i'm sadly remiss in my Oscar contender movie viewing. but i realized that there's not enough time now to see them all. should i just see LOTR i wonder? it may be the longest one, so more bang for my movie buck.

today was so nice and sunny, i decided a trip to botanical gardens and a walk out on the sculpture trail won over a movie.

i also signed up at the YMCA. have an appointment with a trainer on Tuesday. i'm really going to work at NOT being a couch potato anymore. but NOT kill myself in the process. *she said, hoping to convince herself as well as everyone else*

so, i ordered a Christmas gift at the end of November for a dear friend's husband.

guess what?? it arrived in the mail yesterday.

on the one hand i'm glad i got it, on the other hand what do i do, wait for his birthday?? i don't know anyone else that will love and adore Guinness pub towels more than he.

i would just like to thank the universe for hearing me.

Northern Exposure, season one, will be on DVD May 25.

*does the Chris in the Morning happy dance*



..thank you, that is all....
*hums...happy birthday to me....*

aaah actually a very nice Valentine's Day for the girl separated from the One she loves.

had lunch with my out of town sister, followed by a brief stint of shopping, or looking as we do mostly. or trying on but not buying, as we do a lot of. she is further along her weight loss journey than i. but that journey leaves one with needing to buy clothes that fit now but might not fit eventually. she's lost 75 pounds, and i'm stuck around 35. i just have to get my lazy bum on a treadmill. anyway, while it's good to lose the weight, the mind is not often prepared for the new attention one gets or the body that's ever morphing.

and then i rented some movies and made one of my Honey's favorite meals. shepherd's pie. it IS a weight watchers recipe, but it's good. and warm comfort food.

i failed to mention the Porter chocolate cake she and i celebrated VD with. a local brew pub puts beer in their desserts. go figure. it was good though.

and i watched "In The Cut" with Meg Ryan. a definite departure from her usual appearance or subject matter. i didn't like it at first, but it's been hanging with me a while. i guess it's "noir" like a dark detective story but with the preoccupation of love and passion thrown in. written and directed by women. but grittier than one would expect. dark in subject and appearance. how many women would get involved with a police detective they think is guilty of a brutal murder? is the inner pain that great and they just want it to end? do some of us have a death wish? i used to. was just never brave enough to follow through. or maybe i knew it would pass.

in any event, i've revised my first opinion of the film. i like it, but like spandex, it's not for everyone.

and it's encouraging to watch others do things outside of their typical comfort zone and area of known subject matter. helps me contemplate getting my bum to a gym. which i will be doing this week.

ah, the sun beckons. if nothing more than to sit near the window. it reminds me spring WILL come. someday.

what is it about giving blood? i have O negative blood. they give it to preemies. one in 23 people have my blood type, which is used in ERs to give to people without typing them.

today my favorite indie radio station sponsored the blood drive, so in conjunction with the windmill cookies and juice, i got a cd, an ice scraper, a forget-me-not seed biodegradable paper hangy thing (it can be planted to grow the seeds!), a carnation...entered a contest for dinner at a local fancy restaurant...they had free massages, but the line was too long and i couldn't wait.

but the best part is...i hit three gallons today! that's 24 pints of blood.

wow.

for the sake of St. Valentine, somebody help me!!

i think i knew it went too far when i found a CD for Him that i'd been looking for since before Christmas and didn't bat an eyelash when it was 18.99. now normally that price would send me running for the door, screaming into the parking lot. but this time, no, not really. i just smiled, glad to have found it, and plunked down the money.

luckily MOST of the crazy Valentine-y stuff i've found has come from the dollar store. including the musical card. that is to get Him back for the musical toilet paper roller He got me for Christmas. it DOES play "Love Me Tender" though. i think the card one-ups it though. it plays "Let Me Call You Sweetheart"..doesn't it make you want to gag?

i've turned into one of those people i used to despise. people who celebrate Valentine's Day with a gushy grin.

what's next, china patterns???

egads. is there a 12-step group for this?

*shudders and shakes her head while applying cupid decals to the windows*