Friday Night Connundrum

Here I am on my usual Friday night - relaxing at home with the cats. Boring, I know. But it's been a long week; a couple of late nights, interrupted sleep, a lot of emotional energy spent on the condo situation. So I need a night to just relax by myself.

I'm in the middle of a great book called The Bell by Iris Murdoch. Murdoch writes beautiful prose and captivating, dramatic stories but they are undoubtedly downers on the topic of relationships. I would, however, love to get a few pages in, the only problem is I'm sure I'll fall asleep if I start reading. Then I'll wake up at 9pm and be awake the rest of the night. Not a great way to start the weekend.

So I'm making some tea and might watch a little television or a movie and go to bed (for the whole night!) on the early side.

Tomorrow afternoon my dear friend Eileen is getting married in northern Maryland. I'll go up for the day but not stay overnight. I'm excited for her because I know that she's excited. Congratulations Eileen and Matt!

I signed the final contract for my condo, so everythig is ratified. The home inspection is Wednesday. Stay tuned...

Condo Update!

I am negotiating an offer on a fantastic condo on Capitol Hill. The building went up in 1800 as a convent and was completely renovated in 2005. It's a block and a half from the US Capitol and sits on an angle, so my unit has a view not only of the dome but also of the Washington Monument. Whoo for the Fourth of July!

It's a block from the metro and has 15-foot ceilings.

I really, really want this to go through. This unit is even better then the previous one I had an offer one (the private entrance/rosebush unit) - and the FHA spot approval that tripped us up last time shouldn't be an issue this time.

Now if only the seller would get back to me about the counter-offer....

Book Splurge!

It has been a while since I've blown a chunk of cash on books, and since Trover's on the Hill is going out of business, I thought I would take advantage of their sale and help them get rid of their inventory.

I got:

Les Miserables (Victor Hugo)
The Psychology of Love - Selected Essays (Sigmund Freud)
Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories (Bram Stoker)
Dangerous Liaisons (Choderlos de Laclos)
The Bell (Iris Murdoch)

So much for saving money by going to the library!!

I am keeping my cats up

I can tell they both really want to take a nap. But they have this thing about following me around. The three of us move around my tiny flat in a little pack. They always want to be near me... but right now I am kind of restless. I was watching TV and they were sleeping on the couch, then I went to the other room to work on a crossword and they both came and flopped down on the floor and fell asleep, now I am back in the living room and they are both here with me, trying to sleep on the floor by my feet.

Poor things. Poor, sleep-deprived kitties. Life must be so hard for them.

Minor Annoyances

I have been compiling a list of books I'd like to read, but for some reason I took my library card out of my wallet and haven't put it back. So I haven't been able to get to the library. Gah! I have nothing to read! Well, that's not true but I am bored with everything I have here. I want a novel. A long, engrossing, summertime novel.

My goal is to make sure I hit the library Thursday or Friday so I can read all weekend long.

Update

I guess I owe everyone an update. I have been on leave all week and it is GLORIOUS. I took off for southern Virginia for a few days and revelled in the complete lack of cell phone reception.

I spent all day yesterday on a sailboat, blissfully detached from the outside world.

All four parental or semi-parental units will be passing through town this weekend, which means a couple of free meals and drinks.

I am actually not dreading going back to work on Monday because, well, I like work.

So... all is well.

The Best Laid Plans

I always have plans on payday to make a huge, luxurious, spendy grocery trip, but somehow I freeze up when it comes time to really go nuts.

FOr example, this afternoon I really wanted to go nuts at the store and stock the fridge, freezer, and cupboards with all kinds of staples and goodies that I am usually too frugal to buy.

Well, I came away with this:

Spinach
Goat cheese
Two bottles of wine
Assorted olives
Frozen soybeans

All for a grand total of $30.16

Look out world... Diana's going craaazy!!!! ::sarcasm

Wow

Okay, so it's been a crazy and eventful weekend. I'm thankful for a (mostly) cool head in times of crisis and thankful for the emotional rock of a great friend who keeps me stable.

Did I mention that my Capitol Hill condo fell through? Well, it did. We couldn't get the seller to accept my financing. So, that is sad. But I have a good lead on another condo in Dupont Circle, which would also be a great location for me. I am trying to be patient with the process.

