploring. We ended up at a park walking Castor around then over to Dairy Queen talking about his mother and his childhood. We drove home and on the way stopped at another park to walk Castor around by the lake. We went home and he watched tv downstairs while I went upstairs and watched some Tudors and finished Season 1 finally. It only took me like 5 months. Eric was making meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas and carrots. It was done a little after 8 and he served up so much but I ate it all. It was sooo good. It amazes me the stuff he makes without recipes or anything, and it's always delicious. We watched tv and eventually made it up to bed and stayed up quite late for a school night. Like 11:30 because I was giving him a massage trying to help his spasm-ing back. Then he let me pick for a few minutes which always pleases me.
Saturday 3/7, Eric got up at like 6 and headed out to go hike Si with all his snow gear. He was so sweet, he took Castor out and fed him before leaving so I wouldn't have to get up. I was exhausted so I slept until 9:30 and finally got up and moving. Castor and I set out to do our errands. I returned my cds to the library, went by the bank to see if my bonds had matured (nope) and went to the store. It was snowy and freezing so we went home and I took him out quickly. We hunkered down until Eric got back around 12:30. I was talking to Mom about MN and when they come up in May and this summer. We went to Chipotle for lunch and both ate our fill then returned home to take a nap. Eric woke me up a half hour before we had to leave for dog class. We went down to the HS for our last class and it was all agility stuff combined with obedience. She brought out the long tubes and the platform teeter-totter thing and the bars to jump over. We did that for almost the whole class then she handed out certificates of completion and asked each dog to do a trick then they got to pick out a toy from a huge bag and I knew Castor would pick the ace playing card with arms and legs, because he's a real gambler. Cheri said she thought Castor would be perfect in the CGC class and encouraged us to look into it so Eric grabbed a brochure. Castor was one of only two dogs she suggested an advanced class for, yes! We went to the store afterward to pick up some stuff for dinner and I talked to Susan who said she wasn't going to come over for dinner. Eric prepped stuff for dinner and I watched a Tudors I'd already seen but needed a refresher. He watched part of it with me then we went downstairs and got ready for Chrystol and Schuyler to come over. I vacuumed everything and did some cleaning then relaxed because I was exhausted. They arrived a little late but Eric had just finished dinner so the timing was perfect. We all dished up and sat in the living room watching Cops. We watched AMW too and laughed at John Walsh who kept saying "Let's saddle up". We watched some doo-wop special and ended up just talking and laughing and eating too much chocolate. Chrystol fell asleep on the couch and I was close behind when Schuyler suggested they head home, despite the snow on the ground. I told them they could stay over but they opted for home. I cleaned up a little then we went to bed. It was midnight so we watched a little SNL and crashed out.
Friday 3/6, Eric was at my house when I got home and we decided to go to Costco so we dropped Castor off and went in search of toothbrush heads. I found them, got some apples and some fuel injection cleaner. Eric mentioned he hadn't been to Red Robin forever so we went over there for dinner and let our jaws hang on the table at the ridiculousness of a Friday night there. Kids everywhere. I guess, where else do you take your bratty children on a Friday night for dinner? We had fun regardless and both got burgers. We went home and watched tv I believe and probably went to bed early due to my not feeling good.
Thursday 3/5, Had horrible dream about bear attacking Mom and biting her neck and me trying to gouge it's eyes out with my fingers. Woke up sweaty several times and used the bathroom only to almost-fall asleep on the toilet. Slept very deeply. Drug myself out of bed in the morning and groaned at the pouring rain outside. No walk for Castor this morning. I was late getting in and it had stopped raining so I took him on a short walk then back in and settled in to working. The day felt long and I felt mostly not great throughout the day. Glad to head home. Cleaned up the kitchen a little, practiced Castor's tricks with him and he did very well, except with "stand" he kept jumping at my hand; must keep hand lower to prevent desire to jump and see what's in my hand. I talked to Eric for a long time and was frustrated trying to eat dinner and not being able to breathe. Felt gross. Watched tv and did a few things in my room before taking my Robitussin PM and crashing out.
Wednesday 3/4, Woke up feeling like shit and called Peggy and told her I'd either be in later or not at all. By 10 I felt worse so called in and told her I'd not be in; she was fine with that. I ate and would still feel hungry so I snacked all day and ate a ton of Vanilla Wafers. I mostly went through my itunes and rated and deleted songs. I got some bills taken care of and made the reservation for my and Eric’s hotel when we go down to Portland. I was hoping Eric would come up but he didn't. I felt lazy all day and eventually took an hour and a half nap at 2:30 while listening to Elliott Smith. I talked to Susan off and on on Facebook. Made some veggies and rice for dinner then apple and peanut butter for some protein. Still hungry. Bowl of cereal and talked to Alishia who was having a shitty week; delivered pep talk. I half watched ANTM but didn't get into it because I was doing other stuff and talking on the phone. Talked to Eric like three times and told him about the hotel situation. Eventually climbed into bed again for the final time, took some Cold PM cough syrup and crashed out.
Tuesday 3/3, Susan came over after work and I felt like shit so Castor didn't get an extra walk. We talked and watched the CM video and laughed then I fixed the lamb chops. Susan thought it was pretty good and didn't really notice a difference from beef either. We watched the beginning of Biggest Loser then she took off to avoid freeway closures. I think I had some lemon cookies then went upstairs and talked to Eric. I knew I probably would be going in late the next day because I didn't feel good.
Monday 3/2, I called Eric and he was at my house so I swung by and picked him up and we went up to the park and walked around once to allow Castor some exercise. We went into Issaquah and picked up some meds for his stomach then to the library where I picked up like five cds and home. I finished up some leftovers and Eric cooked up some Linguisa. We watched Bachelor and the after the rose thing and Eric kept insisting that it couldn't be real. We went up to bed to finish watching it.
Sunday 3/1, Eric got up at 7 and took Castor up to Mt. Si to do the 8-miler. I got out of bed by 8:30 and got gas then back into bed to read and eventually got Kass up at 9:20. We drove down to the U-District so she could get her new Mac set up and everything transferred over. From there we went to Bartell's so she could get situated then over to Portage Bay Cafe, only to see it was totally packed. We drove down to Café Campagne instead and had breakfast there. I had the brioche French toast and it was fab. Kassie's quiche was delicious as well. We rolled out of there and over to some glass shop under the monorail so Kassie could pick up a new piece. I circled the block in her car and when I came back I met Dozier (again) and some other guy whose name I don't remember. I can never remember who I've met and haven't. We hit the road to West Seattle and looked at an open house at the end of 35th then Mom called so we went and met her. We drove around for hours looking at open houses and houses for sale. There were some good ones but also a lot of dumps. We dropped Mom off at her car then went to Vivace where I met Merlin who is very cute and he hooked up our drinks. We went to Mom's and she was busy at work on dinner. We had a bunch of balsamic soaked tomatoes with mozzarella and basil and enjoyed talking. Dinner was lamb chops, cucumber sauce and apricot cous cous. It was all really good and I ate a lot. For dessert we had flourless chocolate cake with ice cream. We hung out there for a long time looking at cars online for Jake and he's looking at all these Audis and Escalades so that should be interesting. I told Kass we needed to head back so I could let Castor out since he'd been there since 1 by himself. Eric came home much later while Kass and I were transferring music and pictures and I found the CM video from the Sequins and Seafarers party and we watched it at least five times laughing through it each time. I can't believe how long it was. Eric came in and we made him watch it and he just rolled his eyes and mostly laughed at Schuyler's comments in the background. Around 10 we headed upstairs to bed and said good night to Kassie.
Saturday 2/28, We got up early and got ready and headed out the door. Went and got my oil changed and walked Castor around until it was done then headed down to Columbia City Bakery for breakfast and I had the best Danish I've ever had. It had a quarter of a pear on the top and it was delicious. We drove down to Seward Park and walked the 2.5 mile loop with Castor and he jumped into the water at one point but only got his feet wet. We had a nice walk though it was pretty cold. We drove around and looked at houses and eventually found our way back to Rainier. We drove out to Uwajimaya but first went to Taco Time so I could eat something then to Trader Joes for mochi for the night's dinner party. Next was Uwajimaya where Eric found some linguisa and bought some Spanish bread. I bought some rice for Castor. We drove home and Eric had his lunch and we relaxed. We went upstairs and both fell asleep listening to Noah and the Whale and had a nice little hour long nap. We got up and out for Castor's class. He was extremely disinterested when we got there and wouldn't even respond to his name. Eric took him and worked with him and had more success. Once we got back inside he was back on point and worked it out earning extra praise from Cheri. He did very well for the rest of the session. We drove into Issaquah afterward to get more training treats and got him a big duck toy which he instantly took to. Back at home he got into it with that duck and found the quack pouch. We had about an hour and half until dinner so we talked and eventually I got in the shower and got ready. Schuyler and Chrystol came over and we all headed over together. Sos and Jake had been cooking all day and had all sorts of stuff out and it all looked wonderful. They made these crab and cream cheese won tons and had a few sauces to choose from. We ate all those then started on the spring rolls and those were sooo good. I think I had four or five. Chicken, pork, veggies and sauces all made for a delicious dinner. Then we got out the mochi and oreos. We headed out to the bowling alley by 9 and it was hoppin. There was a half hour wait so we went in the arcade and played a bunch of games and it was soo funny. The boys were going crazy. Sos and I hid the tickets around the room for kids to find. We waited a long time and eventually got a lane and I sat out of course but everyone else participated. It was a rousing game and I think Jake won. We rolled out at 11 and brought S and C back to my house so they could wash their hands. They took off by 11:30 and we went upstairs to watch SNL and go to bed.
