Rainy Days

So I've been away for a while, that tends to happen when I'm not loving my job. I should rephrase that... I still like my job, I'm just very stressed out by it. That hasn't changed but I figured I should check in.

Here's what's happened while I've been gone:

• It rained buckets for about a week around here. I LOVED every minute of it and would love some more but it's been tough on those dealing with mud slides. We got over 10" in the yard. Amazing!
  
• I went to the Anaheim Craft Show and was inspired to pick up some cross stitch again even though the show was almost entirely about paper crafts.
• I will never watch Jay Leno again. I don't care if he books Jesus Christ Himself, I'm not watching.
• I'm way off track on getting through The List but will still see as many as I can.
• I was supposed to go to Big Bear for a girl's crafting weekend but it's snowing too much so we're having to abort that mission and find another location. I'll keep you posted.
• Here's a fun tip: I called my brother and he said "Hi!" immediately followed with "Ive got to take this call. I'll call you back." He never did so I sent him an email telling him he was "so Cats In The Cradle". It worked. He asked me to call right way.
• I'm obsessed with Farmville on Facebook. It's sort of like Club Penguin but for adults. A Co-Worker, who is also my Farmville neighbor, passed me in the hall and said "Yo! I'm fertilizing the shit out of your farm!" It confused people and made me smile.
• One of my favorite little spots on the net is back. That's made me happy.
• I squealed when I saw Lady Gaga doing a duet with Elton John on the Grammys last night. I'm not proud, it just happened.
• I'm shopping for a nice digital SLR camera. Not sure where to start but it must be done.
• I have not been reading AT ALL. Another sure sign that I'm stressed out. Oh, and no sign of my Supervisor returning to work. Bummer.
• Shandon killed Zelda Reubenstein.
  
• I did my annual call with a friend's daughter to go through her AP reading list. I'm not sure how I got this job but it's fun and I've been doing to for a couple of years now. The parameters are a) It's got to be a foreign author, b) It's needs to be easy to follow and c) It's got to be short. My first instructions are always "Stay away from the Tolstoy and Wharton. They will just make you mad." In the end we decided on 1984 and A Christmas Carol. I know, but they are classics and she just wasn't going for the Jane Eyre. I tried.
• I can't watch the news anymore. Seeing crying children is just too much for me. I donated some money to the Haitian Habitat for Humanity fund and stopped watching. It was really getting to me and making me cry. I'm back to watching American Idol and Barefoot Contessa. Is this responsible? No. But it's what I had to do. Don't judge me.
• I made Ina Garten's Perfect Roast Chicken and we have declared it the best chicken in the world. I made changes (like ditching the fennel and adding potatoes) but I am what i am and the family seems to be happy with the recipe. Mom's just happy to have someone else cooking in her kitchen.

So, the good news is that writing down this list has made me feel better. Life is still pretty good. I really shouldn't complain and be a freaky stress case about it all. Still, I'd rather be here:


...or here:

They look like they have electricity and maybe even some cable and WiFi. Sounds perfect! Does anyone know how to get there and, more importantly, STAY there? Please let me know.

***
Update:
The Donner Party is on! The Donner Party is on PBS! Is it strange that this makes me so happy? I can't help it. I LOVE the American Experience telling of The Donner Party. Well, I'm set for the night. Sweet dreams everyone!!!