We've Got Snuggles

You might remember the Almost Snuggling incident of 2015.

Last night Mike and I were having a super yummy curry dinner while watching some Sherlock. Harlow loves to lurk while I eat at the coffee table, but she does it in this incredibly irritating way - she just sort of millllllllls around until finally getting it that Nope! Today she's not allowed to beg either! Same as yesterday, and last week. And a year ago.

"Go lie down"
(Stares blankly at me)
"Go lie down, please!"
(Shifts on her feet and lets her eyes drift away from me.)
"Go lie down, I am eating"
(Stares at wall)
"HARLOW. Go. Lie. Down!"
Oh, you meant ME! I thought you might have been talking to the other one!  (Then goes and lies down).

Tico was next. He likes to beg too.

So Harlow's on her bed and Tico has a little mat he can go to also, but instead he slowly makes his way over to Harlow's bed and snuggles himself right in.

We have spooning, people!

Scans

I've been thinking lately about all the things I have which won't matter to anyone. I have at least 30 journals full of my rambling words. I'm not sure I wrote them to be passed on, but I don't know what they're for. Photos and scrap books, letter and cards. There is no one to inherit my belongings. My childhood toys, some of which I still have.

I received a message from an acquaintance, Kristen. She's planning a joint 40th birthday party for our friends Joe and Suzanne. I went to college with Joe and Suzanne and they fell in love while we had the momentous experience that is college. The are married now with three kids.

Kristen asked if I had any photos of the two of them from our college years. I told her I'd be happy to take a look, scan some shots and get them to her.  I went to my basement and found a sample (lots are missing) of the slides and negatives from that time along with some mold (note to self; must store them better somehow).

There were a few things that struck me as I scanned the slides on this little scanner of Dad's which I borrowed (note to self - must return scanner).
1. I was a much better college photographer than I ever gave myself credit for.
2. Holy moly we were young, and
3. This is my legacy. Sharing the documenting I so obsessively did (and I wasn't even that good about it compared to others in my major), should be what I "leave behind".

That's not such a bad thing. I'm proud of it actually. If what I can leave for people today, or on some other major day like a 40th birthday, are pictures they don't even remember me taking but smile wide when they see them, I'm perfectly happy with that.

bringing in the keg for the last house party of the year

the city came after us for the mess in the yard

planning for a party

clean up

Aaron and Meg (also got married later on) at the end of the year (senior year I think?)

Some Pictures

If it's too bright in my bedroom and she's ready to go to sleep. she'll make her own darkness!

Ice crystals on my windshield this morning

Ikea Visit

Harlow is very helpful when it comes time to assemble Ikea furniture.

And by "very helpful" I basically mean she just gets in the way, or works hard breaking down the cardboard for post-assembly recycling.

"Now seems like the perfect time to play with this squeaky toy!"

Harlow's very recycling-conscious.

IKEA assembly from C.M. Scott on Vimeo.

Harlow Updates! New Year, Same Dog.

Helping Dad with his Rummikub game.

She likes her water on ice. And by ice I mean frozen solid.

I'd say this position was a fluke but two nights later I found she'd chosen the same position at bed time. What a weirdo.

I don't buy her new beds often. They are over-priced and she chews on them when she's bored which irritates the hell out fo me. When I do buy her a new one, I just stack the new one on top of the old ones because they flatten so easily.

Princess and the Pea and her pile o' mattresses

Mom gave all the pups in her life these squeaky toys for Christmas. I gave Harlow hers last night and she was very busy with it. This morning when I picked it up and put it away for later, I was shocked to find no injuries to it. I guess she hasn't decided it's time to remove it's nine squeakers. Saving it for a rainy day?

She brought Squeaky Lion to me on the couch many times last night. Just seemed to want to be near us both at the same time a lot. I think she feels the Lion is someone special. 

But she still carried it around a lot too!

What is it? A boy or a girl?

I was coming in out of the cold at the office the other day when I passed in the reception area a coworker who's just became a new dad. He was talking with someone so I didn't stop to chat (also because I'm not friendly) but in my head I said "Hi, new dad!" and then promptly wondered if that would have been weird to say.

