Me and Sam, James and Sam, Me and Charlie, little Dachshund, and the many small dogs at my current employers.

Biking and Doggy Day Care

I'm really off to Germany! I bought the plane ticket today for October 15th. Exciting, no? Now I'm just trying to find a place to live!

This weekend Sam, James and Cat came over and James fixed up my (Dad's) bike and we hit the Shawnee Mission Park trails. It was soooooooo much fun and my bum is still sore.

Sunday Monica and I tried our feet, once again, at West Coast Swing. I don't know why, but that dance really throws me for a loop. I'm starting to pick it up, but will need lots of practice. I really love that we've started ballroom again.

Next weekend Orkun is coming to visit. Juhu!

I have included some pics from the weekend and from work. Sadly, this is my last weekend at work.

Incubus and the Demo Derby

Last night Cambria and I went to the Buzz Under the Stars Incubus concert. Very cool! A little short, not even two hours, but still cool. I heard all the songs I wanted to hear except for Pardon Me. It was a fun time and it had been awhile since I'd been to a concert.

Thursday night Nathan and I went to a demolition derby up in Platte City. Oh, if only I had thought to bring a cowboy hat with me! It was a lot of fun, watching cars destroy each other. It was also a fair, so that was nice. Reminded me of the German Volksfeste. My dad said, "I always knew the hick in you would come out!" lol. : ) Auntie, remember those summers in O'Neil? Ahhh, fond memories!

The pool is still algae-infested. They are trying to figure out what to do, they being the experts. I got the Harry Potter book but am trying to hold off on starting it. I have to do responsible adult things first, then I can read! : )

I am thinking of getting Lasik. In two weeks. Hmmm. Can you say nervous?

Pool Progress

The first picture is yesterday and the next two are today's. Dad, you're probably thinking, well that is an interesting blue! Have you ever seen it like that before? I don't think I have. I'm calling the pool guy tomorrow if I don't see some milky whiteness! The algae is still there, mocking me, through the beautifully strange blue....

Tiny Pics

The first one is the new love of my life, Joey. The second one is from last night when Jennie, Joachim and I did dinner. It was Joachim's birthday and we had the Applebee's people sing to him. : )

Non-chocolate chocolate

Ok Megan, so last night we tried the Choco Pretzels, which are, by the way, GREEN. Um, not so chocolately. I think I'm missing something. They are still highly interesting, but I can't quite call the taste chocolate. Lol. I love stuff from foreign countries! The rest of the German choc is quite good. And the mini sausage stuff is all marzipan, you know how I love that! Actually, she had included another thing of mini Bratwurst and sauce, but I ate those before you asked for the pictures. lol.


So I met this guy. He's adorable, sweet, quiet, reddish brown hair. His name is Joey and I am smitten. Completely. And I just met him a few days ago! I saw him today and was trying to play it cool, which I was utterly failing at, when it occurred to me that he likes Sarah better. Because he would be hanging out with me, and then I'd find him trotting over to her and begging for attention. Plus, he is much more affectionate with her than with me. Still, he lets me hold him lots. Did I mention that Joey is about six inches tall and the cutest little dog I've ever seen? hee hee. Sadly, he goes home tomorrow because he was just boarding at work. Sigh. I thought of getting a stuff dog and putting it in his case and taking him, but I have the sneaking suspicion his owners would notice. Alas, I will remain sans dog. For now.

I'm meeting the acupuncturists for dinner. I'm so hungry! : )

Oh, and Monica is planning to come see me over Christmas this winter, and we are thinking of visiting Rita in Portugal. We'll have to see, but the idea of Christmas in Portugal is too stinking cool!

Almost Blue

The pool is almost entirely blue and clear now, which means I can see all the algae on the bottom of it. Now I'm just keeping up the chemical-adding until we hit white. But it is looking seriously better. Whew! : )

Package from Koto

As per Megan's request I'm including pics from Koto's package. She sent stuff from Germany and Japan. Megan, do you see the Milka? Mmmmm, German chocolate! And I love all the Japanese writing. The Japanese Kitkat is cool as well.

So the pool is still green, less scary green, but green nonetheless. And after today's treatment Monica and I swear that there is almost the emergence of a milky whiteness to the pool. That's hopeful for you.

This weekend I realized I was missing the dogs at work. Sad, no? I only have a few weeks left there.

I'm finally starting to think of/almost work on my thesis/start doing some reading for it. Oh dear.

And the Algae Wins

I declare myself the loser in the battle of Kate vs. The Algae. I gave in today and took a sample fo pool water to Leslie's. The nice man there drew up a plan of action on how to get my pool back to the lovely and sparkling blue it should be. I just need to attend to it like crazy for the next few days, adding chemicals here, this there, etc. It is supposed to turn a milky white at some point in the process, and that will be a "good sign".

I keep reminding myself I really, really, REALLY need to start working on stuff for my thesis. In open acknowledgment of that fact, I ceremoniously got out some books I need to read for it and placed them on the table. Ahhhhhh. Maybe I'll actually open them later!

I met a guy from Kiel (not too far from Hamburg) last night. He's a friend of Nathan, and will be back in Germany this fall as well, and said we should hang out sometime in Hamburg. I'm already making friends and I've not left the country yet! This is great! Now if only I can find a place to live.....

Koto sent me an awesome package with lots of goodies from Germany and Japan. I love marzipan. I don't know if people here really eat it, but I love the stuff!

