Virtual Coffee

Welcome back to another session of Virtual Coffee, sponsored by Amy at Lucky Number 13!

I'm here drinking my coffee, and I just finished my pumpkin oatmeal. Weirdest thing ever, Leia actually just licked the oatmeal bowl clean. (And yes, I did just write an entire post about her digestive problems, so no, I should not be letting her consume other exotic, outside human foods.)

Anyway, you might be wondering why we're having our coffee in my upstairs hallway, outside the bathroom. Well, the thing is, I just cleaned the entire top floor of my house yesterday, whereas the bottom 1.5 floors are still total pits. Nathan built a blanket fort in the middle of the living room, and filled it with various toys and debris, so the living room is off-limits for company.

Also the kitchen ... So, when we moved in, there was a trash compactor in the kitchen. Let me make this clear to anybody contemplating a trash compactor: Do not get a trash compactor. Why on earth would you want a trash can that was also an electrical appliance? It is always breaking, and the bags for it are expensive, and it stinks like nobody's business. Anyway the thing finally crapped out the other day and Bill removed it, then dragged it to ... a few feet farther into the middle of the kitchen. And so not only do we have a trash compactor in the middle of the kitchen, we have a big, gross gaping hole where the compactor was. So we're not hanging out drinking coffee in the kitchen either.

Anyway, should we talk about the weather? The weather was so nice last week, so nice. And the weekend kind of sucked, weather-wise, but yesterday we got a little bonus warmth in the afternoon. And now today ... bleh. Which gives me an excuse to go to the mall all afternoon. I need some more Bath & Body Works lotions and body washes, because my supply is dwindling. And yes, I know, I could buy perfectly nice toiletries at Target or Walgreen's, but dammit, I'm on this stupid diet and I'm already depriving myself of good foods, so I have to reward myself with good lotions instead. Because I think if a nice body wash makes your post-workout shower more pleasant, or you can put on a good-smelling lotion at the end of a hard day, those are worthwhile purchases.

In other news, my family and I are driving to Milwaukee this weekend for our annual trip to the Midwest Gaming Classic, which is a classic video game convention. For those who don't know, my husband is a law professor who teaches a course on video game law, so obviously he is the one who initiated this trip. Some people assume I'm going to find the whole thing to be a big drag, but I'm just happy to go away for a weekend. The hotel has a pool for Nathan to swim in, and it's right next door to a big mall. And there are some fun things to do in Milwaukee, such as The Domes plant conservatory and, umm, cheese-eating.

I probably won't do the cheese this year, though. I have a renewed resolve for Weight Watchers, largely due to the fact that I finally got off my ass and went to the grocery store to buy some appealing produce products.

And if I can close on a serious note, I just want to say that I am blown away by the responses I've gotten to my post last week about my time in the depression program I call Crazy Camp. I am so touched by your support, and also the trust you put in me by admitting to your own mental health struggles. I am thinking about all of you, and I hope you find the help you need. I am always here for you.

Thanks for coming to coffee!