All talk

Okay, Bob was nice enough to call me out on the fact that when I pledged to be a better blogger, I was clearly just talking sh*t :) I'm sorry!!!!! I know it's cliche to say I can't seem to find the time, but lately I actually can't!

Take, for instance, today. Today I'm at work on a Saturday. After work I have to go check in on my coworker's new baby kittens, do some laundry, try to get in a little fresh air and exercise, and then fall into bed. Tomorrow our day is filled with social obligations. Next week Hubs goes out of town for a conference and before he leaves I'll see him for about an hour each on Monday and Tuesday night and that's it. Then he gets back on Saturday and on Sunday morning I fly out to meet my family in Nags Head North Carolina for a week at the beach. On Wednesday Hubs will join me there, and we'll fly home together on Saturday.

And then it will start all over again. And by it, I mean The Busy that we can't seem to get away from.

My job is very hectic and fast-paced, and the proverbial honeymoon is SO over. There are parts of it I love, and parts of it I don't love. The commute is a 45-minutes-on-a-good-day nightmare. My dreams of working from home by December are still alive but not well; in fact they're barely producing a pulse given the spike in the sudden interest shown by the more senior members of the staff. There's a chance I could still be competitive for a slot, but the odds were more in my favor when everyone and their brother wasn't vying for the opportunity. The pressure's definitely on, because working from home would fit much better with my plans. Specifically my plans not to sit in rush hour traffic for two hours a day.

What else? I've found a new branch of my gym which I love, and that makes me very happy. It's got a pool, a hot tub, a steam room, a bathing suit ringer-outter *and* plastic bags to transport your wet suit home in!, and a cafe that has yummy smoothies. I still miss the Sports Club in Boston, but this is by far the most comparable replacement I've been able to pin down. Even better, it's very close to home and conveniently located near lots of great shops. The end result is that I swing by there after work most days and float back home on a cloud of chlorine and calm. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. On Wednesdays Hubs even swims with me, just like old times.

My thumb is now down to only a bandaid for protection on most days, and of course a thumb condom when I swim. I baby it, but it's still not 'normal' skin where the stitches were. It's kind of gruesome looking, and the realization has definitely sunk in that it will forever be a deformity that I need to integrate into my personal 'character'.

And who couldn't benefit from a little more character?

In other health related news, early this past week Hubs was diagnosed with strep throat. I've been doing all I can to keep from contracting it. I seem to have a sore throat daily, but I also seem to talk for eight hours a day, so I figure that's just as likely the culprit. I figured I'd be less inclined to talk on my time off since my jobs requires me to interact with people all day long (even more than my last job, despite the fact I initially swore I'd get a less people-oriented job this time around). I find the opposite is true. It's like now I can't shut up. I talk to everyone everywhere, just because I'm in the habit.

As for what's left of our summer, Hubs and I have a laundry list of home-improvement projects we'd wanted to have done by September, but as of today we've made little progress. I think we were a bit too ambitious when we put together our to-do list.

Hero's enjoying his summer too, but this week we've had a few issues with him that I don't even want to talk about because it makes my left eye twitch. Yesterday I picked him up from day camp and looked at his report card as Hero came bounding around the corner, choking as he was being led by one of their unsuspecting attendants. I remarked to the camp counselor behind the counter, "Oh! He was in with the big dogs today?" She looked at me warily and replied, "Yes, ma'am. Your dog is too energetic for the little dogs."

I can read between the lines, lady. Trust me, I know from his energy. No need for the attempt at subtilty.