I'd better make a million dollars a day.

Pinterest is addicting. Not in that "I can only think about pinning" kind of crack-addict way, but more the "uh oh. I clicked on pinterest in my top eight visited sites and I am being sucked in!" way.

Two of my favorite things to do on there are plan my future home and ogle future vacation spots. One of my most enjoyable hobbies is to envision that I have more money than I know what to do with, and draw up mental blueprints of a future home. It occurred to me today that perhaps I need more than one fabulous home, because to cram that much awesomeness into one small space might make my head explode.

A dual-head, dual-control shower. A wood-burning fireplace. A wine cellar. A library. Lots and lots of glass and open space in the kitchen (and subsequently, a super-expensive monitoring system to ensure no boogeyman will get me). The largest master closet ever. A laundry chute. A housekeeper to take care of everything.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

And then there's the vacation home. Wrap-around porch with hammocks and/or a porch swing. Lots of water. Preferably something somewhat secluded and cantilevered over a body of water. Falling water would be nice.

I'm currently looking for viable get-rich-quick options. Any leads, let me know.

Sometimes I'm a bitch.

Especially when I'm hungry. I was reminded of this a few days ago by the person who has probably seen me the bitchiest when I've been hungry. So I just wanted to say...

Now would probably also be an appropriate time to talk about how much I love SomeEcards. I'm spending this, my only day off this week, perusing their selection of highly entertaining tidbits and thinking how many I could send to one person before it gets irritating.

I also determined today that women on their periods (namely me) shouldn't go grocery shopping unattended. I know that's something I have a problem with usually anyway, but today I walked away with three tri-tip roasts, when I have never in my life used a grill. I also purchased three things of ice cream and two packages of cookies. Super fail.

I'm in the process of compiling a playlist for Kyle's and my roadtrip to Sedona (or somewhere else up north) in two weeks. Feel free to chime in if you have any suggestions! Love songs, country, oldies, some (very little) rock, Bloodhound Gang... What are your roadtrip staples?

I'm being spoiled.

In more ways than one.

My parents are pretty awesome sometimes. They are allowing me to live rent-free in their condo down here, and they even pay the electricity bill. Pretty nifty considering I have spendy wine and no wine fridge. I keep the house at no more than 75 degrees typically.

Except that I like it warmer. When Kyle and I lived together, I was constantly sneaking to turn up the air to 78 and he was following right behind me, turning it down to 72.

Apparently he's decided that his electricity bill is more important than his comfort, because he keeps his house much warmer than mine. Plus, he has an abnormally high body temperature (or it feels that way sometimes) so you hardly need a blanket when he's in bed.

Every time I come home now, I'm freakishly cold. My house is chilly. And every night before I go to bed, I turn up the heat because I don't have a bed-warmer sleeping over.

It's amusing the things I take for granted sometimes. Super cheap housing, a snugglebug, and good morning kisses even when you have stank breath.

Life isn't so bad after-all. I'm a pretty lucky lady.

365 questions: 236 - 250

236. What was your last major accomplishment?  I surprised someone who I can't easily surprise. I'd say that's probably an accomplishment. 

237. Through all of life’s twists and turns who has been there for you?  My best friend ever, Erika Gail. 

238. What or who has been distracting you?  Exhaustion. Feelings of being overwhelmed. And Kyle Robert. 

239. What are you looking forward to in the upcoming week?  Saturday night! I get off work relatively early and my puppy is coming over. 

240. Who is your mentor and what have you learned from them?  Yikes. My mentor? I don't really have one anymore. In high school, I would have said Mr. Brown. And everything I've learned from him truly can't be put into words. 

241. What are you uncertain about?  Money. School. Relationships. 

242. What do you think about when you lie awake in bed?  Someone who is turning my life upside-down. 

243. What’s something most people don’t know about you?  My shopping addiction knows no bounds. If I'm lingerie shopping, I have no control. If I'm grocery shopping, I probably need a babysitter there, too. 

244. When you have a random hour of free time, what do you usually do?  Read!

245. What makes you weird?  Haha lots of things. I love pickled beets. The only milk in my fridge is coconut milk. I live alone and yet my pantry is stuffed to the gills. I have a very Type-A personality. 

246. If you could relive yesterday what would you do differently?  Nothing, really. I had a pretty productive "morning," and then put in a 12-hour day at work. 

