Blogging Backwards

It seems I do have things to blog about from time to time and I even think about writing a few of them down so that I can do the easy-out bullets. But I never get past that thinking-about stage until the next thing I know, it's been a month and I'm trying to remember what I was going to say and I can't think of a thing other than all the Crazy in My Head and that just doesn't seem to be the sort of thing to start with. So backwards or non-linear or jumping around, here we go.


I have my brackets done for the NCAA tournament. If you've been around here a while, you know I love me some college basketball. My beloved Spartans began the season with a school record 9-0 conference opening and then they just fell apart. I’m in an office pool (said to be responsible for nationwide plummeting productivity) that I’ve actually won or placed in a couple of times. But pretty much my only criteria for the pool is coming out ahead of Chris.

Just for the heck of it, I googled myself to see what came up and was more than a little freaked out that a link came up to an old Flikr account I made years ago that contained a link to this very blog. Can you say Yikes? It isn’t as though I’m naïve enough to think the internet is anonymous but I don’t want it to be that easy for anyone to find it, either. I went back and changed privacy preferences but it makes me wonder who’s lurked here before. I know it shouldn’t matter but it does. And I also know that if that particular door was open, there are probably others, too. I’m not sure I care enough to change the blog but I’ve led this double life for so long, I’m not prepared to completely out myself just yet.

I'm working on a something crafty that has an Easter theme and I've cracked a dozen and a half eggs so far. I see quiche and frittata in my future for quite some time to come.

I saw Pam last night for the first time in a long time. If you recall, she moved almost 4 hours away, back in December. We met at Weber’s in Ann Arbor, just like old times, and even enjoyed a beverage. They have some ridiculous specials on Mondays and I had an enormous bowl of mussels for less than three bucks. They also have a free hot-bar during happy hour which is one of the best-kept former secrets you could hope for when looking for cheap eats. And it’s actually really good, too.

It’s very bittersweet for me to be in Ann Arbor since it always used to mean going to the baby doc. I can’t even type that without my breath catching in my throat. Even walking in to Whole Foods yesterday (uhh yeah, some things just don’t change) felt like I should’ve just come from seeing him. I don’t think those associations will ever be totally gone. I need to write more about this but not today.

I’m getting the itch to plant things. I know it’s too early but I’ve taken it a step further and ordered some tomato seeds. I haven’t started from seed since I can remember and I don’t think I’ve ever done it totally on my own. The seeds I ordered are “iffy” at best because they’re considered heirloom and so they might not even come up but I wanted to try. If they don’t, I’ll have wasted little other than the grow light I want to look at this weekend. I hope my neighbors think something scandalous like I’m growing pot or something.

I had heard of them before but didn’t try them until a few months ago and now I’m both hooked and spoiled as these little beauties are absolutely delicious, for something that comes out of a can.

I am obsessed with Indi’s sister (her name is Missi) who lives across the street from me. A couple of months ago, I happened to notice out my front window that Missi was off her leash and wandering around her front yard. It was just after 6 a.m., and there was a couple feet of snow on the ground. I got up and looked over to see if one of her humans was just (irresponsibly) letting her out in the morning off leash but there was no one around. I was standing at my front door in my bathrobe as I watched her slowly wander down her driveway, her nose leading the way, as she kept wandering further and further from her house. When she slowly crossed the street, I ran upstairs and got some clothes on, shoved my bare feet in my tennis shoes and threw a leash on Indi. When I got outside, there was no sign of her and so Indi and I walked up to our corner and I started quietly calling Missi’s name. I struggled to cross the street because of all the snow at the curb and the snow instantly went into my shoe. We went about half a block and then out of nowhere, Missi came running up to see Indi. I’ve played this rescue game before and I know she won’t come to me but she comes to her sister every time.

So even though I’ve played the game before, I quickly realized I’d failed to bring an extra leash and Missi wasn’t enthralled enough with Indi’s presence to walk alongside us so I struggled to pick Missi up (easily smaller than Indi but still a handful to be carrying) and struggled even more to walk in now-wet shoes with one dog wiggling in my arms and another dog trying to jump up to the wiggling dog and not one bit happy that I was carrying her sister and limiting her access.

I finally get the 3 of us back to my house and had to set Missi down just inside the door for a second while I switched the leash from Indi to Missi. Then I closed the door and headed across the street. For the record, that is the moment I wish I could do over. But I trudged back through the snow and knocked on the neighbor’s door and one of the kids answered. When I told her I’d found Missi half a block away, she started to scold the dog and muttered, “thanks” and closed the door.

It was then that I started thinking I should’ve just put Missi in the house. I mean I wouldn’t have kept her forever. I probably wouldn’t have kept her forever. But I could’ve had a really fun day with both sisters in the house together all day. The people didn’t even know she was gone yet and if they had gotten a clue, I think a little fear might’ve been a good thing. I could’ve at least kept them for the day. Hindsight. Stupid, too-late hindsight.

There have been two other instances since then when I seriously considered just going over and getting her. It was only the few remaining shreds of common sense and Chris’ constantly telling me, even kindly, “You can’t,” that stopped me. But something tells me that it isn’t going to stop me forever, just up to this point. The Make Missi Mine plan is just getting started.