365: Downhill Slide

Last night started out fun and went downhill quickly. Dinner did not go too well, from bad service to them serving me meat chili instead of veggie chili. They tried to make it up by comping my dinner and bringing me free dessert (which my lovely friends promptly swarmed in on like vultures). After we left we found out there was a homicide that happened right outside of the restaurant and then I was sexually harassed on the way to find a taxi. Banner night. Note to self: avoid DC for Halloween in the future.

365: Diva Night

We relived the first time we came to APHA in DC and went to get tapas and sangria. So many laughs. Love my friends.

365: Washington DC, Halloween Weekend

Nuff said.

365: Ughhhh

There is one downside to our lovely California life. We are not close to a major airport. Chico has an airport but you can only fly to San Francisco and the tickets are much more than what you'd pay if you flew direct from one of the other major airports. Also flying West to East limits your departure times to about 3 a day: leave early get there in the evening, leave around noon get there late, or red eye. Since I'm flying to DC and staying at a hotel, ass crack was the only real choice. So I got up at 2 AM to get to Sacramento for my 6:30 AM flight. Ick.

365: Dog Whisperer

 

Now that dogs are allowed on the couch again they haven't wasted a moment. However, they know who the sucka is in this family. I could never be lonely in this house.

365: What a Good Wifey

Ange has two big tests tomorrow so I volunteered to make dinner for us. Now that may not seem like a big deal but since I cook < once a month this is a very big deal. I made vegetarian tacos. It took less than 10 minutes from start to finish. Totally exhausting ;) I'll be glad when her tests are over and I don't have to wear myself out over the stove anymore! Love you babe!

365: Broken and Busted Bike

This poor raggedy bike has been laying like this for almost a month. The picture doesn't really do it justice. It's back wheel looks like it got hit by a cement truck and stomped on by a giant. The funny thing is that it's still chained to the bike rack. I don't know if the owner doesn't know about it's sad state or if they just gave up on it. I keep wondering when someone will haul it away like some kind of roadkill.

365: Gee You're a Fun Guy

That's the punch line to one of my dad's favorite jokes. Every time I see mold or mushrooms in the wild I think of that. Speaking of mold or something...this nasty old thing is growing off a stump in our meadow. It's huge! We have no idea what it is. We're just going to let it grow and see if it grows legs or something.

365: So Cultured!

Ange and I had a big weekend. We went to a (lame) concert Saturday night for Ange's American Music class. Tonight we went to the Leader's for a Lifetime annual play which was SO cute! The leaders are local Hmong youth and the program is run by my Department Chair. The play used a collaboration of Hmong fables and cultural elements. The teens are mostly 14 & 15 year olds. They were so cute and we really enjoyed it!!!

365: I've Got Wood

Ok, WE'VE got wood. It just doesn't have the same ring to it. Our landlord brought us a whole truckload of wood this morning! He's awesome. Looks like we have a warm toasty future in store for us!

365: I Fought the Law and the Law Won (mostly)

Dag. We put my parking pass in Ange's car for the k.d. lang concert on Tuesday. I slipped through detection Wednesday (even from myself!) but Thursday I walked out to my car to find a parking ticket for not displaying my parking pass. Drats! I gave a valiant effort in contesting my ticket, hoping to play upon the sympathy of being a new faculty member and it being my first mistake. Sadly, it fell on (mostly) dead ears. They did reduce it from $30 to $20 so it was a minor victory. The bigger victory was the humor of the parking official who reviewed my case. In addition to noting that "Our officer was not the one who made a mistake," the subject line of the email was "The Bail on Your Parking Ticket Has Been Reduced." I had a slight LiLo moment reading that one...and a little giggle. Also impressive was that they reviewed my appeal in less than 24 hours. It took a century at IU. Not that I know that for a fact or anything ;) Oh well, at least I brought it down a bit! Hopefully won't make the same mistake twice!

365: Whoops!

