Today was an awesome Monday. Proof that God will offer little surprises when you least expect them.

A few years back I was hunting for good ol' Tretorns, you know, the basic ones we all had back in Jr High and had no luck. Well weeha, I found a pair on sale today through their website that are just right. I also found a pair of sneakers on clearance at TJ Maxx for $20. My comfortable walking shoe needs are definitely met for Europe.

The fan club fundraising committee meeting was productive. I'm excited for the things we have planned this season. Anyone with some good fundraising ideas - send them our way!

Stupid Walmart. So I suffer through entering that hell hole, fight w/ their stupid equpiment, print out the photos I want... and the jackass won't let me buy them because they're supposedly owned by RC and Medieval Times respectively. Um, I can't exactly climb back on the ship to get more copies, nor would I EVER pay $20 a copy. Ok, so I guess I need to pull out the scanner and do it myself. You suck Walmart.

I don't know where lying and trickery fits into "love". Can you hear my voice in your head yet? Resentment or trickery - I promised you it would happen.

Has anyone else noticed the wide array of klondike bars they make now? I picked some up while mom was here (since I couldn't find the turkey hill drumsticks she requested). I also noticed they're hella smaller than they were when I was young. I thought maybe it was a perception thing, but mom confirmed it. See, that's how they get you! Keep the price the same and shrink the product. Size IS everything.

Last night I had dinner with Uncle Leo, Aunt Donna, and mom and then headed back to the house for UL to help out with a small repair in the apartment. This of course spurred me to do something else over there today, but at least the faucet is no longer leaking and the seak around that tub is cleaned up. With mom's three night visit you can assume she cleaned (and hid) just about everything, so she's really given me a jump start on getting things back in order. She even dealt with some of the plants that needed trimmed back out front. The woman is a machine. I don't have half that energy and I'm less than half her age.

Ok, I need to put on some sneakers and go for a walk. Fear that!

I was up and moving this morning to get out the door and head to see Slips. Admittedly, I've been a bad friend and this was the first time I saw her apartment in the burgh and she's lived there for how friggin long now. Either way, we had a really good lunch (perhaps because I was quite hungry and frustrated from the half-assed construction detours and blockages around the burgh, but I say because it was just friggin good). I think it was called Harrigan's and was in this snooty little mall by her appartment *snicker*. I had a crusted tillapia that had an amaretto beurre blanc sauce and berries over asparagus. To die for, light, refreshing, excellent. Then for some shopping. I did behave for the most part, but I ended up buying a cute sweater and a dress.

About those road blockages - 376 was one lane from 22 the whole way to Penn Hills. W.T.F.!! Then I needed across the Liberty bridge, but the exit onto it was closed. How do you close an entrance to a bridge? The lovely detour made me loop around in what seemed like 3 circles, but at least I got to pass the new arena that is in construction. Nice to see it cooking along.

I'm quite happy I got off my tail and did some cleaning in the past couple of days as I learned on the drive down there that mom was coming up. By the time I got home she had already started some of her version of cleaning... oy. I wonder how much stuff is hidden from me now. So I'm pooped. It took me tossing in a movie to convince her to sit down and stop moving stuff around. I think this is the earliest I've been ready to crash out in a long long time.

I took my first walk towards getting back in shape this evening. 20 minutes with Saffy who was QUITE a good girl at my side and even sitting when asked. I know she should already have that down, but I've been pretty bad about teaching her and Dani the basics and tricks, shame on me.

It is done. No I haven't committed hairy-caray, rather I finished the paper. It took me bailing around noonish today and I was still a smidge short on the recommended length, but I'm done. I'm giving that a minute to sink in. I instantly felt rejuvinated, hopefully it lasts. Perhaps then I can catch up on cleaning this week before heading off to hang w/ Slips and celebrate little Abby's first birthday.

Whee! Now I can focus on Europe planning... and Christmas shopping... and the kitchen wall... and getting some friggin exercise. I joined up with an 8 week exercise program at work where we track our time exercising, so I can't let my team down. Time to get moving.

