How I feel

Sorry to leave that post up for so long. Not exactly a warm and cheery greeting when you come here.

I haven't posted in a while because I fell out of the habit. Because I haven't been sure what to say. Because there is a lot to say, and nothing to say, at the same time.

My grandma is dying. My grandpa is... hanging in there, though he's not all there, you know? I drove over to see them over Veteran's Day weekend in a visit which was simultaneously too short and too long.

I developed a cold on Thursday afternoon, and spent Friday home on the couch. We had wonderful houseguests for the weekend. They were here for the annual rivalry football game. We had a lovely visit.

Thanksgiving is in two days, and we've been whipsawed back and forth about the plans. First we're hosting, then we're going to grandmas, then we're hosting, now we're going to my parents. Someone just make a damn plan and stick with it.

I seem to have become pretty crabby and morose as the days have gotten shorter. I'm short tempered, quick to say something biting, crabby, petulant. And this cold has kept me from the gym, my usual coping mechanism. So now I feel grumpy, crabby and fat.

Dusty's brother finally got engaged, and I'm so happy. For them, of course, but for me too. As Brian seemed to drag his feet, I started to worry about how I'd keep his girlfriend as a friend if they broke up. So yes, I'm selfish even in that aspect.

I mentioned to Dusty last night that between Veterans Day and New Years Day is hard for me. Lots to do, and sometimes nothing to do, all at once. Short days, snowy weather, the stress of holiday shopping, etc.

Man, this cold needs to clear so I can get back to the gym!

Sunday night insomnia

I've struggled with insomnia all spring. About once every three weeks I'd wake up in the middle of the night and be up for two or three hours. I'd rather get up and work on whatever is bothering me than toss and turn in bed.
The middle of the night insomnia has abated, somewhat. But in its place is a trouble falling asleep on Sunday nights.

I'm not sure what's going on. My stress levels have greatly reduced since early this spring. I'm eating well (if too much), and making sure I get exercise on Sundays. I usually read until my eyes are droopy.

Then I lay there and think over the things I've got going this week. Or some kind of landscaping or decorating improvement I want to make to our house or my parents lake house. Finally I roll over and realize it's one o'clock in the morning and I'm more awake now then I was when I shut off the light. Grr.

It happens to DJ too; we're not sure what's going on. I think taking a single Tylenol PM every Sunday night is in my future.

Flying

Man, last weekend rocked.

First there was a quick trip to Anaconda for my friend Ashley's birthday party. Ash was my "little sister" in AOII in college. It always amazes me how quickly I pick back up with any of those girls; and always wonderful to see Ashley. I stayed the night and we went for a quick walk around Anaconda before I left Saturday morning.

Fun history fact: you may have heard of the recent death of Hugette Clark, the mystery heiress to William A. Clark, one of Montana's "Copper Kings". Clark's main rival, when he was building his fortune a century ago, was Marcus Daly, who founded Anaconda as the company town for a smelting mill. History, it's all around you.

I stopped off in Butte on my way back to Bozeman, to quickly browse through the antique stores and see the finished Hennessey Market on East Granite Street in Uptown Butte. Now I know you're going to make fun of me, people who don't "get it" usually do, but I have a big crush on Butte, America..

Saturday afternoon I gardened in the heat, while DJ worked on landscaping stuff. Then we grabbed a quick dinner with Ali Judge, her son Cole and fiancee Jim. Ali, always rail-thin and willowy, looks pretty much exactly the same as she did when she got pregnant. Damn those girls and their lithe, athletic bodies. Good to see them, and meet the little man.

Sunday morning I went for a long bike ride, then showered and walked over to Allyson and Chris' for Allyson's 32nd birthday brunch. The day was capped when 3 year old Aiden Kutnz handed Allyson a larger jewelry case, totally fit for a necklace. Instead, Chris handed Allyson an engagement ring. I'm so genuinely excited for them!

Sunday afternoon was more gardening and generally putzing around in the heat. We ended a beautiful weekend with BBQ'd salmon, red potatoes and chives, bread and a salad. A quick walk and chuck-it playing made Harlow a Very Happy Dog.

Overall, about the best weekend I've had in a long, long time.

Retail is... aw hell.

Remember last month I declared retail to be dying? I was totally prepared for a follow up post in which I'd validate this point by showing off the two purchases I made online, from the comfort of my home, conveniently shipped to my house.