Since I didn't say it out loud I didn't worry about it, but I did follow my internal statement with a question "Boy or girl?" because I couldn't remember.

Which got me thinking about how people often ask pregnant women if they know if it's a boy or a girl. Some people don't know and say they don't care "As long as the baby's healthy!". Some people say they hope for one or the other, or maybe they actually know but aren't telling.

Then there are those people who answer the question with a snarky "A human."

I say snarky but in reality no one's ever said that to me before. But then, I'm not sure I've ever asked anyone what sex their baby was going to be because people are weird about that, as if the questioner will judge you for the answer.

The "what are you having?" question is an interesting one to me, because as I thought about it I realized - people don't really give a shit about whether you're having a boy or a girl so stop getting all weird and "I'm having a human" about it.

Then why do people ask? Because IT'S SOMETHING TO ASK!  It's making conversation. It's learning something about you and showing interest in your life.

Same goes with "Do you have a boyfriend?" (YES I DO AND HE'S REALLY CUTE THANKS FOR ASKING!), or asking something like "Will you have kids?" just after you got hitched. While I do think that perhaps it's no one's business (Oh, man, can you imagine the poor person who might ask me that question? "No, I actually can't have kids, thanks for asking!" poor uncomfortable bastard)  I do think it's just another way people make conversation.

I think there are certain situations where when you're talking to someone, what to ask them becomes hard because all you can think about is the pink elephant, or in this example "Are you going to have kids?" if they just got married. So the question is, what other questions do you ask?

You have an acquaintance or coworker who's pregnant and you know this fact. It's the the current hot topic. Do you ignore the boy/girl question and ask "Hey, are you reading any good books lately?"

That's not rhetorical, I'm seriously asking.

Big Dog, Little Bed. Little Dog, Big Bed

We got the dogs new beds, and then they couldn't seem to figure out which one was theirs!

New Year's Good Stuff Jar

Last year I came across an idea to put scraps in a jar. On those scraps you write about stuff you're happy about, accomplishments, etc. I made a Good Stuff Jar but mostly used it to put tickets and such in it. Also part of this jar was a list of goals. Here were the ones I added to my list and the answers. I made no effort really to accomplish the goals specifically as I am emphatically anti-resolution (oh great! Something else to fail at! Wonderful!)

Challenges from my Good Stuff jar list

Break a Bad Habit

What bad habit? ; )

Do a Good Deed

I helped a mama out

Visit a New Place

Quebec City! Technically this isn't true since I went on a school trip in eighth grade but since I have zero memory of it, I'm counting it as a "new place"

Read a Difficult Book

I didn't read it but did listen to Tiny Beautiful Things which was emotionally tough. I'm not going to bother with a "difficult book" of the Vanity Fair Variety. 

Write Something Important

I don't know about this one. Perhaps the opening two paragraphs to the BU field hockey project. I'm proud of it because without it, the written part would be the boring, impersonal segment it started out as. Not at all what I envisioned for the project. 

Try a New Food

Maple Bacon cookie

Do Something for Someone Who Cannot Thank You

If I think of some way in which I saved the world I'll come back to this one. 

Take an Important Risk

I wouldn't say that 2015 was bad at all, but after taking a risk and paying the price (with with unwanted news in 2014), I felt a weight off my shoulders in only one regard - I had time now. I had nothing to rush for anymore. After decades of hearing a clock ticking, I learned the battery fell out and it wasn't in fact ticking at all. So, what's the rush? Feeling somehow less, I stopped dating for a while. I decided to take time to wrap my head around the fact that a dream I'd expected to happen no longer would. I do not like being told that I can't do something. This does not sit well with me. And this was the ultimate "can't". Who would want me now? What do I want for my future now that my reality has shifted? I don't know what prompted me to start dating again, what made me go back to the stinky smelly haystack and look for the needle, but I'm glad I did. That was my important risk. 

Holidays

Christmas was nice

New Year's was fun

It's always too long

Until the next one

Mom gets a new laptop
Untitled from C.M. Scott on Vimeo.


Harlow gets a new toy!
Untitled from C.M. Scott on Vimeo.

we managed a family pic this year!

ringing in 2016 with friends and funny hats