Calmer breathing up north

We are in North Idaho now and I love it here. It, meaning everything. Is better here. It is.
Yesterday's dinner, drinks and catching up with friends... Today's hike along Lake Pend Orielle.
A birthday dinner.
A walk with the dog.
I find it easier to breath.
And in just a few short days we're leaving here to go home. It's only slowly starting to sink in.
That I am going home.
Some things are hard, few things are perfect.
But for now, this is all. We're here at his home
and we're going home to my home.

He took one for the team

You know how if you look at something for too long, rewrite and reword the same document over and over.... it eventually becomes impossible to tell whether or not it would actually make sense to an outsider.
Solution?
Have one committee member show up to the a.m. meeting hungover as all hell. Cross eyed and delirious, chugging coffee and fighting the shakes.
Then have him read through the draft.
He will tell you whether or not it's clear and to the point.
If he gets it, they will all get it.
Brilliant.

You take what you get

I said it before and I'll say it again, I wish we had a patio, a backyard you could hang out in, a front porch... something like that, for summer hang outs.
But we don't.
Still, last night we sat out on the front steps, with a friend and a neighbor, on a collection of lawn chairs, real chairs and fold up chairs, and sipped wine flips as the sun sunk behind the trains.
And it felt like a slightly greyer and grittier version of the patio summer evenings of my dreams.
Good times still, though.
Since D got per diem for all of yesterday, we ate out for both lunch and dinner.
Wouldn't want to waste a free meal now would we?

And finally..

I have a really weird crampy sensation...right under my heart, above the ribs. Like my heart fell down a little bit and had a tiny attack.
I will probably survive.
Ok, that's all.
Really.
Promise.

Really important information here

First of all, the clothes did fit. Pretty much. They pretty much did fit ok... sort of.
I bought them.
It's all good.

Second of all, here's something that truly bugs me... and that I've been forced to hear a lot of lately. Women (although I'm sure men do it too, but it seems to be mostly women) who obsess over calories, workouts and diets and force other people to be part of it.

Example 1:
Going Away dinner party. Great food, drinks, games and conversations. Amazing chocolate cake for dessert. Rich, delicious.
Girl: Oh my gosh, I really shouldn't be eating this (keeps eating). I mean look at this (grabs another piece) this will like go straight to my thighs... oh my gosh, this is like soooooo bad.

Well then. Don't eat it. You either eat it, or you don't. And feel about it as you please, but keep it to yourself and stop trying to make everyone else feel bad about enjoying the cake. We all know it's cake, pretty sure nobody thinks they're chewing on a granola bar here... and if only you got your head out of your ass you'd see there are girls heavier than you trying to kill you with their stares right now.

Example 2:
Lady walks in with a tray of muffins to a morning meeting.
- These are my treat, y'all help yourselves now!
Then turns to the corner where most of the women are sitting and lowers her voice: I would personally not eat a whole one, us ladies should probably try to split them.... they are really fattening and bad for you, total diet busters, so watch out girls!
One guy at three muffins, lady didn't even blink. I ate one, a whole one.... and it did not go unnoticed.

Same lady, at a working lunch a few days later kept asking me about every single item on the menu, whether I thought it was heavy on the calories or would be a good choice, and then told me, when I ordered ranch dressing with my meal "you know they have lighter options....ranch really isn't your best choice, there"

Well fuck, it's my choice right. I finally had to to straight up ask her if she thought I needed to lose weight. It was great, she was all shocked "You? Why no, of course not! Oh my gosh, you're like soooo healthy!"
Ok. Cool, then stay out of my ranch please.

What's standard procedure for stuff like this anyways?

Saw a post on Craigslist where this girl was selling two pairs of cute shorts and two pairs of (also cute) capris, all for just $25.... so I texted her and now she's driving over to campus so I can try the stuff on.
God I hope it fits cause I really don't want to have her drive home empty handed..... and I also don't want to pay $25 for clothes that don't fit.
But watch me, I just might.

Why is that..

If you dress up and then spill on yourself, you end up looking more trashy than had you not bothered putting on that skirt in the first place.
Stains on whatever-type-pants are not a big deal.
Stains on an I-see-you're-trying-today type of outfit.... goshdarnit.
There is nobody in my office today and I'm still tempted to go home and change.
I mean, I won't. Or anything. Just saying.

Ooops

Oh yeah, FYI dear office space people... Swedish radio does not bleep out certain words you might expect radio to bleep out, words you would not hear on US radio.
We don't censor anything.
And I don't mean offend anyone or anything...
I just happened to leave the office to go use the bathroom right when the F-bombs starting flying.
Sorry.
But also, I'm sure you've heard all that before.

Moder Svea

Yep, it's the Swedish National Day today.
Idahoans all over are super aware and the celebrations know no limits.... not.
I did inform the people in my office, though, to make sure they didn't just go about this day like any other old day. Stephanie goes:
"So it's like 4th of July in Sweden right now?"
Yeah.... kind of, except it's June 6th.

Big Brother

It freaks me out how every website I go to advertises for the same running shoes, night creams and mineral powder I always buy from Amazon.
Stop stalking me internets!

Buckets of balls

My second time, ever, at the Clear Lake Golf Course yesterday. Last time I did only the driving range. Yesterday uncle Larry made me hit a few out on the freeway (is that what that is called...? I don't know, like out on the real course) and I totally sucked.
I got to get a lot more buckets of balls under my belt before I'm ready for the real thing.
I'm a decent putter. Actually. Lots of games of miniature golf has helped with that.
The thing with playing the real game is... I have a real hard time combining precision and force, I like to go one way or the other.