When I downsized my life a couple of years ago one of the pluses about moving into a condo was no more lawn care.  When I lived in the big house my lawn maintenance bill was about $1200 for the season.  This cost was just for mowing the property not for plants and the like.  When I moved into the condo the lack of grass in front of my unit was an eye sore I hoped to remedy.

I talked to TPTB about fixing the plot of grass and they told me I would be put on the list.  Which was fine at the time.  Waiting isn’t my strong suit so I got an approval from the President of the Association to handle the issue myself.  Last May I tore up the dirt and laid a couple of strips of sod.  It wasn’t an expensive undertaking just laborious.  But it looked nice.  I added some grass seed to more of the area to strengthen the look of non-sod grass.

Fast forward to this morning the grass is coming in a little patchy this year.  It’s way better looking than last year.  Granted I have the dogs and they do their business on the grass but in some parts the soil is just so compacted.  It’s frustrating but it’s been nice getting my hands dirty.  Who would have thought I would have missed yard work, lol.

What is it about spring that brings out the home improvement but.  I’m really itching to paint my bedroom.  I have not color in mind but I know I want to do it.  Right now the starkness of the white walls isn’t doing anything for me, and I watch way too much HGTV for my own good.  I’m thinking beige?  Just something to warm it up a bit.  The living room has Red (it was on the walls when I moved in) so I know I’m not looking to go crazy with the color in the bedroom.  Knowing myself, I’ll probably marinate on this color choice thing for a while, lol.

I kept thinking of Phil Collins Song “One More Night” after Marissa and Tony got the go ahead to return next week on DWTS.  I was so happy I cheered for them.  Marissa is fun, appreciative and just all around happy to be moving on.  I think so many times she was counted out of the competition but the fans brought her back.  You know why? She’s what the show is supposed to be about.

Watching Mel and Max dancing was a treat too.  I really believe that they should have won last season not Helio but that’s just me.  I felt the same way about Julianne and Helio as I do about Jason and Edyta.  They are good but not better than the others.  Mel and Max were it.  Max always brought out something in the women he danced with when he was paired with strong, dynamic women like Layla Ali or Mel B.

Next week I’d like to see Christian go.  He’s injured and really he can’t compete, regardless what the judges say.    So who got bounced?  Mario and Karenia went home.  Mario was cute and had his way with Ballroom dances but not so much with Latin dances. It was his time to go and his run was a good one.  See ya on Billboards Top 100 Kiddo!!!

On the home front 2 called me yesterday with news that he cast his primary vote.  I’m torn about this whole presidential thing.  I’m stuck because I haven’t much faith in any of the three candidates and even less faith in our congress.  I wish Ms. Pelosi would stop globe trotting and stay in Washington and get some work done.  Why do all of these candidates recite the words of JFK?  How about you get some of your own?  If a candidate can’t even have an original speech idea without quoting someone else how are they going to lead us through this muck we are mired in?  Maybe once it’s paired down to the two candidates, Republican and Democrat, I will get a better idea of who to vote for in November.

My little psycho dog Mickie has been very good lately.  I’m not sure what’s going on their but she’s totally freaking me out.  I’m all about the other shoe dropping, lol.  I guess I should just be thankful for the fact she is being good.  Maybe Willow kicked her butt one day when I wasn’t home?  I’m just going to run with it.

So from my title you know where this blog is going, right?  Last night DWTS was okay.  Not as spectacular as last season but hey those days are bygones.  Any who, what is with the judges?  This show seems so contrived and it’s annoying the heck out of me!  It would be one thing if those boobs…oops judges were good at subterfuge, but they aren’t!

Mark and Kristi are good together and wonderful dancers.  They gave not one but two flawless performances last night and what happened? The judges tore them apart.  It made no sense to me why they thought that Kristi’s performance was lacking something or anything.  Well except that TPTB must have told them to be harder on Kristi because her perfection isn’t driving the show enough.  On the other hand we have Marissa and Tony who gave a stunning first performance with the Viennese Waltz.  Their Latin round wasn’t too bad but here again the judges were off their rockers.  They give these two low ball scores.  It’s like they want Marissa gone and will do everything to make it happen.

Moving on to Mario and Karenia…Let me say this, he has his moments and then he doesn’t.  His Tango was very pleasant but his second dance blew chunks out the nose!  Yet Mario gets very high scores and has 1/2 the ability of Marissa.  It just makes my mood nasty!!!!

Vote for Marissa People!!!!!

Moving on….The boy upstairs (I don’t know his name and he moved in 6 months ago) has his man parties once a week.  He’s like 25 years old and usually things are rather quiet above me.  But the man parties can be over the top.  Especially when one of them has thought bouncing a basketball on the floor is a good idea.  Sure if you live on the ground floor with no one below you, but not if some does, say lives below you.  You know someone like, ME!!!  Ah, I feel better.  I got spoiled by the young “quiet” Couple who used to live above me.  And what’s funny is they had a dog (that I never heard), lol!

