it feels a lot later than it actually is this evening. at six, it felt like it was nine. and now at eight, it feels like ten. you ever feel like that? like time is distorted? it's an unusual feeling. and in my case, usually goes hand-in-hand with lack of productivity. my mind thinks it's too late to do anything, and so nothing gets done. hum. maybe this is my subconscious telling me to kick back and relax... *g*

so aaaaanyway. i had two classes today. an old one that has its final meeting next week, and a new one with the first meeting today. good people, good dogs, good fun. it really is amazing how much i love my job.

my mom came by and visited me at work today. she's been in brag-mode with her friends since i have my own business card now. *l*

one final thing about work... i'm planning to bring maddie in for one of my classes next weekend. i'm kind of nervous... but i'm sure she'll do fine and have a nice time playing with other puppies. in any event, it'll be a good way for me to gauge how her socialization is coming along.

and i just figured out my monthly expenses and realized that i spend over $400 a month on my dogs.

good god. you'd think i was made of money or something. no wonder i'm a poor college student. i'm always joking that my dogs eat better than i do... but damn, i think it's true!

if you count the two chihuahuas as ``one dog,`` then that's about a hundred a dog.

... i should never have children of the human variety. i have no doubt they'd make me bankrupt. yeesh.

and in other news.

i'm itching to clean out our fireplace so that we can warm our toes and be all cozy this winter. laugh if you want, that i live in san diego and i think it gets cold. but when your body is used to warmer temps (like 90+), 50 degrees feels damn cold. and believe it or not, last winter it often dropped into the 30s. (we are in the desert, after all.) brrrrrr.

but i do love the cold. i do, i do. i live for sweaters and mittens and beanies and cozy blankets and hot chocolate and slippers and going out for soup or coffee. oh, and fireplaces.

so. does anyone know how to go about cleaning one out that hasn't been used in over twenty years? can i do this myself or do i have to call someone to come do it?

these are questions i'd normally ask my mom, but she knows absolutely nothing about fireplaces and the like. she half-seriously suggested using our shopvac. i'm thinking she may be half-right.

but anyway.

rob made me an excellent dinner tonight. he took some chicken and added a variety of obscure ingredients to come up with what was most definitely the most mouth watering chicken i've had in ages. i sandwiched it with cheese between some bread, and it was yum in the tum.

after dinner, in a betty crocker-induced frenzy, i made chocolate chip cookies.

let me take this opportunity to point out two things here.

1) finding me in the kitchen actually cooking/baking something is the equivalent of elvis sightings. you later question the validity of the situation, since it seems impossible. (hey, my mom, bless her soul, had three kitchen fires. i think i'm justified in steering clear of the stove. however, i did have a brief stint several months ago where i was determined to learn to cook something new every week. (or was it every day?) in any case, that obviously didn't last as long as i'd hoped.)

2) baking cookies is another reason i love cold weather. in fact, cooking in general. even though i'm rarely the one with oven mitts on, i like cooking in the fall and winter months. it warms up the house and fills it with pleasant, delicious smells. it's just too hot for those kind of kitchen activities in the summer. in the summer the only purpose for the kitchen is a place to store ice, water, and sandwich makings.

so i kind of forgot where i was going with all of this. it's quite possible i didn't have an idea in mind when i started the entry, hoping one would come to me as i hacked away at the keyboard. but, alas, i am still writing without a purpose. and, one of the few things that i do not like about cold days and nights is rearing its ugly head... frozen keyboard fingers. you'd think with all the movement, they'd keep warm. but no. cold, numb little digits make me want to run to the cozy drawers and smother them in the first pair of gloves i see. this is impossible to do while typing of course. so, i leave you tonight with this brilliant little bit of advice:

thou shalt not pack away the mini space heater in a location they do not recall.

any thoughts? (3)����������������