My cover star!

The hubby made it onto the cover of sailing magazine! Can you guess which one he is? I'm so proud!

My second marriage proposal...sort of

A little over a year ago, I lost my wedding ring. For those of you who have seen me lose numerous keys, gloves, and other items, this is probably no surprise, but I was devastated! Luckily, my husband understands the depth of my forgetful/ditsy tendencies and had a very good insurance policy for it.

Thus enter the era of the new ring! The picture you see above is indeed my ring, but we didn't get the wedding band with it. It would have put us way over what our insurance was willing to pay, but I love it all the same.

I was anxiously awaiting delivery of said ring. After losing my old one, my ring finger felt lighter, and I was starting to get phantom ring pains (you laugh, but I bet this really exists especially with women who have been married for a long time). Anyways, another week had passed and still no ring! The hubby talked me into taking my mopey self out for a hike in the Central Cascade Mountains. We ended up getting into a bunch of shenanigans that involved a Canadian couple and two flat tires, but I won't get into that until a later time. We did get to go on a short hike to a mountain stream. As per my usual, I was trying to find a cool rock or shell to bring home as a reminder of our trip. I spotted a particularly nice one and pointed it out to the hubby. When I realized he wasn't looking where I was pointing, I turned to him full of annoyance that he wasn't paying attention and noticed that he was holding something under the water. He said, "I like this rock much better." 'Lo and behold, it was my new wedding ring. I shrieked and cried just like when we got engaged the first time. It was the best second-proposal I have ever had!

By the way, my husband is a brave man to propose twice! When he forgets to do dishes or clean the house, I like to remind him that next time he asks I may say no.

Come on Lefty!

As a scientist, I work a lot. This should come as no surprise since any progress in my career depends largely on how much data I procure, and being the type A personality that I am, I want to do well. This is no doubt why so many scientists are workaholics, and we engender a culture where working 70+ hours a week is considered fundamental to being a great scientist. Okay, okay, before scientists out there skewer me for saying that, I will say that I think this culture may be shifting a little bit. I do think that more scientists are placing greater value on their life outside the lab, which totally makes sense to me. Lab work has a lot of highs and a lot of lows, and I think weathering the emotional storm that is lab work is more easily navigated if you have something other than work to fulfill you.

But I digress...

The reason for my above really comes down to one thing that I am determined to achieve, which is getting a hobby! It's true that I enjoy reading, but I wouldn't exactly consider it a hobby. Plus, I want something that keeps me active since my brain gets a workout everyday. I decided to try ballet. Now I am sure some of you are experiencing the same thing my husband did on hearing this announcement, namely an attack of the giggles, but I assure you I am serious. For the past six weeks, I have been taking a beginning ballet class, and it has been great! I'm not sure how far I will go with it, but I find it fun and challenging.

Here is the main thing I have learned, though. The left side of my body is not in communication with my right side. While my right side is doing a fair rendition of Swan Lake, my left side looks like it is taking a cigarette break. My right side is Cinderella and the left side is the ugly stepsister. What is up with that? It's true the right is my dominant side, but apparently I didn't know how dominant. I am hoping that more ballet classes will help with this, but until then I will continue my Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde version of ballet. Wish me luck!

No Mans, no dog, sad Vixen

Here I am. I have this grant that I should be writing, but instead I am procrastinating and having a pity party. My husband is off sailing to Bermuda, and my dog is off at doggy fun camp with her two biggest fans so I can, allegedly, get some work done. Instead, I am sitting here beating my head against a wall trying to find the best way to make my work sound significant. How do I, someone who hates to do anything resembling boasting, brag about how my work is significant? *sigh* Don't worry. I will get 'er done. Procrastination is all part of the process.

With the hubby gone, though, I have noticed a few small changes around here. So here are some ways you can tell the Fixen Vixen is minus one man in her home.

-All of the dishes in the sink are coffee cups and wine glasses. Definitely not a lot of cooking going on right now!

-Now that I don't have to share the bed with a dog or a man I have taken over the bed. I go to bed on my "usual" side of the bed only to find myself flipped around 180 degrees or draped horizontally across the whole bed. Apparently when I don't have a man/dog fence to contain me, I take over.

-I get to sleep in because there is no dog waking me up to go for a walk!! Yippee!

-I watch every Jane Austen book turned into a movie that I own, and every Sex in the City episode that I have seen a gazillion times.

-I sometimes wear the same holey sweater two days in a row. GASP!

-I am reading trashy romance novels and eating oreos in bed. Yep, I know, so cliche!

Sometimes it's nice to be a single girl again. Just not a single girl with a grant to write! Back to work Fixen Vixen!