Friday 2/27, Kay-See texted to see if I wanted to hang out so I told her to come over and we'd go on a walk. Then Eric texted me all sorts of dirty stuff then Kass asking if I wanted to get breakfast before house hunting on Sunday. Uncle Brad called later in the afternoon to find out if I was around because they were down looking at cars but I missed the call. After work I headed up to the park and I called Eric to find out his schedule and tell him K was coming over then I told him I had to go because I was at the park. Uncle Brad called shortly after and said they were in Issaquah so I told them to call when they were done and they could come over. I did two laps with Castor and he was pretty good then we hopped in the car and home we went and I went to take some stuff out and K had just arrived. When I came back in we chatted in the kitchen about her new job and stuff and I cleaned up in anticipation of first time guests. We continued talking and UB called to say they would be up in a little bit. We talked until they showed up and we all sat down and visited and it was really fun. They seemed to like Castor and I showed them the house and they took off after a half hour or so to get home. K and I went to the store and picked out a bunch of junk food for dinner and I talked to Kass who was staying in Seattle again. Back to my house and Eric had arrived. We started inhaling chips and got the pizza going then the broccoli and carrots. We sat down and watched Survivor Man and some videos Eric thought were funny. We sat around talking and half-watching tv. Eric got us some ice cream and we stayed up until 11 or something then K left and I walked her out and took Castor out. Went inside, talked to Eric upstairs for a while then hopped in the shower and when I got out he'd lit candles and we got down to business and eventually showered off after midnight and fell asleep. Got my tax return.
Thursday 2/26, I felt bad that I didn't take Castor to the park or anything after work but it was freezing and I was tired. Watched Ugly Betty and updated restaurants, luckily most of them stayed the same or only had minor changes in an updated version of the mag. Watched the Office and took Castor out then climbed into bed and got an early start on my sleep schedule for the night.
Wednesday 2/25, I think I just had leftover mashed potatoes for dinner and some bread with cheese. Lots of carbs. Ugh. Talked to Eric and Susan who gave me a long overdue update on the CM situation and other of life's goings on. Watched Biggest Loser and I think got into bed early-ish? Talked to Kass and she was going to stay at a hotel in Seattle. Read some.
Tuesday 2/24, I called Eric on the way home to see where he was at and if he wanted to go up to the park and walk Castor with me and he said yes so I picked him up and we took Castor for a few laps around the park. It was freezing but it felt good to get a little exercise. We stopped at the Thriftway on the way home so I could get a baguette for cheese and I wish I would've gotten a small one since Eric didn't even have any. At home I did a little picking up and Eric started dinner: Chicken with an herbs de Provence crust, the best mashed potatoes I've ever had, pan fried beans with garlic. It was so good and I cleaned my plate then finished off all the beans. We watched the end of the Presidential address then the ridiculousness of the Louisiana governor’s speech. Eric and I kept yelling at the tv that all the shit he was complaining about was because of his party! So stupid. Castor enjoyed his piece of chicken and finally finished his dinner and I brushed him which he enjoyed. I cleaned up a bit after dinner since Eric usually always does it then we started watching Biggest Loser then Eric went upstairs. I went upstairs and we watched Office and he gave me a really sweet card saying I'm his best friend and that he appreciates me and how he's seen and done more things with me than he has for the past 27 years. It was a really sweet card. Then he let me pick at his legs, yes! I took Castor out then showered and climbed into bed. I fell asleep shortly after.
Monday 2/23, I wasn't sure if Eric was coming up so I called and he said he wasn't planning on it but he had the next day off so he thought he would. I took Castor up to the dog park and it was empty, I assume due to the drizzle, so I let him run around and sniff stuff and called Kass and confirmed she's coming up on Wednesday and wanted to look at open houses. After a half hour or so Castor came and stood by me in the huge open empty dog park which told me he was ready to go, so we went home. I made dinner in the form of the last of the curry and had an apple I think. Had some cupcakes for dessert, mmm. Eric arrived at 7 and we watched our shows and eventually the Bachelor which had Eric mostly moaning and groaning. He couldn't make it through it and fell asleep then I woke him up for his favorite show but he couldn't make it so he went to sleep and I watched it and read my GQ with JT on the cover.
Sunday 2/22, Woke up with a brilliant idea to go to Crossroads which would help me accomplish all my errands and more. We got up and dressed and out the door by 9:00. We went to Half Priced Books where I picked up like 5 movies and had to tell myself to put back 2 or 3 others, then over to get a hot chocolate and GQ with JT on the cover. We wandered and eventually ended up in QFC where I got a donut and felt very guilty for it. Sos called and asked if we wanted to go to the dog park but I said we were going to be shopping for at least another hour and would call her when we left. We walked over to BB&B and wandered, picking up dishwashing liquid then out and over to Bartell's so I could get some toiletries. Back across the street to a little boutique-y home store with lots of cute stuff I ended up getting a new perfume and probably would've gotten two if they'd had the other in stock. We went over to Silver Platters and perused and I made myself put back a Spoon cd and headed out. I called Sos and she said she'd meet us at the dog park. We beat her and walked Castor around the grounds and couldn't believe the dog park was adjacent to the soccer fields we always take him to. Oy. Sos showed up with Anu and I told her I was nervous and she was like "Ain't no thang" so we went in and I kept Castor on his leash for a little bit then let him go and held my breath. All he wanted to do was sniff dogs' butts. He'd run around and sniff each butt then go explore and ignore any dog that came and wanted to play. He came back about 90% of the time when we'd call him so that was really good. It was pretty funny with all the dogs and at one point we had the whole area to ourselves. We were there for a good 45 minutes and decided to go home after that. I think I ate some lunch and Eric took off for Best Buy and some other things and I sat with Castor and called Dad. We talked about the trip out to MN and possibly driving it and having Eric come along so that will be interesting. I told him about the quiche conversation and Dad was flattered that Eric thought so highly of him but confirmed he's not a quiche guy. Eric returned home and I think we relaxed and hung out until it was time to go to Grandma's. Eric helped Dad take apart the bookcase and I helped Grandma get ready and out the door. We headed over to Mom's and had lasagna that was very good then orange cupcakes with a creamy meringue frosting. We watched a bit of a documentary before Grandma started falling asleep. We packed everything up and headed out and Eric took her up when we arrived. He watched some nature programs while I brushed Castor. I eventually went upstairs to fold laundry and we went to bed not long after that.
Saturday 2/21, I woke up and Eric was gone and so was Castor and when I went downstairs there was a note saying he'd gone to the store and also taken Castor on a walk. He arrived back and started making a delicious quiche. Sos called to see if we wanted to go on a hike with her and Jake and I told her Eric was making me breakfast and if we could push it later we would be in. Chrystol and Schuyler were apparently in too and would come directly to my house and we'd head to Sos' from there. I got ready and a few minutes after they arrived (11:30) we headed out. From their house we set out toward Thunder Ridge or whatever and looked at cute houses and talked the whole way. We hiked up and took a trail and Castor was semi-behaving himself and was becoming more aware of when I was getting irritated with his pulling behavior but would spit treats out when I gave them to him. Arg. We talked and walked and eventually ended up at the old tree that Eric and I had hiked to a few weekends prior and I couldn't believe we'd hiked that far but from a completely different direction. We walked down the power line road and the girls gossiped about the boys who were 20 feet or so behind. We also talked about our spring roll night so that should be fun. We walked back to Sos' and decided to get Indian for lunch and all drove over in Eric's car with Sos in the back to the buffet nearby. It was really good and I ate a ton and we were all so full. I had the rice pudding and it was good, maybe even better than the fruit loop kind. We wrapped it up and dropped them off and picked up Castor then headed home where we hung for a few minutes before taking off for Castor's class. Eric decided to just let me do it this time and it seemed to work very well and Castor did great. We went to Best Buy afterward so I could return those batteries then down to B&N so Eric could look at some books. I wandered but didn't find much of interest. We went home and both picked at leftovers for dinner because we were still so full from lunch. Watched Cops and went to bed really early - both got a ton of sleep.
