Just managed to force myself through the requisite 1,667 words that I need per day this month to meet my National Novel Writing Month goal. I am working on a novel idea that I've been outlining and fleshing out with ideas ever since last year's National Novel Writing Month was over, and it's an idea that I actually had about four years ago. I'm pretty excited, but today it was hard to concentrate and get the words out because I just feel so drained right now.

Shawn's grandfather died today, after a long battle with cancer. He was an amazing person, a veteran, and a man of great faith, so I know he is in a better place and reunited with his wife, who I know he missed immensely. I wish I had met her, and I am glad I got the chance to know him. He treated me like family from the first time he ever met me, in the first year of my relationship with Shawn. It was bittersweet and wonderful to have a grandfather again after so many years of missing my own. I think PawPaw and my grandpa would have gotten along famously. It is so strange to deal with the death of a loved one as an adult...I haven't lost anyone close since I was a kid.

We're both doing okay, still in a bit of shock even though it was expected. He's been sick a long time, and the recent decline happened fast and we knew he wasn't long for this world. I spent the afternoon getting together the work I have that needs to be done while I'm gone, talking with my teams to make sure that things will get done in my absence (not that I am particularly worried about that, my project teams are doing a great job right now...it is just the stuff I have to do myself that is stressing me out).

I had to drive all the way back to the office earlier tonight to retrieve my notebook full of notes and printouts on the project I plan on working on tomorrow--let's just say I was not very pleased about that. But I did stop at Old Navy to buy a few things...retail therapy never hurts, and the comfy sweatpants I have been coveting were on sale. I figure I will need something pajama-like that is fit for others to see (i.e. not full of holes and threadbare) and possibly suitable for the ride back from Beaumont. Six hours can get kind of uncomfortable even in an SUV.

I figure I should get to bed so I can get up tomorrow, get things ready to go, and do some work. Any happy thoughts you can send our way would be much appreciated...I think it's going to hit us pretty hard when we get down there. Rest in peace, PawPaw, we love you.

Things have been hectic lately...mostly because work was really getting to me for a bit. A couple of my clients are really demanding this time of year, because they pile on the projects that are all due right before Christmas. That makes for a really stressful holiday season, which I kind of resent. I love this time of year and when things get ridiculously unmanageable, I get pretty unhappy. Things seem to be settling in a bit, and having my team get a really successful start on a couple of projects and getting a couple of other things moving off my own plate have helped my mindset a little.

I think part of what I need right now is a creative jolt...I am just in the mood to create, and not stuff for work. I've been knitting a lot...I finally finished a project when I was sick a week or two ago, and now I'm working on finishing my first sock. It has been going really well, even though I'm in the middle of knitting back a few rows where I misread the pattern. For my first sock, I think it's more than a serviceable attempt! I take great pride from the fact that I am a really even knitter, and the tiny, perfect knit stitches on my sock make me really happy. Oh, order, how much I truly love you sometimes. I haven't worked on it much since Sunday but I will probably pick it back up more this weekend.

I seem to have made a new friend who has been encouraging the knitting...our neighbor C is really cool and we get along pretty great, I think. She and I have a mutual friend who we've both known for something like 15 years, so we knew OF each other, had met briefly in passing before, but never hung out until earlier this month. It just so happened that she moved into the property next door (also owned by my landlady) over the summer...a random coincidence (but a good one). We have a lot in common, which is nice. I always like finding a kindred spirit.

National Novel Writing Month is set to start on Sunday, and I'm still making up my mind on which project I want to undertake. I have a few story ideas ruminating but I am heavily leaning towards one that I've been working on in some form or fashion for quite a long time. I think it'll be nice to finally really dive into it and start getting the bones written out. I need to work some on my outline before then though...part of it feels very Hero's Journey to me and I kind of want to map all that out. I found that last year when I did very little planning it was extremely difficult to get 50,000 words of a story I didn't know out of my head and on to the screen. I managed it, but I ended up with a massive pile of crap I had no interest in ever finishing. I want to use NaNo as a fun way to sketch out a real, live project that might someday have a chance of being published. I love the community aspect of the whole thing and knowing that tons of other people are doing the same crazy, frantic writing thing in tandem with me. Plus it's just a good kick in the pants and a great way to establish the habit of writing every day, something that I have fallen out of practice with.

