Feeling Olympic, for realz.

Yesterday, I headed up to Vancouver with a few friends.

We stopped by Value Village for a couple American flags then set off for the border with post-it note directions and a lot of anticipation.

After a grilling by the border guard (no, we aren't terrorists), a pit stop for bathrooms, and a ride on the seabus, we were downtown.

Thanks to the semifinal hockey game (Canada v. Slovakia), the city was packed with lines out doors and bars filled to capacity.

After grabbing a bite to eat and a brewski at a cafe and catching the end of the women's curling match, we set off with a map of the festivities thanks to our new friends from Manitoba.

We were desperate to be a part of the action with the hockey game, and finally stumbled across a club called Caprice that was playing the game on the big screen.  It's line was remarkably short and it's atmosphere electric.

Now, I'm not really the biggest hockey fan.  I've been to one game in person, and have never really gotten it.

But watching the game up in Vancouver with a few hundred really passionate (and slightly intoxicated) fans was amazing.  At the end of the game everyone poured into the streets.  High-fives were running rampant.  Flags were waving everywhere.

It was pretty much amazing.

To top off the night, we walked to the cauldron to check it out.  It's fenced off like a high-security prison.  I'm not sure what they are afraid of happening, but better safe than sorry, I suppose.

Even though I didn't make it to an actual event, it was awesome to be in a host city for the Olympics.  Who knows if it will ever happen again.

Hiding Out

We are all about avoidance in our house.

We don't answer our phone hardly ever.  Unless we happen to see on caller ID that it's someone we know, and not a toll free number.

Today I put this tactic of avoidance to use by hiding from someone who knocked on our front door.

I saw them part on the street, and without really thinking about it, I slid down to the floor.

The dogs barked like crazy and ran to the door.

And then when Maica came back, she was so shocked to see me lying on the floor, she jumped from fright.

Seriously, she was halfway to the safety of her kennel before she realized it was me, and not an evil intruder sent to take over her small, but important, world.

I just hope the person at the door didn't have something important to say.

Sanity over vanity (Oh look, that rhymes)

I knew today was going to be one of those days.  The premonition came to me in the form of the start of a headache last night.

That headache continued into the morning.  When I had to get up at the crack of dawn for work.

Ok, maybe not the crack of dawn, but it was before 7am.  I know, I know, I'm a wimp.

Here's the thing though (stay tuned for lame excuse), I normally have to be at work sometime between 10am and noon.  That's right, I lead a life of luxury.

Without all the excess dollars.  Life of leisure, that's what I meant.

Not only did I have to be functioning at full mental capacity this morning at 8am, but I also was on my own, forgotten by my teammate that was supposed to be working with me.

Now I'm tired, cranky, and somewhat shaky because of all the caffeine I've consumed in a effort to hold off the ever hovering headache.

And the sun, which has graced us with its warm and inviting presence for the past week, has gone back into hiding.  It was replaced by some passing showers.

Not that I blame it, I wish I was in hiding today, too.

Although I had hoped to make it to the gym to lift some weights (I'm pretty burly like that), I've decided that sitting at home in sweats is more important.

Sanity over vanity, people.  Sanity over vanity.

Pearly Whites

I went to the dentist today, which ranks in the bottom five of favorite days of the year.  Luckily it was just a cleaning, which is what kept it from being at the very bottom of the list.

That because it's not really life threatening.  Or hasn't been yet for me.

But it's not comfortable.

See, I have TMJ (aka temporomadibular joint disorder--try saying that five times fast).  That means my jaw pops, a lot.  It's really gross, which is why I make people feel it when they ask about it.

It also means it's a bad idea to chew gum or eat food that requires a lot of hard chewing (gum, taffy, overcooked steak) or really big bites (mile-high sandwiches, whole apples, etc.).

There isn't really a cure.  Although when I was diagnosed, my doctor said that's it sometimes associated in women with hormones, and as I already suffer from migraines I should hurry up and have my kids already so I could get a hysterectomy.

I was about 16 at the time.  My mom was thrilled with the doctor.

I don't see her anymore (because she left, not because my mom hates her).

The good news from my visit to the dentist is that I don't have any cavities and "my teeth look beautiful."

I suck.

I could probably be considered one of the worst bloggers of the month.   My only excuse is that life has been boring.

Seriously, I worked less than 14 hours last week, spent all my free time watching the Olympics (i.e. curling and cross-country skiing), and getting back into the swing of mowing lawns.

None of those things are all that interesting to blog about.

I briefly flirted with the idea of bragging about the AMAZING weather we've been having, even if it's screwed Vancouver Olympics over.

I mean, it was warm enough today that I wore shorts and a t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up while mowing. Starting the mowing tan early, baby!

Even though I didn't put many hours in at work, the start up of mowing and fixation with the Olympics has meant that I didn't get to the gym multiple times this week (health fail).

On a completely unrelated note, one of the ads on facebook for me right now says "make a baby with anyone."  I'm jus thoping that relates to some sort of facial recognition software and not a dating site.

Although, that would set said dating site apart from its competition.

Bloodshot.

My eyes the past few days have appeared a little bloodshot and I'm not exactly sure why.

