Can we start over?

This has not been the best start to a year. If I wasn't so fed up with cold weather and snow, I'd really wish hard for a rewind. So that is obviously my first complaint. TOO MUCH SNOW! I'm done. Don't need any more snow or cold weather. Too much snow has not only made me long for warmer climates it has also done some damage to the new car.

Yes. The new car has some boo-boos. I was dropping a friend off at a nearby Holiday Inn and an avalanche of snow dropped on my car roof from their (still under construction) 20-foot high porte-cochere. It put many dents in the roof and pushed in one side of the sunroof so that it won't close or retract. The rough estimate is $2-4,000 to fix it.

We decided to inform Holiday Inn of the damages and see if they would cover it so that our premiums don't go up and we aren't out the $500 deduction. According to their insurance person, it was an act of God and I should be more aware of my surroundings due to the climate I live in. Doesn't matter that it is still under construction, poorly designed for a climate that produces a lot of snow, STUPID to do construction in the middle of FREAKIN' WINTER and who the hell drives around looking 20 feet in the air to make sure snow isn't going to fall on their car?

In the meantime, we are in line to get it fixed. There is a big backlog at the autobody shop due to all the crappy weather. I only drive the car back and forth to work and the sunroof is taped shut to prevent leaks.

That's enough complaining for now. :)

Around the doggy bend

The dogs are driving me looney. We are trying to leave them out of their crates for short periods of time but Doolin can't handle it. He has chewed up some pillows from the couch so now we either put them on the table or in the closet. Well... since there are now pillows, today he started chewing on the NEW COUCH! He had some time out in his crate after I discovered that. I was so mad. Madder than usual probably because on Saturday he caused my kneecap to dislocate.

Yes - Doolin dislocated my kneecap. I was sitting on the floor playing with Miss M. I remember that Doolin was trying to get on my lap and then all of a sudden a lot of pain. Then B had to put my kneecap back in place because I couldn't do it. And Miss M started crying because she knew something was wrong with mommy. The pain of trying to push a dislocated kneecap back into place has caused the rest to be kind of fuzzy.

Luckily, this dislocation hasn't been as bad as the last one. I'm actually able to walk. Could be due to the way I dislocated it last time which was when I was about 13. Could be it's what I did afterwards. Sat on the couch and packed ice on it for a few hours. In any case, my knee is ok. I probably won't workout this week to give it a break (such a hardship isn't it?) but it should be back to normal very soon.

Enough already!

It is snowing again today. I like snow in small doses. Christmas time just isn't the same unless there is snow on the ground. However, for the rest of the year, it's overrated. Since B has a new job, whenever daycare is closed due to bad weather or a broken down furnace, I have been staying home with Miss M. Today is different. B is home with her and I decided to brave the bad weather and come into work. I only live about 4 miles away so it's not that difficult to get here even with lots of snow.

I'm starting to rethink my plan though. The office is a ghost town even though it's 8:30am. No one has even bothered to turn the lights on yet in my area. I happen to like them off so I'm happy in the dark. I thought I would be able to get a lot done today but it's hard to work with no one around. MUST FOCUS!

Trying

I'm trying to make an effort to be more social but various forces (internal and external) are working against me. I sent in a membership registration for our local neighborhood association over a month ago but have not heard anything. The check I sent has not been cashed either. WTF? I sent an email to find out if it was received. If there is no response to that in a few days, I'll contact someone else on the association board.

I've decided that we should have a wine tasting party at our house. I just can't seem to get moving to start planning it. Ugh! Which weekend to have it? Who to invite? What to serve? Is our babysitter available? I will forge ahead anyway.

I also have to battle against insecurities when it comes to being social. Some former friends burned me pretty bad a few years ago and I've been pretty gun shy when inviting people to do things. This thought always goes through my head... Do they really want to do this thing with me or are they just being nice or feel obligated? If I invite someone to go grab some lunch a few times but never receive a reciprocal invite, I stop doing the inviting. Maybe it's silly but like I said, gun shy.

I'm also trying to think of a fault of mine and work on changing it. Not just any old fault, something big. I decided to do this because I read on another person's blog that they were working on changing how judgemental they are. This is a trait I thought was this person's biggest problem and the main reason we aren't really friends anymore. You are probably wondering why I'm reading a blog of someone I'm not friends with anymore...I know. It's not healthy but call me nosy.

Hmmmm - nosy. Maybe that's my change. If I hear a conversation nearby, resist the urge to add my 2 cents. Even if they have asked a question and can't answer it. Don't pipe in. No more reading blogs of former friends. It's not monumental but it's a start.