I am doing a lot of reading too...I just finished Charlaine Harris' latest Harper Connelly mystery (a long time coming, that book!) and it was a quick, fluffy read. I am about to dive into Cory Doctorow's latest and I'm also reading a volume of the collected works of Virginia Woolf. If nothing else it's all good inspiration to get off my own ass and get to writing!

I am so sleepy all of a sudden, after half a pot of tea and the soothing sounds of a quiet rain outside. I should probably get to sleep and stop surfing the Internets and adding stuff to my Amazon wishlist.

My short story "One Word" is up at Six Sentences today. Go read it and leave good comments here!

Six Sentences is this cool online literary magazine that accepts stories that are ONLY six sentences long. I am a long-time reader and I could NOT be more pleased to be included among the writers!

I have decided (randomly, like most of my decisions) that I want to drink more tea. I am not a huge tea drinker at the moment, because there are very few I have found that I like. I love chai, and I love anything herbal that tastes super fruity (like the Tazo Passion tea, especially when mixed half and half with lemonade!). I know there is a TON of different teas out there, so I figure it'll be a fun journey to find out what I like. A lot of what I am looking at is caffeine-free, which is a bonus since the caffeine gives me sad migraines. It'll just be nice to have another beverage choice that isn't water, caffeine-free diet soda, or the occasional juice.

Tonight I went to Teavana in Northpark after checking their teas out online. The salesgirl was SUPER helpful...I told her what I thought I was looking for, and what I *did* like, and she immediately started making recommendations. I tried one tea on the spot that I absolutely loved, and so I bought some of that (a green tea called Fruta Bomba) and an herbal tea (Honeybush Vanilla, which smells AMAZING). I got a tea ball since it's loose tea, so I can make a cup at a time if I want, or I can use the awesome cast iron teapot that Audra got me and Shawn for our wedding.

I think I might brew a cup after dinner is over...Shawn is making us something yummy.

Things have been...good, I guess? There has been some stress, there have been some good things. I guess it all just averages out to normal.

So, I got tested at the doctor, because the first thing they said when they looked at my symptoms was "Ooh, we need to check your thyroid." Surprisingly, it was 100% normal. I am not diabetic, my iron levels are fine, I am not anemic, etc. All very good news but just a little frustrating, since I just want to find the reason why I feel crappy. The next step is possibly a sleep study and some testing around fibromyalgia. I have been feeling a little better the last couple of weeks but still just kind of ache everywhere and want to fall asleep all the time.

Work is keeping me busy. Extracurricular work is keeping me busy too. I may not have shared this, but outside of my "real job" I am the Associate Editor for So New Publishing, which is a really small publishing house. Right now we're wrapping up a fiction contest where people submitted novellas. The winner gets a published version of their novella among other things. I've been reading through entries sorting things into maybe and no piles. The maybe pile has all the people I kind of like, and the no pile is pretty clear after only a few paragraphs, though I do make myself go through the whole thing. I have a few left to read, and then we can announce the winner. I am also an Assistant Fiction Editor at 42opus.com, an online literary magazine, and I went through all my August submissions last week.

It's always interesting to read other people's work, especially work that they consider publishable. It has not only been fun to do, but it has made me get over my fear of putting my work out there for possible rejection. This week I submitted two short stories to two different established online literary magazines, and one has already been accepted. :-) It goes up on Six Sentences (a really cool online mag that takes only stories written in exactly six sentences!) on September 9. I am a huge fan of that site (one of the 101 Best Sites for Writers according to Writer's Digest!) and very excited to have my own work up there.

Last night was kind of awesome...I won tickets to the Elvis Costello concert at Nokia Theater in Grand Prairie. I had NO idea he was coming into town, which is usually the way. I swear, I need to see if he has some kind of email newsletter or something. I have missed him probably the last 5 or 6 times he has been in town, not even knowing he was here until he was already gone. I *love* Elvis Costello, so the fact that I hadn't seen him live until last night was kind of a sore point. However, the Dallas Observer gave me two tickets and a parking pass. I took Kelly with me and we had a BLAST. Elvis was even better in person than I had anticipated, and I hold him in high enough regard that I had some pretty high expectations. He was promoting his newest album "Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane" which has a very country/roots rock/bluegrass feel to it. The backing band was AMAZING and I can say that I loved every single song they played.

