By Lancer

Just kidding!

bylancer — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:09:45 +0000

In case you happened upon my blog during the short time that I was redirecting traffic to this page, I really appreciate your dedication but I’ve changed my mind and I’m sticking with blogspot. Turns out neither of these platforms has everything I’m looking for, but I have more flexibility over there so I’m sticking with that one. It’s a bit of a shame, I was starting to really like the way this page turned out. Oh well. So, if you don’t mind, click here and reset your bookmark. Last time, I promise!

More snow

bylancer — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 05:35:00 +0000

Ok, I’ve had my fill of enjoying freshly fallen snow. The moment has passed. I might still be enjoying it had I the luxury of staying in today. But I had to visit my local Midas shop since driving in the snow yesterday jimmied my tension-pulley-thing and I had to have it replaced. After a thrilling hour at the car shop I got to clear the driveway and sidewalks of almost a foot of snow. I’m trying very hard to be thankful for that experience. My love for snow goes only as far as the living room window – the inside of it. I hate being cold, wet, and in snow that covers my boots, therefore, I hate clearing the driveway. Fortunately, this is the year we broke down and bought a snow blower (don’t tell my parents who’ve lived in Alaska since pre-statehood days and never owned a snow blower). So, I spent a little under an hour on our driveway and sidewalks and now I don’t have to feel guilty for skipping the gym. The bright spot of the whole ordeal was watching Goose jumping through the spray of snow like a dolphin putting on a show. The little character was having so much fun…I’m glad one of us was!

Hot cocoa and a quiet house

bylancer — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 03:23:00 +0000

Hooray for homemade hot cocoa and an evening all to myself! I have plenty to celebrate today – namely that my car, a fabulous little Ford, got me home despite an awful lot of complaining from a disgruntled belt. I’m especially grateful considering the DH is out of town, geeking it up for the weekend on a light rig at a conference a couple hours away. Although I live close enough to my office to bike to work, the prospect of walking home on this snowy, sleety January evening was less than appealing. The kind gentleman at Midas who took a quick peek under the hood, despite trying to close up his shop, said I’d be fine driving the rest of the way home and they’d be able to fix it in the morning. So, here I am, enjoying a cup of spicy cocoa next to the fireplace, neglecting the work I brought home, catching up on some reading and watching the snow fall outside. I couldn’t ask for more!

Grateful for discipline

bylancer — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 04:13:00 +0000

Sometimes I feel no satisfaction when I choose my actions purely out of discipline. Like the 30 miles I rode last April despite 28 mph headwinds and light drizzle. Or the 2 hours in the dentist’s chair that I willingly submitted to last Saturday. I’m writing about celebration and gratitude right now simply because I said that I would. Today was filled with a series of unfortunate events at work and I just spent the last three hours in an uncomfortable seat, stumbling through several how-to-knit tutorials with only moderately recognizable results to show. I’m not feeling very grateful or celebratory right now. Quite the opposite, really, so in an effort to be grateful for something I’m savoring one of the last ginger snaps that my dad bought while he was here for Christmas – so crispy and spicy, mmm! And looking forward to the morning which will herald the close of a really long week. Today rates pretty high on the lousy meter, but at least I have a warm bed and a God who’s bigger than a bad day at work, or a bad economy or my bad knitting – that is definitely worth celebrating.

Only for a moment

bylancer — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 02:29:00 +0000

We woke up this morning to a light coating of lovely, fresh snow and my heart felt a twinkle of childlike glee. I love the first few moments of a new snowfall. If it’s a really good snowfall, like 12 inches or more (and I don’t have to leave the house), I might even love the first few hours of a new snowfall. For me and all of my aversion to being cold, those beautiful snowfalls are best enjoyed once every few years when I visit my hometown. I’m not a skier so there is no lure in fresh powder – what I really love is the soft, clean, monochomatic haze that takes over the landscape. But I only love it for a moment. Before footprints mar the surface, before the roadside turns to slop, before I head out into traffic that’s forgotten the fine art of driving in winter. I love the snow for those precious few moments. This morning, I savored the quiet softness on the way to the gym at 6:15; but the drive home at 7:45 was another story – by then it was droopy and turning brown and traffic was moving slow and I wasn’t loving the snow so much. Thank goodness for catching the moments worth celebrating.

A scarf!

bylancer — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 07:57:00 +0000

It’s way past my bedtime and I’m seeing a little cross eyed. I’m glad to find that all the late nights cramming assignments didn’t leave me a night owl for life, but I digress…I just put in the final stitches on my first, and possibly last, crocheted scarf. It’s the softest yarn, in the prettiest colors, full of character, and it will certainly provide much warmth to my perpetually cold self through the brutal depths of winter. Don’t get me wrong, I’m plenty grateful for cozy, colorful yarn, but I do not believe I’m cut out to be a crochet artist. Granted, I have no formal training whatsoever (read: I don’t technically know what I’m doing), but I’m not taken with the whole counting bit – too involved for the end of a long day. On the other hand, I seem to be developing an addiction to scarves this winter and what better way to build the collection than with a skein of yarn (or ten…or twelve…) from Michael’s and a couple of evenings worth of work? We’ll see how ambitious I get as the long winter nights drag on, but, for now I am plenty content to celebrate this first creation (picture coming soon).

Hooray for free shirts at LLBean!

bylancer — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:48:00 +0000

Why bother with waxing eloquent? Who needs another highly insightful, profound bit of wit and wisdom? Today I’m grateful for two coupons at LLBean which together bought me a free shirt (which I love not only because it’s the softest fleece in the prettiest shade of periwinkle, but it’s a size small) woohoo!!!

Back to normal

bylancer — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:53:19 +0000

I’ve been looking forward to this Monday for quite a while. Shame on me for spending the entirety of my nine-day holiday anxiously anticipating the return to normal. So, here I am, bright and early – well, it would be bright were it not early January – on my first day of back-to-normal-non-student life. I’m feeling rather leisurely as I sit and sip tea before donning gym clothes and heading over to the campus fitness center. I have a sneaking suspicion that I will not find myself with the myriad free time that I feel like I should. I have several things I need to do: two essays and a book review to write, Christmas decorations to put away, laundry, vacuuming, the list goes on. But I haven’t yet found myself in the rhythm of everyday life and, despite a nagging voice in the back of my mind, I’ve managed to blow off the past few days and have very little to show for myself. No use dwelling on the past, I suppose. I have a fresh week ahead and evenings that are just begging to be filled with productivity. I’m so excited, grateful even, for this Monday.

Kisses

bylancer — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:06:00 +0000

I woke up this morning to the sound of doggy kisses. Normally, that’s akin to waking up on the wrong side of the bed – I’ve always hated mouth noises of any kind – but this morning it’s worth celebrating since my husband was on the receiving end of Goose’s extraordinary affection. Seems the standard licking type of kiss is no longer sufficient, he’s taken to adding the occasional nibble on the nose – it’s actually rather sweet.

Day 3

bylancer — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:23:00 +0000

So today might be a bit of a stretch. I’m getting this posted early before I can change my mind. What I’m thankful for today is the root canal that I’ll submit myself to in just a couple of hours. I figure dread ought to be boiled to down to mind-over-matter just like fatigue and so I’m thinking positive. Ha! Well, I am grateful for the technology (or is it but a theory?) that will allow me to enjoy my right, rear molar long into old age. Here’s to celebrating root canals.