Can Taste Buds Dream?

I texted Ryan on my break, whining talking about my vaguely crappy shift. He texted back with "I'll fix it."

[o] Came to visit me at work
[o] Got me a sourdough roll from Panera (I tried to get one on my break since I was hungry, but couldn't due to lack of cashier) AND a chocolate chip cookie for after dinner...
[o] ...which was...unbelievable. The order was: bottom bun, secret sauce (mayo, ketchup, garlic), hamburger patty (seasoned with Montreal steak seasoning and kosher salt), sauteed red peppers, garlic and jalapeno, Jarlsberg Swiss cheese, barbecue sauce, top bun. Also on the plate: steak fries and steamed corn on the cob.

I usually don't like Swiss, ever, and the barbecue sauce we have is usually a little too sweet for me, and I've never been a fan of the steak seasoning we have, and and and, blah blah blah...

IT WAS FREAKING AMAZING.

I will always stand by Ryan's cooking, he's seriously good, and he's made some of my favorite meals ever...and this may have been his best. It still vies with the chicken-pepper-white-wine-linguine dish, but c'mon, I'm a die hard pasta lover.

Oh man. I will have dreams about this meal. Nom. Nom nom. MAN.

Happy Birthday To Me, Happy Birthday To Me...

My day:
[o] wake up very slowly, feeling slightly...off from the birthday dinner turned bar crawl that had me home at 3 AM :D
[o] head to Starbucks with Ryan, to get hugs and birthday wishes from lovely friends :D
[o] Aurelie gave me a mirror from Ten Thousand Villages, a small chain featuring art and jewelry and wonders from all over the world. The mirror is from Bangladesh, made from recycled chip and snack bags. Even better than the mirror (which is really cool and colorful) was the card, telling me that she's glad I moved to Indiana and she met me and we can be awesomely awkward together. :D
[o] Ben stopped by to show off one of his kittens, who looked like a ball of lint with the teeniest eyes and teeniest mouth and even teenier little mew. I got to hold him, he was ADORABLE.
[o] Wanted to go to pet store, Ryan said no. I've no idea why...
[o] Got shoes for Kitty and Alex's wedding (two weeks!!)
[o] Came home, checked mail to find card and present--rainbow piano key socks!!!--from Mom. :D Forgot to call and thank her because I'm a bad kid.
[o] Puttered around online while Ryan made a cake in the kitchen.
[o] While cake cooled, went out to get photo paper and dinner. Came back home with dinner, watched Goldmember while eating (sometimes, you just need a big dose of silly), then I read a bit while Ryan decorated aforementioned cake.
[o] Was presented with cake, complete with 26 lit candles and Ryan singing Happy Birthday. He had even spent a good amount of time trying to tint the cake frosting just the right shade of purple. <3
[o] Ate cake, then went to our computers, where I finally what I've been plotting and working on for three months, speeding up this past week...

I present to you...Ruthenium Photography, on Etsy!

:D

I feel extremely nervous and a little anxious and I can't shake that old feeling from school where I'm SURE that everyone can see all the mistakes I'm making even if I fix them...but THERE! I'm out there! I'm doing it! SCARED BUT DOING IT ANYWAY! WOO!

I also have a Facebook Page and Twitter for it, for the purposes of spreading the word (and business!) as much as possible. Whee!

Tomorrow is back to work, but I'm NOT going to think about that right now. Right now, I'm going to get all comfy and watch some Bones with Ryan and then read some Game of Thrones and then go to bed.

It was a good birthday. I think I'll do it again next year! :)

This Is Going To Be A Self-Centered Post. For A Good Reason.

Sorry for the radio silence for a week, but I've really only had one thing to post about since last Friday, and had been unable to due to communication issues...the point is:

WE'RE ENGAGED!

:D

It happened on Friday, and it's been hell ever since. I've worked every night since, including that one, and he's been sick to the point that he called out three days in a row. We actually won't have a corresponding day off to sit down and plan and celebrate until next Friday...not that we have anything we can solidly plan yet.

The tentative date is October eleventh of next year....or 10/11/12 :D That was totally his idea, but I love it. Of course, it is a Thursday, and it'll probably be a popular date which means venues will book early and blah blah blah.

I promise I'll do my best not to make this blog all about wedding stuff from now on. It shouldn't be too hard since, again, it's a year and a half away...still, I'm dying to plan!!

But for now, I must make dinner for the hungry man. More tomorrow!

Working And Sleeping And Writing, Oh My!

So...very...tired.

Yesterday and today had Ryan on opening shift at Target. That means getting up at 7. We're not really early-to-bed birds at all, and I always woke up when he did even thought I didn't have to, so sleep has been rough for both of us the past two nights, for Ryan moreso than me.

Today was my mid-shift this week, which I traded for. I regretted it most of the day. Getting up at 10 after falling back asleep around 8 was painful, and it was...stupidly busy all day. Plus shifts not paying attention to breaks...argh. Just a stupid day all around.

Aurelie and I were going to hang out, but decided that today sucked too much for both of us, and we hated the world too much to be sociable. I still hiked it over to 933 when I got off at 5:30, as writing isn't a social exercise, and found Aurelie still there (she got off at 5), hanging out with BJ and Sameh. We both "tsked" at each other jokingly, we all hung out for a little bit, and then went our separate ways. BJ and Sameh continued on their day-off shopping excursion, Aurelie went off to the Post Office and a night at home, and I settled in for some writing.

And I actually got some done! I was distracted by the interwebs more than I'd like to admit to, but I still managed to pull out...I dunno, some number. All I know is that the current total is 8,738, which isn't too shabby.

This writing streak has been...fantastic. After beating my head against Found for November and most of January, then kick-starting On The/Running only to resort to head-beating by mid-February, this seemingly random spurt of writing with almost no effort is refreshing and wonderful. I'm not sure what's going on--whether the muse decided I needed a break from frustration or I figured out how to get out of my own way or whatever--but I know that I don't care. I'm going to keep milking this while it's goin'!

Something else I find baffling: I'm beginning to like late shifts. I know: bwah?, but really. The night people are slightly less...I don't know...chipper? than the morning people (who are lovely but make me feel like I'm an utter grump by comparison). Plus I'm better at writing before work than after (today was a possible fluke), and, well, I like sleep.

There are other differences, but they're hard to put a finger on. And maybe I'll change my mind. We'll see. For now, seeing that it's currently working to my advantage AND next week's schedule is all pre-closing, I'll just run with it.

Where was I...oh yes. After wrapping up at 933, I came home, where I've been catching up and inputting financials and whatnot. The roommates finally returned a little while ago, and they brought home:

[o] a Lady Gaga poster to add to the collection above the living room couch
[o] the newest Pokemon DS game for Ryan
[o] and a Teavana tea tumbler for me

We have the nicest roommates. Ever. :D

Now, I'm off to either read some more, write some more, or watch some more Weeds with Ryan. Tomorrow is a closing shift for me and a day off for Ryan, so the only guarantee is no-alarm sleeping. BLISS.