I Know This Much Is True

The book referenced in the title is a wonderful read, by Wally Lamb. But that isn’t what this post is about. I’ve been meaning to do a Rants & Raves post for a while, so here goes.

Rants
Why is ABC running “recap” episodes of Lost, Desperate Housewives and (worst of all) Grey’s Anatomy? These are even worse then re-runs! I realize May sweeps is coming and you have to save your best episodes for this magic yet made-up TV calendar, but we don’t want to see what amounts to a mash-up of our favorite shows. Stop it already.

Northern California has had enough rain, thank you. Two people have basically been killed by their houses lately, one was crushed by a landslide that took over his property and the other fell to his death when a 10-foot deep sinkhole opened up in his living room. Again, stop it already.

I would love to use less gasoline and buy a scooter, but they aren’t freeway legal in California and don’t have enough power to get me up the windy, steep hill to my house. Then there's the helmet hair issue to consider.

We waited until April 16 to mail our 2005 Federal tax and 2006 1st quarter estimated tax payments. The checks were cashed on April 20. Anybody who is due a refund get it yet? I didn't think so.

I really thought I had more rants…I’m sure more will come to me as soon as I post this. I’ll update as necessary.


Raves
Maison candles are heavenly. They last a long time (it says 60 hours on the label but I haven’t been keeping track) and the scents are amazing. My favorite at the moment is called Citron, which is lemon verbena & lavender. I buy mine at Bed Bath & B*yond, but they aren’t selling them online. (Partial rant there!)

I’d like to thank the person who finally convinced the wine industry that screw caps were OK to use on good quality wine.

We are going to see Fiona Apple in late June, an early anniversary present to ourselves. Her latest, Extraordinary Machine, has been on constant rotation on my iPod since it came out last fall.

My new favorite place to spend time online is Petfinder.com. We already have two large dogs that bring me so much joy, I figure I could use a little more. As in, a little dog, preferably a dachshund or a dachshund mix. So far D isn’t convinced we need another dog, but it isn’t a question of need, at least not for us. The doggies there need me.

My next favorite place online is the Eagle Eye live web cam, which gives you a bird’s-eye view (sorry, couldn’t resist that one!) of an eagle’s nest on Hornby Island, BC, just off the east coast of Vancouver Island. Every single time I’ve logged on, the mother eagle has been in the nest. My thanks to Canadian Expatriates for posting the link.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium also has seven live web cams, including otter, shark and penguin cams. Who says all the internet is good for is porn and stock quotes?

I’ve been looking for a steam cleaner for our tile and Pergo floor for a while now, and finally bought one last weekend at C*stco. Best $100 I ever spent! No cleaning solution, no residue, as easy as sweeping. For the cost of 4 cups of distilled water I cleaned my entire first story in less than an hour. I don’t think I’ve ever looked forward to doing housework before; I’m sure it will wear off soon.


As a follow-up to my Ambition post, I’m pleased to tell you that I’ve worked with the educational folks who keep track of compliance for my certification status, and it turns out I am still active after all. I had some of my credits going towards the wrong time period.

I am about to start on my first stand-alone project for my friend’s financial consulting company, I sign the paperwork and pick up my laptop on Tuesday. I’m still juggling three other clients as well, but I am hopeful that by the end of the year I can focus all my time and attention on this new venture. In the meantime, I will be treated as a regular employee for tax purposes by them so it won’t increase my quarterly estimated payments. I still have such low self-esteem at times, having so many people wanting my services is doing a lot to keep those condescending voices in my head in check.

Finally, a few days ago I put my entire foot in my mouth and hurt the feelings of a true blog friend. My intentions were noble but the execution was very poor. Right now I am reading and commenting on blogs with focuses on adoption – both those who are adopting domesticly and internationally, and adult adoptees -- donor egg, IVF, pregnancy, recurrent miscarriage, and POF, among other things. I have absolutely no personal experience with any of these things. Yes, I’ve been through the infertility trench and I’m still finding mud in nooks and crannies, and will be forever, probably. Even without personal experience, I hope that I can offer something in the way of compassion to you all. Bear with me while I live and learn.