247. What do you do over and over again that you hate doing?  Cleaning the house. I am not naturally a clean person. 

248. Would you rather your child be less attractive and extremely intelligent or extremely attractive and less intelligent?  More intelligent. I'd much rather be remembered for the impact I had on other people because of the wise things I said or the scientific discoveries I made rather than being an unusual beauty. 

249. What white lies do you often tell?  "Sorry I'm late." 

250. What is the biggest change you have made in your life in the last year?  Oh goodness. I've made a ton of changes. I think overall, I've just become a much more responsible person. I've done a lot of introspection and realized that some of the things I've done were perhaps not the best options. I've matured quite a bit. 

365 questions: 225 - 235

225. What is your saddest memory?  I tend to block super emotional stuff out. If you want a recent sad memory, though, it would be me at Jerry's funeral, knowing I didn't make it home in time to say goodbye. That breaks my heart. 

226. What would you like to change?  The number on the scale. For something less superficial, the amount of money I owe in student loans. 

227. How many people do you love?  Lots. I can't help but care about people. 

228. What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?  Oh, goodness. The best one I've ever made? I don't know for certain. The decision to learn from my past mistakes rather than regretting anything was probably a wise one, though. 

229. What’s your favorite true story that you enjoy sharing with others?  I love recounting my ridiculous adventures in Italy from last summer - couchsurfing with men who proposed marriage, getting a room with three guys I'd met an hour before, and sharing one bed with two other people who were both feeling a little amorous. 

230. Right now, at this moment, what do you want most?  I want to know what the future holds. I've never been big on surprises. I like to have all my shit in line, and life has sorta thrown me a twist lately. 

231. What are you waiting for?  How are you writing your life’s story?  I'm waiting for love and for success. But I'm writing my story with a little humor. 

232. What makes love last?  Hard work, every day. Love is a decision, not just an emotion. 

233. What good comes from suffering?  Strength and the experience. Every experience is one from which to learn. 

234. What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in the last year?  Don't take anything for granted. Not love, not people, not money. 

235. Based on you current daily actions and routines, where would you expect to be in five years?  Ideally, I would be writing for a wine magazine or consulting for a snooty restaurant. Happily married to the love of my life. Student loans hopefully paid off. Probably without kids. 

"Do you love me?"

That song is stuck in my head. You know the one - from Fiddler On The Roof. Tevya (or however you spell his name) is singing to his wife, asking that question. Her response? "I suppose I do," after listing everything she has done for him throughout their marriage.

I have been reading the Anita Blake series lately. If you've been watching my reading list, it's more than obvious. I've been going through those books like they are water. Reading #11 tonight, the protagonist is talking about her love situation, and two different guys are doing some psychoanalysis crap. And reading through it, I was suddenly reminded of myself.

Not that I've found The Perfect Man and have been holding back, or anything. That's far from the case. But the whole thing - dating a few guys at the same time, having super complicated feelings for someone who is in and out of her life - aside from the fact that her main squeezes are vampires and werewolves/wereanimals, it gave me pause.

Today is August 4th. It was supposed to be my wedding day. Nothing in the last two years has gone quite according to plan, and I've grown and changed immensely as a result. Some ways for the better. Some ways still surprise me sometimes. But today, I wish I would have been singing the closing line of that song. "I suppose I love you too."

July 101 update

Progress:

• donated some rice. 18,000+ grains, to be more specific. 
• read nine(ish) books. I lost track. I'm at 42 down, in case I lose track again next month. 
• visited another northwest state! I spent some time with my dear Erika in Seattle on Sunday. 

I didn't cross any off completely, because I sometimes fail at life. However, I feel like maybe this month is the month to change that and perhaps stop failing. 

Actually, I'm not super bummed about it. Hard to be The World's Most Productive Person when you have family in town for ten days and then Grandpa dies. I'm not sweating it. 

In other news, I have a year membership at my favorite Bikram studio now. Maybe that means I'll get skinny soon. I just have to get off my lazy ass and do something about it. 

In August, I will:

• make my first student loan payment in six years
• start reading a book in German
• read another 6+ books
• donate 50K+ grains of rice
• lose another 5 lbs. 

and then some. Wish me luck!!

xoxo