I bought some honey roasted sunflower seeds last night in ye olde bulk section at Winco because I thought they'd be a GREAT snack. Well turns out the only thing great about them is how they have the ability to explode out of their little bag and all over my desk! Rats!

365: Mr. Svelte

Duke came into the living room when we were getting ready to go outside. Ange looks at him and says in a fake phoney baloney accent "HELLO MY SVELTE GERMAN FRIEND! GOOD TO SEE YOU THIS EVENING!" I almost fell off the couch laughing. She is such a weirdo. I picked a good one :)

365: k.d. lang

Tonight was our first official concert in Chico. It was pretty much the best night EVER. k.d. rocked our freaking faces OFF! Definitely in the Top 3 best concerts I've ever been to in my life. That woman has some PIPES. And her stage presence is awesome. So hilarious and quirky. I am also WAY impressed with Chico State's Laxson Auditorium. Some monster sounds coming out of there. All in all an A++ evening!

365: Skateboard Parking Only

Well that's not something you see everyday. And by "you" I mean the 98% of my friends that live outside of California. Cause we this shit all day everyday. I have students who regularly bring their skateboards to class. Oh California!

365: 80's Fabulous

Our local tv news station (yes we only have one) is ridiculously behind the times. Every time we watch it Ange and I crack up over how it looks like it's a newscast straight from the 1980's. This weekend we went to a suicide prevention/awareness walk that Ange's employer was collaborating with and we had a chance to see the local news in action. We were cracking up. Please note that 1. The camera still takes a VHS tape. And 2. The Camera Girl doubles as a reporter which is why she is dressed up so much. Keep it classy local news.

365: Homeless Chickens

Off Highway 99 in Yuba City there is a pack of homeless chickens that live in the grassy area beside the road. We always wonder what they are doing there. Who ever heard of urban homeless chickens?

365: This Rural

This is how far out we live from our far north town in very Northern California. So far that we have a mobile RV for a vet office. Luckily we "go to town" to see our vet. We don't have to go to the parking lot behind the trash bins at the country market.

365: Love This Crazbo

I've had a tummy ache all afternoon. We were in desperate need of groceries so we had to go even though I felt like shit on a shoe. My best girl loves to cheer me up when I'm feeling blue. It always works. I love her.

365: New Gear

Ange has patiently been waiting for the geography club to restock their gear. It finally came in and she is SO excited. She got a new hoodie AND a t-shirt. It's the little things people

365: Valley Fog

California in general has some of the most amazing fog you will ever see. Camp Awesome sits below the fog line generally and we have to drive through it to get to the top of the canyon and then we drive through it again before we get to Chico. Right now it's a little dreary, but when Indiana is under 12 feet of snow and ice we'll be giggling all the way through our fog filled mornings.

365: Rain, Rain Go Away

And take this icky day with you. It's been crap from the time we got up to the time we got home. NEXT PLEASE.

365: Trimming is Necessary

Confession: I hate trimming my fingernails. 

Confession: I hate long fingernails. 

Confession: I hate chewed fingernails. 

Sigh. I have to trim my finger nails because it's the least of all evils. I trim them about once a week. If I could wish them to stay one length at all times and never grow I would totally do it. It's one of my biggest pet peeves. Sigh.

365: Garden Patch

While goofing around with the dogs in the yard I discovered a hidden garden patch. We have a vine of watermelons growing and a small tomato patch. We have no idea how these got here. We're guessing that the last renter used this area as a sort of organic "composting" patch and some seeds took root. Of course this kills us because last year we tried hard to tend and grow a garden and didn't grow squat. Someone else flung some seeds in the yard and they were blatantly ignored and now they're growing in the middle of fall! SIGH.

365: Map Maker, Map Maker, Make Me a Map!

We got our first installment of maps today. Yes I said installment. We decided that we are going to wallpaper our gypsy trailer with maps! Not only do we just love maps in general, but with Ange being a geography major we thought it was appropriate! All it took was googling "free maps" and filling out some info and we have piles of maps on their way! I'm sure this is not how they were intended to be used, but tough kitty puffs is all I have to say!

