Jan. 20: IDCEAYWTPFriday

Time again for an I Don’t Care Enough About You to Write in Transitioning Paragraphs Friday post.

• Our 15th wedding anniversary is coming up next month. Vic and I plan to leave town but we don’t yet know where we’ll be heading. We’re thinking Oregon Coast, but maybe—to change things up a bit—a place on the coast we don’t usually go. It’ll be a Wednesday-Saturday trip. Suggestions?

• I got some exciting news this morning. Last summer I heard about the Lowe’s Toolbox for Education program, which offers grants to parent groups. Our PTO wrote a grant proposal to update and fancy-up the courtyard (outdoor classroom) at our school, and yesterday we found out we won! Lowe’s is sending us $4,000 to make it all pretty. This is the first grant we’ve ever applied for, and we’re feeling quite proud of ourselves! Actually, I’m proud of Wendy, who wrote the proposal, and Dina, whose vision for courtyard improvements got us motivated to apply. Yay us!

• I watched the first two episodes of the new show Alcatraz, and was pretty “meh” about it until the last scene of the second episode. Now I’m mad because I’m hooked in big-time. Stoopid TV shows, being all interesting ‘n stuff. (P.S. No dinosaurs in this show, even though I keep expecting them.)

• First there was Words with Friends (Scrabble-y), then Hanging with Friends (Hangman-y). Now there’s Scramble with Friends (Boggle-y). I’m not playing Words anymore, and I sometimes play Hanging. Scramble is my new favorite, at least for the next week or so.
• Pamela Ribon’s new book is available for preorder, to be released July 3. She’s my BFF, y’know. Totally. I can hardly wait to read it!

• How awesome is this video my neph posted to FB yesterday?

• Next week is the kickoff for 2012 Relay for Life. We’ll find out the new theme, form teams, etc. I kinda love our team name from last year so much that I don’t really want to change it to fit whatever this year’s theme will be. What will it take for us to keep “The Hoe-Downs”? Maybe if the theme is “Gardening” or “Dancing” or “Double Entendres” or “People Likely to Have STDs” or “Things That Rhyme With Other Things.” Then we’ll be good. Go, Hoe-Downs!!

I’m done with you. Have a good weekend!

Jan. 19: Welcome to Addington Place (it’s no Melrose)

I took a screen shot of the Google Earth view of our house a bit ago to put on Facebook, and I also made a zoomed-out one because I don’t think I’ve ever taken my blog on a tour of my neighborhood. Wheeeeee! Oh, and it’s not so much a tour as it is a picture of our roofs and a few arrows that I added. Also some landmarks (stars) and notes. And don’t forget that instruction about Dina’s driveway. That’s what she gets for laughing at me for walking out of school today carrying a robot, like that’s weird or something. Whatevs, Dina.

I introduce you to Addington Place, origin of the assface-iest homeowners association EVER, and the place I’ve called home for 14+ years (click it if you can’t read, Einstein):

BTW, I’ve forgiven Cristina for turning me on to Grimm; otherwise there would be a swastika over her house instead of a cute star. A swastika or a Mr. Yuk sticker or a Twilight poster or maybe a bonsai kitten. Something evil, for sure.

Jan. 18: One year!

Just a quick health update…

Last week I went in for a CT on my chest/abdomen/pelvis. I’m still on the every-six-months schedule for post-cancer treatment, and was actually a little overdue on getting it done. Didn’t matter, though—everything looks great! We got the radiologist’s report that same day because I’m sleeping with someone in the CT department (don’t tell my husband).

Yesterday I had a couple gallons of blood drawn and we met with my oncologist to review the CT and blood tests. Again, everything looks great. The first couple years after diagnosis are when the risk of recurrence is highest, and she said what they are really watching for is cancer that comes back with a vengeance—that’s the nasty stuff that proves it doesn’t respond so well to chemotherapy. My past three CT scans have shown no new growth and, in fact, a slight decrease in the fibrous stuff left from where O.J. once lived, which is fabulous news. While Dr. O was excited to tell me what my test results meant, she still said all those “BUT” things like “there are no guarantees” and “this is why we test so often.” She’s encouraging but honest. It’s a fine line. Very fine.