He played a ton of new versions of stuff off his very first album, My Aim is True, which is my #1 desert island record. I was not expecting that so it was a very pleasant surprise. He played all but one of my favorites: Mystery Dance, Blame it on Cain, Alison (during which I kind of had trouble not crying at one point, not gonna lie...it is probably his best known song, which surprised me that he'd play it since I'm sure he is sick of it, but the arrangement with the band was sweet and gentle and I was just so HAPPY at that moment!), (Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes. If he had played Watching the Detectives I am pretty sure my head might have exploded.

He also played all my favorites from the new album as well. Not a ton of stuff from in between, but he did also play Everyday I Write the Book, which always makes me think of yaycoffee now and it's for a reason I can't even remember. LOL I am kind of kicking myself for not buying the concert poster, which was actually GORGEOUS (and it had a bird on it, which goes with my bird art obsession) but I didn't want to spend $15.00 on it. I hope I can find it on eBay.

I am excited for fall TV. Glee makes me so happy I cannot even explain it to other people. Maybe it's just because I have lived that (though show choir was not nearly so unpopular, and we didn't get to do totally awesome pop songs...we did dance like fiends though, no jazz squares for us!) and I know how great it feels being a part of a musical group like that when things just click and come together and it's so fun and sounds so good. I miss that a LOT. Seeing a great musician like Elvis Costello playing with a bunch of amazing guys who are so in tune and look like they are having the time of their lives made me miss that too. Nothing is as fun as being up on stage jamming out. I am trying to play guitar more and do some songwriting again because I miss those things. I need more music in my life that isn't on my iPod.

I have SO MUCH TO DO today and I am never going to get it all done...I will probably be up most of the night working. I have a stupid meeting tomorrow at 10 that is really interrupting my day. I will also be at the office late, I'm sure. I really really hate this week, but as long as I can get past Wednesday I'll be good to go.

Yesterday I threw a baby shower for my best friend, which went really well but also exhausted me. She got a lot of nice stuff for baby Noah, and there was a great spread of food (half of which seems to have come home with me. Mmmm leftovers). My feet were so swollen from standing up all day that I had to soak them in epsom salts last night. Hello, am I 60? I have such trouble with my feet and ankles swelling. I am thinking of getting the doctor to test me for hypothyroidism because I have a LOT of the symptoms of it, and it would explain the swelling. It would be nice to have an explanation of why I'm tired all the time and feel like someone has been beating me with a bag of hammers most days.

I am trying really hard not to be frustrated by everything right now. I can't wait for this next week to be over and it really hasn't even started yet.

This week I tackled the project of taking everything off my 500GB external hard drive so I could repartition it. I had split it in half, thinking I'd fill the first half with Time Machine backups and the second half with media. Um, wrong. The first half barely got full and the media half had 5.6 gigs free when I started copying over. Our iTunes folder is 92.2 gigs and our Video Library folder (which holds all the files that go to my Boxee installation on the AppleTV). The rest was the iPhoto library and random archived files from before I wiped and reinstalled the OS on the iBook. So, I decided to reformat it as one big partition since I never backup the iBook anyway. It took FOREVER to copy the files over and now it's ALMOST done copying them back. I just finished syncing my iPhone with music, because for some reason I only had a little on there. I think I started editing the contents and never finished. Going through our iTunes library has made me realize how very much it all needs to be tagged with the proper genre and any other tags that will help to sort and make Smart Playlists. Shawn has filled it with tons of metal crap that is just not my cup of tea. I want to be able to weed his stuff out when necessary, like streaming the music on the AppleTV while I clean, or during parties. It's essentially our stereo and it works great.

I have to make sure I have music on my iPhone because my beloved 3rd gen iPod nano seems to be having issues. It won't turn on at all. I thought the battery was just dead, so I plugged it in--nada. No happy chirpy charging noise, no nothing. I tried resetting it multiple times and also got no response. I am bummed, because that thing isn't even 2 years old yet and I baby it. Outside its case it looks brand spanking new! I don't know what could have happened to make it stop working. I have an appointment at the Genius Bar to see if they can figure out what's wrong. I am also bummed because I vastly prefer that design to the new iPod nanos. I want something to have for the gym and other times when I don't want to run down my iPhone battery, and I hate that the shuffle doesn't have a screen...so I may end up picking up a refurb 4th gen nano from Apple. They have the 8GB ones for only $99. Maybe this time I'll get purple.