Friday 2/20, Gigi from next door kept tagging along on my and Castor's walks and I kept having to bring her home. Obviously she doesn't get out often and when she does she doesn't like to go home. I lured her there with Castor's training treats. It was funny, but he actually did better immediately after I'd been giving her treats. A little competition appears to be good for him. On the way home I was talking to Eric then Chrystol beeped in asking if we wanted to get pizza for dinner so I told her I'd call Sos and call her back. Sos sounded in so I called Eric back then Chrystol. Eventually we determined we would meet up with them for dinner but Sos and Jake were out and would just meet us in Ballard. Eric hadn't arrived by the time I got home and I think he came home to find me finishing off a bag of potato chips and some chocolates. We talked for a little bit then I showered and got ready to go. Castor was sad we left. We drove down to C&S' and hung out for a little bit then headed over to Romio's where I got a half gorgonzola & pear and half roasted garlic with bell peppers. The gorgonzola was better. We laughed and talked and marveled at how old school it felt and eventually we headed out and down into Ballard. Found parking on Leary one block down from Conor Bryne. Schuyler got us all in then we walked up to Market to Cupcake Royale where I got a salted caramel cupcake that was good but I could have done without so much of the frosting. We meandered back down and went in to find a table and a couple chairs. We said hi to Sam and met his new gf, Beth; she's cute. Susan called saying she was lost but she was only a block down from me and somehow got turned around. Went back in and listened to James Apollo's set and it was very good then Eric bought one of his cds. Rowdy and Jen showed up and Gary so it was a full house. Sos and Jake bailed cause Sos fell asleep on the couch. Next were the HR and they were good too. Best show I've seen of theirs in a while. My favorite show is still the High Dive show Chrystol and I went to which was way low key. This was a good show though, very tight. Lastly Justin went on with the EN Council and Sam and Beth came over and joined us for the set but Gary left. Justin was asking for name suggestions for a song about teenage pregnancy and Schuyler yelled out "Coat Hanger Blues" and we all started laughing so hard and Justin thought it was funny too. Ahh, hilarious. There was a great vibe in the room and Justin's set was fantastic and he's added some new elements again, which is cool to see at each show. After the show I told Justin he'd sounded great then we said bye to everyone and I wanted to get out of there because I had to pee and also to get home to Castor. We drove home talking about the sets and at home got ready for bed after taking Castor out and crashed out.
Thursday 2/19, Got milk and a demi-baguette at QFC then headed up to the park again with Castor. Sos called as I was driving up about dinner next weekend, using my computer to do her taxes and the HR show the next night. I took Castor around and he did better; I think it's how familiar he becomes with a place. We did a little extra walking then back to the car and home. I got the cheese out and polished off a bunch of brie and goat cheese and the entire baguette. Watched tv and talked to Eric for a while then made dinner and ate only the veggies from the curry. I was hoping Eric (RH) wouldn't call because I wanted to eat my leftovers instead of going out (he didn’t – huge surprise). Eventually talked to Susan and watched more tv, then some upstairs as I got ready for bed. Read for a while and lights out after 11.
Wednesday 2/18, I took Castor to the park again and did the half mile loop then headed back to the car because Castor was foaming at the mouth. Don’t' know if he was dehydrated or just excited or licking the ground when I wasn’t looking. At home I lounged and watched a little Tyra about gay guys married to straight women. I had some of the curry from the previous night and it was soo good. Eric called and we talked for a long time and I half watched WoF and Jeopardy. I brushed Castor and took him out and did some cleaning. I was listening to Simple Minds' Don't You Forget About Me and thought to try Eric and he actually picked up and I told him I randomly tried his phone now and then and that it had finally paid off. I asked him if it surprised him and he laughed, ‘no, not really’. He was at work but talked to me for a while and told me his big news. I played dumb like I didn't know and told him I hoped Nicole was doing ok. He clearly isn't thrilled at the prospect and said they're trying to make it work. Drama. He said he'd call me back later and that he had Thursday off so maybe we could hang out. I tried calling Susan but no answer. Headed upstairs around 9:30 and continued cleaning up there and eventually showered and cracked open my VF with Cate Blanchett on the cover. Went to sleep by 10:45.
Tuesday 2/17, I called Eric to see if he wanted to go to the park but he said he'd meet me at my house afterward. We went up to the park and walked the 1/2 mile loop and did a little more then let a little girl pet Castor and headed home. I beat Eric and started cleaning the kitchen and had some m&ms. He arrived with a bag of goodies and had bought stuff to make dinner. He got going and I vacuumed the stairs then caught up on my online reading. Eric brought out some delicious warm naan covered with melted butter and diced garlic with some cucumber on the side. I ate a lot. Then dinner came out and it was chicken with the curry sauce I got him with cauliflower, asparagus and carrots. Mmm. I ate a ton and wanted more. I polished off the naan and felt stuffed. Eric cleaned up the kitchen while I watched WoF. We watched Biggest Loser as I practiced Castor's tricks and he did very good with "leave it" so that made me happy. Also at work I had him off leash and he did very good with his recall. More practice is clearly necessary though. Eric went upstairs and I finished doing some things downstairs and took Castor out and I got another new f-ing credit card in the mail. I was furious I called right then and vented on the lady and told her I was canceling my card on principal if there was nothing they would do. Then I went up and ranted to Eric. I eventually climbed into bed and we watched the end of my show and the news then fell asleep.
Monday 2/16, We did a lot of lounging and after getting up and having some breakfast I ended falling back asleep on the couch for a while. I talked to Susan for a while about CM then Kay-See about plans for a movie and told her I'd meet her for the 3:20. Eric was practicing his calligraphy after reading 100 pages of his new book. We showered and messed around for about an hour then I got ready and took Castor on a quick walk and headed out soon after returning. At K's I ate some green peas then we took off for the movie and walked down. Luckily the theater wasn't too packed and we got a good seat. K got popcorn and I had the m&ms and snickers so we shared. The movie was ok (HJNTIY) and we talked about it and friends' relationships that resembled those in the movie on our way back to her place. She fed me a piece of chocolate angel food cake and we talked about Eric then she needed to get going so she drove me to my car and home I went. Eric had made some dinner for himself and I think he may have heated some up for me as we got ready for Bachelor. It almost killed Eric and I practiced Castor's tricks with him and brushed him then we went upstairs to go to bed.
Sunday 2/15, Eric expressed an interest in going downtown and there was an open house I wanted to see on Harvard so we headed in after taking our time getting ready. We managed to get into a little snit when we arrived in Pioneer Square about Trixie Ricksie and I was over it. We ducked into a couple shops and looked around but I was pissed then he was pissed which made me more pissed and eventually he said he was over it but I was far from. I hate that shit. We went to Magic Mouse because I haven't been there in years (decades?) so that was kind of fun. We walked back to the car and went over to CH via downtown and Eastlake but couldn't find the house. We drove up by Volunteer Park then back toward the freeway and went home. We hung there for a while then Chrystol and Schuyler said they would come to my house and we could go to Mom's together for Eric's bday dinner. I wanted to take Castor out first so we drove up the hill to Lewis Park or whatever and Eric took me around and Castor was very interested in the ducks this time. We went home and when C & S arrived we took off. Sos and Jake beat us there and Grandma was asleep on the couch. Droohv showed up shortly after and we all dug into the goat cheese terrine, brie and mushroom tartlets. We sat around and talked and ate then dinner was ready so we all dished up and sat down. Dinner was really good. Mom made some Portuguese pork with pigeon pea rice. Everyone liked it and Jake couldn't stop raving about the pork. Mom took Grandma home because she was tired so the rest of us hung out and talked and when Mom got back sang Eric happy birthday in the kitchen with our pirate hats. We had cake and Eric opened his presents. C&S got him a bunch of calligraphy stuff then Jake asked what the hardest part of calligraphy is, then informed us "how to tell your parents you're gay". We all laughed and he said you could use it for anything but that he'd first heard it for rollerblading. We talked in the family room for a long time. Droohv left and gave Jake a ride and eventually the rest of us took off and we all headed back to my house. We tried to find a Starbucks that was open and eventually had to settle for 7-11 and I cashed in my lotto ticket from xmas. Back at my house we all cracked open a bunch of the fruit juice I'd gotten Eric and some candy. We sat down and eventually started playing Apples to Apples and the whole game was fairly neck and neck but in the end Jake won. Sos and Jake left and C & S stayed a little while longer and eventually left too. It was a late night but it was a lot of fun. We went up to bed and watched tv for a little bit then crashed out.
