Reset

Have you ever wanted to just press the reset button? I think I'm about to do just that. Going back to California is something M and I have been so looking forward to, but we were a bit worried about being able to find a decent apartment. We wanted one in the same old neighborhood we left, because we loved where it was located. We wanted a place that was gated and had onsite laundry, and two bedrooms, and good for walking Radley. We've been looking and our little neighborhood is kinda full. We did the westsiderentals.com thing (which you have to pay for) and not much was there either, and the last time I used them they had tons of offerings. Craigslist was a bust. With M not having a job and my job not starting for a few months, we were afraid it would be tough to even get an apartment. My credit isn't as bad as it used to be, but it's not exactly healthy. So we decided hey why not call the old landlord and see if he has any units available in the coming months.

He did, but he didn't want to wait until October 1st to rent it to us, so.....we're leaving early! That's right, instead of being broke in sweltering, humid, lawyer-laden Philadelphia, we're going to go be broke in Long Beach. It might be sweltering, it may have a kind of sooty dust that leaves an oily film all over everything in your apartment, but it's home! We're paying our first month's rent Sept 1st. Not sure if we can get out of here before then, but hopefully by the first week of Sept, I'll be back in baby's arms...

2 Bedrooms, you guys! And apartment upgrades of all kinds apparently, as my landlord claims to have installed ceiling fans, re-tiled the kitchen and bath, and recarpeted. All this for less than we were paying before we left. Is this some kind of miracle? Some kind of sign of good things to come?

It damn well better be. I'm so happy I could cry.

This means good things for the Sweet Lady Shop, as October is a big month for me. I'll be posting up new products, revamping the website, and doing some sort of anniversary thing, since it's been over a year since I opened up shop. And the shop will finally have a craft room to call its own. Some people get a second bedroom for guests, some get it for a future baby, mine's for the shop!

Wow. I need to go get boxes. How many do you think it will take if I have 700 books? Yeah, I did an inventory. Frightening, isn't it?

Housewarming Party in late September. I'm pretty sure there will be cocktails.

Sick in the Summer

I saw Hellboy II: The Golden Army! I liked it. The villain wasn't as villainy as I wanted (I actually thought he had a point), but the Liz character was so much better than in the last movie. Much more in control of her power and less depressed. I think in the first movie she was voluntarily in an insane asylum. If that's not proof you aren't really insane, I don't know what is.

Speaking of insane women in film, I watched The Craft last night. I haven't been feeling well and I was at the doctor's yesterday- I have a sore throat- and the doc said to get rest, so I basically hung on the couch sleeping. In the evening, M. and I were trying to find something to watch during the summer re-run desert, and we couldn't agree on anything. There weren't even good options to argue over. Finally, he decided to just hang out online while I watched an HBO on Demand movie and lay on the couch. What better than The Craft? I forgot how great that movie is. At first, the witches get back at racists, misogynists, and gain self-esteem. Then they go too far, but I like that there is one witch that understands how out of balance the others are, so that it's not like "lady witches need to learn their lesson and love Jesus."Very pagan-friendly. I am thinking that if I feel better this afternoon, I may take a walk over to the magic shop on 4th & Freeman around the corner from us. I have been talking about going there forever. Get all witchy or get my tarot read. Something to distract me from how lame it is to be sick in the summer.

I do watch films about regular old non-fantastical folks as well. I got Factotum on Netflix and watched it yesterday. God, how depressing. I mean, it should be depressing, right? I rented it out of a desire to keep up on all things Bukowski. Turns out, alcoholism does not necessarily make for a good story on film. It could be really slow at times. There were some funny parts, and Matt Dillon was surprisingly not Matt Dillon for most of it, but I gotta say, not a summer blockbuster. You gotta be in the right mood.
Maybe I should have had cocktails while watching?

Debbie Downer

One of the best things about "summers off" is that I start to lose track of the days of the week. I always know when it's Friday or Monday, but those days in between-not so much. It's nice, and I'm sure several of you would like it if I shut up right now, but today it reminds me that I haven't done as much as I would have liked to by this point in the summer.

I'm spending most of the early morning writing and/or analyzing for the dissertation, but I'm forcing it and I am growing to resent it more every day. I used to be able to put my head down and write out a 20 page paper from start to finish in a relatively short time. Not so much anymore. I wonder what changed? It's like I can't stand my own voice. I wish there were personal trainers for this, who tell me when I can get up and get lunch and not to surf the web or check e-mail. I would hate that guy, but I'd have the damn thing done! I'm way more interested in my dog, who begs me to play with him all day. Maybe there's some form of hypnotherapy for this. "I am good enough, smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!"

I also haven't been to the gym in forever.

Wish I could get out of this summer funk.

Is it wrong to giggle when you notice that Seasonal Affective Disorder's acronym is SAD?