Last night I got to spend some time with Trixxie.  I haven’t seen her in a while so it was fun.  But when I got home Mickie and Willow didn’t like the fact I smelled like another dog.  They then paid extra attention to me, which I’m not sure was a good or bad thing, lol!

Color me ignorant but I have no idea the significance of “Cinco de Mayo”.  I’ll Wiki it later as to clear up that ignorance.  But to those of you who celebrate the Cinco…Cheers to ya!

Weekends always fly by too quickly.  But I can’t complain because the weather was mostly awesome.  It’s starting to warm up and that is a groovey thing!  I finished the weekend last night with a nasty flare-up. Bygones, this morning I woke up feeling pretty good and ready for the day.

Mondays are pretty wonderful as far as I’m concerned.  First, the obvious, DWTS!  Second, I get to spend time with the kids and third it’s sunny out.

Over the weekend I watched the Ken Burns mini series “The Civil War”.  Very powerful, very graphic and most important for me extremely well done.  I just felt like something awesome to watch and scored big with my choice.  But I realized my viewing habits have been weird lately.  After finishing the TCW I watched HGTV followed by The Bourne Ultimatum.  Weird or what???  When I can’t think of something to watch or just want background noise I’ve been choosing Jason Bourne a lot.  Hmm…I’ll contemplate that one today.  Usually I would go for the romantic comedy in those moments.  A little “Sweet Home Alabama” or “Boys and Girls” but now it’s all about Jason Bourne.  I just got Bionic Woman Season One (mostly because I missed it) so I’ll have to integrate that into this weeks viewing schedule.  Plus LH leant me the first season of “Shark”.  So much to watch so little time

Friday I watched the news for the weather so that I could plan my weekend.  And you’ll be shocked to know the weather guys were completely off the mark.  They called for 60% chance of rain today.  So on Saturday I figured I would leave the cleaning and what not for today because I’d be stuck inside due to bad weather.

Wrong-O!  It was gorgeous outside and of course the house work got put on hold so I could enjoy the beautiful SUNNY day.  It’s been really cold lately so I was happy it was warmer out today.  I did take the dogs for a walk and sat out on the patio in my NEW chair.  The cleaning did get done but It’s just so nice out I wanted to play.

Take that Weather Guy.  I so want this job.  Meteorologist my butt!  Billions in satellite equipment and they still can’t give an accurate forecast.  I want a job where I can be wrong all the time and still employed.  A job where if you are wrong no one seems to really care.  Yep that’s the job I want!

Several days a week during my commute I pick up the same driver close to where I work.  This fool rides my butt the entire time.  When I make the right into my workplace Jetta woman gives me the finger or makes some other kind of gesture.  This amazes me because I put my turn signal on so it’s not like I just pulled right for no reason.  Not to mention I see this car several times a week.  Tell my dear readers, is it me or is she just stupid?

Last night on DWTS Shannon and Derek got the hook.  She cried, he smiled and she said what an incredible experience it was for her.  In the beginning they were my favorite couple but Shannon had really gone as far as she could.  Len was right…she just didn’t have the hip action for the Latin dances.  Vaya con Díos my dancing buddies!

Marissa is a bunch of fun to watch and I hope she stays in it for a couple of more rounds.  I think Mario is the next one to go.  I can’t believe he got such high scores when he clearly made enough mistakes that he didn’t finish his routine on time.  So how does that warrant a 9?  Again the Judges comments and scoring are completely all over the place!  Jason is a good enough dancer but not so good that he deserved the scores he received and thus first place.  How is it that Carrie Ann tells Jason and Edetya that they were going to loose a point because of a lift only to be rewarded with a 10?  Carrie Ann my old school math tells me that if the couple loses a point for a lift and the highest score is a 10 that you should have given them a 9.  Because 10 - 1 = 9…well at least where I live.

Kristi should win the whole thing but who knows this year.  I feel like the show is fixed and no matter what TPTB are actually going to crown who they want to win the show.  Call me a conspiracy theorist but I just do not see the judging like last year.  From week to week the judges change their comments for no rhyme or reason.  It just feels so very contrived compared to other seasons.  The show is making me a cranky pants.

On happier news 4 stopped by last night and we had a stellar visit.

Well, never get me down.  It just makes me tired.  It’s gray and cold and miserable outside.  This are wonderful things if you are say…Morticia Addams!

Going back to work after having some time off is difficult only because I’m missing my afternoon nap.  Those afternoon naps are the bomb baby!  And today would have been a perfect day for an afternoon nap.  Nothing says sleep like a gray and miserable.

