The Monday with the Mostest

[Harriet]

LisaB, I hope you have a wonderful birthday. We miss seeing you around here!

Skippable rant
That friend of HRH's who flies in and stays for 4 days or so holding seminars for his work, called today at 7 p.m. to tell that he would be flying in tomorrow and would plan on driving over here by 4 p.m. So, about 20 hours notice. I told HRH I was leaving him tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. It just gets on my last nerve - my home becomes this guy's home away from home for 4 days from mid-afternoon to evening, usually later than dd should be in bed for school, and certainly 6 hours a day. It happens on HIS schedule. He makes significant money to make this trip - I make zero to host him. Every single evening there's a reason I'll wish he wasn't here - company already invited for Friday, needing to do my hair Wednesday evening in time to have hair dry-ish and be asleep by 10, etc. (I'm just realizing I'll probably have to do that early in the day Thursday because if I do it while he's here I'll feel uncomfortable.) PLUS it is mid-terms this week and dd needs study time in a quiet house and an early bedtime every night. My usual exercise time is evening, and the bedroom DVD player is loaned right now, so I either change my schedule or give that up.

If he came one evening, he would be an interesting guest and I might look forward to conversation and visiting. But this business of day after day of him coming in with an attitude of making himself at home for the duration is just frustrating. I'm not comfortable with him - it's not like he's one of my children. HRH is keenly aware of my displeasure and I'm sure he'll try to come up with activities, but it also bugs me that his schedule is disrupted.

BookSaver, I hope you can enjoy the sewing and giving, and not feel the deadline!

Sunny, we also find that family drops in on the weekends (this past weekend, dsecondmil and dstepd), so Monday is a good day for reclaiming the house.

I've spent all my tracked time in the master bathroom today.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Back from school. It felt like -17F coming home although it might have been worse than that. It certainly felt colder and that mile felt very long.

On the way from the school to the transit station I walked with my friend but the wind was at our back so didn't feel as cold. I turn north at the transit station so came inside it and bundled up even more, pulling up my Buff (a tube of material) over my mouth and nose and pulling down the forehead flap on my hat. My Buff was also over my head so it looked like I had a burka headpiece on with a Tilley hat overtop of it. I had to take off my glasses so was also walking almost blind.

The wind had drifted the snow over the path so I was thankful I had my poles for balance and I inched along as fast as I could but carefully since I could only see clearly 4' ahead. Where the path was drifted over this made things interesting since I couldn't see far enough ahead to plot a direct line between where I was and where the path re-emerged.

I cut into the fancy apartment complex closer to the transit station since they were fully plowed. Got down to one block away from home and realized I had to go back to the unplowed path because the snowbank removal machines were working on the sidewalk along the road. I couldn't see well enough to traverse that safely (i.e. I couldn't actually tell which end of the vehicle was the front!)

I made it home safely but slightly frozen. My fingers were cold because they had to hold the poles. My thighs were freezing because they had only 1 layer of material, jeans. My face was cold but not frozen. I'm warming up now with a cup of decaf tea.

Class was interesting. Both require reading (they aren't supposed to.) The first (Scoundrels of the Bible) I'm totally excited about, the lecturer is an American Baptist preacher and she has a fun accent and is a complete hoot. For her class, we are given scripture to at least or we can do exegesis on the passage if we wish.

The second class (Reformation) is incredibly dry. And the teacher ran way over. He's a Presbyterian minister and boring. Loves the topic but is not very animated or engaging. He'd like us to read several biographies. When I got home I checked my library and I happen to own the first book, so I can start the reading tomorrow.

The school itself is moving next summer to a Dominican University College. Won't be able to walk. Busing will work, but there's parking for free so I'll probably drive. If I attend at all.

(((Harriet))) Can you just stay in your bedroom for the evening and just not come out once you've gone in to work on your hair? You could explain you have a project you are working on that needs your complete attention so you are glad he's there to keep HRH company.

[lucylee]

Kathryn is right, Harriet -- just do your thing -- at least for ONE night -- make your apologies and stay in the bedroom while your hair color does its thing and you do yours. Read... ignore the men... good message to your dh AND his dfriend that EVERYONE'S life does NOT just STOP for this self-invited guest. I would feel exactly as you do about the whole thing. DH here has cousins who used to invite themselves... they always tried to be nice about it and make "sure" they weren't imposing... but you know, whether they were or they weren't, it was hard to SAY SO once they asked to come on such-and-such a day(s). Now that their children are grown and living on opposite coasts, they are much less likely to vacation here in Tiny Town, though. Sorry no solution like that appears to be in your future w/this guest.
And btw, dd DEFINITELY has the right to beg off from long visits w/the guest. She certainly needs her time to study and sleep!

