Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The Only Concrete Thing Here Is A Fish

Look at me, all bloggity two days in a row. Hot damn, I impress myself.

I just wanted to update the whole world (or, you know, the random people who read this) about our goings on.

The house, that may have been the house, is currently residing in limbo. The owners don't want to budge on the asking price, and since we aren't in a major hurry, we have decided to move on. We are looking at even more houses today.* If we don't find anything better, we may reevaluate what that house is worth to us. If we do find something better, I think we should drive by that first house and thumb our noses at the owners.

*Geeky disclosure: R and I have made a rating form for each house, which also allows us to take notes on all the rooms, extra features, neighborhood, etc. We bring a print out with us for each house...which we carry on a clipboard. Soon we will upgrade to pocket protectors and the world will be our lego.

The status of the potential baby is also residing in limbo. We are in a holding pattern just waiting for me to be able to pee on a stick. There have been certain signs of possible baby...but that might be completely psychological. (Except I didn't know that headaches/light headedness were a sign and I totally have been headachy, which is very unlike me...so maybe? Maybe not? Ack!)

Also, we bought a fish. As in, I bought a fish on impulse and R was all, do we really need a fish? Ummm...yes? Obviously. Sheesh. So, we have Malcom. Malcom, the world. The world, Malcom.

Full pet-related disclosure: I am TOTALLY an animal person. I may have reservations about people, but I'm gung ho about animals. I have had rabbits, fish, mice, cats, a ferret, a turtle, lizards, a snake, and dogs. This list would be much longer, but my parents are NOT animal people...thus, the list becomes a symbol of my persistence and desire to embrace my animal brethren. R is aware of this tendency; it will be his job to keep our potential children from bringing home all animals all the time. Because I will likely be, 'Hellz yes, we can keep it! Does it have any siblings?'

And that, Internet, is whatz up.

Monday, January 23, 2012

The Extroverted Hermit

I am an extrovert. I mean, wow, you put me in front of people and I schmooze and jabber and entertain until someone binds my jaws with duct tape. The more people, the better. According to the OCEAN test (one of the most commonly administered personality tests) I score in the 99th percentile on extroversion, meaning I take the gold in the motor mouth Olympics. Words people often  use to describe me include friendly, gregarious, and vivacious (it's true, I know a lot of people with big vocabularies).


So it may surprise you to know that I don't necessarily like people. I know, right? What kind of nonsense is this? And to take the absurdity up a notch, I'm a psychologist for science-sake! I literally study people.


Here's the rub. I like persons quite a lot. You, me, one-on-one and we'll laugh and memories will be made. I adore audiences. I mean, seriously, the adoration it goes on and on. Pay attention to meee. However, I often loathe people. And I don't need them very much.*

*With the notable exception of growing my food, building my shelter, and generally providing every single thing I own and use, of course.

Since I've started working at home, many of my friends and family have asked me how I'm coping, dealing with, or otherwise tolerating staying home all the time - you know, away from the attention of others that I so obviously love. Usually I remind them that R and I go out a lot. I talk on the phone with colleagues from work. Blah blah blah, deflection. What I don't say is that I kind of like it. The truth is that people, myself included, can be pretty aggravating.



You know what I mean. They block the entire aisle at the grocery store with their carts. They can't drive well...sometimes they cause accidents and destroy other people's vehicles. They litter. They make silly assumptions. Or they loudly proclaim that Newt Gingrich would make a good president (THE HORROR!). And I'm okay not dealing with that on a regular basis. I mean, even an extrovert can be okay with skipping the crappy behavior.

Or is it just me?




Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The Blog Goes On

I feel like I should write something, but I also feel like I have told the whole wide Internet everything already: we are trying to make a baby and looking to buy a house. Also, snowboarding.

Yeah, so more of that.