That's the update from here. : )

Kate vs. The Algae

I think I've lost. These pics are the AFTER pics, after I vacummed, skimmed, chemicaled and backwashed. It's like glow-in-the-light green. Impressive. If it's not better by Monday I will officially declare the first losing of the pool this summer. I should have taken pics before. Dear goodness.

Last Few Days

This weekend. Monica's dad got married, and that is pretty much the only break I took from working on the room. It is almost finished now, but we just need to do a few things, and the new roomie moves in tomorrow.

The pool really, really needed to be cleaned tonight, b/c it had turned green, so I asked Monica to do it while I cleaned the bathrooms and started on the kitchen. I heard a scream from outside but didn't really think much of it b/c the kids are always out there in the playground behind our yard. When I looked outside I saw Monica in the pool with the vacuum, scantily clad. LOL. Aparently she fell in and then threw her work clothes on to the cement so she could keep cleaning unimpeded. Way to go, Mon! ; )

For Dad, some progress on the room

Pre-priming, post-edging, and after the first coat. One more coat, then I want to texture. I have yet to decide what kind of texturing I'm going to do, but the walls are way too rough and uneven to leave untextured.

Susie Homemaker

That's me! I've spent the last few days up in the spare room (the one that faces east) and I've been moving, cleaning, sanding, taping, priming and painting. I had some help for a few hours yesterday by one of my dear friend Chris's friends, a guy I'd actually not met yet, but was enthusiastic to come help anyhow. Silly me, I thought it was due to the kindness of his heart, which he is quite kind. However, I soon came to realize he had absolutely NO IDEA what he was doing, and had come as a learning experience! OMG. Really? Are you serious? LOL. He started pouring the primer and I looked at him and said, "um, are you going to stir that?" Blank look. Then, as he started priming I looked at him and said, "um, are you going to put down a drop cloth?" lol. Fun stuff.


Actually, he ended up helping me a lot. Still, I worked on the room til 10, when Monica and I decided to hit Jerry's Bait Shop here in Lenexa since Dan had a gig. Uncle Dave and Aunt Janet showed up, which was great.

Then Dad woke me at 9:39 this morning, as he has a habit of doing on the weekends now. I find it odd that it's such a specific time each time.

Today is Monica's dad's wedding, so I will have to take a break from the room. Thank goodness. lol. The only thing is I think I'm making the already bad carpet worse, despite my careful drop-cloth-ing.

Oh, and this morning I got a bit too careless with the nose blowing and just about ripped my nose ring out. I looked at it and it was mostly out of my nose and I thought, oh dear, what to do now? Take it out completely or shove it back in? I hesitated, realized how badly I had wanted the darn thing, took a deep breath and shoved it back in. Wow. So much fun. : )

Do-It-Yourselfers

Monica and I are getting a new roomie. She is going to be working/interning at Robin's and is a DC. She will be here next week through the beginning of October. Thankfully she is a professed neat freak. I think we'll get along fine.

However, that means that Monica and I need to fix the spare room that has been in remodeling limbo for the past two years asap. We made a crazy run to Home Depot tonight to get some supplies just before it closed. We hadn't decided on a color beforehand, but chose cornflower blue in about five minutes. It was that or provence. But that seemed a bit intense. I still want to do a texture but that might have to wait. And my idea of using Venetian plastering was a bit more than I realized, so we're putting that on hold. Sadly we still need to Killz. Let the pre-painting begin!

And just for you Megan, I was eating some of Monica's left over salad and then noticed some leaves were a bit fuzzy. Can you say mold? Um, yeah. So I threw that away. I feel like somehow mold and I are karmacially linked (and you too).

We caught a mouse this morning. One furry new friend down. Hopefully none to go. Monica was kind enough to dispose of it. I didn't tell the new roomie we have rodents. Does that make me a bad future roommate? I'm sure there is some kind of pre-roomie etiquette that I have breached. Bad me.

My youngest German girl's reaction to my new piercing...."ewwwwwwwwwwww!"
Lovely.

Pics from this weekend

Another Hole in the Head and Furry New Friends

Megan visited this weekend and with the exception of feeling the need to build an ark, it was fabulous. We were lazy bums, except for exercising, and Megan really did an 11-mile run yesterday, she is my exercise hero. We had a Sex and the City Marathon, ate junk food (ack! my inner health food nut about fell over from shock), and just had an overall great time. I love hanging with Megan.

Saturday we felt the need to venture out into the populated world and decided piercings would make for a nice adventure. We went down to Irezumi Body Art in Westport, which I would highly recommend, and she pierced her cartilege and I pierced my nose. The needles were a bit scary, but the guy was amazing and did the piercings very quickly and cleanly. Mine really only hurt when the needle first went through. Before I knew it he was done and I had a shiny pink booger on the outside of my nose. Very nice. I'm amazed it doesn't hurt. I usually don't have such pleasant reactions to piercings. I also think that I would never want to be pierced with a gun again because the needle is so the way to go. Fun stuff.

Sadly Megan had to leave today. We should have planned it better so that she could have stayed through the Fourth! But it was a wonderful visit and weekend, and I can't wait to see her again.

This morning Megan and I found mouse droppings. So we went to the hardware store and got scary traps to catch and kill them, and sound wave thingies that will supposedly keep them away so that I won't have to use the scary traps. We will see. Either way I'm not so excited. I feel dirty somehow. Like I got mice because I don't clean my kitchen enough. Which, if you know me, is absolutely not the case!! I'm hoping our furry friends will take up residence elsewhere as soon as possible. Ahh, the fun of homeownership (or temporary homeownership) never stops!