Happiness is...

• hearing my dog crunch happily on a marrow bone. His breath is vile, he needs it!
  
• freshly cut grass even though it makes me itchy and sneezy
• happy screams of kids running around outside even though they give me a headache. Better outside than in.
• warm breeze wafting in to cool you at the very moment the heat becomes intolerable
• watching billowy white clouds drifting in to form massive, impressive thunder clouds
• feeling of accomplishment when a small yet oppressive task is accomplished (usually cleaning)
• forming another goal to work on
• driving with the windows down even though it makes a wretched tangle of my hair

What small things in your daily life makes you happy?

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Happy New Year!

May you have all the luck in the world!

This is a sort of an Irish blessing. It specifically doesn't say good/bad luck, just "luck." You can't have good without the bad.

Things I have learned this weekend:

• I make a bad fake-gambler
• It is possible to get $11,000 in debt playing Vegas solitaire. I think it's rigged.
  
  
• Apollo likes to sleep behind the vertical blinds
  
  
• It is possible to get sick of pizza (which works in my favor - see below).
  
  
• When Apollo gets new balls, he goes bonkers and consequently drives me nuts because he keeps losing the balls.
• Being a neutered male, I shouldn't be surprised that he's obsessed about his balls
  
  
• It is possible for me to get bored enough to start making lists.

And on that note, here's a boiled down list of my resolutions - some of these are carryovers from last year:

1. Improve photography skills
   
2. Take a couple editing classes
3. Start looking for a new job, both locally and later in the year, out West
4. Find a couple more climbing partners in addition to the one I already climb with
5. Climb a 5.10 route
   
6. Stop dressing like I'm still in college
7. And a classic: Get fit. Sub-goal - to run 5 miles without stopping.
   
8. Eat healthier/stop relying on pre-processed food for meals
9. Take a real vacation out of town somewhere that I actually have to pay for myself instead of being cheap and staying at home.
10. Be happy and be strong enough to change things if I'm not happy with something

Ok, the last one isn't a really resolution, but I put it on there anyway.

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Almost New Year's!

With two consecutive short weeks and one of my coworkers being out, it's been insane at work. I come home and collapse. All I could manage to do is take Apollo on semi-satisfactory walks. I had hoped to use the Christmas break to rest up but it wasn't very relaxing. But it's almost over! And this weekend will be relaxing. I hope to get some more photographs up on here tonight/tomorrow.

New Year's, for me, is probably the most important holiday. I've almost always spent it alone, during my adulthood, and I enjoy it immensely. It's a time of boozing, eating and introspective pondering. I use this time to reflect on the past years and decide on my plans for the next year.

Expect a (boring?) post on that in the next few days.

Here's a couple photos in payment.

*snicker* Love his expression in this yawn.

Finally! Apollo's finished bed!

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Goals: 3. Me: 0

I wrote a couple weeks ago that I was going to do three things: Write, make a cover for my chair and make a mini-studio.

So far, I'm 0 for 3. But! I have a good reason. Well, for #2, anyhow. When I got the fabric out (which I purchased a long time ago), I realized that I probably should practice first since I don't have much fabric to spare.

So, I opted to make this instead...

What's this? Badly-matched checkerboard?

A really big, colorful mat for Apollo?

No...I have deemed this will be a "manly" bed for Apollo.
Apollo is barking his approval here...(or is it distaste?)

And I will use leftovers to make...something! I bought too much fabric.

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