Flying blind

Vancouver was great, and customs was relatively uneventful. Coming back to the states the officer found Matt's bags of loose leaf tea rather interesting. Of course it didn't help that they were packed in perfect little paper-bag bricks. I guess it was a good thing we opted to skip on the Cuban cigars.

While up north I acquired a new found respect for ramen noodles. Yeah, you read right. Ramen, baby. There was a Japanese place right by our B&B that served sushi and noodles. We went there twice. Of all the wonderful food options within walking distance, we went out for noodle soup two times. The attraction might not have had anything to do with the food; maybe it was the service. One afternoon we decided that we wanted to try Korean food. Bust. We went to several restaurants and finally gave up on any hope of understanding what was going on with the menu. The ramen place was similar. Lots of Japanese characters which were interrupted periodically with English. The ratio of Japanese to English seemed a little skewed to me, though it was nice to see at least a little English, not like the Korean places. There were a few pictures on the menu, but again, not nearly as many pictures as there were Japanese descriptions. Well, we knew that we wanted soup, and that was good enough apparently. When the server came over and found out we wanted soup, not sushi, she immediately started asking questions. What type of noodle? Meat? Broth base? Somehow I ended up ordering teriyaki chicken with ramen noodles and miso broth. As the server walked away I looked at Matt and asked, "So, do you suppose she's going to bring us soup?" He shrugged.

We went to the aquarium one afternoon. I must go to an aquarium every time I leave town. I must go to the Seattle aquarium! The beluga whales were by far the coolest. They smile! They're so peaceful the way they just float around. They swim for a bit, and then they just stop moving and float up to the surface. Amazing. They induced entertaining conversation as we walked back to our room:

Matt: So, do you suppose they have to kill the whales to get the caviar?
Me: I would imagine they could just be sedated and someone reaches in.
Matt: Possibly.
Me: Wait, aren't whales mammals?
Matt: Yeah, they are.
Both: Huh!

Anyone know where beluga caviar comes from if not from beluga whales?

You can never be too careful

Matt and I are leaving on Monday for a week-long trip up to Vancouver BC. Crossing the border can be pretty scary sometimes. Customs officers are intimidating. I always have this fear that they will send me to jail. I don't know if they have that authority, but the possibility always freaks me out. The last time I went up to Canada, the customs officer looked through my bag, asking if I had packed any food. Of course, not knowing any better at the time, I had a few pieces of fruit in my bag. I now understand that you really shouldn't bring fruit across borders. The customs officer found my apple and threw it across the room as if he were throwing the winning pitch at the championship game. He threw it back to the other side of the border. At the time it scared the hell out of me, but now I hope it happens again so I can find it amusing. I equate it to what I would expect out of skydiving. The first time you jump, the trip is a big fantastic rush, but you don't remember much when you reach the ground. But the second time you know what to expect, so you have time to enjoy the ride.

I've missed you guys so much!

I've had a bad headcold. The other day, I actually became excited about my boogers.

You know the routine. You have a nasty cold for a week and have to call in sick for a few days. You realize that things are looking up when you're laying in bed at night and your nostrils start doing that popping thing, and you're suddenly able to breathe through your nose. A day or two later you perform your ritual of the morning nose blow, and boogers come out. Actual firm little boogers. What a relief!

Just laugh it off!

Thank you, Matt, for making me laugh in the midst of a small crisis. An entry from his blog:

"...Kim grabbed a hold of the mattress and box spring, and heaved them up against the wall. Bluish fuzzies all over the bedframe. On the headboard against the wall, on the back of the bedside table. In the closet. On her formal gowns. Curious, I looked at the fuzzies under the microscope, and a chilling fear gripped me. They were in uniform. They had gotten themselves organized. They had declared war without telling us. The bedframe was our Pearl Harbor. Tuesday will live in infamy."

Email of the day!

In today's mail bag, we have a message from Mom. Let's see what she has to say:

Sunday the kids were playing out in the woods when Nathan came in and said, "Daddy, Lindsay has a major problem!" Of course we asked what the problem was. As Lindsay came in behind, looking like she wasn't sure what to think but it probably wasn't good, he said, "A slug crawled into her shoe and is taking a nap!" What??? She came limping in and said it was "Squishy". Ugh! I had her sit down and removed her boot. Sure enough, there was a slug in the bottom of her boot! It's nap looked to have turned into a very long sleep though.