Saturday 2/14, Eric woke me up by kissing me and getting on top of me so we ended up messing around for a long time. We eventually got up because Sos was coming over and I had to get gas. I got dressed and ran out the door, got gas, back home, got ready and waited. Eric was wearing his argyle sweater and looked so cute, even Sos thought so when she got there. I threw my coat and boots on and out the door we went. We talked the whole way in and found it no problem, along with parking. Kay-See was there first, then Susan and Julia then us and lastly Chrystol. We had a big table for all of us and it's good because we got a lot of food. We gabbed away about boys and V-day plans and jobs and dr appts with insensitive doctors and boys some more, specifically red heads and CM and his ass rub on Kay-See's white pants almost three years earlier. Breakfast was good and my side of the table (Sos and Kay-See) we all ordered the Rancher or whatever and it was HUGE. I ate almost all of it, including some of K's pancake and a bite of her basil (more like fennel) sausage. It was really fun and we vowed to do it again, like once a month so I'm planning on broaching it maybe this weekend to pick out a weekend in March. Julia picked up my breakfast to make up from Susan's birthday dinner. It was very sweet of her. We all chatted outside then split off and Sos and I headed to Mom's for skewers for Eric so he could make me dinner. Sos loves Tigre and couldn't wait to see her again the next day. Next we went into Bellevue to Uwagimaya and I loaded up on Hawaiian Sun Pass-O-Guava for Eric and a couple Alohas to do a taste test. We wandered around looking at everything and Sos picked up some stuff for Eric's bday present and also some stuff for her and Jake. We headed back to my house and she took off. Eric and Castor were gone so I called and they were up the hill at the park exploring. I did some reading and waited for them to come back. We hung out there until it was time for Castor's obedience class. We went to that and Eric and I got into a snit because I'm being too rigid about it and he's being too lassiez-faire so we need to meet somewhere in the middle. I was irritated afterward and started crying and he's like "Well, happy valentine's day" and asked me to explain why I was upset. I did and he reassured me and made me feel better then we detoured to Starbucks and Domaine to check out furniture. We went next door to Best Buy and I finally got Tudors Season 2 and out we went. We went home and relaxed and cleaned up for dinner and Eric started it. It was all so good and we sat at the dining room table for a change. He made shish kabobs with big chunks of beef, onion, zucchini, green pepper and tomato. He also made some rice pilaf and I ate a ton. It was all good and he even cleaned up the kitchen. I turned on Cops and then let him have the remote and by 9:30 I was out. I went upstairs at 10 and fell asleep while he stayed up and watched tv. Not sure why I was so tired. Too much eating probably.
Friday 2/13, I hurried home after work and found Eric there because he'd gotten off work early. I made him open his birthday presents and he seemed to like them all but mostly the navy sweater I got him. He ended up wearing it for the evening. We sat on the couch for a long time and talked about our day and going out later then I started the process of getting ready and ended up picking out a dress from Kassie's closet that I didn't think I would fit into, but miracle of miracles I did. We took off shortly before 7 after Eric took Castor out. Eric kept trying to guess where we were going but never did. We got parking right in front of the restaurant (35th Street Bistro) and went in. We were seated right away and perused the menu. We both ordered soup (me - French onion, Eric - foraged mushroom) and for dinner he ordered the special, lamb, and I ordered the pommes frites. We had a nice time talking and the food was very good. I kept checking my watch because I told C & S we'd be there around 9 and had a 9:30 reservation for dessert. I paid the bill and off we went but Eric didn't know where. We went to C & S' and they were hanging out then decided because we looked so good (ahem) that they had to change so they changed and off we went. We headed down to the water and I didn't know exactly where it was but I had an idea, though we were delayed by the train that took forever. We found parking right outside Elliott's Oyster House and went in. None of us had ever been there but one of the Seattle mags said it had two of the best desserts so that's what I picked. We were seated and looked over the menu then ordered. Eric and S got the same dessert, the special, Chrystol got creme brulee and I got the chocolate souffle that was so rich I couldn't finish it. I know, I couldn't finish a dessert; it was a sad moment. I passed a mirror in the bathroom and decided I looked pregnant from all the food. We headed back to the car then back to Ballard to drop them off and headed home. By the time we got there we were exhausted and just went to bed.
Thursday 2/12, I stopped at the party store on the way home for some dessert plates and hats for Eric's bday dinner at Mom's. I went to REI and got him a Kleen Kanteen because he hates Siggs then over to Safeway for a few things then home. I started cleaning and organizing and laundry and working my ass off for the rest of the night. I ate some veggies and an apple with peanut butter for dinner. Very balanced diet. Kept working, half watched tv, talked to Eric, talked to Castor, talked to Susan, half-ass wrapped Eric’s bday presents, talked to Chrystol about dessert the next night with Eric to celebrate his birthday. Showered and when I finally climbed into bed it felt sooo good. Ahhh. Warm, comfortable and off my feet.
Wednesday 2/11, I went to Costco after work and picked up some apples, another dog blanket and some movie stuff. I talked to Eric as I got home and he advised me how to make roasted rosemary fingerling potatoes. They were all sorts of beautiful colors and tasted delicious! I put on Family Stone because Kay-See is making me watch it again. I still didn't love it despite being in love with Luke Wilson and liking SJP, but at least I gave it another go. It made me cry at the end though. I hate death. It terrifies me. I went to bed too late.
Tuesday 2/10, I finished off some stuff in the fridge and watched Biggest Loser. I talked to Eric and brushed Castor for a long time and let him chew on his Himalayan treat while I did it which worked very well at keeping him distracted and not too riled up. I think I talked to Kay-See about Belize and her new job and we'll see how that goes. Went to bed after finishing an issue of Paste.
Monday 2/9, I had a feeling Eric would be up after work and sure enough he was. I stopped at the store on the way home and picked up a few things. I made broccoli and carrots along with some mac and cheese that was less than desirable. Oh well. We had ice cream for dessert as we watched Bachelor and Eric scoffed through most of it. We went up to bed but I had a lot to do before climbing in and by the time I did Eric was drifting off to sleep.
Sunday 2/8, Eric and I got out of bed around the same time and I tried to tell him how to make the rice and he got frustrated and I know I nag but I can't help it. Well I can, but not when it means the rice is going to turn out shitty because of the way he's doing it. I went upstairs while he went out to get coffee or something and read in my room and listened to music for a while. When he came back he asked if I wanted to stay there instead of going into Seattle but I knew I needed to get out so I bucked up and he apologized and I think I may have, but I'm not very good at that. Luckily he is and he seems to be ok with my lack of being able to admit fault. Ugh. We finally got out of the house on the way to Schuyler and Chrystol's but I asked if we could first stop at the pet store so I could get Castor a long lead. It took us a while but eventually I found a red 30 foot lead so I bought it. We took Eric's car so Castor was in the way back and I don't think he particularly cared for it but it was better than being at home so it was ok. We went to their house and I took Castor out and let him sniff around and he was up to his no behaving tricks again. I put him back in the car and went inside. Chrystol wasn't there so the three of us hung and joked about Schuyler's ebay ads and business dealings. C came home and was on the phone talking to someone about a bra or something and Eric and I snickered on the couch. We brought the furminator so they could try it on Lulu and Chrystol went crazy over it. Lulu was a different cat by the end. Much softer and much thinner. It was pretty amazing. There was hair EVERYWHERE. We decided to head up to Discovery Park to try our hand at stunt-kite flying. There wasn't much wind but as we walked down to a big open space the wind picked up a little. S and E got the kite up and Eric had it going all over the place. It was cute; he was like a little kid. I ran around with Castor and practiced calling him and playing fetch. The lead worked pretty well and told me that he's still no good at coming when called. We had fun though. This guy on a bike came down to give Eric and Schuyler some kite tips and Chrystol and I were dying because he looked like a cop on a bike and told them to stop waving their arms so frantically about. It was freezing so after an hour or so we were ready to head back. We drove back to their house and hung out for a little bit watching Chrystol brush Lulu some more and eventually headed out. Went back to my house and relaxed until it was time to go to Mom's. Left Castor at home and headed over. Droohv and Akemi came over for Moroccan brick chicken that was very good. Mom made these delicious lemon cookies that had the consistency of brownies. They were sooo good I could have eaten 5 more than the 5 I consumed. I love lemon. We sat and talked for a while then we got out of there since it was almost 8. Back at home I think I half-watched tv and talked to Susan, or maybe that was earlier in the day about her CM "date" that may or may not have actually been one. The verdict is out and more investigating will be done.
