Today



I was completely obsessed with the Olympics. My TiVO has made it even worse, since it records my favorite events in the middlde of the night. I would have the Olympics on while trying to clean, and suddenly I would get absorbed and a half hour would pass without even realizing it! I'm recording: diving, gymanstics, equestrian, sailing, and beach volleyball. I'm sure that's more than enough to keep me busy during every down moment all week.



The weather all weekend was freakin' beautiful. I spent most of Saturday puttering around my yard, instead of trying to get things done as fast as possible like I usually do.



Yesterday, we had a girls' night at Princess Diaries 2, which was entertaining in an everyone has a 14 year old girl who wants to be a Princess living inside them kind of way. There were some very random scenes too.



That was my uneventful weekend. Less than 2 weeks until we go to Peru. Yeah Peru!


My class difficulties for next semester have just been resolved in one swoop. The class I was planning on taking is now scheduled MWF 1-2 p.m. There's no way that will work for my schedule. So, I've switched to the class that comes before a class I took last semester -- not a thrilling topic/professor, but not bad either. At least I know what to expect. As for a second class, my only option is Independent Study. I just can't think of any topic to, you know, study.. Of course, Independent Study topics will be even harder to find once I move to the FDO office. I'm getting worried because I feel like I'm rapidly exhausting the course offerings that interest me.


Begin homeowners rant



I reached a new Homeowners Association high when I received two letters in the same envelope! (Since I didn't get any letters last month, this maintains my average of 1 per month.) One was for grass in the cracks in my driveway (which I actually sprayed with weed-be-gone last week and pulled out this week before I even opened the letter). The other was for bricks and trash recepticles in my driveway. I couldn't figure out what they meant by trash recepticles (I keep my garbage in the garage where it belongs). But I do have about 5 edging bricks that a neighbor gave me a few weeks ago sitting in my driveway right in front of my garage door -- I'm planning on using them eventually, but I'm in no rush.



I basically filed the letters away and am going to ignore tham. Ignore ignore ignore. That's my new policy. Until this year's Homeowners Assocation meeting where I propose that the property management company we employ needs to be reigned in.



You know, its not that I have any problems with the rules and deed restrictions in our neighborhood. They are all fairly reasonable -- don't let your grass get above ankle height, keep your yard neat, don't paint your house green. Its the letters I have a problem with. They send you a letter just to inform you that one day you might just be in violation of a deed restriction.



Its the paternalism that bothers me. The letters inform you "its time to mow your lawn." Well, I know full well when its time to mow my lawn, or if I've been away and I've let the grass very long. I don't need a scolding letter to remind me how to take care of my house. They should trust the homeowners to maintain their property and be aware when things are bordering on the edge of violating a deed restriction. They should send a letter when I *actually* violate a deed restriction and they are planning on taking action! Not the maybe-could-possibly-well, let's just tell you how to cut your trees kind of way (for instance, the whole neighborhood received a letter at the beginning of spring instructing us on the specifications for trim the trees so the lowest branches were exactly 6 feet 6 inches above the ground).



End rant.



Sunday, August 15, 3:30 p.m.


Sarah *finally* posted a log of our trip to Longs Peak here. Yeah Sarah!

I was very depressed by this story about the young women who blogged her sexual exploits while working for a Senator. I used to feel sorry for her, a mostly private blog ending up public. But her outlook on life sends a terrible message...

"I used to read, like, Ms. Magazine and all that stuff when I was in high school," she says. "I was really, like, earnest back then. When I grew up and saw the way people are, I had to adapt. It's more about your looks than anything you can do. If you are not attractive, if you are fat, you don't get seated [at a restaurant], like, in the window or outside. If you want to do what you want to do, you have to look a certain way."