My dad ordered a Chardonnay called "Fat Bastard," for our fancy dinner together last Saturday night. Joe and I met him in the city, along with his girlfriend, Carolyn. It was Joe's and my first time meeting her; she seems like a really nice person. The four of us had a fun time together -- good conversation, good wine, good food. I had filet mignon with steamed spinach and potatoes au gratin. It could not have been better! Oh, and apparently, "fat bastard" is a phrase commonly used in wine circles to mean a full-bodied, smooth wine. And damn, was it ever! I love that fat bastard! Heh...

Monday was the first day of my new schedule with Victor, which is now M-F, 12:30-ish to 6:30-ish.

Wednesday was the first day I was honest-to-goodness angry at some of my field trip students at the water treatment plant. And Wednesday night, I took my last Celebrex pill, a short-term prescription my doctor had given me to reduce inflammation and pain I'd been having.

Thursday was my physical, and my doctor told me I was 100% healthy. Good cholesterol levels, good blood pressure, all tests normal and healthy. No arthritis, he said. No problems. Clean bill of health.

Friday morning, shortly after I woke up, I burst into tears due to the back pain searing through my spine. It had returned (no more Celebrex, remember). And I wondered what the hell my doctor had been talking about... Something was clearly wrong.

Saturday night, I took four Motrin before I went to sleep, and woke up pain-free in the morning.

Sunday, Joe said, "I've been sleeping so much better lately. Ever since I bought these pillows..."

And a little bell went off in my head. Pillows, eh? I stole a glance at my newly purchased pillow and asked, "Did my back pain start before or after I bought this thing?" Joe said he thought it was around the same time.

Sunday night, I decided to forgo the only treatment that had helped thus far (anti-inflammatories before bedtime), and went back to using my old pillows. Monday morning? No pain. Mystery solved! Hallelujah and all that jazz.

In fact, I felt so good, and so excited over being pain-free for the first time since I bought that pillow a month ago that I went into super-productive-mode. I cleared off the living room table and organized the coat rack a bit. I put our shoes together neatly and lit the candles on the newly cleared off table. I started a load of laundry. I unloaded the clean dishes, loaded the dirty ones, and ran the dishwasher. I organized an old notebook to make it more useable, and cleared out all the junk that was next to my bed. I organized all the books in the bedroom and put several aside to give to the Oakland Public Library.

Most of this cleaning frenzy was actually inspired by a book I read last weekend called, Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui by Karen Kingston. That book is phenomenal! I love how she writes about clutter from a spiritual perspective. Reading about the energy in my home and how I can help it flow better by cleaning is a really cool thing, a concept I've never considered before. Cleaning as a spiritual process. I can get into that. Looking at it that way actually makes me want to clear stuff out of my home, and organize the things I do decide to keep. Cool stuff. I love inspirational books! Bring on the feng shui!

This past weekend (Memorial Day weekend! yay!), Joe and I spent some much needed time sleeping. Sleeping -- the key ingredient to a perfect holiday! I also bought two new books. I've got more room for them now, after all! Yesterday, we saw "Bruce Almighty" at the theater, and I'm sad to report it's even lamer than it looks. I knew it'd be cheesey, but I thought I'd at least enjoy it more than I did. I was disappointed.

I spent a long time reading my new book last night. I love being captivated by a good story!

This morning, I went to the post office and picked up a package from my swap partner. We're both on a craft-related message board, though I'm still more of a craft-girl wannabe than a real craft girl. I can make stuff out of clay... ? Anyway, she sent me scrapbook materials, watercolors and brushes, a sketch book, post cards of Cincinatti (where she lives), a cute notebook, yarn, a crochet needle (now I really need Beth to teach me!), lip gloss, and many pieces of dark chocolate (my favorite!). That chick is my hero! I sent out her package today with lots of cool stuff that I hope she'll like! I also sent a package to my friend, Angela. It's a "Happy Belated Birthday/Happy Spring!" care package for her. Though now I guess it'll have to count as more of a "Happy Summer!" thing than anything else. Anyway, I hope she likes her gifts!

Then I returned a skirt to The Gap and got my money back. I never would have worn it.

Bobbi also came to my house this morning so I could give her the key to Kylie and Bailey's house. I gave her a book to return to our mutual friend for me, and retrieved the atlas I'd accidentally left in her trunk.

So, I got lots done before noon today, which is a big change for me!

Then, I spent the day with Victor! Taking care of him on more of a daily basis has been really interesting. I always thought he was this ever-happy baby, and/or that I had these magical powers to keep him that way at all times. In reality, he's a real little person (um... duh?) with his own frustrations and confusions in life, including watching his dad leave for chef school every afternoon. Reasoning with a screaming baby is no simple task! Luckily, he's fairly easily distracted by delicious, fresh fruit! So it works out that his dad leaves during lunch time. Yay for solutions to tantrums! He goes through hyper and quiet modes, smiley and cranky modes, affectionate and all-out-throwing-a-fit modes, and today, acrobatic/trying to climb up the window modes. I call him "monkey." He's a sweet little boy, and my favorite thing as of late is to watch him wave and say, "Bye bye!" and sometimes more accurately, "Bah! Bah!" as people, cars, and squirrels pass by. Sometimes, it's just Cuteness Overload with that boy! So yeah, I'm only taking care of him 6 or 7 hours a day, and I'm already wondering how the heck stay at home moms DO this day in and day out! Maybe it's easier when it's your own home and your own kids? I have no idea! It's more work than I anticipated (like, a lot more), but his smiles and hugs are worth it!

And tonight, once again, I'm going to read before bedtime, and then teach in the morning. I am actually not watching Victor tomorrow, so I'll be taking advantage of that time to plan for Friday's classes instead. Thank god. I was wondering when I'd get a chance to get that done! I think I'll aim for a pet vs. wild animal kind of class. The first week was spider stories, starring the live tarantula. The second week was desert animals: a coyote story, and a turtle story. We visited the desert tortoise, collared lizards, and coyote in the museum itself. The live animal was the desert rosy boa, who was a big hit! Hopefully I can make this week's class interesting, too. This class is fun, but I wish I were more organized. I keep feeling like I'm one step behind! Somehow I always manage, though, and I'm sure this week will be no different!