Blogaday Twenty: "See yesterday."

Headache still here. Do you know how hard it was to try and get work done on the computer today when I had to squint the entire time and stop every thirty seconds to massage my eyeballs? Pretty hard. Also, I've been eagerly anticipating a package from UPS all day that was scheduled to arrive today. Shortly after 7pm, the tracking service claimed that it had been delivered (Really? News to me.) and that it was left at "Other - released." WTF does that mean? There is no package anywhere in sight. I am in no mood to go treasure hunting outside in the disgustingly humid darkness, so I will wait to uncover the mystery until tomorrow, so I can search around in the disgustingly humid scorching sunlight. Anyway. I'm clearly crabby so I'll just leave you with ninety seconds of BB jumping for a squeaky ball that was just above the camera.

Don't worry, I let her get the ball right after I stopped the camera.

Blogaday Nineteen: "Geflurgen."

I've had some kind of whopping headache all day. The kind where your head feels like a fifty pound cannonball that is also squeezing your eyeballs like a vise and all you want to do is lie down in a freely air-conditioned room with the lights off, the curtains drawn and your eyes closed. Incidentally, today was also the first day of summer class. So that was cool. Luckily, I have free reign on how to design this graduate course, so I made it that Mondays and Wednesdays are reading and listening assignments that I will prepare ahead of time, and Friday is the only in-person meeting day, where written assignments will be submitted and a quiz given. So luckily, I got to stay home today. But that also meant that I spent the whole weekend staring at a computer screen getting everything ready for this first day. Hence, the headache probably. Blegh. I did take a walk around the neighborhood this evening to get the mail as the sun was setting, so the temperature had lowered itself from "atmosphere of Mercury" to "97 degrees" and was able to chat with my mom which somehow alleviated the pain a bit for about an hour. Or maybe it was the fact that the air was so thick and hot that I was literally fighting to catch my breath after ten minutes of walking that my head was too distracted to feel pain.

Anyway, I don't want to strain my eyeballs anymore so I'll leave you with these pictures of dinner. I just started by sauteeing some vegetables for dinner. But then I decided I wanted some eggs. And then I decided to just go ahead and add some toast and honey to complete the apparent brinner I was preparing:

Blogaday Eighteen: "My kingdom for a swimming pool!"

When I set our AC thermostat at 82, it keeps our condo comfortably cool enough, but seems to run nonstop. When I get paranoid about the cost and set it at 83, it turns the AC off intermittently, but leaves me sweating and just a little bit uncomfortable. Who knew that one degree was such a drastic difference? Because of the electricity bill paranoia, I have turned our hot water heater down a bit and am hoping that will at least help a little bit. Schmoobles pays the electricity bill every month, and I'd like for him to not throw himself out of our third story window when the bill comes next time!

Hey, do you know what the problem is with actually spending 30 minutes (ugh) to flat iron and style your hair? It will end up looking so uncharacteristically good that you will never want to wash your hair. Ever. Ergo, I think I'm going on like day four or five of not washing my hair. GROSS. But what I mean is that it looks FABULOUS. Like, if I were to actually go out and interact in public with other human beings instead of holing up inside and fantasizing about a 3-month long solar eclipse, I would feel totally good about wearing my hair down. But who wants to sit there and go through that whole annoying process again? Not me, that's who. So I just throw my hair up in a bun during my showers. Except it's at the point now where I think the shine that I fawn over in the mirror is actually from the scalp grease (BARF). I think a hair washing is imminent. Sob.

Earlier this afternoon, I was in our Room Of A Million Unpacked Boxes (the den) trying to straighten it up a little bit and practice some piano. Whenever I go in there, BB and Bela love to follow me in and hang out. I think they like it because the door is always closed unless Schmoobs or I are in there so they don't get to go in very often, and it's also a giant jungle gym of stacked boxes and sundry items (instruments, luggage, etc.) and I think they enjoy climbing around on everything and finding new places to get into. Anyway, BB was doing her usual thing in there and next thing I now, I hear some rustling. I found her lodged between Schmoobs' trumpet case, a big suitcase and her old kennel trying to climb out but she had gotten herself stuck. I watched her try to pull herself out for like ten seconds. But then she gave up and just kind of sat there looking actually pretty comfortable while she waited for me to come rescue her.