Last week I ordered not one, but two of the Patagonia "Morning Glory" dresses which inspired that post. REI had a 20% off sale, so I snagged the black one for $55 and the coral one for $40. Free ground shipping. I can always return one or both of them in-store in Bozeman if I'm unsatisfied. See, I thought, this is why retail is dying! I can shop online and with a few strokes of the keys get a better deal for the items I was looking for. Saves me time and gas money.

I also binged on a new purse for the summer. Now lets get something straight: I cannot afford fabulous designer purses at retail prices. But when I got a "sample sale" email from Kate Spade, well, duh. The purse I'd been eying for months went from $465 to $139. Um, yes. Sign me up. Free ground shipping? Don't mind if I do!

Where am I going with this? Well... only to tell you that I'm not sure retail really is dead. I'm not a very patient person, and I anxiously awaited delivery of my Kate Spade order. I mean anxiously. Checked the UPS tracking repeatedly, 4 to 2346 times a day.

Let me interject this rant to mention that Montana received record snowfall in the 2010-2011 winter. It didn't seem like much down here in the valley, we only used the snowblower twice, but in the mountains it piled up. The Madison Range, adjacent to Bozeman's Gallatin Range, is the "lowest" in the state at 139% of average snowpack. That's 39% more than usual, for all you math majors out there. 


How does this affect my retail purchases? Well, snow eventually melts. We live at the headwaters of the Missouri, and darn near the Yellowstone Rivers. Highways usually follow low contours of the land, which means that when creeks and rivers come out of their banks, sometimes the roadway is in jeopardy.

Like Bozeman Creek, which was out of it's banks and overflowing streets near City Hall on Wednesday:

Source

Flooding of the Tounge and Rosebud Rivers in Eastern Montana shut down Interstate 90, which runs from Seattle through Chicago to Boston. I-25, which runs north from Denver, was also shut down at the Wyoming border.

My Kate Spade purchases were shipped from Memphis, to Kansas City to Denver to... Billings. Or somewhere short of Billings. As I tracked their trip to my front porch, I received a notification that the package status had been "delayed due to adverse conditions."

Now, the purse was supposed to be delivered on Thursday, by the end of the day. UPS never delivers to our house before 6pm. I'm pretty certain we're the last house on their route.

So as my order sat trapped on the other side of floodwaters, I realized that if delivery were delayed by a day, the order would sit on our front porch Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and all day Tuesday until we got back from the lake for Memorial Day.

After receiving notification that the package made it to Billings, and would be delivered on Friday by the end of the business day, I called UPS to see if they could stop delivery to my house. I'd come get it from their hub in Bozeman... Except UPS doesn't do that, unless they've tried to deliver the package at least once. Or unless the shipper changes the delivery status.

So I called Kate Spade and explained the situation. They (graciously) put me on hold and called UPS. UPS said sure, they could change the delivery status, but it'd take 24 hours to work through their system, and would take effect on Tuesday.

By which point the package would be sitting on my front porch. And I'd be en route back from the lake.

Customer Service Fail (On the part of UPS).

So how does this story wrap up? Well, as I rounded the corner to our house at 2pm on Friday afternoon, I saw a UPS truck driving up the street on the other side of the pond which divides our neighborhood. My heart jumped! It was only 2pm! Could it be possible?

I futzed around outside, watering overwatered plants, moving flowers around, until finally at 2:39pm UPS stopped in front of our house. Hurrah! Kate Spade in hand, just in time to leave for the lake at 3pm.

I'm not sure if in-person retail or online retail is the best way to go. I find myself shopping online more frequently, especially if I want to shop prices and read reviews. If I can find the item I want in a store in Bozeman, I'll buy it in town. But if not, I'll go running to the internets as fast as I can!

Bike to work week

Bozeman has a pretty hard-core biking community. By that I mean folks who mountain bike, road bike (despite MT's narrow-ass roads with no shoulder) and are die hard bike-to-workers. Like, they bike to work through the winter in the snow.

I'm not that hard core.

The Bozeman Bicycle Advisory Board sponsors Bike Week every May, in which they arrange for a number of local coffee houses, restaurants and other merchants to offer prizes to people who stop by their shop while riding their bike to work.. You take your helmet in, get a sticker and a free coffee or something.

