Decoration Day (& picture overload)

Dijaknow that Memorial Day used to be known as Decoration Day because soldiers used to decorate (with flowers and flags...not like garland and lights, although wouldn't that be a scene?) the graves of their fallen comrades?

That's the only bit of sustenance in this post. (but really...)

Apparently I have a knack for Memorial Day blog posts (seen here and here), so I'm coming at you again in 2020, bitches.  Sorry, but not sorry for the lack of a 2019 post.  From what I can remember, we ventured from the southeastern corner of the state of LA to the northwestern corner of the state (still LA) to hang out with mi padre.  Nate the Great also planned a little reunion fun with some old work buddies, and we just took it all reallllllll eassssssy. :) We have good memories from a year ago when cloth masks weren't strapped to our faces and the sun was nice and shiny...

Mi Padre and Mi Amore

which is the opposite of today.

I am not one, nor will I e'er be one to complain about a rainy day off work, but Nate and I dreamed up a grandiose good time outdoors today, including a nice little hike at nearby Piedmont Ridge Trail and a picnic lunch outside, but the weather kind of changed all that for us.

After busting our bootays this morning doing a workout from my new trainer (#bigballin'), we got all cleaned up and were like "This rain is going to pass, and we'll just get a little mud on our shoes!"  However, that soon turned into "it's really coming down out there! Mebbbeeee we should reschedule for another day." :( But we made light of it and took some pics by the door.

Hot stuff!

I'm pretty sure I was mid song here.

I guess I could have cropped some of these a bit, but la to the zy.

DEFINITELY mid-song here.

It's all good in the 'hood.  We had a turkey sammiches with a little side of Mr. Trebek, and all was right in the world again.

Then I had the bright idea to go ahead and knock out getting a few groceries from Trader Joe's, and I thought "It's Memorial Day AND rainy - - Trader Joe's is going to be EMPTY!" (are you picking up on the foreshadowing I'm putting down?  'cause if not, then maybe I'm a bad writer you need to go back to 8th grade reading class.)

Little did she know that everyone in the DFW metroplex had the same idea.

So after nearly 18 minutes in line, I hightailed my slippery shoes through the store and was out in less time than my wait time.

But you know what?! Who the eff cares? Cause it's STILL a day off work! #MemorialDayBitches

This is my current view. 

No rearranging/posing things to make it cooler. #lazyblogger  So you just get a plain, boring candle picture. 

And another cat picture. (THANK GOD he's feeling oodles and oodles better than last weekend.)

P.S. That's not water in my water bottle.
P.S.S. Yes it is, because my trainer said I can't have alcohol.

Something old, new, borrowed, and blue

Hello from the other siiiiiiiiide.

Still in lockdown, still working from home, so not really the other side, but I felt like saying it anyway.  Today marks the start of my 9th week of teleworking. So while I'm really enjoying no commute time in my day and more comfortable clothes and easier lunches and more time working out in the morning and working alongside Jim and this and that and the other, I do feel really bad for all of the people out of work or suffering from the sickness or loss of income, etc. etc., and it'll be nice when we reach "normal" again.

But enough virus talk for now! On to more exciting things like what is up with the title of this post? I'm actually kind of proud of myself for such a clever title and post idea.  (at least proud by my standards, which we all know are extremely low.)

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Something old

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I decided to brush the dust off my copy of The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail whilst I was waiting on the library to get off their sorry ass* lend me my next read, and boy howdy am I ever glad for making such an important decision.  For those of you sorry asses that don't know, this book, is phenomenal. Period. It has wit and intelligence and perfect segues and inspiration and why am I not already living in the woods in my own Walden, living off my bean patch, eating imaginary huckleberries, but am instead tied to THE MAN???  It is just so, SO good, y'all. And if you haven't read it, then you should, and you will love it and reread it from time to time and also send me a thank you note at my cabin in the woods.  Of course, it'll be from your cabin in the woods and will probably be written on a stone, written by using a sharp stone (apparently, it's really stony around your cabin), but I'll appreciate the gesture nonetheless. 😉 
p.s. I swear I'm not stoned.