Sunday 3/8, Eric stayed in bed with me for a while then got up and moving. We got into a snit over how much cleaner he was using (sorry - I'm anal) so I went upstairs to shower and stew and he came up and apologized but we still didn't see each other's point. Eric made me a grilled cheese before we left then fried up some veggies from the prior evening and it was delicious! We got ready and left the house and picked up a cd at the library that came in (Peter Schilling) then went to BB&B where we both picked up some things then drove out to Redmond to do some exploring. We ended up at a park walking Castor around then over to Dairy Queen talking about his mother and his childhood. We drove home and on the way stopped at another park to walk Castor around by the lake. We went home and he watched tv downstairs while I went upstairs and watched some Tudors and finished Season 1 finally. It only took me like 5 months. Eric was making meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas and carrots. It was done a little after 8 and he served up so much but I ate it all. It was sooo good. It amazes me the stuff he makes without recipes or anything, and it's always delicious. We watched tv and eventually made it up to bed and stayed up quite late for a school night. Like 11:30 because I was giving him a massage trying to help his spasm-ing back. Then he let me pick for a few minutes which always pleases me.
Saturday 3/7, Eric got up at like 6 and headed out to go hike Si with all his snow gear. He was so sweet, he took Castor out and fed him before leaving so I wouldn't have to get up. I was exhausted so I slept until 9:30 and finally got up and moving. Castor and I set out to do our errands. I returned my cds to the library, went by the bank to see if my bonds had matured (nope) and went to the store. It was snowy and freezing so we went home and I took him out quickly. We hunkered down until Eric got back around 12:30. I was talking to Mom about MN and when they come up in May and this summer. We went to Chipotle for lunch and both ate our fill then returned home to take a nap. Eric woke me up a half hour before we had to leave for dog class. We went down to the HS for our last class and it was all agility stuff combined with obedience. She brought out the long tubes and the platform teeter-totter thing and the bars to jump over. We did that for almost the whole class then she handed out certificates of completion and asked each dog to do a trick then they got to pick out a toy from a huge bag and I knew Castor would pick the ace playing card with arms and legs, because he's a real gambler. Cheri said she thought Castor would be perfect in the CGC class and encouraged us to look into it so Eric grabbed a brochure. Castor was one of only two dogs she suggested an advanced class for, yes! We went to the store afterward to pick up some stuff for dinner and I talked to Susan who said she wasn't going to come over for dinner. Eric prepped stuff for dinner and I watched a Tudors I'd already seen but needed a refresher. He watched part of it with me then we went downstairs and got ready for Chrystol and Schuyler to come over. I vacuumed everything and did some cleaning then relaxed because I was exhausted. They arrived a little late but Eric had just finished dinner so the timing was perfect. We all dished up and sat in the living room watching Cops. We watched AMW too and laughed at John Walsh who kept saying "Let's saddle up". We watched some doo-wop special and ended up just talking and laughing and eating too much chocolate. Chrystol fell asleep on the couch and I was close behind when Schuyler suggested they head home, despite the snow on the ground. I told them they could stay over but they opted for home. I cleaned up a little then we went to bed. It was midnight so we watched a little SNL and crashed out.
Friday 3/6, Eric was at my house when I got home and we decided to go to Costco so we dropped Castor off and went in search of toothbrush heads. I found them, got some apples and some fuel injection cleaner. Eric mentioned he hadn't been to Red Robin forever so we went over there for dinner and let our jaws hang on the table at the ridiculousness of a Friday night there. Kids everywhere. I guess, where else do you take your bratty children on a Friday night for dinner? We had fun regardless and both got burgers. We went home and watched tv I believe and probably went to bed early due to my not feeling good.
Thursday 3/5, Had horrible dream about bear attacking Mom and biting her neck and me trying to gouge it's eyes out with my fingers. Woke up sweaty several times and used the bathroom only to almost-fall asleep on the toilet. Slept very deeply. Drug myself out of bed in the morning and groaned at the pouring rain outside. No walk for Castor this morning. I was late getting in and it had stopped raining so I took him on a short walk then back in and settled in to working. The day felt long and I felt mostly not great throughout the day. Glad to head home. Cleaned up the kitchen a little, practiced Castor's tricks with him and he did very well, except with "stand" he kept jumping at my hand; must keep hand lower to prevent desire to jump and see what's in my hand. I talked to Eric for a long time and was frustrated trying to eat dinner and not being able to breathe. Felt gross. Watched tv and did a few things in my room before taking my Robitussin PM and crashing out.
Wednesday 3/4, Woke up feeling like shit and called Peggy and told her I'd either be in later or not at all. By 10 I felt worse so called in and told her I'd not be in; she was fine with that. I ate and would still feel hungry so I snacked all day and ate a ton of Vanilla Wafers. I mostly went through my itunes and rated and deleted songs. I got some bills taken care of and made the reservation for my and Eric’s hotel when we go down to Portland. I was hoping Eric would come up but he didn't. I felt lazy all day and eventually took an hour and a half nap at 2:30 while listening to Elliott Smith. I talked to Susan off and on on Facebook. Made some veggies and rice for dinner then apple and peanut butter for some protein. Still hungry. Bowl of cereal and talked to Alishia who was having a shitty week; delivered pep talk. I half watched ANTM but didn't get into it because I was doing other stuff and talking on the phone. Talked to Eric like three times and told him about the hotel situation. Eventually climbed into bed again for the final time, took some Cold PM cough syrup and crashed out.
Tuesday 3/3, Susan came over after work and I felt like shit so Castor didn't get an extra walk. We talked and watched the CM video and laughed then I fixed the lamb chops. Susan thought it was pretty good and didn't really notice a difference from beef either. We watched the beginning of Biggest Loser then she took off to avoid freeway closures. I think I had some lemon cookies then went upstairs and talked to Eric. I knew I probably would be going in late the next day because I didn't feel good.
Monday 3/2, I called Eric and he was at my house so I swung by and picked him up and we went up to the park and walked around once to allow Castor some exercise. We went into Issaquah and picked up some meds for his stomach then to the library where I picked up like five cds and home. I finished up some leftovers and Eric cooked up some Linguisa. We watched Bachelor and the after the rose thing and Eric kept insisting that it couldn't be real. We went up to bed to finish watching it.
Sunday 3/1, Eric got up at 7 and took Castor up to Mt. Si to do the 8-miler. I got out of bed by 8:30 and got gas then back into bed to read and eventually got Kass up at 9:20. We drove down to the U-District so she could get her new Mac set up and everything transferred over. From there we went to Bartell's so she could get situated then over to Portage Bay Cafe, only to see it was totally packed. We drove down to Café Campagne instead and had breakfast there. I had the brioche French toast and it was fab. Kassie's quiche was delicious as well. We rolled out of there and over to some glass shop under the monorail so Kassie could pick up a new piece. I circled the block in her car and when I came back I met Dozier (again) and some other guy whose name I don't remember. I can never remember who I've met and haven't. We hit the road to West Seattle and looked at an open house at the end of 35th then Mom called so we went and met her. We drove around for hours looking at open houses and houses for sale. There were some good ones but also a lot of dumps. We dropped Mom off at her car then went to Vivace where I met Merlin who is very cute and he hooked up our drinks. We went to Mom's and she was busy at work on dinner. We had a bunch of balsamic soaked tomatoes with mozzarella and basil and enjoyed talking. Dinner was lamb chops, cucumber sauce and apricot cous cous. It was all really good and I ate a lot. For dessert we had flourless chocolate cake with ice cream. We hung out there for a long time looking at cars online for Jake and he's looking at all these Audis and Escalades so that should be interesting. I told Kass we needed to head back so I could let Castor out since he'd been there since 1 by himself. Eric came home much later while Kass and I were transferring music and pictures and I found the CM video from the Sequins and Seafarers party and we watched it at least five times laughing through it each time. I can't believe how long it was. Eric came in and we made him watch it and he just rolled his eyes and mostly laughed at Schuyler's comments in the background. Around 10 we headed upstairs to bed and said good night to Kassie.
