Obama

You might have noticed that I'm not really into the political blogging, but Dirk does rub off on me at times (his skin is quite flaky), and so I'll just note that I'm very happy to have Obama in office today.

One might be interested to know that Dirk and I once listed all the ways we have changed each other and it looks like he's changed me way more than I've changed him. How is that even possible? I do not know. Mostly he has expanded my TV-series watching, and I forget the rest.

I forgot that a woman was coming by this morning to pick up the moving boxes. When the doorbell rang, I assumed it was just the UPS guy and he would immediately go away. Answering the door in my turquoise polka-dotted robe with flannel pajamas, no bra and bead-head is low on my list of "want-to-do's." But I peeked quickly and saw it was a person with real intention ringing my bell and upon opening the door learned that she was there for my boxes. I helped her load them up, which meant a neighbor driving by spotted me. (Not just any neighbor, but the one across the street, who I have intentions of meeting soon.) My brain quickly dug up a very ancient warning from my mother that one should not be the lady who lets the neighbors see her in her bathrobe. Oops.

I can only thank my mother for the endless deposits of warnings and shamings she managed to indoctrinate me with over the years. I could create an impressive list of rules mandating how one's life should and should not be lived a-la mother style. :)

Doodles

It is Wednesday, and I don't have class, so I am staying home and attempting not to be overly ambitious with my day. I keep saying I want to stay home and sit on the couch in the sunshine. We get some great light in here, especially in the afternoon and I don't really get to enjoy it. So I'm trying to focus on that today.

I just finished watching the latest episode of The Bachelor and it totally cracked me up. Some of the girls are hysterically stupid, and two are vicious and the rest are just sweet, though their respective personal issues are definitely coming out. Dirk has pointed out that I am finding this show funny, and perhaps that means I could start finding The Office funny, and go easier on the cast of Arrested Development. I have been hard on both shows because the characters are such awful people. I did end up wanting to finish Arrested Development but have only made it about six episodes into the British version of The Office so far. I had to take a break, and will admit to having forgotten all about it at this point. I just can't stand Ricky Gervais' character, the boss. I have failed to find him funny, yet I do find these bachelorettes to be very amusing. I generally think The Bachelor is a twisted concept, but I'm liking it in a more genuine way this time. (As opposed to "I'm watching a train wreck and can't look away," or just not bothering to watch.)This season has me hooked!

The new house is great. I love being in it, and rue the fact that I have to go to work and leave it behind. Of course, if I didn't have somewhere to go, I might quickly feel that the house is a trap of some kind, and I feel lucky to have my job. The new semester is off to a good start. I haven't gotten back into an exercise routine yet, and could've used one more week of free time, but I'm getting back to where I want to be. Having some free space on Wednesdays is helping, especially since Tuesday and Thursdays are so packed.

My friend Kristin has recently written about trying to quiet her mind and sit still. I, like everyone else who commented on her post, have similar troubles and am trying to be more conscious about them today. Staying off the phone and computer would be a good start, but I'm not fully capable of that yet. Writing in my blog is something I haven't done for ages anyway.

Back to the house, the main things left to do (decorating-wise) are (1) deal with the big blank wall in the living room, and (2) choose paint colors. Both are decisions that I plan to get some expert advice on before jumping in. So these items are on the slow list.

I'm still happy about the Minnesota winter. I love having all this snow and the cold has been fun too. There is a lot of sun, which keeps my spirits up. Our house lets in all the sun, which might be one big reason why spending the day in my windowless office is less appealing to me. I'm looking forward to creating a garden and landscaping in the spring, but can be patient for now.

Overall, Dirk and I are settling in and starting to feel more at home. We're having our first guests on Saturday. A childhood friend of mine, Joel, and his wife and son are coming over. I grew up with Joel in Michigan and now we live near each other in MN. That's a pleasant surprise. We have many other guests we want to invite over as well and are starting that process. Dirk's parents and grandma have been up several times to help us get settled in as well. I'll be soliciting paint color opinions from everyone who walks through our door. If you'd like to advise on such matters, please raise your hand!

Me

I have a cold that is almost over and I should be in bed. I did not finish writing my syllabus yesterday like I should've. I am far too busy spending money online for house things. Today the duvet came and I decided I might like it enough to keep it. I love, love, love our house. Amen.