Thank you . . .

Rachel

This is what friendship looks like, people.

Welcome to the second installment of my thank you series, in which I thank the people around me for increasing my life's awesomeness. This entry is dedicated to my dear friend Rachel. We started as coworkers at our university's on campus convenience store, where I "trained" her by pointing at the cash register and standing next to her while she used it on actual customers (there really was no better way at that job, it's not like we had a "practice" cash register we could use). After meeting, we bonded over our love for books, Buffy, and Batman, but our friendship has lasted because of her character. She's compassionate, intelligent, and she doesn't let gender roles define her as a person. Besides being an all around fun and reliable friend, I'd also like to thank Rachel for the following:

• Inspiring me to start a blog. Rachel's blog, Delete the Adjectives, is great. Her posts are thoughtful and honest. She also writes about herself as well as bringing attention to issues that matter to her, such as gay rights and animal welfare. For Blogathon 2009 she raised money for Best Friends Animal Society, which is a non-profit with a huge no-kill sanctuary for animals. It's a pretty special organization and given that Rachel loves dogs and would probably adopt every homeless dog she saw if she could, it was natural that she'd champion their cause.
• Not making me wear a heinous, $300 bridesmaid dress. 'Nuff said.
• Lengthy, winding conversations, in which we can chat about pretty much any topic. In fact, our guys deserve some thanks on this too, because we ladies tend monopolize the discussion when we all hang out.
• Playing video games with me even though I am terrible and can never win a racing game or play Guitar Hero without getting booed off stage.
• Introducing me to the kitty-cat dance, which produces a guaranteed smile even on the lousiest of days:

Sweet Saturday

After a long week, I was really, really glad to be able to sleep in today. It was nice to just lie in bed, snuggling with Matt and the cat, and stare our the window at the beautiful San Diego day unfolding . . .

When we finally dragged ourselves out of bed, the mail had been delivered, including some packages I ordered from Etsy. One was a gift for someone else, but I couldn't resist getting these adorable cards for myself. I discovered the seller after reading a CityBeat article about local Etsy shops.

Cards by SparklePaw

Matt is spending tonight in LA with a buddy, but before he left we went to the zoo. It was . . . a zoo. I mean really packed. I know the weather is San Diego is pretty much always nice, but when it starts to warm up, you really see the city come alive. Because we got a late start, we parked on the street instead of circling the lot, and there was even a small line to get in. We didn't stay for long, but while we were there we saw the Malayan tigers being fed, the otters snuggling in the shade, and checked out the remodeled polar bear exhibit. It was so crowded, I didn't actually take any photos today, but here's an older one I took from the Skyfari, which we took today for a quick exit:

We stopped by the grocery store on the way home, where the butcher told me he could sell me a 10 pound bag of chicken leg quarters for $4.90. It wasn't butchered at the market, which is a downside, but it was cheap. So I took it and now I'm making chicken stock. It doesn't look like much yet, but believe me, this is going to be some pure, golden deliciousness:

Now, I'm just relaxing: drinking some Arnold Palmer and listening to Matt & Kim while sitting on the couch next to the cat, who is also relaxing, unsurprisingly.

Habits

My friend Rachel recently posted an entry including a link to a giveaway being offered by blogger Cherryblossom of The Madness of Mundanity.  Entering the giveaway includes a fun little exercise called "Always, Sometimes, Never."  So, here it is.

I always . . .

• eat breakfast.
• wear sunscreen.
• spell out words and use punctuation in text messages.

I sometimes . . .

• wear make-up.
• complain too much.
• drink soda.

I never . . .

• leave home without lip balm.
• like being without my computer.
• eat raw onions.

And, because I'm in a silly mood, here are the answers given by my cat, Snoopy.

"I always like snuggles. Matt is my favorite snuggle buddy."

"I sometimes am a brave outside-kitty. Sometimes I go outside."

I never stop being adorable (I can't even help it).