Saturday 2/28, We got up early and got ready and headed out the door. Went and got my oil changed and walked Castor around until it was done then headed down to Columbia City Bakery for breakfast and I had the best Danish I've ever had. It had a quarter of a pear on the top and it was delicious. We drove down to Seward Park and walked the 2.5 mile loop with Castor and he jumped into the water at one point but only got his feet wet. We had a nice walk though it was pretty cold. We drove around and looked at houses and eventually found our way back to Rainier. We drove out to Uwajimaya but first went to Taco Time so I could eat something then to Trader Joes for mochi for the night's dinner party. Next was Uwajimaya where Eric found some linguisa and bought some Spanish bread. I bought some rice for Castor. We drove home and Eric had his lunch and we relaxed. We went upstairs and both fell asleep listening to Noah and the Whale and had a nice little hour long nap. We got up and out for Castor's class. He was extremely disinterested when we got there and wouldn't even respond to his name. Eric took him and worked with him and had more success. Once we got back inside he was back on point and worked it out earning extra praise from Cheri. He did very well for the rest of the session. We drove into Issaquah afterward to get more training treats and got him a big duck toy which he instantly took to. Back at home he got into it with that duck and found the quack pouch. We had about an hour and half until dinner so we talked and eventually I got in the shower and got ready. Schuyler and Chrystol came over and we all headed over together. Sos and Jake had been cooking all day and had all sorts of stuff out and it all looked wonderful. They made these crab and cream cheese won tons and had a few sauces to choose from. We ate all those then started on the spring rolls and those were sooo good. I think I had four or five. Chicken, pork, veggies and sauces all made for a delicious dinner. Then we got out the mochi and oreos. We headed out to the bowling alley by 9 and it was hoppin. There was a half hour wait so we went in the arcade and played a bunch of games and it was soo funny. The boys were going crazy. Sos and I hid the tickets around the room for kids to find. We waited a long time and eventually got a lane and I sat out of course but everyone else participated. It was a rousing game and I think Jake won. We rolled out at 11 and brought S and C back to my house so they could wash their hands. They took off by 11:30 and we went upstairs to watch SNL and go to bed.
Friday 2/27, Kay-See texted to see if I wanted to hang out so I told her to come over and we'd go on a walk. Then Eric texted me all sorts of dirty stuff then Kass asking if I wanted to get breakfast before house hunting on Sunday. Uncle Brad called later in the afternoon to find out if I was around because they were down looking at cars but I missed the call. After work I headed up to the park and I called Eric to find out his schedule and tell him K was coming over then I told him I had to go because I was at the park. Uncle Brad called shortly after and said they were in Issaquah so I told them to call when they were done and they could come over. I did two laps with Castor and he was pretty good then we hopped in the car and home we went and I went to take some stuff out and K had just arrived. When I came back in we chatted in the kitchen about her new job and stuff and I cleaned up in anticipation of first time guests. We continued talking and UB called to say they would be up in a little bit. We talked until they showed up and we all sat down and visited and it was really fun. They seemed to like Castor and I showed them the house and they took off after a half hour or so to get home. K and I went to the store and picked out a bunch of junk food for dinner and I talked to Kass who was staying in Seattle again. Back to my house and Eric had arrived. We started inhaling chips and got the pizza going then the broccoli and carrots. We sat down and watched Survivor Man and some videos Eric thought were funny. We sat around talking and half-watching tv. Eric got us some ice cream and we stayed up until 11 or something then K left and I walked her out and took Castor out. Went inside, talked to Eric upstairs for a while then hopped in the shower and when I got out he'd lit candles and we got down to business and eventually showered off after midnight and fell asleep. Got my tax return.
Thursday 2/26, I felt bad that I didn't take Castor to the park or anything after work but it was freezing and I was tired. Watched Ugly Betty and updated restaurants, luckily most of them stayed the same or only had minor changes in an updated version of the mag. Watched the Office and took Castor out then climbed into bed and got an early start on my sleep schedule for the night.
Wednesday 2/25, I think I just had leftover mashed potatoes for dinner and some bread with cheese. Lots of carbs. Ugh. Talked to Eric and Susan who gave me a long overdue update on the CM situation and other of life's goings on. Watched Biggest Loser and I think got into bed early-ish? Talked to Kass and she was going to stay at a hotel in Seattle. Read some.
Tuesday 2/24, I called Eric on the way home to see where he was at and if he wanted to go up to the park and walk Castor with me and he said yes so I picked him up and we took Castor for a few laps around the park. It was freezing but it felt good to get a little exercise. We stopped at the Thriftway on the way home so I could get a baguette for cheese and I wish I would've gotten a small one since Eric didn't even have any. At home I did a little picking up and Eric started dinner: Chicken with an herbs de Provence crust, the best mashed potatoes I've ever had, pan fried beans with garlic. It was so good and I cleaned my plate then finished off all the beans. We watched the end of the Presidential address then the ridiculousness of the Louisiana governor’s speech. Eric and I kept yelling at the tv that all the shit he was complaining about was because of his party! So stupid. Castor enjoyed his piece of chicken and finally finished his dinner and I brushed him which he enjoyed. I cleaned up a bit after dinner since Eric usually always does it then we started watching Biggest Loser then Eric went upstairs. I went upstairs and we watched Office and he gave me a really sweet card saying I'm his best friend and that he appreciates me and how he's seen and done more things with me than he has for the past 27 years. It was a really sweet card. Then he let me pick at his legs, yes! I took Castor out then showered and climbed into bed. I fell asleep shortly after.
Monday 2/23, I wasn't sure if Eric was coming up so I called and he said he wasn't planning on it but he had the next day off so he thought he would. I took Castor up to the dog park and it was empty, I assume due to the drizzle, so I let him run around and sniff stuff and called Kass and confirmed she's coming up on Wednesday and wanted to look at open houses. After a half hour or so Castor came and stood by me in the huge open empty dog park which told me he was ready to go, so we went home. I made dinner in the form of the last of the curry and had an apple I think. Had some cupcakes for dessert, mmm. Eric arrived at 7 and we watched our shows and eventually the Bachelor which had Eric mostly moaning and groaning. He couldn't make it through it and fell asleep then I woke him up for his favorite show but he couldn't make it so he went to sleep and I watched it and read my GQ with JT on the cover.
Sunday 2/22, Woke up with a brilliant idea to go to Crossroads which would help me accomplish all my errands and more. We got up and dressed and out the door by 9:00. We went to Half Priced Books where I picked up like 5 movies and had to tell myself to put back 2 or 3 others, then over to get a hot chocolate and GQ with JT on the cover. We wandered and eventually ended up in QFC where I got a donut and felt very guilty for it. Sos called and asked if we wanted to go to the dog park but I said we were going to be shopping for at least another hour and would call her when we left. We walked over to BB&B and wandered, picking up dishwashing liquid then out and over to Bartell's so I could get some toiletries. Back across the street to a little boutique-y home store with lots of cute stuff I ended up getting a new perfume and probably would've gotten two if they'd had the other in stock. We went over to Silver Platters and perused and I made myself put back a Spoon cd and headed out. I called Sos and she said she'd meet us at the dog park. We beat her and walked Castor around the grounds and couldn't believe the dog park was adjacent to the soccer fields we always take him to. Oy. Sos showed up with Anu and I told her I was nervous and she was like "Ain't no thang" so we went in and I kept Castor on his leash for a little bit then let him go and held my breath. All he wanted to do was sniff dogs' butts. He'd run around and sniff each butt then go explore and ignore any dog that came and wanted to play. He came back about 90% of the time when we'd call him so that was really good. It was pretty funny with all the dogs and at one point we had the whole area to ourselves. We were there for a good 45 minutes and decided to go home after that. I think I ate some lunch and Eric took off for Best Buy and some other things and I sat with Castor and called Dad. We talked about the trip out to MN and possibly driving it and having Eric come along so that will be interesting. I told him about the quiche conversation and Dad was flattered that Eric thought so highly of him but confirmed he's not a quiche guy. Eric returned home and I think we relaxed and hung out until it was time to go to Grandma's. Eric helped Dad take apart the bookcase and I helped Grandma get ready and out the door. We headed over to Mom's and had lasagna that was very good then orange cupcakes with a creamy meringue frosting. We watched a bit of a documentary before Grandma started falling asleep. We packed everything up and headed out and Eric took her up when we arrived. He watched some nature programs while I brushed Castor. I eventually went upstairs to fold laundry and we went to bed not long after that.
Saturday 2/21, I woke up and Eric was gone and so was Castor and when I went downstairs there was a note saying he'd gone to the store and also taken Castor on a walk. He arrived back and started making a delicious quiche. Sos called to see if we wanted to go on a hike with her and Jake and I told her Eric was making me breakfast and if we could push it later we would be in. Chrystol and Schuyler were apparently in too and would come directly to my house and we'd head to Sos' from there. I got ready and a few minutes after they arrived (11:30) we headed out. From their house we set out toward Thunder Ridge or whatever and looked at cute houses and talked the whole way. We hiked up and took a trail and Castor was semi-behaving himself and was becoming more aware of when I was getting irritated with his pulling behavior but would spit treats out when I gave them to him. Arg. We talked and walked and eventually ended up at the old tree that Eric and I had hiked to a few weekends prior and I couldn't believe we'd hiked that far but from a completely different direction. We walked down the power line road and the girls gossiped about the boys who were 20 feet or so behind. We also talked about our spring roll night so that should be fun. We walked back to Sos' and decided to get Indian for lunch and all drove over in Eric's car with Sos in the back to the buffet nearby. It was really good and I ate a ton and we were all so full. I had the rice pudding and it was good, maybe even better than the fruit loop kind. We wrapped it up and dropped them off and picked up Castor then headed home where we hung for a few minutes before taking off for Castor's class. Eric decided to just let me do it this time and it seemed to work very well and Castor did great. We went to Best Buy afterward so I could return those batteries then down to B&N so Eric could look at some books. I wandered but didn't find much of interest. We went home and both picked at leftovers for dinner because we were still so full from lunch. Watched Cops and went to bed really early - both got a ton of sleep.
