Two Hairy Situations

It was late Sunday morning and I was enjoying lunch in the den with a last cup of coffee. The weather was beautiful, sunny and warm, so Kyle was outside working in the yard.

I had just turned my laptop on when Kyle came in. He went into the living room and came back.

Calmly, he asked, "Have you been sitting there for a while?"

"Yeah, actually, I have. Why?"

"Come see what Murphy did in the living room."

Oh God. I figured she must have peed on the "dog couch" in there again (marking it? Who knows), but as I turned the corner into the front room, I saw a brand-new type of naughtiness:

She had uprooted Kyle's six-foot corn plant from its pot in front of the window, and dragged the entire plant--with most of its soil, apparently--onto the couch. That dark spot on the cushions isn't a shadow--that's dirt.

As we stood there, staring silently, Murphy wandered in. She had this look on her face, like, "Heeeey . . . so, you noticed the plant, huh?"

Stonefaced, Kyle said, "I'm not dealing with this right now," and walked out of the house.

Which was probably for the best, anyway. I yelled at the dog for a while, in the hopes that the yelling would communicate this was not considered appropriate behaviour. She wisely retreated to the back yard to think about her actions.

After thirty minutes or so of sweeping, scooping, replanting, and vacuuming, everthing looked pretty much the same. (Here I insert a shout-out to our "Gardening in a Minute" Flickr photo set, Repotting Indoor Plants) Of course, the plant is now leaning a little, and the pothos plant that was growing at the base of it is much, much smaller. I did take a few pieces of the pothos and put them in water; hopefully they'll root. And while the couch cushions are not clean, exactly--they're clean enough for the dog, anyway.

There are two lingering mysteries: one, why now? That plant had been sitting in that same exact spot for a few weeks. And two, how did I not hear her knock it over? I didn't have the television on or anything. Weird.

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I promised a photo of Kyle in his beard, and I got one just in time--he plans to shave it off when he returns this weekend from his trip down to Polk County (he's helping our friend Greg with a BBQ competition).

I took it with my iPhone last night at Hooters trivia:

He grew that in a week. Seriously.

Happy New Year! Now, what to change?

So even though I now have a computer at home, I still didn't blog over the holidays. Frankly, I feel more isolated at work than at home. Perhaps I need a home office. It's hard to put your thoughts down when you're sitting on the couch being pestered by the dog ("Throw the ball! Throw the ball!") and have your lovely husband peering over your shoulder ("Why are you on the computer? Watch tv with meeeeee!").



The holidays were wonderful, and I got an iPhone for Christmas! A 3Gs. When I opened the box, I danced around like a child. Being addicted to Facebook, Twitter, and text-messaging is even easier now! My first apps to download:



Facebook
TweetDeck (for Twitter)
Pandora
PS Mobile (by PhotoShop)
Bejeweled 2
NYT Mobile (New York Times)
myWireless (AT&T)
Peggle (game)
Epicurious (recipes galore!)
Sextuple Lite (word game)
WeatherBug
NPR News



I looooove it. Kyle actually sacrificed his own phone upgrade in order to buy it for me - isn't he a peach?

Speaking of Kyle, he's growing a beard. It took all of nine days to get full. I'll have to take a photo soon; he's tiring of it.

I actually made a new year's resolution this year - get to the office earlier. I had been going in (and leaving) late, to spend more time with the puppy, but now that she's 8 months, I need to stop using her as an excuse. I've actually done pretty well! Of course, it's only been a little over a week, but still, it's progress.

The new year has also prompted some sartorial introspection. I'd like to expand my wardrobe, to inject a little style into it. In thinking about style, I realize - I have no personal style! I mean, does an endless parade of jeans and solid-color tops count as a style? I think not.

But even when I try and imagine what my "style" would be, I come up short. Don't get me wrong - I know what cut looks good on my frame: boot cut jeans to minimize my thighs and butt and lengthen the leg, fabric that lays flat on my torso to emphasize what little bust I have and show off my (relatively) flat stomach. I like certain colors - red, orange, brown, teal, turquoise. But when it comes to details, I'm lost.

Of course, if a personal style can be defined as "a distinctive quality," I probably have one. I'm sure most of my friends could guess what I'm wearing right now and be very close to correct. I'm so consistent in what I like that one friend even can point out "Jen shoes."

And I don't want to change who I am - I'm not looking to make myself over. But I do need to go shopping (an activity I happen to loathe), and I'd like to add a little kick to wardrobe.

One friend has suggested scarves as being versatile and budget-conscious. Do you have any suggestions?