I can't believe tomorrow is Friday already. I need another day or two before the weekend if I am going to get everything done. I am planning on waking up super early tomorrow so I can get into the office and try to get things done. I was pretty productive today, which is awesome. I have a ton to do tomorrow, which is not awesome. If I can just get through the beginning of next week I think I might start to breathe again.

Happy Caturday Eve!

I hate it when I post to a community and forget an LJ cut...and then can't edit it.  D'oh!!!

When you see this on your friends list, quote Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Spike: It's a big rock.  I can't wait to tell all my friends.  They don't have a rock this big!

So, berrylicious877 made me this icon based on a conversation we just had about my general distaste for mass market paperbacks. 

I used to have pretty much nothing BUT mass market paperbacks, but somewhere in between moving out of my parents' house, my reading tastes changing somewhat, and starting my book collection almost from the ground up, I stopped buying them.  I have a small pile of them still, but most of the books in the house that are that size belong to Shawn, since his video game spinoff books and books about orcs with laser guns are published in that size. 

My shelves are filled mostly with hardbacks and trade paperbacks, which I prefer to both hardbacks and small paperbacks.  I don't know why...I just do. 

But, I enjoy some authors enough that I will buy their books in pretty much any format.  Despite my dislike of mass market paperbacks, I purchased one today at Borders--Death's Daughter, the first solo novel by the lovely Amber Benson (from Buffy, etc.). 

My biggest fear is that someday I'll actually be published, but in tiny paperbacks.  Then I will feel like the BIGGEST HYPOCRITE EVER!

This week was a total whip.  I hate coming back to work after an extended vacation; it's just so hard to get back in the habit of going to bed early (as in not at 3 am) and getting up in time to go to the office.  I think I'm finally getting back to normal, though.

I have a handful of errands to run but absolutely no energy to do any of them.  I think I'm just going to stay in today, do laundry, and watch some stuff on the Apple TV.  I have to get this apartment in shape before we have people over for my birthday on Saturday.  It is close, just not there yet.

It's hard to be motivated to get up and do anything when you have a sweet kitty cat snuggled up next to you in your chair.  Coco likes to smush herself in the free space between your leg and the arm of the chair and just purrs and purrs.  It's pretty adorable.

I just got an Apple TV tonight, since Santa Claus brought me a bunch of Apple gift cards.

I installed Boxee on it, which lets me watch Hulu & tons of other Internet video, plus anything and everything I have downloaded to my computer.

It rocks my socks off.

I need to go to bed but I can't stop messing with it!

Just got back from the lake today.  I went out and ran some errands after we got home, since I had more Christmas returns.  Shawn had gotten me Pushing Daisies Season 1 for my Christmas stocking, but the in-laws had already gotten it for me, so back his copy went.  I picked up Gossip Girl Season 1 instead and also got Seasons 5 and 6 of Sex and the City to round out my collection.  They were only 8.99!  I love a good sale.  I also picked up a wrapping paper holder thing for 6 bucks to house all the random paper I got on sale this year.  I'm totally set for wrapping gifts for Christmas 2009.

Then I went to return the Coach bag that Shawn's dad & stepmom got me, because it was the same one his mom got me!  I ended up going to the outlet because I wanted to see if they had one of the bags I wanted, and lo and behold they had TWO!  And I got them for only $45 more than the credit I had from the return, which wasn't an expensive bag.  I got a red patent Ergo hobo that I have admired for a long time, and a brown Legacy leather bag.  I wanted the brown bag I got in gray (even though I really like it in brown) and they said they might get one in later in the week, so I'm keeping the tags on it and my receipt until then.  Both of them were the only ones of their kind left in the store, so I totally lucked out.  I was pretty happy with my awesome deals.  The Legacy bag was one I really wanted, but didn't ask for because it was just too expensive...needless to say it was a LOT less money than it would have been full price.

We're in the midst of a big time cleaning of the apartment.  It was such a wreck when we got home that we walked in and started cleaning pretty much immediately.  It is just so cluttered with all our new Christmas stuff and general mess that we didn't have time to take care of before we left.  It'll be nice and pretty soon though, and we'll be able to go back to work next week with clear consciences.  I plan on getting the slipcovers for our couch and chair this week (thank you, IKEA giftcard!) too, so I think it will look really nice in here.

