Happy Birthday, Professor!

Today was The Professor's birthday. He can be difficult to buy gifts for, so I gave him two Topsy Turvy planters:

It was either that or Sham Wow.

I also gave him some neat little sets of his artwork printed business card size and packaged in small cases for him to give to collectors, galleries, and other interested parties.

The last thing I gave him was my cold. I think he liked the Topsy Turvy planters better.

His only birthday wish was for me to make fried chicken for dinner. So I obliged. We had fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans. And I invited our buddies Ben & Jerry over for dessert.

Shhh. Don't tell Weight Watchers.

Which reminds me. Today was also Weigh Day. I'm starting to see saw. This week showed a 1.2 pound gain. I guess that's not too surprising after supposedly losing 4 pounds last week, but I can't figure out why I'm fluctuating so much these past three weeks. With the exception of tonight's ice cream, I've been really careful about eating healthy and counting my points.

Maybe I can blame it on the cold medicine. We'll see what happens next week. I'm not going to let it sabotage my resolve. I am more than 10 pounds lighter than I was at the first of the year AND my pants are baggy. I'm definitely on the losing side of life again.

Speaking of losing, I had to say good-bye to my buddy Pot Pie this week. He and I have worked together for nine years with four different employers, and it's going to be sad not having him around. We know each other's (work) secrets and he's one of the few who can make me hyperventilate with laughter.

I totally stole this photo from his Facebook profile. It's my way of getting even for when he called me while taking a pee.

I'm going to miss you, buddy!

**sniff**

Sickly-poo

I hate being sick.

It started with a sore throat that lasted three days. Allergies, I thought. It's springtime. Things are starting to bloom. I heard bees the other day.

Then my chest started to get heavy and my voice weakened. Twice I left the office early to go home and rest.

Napping is discouraged at the office, no matter how good the excuse.

By Friday I was a stuffy, hacking mess. And I had a client meeting in Dallas. Thank goodness for daytime formula cold medicine. And tissues with lotion.

I've tried to stay productive while feeling like poo, though.

I updated five apps on my iPhone, and downloaded Minesweep.

After two hours, my best score is 102.

I hung up on two unsolicited phone calls, including one that wanted "to talk about dying" with me.

I believe that's called irony.

Yesterday I had to haul my sorry, sick fanny out of bed (sometime around 11:30, I think) and get ready for Gallery Night. Hordes of happy art lovers don't care that I can't breathe though my nose.

Today I hauled my sorry, sick fanny out of bed (sometime around 11:30) to do laundry.

And blog.

**achoo!**

Clouds

Springtime in Texas means stormy weather:

My friend Cruz snapped this shot of the sky today as a thunderstorm moved in.

Isn't nature beautiful?

Five Percent

I lost four pounds this week! That's a total of 12 since the beginning of the year and what WW refers to as my 5% goal (5% of my original weight).

I should be able to ditch the belt soon. My pants are getting really baggy:

I'm doing the happy dance now. You just can't see me. But I'm dancing!

Dillypoo's Book Nook

Another running argument between me and The Professor is what to do with my books. We have three bookcases upstairs overflowing with art books - artist biographies, museum collections, art theory, reference and textbooks - but nary an inch of space available for anything else.

My non-art books are stacked on the floor by the bed, perched on end tables, hidden inside cabinets, or stashed downstairs near the kitchen. The kitchen is a logical place for my cookbooks. I love my cookbooks.

But that's another blog.

My Harry Potter books live in a desk drawer:

Book 4 is in my work bag and Book 7 doesn't release in paperback until July 7.

Where was I? Oh, yeah. Where to put my non-art, non-cookbook books.

I have a habit of buying books but I forget to read them because I tend to lose them (see aforementioned hiding places for my books). Yesterday I hauled upstairs one of the vintage metal bookcases we found in Dallas a week ago:

Aren't my books lovely there?

The next argument is whether or not my feathered hat will stay put.

Animal Kingdom

The Professor and I have three of the most useless animals on the planet. This is Lucy:


She has a crush on The Professor and follows him around the house. She sleeps with him and they surf the interwebs together:


She hates me.

This is her sister, Ethel:


Ethel is neurotic and drools when petted. She loves me. Go figure.

Frida isn't sure if she's a people or a cat:


She doesn't fetch, she catches birds and squirrels, and she grooms Ethel.

Lucy has better defined boundaries than Ethel.

These beasties allow us to share the house with them. We're the only ones who know how to open the kibble.

Weigh Day Wall

After ten weeks of steady weight losses, I finally stumbled. I showed a slight weight gain of .6 tonight. I'm not going to let it get under my skin, though. I didn't get fat overnight and getting back to goal will take awhile. Besides, I know that I remained within my points last week, so tonight could just be an anomaly.

I believe this because I've entered into the Belt Phase:


As a rule, I don't generally wear belts. They're bulky. They cause unsightly bulges. They're ugly. But they keep my pants on.

