2010 !?

Amazing. Time continues to speed by and I continue to have trouble keeping up. We're half way through January, 2010. It feels almost surreal.

I bought a chair yesterday, which they'll deliver next weekend. Now I just have to figure out what to do with my dead recliner. The poor thing has been destroyed by the cats over the years, so it's probably safe to assume no one will want it. So how do I get rid of it? Store it in the garage with the battery back-up that I also don't know how to get rid of? Hmmmm. I think I haven't told that story. It happened when I was moving everything into the garage so that the carpet could be replaced. After disconnecting all my computer stuff from the battery back-up, I lifted it and thought: "What the hell is dripping?" as I watched holes being eaten in my carpet. The battery backup was dripping battery acid! I ran through the house with it to the garage, and then back-tracked my trail of drips, spreading baking soda on everything that looked wet. The only place that ended up damaged was the carpet in the computer room where it first started dripping and I stood there watching it eat through the carpet. LUCKILY, it was the old carpet I was replacing, not the new carpet I was having installed. I'd have been sick. So that battery back-up is inside three cardboard boxes in my garage. It doesn't seem to continue dripping as long as I keep it level, but what do I do with it now? It's a Belkin, so it's not like it was an off-brand or something. I'll have to see who will take and dispose of a battery which leaks acid.

Back to the chair. I've got to figure out how to dispose of the old chair. It's not going to fit in the back of my Subaru, even if I could lift it into there. So I'll have to see how I can get it hauled off. I still haven't found a couch I like, but at least I found a nice chair.

I went to my parents house for Christmas and it was snowing hard when I left to drive there. Pretty, but driving in snow is not my favorite. I live in Texas and often visit my sister in Colorado around Christmas time, so I can drive in it if I have to but it's not my favorite. And my sister will tell you, I'm a total rookie at snow driving. This has probably been one of the coldest years I remember since living in Texas. We've had snow three times in December this year, and snow on Christmas is especially rare. We've also had over a week of sub-freezing temps and several days in the teens. Very unusual for here. Anyway, I dragged most of my aloe vera into the garage once I moved my house stuff back into the house. Three of the plants however, I covered up and left on the back porch. This picture is what they looked like when I got back from Christmas at my folks. Needless to say, the cover got blown off by the snowstorm. Also needless to say, these guys will not survive. Not after snow and multiple days below freezing. Looks like I'll have pots to split some of the other aloe vera into this year.

I'm still working on the stuff left in the garage, throwing away stuff I don't really need and deciding how and where to store the stuff I'm keeping. The house is pretty well set now, ready for new furniture as I find it. And now the garage is shaping up. I intend to keep it clean and picked up, so it doesn't get so nasty again. Hopefully I can keep up with that good intention. I storing my Christmas stuff out there now rather than in my closet. Plus I'm storing my sewing machine and my anime posters in the garage, so my closets are much cleaner and more organized. Soon my garage will be too. I've got to find a good place to store the extra carpet they left with me too. So this is my weekend to be organized and try to get everything around the house organized.

Last weekend I went to see Avatar for the second time with my sister. The first time I saw it, I went with my friend who was home from med school on her winter break. I'm blaming her for the cold weather because now that she's gone back to school it's been warming up. We had some great times while she was in town though.

I really enjoyed Avatar. Both times. I saw it in 3D both times and am really glad I saw it in the theater. I often just wait for things to come out on DVD, but this movie was definitely worth seeing on the big screen.

One that I wish I had seen on the big screen is the most recent Star Trek movie. I bought the DVD out of curiosity because I've been a Star Trek fan since I was a kid watching the original series as it came out. (Oops, just seriously dated myself). This movie was great! They did an awesome job of making an interesting, action-filled movie, with a unique plot in an alternate universe, but including enough of the original traits and sayings of the original characters to keep a ST fan happy. I think I've watched the DVD 5 or so times. Fun!

Anyway, just thought I'd get my first blog of the new year in this weekend. I may shoot for another one if I get tired of organizing.