It could be an overuse of my computer (I have found a new game online), but I spend a lot of time on the computer normally.  Let's just say the old eyeballs are pretty well conditioned.

It could be a lack of sleep.  With the start of the Olympics, I'm not exactly getting to be very early.  Especially since everything is tape delayed here.  Except for curling.  That we get live.

It also could be because it's SPRING here.  Seriously, flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, and the grass is growing.

As in, it's back to the mowing fields for my dad and I.

In February.  Early February.  It's just ridiculous.  Last year we started over a month later.

So my eyes are bloodshot.  Which is why I plan to play on my computer, stay up late watching the Olympics, and spend the next few afternoons mowing a few lawns.

That Girl From Signs

My effort to be healthy has turned me into the girl from Signs.  

I decided one major step I could take in reaching the pinnacle of personal health was to drink more water.

Previously, my water drinking habits had been limited to during workouts for a reason to take a break and at meals out as a cost cutting measure.

I'm not sure if I've been drinking all that much more water recently, but there a lot more half-filled water glasses laying around than usual.

Unfortunately for me, the glasses probably won't be saving my life since almost all of them are plastic (It's much safer that way when I'm stumbling around late at night to use the restroom due to my increased water intake.).

Although it may be possible that I could distract the aliens long enough to get my tinfoil hat on, thereby ensuring my brain will be preserved for scientific studies.

And on the plus side, there seems to be a lot more room in the cupboard.  It's like when you get a bunch of clothes dirty and you can finally fit all the clean ones into the dresser.

Oh, the small victories.

Speaking of the health movement, the motivation has been lacking recently.  

I haven't actually been to the gym since Monday (the horrors!) and my "balanced diet" has involved multiple homemade chocolate chip cookies a day (I mean, how could I not?!).

I eat what I want.

Doggie Bag Emergency

The weather here the past couple days has been ridiculously nice.  Sorry East Coast.

And sorry to the Olympics.  Not the best year for a winter that feels like spring.

Yesterday it was almost 60 degrees, so I did what any treadmill-hating quasi runner would do, and headed outside.

I decided to take our smaller dog with me.  She's full of energy and could always run more, seemed like the perfect running partner.

Except for the fact that she is scared to death of any dog or person she doesn't recognize.  And places she doesn't know.  Etc.

This nervousness usually results in excess pooping, and yesterday was no exception.

Within the first quarter of a mile, she had pooped twice.

Unfortunately for me, I had forgotten to grab plastic baggies when I left the house.  (I had left the big dog home alone, and when I realized after getting out the door I need baggies still, I didn't want to deal with his sad, accusing eyes.)

All I had in my car were some extra napkins I had stashed.

So here I am, running down the path, with poop in a napkin in my hand.

Gross, right?!

Luckily I found a dumpster not too much farther, but still.  Gross.

On that note, happy Saturday!  I'm just over halfway through my four-day weekend.

My life is rough.

Books, Cupcakes, and Puppies (a.k.a. everything good in this world)

Today, after my class was cancelled for work, I decided to tag along with my mother to the library for a new load of books.

We're avid readers in our house (pretty much everyone but my dad, he's more of an avid sleeper), and couldn't afford to buy every book we read.

I actually had a friend tell me a while ago that buying books for me (this was after my birthday) was like throwing money away since I read them so fast.

And it's true.  I'm a fast reader.

Not world-champion-speed-reader fast, but stay-up-all-night, read-the-last-HP-in-a-day fast.

After returning for the library, my mom and I discovered our dogs (most likely Jackson) had polished off the last of the red velvet cupcakes and spare cream cheese frosting.

On one hand, I should probably thank them for saving me from the excess sugar.  On the other hand, those cupcakes were ridiculously delicious.

So what did we do as soon as my dad got home, we went to look at puppies.  5 adorable 4-month-old, lab, collie, boxer mutts that were just screaming for a home.  Or licking our hands and getting us muddy.

Unfortunately, Jamaica (our springer spaniel) wouldn't probably survive the addition of a high energy puppy.

She is a wimp.  She barked at me when we got back from seeing the puppies because I had a hat on and she didn't recognize me.

That doesn't mean my family won't get another dog.  Those puppies just weren't the right ones.

But if someone else is interested...

Superman (or woman)

You may or may not know this, but it's doppelganger week.

That means everyone and their mother is changing their facebook picture to their celebrity look-a-like.

I can't recall anyone comparing me to a celebrity, in any sense, except of course for jaw-dropping beauty.

Obviously.

I decided to search for a celebrity look-a-like generator and wound up at myheritage.com.

Unfortunately I had some trouble with the site.

Picture after picture, the page would time out before I would get results.

And on one picture (from Halloween) it boxed out part of a cape as a face.

So I was pretty assured that my results would be spot on whenever they appeared.

Boy, was I right.

The picture I used included me in glasses. Apparently Clark Kent's ability to disappear behind his glasses was a complete reality.

I was told that I look like Larry King ...


... and Elvis Costello, to name a few.


Maybe I should try that again.

Or just assume that I look better without glasses on.

I don't know...what do you think?