this was supposed to be a temporary entertainment center

November 16, 2007Uncategorized30 Days of Thanks, NaBloCleanMoLauren @ mostly i run

When we bought this TV, we knew it wasn’t going to fit in our old entertainment center. We knocked out a CD shelf, and were surprised that it was still sturdy enough to hold up the top shelf. Still, it was an old unit we got just out of college.

We’ve had this TV, and half-broken entertainment center, for a few years now. Over the summer, I started a quest to find a new cabinet, but it turns out our TV is unusually large. Most cabinets are about 19-21 inches deep, while this TV needs at least 24 inches.

So the temporary cabinet remains.

It also happens to be one of the only cat-safe places to put things. Occasionally they (well, usually just Joey) feel mischievous and climb up there, but it doesn’t happen often. So we stash all our crap up there.

I cleaned up the junk, removed a few candles, and decided the coconut parrot carving didn’t really need to be the centerpiece of our living room any longer. There’s still a lot of stuff up there, but it’s better, and it’s been dusted!

(Yes, whenever I clean the top of the entertainment center, I put all my husband’s sunglasses on the cat sculpture!)

Today my office closed early for our quarterly meeting. It was at the International Spy Museum in D.C. I had never been there before, and it was pretty cool. Of course, we had private access (no tourists), and a few drinks (on the company) first!

For my 30 days of thanks, I’ve already mentioned the great company I work for, but today I am thankful for our fun events!

my youngest

November 16, 2007Uncategorizedfurry babiesLauren @ mostly i run

When we bought our house six years ago, we already had two cats, littermates Jeter and Posey.

We knew there was a stray cat that hung around the neighborhood. But one night, I saw an orange kitten run across the deck!

It turns out that stray cat had a litter of three. Neighbors told us they didn’t think this was her first litter.

I got in touch with a local Trap-Neuter-Return group that loaned me humane traps and a large cage. We captured the kittens and tamed them, and got momma spayed.

We knew all along we couldn’t keep the kittens since we already had two, but thought we might keep one. How to decide?

It turns out the decision was made for us, unfortunately. Two of the kittens tested positive for feline leukemia. The feral cat group found a place that would take the infected kitties, and we kept the third.

We named him Joey.

To be safe, we kept Joey in the basement and tested him again after 90 days. He was still negative, so it was safe to introduce him to Jeter and Posey.

As I’ve mentioned, Posey was not, and still is not, happy with our decision to adopt another cat!

Joey can be a bit of a troublemaker, but he can also be a sweetie. He likes to be carried, and will grab my shoulder to hang on. I joke that I could carry him in a baby carrier!

While Joey is the baby, he is now the largest of the three by at least three pounds. That’s a big difference on a cat.

Joey’s mom is still happily living in our backyard. More on her later!

got a light?

November 15, 2007Uncategorized30 Days of Thanks, running amuckLauren @ mostly i run

From October to April when it’s dark out after work, my running group meets at a community college to run.

There are only so many routes so it’s kind of boring, but it’s well-lit and safe. There aren’t too many other options, so we just run our loops there twice a week.

Often, people ask us for directions when they’re looking for a specific building. Despite running there for years, we don’t really know the names of the buildings so we’re not much help.

That happens all the time, and isn’t really unusual.

Today, though, someone loitering before or after class approached part of our group and asked if anybody had a light.

Uh, wrong people to ask! Typically, runners aren’t smokers!

At least we got a laugh.

Tonight, I am thankful that it stopped raining before my run.

When I left my office, it was cold, windy and raining. Our meeting place is closer to my house, so maybe we cleared the storm. It wasn’t quite as windy, and the rain had stopped.

We tend to run in most weather conditions. Thunderstorms and excessive ice are really the only deal breakers … but cold rain is not fun!

i found my desk!

November 15, 2007UncategorizedNaBloCleanMoLauren @ mostly i run

It was right where I left it!

Previously, this was the place where I did most of my blogging:

After sorting through the mess:

I dusted the desk surfaces, but didn’t notice until I was downloading the photos that there’s a hand print on the computer. D’oh!

There was mostly just junk in the pile. Like papers, most of which we did not need, dating back as far as April 2004. Terrible. I don’t know how I live like this.

The rest of the office, which you have not seen yet, is still a crap hole. I will hopefully be able to sort that out in the next two weeks!

timeline: 1983-1990

November 14, 2007UncategorizedflashbackLauren @ mostly i run

Picking up where I left off last week …

Third grade class photo, 1983.

1984, cheering for pee wee football.

Easter 1985. It’s too bad the photo doesn’t pick up the true color of that sweater vest. That was neon yellow!

OK … here we go to my least favorite stage. I thought I was going to have to void out these years. I think posting embarrassing photos of my house has given me the courage to post embarrassing photos of my young self!

Class photo, 1986. This is where it started going bad. Just the bangs are layered here … but …

Ahhh! Then 1987 happened. Really short shorts, and really bad hair. It wasn’t my fault, I blame the 80s. I was an impressionable 12-year-old!

1988. I included this photo because the glasses are off, and the hair is wet!

Family vacation to Mammoth Caves in 1988. I was 13, my brother 9. Those jeans are two-tone, gray and blue. I’m sure they are cuffed and rolled. I’m glad I had a bershon example in my photo collection, but my parents still possess the best one.

1989, with newborn cousin. Trying to grow out the layers. I think it took a year and a half! No comment on the outfit. Those are matching pink shorts …

Much better, 10th grade school photo, 1990. The bangs are still a bit hair-sprayed, but it’s a big improvement!

My parents finally let me get contacts, and I got my braces off right before 10th grade started. For me, that was the start of high school, as we were in junior high from 7th-9th.

Too bad it wasn’t really a fresh start, everybody knew the old me.

Next week, we will revisit high school and college … stay tuned!