Speaking of...time to go do more laundry!!

We are already so full of Christmas up to our eyebrows we're about to pop, but then we have yet more Christmas celebrating to do with Shawn's dad and stepmom.  We're leaving for the lake probably tonight and doing Christmas tomorrow with them and Shawn's brother & his girlfriend Lana.

Shawn and I opened gifts from each other on Tuesday night and had Chinese food.  Mmmm.  I got him lots of video games, an arcade-style fighting stick for his XBox, some DVDs and a book.  He got me some gorgeous knee high leather boots (which I've had since November), the second Astaire & Rogers DVD box set, some fancy socks from Sock Dreams, stuff from Lush, one of the Buffy comic trade paperbacks, and an Apple Store gift card.  

We spent Christmas Eve with my parents, where we got lots of cool stuff, including gift cards, various kitchen utensils, the yearly handmade ornament from my dad, and this really cool cut out wood portrait that he did from one of our engagement pictures.  I love when my dad makes stuff for me! 

Then we had Christmas Day with Shawn's mom, his brother & Lana, who spoiled us rotten.  I got the fountain pen I've been wanting, a Coach bag (which I have to exchange, because the one they gave her was all scratched up AND had a cut in the leather on the back, boo!!), some PJs, gift cards to the Apple Store, and other assorted goodies.  We got Shawn's mom a transmitter/charger for her iPod so she can listen to it in the car (we got her the iPod last Christmas) and she was SUPER excited.  I was happy for her to be happy...got it all set up in the car so she can just plug it in and turn the radio on. 

I have a ton to do before we leave (laundry, packing) but I really want to take a shower and go exchange my bag.  I am willing to brave the mall today, because it really can't be that much worse than it was when I went on Tuesday.  I thought I might not come out alive!  I think I'm going to get my stuff together and go out into the world.

( 2008 Survey )
In our two bedroom, vintage East Dallas apartment.

What was your status by Valentine's Day?
About to celebrate my first wedding anniversary with my sweet husband.

Were you in school (anytime this year)?
No.

Did you have to go to the hospital?
Yes, I had to go to the ER in September, as well as numerous trips to Medical City to see my doctor and have tests done.

Did you have any encounters with the police?
None, thankfully.

Where did you go on vacation?
Nowhere, unless Beaumont and Lake Palestine count.

What did you purchase that was over $500?
We bought two 16GB iPhones in August. That was a big chunk of change.

Did you know anybody who got married?
My cousin Nathan, my darling Mandy, and my long-time friend Keegan.

Did you know anybody who passed away?
This has been a hard year for death.

Did you move anywhere?
Thankfully no!

What sporting events did you attend?
I think we went to a couple of Stars games last year during playoffs.

What concerts/shows did you go to?
Eddie Izzard, Death Cab for Cutie, and I think a few other that are escaping me.

Where do you live now?
East Dallas, between the rich people and the 99 Cents Only store.

Describe your birthday?
We went bowling, then had everyone over for Guitar Hero, cake, and revelry.

What's the one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2008?
Give up caffeine. Manage to write 50,000 words. Come up with a plan for the novel I've been wanting to write for three years.

What has/have been your favorite moment(s)?
Our wedding anniversary, random moments at home, good times with friends.

What's something you learned about yourself?
I am stronger than I thought but also more afraid than I thought.

Any new additions to your family?
Shawn's cousin had a new little one this year.

What was your best month?
This actually hasn't been the best year...March, I guess.

What music will you remember 2008 by?
She & Him, Death Cab for Cutie, Iron & Wine, Jenny Lewis

Made new friends?
Some here and there, both online and off.

Any regrets?
That I let my health rule my life too much this year. That I didn't write enough or focus enough energy on my life outside of work.

What do you want to change in 2009?
I want to complete the novel I've started writing, get back in shape, finish decorating the apartment, get organized, and take control over my stupid health issues.

Overall, how would you rate this year? From 1-10?
6.

What would you change about 2008?
I'd have been more insistent that I get tested for various things and not taken shit from doctors.

Other than home, where did you spend most of your time?
Work.