365: Crazy Loon

Most days when I get dressed to go to work I try to be fashionable yet professional with just a little bit of flair.

Some days I wake up and my inner 5 year old wants to dress me. On these days imagine that I'm asking a 5 year old what a "professional business woman" should look like. Sparkles naturally. Whimsy of course. Princess like, yet professional. I whirl out of the closet and Ange looks at me and says "Oh, you're having a crazed loon day." Of course I think I look most fabulous so what does she know?

The funny thing is, on days that my inner 5 year old dresses me, I get about 5 times the amount of compliments on my outfit than I do when I'm dressed "normally." Ange thinks this is because Californians are mostly loons and they are just noticing one of their native species. I happen to think they admire someone who dresses like they WISH they could dress and are just giving me a bravo! with their compliment.

365: Chest/Butts Roasting by an Open Fire

We have a wood stove in our house. We've been meaning to get some wood for the past few days so we can try it out. We finally remembered on the way home tonight to pick up a couple bundles at the gas station. Good thing too because there is a monster rain storm wailing away outside. If you need me I'll be toasting my buns right here.

365: Our Cups Runneth Over

My JC (that stands for Juniata College) girls sent us a surprise "congratulations on everything" gift. When we picked it up at the post office this morning the box was massive which meant A. we had no idea what could possibly be in it and B. we had to wait until we got home this evening to open it! It took all restraint to not stop on the side of the road and start exploring. I'm glad I waited :) 

The thoughtfulness and love that went in to selecting each and every piece that was innthis gift brought little tiny tears to my eyes. This is the second time this month I've gotten a gift like this from Juniata people (makes me kick myself for not taking a picture of my other gift montage--always picked out with such care). Any time someone cracks a joke about "Juanita" College I just look at them sadly and think about how their undergrad experience could never measure up to the one I had. Friends for life doesn't even begin to summarize it.

Love you girls.

365: Little Cuddle Bug

Ange broke her own rules tonight and let Carmie on the couch. Good thing Carm doesn't hold grudges. She's always good for a cuddle and sometimes she just hits the spot when you've had a bad day.

365: Gentle Giant

 

See the scary looking dog up there? Total ruse. Duke's really a weenie. Ever met a dog who was terrified of a fly? Yes, I mean the little annoying flying bug. Yep, big tough guy is petrified of flies. If one is in the house he runs and hides. He's also scared of vacuum cleaners, grills, fire in general, any loud noises...and the list goes on.

In an effort to bolster Duke's self-esteem from being such a wimp sometimes we like to play "Police Dog." Nevermind that he'd actually be a terrible police dog, he really likes this game.

Here's how you play:

1. Wait until he's feeling feisty. If he's feel little and lovey he doesn't like to play police dog.
2. Yell "POLICE DOG! RAWR!!!"
3. Push your forearm into his mouth and wiggle it like you are struggling with him. It's helpful if you wear long sleeves as his mouth is very slobbery and he doesn't really like to use his teeth.
4. Repeat 3-4 times. After that he gets tired of the game and just wants to get to the part where you pat his big head and tell him what a big scary dog he is.

Before anyone tells me that I'm teaching him bad skills, don't worry. First, we've been playing this game for about 7 years and he's never bitten me or anyone else in this period of time. Secondly, he barely even grazes me with his teeth. He mostly mouths me with his lips and tongue. Finally, only Ange and I are allowed to play this game with him, and she only recently started. So no worries, he isn't going to chomp you if you come visit. He'll just want pats on the head. And for you to protect him from flies.

365: Rawr

Ange and I went to Sacramento for the day just for funsies. We had lunch, did some shopping, and poked around. My favorite purchase of the day were some new sexy tights! It's getting colder around here and I'm going to need something on my legs soon. These will be just perfect!