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Ugh, I just wrote three long paragraphs on coping and cancer recurrence and reacting to good news and jackasses. It was all just too damn depressing, so I deleted them. Let me simplify my thoughts and close with this:

Good news from the oncologist! I’m officially one year cancer-free! Yay!

Jan. 17: Snow, snow long ago

It’s been snowing in the Portland area for a couple days. Where we are—apparently the banana belt of the city—nothing’s really sticking so there’s school today and that means every kid in the district is bummed out. The forecast keeps changing but it says more snow is on its way. This is a big deal because Portland absolutely SHUTS DOWN when there’s even an inch of snow on the ground—no one knows how to drive in it and people totally freak out. It’s funny because it’s true.

I went to school in Walla Walla for five years and THAT place gets snow. One of my favorite memories of winters there is watching the snow fall from the warmth of my dorm room. It was so lovely and calm—not anxiety-inducing, like it is here. There were a few times over those years that I got out in the middle of the night and played in the snow with friends. Such happy times, walking down the middle of College Avenue in the peaceful, dark silence of white. Beauty, that.

Not so beautiful was, when the temps dropped to single digits, having my nose hairs freeze the instant I walked outside. Every time—EVERY TIME—I was convinced I had something in my nose and would subtly but furiously paw at my face, hoping to dislodge it. How anyone ever gets used to that weirdness, I don’t know. Maybe they don’t.

This morning as I shivered in the 39° car, I wondered how I ever kept myself warm during those five very cold snowy seasons of college. I didn’t wear stocking caps (they would have ruined my hair), and I didn’t wears boots (unless they matched my clothes). How did I not freeze to death? OK, I wore gloves and thick socks, but there’s no way that was enough.

And then I remembered The Coat. There was a tiny hole-in-the-wall Eddie Bauer outlet in Spokane, and it had super-discounted prices—not like the slightly discounted prices at Eddie Bauer outlets nowadays—so we drove up frequently to shop. Kim F’n-W (she was just Kim Eff back then) and I each nabbed trenchcoats with removable goose down linings that were marked down from $200-some to just $35. We thought we were rockin’ awesome for finding these stylin’ coats. We were eager for winter to arrive! The coat’s down lining was so thick that it almost felt hot in the biting cold air—it was like walking around in a sleeping bag. With a belt. And no lower leg coverage. And hand holes. You know what? It was nothing like walking around in a sleeping bag.

Never mind.

I was warm.

Jan. 14: Readin’ the funnies

I have many funny things to show you. Sit down and prepare to LOL.

Laughing is good. We should do it more. So says I.

Jan. 13: IDCEAYWTPFriday

Remember when I used to do those I Don’t Care Enough About You to Write in Transitioning Paragraphs Friday posts? It’s been a long time. You missed shirtless Ponch, I bet.

• We’re supposed to get snow here tomorrow night. This does not make me happy. However, after a week of work, doctor appointments, meetings, and deadlines, I don’t mind having an excuse to stay home and do nothing. Bring it, Mother Nature.
• The puppy has finally figured out that she can no longer fit under the couch. While I enjoyed the Wonder Woman feeling I got every time I lifted the couch to get her un-stuck, I’m glad she’s stopped trying to hide under furniture. Now she seems to be perfectly content to poop in her crate and sit right out in the open, proud as can be.
• Puppy training has hit some bumps, obvy.
• So, it seems that our home is breaking, literally. As I laser leveled a family room wall to hang pictures last week, Jack pointed out that the beam stopped and then started again. I investigated, and found a spot where the wall actually swells way out into the room. It casts a friggin’ shadow! When we had nail pops all over the place a few years back, I was annoyed, but this is way worse. I hate our house so much. I know, I should be grateful we have one. I am. I just want a better one.
• We got rid of cable TV a while back and have been handling it surprisingly well. However, there are still an awful lot of shows that aren’t available to watch online, so I started trial memberships of Hulu Plus and Netflix to see which we like best. Imagine my delight in seeing that Hulu has every episode of Law & Order: SVU! Who needs the USA network’s silly marathons when I can make my own? (Cue Victor’s eye roll…)
• The cat has found a good place to hide from the dogs:

