And let me tell you…!
Friday, January 16th, 2009Ok, kind of a lame title, but whatever. It’s Friday. I have a 3-day weekend coming up. I’m going to the Utah International Auto Expo tomorrow with my brother, nephew, and oldest neice. I’ve had this weird eye thing lately and I’m using a steroid eye drop for it (I’ll have the most muscular eyes!). I’m appreciating more and more the language barrier between ASL and English, both spoken and written–ASL has a different grammar structure and many of our ASL students have to take English as a Second Language classes for the grammar, syntax, composition, and spelling they miss by not being able to hear and speak. I wore myself out at voice lessons yesterday (who knew so much energy and work was required just to sing! wow!). I’m listening to a well-meaning staff member from another department give someone blatant misinformation about what my department does. I’m tired. My hands are cold. I’m in a fight with my hair.
Those are all my excuses for my title. Choose your favorite.
Before I really update anything, let me share with you how awesome New Year’s Eve was (since everyone seems to be doing it)!! Because it totally was! I went to my brother’s birthday party, and after family stuff I got all dressed up in something sparkly (down to my red glitter toenails), did/attempted to do my hair in a 1930s style, put on fake eyelashes and lipstick, and went to a smashing 1930s/”Holiday Inn”-themed party thrown by two of my favorite people. There was dancing, good food, a midnight Martinelli’s toast, and I even smooched Showgren on the cheek. All this before I brilliantly used an iron to get candle wax out of the carpet. Here is just one picture of the fabulousness:
So. What have I been up to lately, you may wonder. And well you might wonder! I have been doing amazing and fantastic things! Like buying a new slip and knitting washcloths! I’m not even kidding about how fun that is, though. I’ve been searching for pretty slips for a long time, and have begun to suspect that I am one of maybe 50 women under the age of 70 who insists on wearing slips with her skirts and dresses. I’m just about ready to learn to make my own because they’re so impossible to find anymore. When I can actually find a slip that isn’t stupid or boring or ugly (ok, maybe cross boring off, because most practical underthings are inherently boring), it pleases me immensely. And knitting washcloths? Oh yes. Yes indeed. Number one, they’re good for practicing basic technique. Number two, they last forever and are actually more absorbent than regular washcloths. Number three, my mother likes them so much that she’s given away three of the four I’ve made for her. As soon as it’s off the needles, tossed into her waiting hands, off it goes to an aunt or a child. Seriously, mom, keep the next one for yourself. We can always get more yarn. (Yes, Laresa, I’m doing yours soon. Never you fear.)
I dropped a bunch of cash on some new boots. Four pairs. That will be in my fat little hands next week sometime. I’ve mentioned before how annoying it is that winter boots for women are almost all equipped with survival gear like high, pointy heels that can be used as crampons on the 4 inches of ice in the parking lot, and completely smooth soles to reduce the tiresome effect of actually walking by making you slide all over creation. After nearly a week of internet searching, I decided on four pairs that will meet nearly all my winter boot requirements. We’ll see which ones actually fit, and I may end up keeping three of the four, but by golly I WILL HAVE BOOTS THAT WON’T KILL ME. And, you know, I don’t really care if you don’t like the skirts-with-Timberlands look I’m seriously considering adopting. Speaking of footwear, I have discovered a slight obsession with tights. I have bought (no joke) something like a dozen pairs of tights this winter. Stripes to argyle to ribbed to marled, not to mention the lovely thigh-high socks I’ve discovered–so easy to put on, and warm, at 4:30 AM every Tuesday. And I’ve taken to wearing leggings under my skirts and dresses when I’m going anywhere but church. Let me tell you (ha! Note the clever reference to my suddenly-relevant title!) that the combination of a wool skirt, leggings, and knee socks, with my ubiquitous Danskos, is actually pretty warm. Forget how I was wearing four different shades of brown yesterday. I was warm. Well, except for the three inch band of ankle that wasn’t covered by my leggings and only had the sock layer. Because I have long legs. Small price to pay!
Speaking of cold, my car is nothing short of recalcitrant about shifting out of Park whenever the temperature drops below, say, 20 degrees Farenheit. After all I’ve done for that car! Including a $2400 transmission, two water pumps, a new radiator (I totally helped with that job, and it was fun) and various accompanying hoses, a new belt, a rear bumper replacement (paid for by the other guy’s insurance, thank goodness), two windshields, a steering fluid pump, a replacement door handle, replacement clips for the door panels, several bulbs, spark plugs, new fuel filter and various accompanying hoses, gaskets, $600 brake job (ugh), another less-expensive brake job, numerous oil changes, two or three sets of new tires, keeping my fluids at good levels (need to check oil tonight! ack!), 6 sets of windshield wipers, and some other things I can’t remember now. Let’s just say that I’ve paid for this car twice over and that my new transmission cost more than my car is worth. So why, after all that, am I faced with the possibility of replacing the shifter rod thing that is made of plastic and appears to be deteriorating (meaning that it’s getting shorter anyway, but the cold isn’t helping) so that when I push the button on my gear-shifter, it doesn’t go all the way down and connect correctly with the transmission? Why? Why, also, has Ford decided to discontinue the part that would fix this mess? No one has one–my mechanic even checked with Ford. I’d have to scrounge through a salvage yard or eBay to find one. I am not pleased by this. Not a bit. However, there is a temporary solution that involves leaving my car in Neutral overnight and being grateful that my awesomely wicked 1995 Ford Taurus isn’t a theft-magnet. I’ve only had to resort to that once so far on a night when the temperature didn’t get much above 5 degrees. Maybe I should just buy a new car…but it’s deciding which one I want that is the problem. Which is a whole other blog post that I won’t start here.
I am also adding to my ring collection. This year’s ring will be a blue topaz, and I’ve narrowed it down to half a dozen choices. Let me tell you (ha! again! Oh, I’m so clever!) how hard it is for me to choose my birthday ring. It literally takes weeks. I’m picky, I suppose, because I have so many different styles of jewelry and I always have something specific in mind. I also have a tendency to love the unusual and unique, so just going down to the mall and trawling jewelry stores isn’t quite going to cut it. I’m not sure what significance to impose on my upcoming birthday, if any, but I want something very pretty that no one else will have, and I want it in yellow gold AGAINST ALL REASON, according to the jewelry companies who insist that everything be in white gold or platinum. I don’t have anything against white metals (I have a lovely pearl and white gold ring), but I want something in yellow gold because I already have a blue topaz in sterling. And that, apparently, makes me some kind of freak. Oh well. Thank goodness for eBay and Amazon. I’ll find something suitable, even if I have to pay for shipping from Australia.
Um. I suppose that’s everything. Except wait! I auditioned for three plays and didn’t get cast. So that’s a bummer, but I’m feeling pretty content and peaceful about the whole thing. Also, I’m tossing around the idea of taking a spinning class here if I can’t find anything local, and I’m seriously considering convincing my family to go with me to Taos this October. It’s a gorgeous drive, and you can get a duplex cabin facility up at Sipapu for a pretty darn good price. Any other takers? New Mexico is surreal and amazing and beautiful and not to be missed. Ever. Where else can you see a tarantula casually crossing the road on his way home? Where else do you almost lose your breath and have to pull over because you rounded a bend and were suddenly confronted with the early-October beauty of Carson National Forest? Where else can you see Camel Rock just hanging out by the freeway into Santa Fe?
My life is awesome, and I will leave you with a recommendation for my LDS readers: get your hands on a copy of Kristin M. Oaks’ new book, A Single Voice. It totally changed my perspective on several things, and while it’s written mainly for older single women, there is valuable advice, insight, and love for all of us in each chapter. Read it.