Something new

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My last read, before I manhandled (with my brain and eyes) the aforementioned, was a book called The Girl He Used to Know (not to be confused with this.)  I had high hopes for it being another book I would love (like this one) or even really like (like this one), buuuuuuuuuut it wasn't. It wasn't horrible by any means, and I was nice enough to give it a 3/5 stars on GoodReads, but it just didn't do anything for me. It was an easy read and *SPOILER ALERT* was interesting reading a love story about a girl who is on the Autism spectrum and seeing how she perceives things, as well as how others perceive her (the chapters alternate between her point of view, as well as the point of view of her love interest), but again, nothing really spectacular.  There wasn't witty banter or a great plot, and the ending (which was spanned over the last 6 chapters or so) were centered on September 11th, and it just wasn't that great. In conclusion, if you're desperate, read it, but don't say I recommended it.

Something borrowed

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When I thought up this catchy title for the blog post, this was the hardest (#firstworldproblems) blurb for me to come up with, but then the perfect-est thing dawned on me that I had to vent about.  So for work, we have to/it looks really good to participate/learn in these continuing education type webinars.  In one last week regarding helpful ideas for paralegals, the former attorney leading the course was describing how to use a particular website to research case law and/or briefs that might be helpful to your (my) attorneys.  At one point, she said "And when you find these previously published briefs that could really be helpful, you should use the information.  It's not stealing - think of it more as borrowing. You're borrowing points and ideas someone else has already made or used."

While I understand what she's saying and have no issues utilizing this approach #butdon'tplagairize, it really bothered me that she thought to use the term borrowed to make it all sound... alright?  I got the impression she uses this verbiage often, considering the webinar I participated in was spread out over three sessions, and she used this "explanation" twice.  Just call a spade a spade, lady.  When I borrow a book from the library, I intend to give it back.  I don't think when you "borrow" language or ideas that you give it back. Except I guess you kind of do because you're not literally taking the text away from them and leaving them without it, but.... Okay, this post is already too long, and I've still got the blue part, but hopefully you catch my drift and agree that she should just use another word. *end rant.*

Something blue

Isn't that the most pitiful thing you've ever seen??

Oh my goodness - did we have an eventful weekend! On Saturday, Sagan seemed fine and dandy in the morning and afternoon, but then around dinnertime, he ralphed upchucked vomited tossed his cookies. Big deal, right? He's a cat and occasionally has hairballs and sometimes this happens.  Not this time - nosireee.  So then he tossed them again about an hour or so later, and not to be gross, but the substance contained... fewer cookies.  I swear this is important for the story - I'm not just being gross.  Fast forward to later and later in the evening, and more tossing and less and less cookies until it was like, poor thing - he's got nothing left in him except for bile.  (He also didn't eat or drink anything else after the initial tossing started.) So then I'm all in a panic like WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH OUR CAT?! and Nate is like I don't know, but we should plan on taking him to the vet on Monday (reminder, it's Saturday night), and then I am ferociously googling things like "feline acute vomiting" and "take cat to vet after excessive vomiting" and Nate the Great is probably like "if she's like this with our cat, what in the hell is she going to be like with kids?!?"

So the tossing continued to the point where it then started to contain blood (so sad, I know...and also gross - sorry), and it was 10:30 p.m., but we were like "okay - we need to go to an ER vet." So we did, and Sagan was a terror like he always is at the vet, but we didn't have to experience it because with COVID, no one was allowed in the vet, so they came to the car and got him.  Long story way too long - we went home with him that night after no sign of what the hell happened and then we had to take him back to the vet 12 hours later on Sunday morning and they sedated him and took x-rays and still NOTHING, and then he had a massive diarrhea explosion at the vet (thank god we were confined to our car just waiting on the verdict at this point) and they offered to keep him overnight but wanted thousand(s) (yes plural, and no I'm not kidding) of dollars to keep an eye on him, but we were like, please don't send us to the poor house, we'll take him home with us and administer meds and keep our own eyes on him.  And here we are today:

Already hard at work plotting his maniacal revenge for 2 vet visits.

So they shaved his arm for the IV because he got dehydrated after all of the aforementioned tossing and not eating or drinking, and now we think (and we're super hopeful) he's on the up-and-up, and so we can now make fun of his ridiculous appearance. :) And also really love on the little booger.