Friday 2/20, Gigi from next door kept tagging along on my and Castor's walks and I kept having to bring her home. Obviously she doesn't get out often and when she does she doesn't like to go home. I lured her there with Castor's training treats. It was funny, but he actually did better immediately after I'd been giving her treats. A little competition appears to be good for him. On the way home I was talking to Eric then Chrystol beeped in asking if we wanted to get pizza for dinner so I told her I'd call Sos and call her back. Sos sounded in so I called Eric back then Chrystol. Eventually we determined we would meet up with them for dinner but Sos and Jake were out and would just meet us in Ballard. Eric hadn't arrived by the time I got home and I think he came home to find me finishing off a bag of potato chips and some chocolates. We talked for a little bit then I showered and got ready to go. Castor was sad we left. We drove down to C&S' and hung out for a little bit then headed over to Romio's where I got a half gorgonzola & pear and half roasted garlic with bell peppers. The gorgonzola was better. We laughed and talked and marveled at how old school it felt and eventually we headed out and down into Ballard. Found parking on Leary one block down from Conor Bryne. Schuyler got us all in then we walked up to Market to Cupcake Royale where I got a salted caramel cupcake that was good but I could have done without so much of the frosting. We meandered back down and went in to find a table and a couple chairs. We said hi to Sam and met his new gf, Beth; she's cute. Susan called saying she was lost but she was only a block down from me and somehow got turned around. Went back in and listened to James Apollo's set and it was very good then Eric bought one of his cds. Rowdy and Jen showed up and Gary so it was a full house. Sos and Jake bailed cause Sos fell asleep on the couch. Next were the HR and they were good too. Best show I've seen of theirs in a while. My favorite show is still the High Dive show Chrystol and I went to which was way low key. This was a good show though, very tight. Lastly Justin went on with the EN Council and Sam and Beth came over and joined us for the set but Gary left. Justin was asking for name suggestions for a song about teenage pregnancy and Schuyler yelled out "Coat Hanger Blues" and we all started laughing so hard and Justin thought it was funny too. Ahh, hilarious. There was a great vibe in the room and Justin's set was fantastic and he's added some new elements again, which is cool to see at each show. After the show I told Justin he'd sounded great then we said bye to everyone and I wanted to get out of there because I had to pee and also to get home to Castor. We drove home talking about the sets and at home got ready for bed after taking Castor out and crashed out.
Thursday 2/19, Got milk and a demi-baguette at QFC then headed up to the park again with Castor. Sos called as I was driving up about dinner next weekend, using my computer to do her taxes and the HR show the next night. I took Castor around and he did better; I think it's how familiar he becomes with a place. We did a little extra walking then back to the car and home. I got the cheese out and polished off a bunch of brie and goat cheese and the entire baguette. Watched tv and talked to Eric for a while then made dinner and ate only the veggies from the curry. I was hoping Eric (RH) wouldn't call because I wanted to eat my leftovers instead of going out (he didn’t – huge surprise). Eventually talked to Susan and watched more tv, then some upstairs as I got ready for bed. Read for a while and lights out after 11.
Wednesday 2/18, I took Castor to the park again and did the half mile loop then headed back to the car because Castor was foaming at the mouth. Don’t' know if he was dehydrated or just excited or licking the ground when I wasn’t looking. At home I lounged and watched a little Tyra about gay guys married to straight women. I had some of the curry from the previous night and it was soo good. Eric called and we talked for a long time and I half watched WoF and Jeopardy. I brushed Castor and took him out and did some cleaning. I was listening to Simple Minds' Don't You Forget About Me and thought to try Eric and he actually picked up and I told him I randomly tried his phone now and then and that it had finally paid off. I asked him if it surprised him and he laughed, ‘no, not really’. He was at work but talked to me for a while and told me his big news. I played dumb like I didn't know and told him I hoped Nicole was doing ok. He clearly isn't thrilled at the prospect and said they're trying to make it work. Drama. He said he'd call me back later and that he had Thursday off so maybe we could hang out. I tried calling Susan but no answer. Headed upstairs around 9:30 and continued cleaning up there and eventually showered and cracked open my VF with Cate Blanchett on the cover. Went to sleep by 10:45.
Tuesday 2/17, I called Eric to see if he wanted to go to the park but he said he'd meet me at my house afterward. We went up to the park and walked the 1/2 mile loop and did a little more then let a little girl pet Castor and headed home. I beat Eric and started cleaning the kitchen and had some m&ms. He arrived with a bag of goodies and had bought stuff to make dinner. He got going and I vacuumed the stairs then caught up on my online reading. Eric brought out some delicious warm naan covered with melted butter and diced garlic with some cucumber on the side. I ate a lot. Then dinner came out and it was chicken with the curry sauce I got him with cauliflower, asparagus and carrots. Mmm. I ate a ton and wanted more. I polished off the naan and felt stuffed. Eric cleaned up the kitchen while I watched WoF. We watched Biggest Loser as I practiced Castor's tricks and he did very good with "leave it" so that made me happy. Also at work I had him off leash and he did very good with his recall. More practice is clearly necessary though. Eric went upstairs and I finished doing some things downstairs and took Castor out and I got another new f-ing credit card in the mail. I was furious I called right then and vented on the lady and told her I was canceling my card on principal if there was nothing they would do. Then I went up and ranted to Eric. I eventually climbed into bed and we watched the end of my show and the news then fell asleep.
Monday 2/16, We did a lot of lounging and after getting up and having some breakfast I ended falling back asleep on the couch for a while. I talked to Susan for a while about CM then Kay-See about plans for a movie and told her I'd meet her for the 3:20. Eric was practicing his calligraphy after reading 100 pages of his new book. We showered and messed around for about an hour then I got ready and took Castor on a quick walk and headed out soon after returning. At K's I ate some green peas then we took off for the movie and walked down. Luckily the theater wasn't too packed and we got a good seat. K got popcorn and I had the m&ms and snickers so we shared. The movie was ok (HJNTIY) and we talked about it and friends' relationships that resembled those in the movie on our way back to her place. She fed me a piece of chocolate angel food cake and we talked about Eric then she needed to get going so she drove me to my car and home I went. Eric had made some dinner for himself and I think he may have heated some up for me as we got ready for Bachelor. It almost killed Eric and I practiced Castor's tricks with him and brushed him then we went upstairs to go to bed.
Sunday 2/15, Eric expressed an interest in going downtown and there was an open house I wanted to see on Harvard so we headed in after taking our time getting ready. We managed to get into a little snit when we arrived in Pioneer Square about Trixie Ricksie and I was over it. We ducked into a couple shops and looked around but I was pissed then he was pissed which made me more pissed and eventually he said he was over it but I was far from. I hate that shit. We went to Magic Mouse because I haven't been there in years (decades?) so that was kind of fun. We walked back to the car and went over to CH via downtown and Eastlake but couldn't find the house. We drove up by Volunteer Park then back toward the freeway and went home. We hung there for a while then Chrystol and Schuyler said they would come to my house and we could go to Mom's together for Eric's bday dinner. I wanted to take Castor out first so we drove up the hill to Lewis Park or whatever and Eric took me around and Castor was very interested in the ducks this time. We went home and when C & S arrived we took off. Sos and Jake beat us there and Grandma was asleep on the couch. Droohv showed up shortly after and we all dug into the goat cheese terrine, brie and mushroom tartlets. We sat around and talked and ate then dinner was ready so we all dished up and sat down. Dinner was really good. Mom made some Portuguese pork with pigeon pea rice. Everyone liked it and Jake couldn't stop raving about the pork. Mom took Grandma home because she was tired so the rest of us hung out and talked and when Mom got back sang Eric happy birthday in the kitchen with our pirate hats. We had cake and Eric opened his presents. C&S got him a bunch of calligraphy stuff then Jake asked what the hardest part of calligraphy is, then informed us "how to tell your parents you're gay". We all laughed and he said you could use it for anything but that he'd first heard it for rollerblading. We talked in the family room for a long time. Droohv left and gave Jake a ride and eventually the rest of us took off and we all headed back to my house. We tried to find a Starbucks that was open and eventually had to settle for 7-11 and I cashed in my lotto ticket from xmas. Back at my house we all cracked open a bunch of the fruit juice I'd gotten Eric and some candy. We sat down and eventually started playing Apples to Apples and the whole game was fairly neck and neck but in the end Jake won. Sos and Jake left and C & S stayed a little while longer and eventually left too. It was a late night but it was a lot of fun. We went up to bed and watched tv for a little bit then crashed out.
