babies 'r' us

so i'm spending the weekend with my two oldest and best girlfriends in the world, who now each happen to have a baby. The babies are in fact with us on our girls' weekend. (since they are both boys, i'm wondering if i can still call it a "girls' weekend".)

it's an interesting experience. if i didn't have an adorable niece and nephew that i've spent inordinate amounts of time around, i don't know if i could handle it. don't get me wrong, i LOVE kids, especially babies. the hard part is that it kinda makes me want one because kids are absolutely amazing, but at the same time not want one because i would NEVER want to raise one with just anyone. so for now i get to quite happily live vicariously through them.

my favorite part of this weekend is realizing that no matter what our places in life, these are my girls. even if we have very different experiences, developments, or tracks, we always have each other.

i heart these women. and our mouths are just as dirty as in college.

super-socialize me

that's it, it's official. i have too many friends. i love each and every one of you dearly, but if you want to reserve some time in my social calendar there is currently a recommended two week advance booking (possibly longer if you would like to request a specific night of the week). so send in your requests now and they will be processed in the order in which they are received. thank you.

dance schmance

oh boy. i can feel it starting again. the overwhelming desire to go dancing virtually every night. the obsessive thoughts on technique, footwork, balance, following, etc. watching clips on youtube (way better than interlibrary loan vhs like the "old days"). i've got the bug.

an unlikely series of event put this in motion. first, a new friend asked me to teach her to dance. second, an old friend recognized me. third, an old flame sent an email. fourth, a hatchet was buried. without any one of these crucial steps, i wouldn't even consider dancing again.

papers and procrastination

i once again find myself succumbing to the unbridled procrastination that has controlled my life up to this point. i actually did close to nothing yesterday, despite the fact that i sat in front of the computer for many hours. i must finish this paper within the week. this lollygagging has got to stop.

...and here i am writing in my blog. shocking.

spider watch 2009: conclusion

spider watch 2009 has officially come to a close. i moved out of the apartment last friday. right now i'm staying with pete & mary and living out of my car until i can move into the awesome house my bro just bought in wash park. i much prefer the spider-free futon and homelessness to the 8-legged infestation.

in total, i found well over 200 spiders over 3.5 weeks. that averages to over 8 spiders a day with a low of 4 and a high 29. ew.

special thanks to mary, paul, and levy for helping me move and refraining from running scared after finding a ridiculous number of arachnids while moving things. picked up the couch to find 3, moved the bed to find a few more, lifted the nightstand to find another - they were everywhere. my friends, you have stomachs of steel and no fear.

100

it's official, i have found over 100 dead spiders in my apartment. to commemorate the event, i found one in my bedroom for the first time. awesome.

senor exterminator comes in 45 mins. if this round of poison doesn't help the situation, i'm going to start looking for a new place...

up and up

8/4 18:30 -- 76.
opened the hall closet and found 4 more. moved a box to find another 2.


8/5 11:10 -- 82.
found 1 before i left to go dancing last night, 1 when i came home from dancing, and 3 more when i woke up this morning. another (a different kind, too... crap...) showed up while i was eating breakfast.

i've started collecting samples. i now have 3 in a plastic cup on my kitchen counter.


8/5 23:50 -- 83.
1 sitting by the cats' food bowls when i got home. decided not to look around for more before bed to avoid nightmares...


8/6 11:05 -- 85.
1 at the kitchen entrance when i woke up. he wasn't there last night. watched che kill and eat another a few minutes ago. at least i didn't have to clean that one up?


8/8 14:30 -- 93.
came home after a day and a half at my sister's to 7 dead ones scattered around the house. didn't even look everywhere, didn't want to. 1 live one scampered across the kitchen floor in front of me and my cats. che squished it - it looked intentional this time. he wasn't sad. in fact he looked pretty proud of himself.

more!

holy crap, I just found another 7 by simply looking up. they're in my light fixtures. add on the one i watched my cat kill this afternoon, and the tally is up to 70.

spider watch 2009

this morning's dead spider count is already up to 9, and it's not even noon yet. i even stepped on one while i was stumbling around half-awake at 6:45 this morning getting ready for my run. it gives me chills just thinking about it...

that brings the total since last tuesday to 62.

i think if i hit 100 i will seriously consider finding a new place to live.

why i'm waiting until then, i'm not sure. i guess i want to give my landlord a chance to make it right. he's failing at the moment, thru no fault of his own. he's got an exterminator coming every 2 weeks and is getting the infested tree removed. which is why i can't live here if even *that* doesn't work...

week one, day one

today begins my training regimen for the moab other half on october 18th. i love how the first day doesn't even start with a run - it's a "strength/stretch" day. so mary and i went to a nia class this morning and then i'm going to spinning tonight.

nia was pretty darn fun, i have to admit. think aerobics/jazzercise with the "dance" parts being more akin to Isadora Duncan-esque pretend-like-you-are-child-let-your-body-move-like-a-flower-in-the-wind mixed with earthy feel-the-groove tribal rhythms. kind of a world-ish version of jazzercise. upside: i sweat like north carolina for a solid hour. downside: not quite sure if it did anything? i left with a fair bit of energy still, but maybe that was the point? dunno...