I could be the only person in the world.

I'm not seeing Sex and the City tonight, like a bafuckingchillion other women and gay men might be doing all day today and possibly a few more times over the weekend.

Instead I'm seeing the complete opposite of that: Indiana Jones and the Running From Something to Find a Jewel flick

I'm pretty pumped actually, but I also know that by the time I do see SATC, I'll most likely know everything about the movie. I'm seeing it in 2 weeks when I'm actually in NYC with the mom, on our first ever Mommy and Me vacation. So I'd really appreciate it, if the entire universe just shut their traps until then.

Thanks a lot.

Someone else makes me clean.

After looking at my finances, and realizing I spend the majority of my paycheck on groceries (so far this month, $200!! on groceries/local farm deliver service!!) and after paying an additional $450 a month toward the next student loan and adding to my IRA and building up my emergency account and my "dream" account every month, I still have money for things.

So I decided to get a cleaning lady.

I should note that I'm a pretty clean person. I'm not a fan of clutter at all. I always do my dishes and make my bed and throw out mail and make sure the place smells like incense or good foods, but have noticed that I just don't have the time to dust or scrub the toilet anymore. I don't actually mind doing these things. You might even call me weird when I say I enjoy doing these things. As a kid, I vividly remember sleeping over my friend's house whose Mom was so messy that I would decide we should play "Maid Game" and clean up their entire apartment. It was a great time for me, but a huge disappointment when I'd come back for the next sleepover only to discover everything was put back in its messy place.

So when I found an honest lady who could clean my place for $30 once a month, I felt that this wasn't putting a huge dent in my checking account. I decided that my time could be put to better use, than say mopping. Even though I normally like this kind of task, I also would like to have more time to knit or look for unicorns or have sex.

And this morning, when I came home to a shiny floor and a spotless refrigerator I knew that my money was well spent.

Beat It. Just Beat It.

I ran this weekend. Well, that’s no surprise really. But I ran in my very first race. Not a big one or anything. Just an 8k. But it was fun for me. The whole point of this race was to raise money for diabetes, which I have a connection with because my grandma had it. But I wasn’t doing it to raise money. I was doing it to see if I could run almost 5 miles without passing out and going into convulsions.

The race was called Beat the Bridge, because at the 2 mile mark, the Montlake Bridge, which you were to run over, would go up. It’s that kind of goal that makes you want to run faster so you don’t end up standing next to a grandma on the loser side of the bridge.

I was in the slowest group, because I’m just so new at the whole running for real thing. Back in Detroit, I could barely run 10 minutes without gasping for air. Sure, I worked out all the time, but the running got me every time. I just couldn’t do it. So I trained for the last few weeks, and hot damn, I was getting good. Not smoking helps. Breathing helps. Staying positive helps.

Because I was in the slowest group, I had to run that much faster to beat the bridge. That meant I had 10 minutes per mile, which is a piece of cake for me. But when you take into account that there are hundreds of (slower) people all around you, you just can’t run as fast. It’s impossible really. Even when the race started, I didn’t actually start moving my legs until a minute after the fake gun shot.

But the good news is I hauled fucking ass to that bridge. I was more determined to get to that bridge than I was graduating college. I swerved, and jumped and did whatever it took to beat the bridge. And when I did, I totally thought I could stop now. No need to keep running. But I just couldn’t. My legs wouldn’t let me quit. I did slow down, and kept a better pace for me. I was in some kind of weird groove where my breathing was normal and I was very clear headed. I kept looking around, at the people, hearing their random conversations about the day, about the race, about maybe it’s time to walk now. I saw houses I’ve never passed before, water, bridges, the beautiful, perfect 72 degree and sunny day. And then I saw the finish line.

I made it in 40:52.

P.S. I just found out I came in 50th out of the 529 people in my chip group! And 189 out of the 2041 women that were there!!

I've been busy...

Shit, I haven’t really blogged in awhile. I swear I’ve been busy. I’ve been seeing tulips and opening IRA accounts and going to movies for free. I’ve been blogging on a Seattle website. I’ve been freelancing. I’ve been getting haircuts and knitting my ass off. I’ve been going on vacation and planning more vacations. I’ve been training for my first marathon (really, it’s just a race). I’ve been spending time with some friends and going to Ice Cream shoppe grand openings. I’ve been roller skating (yes, roller skating!) at beaches and waiting for the days to be completely sunny. I’ve been hiking to Wallice Falls, Zion National Park and Bryce National Park. I’ve been in Vegas and Hoover Dam and way too many casinos to count. I’ve been in Utah, where we stayed at my first bed and breakfast, had the most amazing dinner of our lives and decided that Utah is now my new favorite state. I’ve been cooking a lot lately and thank www.101cookbooks.com for her endless inspiration as I make everything she posts and the meals come out yummy every time. I’ve been going to concerts (well, just one, but it was a good one) and seeing friends off as they embark on big road trips or month long vacations to Germany. I’ve been boxing at Cappy’s and yes, it was hard and awesome and I wish I could throw caution to the win and pay $25 for every class, but the introductory $5 punch-a-thon was enough for me. I’ve been thinking about all the places I should show Jen when she comes for a visit and planning my own personal (meaning, I go totally alone, not knowing anyone, and not having anyone with me) vacation that I want to take within the year. I’ve been thinking about moving, because it’s just too peaceful in Queen Anne and I miss the chaos a little. I’ve been on my endless search for finding the perfect quilt that doesn’t look like it crawled out of Target or West Elm or any other mass produced piece that I could find at a friend’s house and say, “Oh damn it. We have the same fucking quilt.” I’ve been taking baths and trying to sleep more. I’ve been taking my vitamins and calling my mom. I’ve been writing down every single thing I spend and have realized that a huge portion goes to this grocery store and that grocery store and I’m not sure how to limit that just yet, because if I get any smaller I may disappear. I’ve been thinking about buying a jean jacket I saw at The Gap, and I haven’t been to the Gap in maybe 5 years until Dominic needed some clothes and we went and I saw it and tried it on, but decided that I didn’t want to spend the money then, and now I do, so I hope it’s still there, but if it isn’t then I guess it’s meant to be, but I’ll be sad about it. I’ve been painting my nails and making more attempts to look somewhat stylish, without looking trendy and dull. I’ve been watching TV a lot less, to the point of not missing it at all and when I go to Dominics and turn it on I usually turn it off a half hour later because I'm bored and rather be outside. I’ve been reading more magazines, different magazines and even, gasp, Investor Business Daily, where just this morning I saw that my uncle was quoted in one of their articles. I’ve been happy and sad and everything in between.

For mommy...

Just like Earth Day, Mother's Day should really be everyday.

Thanks Mom for being Mom.

Love,
Barrie