Saturday 2/14, Eric woke me up by kissing me and getting on top of me so we ended up messing around for a long time. We eventually got up because Sos was coming over and I had to get gas. I got dressed and ran out the door, got gas, back home, got ready and waited. Eric was wearing his argyle sweater and looked so cute, even Sos thought so when she got there. I threw my coat and boots on and out the door we went. We talked the whole way in and found it no problem, along with parking. Kay-See was there first, then Susan and Julia then us and lastly Chrystol. We had a big table for all of us and it's good because we got a lot of food. We gabbed away about boys and V-day plans and jobs and dr appts with insensitive doctors and boys some more, specifically red heads and CM and his ass rub on Kay-See's white pants almost three years earlier. Breakfast was good and my side of the table (Sos and Kay-See) we all ordered the Rancher or whatever and it was HUGE. I ate almost all of it, including some of K's pancake and a bite of her basil (more like fennel) sausage. It was really fun and we vowed to do it again, like once a month so I'm planning on broaching it maybe this weekend to pick out a weekend in March. Julia picked up my breakfast to make up from Susan's birthday dinner. It was very sweet of her. We all chatted outside then split off and Sos and I headed to Mom's for skewers for Eric so he could make me dinner. Sos loves Tigre and couldn't wait to see her again the next day. Next we went into Bellevue to Uwagimaya and I loaded up on Hawaiian Sun Pass-O-Guava for Eric and a couple Alohas to do a taste test. We wandered around looking at everything and Sos picked up some stuff for Eric's bday present and also some stuff for her and Jake. We headed back to my house and she took off. Eric and Castor were gone so I called and they were up the hill at the park exploring. I did some reading and waited for them to come back. We hung out there until it was time for Castor's obedience class. We went to that and Eric and I got into a snit because I'm being too rigid about it and he's being too lassiez-faire so we need to meet somewhere in the middle. I was irritated afterward and started crying and he's like "Well, happy valentine's day" and asked me to explain why I was upset. I did and he reassured me and made me feel better then we detoured to Starbucks and Domaine to check out furniture. We went next door to Best Buy and I finally got Tudors Season 2 and out we went. We went home and relaxed and cleaned up for dinner and Eric started it. It was all so good and we sat at the dining room table for a change. He made shish kabobs with big chunks of beef, onion, zucchini, green pepper and tomato. He also made some rice pilaf and I ate a ton. It was all good and he even cleaned up the kitchen. I turned on Cops and then let him have the remote and by 9:30 I was out. I went upstairs at 10 and fell asleep while he stayed up and watched tv. Not sure why I was so tired. Too much eating probably.
Friday 2/13, I hurried home after work and found Eric there because he'd gotten off work early. I made him open his birthday presents and he seemed to like them all but mostly the navy sweater I got him. He ended up wearing it for the evening. We sat on the couch for a long time and talked about our day and going out later then I started the process of getting ready and ended up picking out a dress from Kassie's closet that I didn't think I would fit into, but miracle of miracles I did. We took off shortly before 7 after Eric took Castor out. Eric kept trying to guess where we were going but never did. We got parking right in front of the restaurant (35th Street Bistro) and went in. We were seated right away and perused the menu. We both ordered soup (me - French onion, Eric - foraged mushroom) and for dinner he ordered the special, lamb, and I ordered the pommes frites. We had a nice time talking and the food was very good. I kept checking my watch because I told C & S we'd be there around 9 and had a 9:30 reservation for dessert. I paid the bill and off we went but Eric didn't know where. We went to C & S' and they were hanging out then decided because we looked so good (ahem) that they had to change so they changed and off we went. We headed down to the water and I didn't know exactly where it was but I had an idea, though we were delayed by the train that took forever. We found parking right outside Elliott's Oyster House and went in. None of us had ever been there but one of the Seattle mags said it had two of the best desserts so that's what I picked. We were seated and looked over the menu then ordered. Eric and S got the same dessert, the special, Chrystol got creme brulee and I got the chocolate souffle that was so rich I couldn't finish it. I know, I couldn't finish a dessert; it was a sad moment. I passed a mirror in the bathroom and decided I looked pregnant from all the food. We headed back to the car then back to Ballard to drop them off and headed home. By the time we got there we were exhausted and just went to bed.
Thursday 2/12, I stopped at the party store on the way home for some dessert plates and hats for Eric's bday dinner at Mom's. I went to REI and got him a Kleen Kanteen because he hates Siggs then over to Safeway for a few things then home. I started cleaning and organizing and laundry and working my ass off for the rest of the night. I ate some veggies and an apple with peanut butter for dinner. Very balanced diet. Kept working, half watched tv, talked to Eric, talked to Castor, talked to Susan, half-ass wrapped Eric’s bday presents, talked to Chrystol about dessert the next night with Eric to celebrate his birthday. Showered and when I finally climbed into bed it felt sooo good. Ahhh. Warm, comfortable and off my feet.
Wednesday 2/11, I went to Costco after work and picked up some apples, another dog blanket and some movie stuff. I talked to Eric as I got home and he advised me how to make roasted rosemary fingerling potatoes. They were all sorts of beautiful colors and tasted delicious! I put on Family Stone because Kay-See is making me watch it again. I still didn't love it despite being in love with Luke Wilson and liking SJP, but at least I gave it another go. It made me cry at the end though. I hate death. It terrifies me. I went to bed too late.
Tuesday 2/10, I finished off some stuff in the fridge and watched Biggest Loser. I talked to Eric and brushed Castor for a long time and let him chew on his Himalayan treat while I did it which worked very well at keeping him distracted and not too riled up. I think I talked to Kay-See about Belize and her new job and we'll see how that goes. Went to bed after finishing an issue of Paste.
Monday 2/9, I had a feeling Eric would be up after work and sure enough he was. I stopped at the store on the way home and picked up a few things. I made broccoli and carrots along with some mac and cheese that was less than desirable. Oh well. We had ice cream for dessert as we watched Bachelor and Eric scoffed through most of it. We went up to bed but I had a lot to do before climbing in and by the time I did Eric was drifting off to sleep.
Sunday 2/8, Eric and I got out of bed around the same time and I tried to tell him how to make the rice and he got frustrated and I know I nag but I can't help it. Well I can, but not when it means the rice is going to turn out shitty because of the way he's doing it. I went upstairs while he went out to get coffee or something and read in my room and listened to music for a while. When he came back he asked if I wanted to stay there instead of going into Seattle but I knew I needed to get out so I bucked up and he apologized and I think I may have, but I'm not very good at that. Luckily he is and he seems to be ok with my lack of being able to admit fault. Ugh. We finally got out of the house on the way to Schuyler and Chrystol's but I asked if we could first stop at the pet store so I could get Castor a long lead. It took us a while but eventually I found a red 30 foot lead so I bought it. We took Eric's car so Castor was in the way back and I don't think he particularly cared for it but it was better than being at home so it was ok. We went to their house and I took Castor out and let him sniff around and he was up to his no behaving tricks again. I put him back in the car and went inside. Chrystol wasn't there so the three of us hung and joked about Schuyler's ebay ads and business dealings. C came home and was on the phone talking to someone about a bra or something and Eric and I snickered on the couch. We brought the furminator so they could try it on Lulu and Chrystol went crazy over it. Lulu was a different cat by the end. Much softer and much thinner. It was pretty amazing. There was hair EVERYWHERE. We decided to head up to Discovery Park to try our hand at stunt-kite flying. There wasn't much wind but as we walked down to a big open space the wind picked up a little. S and E got the kite up and Eric had it going all over the place. It was cute; he was like a little kid. I ran around with Castor and practiced calling him and playing fetch. The lead worked pretty well and told me that he's still no good at coming when called. We had fun though. This guy on a bike came down to give Eric and Schuyler some kite tips and Chrystol and I were dying because he looked like a cop on a bike and told them to stop waving their arms so frantically about. It was freezing so after an hour or so we were ready to head back. We drove back to their house and hung out for a little bit watching Chrystol brush Lulu some more and eventually headed out. Went back to my house and relaxed until it was time to go to Mom's. Left Castor at home and headed over. Droohv and Akemi came over for Moroccan brick chicken that was very good. Mom made these delicious lemon cookies that had the consistency of brownies. They were sooo good I could have eaten 5 more than the 5 I consumed. I love lemon. We sat and talked for a while then we got out of there since it was almost 8. Back at home I think I half-watched tv and talked to Susan, or maybe that was earlier in the day about her CM "date" that may or may not have actually been one. The verdict is out and more investigating will be done.
posted by Karrah at 5:14 PM
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