So I've been up to quite a bit lately.
Been a busy little bee, and all that.
I finally (it's been a year now!) mailed in my North Central transcript request.
Got myself a bona fide doctor, and plan to use her as a springboard...
Since I need like four other specialist referrals.
On the medical front, Steve got shingles and couldn't work for a week.
In the middle of that, I became the lucky recipient of a lumbar sprain.
So I can't work till Sunday, and my back isn't in a very good mood.
But I have several different prescriptions to coax it back into happiness.
I hooked up my sister Robin with my friend Elijah, which I have high hopes for.
Both of them are the timid wait-for-the-other-person type, though.
So hopefully they'll work that out.
We've been trying to keep the house really clean lately.
I've found myself actually attempting to deep-clean.
Like rearranging drawers and such. Go me!
It's so much harder to write in here than it used to be.
I used to have so much more to bitch about.
Right now the biggest thing in my life is wondering if we'll be homeowners soon.
We might try to buy the house we're in now, we might buy a similar one.
We might even buy something completely different.
But I think my dad is seriously considering cosigning with us, and that's going to change everything.
For starters, we'll get the engagement ball rolling.
The promise ring is a compromise, a symbol of commitment until then.
And right now, the only way Steve can afford the ring I want is either
1) go further into debt, or
2) $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit.
It's a beautiful thing, and it got a lot better this year.
That's the reason there's so much publicity: before this year, it was still available...
But it had to be repaid, like a loan.
This year's tax credit is exactly that: a credit. No repayment. Just free money.
On the "blast from the past" front, Steve and I hung out with Fitz the other day.
Kristin Fitzgerald, who got me into the whole xanga thing.
Who, of course, has since moved on, as have most of the friends who were on here 5 years ago.
It was great to catch up with her, but slightly less great to get into a car accident with her.
Not to worry, just a little fender bender, but it was definitely enough to jar my back a bit.
Bleh. We lit up the hookah and she seemed pretty content.
I've had a bit of time to myself these last few days, as Steve's been at work.
Not even other members of the Fort to keep me company!
Trish and Craig have been off existing in happily married couple land.
And Amber's been entertaining her friends from Pennsylvania.
I'm sure it's just because we have entirely different senses of humor, but I can't get them to talk.
Though, I know I have that effect on a lot of people.
Working on toning it down, though.
Oh! Another thing we did! Here comes the interesting chain of people...
My boyfriend's coworker's brother (Nate) is working on a horror film.
He had originally asked Steve if he could do the postproduction audio and score.
To which Steve happily agreed. But it somehow turned into on-site stuff, too.
So we headed out there (Plano) a few nights ago to (we thought) set up the mics and leave.
Turned out that we ended up running the sound, and I even got to run the boom mic!
I'd done it a few times during King of Infinite Space, but this was way more professional.
And I can't speak for it yet, of course, but the location they scouted out is supreme.
It's this old abandoned building, house-turned-office space, and a little shed.
No windows, everything's falling apart, creepy cellar. We got there during the day, mind you.
It was six million times scarier at night. Not to mention the spiders and rodents!
I don't think they were cast in the film, but they showed up anyway.
The basic plot has to do with girls, possessed by wolven spirits, who terrorize some hikers.
These girls were fierce. And it was a lot of fun to be part of.
Supposedly we're going back for another night of shooting next week, too.
We'll see how that goes! Maybe I'll remember to take some pictures this time.
And speaking of pictures, I've found myself a new hobby.
I just don't feel like I actually do enough.
Where better than to pick up a new hobby than Hobby Lobby?
So I wandered around for a bit before finding the scrapbooking section.
Kind of lame, I know, but! but! where else can I put all my pictures and thoughtful quotations side by side, with added flair from my sticker collection? It seems perfect.
But as I trolled the aisles, looking for themes I could build from, it hit me:
Scrapbooking is for memorializing your other hobbies.
Shit. So I have to pick up some more of those too.
But we'll work on that after my back gets better.
Unfortunately, this has also put a hiatus on my gym-going.
So we'll see if I can reach my previously-set goal of dropping from 180 to 160 by summer's end.
180. I definitely can't believe it. I don't want to sound vain or anything, but I am just in awe.
Because I've seen 180 pound people, and I don't look like one of them.
Granted, I still don't want to be one, and I know this isn't the weight I have to be.
I was 140 in high school, and even then I wasn't super skinny.
But it's gonna be a long battle of eating better, less snacks, and more activity.
I think I can do it, though.
On a side note, I found this while setting up my text alerts for The Weather Channel:

When severe weather warnings are issued in your area,
The Weather Channel alerts you by phone.