• My uncle Mel, my dad’s brother, died this week. So sad. My aunt Hazel is the only one of Dad’s siblings left.
• I met up with my author friend Lisa Schroeder for lunch on Tuesday. She’s one of the most charming people I know (and I know a LOT of charming people)—we had such a nice visit. Thanks for coming across town, Lisa!
• The last time I made shortbread I noticed that it tasted odd, and the only thing I could figure out is that the flour or sugar had taken on the smell of the plastic containers in which they’d been stored. I invested a lot of $$ outfitting my cabinets with Tupperware Modular Mates, so this was a bummer of a discovery. I decided to switch my food storage from plastic to glass, and here are two of the cabinets where I made big changes:

STORAGE BEFORE                                                       STORAGE AFTER

 

• For the most part, I used 1-quart and 2-quart mason jars as my new containers. I found glass jars at IKEA that are perfect for tea storage—they’re less ugly to have on the counter and we drink tea often enough that it DOES get left out on the counter. I stuck to small-ish jars because glass itself is so heavy and I drop stuff a lot. Since two quarts of flour didn’t seem like enough to have on hand, I ended up filling two large jars with flour because I sleep better knowing I’ve got enough flour to make a gazillion dozen cookies at any given moment. Of course, that’ll never happen because I hate making cookies. Oh, and notice the almost-clear top shelf—what an improvement!

 

SPICE CABINET BEFORE                                                       SPICE CABINET AFTER

 

• This was a much bigger change because I was able to toss more than half of the original contents. I swear, I think most of that stuff was with us when we moved in here 14 years ago. The big red container holds all the cake decorating supplies, and the open plastic container holds MiO and drink mixes. Almost all of my spices are new (most expensive and boring grocery store haul EVER), and stored in awesome little IKEA jars. Notice the clear top shelf… that’s probably my favorite part. Happy, happy—so productive!
• I can’t wait to make a new batch of shortbread!
• My ex-friend Cristina told me I had to watch Grimm and I did and now I’m mad at her. IT’S SCARY! I’ve had nightmares for the first time in years, and I think one episode made me pee a little. I do admit that being filmed in Portland makes it more watchable than it might be otherwise, but Cristina is still not forgiven.

Happy weekend! Smell ya later.

Jan. 7: Puzzling

Someone gave us a somewhat complex puzzle a few years ago. We love it because it’s The Simpsons (duh) and it’s challenging but not in the every-piece-is-a-different-color way. It’s 1,000 pieces and usually takes a few days for us to put it together.

Jack got a puzzle for Christmas this year and it got me in the mood. Puzzles are nerdily relaxing to me—maybe because they are such a quiet activity? Certainly not because assembling them is stress-free. When we got home from my mom’s I dug this out of our game closet, and eventually realized, after hours of work, that since the last time we did this puzzle it became a 999-piece puzzle.

…and in the garbage it goes.

I’m almost over being mad about this. Almost.

Jan. 6: A view to kill for?

I’ve written about our neighbors before. You remember. The ones who chop wood? The ones who played one song on repeat in their backyard all summer? They’ve lived behind us almost as long as we’ve lived here and I used to think they were normal. I’m not so sure anymore. This recently popped up in their yard:

According to a conversation Victor had with one of them, it’s an attempt at creating a wind thingie to power their hot tub. It’s shown up in different forms over the past couple years, as though they’re experimenting with materials that will be durable and weather-proof so that it actually generates power. This most recent version is possibly the ugliest, but it seems to be the one on which they’ve landed.

It spins, I’ll give it that, but the only thing it seems to generate is mildew.

Yes, all that black gunk is mildew.

The tree-hugger in me wants to appreciate this green form of energy. I do. But when I look out any of the back windows in our house, this abomination is big as can be, and I really wish these weirdoes would just plug the hot tub into the friggin’ exterior outlet.