Have any life changes in 2008?
I gave up caffeine, am back on asthma medication and feeling a lot better for it, and I do exercises every day to strengthen my back.

Change your hairstyle?
More bangs, back to a darker color.

Get a new job?
No.

How old did you turn this year?
28.

Do you have a New Year's resolution?
Too many to list here!

What was/were your favorite purchase[s]?
My Eee PC, new digital camera, and my iPhone.

Get married or divorced?
Status quo!

Get arrested?
Never.

Be honest - did you watch American Idol?
Absolutely not.

Did you get sick this year?
It's been kind of a constant thing this year.

Start a new hobby?
Embroidery (really re-started), knitting (still trying to get into it), decorating

Been snowboarding?
Never.

Are you happy to see 2008 go?
2008 was my first low year since 2003, so I am kind of happy to see it gone and start fresh.

Drank Starbucks in 2008?
A few times in the summer (I love the Tazo Iced Tea Lemonade) and once this winter. I'm not much of a Starbucks girl.

I can't believe it's only three weeks until my vacation! I am so so very excited. For the past couple of years, I've saved up most of my vacation days and taken two weeks off at the end of the year--the week of Christmas and the week after. The first year it sucked, because most of that was consumed with me moving into our apartment and doing wedding prep stuff. Last year it was awesome, except for my car getting broken into the very first night. This year, I'm voting for even more awesome, and definitely minus the car incident.

We had a pretty relaxing Turkey Day, except for the part where I spent the last two days writing my face off. That was relaxing, but also...not. I'm still really excited that I managed it, and I'm looking forward to starting the new project I have lined up for myself.

It's a story idea I've worked on for a few years now, but it just never felt like I was telling it quite right. I got the idea of how I wanted to rework it in the middle of National Novel Writing Month and kind of put it aside, and then yesterday I sat down and outlined pretty much the whole thing from beginning to end. I've never been able to do it that easily. So, this month and next will be devoted to working solely on that. When I've had some time and breathing room from my November novel, I'll go back and finish it, edit it, and probably rewrite it.

We got our Christmas stuff out of storage and will be putting up our tree soon. I can't wait. I thought it turned out pretty cute last year, as you can see here...



It'll be a bit different this year since we have another bookshelf back in that corner now. And the lampshade is now red. We need a tree skirt, and a topper for the tree, and of course our special ornament for the year. Last year we just couldn't find anything that went with the mostly bright, vintage style ornaments that we chose. We also need stocking holders so I can hang them from the bookshelf next to the tree! :-)

My back is a lot better now and I can finally go back to the gym, which I'm doing tomorrow. YAY! Let me just say I'm very grateful that my husband has great health insurance, because it was a godsend the past couple of months. Part of September and most of October was an endless stream of doctor's visits, an ER trip, countless x-rays, and two MRIs to try and find out what was wrong with me. I thought I was going to have to call House! They finally figured out I had a pinched nerve due to a herniated disc in my back, which was causing horrible swelling in my right leg to the point that it was hard to walk and very painful. I was really bummed that I had to miss out on the State Fair and other stuff because I just couldn't walk. I feel SO much better now and am glad there was an explanation for it after all the unanswered questions. I did a bunch of physical therapy that was 100% covered by the insurance...I maxed out my limit for the year though.

I think tonight is going to be a lazy night of dinner, Fringe, and maybe a little laundry if I can muster up the will.

I did it, I did it, I did it...I wrote over 50,000 words in one month and became a "winner" of National Novel Writing Month. I've tried to do this SO many other Novembers, but something else has always come up. This year I just felt really determined, and I made it. I almost gave up a couple of times due to sickness, general apathy regarding my story, and dwindling hope that I would get done before midnight tonight, but I persevered. How did I become a winner, you ask?

I wrote TWENTY THOUSAND WORDS this weekend. I wrote 10,000 yesterday, and a little over 10,000 today. My brain is kind of melty, my eyes hurt from looking at the monitor for too long, my wrists are sore from all the typing, and I am definitely going to take a little break from writing before I either pick this project back up to finish (I'm not even close to the end right now) or move on to the idea that I had to revamp and old National Novel Writing attempt. But I am damned impressed with my ability to put the pedal to the medal and crank those words out.

I won, and right now that's all that matters.

