Hmmm. My plan of updating more than once every two weeks seems to have gotten off track. But, here I am, awake on a gray, post-Fernet morning, updating the ole blog. Kudos to myself(!)

This week, I bike commuted for the first time. (Aside: I guess I should say, "for the first and second time(s)," since I took my bike to work twice, but that could get confusing. Confusing like this foray right here...) Since I bought my bike early in the year, I'd been planning to bike commute but had put off this transportational transition for various reasons, some more substantiated than others. While it's true that my old job didn't provide adequate bike storage for staff -- there was one rickety bike rack out on the yard -- it is also true that I harbored a major, major fear of riding on Market. And who wouldn't? Market Street is scary! Anyway, this Tuesday, when I woke up at 5:30 to begin my ride, I almost talked myself out of it. But then I didn't, and I ended up loving bike commuting and I plan to do it three times a week, on average. (I'd ride more often but for the fact that there is no shower at my office, so the commute necessitates my going to the gym before work to work out and shower. That, and I like my other routine of reading on the bus and I don't want to give that up completely.)

I also had my first yoga class this week. Given my fitness history of the past two years, I'm pretty surprised that I'd never tried yoga, but there you have it. After a bit of research (i.e., perfunctory Yelping), I signed up for an intro package at Bend Yoga on Hayes, my decision being informed primarily by the positive Yelp reviews but also by the studio's close proximity to my home and by the killer deal for the intro package. The instructor I had was pretty great: I told her that this was my first yoga class ever, and she welcomed me heartily and corrected my poses in a very constructive, gentle way. And I really enjoyed the class: the guided breathing helped me relax more than I've been able to in like, weeks, and the minimini massage at session's end was also good. So, yes: I think I may become a yoga devotee. Or as Hook says, I might just become a blissed-out hippie. It's casual, though: I can abide.

Status: morning is still gray. Headache is waning, though not disappeared. I have no formal plans for the day but feel as though I should clean the bathroom and maybe make Strawberries Romanoff. Over & out.

Indeed, it feels like the post-party afternoon that it is. Hook and I got the apartment cleaned up; Hook is napping. Still hoping to make it to IKEA before evening, but chances are slimmer than they were fourteen hours ago. Gah! I really need a dresser!
This is all.

Back to reality.

Yesterday I was a total slob: slovenly in the way I haven't been in at least a year. Saturday night, we (Ali, Eric, and I) threw a surprise birthday party for Sara, which was pretty badass. We had decorations (balloons, streamers, birthday banner), a full nacho/taco bar, a cake shaped like North Dakota, and plenty of boozes. The revelry lasted well into the night, then the later night, then the morning, and before we all knew it, it was five. Hence the subsequent slobbery.

Mostly I like to be awake and alert early: I'll wake up at 5:30 or 6, check email, eat breakfast, putter around, go to the gym, and so on. But yesterday, sleeping until 2, driving to BK still in my fleece pants, eating on the couch while staring at the blank TV, and not showering until 5:30 were the only acceptable choices. To be fair, I wasn't wholly unproductive: Ali and I cleaned up all the party-related mess (A. even got a Swiffer mop for the job: the mop is awesome), watched "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" (I would have resisted if I weren't such a zombie), baked for the grad conference bake sale (today!), and I did some homework for practicum. We also finished our Thanksgiving shopping, which took an hour or two longer than it should have, due to our hazy fascination with the just shelved Xmas merch. And our haziness in general.

If there's one thing I learned, it's that fleece pants are the greatest invention ever. I've never owned a pair before, but I'm starting to think I should pick up a few more in different colors. Has slovenliness invaded my life? Only time will tell...