In a nutshell, we think these may have been the culprit because of reviews online that sounds similar to our problem, but maybe Sagan was just constipated and wanted to make a big show out of it!

*just wanted to clarify that anyone who knows me knows that i freakin' love the library and basically everything I say on here is nonsense and that librarians are heaven sent and should be paid millions of dollars.

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Weekend Wrap-Up: Memorial Day

(sorry for the length.  but then again not sorry because I'm detailed for future Courtney's sake.  This blog is my Allie Hamilton's notebook.)

This was a really good weekend.  Really good.  Like why do I go to work 8-5 every day of the week?  Why don't I weekend all the time?  Oh, because we need the money from said 8-5 in order to party live.

It should be noted that my weekend was nicely bookend-ed by a little thing I like to call Memorial Day on Monday, as well as a little thing I like to call annual leave on Friday.  Annual leave is synonymous with I don't have to wear a bra all day vacation day or much needed paid. time. off.

Friday:
I'm drawing a blank.  It's like when someone asks you what you had for dinner last night and you're like..."I know I ate..."  I'm pretty sure Friday encompassed a few episodes of What Not to Wear because the only season available on Amazon Prime is what consumes my life these days.  I know I didn't really sleep in (maybe 20 minutes past my normal wake-up time) because my body and mind and CAT are crazy like that, but the good thing about lackadaisical days is that you're like "Whatevs...I'll catch a nap whenever I want, betches!"  Speaking of which, this is an actual picture of the calendar on our fridge

Clearly, Sunday was not spent putting a slash through Saturday on the calendar.

I'm pretty sure we also went on two walks around City Park because we live a block away, it's huge and shady (in a good way), and we like to walk and talk.  Sexy, I know.

I'm pretty sure Friday was also filled with me fielding a lot of NOLA Alerts trying to work me up regarding sudden flash flood watches and warnings and thunderstorms and flooding from our good friend Tropical Storm Alberto, but it thundered and lightning-ed and rained for about 1 hour and that was that.  Dodged another home-wrecking whore flood living in Louisiana's Fish Bowl!  A to the men.

I won't reveal which area we're in, for privacy's sake, but let's just say it starts with a mid and ends
with a city. Comforting, right? Source

Saturday:
Nate and I ran that morning, and we came back looking like we'd been swimming in a fish bowl, so we cleaned ourselves up, proceeded to watch another episode of WNTW, and went about our normal Saturday duties (aka grocery list making, grocery shopping, grocery list eating, etc.), but with a nice "I still have two more days off, betches!" attitude.  Are you noticing a theme for this weekend?

Sunday:
Bright and early off to church (this is the one we're currently experimenting with.)  Y'all, we have been to like 5 or 6 churches so far - some warranting a second or third visit - since we moved here, and things can get a little cray in The Big Easy.  We'll go into that another time.  Or maybe me won't.  Anyway, we went to the early service and were out by 10:22, which was sa-weeeeet.  So we came home and ate lunch and napped and read.  I'm currently re-reading this because it was a fun read when I took Library Science at ole Luscious, but I had to get through 45 books in 10 weeks, so I wanted to revisit this Newberry Award Winner (<--- that's my library science-ness coming through).  Also, Nathan is reading it with me because he remembered it from his childhood, and we've never read through the same book at the same time together.  Except for the Bible, of course.  Of course.  And a Dave Barry book we took turns reading out loud, so I guess I should take back everything I just said.

The librarian was just a tad confused when he checked out two copies of the same book...hah!  Source

One of us finished the book today (no names, but it was me), and one of us is a fifth of the way in (no names...  ;).  He's been reading more programming books and computer science textbooks, but let's get real for a minute - - what's going to benefit us longer in the end?  Understanding material for a college class or a 5th-grade reading level mystery novel?

A little backstory for my next point - the BEST point - of Sunday.  Blue Bell released two ice cream flavors around the time we moved here in August/September called Bride's Cake and Groom's Cake.  Apparently everyone in the Greater New Orleans area went batshitcrazy over Bride's Cake and you couldn't find it anywhere, and when stores would get it, people would by beaucoups of gallons and it was MADNESS!  We got around to trying it at one point, and we're like "Yeah, that's alright."  But the Groom's Cake - HOLY MOLY!