I have also been thinking a lot about the concept of "loving" a condo. You hear people talk this way when buying real estate. They'll say, "Don't buy a place unless you love it." Well.. does anyone really "fall in love" with a studio condo?

I am looking to invest my money in a small home in a fabulous urban neigborhood. But I don't necessarily expect to walk into a property and think it's my dream home. My dream home is not a studio or even a one-bedroom condo. But those are the homes that are available to me because I have made the conscious choice to live in the city, and in popular city neighborhoods.

So, I am slowly letting go of the idea of looking for a condo that I love and am focusing more on finding a good living space in a neighborhood that I love. That seems to make more sense to me.

Well, I'm off tonight to my first barbecue of the summer! Yay beer! And then I just have four days of work until I am off for a week - well, ten days if you consider both weekends and the July 3rd holiday. I can't believe how badly I need the break.

Condo fell through but my arms are getting hard!

So, my beloved Hill condo fell through. We don't have any more avenues to pursue it, so we withdrew our offer. Very sad, as the place had two features I am unlikely to find anywhere else: a private entrance, and private outdoor space.

I do, however, have a lead on a Dupont condo that is:

*bigger
*cheaper
*two blocks from my office

So, we will see.

In other news, my arms are getting ROCK. HARD. from all these kettlebell drills. I love it!

I don't think it looks ugly

Dramatic maybe, but not ugly.

Fuck 'em.

Condo Update

I just wrote a post about my condo but blogger had a publishing error. I'm not going to retype it. I don't have the energy. Instead, I'm going to bed.

Sorry.

Stuck

I should work out but I don't really feel like it.

I should go to the grocery store but I don't really feel like it.

I should write the second part of my journal article but I don't really feel like it.

TV is boring me.

The internet is boring me.

I darkened the color of my hair and it looks ugly.

I am sad. For no apparent reason. :-(

Great Run

I squeezed in a run between massive thunderstorms today and was richly rewarded for my risk! I took a longer and more strenuous route than I had intended, but it paid off. Winding through the park, I saw a beautiful deer, munching on some grass about two feet off the trail. I didn't see her until I was almost past her, but she saw me - just looked and calmly turned her head to watch me go by.

I ventured off the paved trail to follow a hilly and rocky off-shoot called the Western Ridge Trail, which ended at Pierce Mill Park, where I was headed. No running there - it was hands-and-knees climbing up the ravine wall for the most part! But the further I got into the woods, the less I could hear the cars. Really, I could have been in the Shenandoahs for all I knew... it was so quite and serene back there.

I took the long way up the huge hills leading back up to Connecticut Ave, exploring the embassy-lined side streets behind the Levine School of Music.

By the time I got home my legs were shaking but solid, like long, slender tree trunks. I was perfectly spent and ready to be productive, which I have been this evening, attempting to turn a conference presentation into a somewhat-compelling journal article. Wish me luck.

We Lost

After a long and noble playoff session, the Red Wings' hopes for a repeat of the Stanley Cup victory last year are officially over. It was a great matchup and both teams faced formidable opponents in each other. I'm proud of my team and am looking forward to a new season in October.

Part of me is thankful for the end of the season. Playoffs make me miserable. I'm miserable when we're winning and miserable when we're losing. I get anxious. I drink. I get grumpy. Being a true fan is emotionally draining.

Plus, now I can revolt against RCN's completely unconscionable rate hike and cancel my cable. I plan to use hulu.com and Netflix Instant for my TV viewing. All I need is an antenna to make sure I can get the local channels for news. That is first on my list of things to take care of next week.

Rethinking Yoga

I have not been attending yoga classes lately. There are several reasons for this, and for a while I was struggling with it, but suddenly I feel at peace.

My methods of achieving health and fitness have been shifting lately. Last year I was running a lot and eating a highly-structured, robotic diet. I felt okay, but it was punishing, complex, and not very much fun. Over the past few months, however, I have begun to let running go by the wayside in preparation for taking the summer off. I've been lifting weights and eating a much lighter yet more relaxed diet.

My yoga practice was at it's peak during my times of running, but it wasn't really serving a purpose. I wasn't improving. I wasn't having fun. The system of Ashtanga is not the right system for my body type, but I had developed a history with the studio, it was conveniently located, and I was in the habit of attending classes there.

