Jonesin' to write...

So, I have gone through periodic bouts over the years where I really get the itch to do some writing. For me, it's primarily personal narrative writing. Examples of previous writing include experiences with boys, having an eating disorder, or simply Grandma. After living in Africa, I started to write about that (didn't get too far, and now I fear it's been too long...I went there TEN years ago on October 30, 2001, which is pure crazy).

Today, I got the itch again. I start doing rather drastic things, as I tend to do in my melodramatic, black-or-white, all-or-nothing way, like researching MFA Creative Writing programs. Why would I do that to myself? I'm still in my EdD program!

Instead, maybe I should just enjoy it...but in truly type A fashion, I have created a mental list of the less formal approach to "becoming a creative writer" which includes:
1. Write. About anything that comes to mind.
2. Show it to friends. Preferably ones who know good writing when they see it and are good writers themselves.
3. Try to submit it to some sort of writing contest or publication. See if they think it's any good.

And finally, a list of potential topics that I could write about from a personal narrative perspective:
A. Africa...rather than the entire time, some poignant experiences though I still dream of a memoir (previous planned title: Memoire d'Afrique)
B. Family...losing, gaining, what IS family, anyway? potential title: Who is the "we" in We Are Family?
C. This body I call my own...about gaining and losing 30 pounds, TWICE; eating disorder and beauty issues; potential title: The 30 Pound Yo-Yo, and All that Comes with It
D. Faith, or the lack thereof...probably titled...that.
E. Boss...focusing on how raising a puppy is like having a kid; title: The Dog as Child
F. Just some miscellaneous Misadventures that incorporates all of the above, sort of in Anne Lamott fashion; potential title: How I Stole Anne Lamott's Idea and Wrote a Miscellaneous Book about the Things that Matter to Me. What, too long?

By the way, my favorite part of writing is coming up with titles.

So, that's what's on my mind today. Writing. Incidentally, I'm reading The Help. Fantastic book. Makes me want to write a novel. But I think I would suck at fiction.

Weigh-in

Background:
May 2011: Cousin Kate asked me to be one of her bridesmaids in her November wedding.
Late May 2011: Tried on dress at David's Bridal. It is fitted through the hips...really, Kate? This requires a size larger than the size I had grown to, and was already unhappy with.
June 8, 2011: Peggy joins Weight Watchers Online. Goal: lose 25 pounds.

Since then:
I have weighed in each Wednesday morning, making steady progress. Following the WW plan and being active, thanks to the lovely Seattle summer, playing kickball and softball and walking Boss around Green Lake.

This morning:
The family weighed in.
Peggy: has lost 20 pounds...WOOT!
Boss: has gained 2.5 pounds since his last vet visit in July--he's now 14.5 pounds--WOOT!
Jesse: the bastard has lost 12 pounds unintentionally since June, just by living with me and making healthier choices because I have been. Woot. Boys suck.

finally replaced my iPhone and ain't it a good thing...

So, remember how my iPhone was stolen back in April and I had to use a crappy flip phone from the days of yore until my contract was up and I could replace it without, as Mrs. Darling would say, paying a kidney for it?

Well, that was officially on September 5th, but I kept hearing about how the iPhone 5 was going to come out in September so I thought that was lovely timing. Until September came, and they started saying October. When I started hearing possibly next year, I decided to stop waiting and get an iPhone 4 this weekend.

Other important info that ties into this little story: Jesse has been on his break between his internship and returning for his last quarter of school, which means that Boss really hasn't been left home alone (or crated) much at all. Basically, on Friday nights when we go on date night. Like, last Friday and this past Friday. Well, we came home Friday evening to a *very* nice note from our neighbor (no sarcasm), letting us know that Boss has a shrieking/yelping tendency that sounds like someone is beating him.

Awesome. I thought we were past this.

So, Saturday, we bought the iPhone 4. And we were supposed to go to the engagement party of one of Jesse's friends and his new fiance. Except after the Friday night note, I didn't feel like we could just leave Boss home alone. So, I called my friend who agreed to dog sit for a little while so we could make an appearance at this engagement party.

I used my new iPhone to find our way to the party location, the apartment of the newly engaged that we had not been to before. We parked, in the rain, about 3 blocks away and made a run for it. When we arrived, we found a secured entrance. So, Jesse tried to buzz the apartment. No response. Called his friend. No response.

Then some dude that lives there came out, so we went in. This "apartment building" was a converted old mansion with no apartment numbers, just names of suites. Jesse thought the party was in "apartment B", but clearly that didn't help us. So we just wandered around the old mansion trying to listen for anything that sounded like a party.

Then it hit us that we could use the iPhone to look at the Evite again. The whole smart phone thing really is a lifestyle change (both ways...I was a very frustrated Pegs back in April when it took 10 minutes to send a text). So Jesse looked it up and...

the party is NEXT Saturday.

Are you friggin' kidding me, Sharp?

I told him he could go get the car by himself in the rain and I would wait for him to come pick me up.

Thus begins...life with Jesse. But thankfully, also life with the iPhone.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

It's my favorite time of year...when Jesse is on break between school and work! We have big plans, such as:

1. Eating dinner together
2. Walking with Boss around Green Lake
3. Oil changes for both of the cars
4. Watching Angel on Netflix
5. Solidifying plans to go to Senegal (yippee!)

Most of these are the little things. Jesse and I have officially lived together for about 10 days, and I LOVE IT! I can't even explain it...there's just something about him being there when I get off work or eating dinner at OUR dining room table.

My favorite sight this week: walking out of work and seeing Jesse & Boss waiting for me outside. I love my boys.

Story time: Boss pees on the down comforter

Story #2. (Although I really shouldn't reward you people with a second story since exactly 0 of you have commented on the first. I'm not bitter. Not even a little bit.)

My now-former apartment had a free washer/dryer in the basement, and the new place has a coin-operated washer/dryer available. This means, we will be scouring every nook & cranny for quarters while we live here. It also means that the day before moving out, I washed EVERYTHING with the free washer/dryer, including the bedding--sheets and down comforter. Once dried, it went in the car and was transported to the new place.

So, on Sunday night, with the bed set up by the 4 Fabulous Moving Dudes, Jesse & I went to put on the bedding. On went the fitted sheet. On went the regular sheet (what do you call the other, non-fitted sheet?)...but wait, what's that? Please tell me it's water...sniff, sniff...well, maybe it's just on this sheet...pulling out the comforter, NOOOOOOOOO...pulling the down out from inside the comforter, NOOOOO...

BOSS! BOSS, where are YOUUUUUU?

Crouching in the corner, looking down, one paw over his eyes.

Guilty.

And that's the story of how, at 10pm on our first night in the new place and both having to go to work the next morning, we began the 2 hour journey of washing the sheets and comforter in the coin-operated washer/dryer.

If only it ended there. Jesse came back upstairs from the laundry room, carrying the freshly-dried down.

Jesse: Does it still smell like pee to you?
Me: Yep. But it's probably just how you get a bad smell in your head and then it just smells like that, even when it doesn't really.
Jesse: Okay, I guess. Maybe. But smell this (the comforter).
Me: (sniffing). Well, we washed it. It must be fine. Let's just put it on the bed.

So we do, and crawl into bed.

A few minutes later...

Me: (whining) I can't sleep like this...it smells like pee! Did you put the detergent in the right spot? (The new washer has these three different things for detergent, bleach, and something else).
Jesse: I think so. (laughing) But this is gross.
Me: Okay, get up. We're taking the down out.

So, the down came out and earned a spot in the second bedroom until I could wash it again the next day.

Good thing Boss is cute.