So I feel like I have a good friend who I haven't talked to in a while, and all these things have happened since the last time we talked, and every time something new and/or crazy happens I think "oh my goodness, I NEED to tell Friend this!" but then I think that I cant tell Friend right now, because I don't have time for a conversation of that length. I'll call tomorrow.
And then tomorrow comes, and more crazy events transpire, and somewhere around two weeks later I resurface from the insanity and think "AHHH, I still haven't talked to Friend!" Now the conversation is going to take hours.
Well, you are that friend, Internet. I have so many things to tell you that I honestly don't even know where to begin. First of all let me say that this summer has, bar none, been the weirdest time of my entire life. Secondly, I have absolutely no idea how to fit this into one post so I was thinking maybe I would do bullet points (the lazy person's listmaker) and you can weigh in on subjects you want to hear more about/seem the most interesting. How 'bout it? Because otherwise I can guarantee you that this will degenerate into a ridiculously long, rambling, disjointed mess of a post, and I honestly can't even say that I would read that.
So let's all play along and here are the bullet points of things that have gone on since May that I need to tell you about and haven't (ETA: Now a numbered list with pictures! Everyone has been doing that Flickr montage and while I wanted to do it too [and still may] at least you now get a numbered list with visual interest!):
- Lost my appetite completely and with no warning; lost about 14 pounds in two months*
- Spent a week and a half on vacation in Los Angeles - the first half by myself completely, and the second half surrounded by a whole host of interesting characters doing interesting things at interesting places
- Quit eating fast food completely
- Got the Death Flu but it only lasted two days, one of which was handily the date of the biggest event of the summer for my boutique, so that was fun
- Went back to Los Angeles for work and ended up doing about two weeks worth of social stuff in three days time
- Quit eating sugar almost completely
- Met a girl while in LA who is from a tiny East Texas town about 35 miles from where I live - we knew many of the same people and remarked on how strangely small the world can be
- Cody's dad started having major neck/spine issues, which quickly deteriorated to the point where he was partially paralyzed on the right side, leading everyone to completely freak out and him to get scheduled for emergency spinal surgery, which he had yesterday (7/1/08)
- Cody's grandpa (his dad's dad) went into the SAME hospital on the SAME night as Cody's dad, because Grandpa BROKE HIS NECK - the neurologist got confused and saw the wrong patient because there were two Mr. Carters in the same hospital on the same night in for largely the same reason - felt like I was living in the Twilight Zone
- Have become somewhat the main go-to person for Cody's grandpa because obviously Cody's mom and dad have been SOMEWHAT DISTRACTED, what with the partial paralysis and emergency spinal surgery and all
- Quit eating most processed foods completely
- Saw Alison Sweeney (Sami from Days of Our Lives, for the non-soap opera crowd) walking to her car and made fun of her because she was all dressed up and from a distance she looked like a teenager going to prom. At 4 in the afternoon on a Friday. Then I saw who it actually was and thought "oh good, she isn't a skinny little stick!" She looks normal
- Went to a Death Cab for Cutie concert randomly; it was weird
- Went on several hikes
- Missed my friends at home while I was gone; wished that I could intermingle my worlds - move my house and friends out to a big city or move the city here
- Became hopelessly and totally re-addicted to chips and salsa. Weight loss of past two months is being reversed almost solely by the power of corn and tomatoes
- Went out to a whole host of places in and around Los Angeles; some uber trendy, some kind of underground, some in between
- Have learned an awful lot about neck braces, how they work, and how they DON'T work
- Have consumed my weight x3 in green tea
- Celebrated Cody's birthday with a really fun night of live music outside IN MY HOMETOWN, can you believe it? Because I can't
- Hosted three (THREE) baby showers
- Have done yoga almost every day
- Went to a "recycled" clothing store in Studio City with my sister-in-law and came away with three pairs of high-end shoes, two shirts, a pair of linen trousers, and a pair of straight-leg designer jeans and spent less than $150. Wow
- Figured out that my dog ate half a square of Baker's Chocolate, had a mild freak out and then realized it would be yet another item to add to my Vet Bills Spreadsheet - watch out, OPH! (And RA - are you proud of me for having a spreadsheet?)
- Watched helplessly as my house (both outside and now in) has become inundated with tiny ants - have been plotting and will wage Ant War Strike I this evening
- Have been doing about 18 loads of laundry and (#27) cleaning house to get ready for our annual 4th of July lake extravaganza where any and everyone we know comes to town to hang out, float in the lake, (#28) drink adult beverages, play volleyball, mess around on boats and jetskis, and have an all around awesome (#29) Texas lake celebration. Come!
- (Actually #30 - THANKS FOR NOTHING, AUTOFORMAT) Got to see my best friend and her brand new baby girl on the day she gave birth. So sweet
Want to know details about any of the above? Let me know in the comments! I'll be happy to spin a long, rambling tale about any of those events. Had your fill? That's fine too - just enjoy the pictures because that montage took FOREVER. What is with people "not subscribing" to the Flickr mosaic maker? DON'T THEY KNOW HOW LONG I SEARCHED FOR THAT PICTURE?
*I wish I could take credit for some incredible measure of self-control I used to quit the sugar, fast food, etc. Unfortunately for me, I have no such self-control and the only reason I was able to get out of those bad eating habits was because I had already lost my appetite and therefore felt no desire to eat ANYTHING, including my beloved fast food. Once you get out of the habit it's not so hard, and so thanks to extreme amounts of stress, I have become a healthier eater. I should write a dieting book. It could be alternately titled "How To Develop An Eating Disorder".
