Guestlist: I Put a Spell on You

Not really.

Ways I've Spelled "Reimbursement" Today, by SAM:

1) remibursement
2) reinbursement
3) reimbusement
4) reimburement

Routes to Work

These are the routes I took during the first week of my new job. I'm traveling east from Midtown to the Ridgeway Loop.

• Monday: Park Avenue, 20 minutes. This route is actually Southern to Semmes to Park to Estate to Poplar. If I had to I could vary the ways over to and back from Park, in case there is a train.
  
• Tuesday: Quince, 23 minutes. This is Semmes to Quince and back to Estate. The idea was that Quince would be less busy than Park, but the extra time getting to it and back adds minutes.
• Wednesday: Walnut Grove Road, 21 minutes. I needed gas, so I hopped over to Cooper to Ike's, then took Union/Walnut Grove all the way out to Briarview to Shady Grove. I did not like it, mostly because it's such a mess around the interstate/CBHS/Baptist Hospital. It was at that interchange that I saw a woman reading the paper while driving (not cool). I might try this again if I got onto Shady Grove earlier - like at White Station.
• Thursday: Sam Cooper, 22 minutes. Central to East Parkway to Sam Cooper to 240 to Poplar. This had the same problem as Walnut Grove - everything was fine until I hit 240, then it was nearly a stand-still. It didn't take too long to get to Poplar, but it felt like I'd never get out of there, which isn't a good feeling.
• Friday: Shady Grove, 25 minutes. This crazy route, suggested by my brother, is Central to Goodlett to a street I can't remember the name of that turns into Shady Grove, to Shady Grove. I did not like it. It was definitely the prettiest drive - through nice neighborhoods - but most of Shady Grove between Goodlett and Mendenhall has speed bumps, so it felt like it took forever.
  

I'm Back, and I'm Happy About It

Accepting the challenge from SAM, here are 10 things that make me happy right now:

1. Starting a new job tomorrow!
2. My new nephew being born on Thursday!
3. New clothes I bought yesterday - I love new clothes.
4. Bookclub this week! Bookclub always makes me happy.
5. Working on an afghan, and getting to the point at which it actually looks like an afghan.
6. My sweet sweet husband.
7. Planning a trip to Spain, and packing for it in my head.
8. Getting into the studio with a head less full of information.
9. Watching Lost with friends.
10. A king-size bed.

Today I Had...

1. a good meeting
2. a late breakfast
3. lunch with a baby (and her mama)
4. a quick chat with a friend
5. spaghetti that made me miss my great-grandmother (I made it!)
6. a whistling nose
7. a successful trip to the attic
8. interesting news
9. hat hair
   

Not-Smart Things I Saw U of M Students Wearing in 28° Weather

1. Just a short-sleeved golf shirt.
2. Fleece jacket. There were probably a lot of people just wearing fleece, but I noticed this one because it was cut like a jacket. So at least she looked cute while freezing her butt off.
3. Shower shoes with socks, which would be dumb regardless of the temperature.
   

Thinking About (Today)

1. spaghetti
2. if someone were to run a background check on me, what would they find?
3. wish these pants were 1/2 an inch longer
4. dang it is cold outside
5. Lost
6. Spain
7. yarn
8. watercolors. watercolors?
   

Movies 2009

Movies that I saw for the first time in 2009, and enjoyed:

1. Taken
2. Paul Blart Mall Cop ("Peanut Blart & Jelly!")
   
3. In Bruges (brutal, but good)
4. Enchanted
5. Star Trek (!)
6. Run Fatboy Run (I guess I like anything with Simon Pegg in it)
7. Ladies & Gentlemen the Fabulous Stains (rent this if you haven't seen it yet)
8. The Hangover (!)
9. District 9
10. He's Just Not That Into You