And the fact that I need something to hold up my pants makes me happy. Because that means I get to go clothes shopping soon (even if I'm shopping at the top of my closet for things I haven't worn in years).

But back to that slight weight gain. I know I stayed within my points this week, but I have a sneaky suspicion that the culprit may have been my food choices. I ate a lot more carbs and a lot fewer fresh fruits and vegetables. And I discovered these:


Apples, oranges, bananas, and watermelon have done me well. I need to return to them and ditch the ice cream. Even if they are only 2 points a bar.

I should probably start using this, too:


It mocks me. And terrifies me.

Family Dinner

My mom has her own way of doing things:


The professor and I ate dinner at The Parental Unit's home last night. Mom had a lovely soft cheese that needed to be, well, softened. So she perched it atop the cooking artichokes.

Kids, don't try this at home.

I covet my mother's stove, by the way:


She has a Viking six-burner cooktop range with two ovens. And it's white. I detest stainless steel appliances (I know; I'm in the minority). I can bake enormous cakes in that oven.

Mom is on the floor chasing down errant peppercorns.

Dinner was my suggestion the previous evening. Dad likes to cook and it's been a while since we'd been over to eat and chat and watch political satire on TV.

The WW brainwashing must be working. My focus wasn't on the food and I didn't take a single snapshot of the wonderful meal he prepared! For the record, he stuffed a roasting hen with onion, peppercorns, and fresh rosemary. The aroma and flavor put a thanksgiving turkey to shame.

I did capture the lovely dinner table Mom set:


The green flowers were to celebrate St. Patrick's day. Mom thought yesterday was the luck o' the Irish. (It wasn't. Save your green ties for Tuesday.)

We're German, ya know.

Tee Vee

The Professor and I have separate televisions. Rarely do our tastes in programming coincide. He's a political junkie addicted to CNN and MSNBC, or any show about cars and motorcycles. I'm a reality TV goof and like to lose myself in mindless broadcasting like American Idol, Ace of Cakes, and Platinum Weddings.

I also subscribe to mindless publications like People Magazine. I prefer non-confrontational entertainment.

Sometimes I like to keep the tube off and read. The Professor, on the other hand, must have a television on AT ALL TIMES. Like a nicotine addiction, he turns the TV on when he gets up in the morning, returns home from work, goes out to his studio, or is sitting on the throne.

I'm pretty certain the TV was on 24/7 the week I was in Maui.

This evening he turned the TV on after we got home from dinner, tuned into the Speed Channel and went outside to his studio for an hour.

Guess he wanted to spare me another hour of Dumpster Diving Decor on HGTV or Cooking with Himalayan Salt Blocks on the Food Network.

O Christmas Tree

I think I've killed our Christmas tree. Before:


And after:


How quickly the holidays fall behind us. Especially when you forget to water.

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are dry and droopy;
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are dry and droopy;
No longer green now Spring is near,
And oh so sad and gray and drear.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are dry and droopy!

Addition for Dummies

Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery (or so I'm told). That's how I ended up at Weight Watchers. Now it's time to admit another.

I'm bad at math.

I completely confused one of my co-workers today. We were trying to figure out how a brochure with a fold-out center page needed to layout. We built a dummy. We drew a diagram. I told her it was 14 pages plus a four page cover. Because 12 + 6 = 14.

I've also been known to add ATM withdrawals in my checkbook. That always makes bill paying time fun.

I think it's genetic. My dad once invited 16 people to a performance of Greater Tuna. He had 12 tickets.

My brother is genetically superior when it comes to math. That's how he's building a three-story log cabin in Oklahoma "for fun."

I think I'll go shopping for a new calculator tomorrow.

Weigh Day Update: I lost 1.2 pounds for a total of 8.6 (I let WW do the math).

Personal Reading Challenge

I'm going to read more this year. I was looking at a few on-line challenges, but trying to finish 100 books before the end of the year or doing the 999 Challenge seems a bit unrealistic for me.

I think I'll start with the untouched stack that's on my reading table:


I'll try and read 12 books this year, and re-reads of Harry Potter or audiobooks won't count. I have to pick up a genuine, printed on paper book and read it.

Today looks like a good day to begin. I think I'll pick up the Doris Kearns Goodwin book while I do laundry.

Right after I go to bed. I should know better than to drink coffee after 2:00. Oh well. It was either a cup of coffee or a glass of wine at the gallery Saturday night.

Let me count the ways...

Just so everyone understands that The Professor is my all-time favorite guy, I thought I'd list ten things that I love about him:

1. He buys me orchids for Valentine's Day every year. I usually take them to the office but this year I've left them at home to enjoy. They're across the room right now where I can see them from the computer.

2. He once played Scrabble with me after I was recuperating from surgery. The Professor hates board games almost as much as he hates word games.