We did our Wmart run today... plus drug store, got print-out of med expenses for 2014.
I also have other ta-da's:
-- did 3 loads of laundry
-- s/s both bathrooms and kitchen (after supper)
-- did 15 minutes in bedroom zone (decluttering magazines and straightening my nightstand, which was a HORRIBLE mess)
-- walked away the pounds 15 minutes
-- made those two phone calls I mentioned earlier
-- paid two bills while we were out
So. Not a bad day. Maybe not the MOST-EST I could have done, but a good start.
I would be really proud of myself if I could establish a good habit of 15 minutes exercise and 15 minutes zone every day. That would be a HUGE improvement.

Happy birthday, LisaB!!!

(((Moses)))

Wanted to say WTG to Wayne for his refusal to let you clean the bathrooms, Cathy! * sheesh * How I wish dh here would take that attitude. Good gracious. I can see that he is making an effort to be more helpful, but his efforts leave much to be desired.

[lucylee]

I forgot to tell y'all about the movie last night.
The Imitation Game --
It was VERY good; very interesting and had some unexpected plot twists (for me at least). Just a very, very good movie.
Now... the bad part.
Just as we started down the hall of the multi-plex to our theater... I saw a MOUSE running down the baseboard of the hallway, right toward our theater. EEEEKKK!!! Y'all know I am terrified of mice! Oh my goodness... it wouldn't have bothered me one bit more if it had been a snake. Dh tried to chase it back the way it came, and it made a couple runs back and forth.
A boy standing there -- waiting on the rest of his group to come out of the theater -- went to tell someone, but OOOHHH NOOOO -- as his group came OUT, the mouse went in.
Finally, some workers did come and turned on all the lights in there and after a while, they came out and one told me he had caught it and released it out the back door. I told him I had told those people I was not going to be able to sit in that theater until I saw that mouse DEAD. He said he just couldn't bring himself to kill it, but he PROMISED it was deposited outdoors. * sheesh *
We went on and saw the movie, but I kept my feet propped up through the entire thing.
This is a very, very nice theater, one of the newest ones around, and we were very surprised to see that.
I emailed the company headquarters and complained, but that probably did nothing but made me feel better for letting off steam.
I told them I knew a mouse in a theater was probably not an uncommon thing, but in 50+ years of watching movies, and currently seeing probably 60-70 movies a YEAR, I had NEVER actually SEEN a mouse in any theater, and to please check the health dept ratings and pest control policies at this location.
Ugh.
I should contact the news people who do the health dept ratings, maybe...

[FelineFriend]

The Ducks LOST! Oh, well! There is always next year, right!?!?

I felt better today, didn't turn on the laptop until around 9 p.m. or later. Did 3 LOL today, sorted/purged, walked 30 minutes, and did light housework. I'm nearly done with DGD's first dress and it's so adorable! My BFF sent me a gift card to Walmart, DH gave me $50, so I'll have $75 to play with. DH, who boasts year after year, how he never gets sick- IS SICK WITH MY VIRUS! He "does" get sick after all! But he keeps saying, "But I'm FIGHTING IT OFF! I'm not REALLY sick!" We'll see if it takes him a full week to recover, like it did me.

Have a GR8 night and Terrific Tuesday, too!

[Elizabeth]

I'm up too late as usual. The kitchen is done, thank you notes are done, and one of two letters is done. I have also found a shawl pattern to make for the youth group auction. It will be due on 4 Feb, but I have 2 hours on the train most days. Tomorrow, I have to take my car to work instead, because I need to get back in time to get a car key made. It has a chip in it, so I have to get it done at the dealer. The keymaster leaves at 6 pm, and if I took the train, I could not get there until 630. Things I still need to do: feed cats (catboxes are done), fix tomorrow's breakfast (lunch is done). I have boatloads of stuff to do for the church and animal org tomorrow, both on a deadline. However, that is also Girls' Night Out with DD12, so it looks like another late night tomorrow too.

Must resist computer scrabble! Must resist computer scrabble!

Good night. I am turning the computer OFF, so I don't play computer scrabble.