This is the description:  Chocolate ice cream with chocolate cake pieces, chocolate-coated strawberry hearts, swirls of strawberry sauce, and chocolate icing.

Basically my dream come true.  Double whammy:  Nate loves it, too!

So we had quite a few scoops gallons back in September/October, and then it disappeared!  But guess what - the supermarket ninjas kept Bride's Cake around! Are you freaking kidding me????  Every time we would go to the grocery store, or any grocery store for that matter, we'd anxiously and hopefully check, but no dice.  We figured we'd have to wait forever (since stupid Bride's Cake appeared again a month ago with no Groom's Cake) or until September/October again.

Until....

We flippantly checked on Sunday, and lo and behold, there was our creamy, strawberry, chocolately goodness!  The grocery store came very close to having to clean up some adult poo on the ice cream aisle.

So Sunday night was spent in pure, utter bliss.  We also whipped up some other yummy treats in honor of our fallen heroes, and then we played a lot of Roller Coaster Tycoon and laughed a lot.  Oh and we watched Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom because we have a movie list going that we're trying to chisel away at.  We also watched Breach on Friday or Saturday.

And now to today...Monday, Memorial Day 2018:

No grills or frills, but a whole kitandkaboodle of fun nonetheless.  We went down to the French Quarter and walked around and took some ridiculous pictures.  We figured it was time to sight-see a bit, since we've only been living here...oh you know, NINE months!  That's not a baby hint, btw.  Unless it's a Groom's Cake baby, and then it's definitely a baby hint.

The aforementioned ridiculousness

So yeah...who knew I could type 5,000 words on an essay entitled "My Memorial Day Weekend: 2018" that included reading, WNTW, park walks and talks, and ice cream.  I aim to please, folks.

Updates 'Round Here

Two weeks without a post - what in the world is wrong with me?  That's a loaded question that we don't have time to analyze right now, but I'll highlight some things for ya to fill you in on the exciting life and times of Courtney.  Strap on that three-point harness...(also, I decided to put the subject before each so if you're not interested in that topic, then you won't waste more of your precious Sunday reading crap.  I can't promise any of them are better than crap, though.)

• BODY ENHANCEMENT- So I feel like I've been toying for years or months about waking up early and working out before work.  The other day after discussing it yet again on our trip to Dallas with NatetheGreat, I decided to pull that trigger.  For about 2 weeks now, I've been getting up at 5:30 (YOWZA is right!), and alternating between Jillian's Kettlebells, Insanity, and yoga before work.  I then shower, since even yoga gets me drenched because I'm not about to stank up the law office, and off to work I go - endorphins a'blazing.  And to be honest:  it hasn't been that bad! It's hard when the alarm clock goes off, but not really any harder than before when it would go off and I just had to get up and start getting ready.  I also LOVE not having to work out after work.  I'm still trying to get used to my routine after work and getting dinner ready and such since I'm going to bed an hour earlier, but I'm sure we'll find a new groove that works.
  

• MIND ENHANCEMENT - Along that same note of trying to better myself, I also feel like I've been blabbing for months or years about how I wish I read more books.  I enjoy reading books and I feel like I read a lot here and there (tons of motions and objections and responses and drafts at work + blog posts + news articles online when I should be reading motions and objections and responses and drafts at work), but I haven't been the best lately at making books a priority.  So on our trip to Dallas, I was looking for this one and this one to kick off that new habit/priority, but Half Price Books didn't have either.  Don't worry, it's still one of the greatest stores in the world.  I did randomly pick up Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling and started reading it in the store to see if it was any good.  Lo and behold, Mindy has a way with words and I left with it and wanted to continue reading ASAP.  I finished it about two weeks ago and would definitely recommend it.  I think I eventually might read her follow up to it, but I wanted to spread them out a bit.  I followed up with Presto and really enjoyed it.  Whereas I would recommend Mindys' work of art to any gal-pal or person on the street who wants to laugh and seems to have some personality, I will say I wouldn't recommend Penn's book to just anyone.  I really enjoyed it and loved the minute details about his weight loss journey, but he is not afraid of using colorful language and expounding on his atheism.  Neither of these issues bothered me, so I would give it 5 stars, but I'm not going to run off telling the people of Shreveport who attend the Southern Baptist Convention regularly that they should read about this magician.  Side note - I've always enjoyed watching bits and pieces of Penn and Teller on the telly, but this definitely made me want to see their show live. 

