This Week I . . .

. . . had my final dance lesson. Last summer in Hawaii I went to a great club and figured out within about three seconds that every person there was having more fun in life than I have ever had. (Except for those four years in Bible college - that was really fun.) It took me months to work up the courage to call for lessons, but I finally started ballroom and Latin lessons last month. (Won't exactly help me at Hula's, but the idea was to do something out of my comfort zone and build my confidence.) It was more fun that I even thought it would be and I plan to continue once I have regular income.

. . . realized after days of wearing multiple layers and shivering all the time that I've had the heat in my house set at a balmy 50*. I have been attempting to keep it set low to save cash, but I thought I was keeping it at 60*. When I finally got fed up and went to turn it higher, I noticed the current temperature in the house was 56*. This type of thing is classic LSL, by the way. Detailed to an absolute fault and then suddenly screwing up something basic.

. . . saw the You Park Like an Asshole link on Bren's blog and have been searching for assholes ever since. It kind of makes me happy. Bren has all the good links.

. . . decided to take a break from my (so far very effective) diet for just one meal. I got Chili's take out and ate every morsel of a Caribbean Chicken Salad and Southwestern Egg Rolls appetizer for dinner last night. Bliss. And then this morning I had two Krispy Kremes for breakfast. And then tonight I had instant Cheeseburger Helper and marshmallows for dinner. It's a slippery slope, isn't it? Help.

. . . visited Target every single day. I think I'm suffering from some kind of cross between hoarding disease and The Japan Syndrome. If I see something I might someday need, I have to buy it just in case I happen to be living out of the country when I need it. As I've been back in the US for seven months and have no plans of living overseas again anytime soon, I hope this dies down quickly.

. . . put "Hate Me" by Blue October and "All The Same" by Sick Puppies on repeat on iTunes until I was hearing them in my sleep. There's something about great music at the exact right time, isn't there?

. . . got matched with a weird 51 year-old on (the very homophobic but what am I supposed to do until the straights get something as non-meat-market-y as Lovetastic?) eHarmony. Granted, my work schedule while living in Japan was not kind to this 35 year-old, but I still don't look a day over 38. This should actually be an entire post unto itself . . . this first foray into Internet dating has been nothing short of chilling. I might need (more) therapy to get over it.

. . . saw a bumper sticker that said, "Spread joy-germs. They're contagious!" that immediately put me in a bad mood.

. . . fought with Sears over my new elliptical machine. Please just get the damn thing assembled so I can start working off the Southwestern Egg Rolls.

. . . put together a new bed frame and cursed the gods that I don't have someone muscular around to help with those kinds of things. I bruised my forehead trying to hold the @*#&$^% headboard in place while putting the screws in. There was lots of swearing and perhaps the tiniest bit of crying.

. . . had a terrible dream that GWB is planning on sending more troops to die in Iraq despite national bipartisan opposition and what seemed to be a clear message in the November election that the people he is supposed to be responsible to want a different course of action. Scary!

Here's hoping for better things next week!