I've mentioned before why I occasionally ride my bike to work. I'm not as committed as some people. But this week I pedaled my way to work on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, despite a forecast for rain. Since my husband and I work together, I can always throw my bike in the back of his truck and catch a ride home at 5pm if it's raining. My real motivation for biking to work this week has been to be able to go for bike rides for exercise. It's so much more fun than running or going to the gym to ellipticize.

I've learned a few things this week while riding to work:

1. I'd need to have a stash of important things at work. Specifically, coffee, creamer and sugars. It's not easy to ride with a coffee mug, and I can't afford in cash or calories to go buy coffee downtown. 
2. Even if it looks cold out, wearing a jacket is usually too much. Even at 35 degrees. My hands get cold, but pedaling the bike keeps my core temperature up. It's weird to arrive at work both sweaty and cold. 
3. Along those lines, a toiletries kit with deodorant, makeup and other touch up necessities would probably be a good idea for keeping me looking professional. 
4. It is possible to ride your bike in a skirt. I did so on Tuesday in my Mountain Hardwear skirt and on Wednesday in a Banana Republic dress with a really full skirt. It seems the key to not flashing everyone is a full or A-line skirt. No mini's (obviously, since I'm headed to work) or tighter pencil skirts. 
5. It takes a while to break in your "saddle" after a long winter of other activities. Ouch.
6. Knowledge of safe bike routes is key. No need to put yourself, and uncertain vehicle drivers in danger. You can use the City of Bozeman's interactive GIS map to find bike routes. 
7. A good commuting bag is a must. It's impossible to ride a bike with a purse, and really, I'd make fun of you for it. I have a North Face hip pack with a cross-body strap, which was a gift from my dad 10 years ago. It's fine, although maybe not big enough. I like that it clips around my waist since it keeps the bag from sliding around on my body. And I'm to cheap to buy a new one. 
8. Pack light. Duh. Specifically, taking leftovers stored in a heavy glass container for lunch is probably not in your best interests. Not the end of the world, but no need to haul around extra weight. 
9. Have a bigger wallet; one that could double as a clutch purse if necessary. 
10. Give yourself extra time. I'm usually a go-go-go-go-GO bike rider. Why go slow? But when you're wearing work clothes and don't want to arrive to work drenched, it's sometimes necessary to gear down and ride at a more leisurely pace. 

Will I bike to work every day this summer? Probably not. This week just happened to coincide with nice weather and a lack of evening meetings, meaning I could ride home with DJ if the weather changed. It's kind of fun though, and a nice to get outside in the sunshine every day. 

Why retail is dying

A friend of mine commented last winter that retail is dying. It took me until Saturday to really get what he meant.

We hosted a BBQ on Saturday night, and while the wind kept everyone inside, I still wanted to wear a party dress. My favorite black summer dress is just a little too boob-y to wear when there will be kids around. Heck, it's too boob-y to wear pretty much anywhere. Thus, I was going to justify to myself purchase of a Patagonia dress I've had my eye on for, oh, eight years or so. The Morning Glory halter top:

Source

I planned to pick up the dress while running some errands on Sunday morning. We live in a sporty, athletic town, and I've seen this dress in practically every shop for the past 10 years. Checked REI first; they only had the pink one in my size. Went to Chalet sports; they didn't even carry the dress. Went to Barrel Mountaineering; nope. Went to Northern Lights; nope. Called the Bozeman Angler, a flyfishing shop, for christsakes, where I'd seen the dress before; they only had an extra small left. 

I struck out in five different places. In trying to find a dress I've seen everywhere for a decade. 

And then I figured out what Ben meant when he said retail is dead. Why spend two hours running around town not finding what I want, when I can order it online, have it shipped to my door within 24 hours, try it on in the privacy of my own home and in some cases ship it back for free if the item doesn't work?

Well. If you already know what you want, and you don't want to wear it that afternoon, then yeah, ordering stuff online is just easier. And less time consuming. Shopping isn't all about the hunt for me; I'm a buyer. If I see what I want, I buy it and be done with the process. Hunting online, where I can read reviews and price shop while drinking my morning coffee, sounds like a much more enjoyable process. 

Good things lately

I learned a few things this fall which have made life pretty darn awesome. They are small little tricks and free items that make life more convenient and enjoyable.

