Friday Five

1. This giving up added sugar thing is HARD. Sugar is everywhere! I really could not tolerate black coffee so I have been using xylitol to sweeten it. The word sounds so scientific and man-made, and yet it is totally natural. And it doesn't leave a weird aftertaste like stevia. And since it does not require insulin to be digested, I am hoping it won't wreak havoc on my body the way other sugars do. It is still a cheat, though, as I am not retraining my palate to enjoy less sweet foods.

However. Tis the season for Cadbury Mini Eggs!!

Clearly, I did not think this shit through.

2. I slacked off on Masters Shit big time this week and am in full-on PANIC MODE about getting all the necessary reading and writing and testing and paperwork done. I have no one to blame but myself and I have been doing that faithfully. I should quit beating myself up and instead focus that energy on working, yes? I just might learn something yet.

3. For the first time in three months, we can park the truck at the house, instead of halfway down the lane to the road. Almost all of the snow drifts have melted, and it is so awesome.

This may seem lame-o to you, but after being drifted in ALL WINTER, this is some exciting shit around here!

I am trying not to get too damn excited, though, because I know a Spring Storm will eventually blindside us. But, I am going to run some of my errands on foot today and enjoy the weather.

4. A band of sparrows have already been eyeballing our bird house that we keep for Mountain Bluebirds. Bastards. I don't know how we'd try to keep the sparrows away without scaring off the Mountain Bluebirds, too.

I haven't seen the first Mountain Bluebird of the spring yet, but I hope to soon. We usually see them in March.

5. When I fly out to DC in April for a friend's baby shower, I kind of hope I get picked for one of those ridiculously intrusive full-body scans.

I want to see if my IUD and ankle hardware show up in the scanner! That would be so cool and so weird.

After my curiosity is satisfied I will be self-righteously pissed about the intrusive scanners.

Happy Friday to you!

Forgiving

So, Lent.

I haven't been to church in I don't know how long. The Church (Catholic) proceeds to make me more and more angry, more indignant of the blatant hypocrisy in living as decent human beings, much less as Christ's example. I will always miss the culture of Catholicism, though. I've written about this before.

I still appreciate the season of Lent. Of changing something in the routine of my life so as to bring values and actions into sharp relief. Do the values and actions line up? What about those values - re they mine, or am I wearing someone else's' morality? What do I need to do so my actions back up my values?

All the while, forgiving myself for my many shortcomings. Taking the time to forgive others' theirs. I think this is the best product and practice of Lent.

++++

I am giving up sweets for Lent, and trying to reduce the amount of added sugar my diet generally. Also, I will practice an evening meditation every night. I am better able to keep things in perspective when I faithfully do this evening mediation.

So far I managed to drink my coffee black and bought plain, salted cashews for an afternoon snack. Success!

++++

Are you giving anything up for Lent?

Friday Five

1. My doctor and I have been mixing new med cocktails. I think we have hit the right combo, but damn. In the meantime, I have been having such vivid and realistic dreams. I've asked A. about three times about this thing we did/talked about/saw that never happened. I think he is wondering which kind of crazy with which he prefers to live.


2. Also, if I hit snooze, I still go straight into these dream/semi-conscious things. Like mini-dreams, but not REM-like dreams. It is EXHAUSTING. And very disorienting. 


I suppose one way around the mini-dream marathon is to quit hitting snooze and just get up. 


3.  We have had gorgeous temps in the 40s all week. That means the 5-foot drifts are all melting. We've only had about three spots in the road turn into mud pits, but boy. My little Civic has a hard time.


The last time I attempted to drive it to the house I thought I'd be sneaky and avoid one of the mud traps with the deep ruts by driving on the snow to the side of the dirt road.


Uh huh. 


I should have known this was a very, very bad idea. As soon as I hit the snow bank that looked deceivingly like a simple, shallow layer of snow, the bank sort of collapsed under my tires, because it was all melty and unstable inside. And also much deeper than I thought. And more stupid. My car violently sunk down into the  snow bank. The snow bank that had no structural integrity. A great situation to be in. 


I know how Lois Lane felt when her car fell into that horrible, sandy crack in the first Superman movie.  


I should have been stuck and high-centered, except that my poor little car crashed down so damn hard that it bounced back up. Bounced. Boingy. Like I had hydraulic shocks installed and was listening to some norteno music. I need a flashier paint job to really pull that off, though. But I am totally bad-ass enough. Totally.


I gunned it while in the air and caught some new snow. Basically, I  was off-roading in a civic. The view outside my windshield never stayed the same for more than half a second. I was all over the place. Just bouncing and revving and swerving and it was ridiculous. It was even more bouncy and jolty that when A. drives the truck on rutted two-track roads and sagebrush while out hunting. RIDICULOUS.


You guys. I looked like an idiot woman driver! I gave credence to that infuriating stereotype!  


My car seems to be running fine. Tough little thing. It is now parked at the highway and we take the four-wheel drive truck that has clearance to the highway from the house.


4. Everyone near and dear to me are having babies and it is starting to mess with my head. 


5. Prior to this little warm spell, I bought Buster a coat to wear. He doesn't get nearly the undercoat that Belle does, and he is not a fan of the cold.


Now, every plan I've had to improve the quality of these dogs' lives, every attempt I've made at establishing new routines have all gone down in a pile of flames. For instance, when I replaced some of Buster's food with green beans to help him lose weight, Belle ate all the green beans and nothing else, while Buster ate both of their regular food. So he was getting more food and Belle was happily eating veggies. (Seriously - she LOVES carrots. She steals peeling out of the trash while I am cooking. She just does this casual walk-by thing and doesn't even slow down. Little shit.) 


These two find ways around my plans every. single. time.


Behold:

You guys! I totally won! I won this round!! Buster loves  his coat. I think he actually understands that it keeps him warm. He just hangs out and wags his tail while I put it on him. He doesn't even squirm or act like an idiot!


Dogs: 19, Artemisia: 1


Happy Friday to you!


P.S. Isn't Buster a cutie? EARS!