Recently in the third year Category

It's not that I'm ungrateful for the mid-spring-ish weather we had yesterday, it's just that I'm tired of the back-and-forth. Friday was freezing, so cold that even with the thermostat set on 75, the house still felt chilly, whereas yesterday, as I mentioned in my first sentence, felt like mid-spring. It wasn't tank top weather for me just yet (although in years past I would've leapt the opportunity to put on one of my spaghetti-strapped friends), but it was warm enough that I didn't need my jacket for most of the time I was outside, even though I was wearing a t-shirt. The perpetual uncertainty of what season to dress for is annoying, but even higher on my list of reasons why I hate the indecisive weather are the sinus problems that always seem to come with temperature changes. I'm not a fan.

Aside from that, the weekend was pretty good. H and I did lots of crafty things, most of which involved painting wooden ornaments, but she also started on making Christmas cards for her friends too. I gave her the ink pads I'd bought for her to start her own stamping kit, and while we were in A.C. Moore on Saturday I let her pick out a holiday stamp for that too. I also got started on the present wrapping, which is quite a change for me. Normally I wait until the last minute then try to get help from anyone I can sucker into it. My goal for this week is to mail the packages to our nieces and nephews, and once that's accomplished, all I'll have to do is pick up the last few Christmas gifts for friends and family that don't have to be mailed.

I stopped in to drop some bpal stuff off for Karinne on the way home from work today, and as I was walking back to my car, a guy rolled down his window and asked if he could tell me something without me getting offended. After a quick check to make sure I didn't have my lights on or a flat tire, I said sure, and he proceeded to tell me that I was "absolutely beautiful" and that my boyfriend was a lucky man. I guess my wedding ring isn't visible from 20 feet away.

Miss Doxie has a store for her super-awesome wiener dog art and various other goodies! And to make it even better, 10% of all proceeds from the site are donated to Dachshund Rescue of North America.

ETA: I have decided that I can't live without one of her tiny cameos. The wiener dog one, of course.

I got my Bitter Moon shirt yesterday, and I puffy pink heart it. Also, Nintendogs came in handy yesterday morning while I was stuck in traffic; instead of gnashing my teeth while I waited to get through the stop-and-go mess, I fed Jax, gave him water, and took him on a walk.

Mike gave me an early Christmas present last Tuesday - a black Nintendo DS Lite and a case for it, and he had me pick out two games. I chose Nintendogs (Dachshund and Friends, of course) and Sonic Rush for my two games and ended up getting Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2 and Brain Age myself. I like all the games, but Nintendogs and Brain Age are the two I've been playing the most.

Brain Age is a lot of fun. The sections I've played so far aren't challenging by themselves (basic math, reading out loud, counting syllables), but you're timed on how long it takes you to do them which is what makes it a challenge for me. My current favorite sections are Calculations, which gives you either 20 or 100 various math problems, and High To Low, where you're shown numbers in a random pattern for a second or two then have to remember where the numbers were and click on boxes in the appropriate order.

I love Nintendogs. Mike said all along that it seemed like a game I'd enjoy, but I wasn't sure. I thought it seemed a little gimmicky until I actually played it and realized that it's a lot more fun than I thought it would be. The game lets you have more than one dog at a time, but the only one I have right now is a black and tan dachshund named Jax. The game has you give the dog food and water, take it for walks, and teach it tricks so you can enter it into agility, obedience, or disc catching competitions. You have to pay for the food, water, grooming items, and accessories, and you can earn money by placing in the competitions or by selling things at the secondhand store. As you go on more walks, your dog's stamina increases and it interact with other dogs along the way. Sometimes during the walk your dog will bring you presents, which are usually items for them (Jax has brought me a Mario hat, various colored collars, a rope toy, a bouncy mushroom, sunglasses, and a lion's mane) or various items like a statue, vase, or tissue box, all of which can be sold at the secondhand store.