Summer classes start tomorrow. I think I'm ready. Huzzah. I'd be more excited if I actually had my contract in my possession.

Blogaday Seventeen: "Goodbye again uterine wall lining!"

You know what that means. Hello, Monthly Confirmation That I Am Indeed Without Child! But the weird thing is I have had none of the usual week-long pre-eating of everything salty and/or sweet and/or cheesy and/or fried in sight! It's crazy how well I've actually been making myself eat this past week without even craving much of anything too terrible. And I evaded the Backache of Doom until last night/this morning, which signaled the imminent arrival. Funny how well your body reacts when you actually treat it well. Hm. Hope it lasts! The only PMS-ing I did this time around was crying. Like, lots of it. But only during tv commercials. Commercials of any sort. I probably even cried at the effing keyboard cat pistachio commercial at some point. It was all misplaced emotion as I have no cheesy poofs to throw my energy into nor a Schmoobles to yell at. Hahaha.

Anyway, back to scrambling around like a crazy person trying to get everything prepared and ready for the first day of class on Monday. For a graduate course that I have never taught before. Yay! Hooray for having to wait until the last minute. Mergh.

Blogaday Sixteen: "Technically it's still Friday in the West Coast..."

...so this still counts as on time.

As I've learned in life, don't count on any money until you've signed the contract. I'm talking about my summer adjunct contract which, as we recently learned, had not even started the initial processing until yesterday. So I probably won't be getting the piece of paper in the mail that outlines my contract and salary for another week or two. Even though I start teaching in three days. Typical. 

I'm saying all this because I am itching at the bit (What does that mean? What is one's 'bit'? And why does it itch?) to go to a real live hair salon to get my hair chopped and straightened. But I will not be able to spend the moneyz to do so without immediately flagellating myself in guilt until I am guaranteed to actually have the money to throw away. So I am getting increasingly frustrated and impatient. That's all. Wow, this story is really anti-climactic.

Anyway, take a look at how good BB has gotten at being patient during breakfast. My rule for her is that she sits and doesn't dive for her food bowl until she hears me say "Good girl!" In the early days of our training, this whole process would take like ten minutes because, while she understood the command "Sit!", she would immediately jump back up (and howl and spin in circles and run around huffing in protest) and make a move for her food everytime I lowered her bowl another inch closer to the ground. But look how much better she is now! Only one fake-out. Pretty good.

She also clearly is still very passionate about jumping for squeaky balls that are being dangled above her head. Look how much air she gets hahahahah:

Oh, and then I made some food:

Madurrrrros. Look at that caramelizationy sexiness. I had been waiting forever for that ginormous plantain (remember?) to ripen and, finally, today was FRY DAY. Haha! Get it?! I totally didn't even see that coming until I typed it. I am awesome. In hindsight, I probably could have fried it up even two or three days ago as it was so ripe today that the flesh had become almost too soft. But then I wouldn't have been able to make that awesome spontaneous pun! It was meant to be.

Peanut butter and Cocoa Krispies treats. Someone wants to taste. Sorry BB!

Blogaday Fifteen: "Uh. Hi."

Nothing too exciting today. The Real Housewives of New York City is tonight, so that's cool.

The first day of summer classes is on Monday and I have spent the last two weeks hounding our department secretary for 1) information about the course which I have never taught before, 2) information about my adjunct contract so I can know how much I'm actually getting paid this summer and when, 3) a confirmation that I have been assigned the course so I can login to the university system and contact the appropriate students. Multiple (increasingly annoying/annoyed) emails later, and I finally got ahold of her to tell me that...she was sending in my paperwork today. Ugh. Don't you love administration that works quickly and doesn't wait until the last possible moment to do anything? But I'm still employed this summer so I'll quit bitching now.