Why don't we start by you telling me what you want me to say

I've decided that I'm tired of defending the logistics of my relationship to people who 1. Don't know me very well, or 2. Don't spend any time with Matt and I as a couple.

I've been having a lot of relationship conversations with people lately, which tend to stem from me bringing up our vacation plans for next month. Let's pretend I'm having a conversation with "Joe". This is generally what happens:

J: Hey Kim, how've you been doing?
M: Oh, good - Anxious for next month's vacation!
J: Oh yeah? What's the plan?
M: Matt and I are going up to Vancouver for a week!
J: That's sweet. How long have you two been together? It's been awhile, hasn't it?
M: 2 years next month.
J: Wow, has it been that long?
M: Mmm.
J: So, any talk of a ring?(or "any thoughts of marriage?"...Etc; You get the idea)
M: No, not really (Casually)
J: Hmm. Really? (Shocked expression ensues)

Now, this is where things get tricky. I've tried all sorts of responses in attempt to close the conversation while reassuring Joe that things are just fine, but nothing seems to be working so far. I've tried explaining that Matt and I are really laid back about our relationship and we're in no rush. I've even tried making conversation light; saying something to the effect of "We're too busy having fun right now to think about getting married." If I try this method with Joe, he then accuses me of thinking that the fun ends with marriage, which usually results in Joe giving a lecture, in an effort to rewire my brain to think differently.

I've thought about letting Joe end the conversation with the look of shock so that I can just walk away, but I'm fairly certain that such an action would just reinforce Joe's impression that I'm not content with my situation, and that behind closed doors Matt and I chase each other around the house with frying pans and butter knives.

I actually started to think there was something wrong with me for not trying to coax Matt into marriage or not window shopping for fluffy white dresses. Then I realized that none of these people spend time with Matt and I together. If they had, they would realize that we have a very wonderful and rare relationship which is incredibly solid.

Sure we have tense moments; I insist on living out of a laundry basket rather than just putting my clothes away, and Matt doesn't unball his socks when he takes them off. I don't always floss my teeth, and Matt doesn't refill the soap dispenser at the bathroom sink. Yes, these things do drive us crazy sometimes, but we have enough love and good times to more than balance things out, and I'm sure our relationship will continue to be fantastic whether I have a monopolized piece of glass on my hand or not.

Personal bubble

Yesterday evening when I boarded the bus I noticed that there was a woman occupying two of the front seats; She had put her bag on one seat, and had her legs propped up in such a way as to block anyone from sitting next to her. There were plenty of other empty seats on the bus, but I really felt like being a pain in the ass, so I stood next to her and made her move her stuff so I could sit down. Of course, it wasn't easy for her to move her bag - she had to fumble a lot in order to make me aware of just how difficult I was making her life, as well as the 4 people who were standing behind me, waiting for an opportunity to pass. As I sat down I thought, "Welcome to rush hour, Honey."

My poor attitude is precisely the reason I should never drive a car.

Have we met? You smell so familiar...

The guy sitting next to me on the bus this morning smelled like ground beef.

I'm not kidding.

Merry Christmas, UPS!

I know I haven't posted in quite some time. It's the holidays. I make good pie. Everyone suddenly remembered that I make good pie about a week before Christmas. Yeah. I've been busy.

Christmas eve morning I was sitting on my bed after taking a very relaxing shower, painting my toenails. I heard the screech of large tires, and looked up to see one UPS guy standing outside of the truck, looking at the house, and another UPS guy in the back of the truck finding my package. It was right about then that I realized the reason I could see the UPS guy was that my blinds were open. It was right about THEN that I realized I was topless.

Jump off the bed, run out to the front room and hide behind the front door. Muster up a little courage and look out the peep hole to watch for the truck to drive away. Observe UPS guy #1 smiling. Pray that UPS guy #2 told a really good joke.

Missing you....

I received a Christmas card in the mail from my grandparents yesterday. Inside grandma says, "We hope you're still with Matt". Either: 1. She really likes Matt, but has no faith in my ability to keep a man, or 2. She really likes Matt, and I'm not good at keeping in touch. Either way, my grandmother likes my boyfriend. Weeee!