• FAMILY ENHANCEMENT - I know you probably think I'm grasping at straws with that title, but bear with me.  You will soon see how it works on this one.  Today is Father's Day, and we've had quite a weekend celebrating both dads.  On Friday night, we had dinner at Nathan's sister's house with lil Luna-Bear, MontyQ, Pops-G, Moms-G, and Auntie Dubya.  These are not what we call any of these people, but you don't care cause you don't know them.  It was a good meal and good company!  Then on Saturday night, just Nate and myself took Pops-G and Moms-G out to dinner for Father's Day.  We had Chinese food, and I tried not to engorge myself, but you know...it's a struggle sometimes.  Then we had a Mexican lunch with my Papa Roach, Bess the Mess, and Matt....and his new lady lover.  Boom! Family enhancement right there because she's a keeper.  Honestly, sans his first two girlfriends in high school, he hasn't been with a girl who isn't bats#$% crazy.  So everybody cross your fingers and toes he doesn't ruin this. 😉

So a fun-filled weekend of eating and socializing with people we share last names with.  Toodles for now and sorry if this post didn't enhance your life.

Going to the Big D...and I do mean Dallas

(For those who were not so lucky to have parents that raised them in the heart of 90's country music...I apologize if you clicked the link...and I apologize even more if you got the reference without even clicking.  kindred spirits.)

So it's Memorial Day weekend, which means three things:  cook-outs, lake days, and no work on Monday! <--the best part seeing that Natedawg and I don't own a grill or a boat.  Oh and it's also been storming like a mother since this morning and tu Madre Nature plans to carry on with more of the same through tomorrow (Monday).

Nathan and I decided earlier this week to head to Dallas on Saturday to get out of town like the wild and crazy kids we are.  Nathan's car's been having some spotty A/C issues, so when I posed him with the question of "my car or your car?", he mentioned the A/C, but it honestly hasn't been too bad because it comes and goes, and I figured it wouldn't be that bad.  Do you sense the haunting foreshadow-y nature in my voice yet?  I didn't want to risk taking my car because it's a '98, and while she does well around town, she's had a past of pooping out when you get about an hour and a half away on road trips.  And then those road trips turn into road trips from hell.  So I voiced my vote for Nathan's car.

Off we went, headed west and would you know that that damn A/C didn't come on AT ALL.  Three amazing hours of just warm air blowing, sweaty backs, hot greasy faces, frizzy, poofy hair, etc.  We couldn't roll the windows down until we got off the interstate because road trips are for talking and laughing and goofing around.  And you can't hear any of that if the wind is 70 miles per hour in your ear. Young love at its finest.

All that to say...we finally made it and I apologize to the poor souls who witnessed us busting into Chipotle looking like we'd just come off a hot morning on our boat, but probably wreaked of body odor and fun and didn't have swimsuits or a boat anywhere in sight.  I'm sure we were a pretty picture.  Actually, I know we were because I busted up in that bathroom upon arrival, whipped out my hairbrush, and eventually had to shrug and say "Well, the odds of running into someone I know are pretty slim..."

All in all, we still had a great time, and after we starting hitting up our main spots (i.e. Half Price Books, Fry's, and Trader Joe's), the A/C decided to be a trooper and be spotty here and there.  Then on the way back home, it worked for the first 30 minutes of the trip! (Insert many hallelujahs)  So much so that I had to put on my cardigan at one point.

And then it shut off.  And it remained off the remaining two and a half hours of the drive home.  I proceeded to chastise myself for the next two and half hours for ever being a namby pamby and putting on my cardigan in the first place.

Happy Memorial Day weekend it was! (and I still have tomorrow to make lofty plans to mark things off my to-do list, but will probably just read blogs, and my new book, and think about all the red, white, and blue cupcakes I didn't purchase at Sam's today.)