3. He makes me laugh. Oh, my Lord! How that boy can tickle me with his sense of humor. Even when I'm mad or getting unreasonable, he makes me giggle.

4. He won't let me see scary movies because he knows they'll give me bad dreams or, worse, I'll run screaming from the theater. Such a waste of good popcorn money.

5. He made me a Harry Potter “dollar” that was redeemable for the last book once it was published.


6. He follows a recipe to the letter, measuring out all of his spices and ingredients and putting them into little glass ramekins before starting to cook.

7. He watches American Idol with me. Sometimes.

8. He hates football but he keeps up with the TCU team so he can talk trash with my Dad.

9. He eats whatever I cook, whether it’s an old recipe or experimental cooking.

10. He changes the litter box.

After 17 years, it's the little things that mean the most. I love you, sweetie!

Recycling Update:

Keith the Recycling Inspector from the City of Fort Worth finally called to apologize for the confusion about our recycling habits and to let me know that our record has been expunged. Thank you, Keith! I wish I'd got your last name so I could send you some cookies.

I told you so!

My phone call to the City of Fort Worth didn't go well.

Dillypoo: "Hi. I'm calling because of the recycle contamination notices you keep sending us. I think you have our house confused with the one down the block. They have trash in their recycle bin."

City: "There can't have been a mistake. The driver identifies the address using GPS."

Dillypoo: "There was nothing in our bin except cans last week. And the carton from a Coca Cola 12-pack."

City: "The GPS is accurate."

Dillypoo: "No, it's not. It's the neighbors at the end of the block, not us."

City: "The GPS is accurate. I can send you a list of approved recyclable materials."

Dillypoo: "No, it's not accurate, and no thank you. I already have three copies."

Today was garbage day, so I waited on the curb at 7:45 to speak to the garbage man. I told him my story and asked him if he had a GPS on board.

Garbage Man: "Yeah, I have GPS, but I don't pick up recycle."

Dillypoo: "Yeah, I know, but can you check my address on your GPS?"

Garbage Man: "I don't pick up recycle."

Dillypoo: "Yeah, I get that, but can you check my address on your GPS and see if it's accurate?"

Garbage Man: "I'd just look at the number on the curb."

Dillypoo: "OK. Thanks."

I went back in and told The Professor that the city must not like our cans and I left for work.

The Professor decided to wait for the recycle truck, and his conversation with the very nice recycle man was much more productive. Recycle Man said he'd had no problems with our house, but THE ONE AT THE CORNER wasn't recycling properly. He assumed the house number was 1600 since IT'S ON THE CORNER and there wasn't a number painted on the curb.

He didn't mention GPS.

I can't wait to call the City back tomorrow and tell them "I told you so!"

Since there were only two entries in the calendar giveaway, both will get a copy! Joyce, are you still on 5th Street? If not, please email me your new address.

Weigh Day Update

I lost another 1.4 pounds for a total of 7.4! Woot!

I've spent the evening creating a MySpace page for the gallery. As if I don't have enough to do. Since the beginning of the year, I've become ensnared by social networking.

I have a Facebook page.

I have a MyLeaky account to bond with my fellow Harry Potter nerds.

I'm blogging. Right here.

And now I have a MySpace page for the gallery. The Professor and I run an art gallery. I may have forgotten to mention that.

No wonder I don't have time to use that treadmill. You remember the treadmill?


The cats are still guarding it. Maybe I can blame the furry beasts for my lack of activity. Or maybe I should turn it on and watch them run on the track. They could lose a pound or two, also.

Mistaken Identity

The city of Fort Worth has us confused with someone else. They've sent us three "Contaminated Recycling Notification" letters in the past two months, but we refuse to believe they're really ours. I mean, The Professor is a recycling Nazi! We have a a list of approved recyclable items posted on the fridge and The Professor regularly inspects the household bins for offending matter before dumping them into the big cart outside. He also double checks that I haven't violated any rules when I bring home the recycling from my office.

Of course, there was the time I tossed a bag of cat litter in the wrong bin by mistake. I like to think that was a one time offense.

We also watch "Living With Ed."

Ed is one of The Professor's heros. I can totally relate to Rachelle Begley.

We have new neighbors at the end of the block. The Professor checked their bins. They recycle like my parents, who think the blue recycle bin is for when the brown trash bin is full.

It's an easy mistake to make, though. Our house number is 1600 but we're in the middle of the block. The new neighbor's house number is 1620 and they're on the corner. The pizza man can never find us, either.

Not that I'm eating pizza anymore. Too many points. **heavy sigh**

I'll call the city tomorrow and try and clear it up (again).

In the meantime, I have another giveaway!


If you'd like one of the last remaining copies of The Professor's 2009 calendar, please leave a note in the comments. Deadline is this Wednesday at 10:00 p.m. CST.

Update:

The house on the corner is not 1620. It's 1450 of the cross street. Ya learn something new everyday!