I have a mix a friend made for me in college with a bunch of covers and a few classics.  She included what is listed as a Death Cab for Cutie cover of This Charming Man, but what sounds clearly like The Smiths original.  The CD was scratched from being in my car too long and it couldn't play this one part, so I just turned it off mid song.  But the song won't turn off in my head.  I even listened to it while I was getting ready for bed and it's still there.  It's better than work thoughts creeping in to remind me what needs to be done tomorrow.  It's also a really well written song.  I just want the 80's out of my head.

I had my first family dinner at my house, leftovers that my mother brought over.  She was worried that her glasses would break, so she brought my niece's plastic cups for us to drink from. It wasn't momentous to anyone else, just a meal to nourish us so that we had the strength (sanity) to continue working into the night.

It's finally coming together and I'm just still surprised I guess.  I own it.  With my mortgage. And I will live there as loud or quiet or grassy or clean as I want.  (Though it's usually potting soil, not grass.)  Tomorrow my fence will be a real thing.  If it weren't for the rain coming I would bring Tess over to see it, but once the rain stops my other workers start so for now I'll let her cling to my mother and be a busy body dog.

Good comes to those who wait and cry and recycle and use turn signals and, um, buy houses. Right? That’s how that phrase goes? Right?

My hair is long and a bright red and I feel young-ish. Kismet, you have finally come back to me! I’m doing a little happy dance listening to Phonetics because time is about to flip, turn and reverse it. This time before Christmas when adult children return home to celebrate with their families is the perfect time. It really is! Quite genius! And now I can have a ‘so ten years ago’ reunion with a few rad girls and guys.

Part of me wants to time travel with bright tights and thick boots and short skirts. And then the other part of me is worried about rain and is it possible to get down in heavy rain boots? Also my one friend is much shorter than I am and I don’t really want to tower over her at our reunion.

And at the sight of your name, only the good things remain. 

Distant Lover is by far my favorite Marvin Gaye song. I can listen to it on repeat endlessly. Usually I actually listen to different versions back to back. I love the live versions. I love his asides to the audience and their roar of excitement in the beginning. It just gives me all the good feels. However I was trying to expand my Marvin listening experience at work yesterday and got Stubborn Kind of Fellow stuck in my head.

I will be painting over the holidays so I’m excited I found something upbeat to jam to. I have a lot of house to paint (Who repaints interior doors peach? Why?) so I’m looking for positive, upbeat songs/mixes to keep me awake and not so bored I start painting the ceiling.

I have my cd collection (and a boom box) at my house. When my dad’s over I try to stick to oldies because I’ve never seen him take much interest in my other musical preferences. When it’s just me though I’ve been pulling out My Chemical Romance, OK Go, Say Anything, soundtracks from the OC. I’m quite certain if my mom comes over there will be ABBA. Or Mamma Mia.

There is so much time and energy that goes into home buying that I did not expect. Doing it on my own was frightening and exciting and I’m so thankful for the team of people who helped me through each part of the process. Now that I’m at the manual labor stage I am extremely thankful for all that my dad has offered to do and for the patience it takes him to take twice as long so that I can learn and do parts on my own. I definitely didn’t think he was expecting me to do it in pigtail braids either. Although, I had actual pigtails for my 2016 move.

Anyway, thankful, I am thankful. I was not expecting kindness in so many places. I really am so grateful for my job and the people I work with and all the good we do as a company and as individuals. My work BFF and I have been living in different worlds lately (she recently got married and I just had a stressful work season), but her excitement to bring her dog over to play with mine made me so happy. I’ve been so focused on (and a little drained by) all my house projects that I forgot what my goals are for after. Maintaining social relationships will need to improve dramatically before my garden starts or I’ll never get back out there. Now I’m jazzed thinking of Tess’s dog pool and inviting her pup friends over for a backyard “dog beach.”