The 11th Hour

The movers are coming. Tomorrow. Oy.

That's all I have time to blog. Wish me luck!

Things I have left to pack...

Maybe if I make a list of what I have yet to pack, it won't seem as overwhelming when I check things off. Or maybe it'll cause me to jump off my balcony. We'll see...

Kitchen:
- Dishes
- Glasses
- Silverware
- Pots & Pans (hey, I might make more ravioli, people! You never know!!)
- Sharp Knives
- Cleaning stuff
- Dish rack
- Toaster oven (how else would I toast my eggo's in the morning?)
- aaaand, that stupid little spoon holder thingy on my stove. Missed it. Dammit.

Dining room:
- Place mats (that's it! YAAAY!)

Living room:
- TV
- DVD/surround sound
- TV trays (since I don't actually use my dining room table for eating. Very useful to hold your makeshift computer, though.)

Guest room:
- Pile of random things that I have no idea what to do with (ie old alarm clock, file folder, magic markers, etc.)

Bedroom:
- Bed linens (those'll go last. Sleeping without sheets is just gross. Gross, I tell you.)
- Another pile of random crap (seeing a pattern here?)
- Ironing board/Iron (because it's still piled high with said random crap)
- Stuff on dressers and night stand (although I'm seriously considering just shoveling the stuff on top of the dressers IN to the dressers. Yeah...that'll probably happen.)

Bathroom:
- Shower curtain
- Towels (not a big fan of air-drying)
- 15 different kinds of shampoo (hey, my hair needs choices!!)

Wow...I really should be packing instead of writing this. I think I'll go read instead...

Blast from the Past

I'm in love. With a house.

I remember riding around Downtown St. Paul when I was a little girl, and seeing this house. It stood in the middle of what appeared to be a parking lot. I was always fascinated with it...I pictured myself living in it, raising my family, decorating it...and I watched it sit vacant and deteriorate before my eyes.

This house used to be located right across the street from the Xcel Energy Center...well, the city knew better than to have a vacant house sitting on prime parking lot land. I remember being utterly heartbroken when I heard the news that they were not going to be able to keep the house there. I wanted that house. I would've traded in all the piggy banks in the world to buy it.

Some time during college, the house disappeared. No longer a fixture of a bygone era in the middle of a modernized metropolis, the house that always caught my eye was no more. I was heartbroken. Gone were my dreams of owning the most beautiful home I'd ever seen.

Then, in a serendipitous twist of fate, I recently (ok, today) learned that the house had not disappeared -- it had simply moved. While I wasn't looking, they picked up the behemoth beauty, moved it down West 7th Street, and set it next to Irvine Park. My house is still alive!! Through some cryptic research, I believe the plans were to make the house into 4 luxury condos. I don't know if it happened or not, and read about the poor house's continuing neglect. But all is not lost, at least. There is hope again. I could still live in that house!!

Now, to find a few million dollars to buy it...

I smell like Cucumber Salad.

Being the genius I am, I decided to fall asleep on the beach this past Sunday before putting sunblock on my poor, poor, pale Irish skin. You can guess what happened.

So here I am, 2 days later, still radiating heat from my ankles to my shoulders, with no relief in sight. I bathed in vinegar last night, and will probably do it again. I'm an idiot. An idiot who smells like cucumber salad.

Kato, you're FAMOUS!

I must admit, I get a little excited (like I'm 8 years old listening to NKOTB) when I see relatively obscure places where I've called home written up in national publications. For example:

Top 10 Micropolitans

Guess I have to stop ripping on the "Lifers" down there.

Speechless

Found this on a friend's blog, and just HAD to post it:

Uncle Bobby's Wedding

Ah, the lost art of respectful, eloquent discussions of different viewpoints. I'm going to go read Lolita now (because somebody somewhere said we shouldn't).

Where's my brain's "Off" switch??

My internal monologue at 12:30am this morning:

"Ugh, it's hot in here. I should just turn on the AC. But then I'd have to get up and shut all my windows, and that would take too long. Maybe I'll just move the fan closer to me. Now it's blowing in my face, and making wind tunnel noises in my ear. I know -- oscillate! That'll do the trick..."

"I can't wait until it's October. I'm going back to Dairyland in October! I can't wait to see my best friend. I have engagement pictures to take that weekend. What will I wear? Will my sweaters be too bulky? Will I have lost some weight by then? I hope my hair looks ok. Maybe I can convince my aunt to style it for me. Why do I care so much about these pictures?? I hope I don't smile with a big double-chin. I hope it's warm enough outside. I hope it's not too warm outside."

"SHUT OFF, BRAIN!"

"Oh, well. Guess I can continue to plan wedding stuff. I wonder what kind of save-the-date cards I'll get? I can't believe I'm overthinking crap like this...I'm turning into an actual bride! Ugh! Well, I'll be sure they're cool looking, and unique...none of this cookie-cutter crap. I hope my hair keeps growing. What am I saying, of course it'll keep growing."

"It's still freaking hot in here. Should I get up and turn on the AC? It's too late -- I should be sleeping by now!! Maybe I should take some calcium/magnesium. Or maybe some ibuprofen, that's closer. I need to get boxes. I really need to pack some more. I need smaller boxes for my books. When can I get to the moving company to pick some up? Stupid company, only open 8-5 M-F -- I have to WORK 8-5 M-F!"

"Maybe I should start thinking about grad school...no, that's scary. How would I get in? Who would write my letters of recommendation? Do my teachers remember me? The GRE is scary! What do I want to do with my life?!?! Oh good lord, I need to stop right now."

"That's it. If I'm not asleep in 5 minutes, I'm turning on the air. This is ridiculous...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"

Analyze THAT, you psychotherapists out there!