Updates

I think I lost a little weight from all the walking around I did on vacation; much more walking than I'm used to with a car at my disposal. It's a wonder I didn't gain a ton of weight from all the ono grinds I enjoyed there. Which reminds me of another pidgin phrase I think is funny: broke da mout'. Like, something tasted so good, it broke (the mouth).

The weird thing about this possible weight loss is that my shoes are loose. What?? Since when are my feet the first things to lose weight? They're already skinny enough. Either I lost weight in my feet or Neil was wearing my shoes while I was gone, which I wouldn't put past him to do.

In related news (Hawaii, eating?), the two geckos we've had for a month seem to be thriving. They no longer come out and crawl the walls and ceilings, which is too bad. I don't know where Nubbins hangs out, but I have seen him scurrying across the wall to hide behind pictures. His tail is also growing back nicely! "The big guy," our unofficial name for the other gecko, has taken up residence in the perfect place: In the kitchen, under the stove and refrigerator. The two appliances face each other, and I have seen him run back and forth from one to the other. This is the perfect place, because that's where the roaches lurk. What a smart gecko! We have supplemented their diet with the occasional mealworm, just in case. But they seem to be fat and happy.

I am still eyeing the faint glimmer of hope that I'll make it to Des Moines on Friday. I never thought I'd be hoping to go back to Iowa!

I feel like I've been picking on Neil a lot lately. I am a horrible person! He is seriously the most patient, kind, understanding person I have ever known, so it is even worse that I am being such a brat. I had the horrifying thought that I am doing the "he squeezes the toothpaste the wrong way" thing that you hear about when going into marriage. I thought we were too old for such nonsense! And too good of friends!! Well, I don't know how many times I have told him to "please don't place flammable things on the stove" and "please don't cover the air conditioning vent with a pillow just because you're cold sitting beside it." Things I think are legitimate now but that don't matter in the long run (like the next week or, you know, the REALLY long (eternal) run). Well, I guess paper towels on the stove could pose an immediate threat, but I'm just being paranoid, because it's not on. Really, I think my problem is ME. He never complains about the fact that I'm totally lazy and I never clean our place and I leave messes everywhere and I do 1/4 of the things he does in 5 times as much time as he has. I mostly sleep in. I'm like a grasshopper to his ant. So I think I am criticizing things in him when I really am just insecure or something and need to turn some harsh criticism back on myself. Phew. I guess I'm the one who has some growing up to do. I like to blame my inadequacies -- well, on anything but myself -- but in these cases, I always tell him it's because he's older than me ;)

BREAKING NEWS: The President does not have a magic wand.
"You know, if there was a magic wand to wave, I'd be waving it, of course."
-- George W. Bush, The Rose Garden, July 15, 2008