The first is free audiobooks from the Bozeman Public Library, who partners with libraries across the state to share audiobooks for download to library patrons. You go to their webpage, log in with your library card number, download the software, and can browse through over 5,000 audiobooks to download to a computer, ipod, or other handheld device. It looks like this:

I know I'm totally dorking out here. But FREE. EASY. Something to listen to on road trips and driving to the office and on long bike rides, walks and runs. Yes, I just said I will run listening to an audiobook! While it lacks a pump you up beat, it sure as hell keeps you from shuffling through your iPod to find just the right song.


Seriously. Use this free technology from the Bozeman Public Library. It rocks my face off.

The second thing that made life easier just yesterday was ordering photo prints online from Bozeman's F-11 camera shop. Some lucky family members are getting wedding photos as Christmas gifts. I've been procrastinating getting them printed until it was pretty much too late. I googled F-11 to see what the cost per print would be, and saw the "Print online" button. SCORE! I was able to upload photos, decide what size and quantity of prints, and order them in about 10 minutes. No walking to the store. No trying to find a parking space. The photos were done 3 hours later too! Super, duper, extra awesome.

The third awesome thing I found this fall was these containers, Rubbermaid take alongs:

Yes, I'm serious. These things are awesome. 

You may or may not know that I have a slight obsession with having single-serving soups in the freezer in the winter. I almost always eat lunch at work, and it makes life a LOT easier if I can just reach in the freezer and grab a frozen soup. About a month ago I realized that we didn't have 15978348375348918 enough containers, so I grabbed more at the grocery store while stocking up on supplies for crock-pot soup. 

The next day, while ladling out soup into freezable containers, I realized these containers have a measurement line on the side of them. GENIUS! Especially for those of us making the portion control effort. 

So there you have it. Three things I found this fall that make life awesome. 

Explaining the Absence

Hiya. Yeah, it's been pretty bare around here this summer. I got busy with wedding stuff, then just fell out of habit with writing. I need to dip the toe back in though.

I have a lot rolling around in my head lately. Uncertainty about work; both with budget cuts looming and a gnawing sense of dissatisfaction. I find that the more effort I put into my work, the more I get out of it. But lately, it's been like blogging... I'm just not that into it. I keep kicking around potential career paths, and coming back to a idontknow point.

It's been wonderful to be home this summer. Other than the wedding, and a second quick trip to the lake, we've been mostly in and around Bozeman. There was a great camping trip up into the Pioneer Mountains, some flyfishing attempts, and some dog-swimming, but nothing spectacular. It's been great to enjoy Bozeangeles this summer.

Around the house, man, I wish we had five grand to blow. New bedroom furniture, bed, curtains, curtains for the guest room and office, etc. Getting the garage set up, getting a second fridge/ freezer for the beer/ beef in the garage. We keep mentioning all these things we'd like to do, but then come back to the part where we try to be grown ups and pay cash for consumer goods. Hell. Being an adult has it's drawbacks.

Also looking like hell is the vegetable garden. Folks, I can't grow zucchini. What. The. Hell. We're already brainstorming for next summer. Getting a compost bin. Tilling in rotted manure this fall. Raised Beds. Greenhouse? Suffice to say, we've thus far had two tablespoons of chives and a few small onions from the garden. Nuts. The tomatoes in the front of the house are being rock stars though!

It's been fun to play with the new household gifts from our registry. I'm in LOVE with our vacuum. And the mixer. We bake cookies, scones, waffles; basically anything that justifies a mixer use. I also just used gift cards to order a new set of pots and pans. Cuisinart 17 piece set, normally $600 at Macys, and I just bought it for $212 plus free shipping. Hell yes!

We recieved so many lovely gifts. While the veggie garden is kind of a giant FAIL, the flower garden along the sidewalk seems to be doing okay. I love cutting fresh flowers from outside and bringing them into the house to pop them into one of the great vases we recieved as a present. I love having fresh flowers inside, especially sweet peas.

What else? Harlow is doing well. Still packing peanuts between her ears. Getting lankier by the day, and is starting to learn the names of some of her toys. We need to enroll her in puppy class this fall. I have a list a mile long of things to do this fall...

Well, I'll sign off with that. More later this week, with photos too!