My weekend has ended, already... I had to spend a little time online for work today due to the flux of things I noted while on travel last week, so that ate away at a few of my waking hours. I had also already committed to go to the Curve game. Who can turn down a free ticket? Thanks Chiefs! It was hot as hell, even after moving out of the sunny section we were seated in and down the way. I went into the game w/ a little bit of a headache started and am surprised it hasn't upped the ante. The post game fireworks again rocked. The Curve puts on a heck of a boomer show.

Either way, there is still too much work to do on the paper and very little left to say... not a good combo. I know the end is near, so near I can taste it... so near I am already dreading that next weekend is also booked solid. I just want to sit like a great big vegetable for a little while. Heck, it would be nice to even get the laundry that has been sitting folded in one basket for two weeks now put into the dressers. ...and now I rest.

I survived my trip to the DC area. Yes, it was a bit boring, but the two days went pretty fast, and I did get some good grub and a little time hanging with my kirkus as a result. The dogs were a bit wound tight when I got home at 10:30 last night, but were happy to see me so they settled in quickly. Since I missed most of D's birthday (14th) I sang to her when I got home, but we headed out today to Petco for her to shop for her present. That and some catching up on z's is how I spent my morning and most of the afternoon has been all about the paper, again. I think this post marks the start of a small break, but I'll be back on it again tonight. ick.

I so thought my midnight attempt to color my hair last night was going to be the uber-disaster. Yes, midnight. Sorry, but I have no time for anything lately. If I needed to wash my hair I figured I should get that done too. I mixed the solution and shook it up, the first gentle squeeze on the bottle cracked it. So there I am with solution starting to go everywhich way, some in my hair, and a dilemma. I decided to press on and it turned out okay, even if it did take WAY longer than normal to clean up the mess in the bathroom. Think gruesome murder scene w/ purplish-black replacing the blood red.

I've gotten somewhere on my paper, but I'm still far from done. I've conceeded that things are on hold for tomorrow night given early hours and the road, but that's a story for another day. I think I need to go get myself to bed.

Yes I am still in paper hell, but at least now it is for my final paper - and if I'm smart and/or the friends I've begged to smack me around if I try to go back to school again - my final paper forever. So this weekend I did chill a little, much to the detriment of routine cleaning that needs done. I'll probably procrastinate a bit later with the vacuum at least, that is, once the A/C gets this place to a non-sticky state. AT LAST, summer in western PA. For the relaxation part of this weekend I made a three night trifecta at Nyko's. Shame on me and my wallet, but it's so much easier to just run for grub, and the food is friggin good.

Amusingly, I got to play a wee bit of cupid this weekend too, that's always invigorating. After all of my niceness they tried to kill me with the stop drop and roll roll at Nykos. Um, HOT! More amusing is that I dosed myself with sugar water to kill the burn to the surprise of a few, which I relayed as the cure I learned about from Alton. Now here today I am watching Mythbusters and they're doing a feature on chili peppers. I'm babbling, it's just another form of delay. Damn papers.

I left the house wanting to drink and read some documents for my final paper. Few documents read, a few drinks imbibed, and talking hockey most of the evening? I'll call my evening a resounding success considering how it started.

They are who and what I have, why do people have a hard time grasping that? Further, why do I find myself getting in trouble for being honest and forthright? I guess I'm suppose to lie or obscure things instead of presenting what I consider to be a rational reason.

For whatever reason, God didn't see it fit to give me the happy little husband and family. Why do I feel compelled to friggin apologize for that because I still have obligations here at home that other people who have SOs to rely on to cover those responsibilities don't need to worry about? Does that make me a bad person? Does it make me incapable of doing a good job? I think not. If I were foolish and went out and got knocked up no one would ever think twice about my reasons. Again they _are_ who I have.

Well, I had hoped to escape work a bit early today to get more time in on the paper, but it didn't happen. At least my day at work was productive and not boring. I did allow myself the luxury of hitting the fan club meeting since it's clear I'll be missing my meeting tomorrow night for the paper. Here little muse... here boy!

It's the weekend... I at least got the place vacuumed up and some laundry started so far. I also created a little _more_ work for myself last night after I decided to change our hotel for Barcelona, but I think it will be a better location all around and pretty nifty for the price, check it out. I did my weekend running today so I can spend a little time now, before heading to Mork's for a shindig, doing more plotting and planning for Europe. Tomorrow it is all about the school work. Two more papers to go, and I'm done again.