We are trying in earnest to get pregnant (wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more). We have been giggling to ourselves and touching my belly and thinking what if?? Of course we have been researching all about pregnancy and nutrition - because we embrace all that is geeky. Also, knowledge is good. So are leeks and sardines, apparently. So I made potato and leak soup (delicious) and am trying to get up the gumption to find a can of sardines...I used to like them but smelly fish isn't sounding appetizing at the moment. Is that a first-trimester food aversion forming or just common sense?? We DON'T KNOW YET. Ack, the anticipation is just going to get worse. I've never been so excited about peeing on something before.*

*You know, the pregnancy test. Peeing on one another is not something R and I have worked into our bedroom repertoire.

Anywho, we have also looked at more houses. And there is one. Oh yes, there is. It might be the one. We are going to go back and look at it again today to find out. (Squee!)

Also, snowboarding. Some friends came to visit and we went snowboarding with them over the weekend. It. was. awesome! Inches of fresh powder, increasing skillz, and only falling 3 times - and two of those times were the slow down and sit on butt kind that don't really count as falling. I amaze myself. (Obviously my threshold for amazement is low.)
Actual picture of me on the mountain in snowboarding style.

Oh yeah, and someone crashed into one of our vehicles. The new one that we just brought back from Wyoming. We literally had it for 10 days and someone ran into it while it was parked along the street. He was speeding, eating chips and salsa out of his passenger seat, and talking on his cell phone. He hit our vehicle hard enough that it ran into our neighbor's car, totalling it. Fortunately, the guy's insurance is paying to repair the damage, which included the whole rear end (underneath where it is expensive) while miraculously leaving the exterior untouched. Initially I was not so laissez faire about it, but I'm over it. Shit happens. If that's the worst that we have to deal with - a car accident where no one was injured and everything can be fixed, then we are fortunate indeed.

**Though, for the record, engaging in multiple tasks while driving is dangerous. If you are speeding, eating, and talking on the phone while driving, you run the risk of being labeled an idiot.**

All in all, life is good and the world continues to continue. As does this blog.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Definitely More Than A Refrigerator Box

We have started the house hunting! [dramatic music] It is both exciting and nerve wracking.

Upon deciding you like something, even if it is not the perfect something and you are hoping to find better, you begin to cling possessively to that option. The "this house is good but not great - but what if someone buys it and we can't find anything better?! Oh NO!!" phenomenon. By looking at several houses, you guarantee this will happen. Which is great - anxiety builds character.

However, we plan on staying in our new house for a long time, and it had better snap, crackle, and pop while doing the rumba (and my dishes). In other words, it needs to be as close to perfect as possible. You know, be something better than a refrigerator box.

We have a long wish list of characteristics we are looking for in a house, yard, and neighborhood and I have high hopes we will find something that meets most, if not all, of those criteria. Inevitably, I would like it to cost less than it will. So, if anyone knows of a house with huge walk-in closets near a park that the owners are just giving away, please let me know.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

The Times, and Things, They Are a'Changin'

Well, January is here. Though I am saddened by the persistent lack of flying cars and teleporters, I am excited that it is 2012! And if technology won't live up to my expectations, I can still hope that my own life will.

Internet - we are going to be trying to have a baby. Gasp! It is true. A real, for really real baby. One that is ours and we can't take back ever...[insert contemplative pause].

This means that we have been making a number of changes in the past few months.

1) We've been taking vitamins. A prenatal for me and a multi-vitamin for him to make sure we each have enough folic acid.

2)We have been eliminating as many hormone blocking chemicals and artificial hormones from our lotions/soaps/etc. as possible. I won't get into the specifics because they are panic inducing, but there are a lot of chemicals that the typical American slathers on every day and many are not good.

3) We have been researching foods. Some boost fertilization (yogurt, cheese, brussel sprouts), while others are suggested in the first trimester to ensure proper baby development. And, of course, there are all those things I will no longer be allowed to have. SO many things, including some of my favorite cheeses and, of course, caffeine and alcohol. And, as I have mentioned here, I love these things. But I have given them up for the foreseeable future.

Also, a house, we want one. We have a neighborhood in mind and will soon be scheduling to look at the three houses up for sale and in our price range. But we still have a few months to sit and stew on possible new houses. And search obsessively on the Internet. And fantasize.

These are the two all-consuming changes that we are looking forward to. What are you hoping for in 2012?