MissMeliss: Escribition

A couple of months ago in the grocery store, I noticed a display of teak patio furniture including a storage bench with a padded seat. I have no need for teak furniture outside (though I love it) but I wanted the bench very badly, to put in my foyer, against the stairs.

Sadly, we vacillated and the next time we went to the store, they were out of benches.

Then, the night my parents arrived, we went back to do a “light” shopping (that cost $200 - I blame the Milano cookies for that) and they had the bench again. I made Fuzzy grab it, buy it, and take it to the car, while I went around filling my cart. He did, because he likes to make me happy.

The bench, in it’s flat-ship box, sat in the garage until Monday, when, finally Fuzzy put it together. It’s a bit deeper than I thought (the seat, not the storage bit) but I love the way it looks, and yes, at some point, I’ll take a picture.

The problem is…now I kind of want the teak patio furniture, too.

We were late getting on the road as both Fuzzy’s work and my work intruded upon our day off (granted, we allowed it to), and then, I was feeling too hormonal and blechy to want to do mini-golf or Dave & Busters, so we went to Dallas to the Purple Cow Diner for junk food, then to the mall where I bought earrings and an oil burner, and Fuzzy did not buy anything at the game store, and then to Fry’s, because how could we not make a pilgrimage to Geek Mecca?

We came home, and I napped for an hour, then spend three putting the web calendar php application on one of my not-often-used sites so that I could make a colleague happier. At least I hope it has that effect. I’m a list person, not a calendar person, and don’t generally have tasks that are around long enough to NEED to be calendared. But, whatever. It’s not very pretty, but seems to do the job.

By the time either of us realized we were hungry, it was after ten, so more junk food (but not a LOT or anything), and I must confess, I have an addiction to baked potatoes now. We watched I Am Legend while eating, which I’m sure will give me nightmares despite the hopeful ending, but it was good. Much less grim than Matheson’s original novel, at least.

I’d already written one of the articles I had due for tomorrow while Fuzzy was out fetching dinner. I just completed and sent the other one. I’ve gotten into the habit lately of writing late at night for the next day, which means I can sleep late with no guilt. Or not much.

Wednesday I go to the dentist. I don’t want to.
But it must be done.

Today marks our thirteenth anniversary, Fuzzy’s and mine. We took the day off work to spend together but stayed up rather later than planned and then I checked email.

One should never check email on one’s day off.
Well, not work email.
Except I work from home, and even though I have separate accounts…do I need to go on?

Anyway, we’re not doing gifts or flowers today, as Fuzzy just bought a laptop and I’m about to buy a new one, too. We decided that was more than enough.

And of course, I have to be all hormonal and crampy today, which means I’m not in the mood for mini-golf or Dave and Busters, but that’s okay, because we’re going to go get lunch, bring it home, and then watch I AM LEGEND in the middle of the afternoon. (We thought about an actual movie, but there’s nothing playing anywhere that either of us want to see. Or, rather, that BOTH of us want to see, which is completely different.)

In any case, for all the jokes I make about renewing the contract, Fuzzy’s the only person on the planet who could honestly put up with my moods, dreams, ideas, and constant need for change.

I love him.
He loves me.
It’s all good.

It was an odd Saturday, all things considered. I went to bed before one AM for a change, but half-woke when Fuzzy came to bed, enough to realize who he was and why he was stealing the cool part of the bed, and to tell him to set the alarms for 11:00, in preparation for my planned 1:30 repinking appointment.

The phone rang shortly before ten, however, to inform me that Natalie, my stylist, was out sick. After much back-and-forth, I have a new appointment NEXT Saturday at 11:30. So…freshly pink hair for Easter. I can live with that.

I’m still coughing, and my throat is tight, as the five people who heard my practice vocal track for a podcast audio drama I’d really love to be part of heard when I sent them copies. I can speak okay, but in the words of Ms. Eclectic, when I sing it’s the “pack a day” version of my voice. For this reason, I’m not entirely upset that I got to stay home and nurse my voice a bit, so I can make the official recording on Monday (this is just the singing part, the speaking tracks were already sent). To that end, I’ve been alternating water with lemon, and throat coat tea with honey, all day, with the exception of one nonfat latte this evening. As I type this, I’m sipping a hot toddy, made with the same tea, honey, lemon, and a healthy splash of bourbon. There are very few things that a healthy splash of bourbon cannot help.