It's been a while since I updated my LJ...I've been super busy with a big project at work, which I am enjoying working on but at the same time it is consuming my soul a little bit. Thankfully phase 1 will be over by the end of this month, according to our schedule, so I can breathe again after that.

I've been dealing with yet another mystery ailment, this time with my right leg. It started about 3 weeks ago, and I ignored it at first because it just seemed swollen around my knee and that's my bad knee, which can act up. But pain and swelling spread pretty fast to my whole leg, and I ended up in the ER till 3 in the morning two weeks ago because my leg was so swollen and painful we were afraid I had a blood clot. I did NOT have a clot, but still didn't know what the problem was. I had an MRI on my knee and 4 x-rays that showed absolutely no problems in the knee at all. Plus, that's not where the pain really is...the knee only hurts when my whole leg swells up.

I went to a doctor last week that was convinced that it was all because of my knee, even though all testing shows that it's not, and then told me that he didn't really know what the problem was, and if it didn't get better he wanted to do arthroscopic surgery on my knee. 0_o I do not THINK so. He was horribly rude and acted like I was wasting his time. I went to him only because he's convenient (at Medical City, near my regular doctor) but I will not make that mistake again. I have never been talked to like that by a doctor (he was incredibly condescending and treated me like I was a child) and it totally threw me for a loop. It is a miracle I got out of that office without cutting a bitch.

I went to my old orthopedic guy yesterday all the way out in the western border town of Plano (Shawn's favorite joke) and he seems to be on the right track. I have been having back pain, and when my leg is really bad it hurts all the way up my thigh and into my lowest back area on that side. I didn't connect the two at all, but apparently the things that can cause this kind of issue are either vascular (which tests so far have ruled out) or due to a problem with a nerve. So the doctor thinks I have a pinched nerve, and I'm getting an MRI of my lower back today to find out.

Otherwise things are actually fairly good...I've been bummed that I haven't been able to go to the fair yet, and maybe Shawn and I can fix that tomorrow night or Saturday during the day. My 10-year high school reunion is on Saturday, but I'm not going. I kept up with the people I liked. I'm back on Weight Watchers again hardcore and have already lost 2 pounds this week. Fall TV is kind of consuming my free time though I'm not watching things fast enough for berrylicious877 and she's threatening to break up with me over it. The best news, though, is that it's only going to be 66 today in Dallas! Oh fall, I've missed you. Please stay. I'm wearing long sleeves and loving it!

So we've already had an eventful weekend and there's one more day of it! YAY!

I (sadly) saw my friend Jen and her husband for the last time for awhile on Friday, because they moved to Austin yesterday. This is just one more reason for us to go down and hang in Austin, which I'm OK with, but I will really miss them being 30 seconds away if all the lights were green. *sigh*

Yesterday was pretty awesome...I bummed around the house for awhile, went and got a mani/pedi, and then Shawn and I went to dinner at PF Chang's. We were going to go to see The Dark Knight, but the next showing wasn't until almost 11 (it was about 8:30 at this point). We were all set to get our new iPhones this morning, since our contract with T-Mobile was set to run out today, but we couldn't resist running past the NorthPark Apple Store on our way around the mall from the restaurant to the movie theater. They were, of course, out of iPhones. Then we find out the movie isn't until way later, so we decide to just go home...but not before stopping at the AT&T store just to *see* if they had any in stock. Lo and behold, they did! It was actually good that we stopped there to get them instead of the Apple Store, because our contract wouldn't really be over with T-Mobile until midnight tonight, and so since tomorrow is a holiday, we couldn't port our numbers over until Tuesday. We have temporary numbers on our SIM cards until then, and the porting should take about 10 minutes over the phone on Tuesday.

Needless to say, we were pretty excited about getting our iPhones at last--we raced home to set them up and spent hours customizing and playing with them. I was bummed to find out that mine had 3 dead pixels, so I decided to exchange it at the Apple Store near our place this morning. Apple has a one-pixel exchange policy on their iPhones and iPods (one dead pixel = defect) so I wanted to exchange mine for one with no issues. So we made an appointment at the Genius Bar, ate lunch at Wild About Harry's next door, and then got my iPhone exchanged with a new one. We bought cases, then headed over to Fry's to replace our dead external hard drive. Now I'm just setting up my iPhone again and setting up our drive.

Nerd heaven weekend!