Nerdy or Sexy?

Last week I went in to get my eyes checked, and it turns out I have perfect vision in my left eye, but an astigmatism in my right eye.  (Which was apparently causing what I thought was mild dyslexia). So the eye doc put some crazy drops in my eyes and told me to go pick out some glasses.  

I couldn't see after the first two minutes with the drops in my eyes, so I depended on the girls at the shop and some photo emails back and forth to David to pick out a good pair.  After narrowing it down to a few, it suddenly occurred to me to ask how much they cost.  OMG!  I had now idea glasses were so pricey.  One pair was more than $650... I almost fainted (literally, the eye drops were really bothering me and I thought I was going to pass out).  

In the end I went with the least expensive pair they had in stock and combined with the co-pay from our insurance I still shelled out a pretty penny - no where near 600 smackers, but I was still surprised by the price.  

I picked them up on Wednesday, so as of today I've had glasses for three days.  I'm still getting used to them.  My doctor says I have to wear them everyday for a month, and then when I'm working on the computer and driving, or as needed.  

Day One

Day Three

I've had a few people tell me I look like a sexy librarian, and actually, one lady at my job said my new code name was "The Librarian".  However, my husband told me not to tell people that he helped pick them out... not that he doesn't like them, but he wants to make that point clear... and my dad just plain doesn't like them.

Either way, its amazing how good I thought my vision was versus how much better it is now.  And its just the one eye... my left eye was doing all the work.  I guess, in the end, being able to see better is really all that matters, but my vanity is a little unsure at the moment.     

Margarita Day!

Not many people know that the famously delicious drink, the Margarita, was named for the famous actress, Rita Hayworth (aka Margarita Carmen Cansino).  There is still some debate about this... but... we'll just claim it as fact.  Today, October 17, 2012 would be Rita's 94th birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RITA!

 

 
Because I adore both Rita and Margaritas, I dub October 17th, Margarita Day.  I hope you'll all raise (at least) one delicious glass (even if its a virgin) to one amazing lady to celebrate her birthday.

And in case you don't know... this is my favorite scene from my favorite film, Gilda, starring Miss Hayworth in her most famous role.

Linus and the "Cone of Shame"

A couple of weeks ago our dog, Linus broke his toe.  Well, his dew claw to be exact.  This was the second or third time it happened in his short 3 years of life, and each time caused him more pain.  We decided it was in his (and our pocketbook's) best interest to just have them removed.  Frankly, we should have had them removed when he was a puppy, but after reading the awesome dog book by Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain, I didn't have the heart to do it at the time... even now I feel a little guilty.

Here is an excerpt from the book, in case you haven't read it:

"I’ll give you a theory: Man’s closest relative is not the chimpanzee, as the TV people believe, but is, in fact, the dog.

Witness my logic:

Case-in-Point #1: The Dew ClawIt is my opinion that the so-called dew claw, which is often snipped off a dog’s foreleg at an early age, is actually evidence of a pre-emergent thumb. Further, I believe that men have systematically bred the thumb out of certain lines of dog through an elaborate process called “selective breeding”, simply in order to prevent dogs from evolving into dexterous, and therefore “dangerous”, mammals.

I also believe that man’s continued domestication (if you care to use that silly euphemism) of dogs is motivated by fear: fear that dogs, left to evolve on their own, would, in fact, develop thumbs and smaller tongues, and therefore would be superior to men, who are slow and cumbersome, standing erect as they do. This is why dogs must live under the constant supervision of people, and are immediately put to death when found living on their own.
From what Denny has told me about the government and its inner workings, it is my belief that this despicable plan was hatched in a back room of none other than the White House, probably by an evil adviser to a president of questionable moral and intellectual fortitude, and probably with the correct assessment — unfortunately, made from a position of fear-driven paranoia rather than of spiritual insight — that all dogs are progressively inclined regarding social issues. 

Case-in-Point #2: The WerewolfThe full moon rises. The fog clings to the lowest branches of the spruce trees. The man steps out of the darkest corner of the forest and finds himself transformed into… A monkey? I think not."

Linus is a big baby about everything, especially the vet (I blame David, who spoils him rotten) so I was especially worried about how he would handle surgery.  When I picked him up, the vet brought our little drugged-up boy out to see me... with a cone on his head.  Between the drugs and the cone, Linus would hardly move.  It was so sad.

I couldn't help but laugh at his drunken swagger and his lack of spacial awareness due to the cone.  He ran into everything!  I text-ed David immediately and told him Linus was wearing the "cone of shame."  This is another pop culture reference to the animated film, "Up."



Today, Linus is finally getting his stitches removed!  And hopefully no more cone... and no more vet bills!

Wish him luck!
 

Opera Idaho

So, I know... I have been very bad about writing the past few months.  Actually, I have had plenty to write about... but I seem to have gotten side-tracked.  There is lots going on in my world, but the most exciting news is that I have a new job as the Marketing and Development Manager at Opera Idaho.  I started last week, and I absolutely LOVE it.

I have my own office with a window that gets soft north facing light, and throughout the day I hear soft melodies of singers and choirs rehearsing in the rehearsal space down the hall.  Plus, I'm working in the arts again and I can't tell you how happy that makes me.  No more politics for me!  Well, at least government politics!

I have to admit, I've never thought much about Opera- not that I didn't like it, I do (most of it), but it just wasn't on my radar.  Now that it is, I'm certainly learning a lot and I am finding it very romantic and lovely.  It's not so much that the work is different, but the mentality of the people I work with that is different.  Working in the arts has such a strong effect on the soul... I am so busy I sometimes forget to eat, and yet, I'm happier in my work than I've been in years.  And that is reflected in everything else I do.

If you are local, be sure to check out Opera Idaho's 2012-2013 Season starting with the opera Falstaff at the end of October.  If you aren't, its just one more reason to visit Boise!

In the meantime, I have to get back to work!  There is a lot to do between our Auction of Arias fundraiser on October 12th, our Operatini event on October 18th, and the first opera of the season, Falstaff on October 26th and 28th.

Wish me luck!

Rabbit! Rabbit!

Have a lucky October and a Happy Halloween!