The bourbon, by the way, marks the first time since we moved here that I’ve had bottles of decent liquor in my house. Oh, we always have beer and wine, despite the fact that Fuzzy doesn’t touch alcohol, but I’m hardly a heavy drinker, and honestly, until we asked Deb, we’d been hitting the grocery store, Cost Plus (World Market), or stores in Dallas for such things. So, thanks to Deb we now know that the closest liquor store worth visiting is Majestic in Kennedale, which is about nine miles from here, but they were very friendly, greeted us at the door, and hooked us up with their rewards card so we saved $9. (We also bought vodka, cointreau, peppermint schnapps, and Godiva dark chocolate liqueur, and I’m making of list for future visits.)

The rest of the evening was low-key: Lone Star Comics (for Serenity: Better Days #1), the Italian place at Highlands of Arlington because I wanted comfort food (I had grilled scallops on a bed of spinach gnocchi, baby spinach, and grilled sweet potatoes; Fuzzy had spinach tortelloni with spinach, cheese, sundried tomatoes and grilled chicken), Tom Thumb for a few forgotten items. (Damn! STILL forgot Mayo.), Starbucks, and CVS (for bubble bath since the grocery store had none I was willing to purchase).

We came home, cuddled the dogs, napped a little, and then watched a couple of episodes of Angel over dessert (pie for me, a Reese’s Klondike bar for Fuzzy). We talked about going to the auto show tomorrow, but honestly? I just want to read the Sunday paper, catch up on correspondence, and not do much else.

Well, five days later, my temperature is still spiking and dipping, though not as extremely as it was on Monday, and both Fuzzy and I still have uncontrollable coughing. I have zero voice. He can speak but refuses to, because that’s what makes him cough. He keeps gesturing and expecting me to understand when he doesn’t use conventional mime gestures, and while I understand ASL reasonably well, he doesn’t know any.

“Fuzzy,” I’ve said more than once over the last few days, “you suck at mime.”

If nothing else, neither of us is so ill that we’re loathe to bathe without using one of those shower chairs, but I’ll admit that on Monday evening, when I woke up blistering hot and dizzy four hours after going to bed in fleece and socks, I’d have killed for one.

In other news, we celebrate our thirteenth year of marriage at the end of this month.
And yes, we’re renewing the contract.

I’m a big fan of Nero Wolfe mysteries, so when Fuzzy brought me an orchid last night, I was tickled. He doesn’t know the connection, just thought it was pretty and interesting. He’s so sweet.

We’re not going out tonight, as we have to bring Zorro to the vet at dawn. Instead, I’m making Fuzzy’s favorite scary foods (meatloaf and green beans) and we’ll watch Smallville and Lost, and light a fire. Sometimes staying in and being all cozy with blankets on the couch is really the best way to celebrate.

Last year, in honor of the day, I posted my favorite Valentine’s Day poem, John Fuller’s “Valentine.” I’m too lazy - and busy - this morning to cut and paste, but the link is here: John Fuller Said It Best.

Have a happy day full of love and joy.
And chocolate.

This is how we’re spending Sunday evening:

Zorro is curled on Fuzzy’s pillow, watching me as I type while half-watching television. I put it on to watch Brothers and Sisters and let it run through the news and now Ebert and Roeper. We might get snow next week, we might not. None of the movies being reviewed are interesting me much, except for In the Shadow of the Moon, which will be out on DVD soon if it isn’t already.

MissCleo is devouring a bully ring chewy. This is essentially a bully stick formed into a ring. They last longer than actual bully sticks because she has to create a gap in the ring before she can really go to town on it. She talks to her chewies, growling and warbling. It’s very cute.

Fuzzy is upstairs blasting things on the playstation 3, or playstation 2, or one of the Xboxes. We don’t yet have a Wii. He’s SUPPOSED to be getting rid of the original Xbox since we have a 360 now, but it’s been two months and I’m not holding my breath.

I am curled up in bed, with my laptop, and a pile of books to catalog. I have the receipts for them, but spreadsheets are easier. I need this info for taxes. Since I keep a bookblog, and it’s monetized, any book I buy that I also review is a business expense. If the FLIP video camera that I’m looking at is used to make ads, it can be deducted too. How cool is that>?

Tomorrow will be a day of writing, and since it’s Monday it’s a weight day. I’m still a little sore from Friday - I think I pushed myself too hard.

But the weights make me feel so powerful.

And on that note, goodnight.