procrastination

Here is the thing about studying for a standardized test.  It turns out that it's really, really boring.  I definitely learned geometry in 9th grade, and the ability to quickly determine the perimiter of that 30-60-90 triangle is not so much going to help me in grad school.  Or life.  Nor, frankly, is writing a form essay tearing apart an argument.  So, here are some things I have done today in order to avoid prepping for that test.

1.  Tidied the house.  Which, it turns out, was sorely needed after the crazy week we've had around here.  That means it took me nearly three hours -- and I didn't even pick up the kids' toys, I just dumped them all into a big IKEA bag for them to deal with later.  It has resulted in crazy talking-to-myself behavior.  For example, after my post-cleaning shower, I walked into the kitchen to find a bonzai tree sitting on the counter.  I whispered, "I do not want this tree here" to myself, while pointing at it like a wierdo.  A, who was sitting RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, but whom I had not noticed, erupted in giggles.  Apparently she brought the tree home from school.  Goodie.

2.  Browsed my iPhone for photos-of-interest to put on the blog.  I found this picture of my favorite coffee mug of all time, from our Fire Island cottage.  It prompted me, last summer, to start calling Kathy "Lover" as if it were her name.  She hates it.  HATES it.  But with this mug in hand, sometimes I just can't help myself.

3.  In other coffee-related news, I decided our veggie garden would grow better with a little drink of my favorite brew (yes, that means I like it more than beer), so I made a little coffee-ground-sludge fertilizer by dumping three days' worth of used grounds into a bucket of rainwater, stirring, and then pouring the resulting liquid into a watering can.  Because I'm nerdy and will do anything for a science experiment, I watered every other row of plants with it, to see if it actually helps or if it hurts.  I also left the grounds in the bucket sitting outside while it rains so it will make a second batch that I can use on the azaleas, rhodies, and other acid-lovers.  You know, if it doesn't kill the vegetables or anything.

4.  I took a verrrrrry short nap.  Don't tell Kathy.

5.  Tried to determine whether our lovely home state of NY is going to allow us to get married here, rather than trekking across state lines like some kind of losers.  Jury Republican caucus is still out on that one.

6.  Stared out the window.  It turns out a LOT of people go by our house on a daily basis, including singing garbage men, a very short elderly woman with a pre-schooler, several dog walkers, and one frighteningly old man who jogs with what appear to be 20 lb. dumbbells in each hand. 

And also, I wrote this.