I have realized, however, that my main reasons for attending the studio involved my instructors. I like my instructors a lot. I want their approval; I want them to view me as a dedicated, focused student. And so for a while there I was attending practice mostly so I wouldn't be seen as a slacker.

But, yoga is not cheap. And because I'm trying to buy a condo, I've been trimming costs where I can, and the savings are adding up. I've also realized that I need to stop caring so much about how others view me. My dedication to yoga is not seen through how many classes I attend per week. And if I have instructors who see it that way, well, they're the ones missing the point.

I feel healthy and strong and happy with the decisions that I've made. Yoga IS for me. I feel great when I'm doing it and it's had a tremendous influence on my life and my health - spiritual and physical. The system of Ashtanga specifically, maybe not so much, but that's a minor detail.

Once I move and get settled, I'd like to find another studio, local to my new home, and begin formal practice again. In the mean time, I practice at home in a way that enhances my life. Because my life is mine, and the beauty is that no one but me has to live with my decisions.

Random Observations

In the metro this morning, a young boy wearing a yarmulke speaking Hebrew with his mom. His mom pulled out a diet pepsi and began drinking it. Then the boy pulled out a bottle of water and began drinking it. Then he pulled out a bottle of chocolate milk, drank some, and offered it to his mom, who drank some. How many beverages do two people need to take the train in DC?

I finally got around to changing my cats' litter this evening. They must have been desperate, because Natasha went to pee and Elena tried to crawl in there with her. That was a scramble of yowls and claws and litter going everywhere. Good times.

My knee randomly hurts for no reason. It could be that I had poor squat form yesterday while doing weighted kettlebell squats because I was fatigued from running.

Holding Pattern

I am in a holding pattern. My condo purchase is in a holding pattern, my social life is in a holding pattern. And it's okay.

I am digging a slower pace of life lately. The condo search is stressful and emotional and right now I don't know if I'll get the one I love (isn't that the story of life?) and I won't know anything until June 24th. So I wait.

I have been exhausted lately but after a rejuvenating trip to Michigan feel much better. Taking control of my social life has helped. This week I'm pretty much staying in except for a session in Virginia on Wednesday night. Other than that I'm holing up for the hockey playoffs and focusing on my health.

Weight lifting has treated me well. My body is getting stronger.

Gratuitous photo: kayaking on Walnut Lake with my mom over Memorial Day weekend.

I can't wait for playoffs to be over

Because they make me miserable. I have eight strokes per game. GAH. Just get it over with, people!

Also, I want to cancel my cable. RCN raised my bill by about $20/month because of new charges, and that is just the "promotional rate." What with hulu.com and all the isntant-watch options on Netflix, there is really no reason to subscribe to cable anymore. I'll be taking care of that as soon as the Wings win the Cup (again).

Mint

You could say that I dig being organized. It's one of my hobbies. I probably share this quality with other high-performing, perfectionistic, uber-controlled over-achievers. Well, lately I have really been digging mint.com in that it adds a new level of neurosis to my finances.

Mint.com is free and safe. It basically coordinates all of your savings, checking, credit, loan, and investment accounts and provides myriad ways to graph, categorize, and track your spending.

I recently signed up and am hooked. I can panic over how my recent, decadent meal at Wolfgang Puck's Source restaurant put my "food and dining" spending over the top while still feeling smug that I spend about one-fifth on food and dining that other people in Washington, DC do.

Yep, I can compare my spending, by category, to others in my demographic (or at least in my geographic sphere).

It's fun! And as someone who (hopefully) will be paying a mortgage soon, I think it's worth the extra level of detail. That, and I never miss an opportunity to over-analyze any and every aspect of my life.

Weekend in Michigan

It has been a great weekend! The weather has been absolutely perfect - sunny and cool. We went bike riding (14 miles!), kayaking (my poor abs are sore), we watched the Wings massacre the Blackhawks 6-1, we drank prosecco and ate home-grilled burgers on the patio, we drank martinis on the Clinton River. I napped, slept in, and went to bed early.

This morning we're going to run the West Bloomfield Nature Trail before heading to the airport, where I'll be home early enough to have a very leisurely evening.