Pictures:

Just one of the zillions of reasons I love BB. No matter where she is in the house, if you lay down, she can sense if there is room next to you and will immediately jump up and snuggle right against you. Here, I had just laid down on the couch. Five seconds later, I heard her collar jingling as she ran and, next thing I know, she has nestled up against my back. Cute puppy.

Here is poor Beamer Boodles being sad that she can't go out in the middle of the afternoon, mainly because if I take her out anytime before the sun sets, she will combust into a ball of flames instantly.

I posted this on my Facebook last night. She had fallen asleep on the couch clutching her favorite toy.

Aaaand this was the first thing I saw this morning. Bela lording over me perched atop our headboard. 

I totally ate Chipotle for lunch today. But then I made this salad of spinach in a balsamic and honey vinaigrette, with berries, goat cheese, walnuts and dates for dinner so it was okay.

Blueberries, blackberries and strawberries with a spoon of sugar and lemon juice in a pool of sweetened condensed milk.

Mashed and swirled.

Poured into ice cube trays. In hindsight, it would have been fine to just pour it into a bowl or any container and let set in the freezer.

Frozen berries and cream! I totally got the idea for from Poor Girl Eats Well. She advised using popsicle molds, but I don't have any and my Target money is better spent on necessities like chocolate bars and earrings on sale. Next time, I will probably cut the milk with some water or juice since this was insanely poisony creamy. Great idea, though! Tasty and easy. And a little goes a long way, which is a good thing since the small portion above hopefully means I won't be confined to nauseated bed rest for too long tomorrow. Oh, and no need to add any extra sugar in my opinion. The condensed milk is plenty sweet enough.

Blogaday Fourteen: "If only I had more willpower."Also:"If only food weren't so damned tasty."

I totally stayed up until almost 3am watching this documentary last night. I am not, in any way shape or formm harboring any delusions that I am capable of adhering to a raw vegan lifestyle for any span longer than 48 36 24 hours, but after watching this film, I have to say I am more than willing to start occasionally incorporating some raw vegan elements into my slowly-but-surely improving eating habits. Obviously, I am not diabetic or majorly unhealthy in any sense (My sore groin just from doing 20 minutes of cardio three days ago says: "LIAR!"), but the idea of caring for your body from the inside out makes total sense to me. The results really speak for themselves.

Note: Never will I ever be able to give up an occasional (ethically raised) steak or (happy, organic) bacon or (cage-free, grass fed) eggs. Let's just establish that right now. But if I had the opportunity to have gourmet fresh, raw vegan meals made and served to me at every meal at no cost for a month, would I be up for it? HELL YES. I mean, look at this woman:

I mean, she looks better than (fifty years younger) Lindsay Lohan, amirite?!

Anyway, so I went to the grocery store to refill on some food (still have staples in the pantry and fridge) for the next week or so and got:

• spinach
• onions
• tomatoes
• carrots
• potatoes
• yams
• dates
• blackberries
• blueberries
• sweetened condensed milk (Hey, how'd that get in there?!)

with the plan of making some kind of spinach, berry, date, goat cheese salad for dinner tonight. Should be delicious.

Oh, I also got BB some more wet food:

• "Steak and Eggs"
• "Chicken and Cheddar Cheese Souffle"

Can you say "Living vicariously through your puppy?"

Speaking of BB, here is a stupid video of BB and her beloved balls:

Sorry so dark. I'll try and pay more attention to lighting next time, I promise. That beep you hear towards the end is the oven timer as I was roasting some vegetables for dinner last night. Nomz.

Oh, and here's an interesting little article about Sinatra I read last night. Makes my shower habit seem downright normal, doesn't it?