It is a balmy seven degrees. Which is cold as balls, but not nearly as cold as the –5 it was this morning when the dog woke me up at 4:30 to take her outside. Crazy animal, doesn’t she know I’m supposed to be sleeping at 4:30 am?

I will be very, very relieved when I am done with this housesitting thing. I do not think I am ready to have a whole house to take care of. Plus the whole living in constant fear/paranoia that I’m going to kill or poison someone else’s dog and neglect their houseplants to withering deaths isn’t a feeling I like very much. I like my irresponsible, twenty-something carefree lifestyle right now, thank you. May I have it back, please?

Very busy at work. Actually it is probably a good think we are open today as there is no way I would be able to get all the stuff I have to do this week taken care of without working today. So since I would have to be here anyway, I guess everyone else that works here might as well be here also. HUD is closed though, boo on them. At least my commute was easy this morning since everyone else in the city appears to have the day off.

I bought the South Beach diet book, I feel like such a sheep. Baaaaaaa. Herd me along on the diet bandwagon with everyone else. It seems much more nutritionally sound than the whole Atkins thing though, and I really should eat less processed flour and simple sugars, so we’ll see. If nothing else perhaps it will make some interesting reading and I can get some decent whole-grain recipe ideas. Or something. I remember the “carbohydrate addict’s diet” or whatever it was called from college, and everyone raved about it, but when I tried it I felt like I was being starved. But who knows, now? I know my metabolism and stuff are different, and my appetite has changed from then… I just know I am not in a million years completely giving up bagels and pasta and wine, but it wouldn’t kill me to try and cut down a bit.

Weekend – was fine. Friday went to the gym right after work, home and showered and changed, then met Andrew, Ryan, and Curt for a burger at the Old Dund33. Played some pool, then moved on to the P@cific Bar & Grill for some drinks with Katrina – she knows the bartender there. We ended up having a few more drinks than planned, so took a cab home from there and left Curt’s car – it was ok though, it’s in a nice mall thingie (banana r3public, gap, etc. Very yuppified = car unlikely to be stolen or vandalized).

Saturday went to pick up his car, and of course had to stop at banana – I got some cute shoes and a scarf, he bought a new coat and some socks and a hat. Both of our totals were under $50, score. Spent that afternoon playing around at my parent’s house and watching a marathon of “Newlyweds” while I cleaned at the housesitting place. Very exciting. That night we had amazing sushi at Sush1 Japan and then went to see Big Fish. I thought the movie was very entertaining and beautiful – I love the way Tim Burton used light and darkness and color in the film. Then we met Mitch and Nai for a drink at the G00fy foot, then back to housesitting place AGAIN. So sick of staying there.

Sunday brunch, gym, and then groceries with Nai for that night. We had steak on a bed of black beans with chimichurri sauce – it’s made with parsley and olive oil and hot pepper flakes all blenderized together. It was very yummy.

And now here it is Monday and I am back at work. Whee. At least I have good music on today – Maxwell’s “Embrya”. Though it is slightly horn-inspiring. This could be an interesting evening… :)