Mutiny

I've had a very productive couple of weeks! We finished painting the dining room (finally!), and I've knocked out a ton of little odd jobs that have been on my list for months (okay, years for some things). I've made some great leaps with my fitness--major improvements in strength and building muscle, in addition to finally getting my abs 98% of the way to the perfect six-pack I've been shooting for. And then my body decided to turn into a complete asshole, bringing my progress to a screeching halt.

I did my normal Weds. workout (abs!) and felt some lower back stiffness after but didn't think much of it. It's an intense workout, but one I do at least once a week.  I did not bump up my weights this week or make any changes to the routine.  I woke up Thurs. and realized I was in a lot of pain and couldn't move well. I've apparently done something very bad to my aponeurosis, and it's punishing me. I was not able to workout on Thurs. or Fri., and today I'm in pain, crabby, and determined to workout no matter what. I've been applying heat and ice (switched to ice alone, as my research last night indicated that was best), stretching, taking loads of Aleve, muscle relaxers, and even Vicodin (which I LOATHE), in an effort to restore my ability to move normally and be productive. No luck at all. Now I'm vascillating between anger and fear. This has to go away. I'm losing ground with my body, and I've worked far too hard to go backwards. I've decided that hell or high water, I'm going to do tonight's workout (pull muscles, mostly upper body), even if I have to pound my last 8 muscle relaxers to do so.

Monday we went to RBG to attend a surprise 15 year anniversary party for Mark. It's hard to believe he's been there that long!  It was very well attended, but in his typical spaz-workaholic fashion, he couldn't wait to get back to work. He didn't want to spend any more than his 15-minute break not working.  I think he managed to take a whole 25-30 minutes to socialize with the guests before he couldn't take it any more and had to start working again.

We are all really happy with the way the dining room turned out. The paint color is exactly what we were hoping for (gray/purple), and it complements my mother's day "wall of ravens" very nicely. I took down all of the other artwork that was in the d.r., because the style did not work with the ravens, and they are the focal point of the room.  Dej will be taking some of the art for her walls, so I'm happy they will be appreciated, and I can go visit and enjoy them at her house.

The front garden is peaking and is full of lilies and poppies.  There are certain flowers I will always have in my garden, because my grandma always had them in her garden, and lilies are one of those, as are poppies.

We've really enjoyed growing the greens this year (very easy!), and they've saved us a ton of money. I haven't had to buy greens for the critters for over a month now, which means we've saved approximately $50 (less the $10 or so for the seed packets).  There are still plenty of greens to harvest.  We've also been using our fresh herbs (basil, cilantro, parsley, thyme, etc.).  We're anxiously awaiting the tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, broccoli, and all the other food crops that are growing.  This year has gone so much better than last year with the drought!  .  The whole front and south side gardens are all cleaned up and mostly weed free (for now), and we are working on the back and the north side garden.

We enjoyed a great night out with friends, Julie, Marina, and Steve, last night at Pig Minds.  Of all of our trips there, we have never had one single bad experience, and always thoroughly enjoy the food, the service, and the beer.  It was perfect weather last night for eating out on their patio, which I especially enjoy, because there's always an adorable little ground squirrel out there keeping the ground clean.  The only thing that marred a perfect night with good friends and great food was the humiliation of having to walk around in public like an 80-year-old woman.

Tonight L is being picked up by a friend for a sleepover.  I'm a little shocked that 1) she has a friend who has her license and 2) that we are letting her ride with a teen driver.  This is probably the only teen I would trust enough to let my baby ride with. We've known K and her sister E, since they were 3 & 6.  They were our next-door neighbors.  These girls have always been exceptional--mature, kind, responsible--and have been very good friends to L. She's super excited to be doing something so independent and grown up.  She's growing up really fast!

I'm pretty sure things are about to really improve in our world.  I just got an email from my dear friend Philip, who I don't remember.  He needs me to help him get his $50 million from his bank, and he will split it with me.  How fortuitous that he was able to track me down through my university email and make such a generous offer.