So what’s with the judges tonight on DWTS.  I’ve decided they are on crack or someone told them how to judge before they saw the first person dance.  Mario just danced and somewhere toward the end he totally lost his way.  Not to mention they didn’t even finish on time and what was the reward for this fiesta del fiasco…9’s all around!  ARE YOU KIDDING ME????  They seem to purposefully low ball Kristi and Mark tonight but Mario they give trip 9’s.  Um…Yeah!  Me thinks not!!!!

Cristian got a boo-boo.  And it looked like it hurt too but this guy is a soldier.  I hope in battle he’s a little tougher.  Maybe I’m being too tough on him…I’m too judgmental.  I thought the best performances over all tonight was Marrissa and Tony.

Shannon and Derek apologized for their tirade last week in the booth but really I feel they were on the money with their judges critiques.  And tonight backs that up.  I hope that Marrissa and Tony survive another week.

Well I’m ready for bed now that the show is over.  Now I wait for tomorrow :O)

My mini break was a fabulous success but ends today.  I have achieved almost all of my goals.  I say almost all of my goals because I was going to work on my OLTL website but substituted the ATWT site instead.  It was inevitable with the departure of Martha Byrne on 4/22.

This also was my last weekend before I start my diet.  I hate to call it a diet as it is more of a life change.  I eat therefore I am and it’s made me grumpy.  Everything in my life has become about food.  I think all “chubby” folks have been faced with this before and it’s annoying.  Don’t get me wrong I’m not afraid to say the world Fat…because that’s what I am.  I’m fat…I confess here and now that I weight 264 lbs.  That’s not fat…that’s obese.  So now I’ve grown tired of my body being evil.  I’ve used everything in my life as an excuse as to why I eat.  I stress eat, I got out to dinner a lot with friends and my favorite…I’ve been fat all of my life and I’m used to it.

The last one is true…to a point.  My issue with being fat now is I’m uncomfortable.  I do not have diabetes but how long will it stay away.  I’m thinking not much longer.  I have blood pressure issues and trouble sleeping.  So here is where put my foot down and say no more to the bad eating and the not exercising just because.  I’ve posted my weight here and now so that I can no longer hide from it.

I have a scale now and a full length mirror so there is no place to hide.  I have a realistic first goal though so that I do not become overwhelmed and that is to weigh 200 lbs.  That’s 64 lbs.  I can do this goal.  It’s attainable.

So if I go on ad nausea about food and dieting you know why.

Not related to food.  It’s a rainy day so I’m going to work on my spring cleaning.  Accumulating things over the winter has me feeling trapped in a box.  Living in a smaller amount of space I have learned that downsizing 4x’s a year is a good thing.  So today I’m going through my drawers and purging the things I never wear.   Also some of my older winter wear is ready for the bucket so I can get rid of those too.  Wahoo!

Yesterday Willow went to the groomers and she came out looking white and fuzzy, lol.  They did a good job.  Mickie had rolled around in a pile of pollen and it started to make her sick so she got a bath yesterday too.  So the dogs are clean, I’m clean and the apartment is clean.  Wahoo!

The greatest thing about spring is Lilac.  It’s a strong perfume flower and as soon as I open my door I can smell it.  The tree is about 50 ft away from my door.  Well that and it’s warmer, lol!

I’ve never been so exhausted as I am right now. And I didn’t even do anything to be exhausted from. Waiting….waiting…waiting…but for what. Today was test day. And every test starts with Date of Birth. Some of the technicians are nice and some are…well…clinical. It always starts with Date of Birth. So I get there in plenty of time only to wait. Then sign in and then wait. Followed by more waiting and then the test that takes less time than the time I waited. Rinse and repeat. I’m old hat at this so I brought my book and hunkered down.

And now…I wait for the results. Sort of like the time I was in the hospital for something not related to the what the doctor told me just before being released. You have a mass (code for tumor) and I want you to see another doctor. Yeah I heard the two doctors who thought they were a comedy team talking in the hallway about and hour before you showed up. Hurry up and wait. The only solace I had was telling a doctor if she performed the test once more I’d throw up on her…and I did. What can I say Joy comes from strange avenues.

Since I had to fast for one of the tests I got a headache later. To celebrate the completion of my morning I threw in some laundry and took a nap with Mickie who thankfully did not snore.

Marlee got bounced last night for Dancing with the Stars. This wasn’t much of shock since the routines are getting harder and trying to keep a rhythm when you can’t hear the beat is difficult. Hey she gave it her all and I think that is stellar. Failure only comes when you don’t try at all. Interesting choice last night commenting on how Sabrina went home this same week (week 6) and then leaving Mark and Kristi in the last seconds of the show. Cruel and entertaining all at the same time. Interesting, yet obvious choice by the writers. Color me desensitized.

Gorgeous day and to celebrate I’m going to take my book and sit out on my patio and read. Ah days off…all I can say is WAHOO!