And use headphones.

And, if karma really exists, maybe get electrocuted by them.

Jan. 5: I can see, and it’s a little disconcerting

Right after my first chemo treatment in December 2009, my vision went all wonky. It was fine in the mornings, but got progressively worse throughout every day. I remember going to a holiday program at school and clapping for the wrong short, dark-haired kid because I couldn’t tell which one was Jack. My oncologist said my vision changes had nothing to do with the chemo, but I found all sorts of message boards online where people complained about chemo farking up their vision, so pffft on my oncologist. Everything on the Internet is true.

Because my vision has not been consistently poor, I’ve just lived with it for the past two years. Sometimes it’s bothered me a lot, like when people waved to me in the hallway at school and I had no idea who they were until I was two feet from them, by which time they decided I was totally rude. Oh, and the driving. Drivers should really be able to see where they’re going and the cars they’re about to plow into. I read that somewhere. When I could see.

I put off having my eyes checked for a long time not just because the poor vision came and went, but also because I’ve already had LASIK twice and I don’t want to have it again. Have you smelled that smell of corneas when lasers are cutting them? It’s unpleasant. Ha—that makes it sound tolerable. Anyway, I kinda had to convince myself glasses were an OK option. It took a while.

So I finally saw an eye doctor and got glasses last week and it’s lovely to be able to see things again but today I passed by a mirror and had to stop, back up, and look again because I thought it was my third grade self in the mirror. Well, my third grade self who had grown horribly obese (hey, for a third grader…). I swear to you, my new glasses look exactly like the pair I had in third grade. EXACTLY.

I went through an old photo album tonight, looking for my school picture from that year. If I had found one, I would have drawn ugly curly hair on it and told you it was taken today. AND YOU WOULD HAVE BELIEVED ME.

When I was in sixth grade and had oh-so-sexy new glasses, I scoffed at my first pair. I asked my mom more than once why she ever let me get something so ugly. But now? Now I have no one to blame but myself and maybe the optician lady who said they were a good fit for my face. Her eyes pointed in two different directions, why did I listen to her?

Jan. 1: Bald guys and big books

We here at the House of Manullang are a wee bit obsessed with Les Misérables lately. We got the 25th anniversary concert DVD for Christmas and have watched it at least once every day since. Watched it, like, AS A FAMILY, like, all four of us sit down for a sing-a-long. It’s weird and funny and way awesome that we have been doing this. You’re invited to join us anytime.

If you’ve seen Bridesmaids, you remember Annie’s roommate, right?

In real life this guy is Matt Lucas, and he’s in the Les Miz 25th anniversary concert, nearly unrecognizable as “Master of the House” Thénardier:

The character is, to put it gently, a giant arsehole, and Matt Lucas is soooo good in the part. Here’s a trailer with short interviews in preparation of the 25th anniversary concert; my favorite part is when he begs to play the part of Cosette (2:58).

Whether you like musicals (normal people) or not (Dina), take 51 seconds to watch this clip:

This here’s funny stuff.

Thinking my (our) interest in the musical version of Les Misérables might inspire us to read the classic novel, I ordered a copy from Amazon last week. Yeah, it’s a free download for Kindle, but that’s the abridged version; I wanted the real thing, the unabridged, every-word-Hugo-meant, all-in-one-volume version. I opened the box to see this:

Yay, books! I love books! I was eager to start reading right away, and—I’ll be honest—I kinda did a “neener neener, I get to read it fiiiiirst!” dance for Vic and the kids. I lifted the book out of the box and was surprised at how heavy it was. Then I grabbed a measuring tape, because, um, oh-em-gee, peeps:

It’s a mass market paperback, and even with all the publishing tricks they used to fit as much text on each page as they could, there are still just under eleventy threeve million** pages between its cover. I’ve held Bibles that weigh less than this thing.

Maybe that abridged version isn’t so bad after all.

Please don’t ask how much I’ve read yet. I’m still adjusting to how much art fits on the spine of this book.

(**possibly an estimate)