Helping hand

There should be a handle in women's restroom stalls. Nothing major - just a little handle on the inside of the door. Y'know, something for us "hoverers" to hold on to when we're going about our business. This would be especially helpful in bar restrooms. I don't know of many women who can do a balanced squat in high-heels after a few drinks. In my experience, it's a big ol' disaster.

Not only does she have a great personality....

Yesterday I was informed by someone I had just met that my pies precede me. That's fantastic! Spread the word, kids - I want everyone to know about my pies before they meet me!

Pre-dinner entertainment

Scenario:
Woman enters the bus, and notices someone she recognizes; entertaining conversation ensues.

Her: (Yelling) Well Hello!
Him: Hey.
Her: (Yelling) Mind if I sit here?
Him: Nope.
Her: (Still yelling) Don't I know you from the nursing home?
Him: Yep.

Get off my back!

Yeah, I haven't posted in forever....You haven't been able to keep up on my highly interesting life....You don't feel like you even know me anymore. So sorry.

I've been busy, alright? I would normally take a break from my incredibly productive work-day to entertain you all with the events of my daily my life, but things have gotten a little hectic.

Not only have I taken on more responsibilities at work, but earlier in the week management had moved all of the new trainees right near my desk, so I wasn't able to take my breaks at my desk any longer. I tried once. I had a line of people waiting to ask me a question during my lunch break. I told those people to go ask someone else for help, since I was on a break. More people came. When I sent them away, some of the first people came back to ask if I was done with my lunch yet.

On a positive note, I have all of my Christmas presents wrapped and ready to send off!

Open. Open. Open.

This morning when I arrived at work, at 7am, there were people standing in line waiting for Office Max to open. I'm not sure how long they had been waiting, and I don't know what time Office Max was scheduled to open it's doors, but the potential customers seemed quite content to stand in the cold, reading their "after Thanksgiving sale" ads.

I thought this sort of thing only happened in commercials. If this is the case with a store that doesn't have television ads reflecting such actions, can you imagine what Mervyns must be like???

Girls Gone Wild: Uncut.

Matt was out of town this weekend, so I had the place to myself. It was weird and a little sad to not have him around, but I was determined to have a really nice "bachelorette" weekend.

Following are the components of my cra-ay-zee weekend:

- Redecorating in the livingroom
- Re-organization of the kitchen
- Baking - cookies and pies
- Bubble bath (with accompanying deep cleansing face mask)
- "Clueless" on VHS

Yeah bay-bee.

Movin' on up

Matt bought some of those nose strips to reduce snoring. They look kinda goofy, but I think they may just take our relationship to another wonderful, rest-filled level.

I'm so lucky

We were watching a movie the other night, when I heard sleeping noises next to me. My boyfriend had one eye partially open and his mouth was slightly agape, with his dry tongue sticking out a bit. As I surveyed the situation, I thought, "What's not to love?"

For a good time

I received an amusing forwarded email string the other day; amusing because one of the people involved has a picture of themselves next to the auto signature at the end. It resembles a real estate agent's business card - If a real estate agent used Glamour Shots for their business needs. And it's at the end of each reply in the message. Following is the email conversation I had with the person who forwarded it to me:

Me: Heheh, scroll really fast. Weee!
Her: HA HA ….I smell a new entry in your blog!
Me (to myself): We are not cool.

Old friends

Sorry I haven't posted in so long; I'm having trouble accessing my blog. When I go to my blog page, I just get a nice big pink screen with no text. I just figured out that I can access my posting page by going through someone else's blog, so all is not lost - yet.

Sunday Matt and I went out for the day. Had a lovely lunch at Julia's on Capitol Hill, and then on to B&O Espresso for sour cream lemon pie - the best dessert on the hill. As we were walking out of B&O, I ran into Tasia.

Tasia was my neighbor 5 years ago, and we grew quite close. At the time, I worked the graveyard shift at work, and I would get home right about the time she was getting up for the day. She would invite me over for tea and "breakfast", which was bedtime tea for me, and earl grey for her, plus softboiled eggs for both of us. She even had cute little egg cups! Of course, you can't live in the same apartment for your entire life, so we both eventually moved away, and I haven't seen her since. I think about her all the time and wonder how she's doing, but I haven't had her number, so there was no way to check up on her.

It was such a pleasant surprise to see Tasia on Sunday - she's one of the few truly good people in the world, and I can't wait to hang out with her!