Sick day

Who gets bronchitis in the middle of summer? This girl. The good news is that my doctor is wonderful...and not afraid to prescribe meds. I'm on a z-pack, inhaler, cough syrup AND nasal spray.

And of course this guy is keeping a close eye on me:




My grandmother still isn't doing fabulous, but I think that's just the way things are going to be from now on. Pancreatic cancer is a nasty, nasty disease. But we are so blessed to have a really great family...everyone is pulling together, so that really does help. Over the weekend, my cousin and his family flew in from Canada to visit. Even though it was a sad reason they were here, it was really great to see them. And his kids are just the cutest little things ever.




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Rainy day fun

It has been raining cats and dogs here all day. I had planned to do yard work, but obviously that didn't happen. So, instead I slept in AND napped. I won't admit how much!

I was also supposed to visit a friend just outside of Boston, but that fell through too. Just one of those days I guess.

So instead now I'm hanging in with this guy:



I'm the first to admit- I'm not much of a cook. At all. But lately I've been trying to branch out a little- I'm trying to eat healthier, and the best way to control what goes into what I'm eating is to just make it myself.

This isn't exactly healthy (although I guess olive oil has some health benefits, right?) but tonight I decided to make aglio olio- olive oil with roasted garlic. I had never roasted garlic before, and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was! Definitely something I'll be doing again. And, a nice side benefit is that my house smells amazing. I picked up a nice crusty baguette from a local bakery, plus a chilled glass of my favorite wine (from a vineyard in RI- Sakonnet Vineyards Vidal Blanc)...I am in absolute heaven.



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The hits keep coming...

I've had a string of very bad luck over the past 6 months or so, but out of everything, the latest is the worst- my amazing, smart, plucky, fearless grandmother has Stage IV pancreatic cancer. I'm heartbroken. According to her, the worst part is that she can't eat ice cream anymore (she's having a really hard time keeping food down). Ice cream is her absolute favorite food- every year for Lent that's what she gives up. She was completely fine until just a few weeks ago. It's so awful.

I've been so, so blessed in that both of my grandparents have had exceptionally good health up until the past 5 years or so. They were both really active- just a few years ago we road-tripped around Minnesota together.

Then my grandfather started slowing down. It turns out that he's had a series of "mini-strokes"- so small he didn't even realize he was having them, but the cumulative effect was that dementia set in. My grandmother has picked up the slack and taken care of him. It's not like he doesn't know us or anything like that, but he can't do the day-to-day stuff anymore: drive, cook, etc. It's a cruel twist that my grandmother, who's been healthy as a horse until this, is now going downhill fast. My poor grandfather is going to be lost without her.


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STG gets adventurous

I survived Ethiopian food. And, dare I say...I liked it. One of the best first dates I've had, ever.

We had great conversation (helped in large part by the two bottles of wine we consumed). He mentioned a comedian who said something about how, in relationships, for the first six months you're not really dating the person, you're dating their "representative." Because at first people are acting on their best behavior and not really letting it all hang out. We both agreed we don't do the whole representative thing- I can't be bothered. Yes, I'm messy. And my dog is a pain in the neck. But love it or hate it, this is who I am.

So. I guess I'm about to put my money where my mouth is- he's stopping by (did I mention we live about a mile from each other?!) and I am in my pajamas. And glasses. And my hair's up in a ponytail. Yikes.

And Brewster? Is being psycho today. I left him in the car for 15-20 minutes (long story) and he CHEWED THROUGH HIS LEASH. All the way through.

No wonder I get migraines!




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Catch up

It's been a while. Things have been crazy in the 'hood. After much waiting, I finally got my new (to me, anyway) car!! Yes, I bought a car on eBay. No shame in my game- insurance companies don't pay out a whole lot when they total your '04 Jetta with 120k miles on it. And this girl has champagne taste on a Pabst Blue Ribbon budget. It's an '05, but only has 48k miles on it.




More exciting news: I have a date tonight. Not sure which is more shocking: that my eBay car finally arrived, or that I snagged myself a date. This picky eater is really nervous- he suggested an Ethiopian place. Things may not end well...

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Good Lord

I may or may not have drunk emailed my grandmother.

And by may, I mean I did.

Although I wouldn't say drunk emailed, per se...more like tipsy emailed.

And it was nothing offensive. It was umm...a bible verse. And a forwarded copy of Joel Osteen's daily affirmation.


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Let the good times roll

With today's unseasonably warm weather, my neighbors decided to start celebrating summer a little early. Since my house sits at the intersection where one street ends at mine - aka, a fairly big chunk of open space for the middle of the 'hood - the prime set-off spot for fireworks is riiight in front of my house. Awesome.

A more adventurous person would probably see it as a front row seat for the show. Me? Not so much. And Brewster? Definitely not. Since he's new to the 'hood, today was his initiation into the hellishness that is legalized fireworks. He was not a happy camper. First he just shook and tried to burrow next to me.







Then he got all weird and sat up staring at the couch cushions.


"If I can't see it, maybe it'll go away?!?"



This is him trying to hunker down.

If tonight was any indication, it's going to be a longggg summer. And I love summer. But I really don't like fireworks.


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