February blahs

Like most people during this time of year, I've got the blahs. The cold, gray, dreary weather, coupled with an unfulfilling full-time (busy on and off) job (I know I shouldn't complain), and a new hobby (tap dancing)* that takes more practice than I had imagined, have left me feeling drained of motivation to do much outside of planting myself on the couch as soon after dinner as possible.

*My friend recently e-mailed me this: "I had the strangest dream about you last night, I dreamt that everything finally clicked with you about tap dancing and you tap danced your way into the office from your car this morning! It was a fun little dream!"

On a brighter note, sticking to my new minimal dessert resolution and not eating hand-outs at work, I have managed to lose my winter weight. Last I checked I was back down to 115 lbs (which, I have decided, is my goal weight to maintain). Hurrah for sticking to resolutions!

Lately everyone (my sister and friend at work) has been telling me about all these good movies they've seen lately. When asked what the last movie I saw at a theatre was, it was (last month) "We Bought a Zoo." I think the last movie I saw with my husband was "The Descendants" the day after Christmas.

Anyone who knows us knows this is most unusual. We used to go to movies practically every weekend - rain or snow or shine. We were the ones who used to brag to everyone else about the latest movie we just saw. I remember berating a co-worker because she usually preferred to just wait for a movie to be released on dvd before going to see it.

So what happened? Movie prices went up; the couch got more comfortable; we got old, tired, and just lazy perhaps. I do, however, hope to get out at least once this weekend since it's the time of year again when The Gateway Cinema near (OSU) campus shows several Oscar nominated shorts programs (animated, documentaries and live action). We may just see the animated ones as I seem to recall finding some of the others rather boring and/or depressing, and sometimes I nodded off (esp. when seeing more than one program in a day).

This weekend a new series of "The Walking Dead" starts, while in a couple weeks "Downton Abbey" ends its run (until autumn), so we'll go from watching a gentile English period soap opera to a blood and guts zombie piece set in the south. Combine the two and you have Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (yes, an actual book - avail. for $10.36 on Amazon.com).

We're slowly planning our trip to Australia for next month. Just need to book a couple hotels up in the Cairns region, and then I think the details are all sorted. Part of me is anxious as I feel I desperately need a vacation right now. The other part of me sort of dreads it as I fear all the creepy crawlies that I hear are South American-sized. Of course shaking out your shoes before putting them on is something we had to do out in Arizona (scorpions), so it shouldn't be a big deal. Also, staying with unfamiliar relatives for a week (when a weekend was just long enough for me previously), doesn't thrill me. At least there will be wine...