I've just awoken from a very fitful and hot nap. It was so frickin' hot today that we spent most of the time in the basement. Part of the problem was that we made quiche for breakfast, which heated up the entire upstairs portion of the house, and just stayed there.

But I can hardly complain. It's so dry here that there's no humidity. (Well, there is humidity - but it's currently 18%, compared to Chicago's 62%) And it cools off into the 60's every night through the summer, so the house is able to cool off. This is in large part due to A's genius invention. We've got two large box fans stacked on top of each other, inside a wooden frame, that are mounted inside a large window in the breakfast nook of the kitchen. But here's what's nifty - the fans are facing to blow air OUT the windows. We then open a few key windows - mostly the ones on the opposite side of the house, like in my room - and this creates enough negative pressure inside the house to pull air from the outside, through the house, and back out again.

During days when temperatures outside peak past 90 degrees farenheit, the temperature inside will climb into the 80's. But every night, thanks to the fans, the temperature inside falls to a blissful some-where-below-70. (usually between 65 and 69 degrees)

I was highly skeptical of this idea while A was planning it, but that was at least two years ago. Last year, we ran our air conditioning just once - and the unit is so wimpy that it didn't switch off the entire day, and didn't cool the house down below the temperature it was when it was turned on. This year, we haven't turned the ac on at all, although I am considering it for tomorrow, when we have a few friends coming over for dinner. I am now so completely converted to the idea that I've suggested it to other people.

Hooray for cool nights. I suppose there are benefits to living in a semi-arid region. Hooray for cooling the house without air conditioning. Hooray for cheap electricity bills. Hooray for brilliant men, even when their brilliance can sometimes be annoying. For the most part, it's a blessing.

The wind is blowing so hard today! I drove up to Boulder to nanny Jasper today, and driving was difficult. I heard on the radio we're having gusts of up to 80 mph!! That's crazy!!

I got a message from A today that after I left this morning, the wind blew over two dead trees we've had in our yard for ages. They missed the house, the neighbor's house, and my scooter (which was parked right next to them), but it did land on the fence and matt/mare's camper. The camper has been parked there for over a year now, and it was only supposed to be there for 2-3 months. I don't know how much it is damaged, but it makes me want to say, "see! you should have moved it a long time ago!" ;)

I guess this means we won't have to pay the tree trimmers to remove the trees. We do, however, still need to get our trees trimmed, which I think we're going to pay our friendly neighbor, John, to do.

I'm going to nap now. Stayed up too late last night, and then couldn't go back to sleep when my mom brought the dog over this morning. (He stays at the house sometimes when she's working) I slept in A's bed last night, and woke up at 5:30 to him not being there. I figured he had just fallen asleep downstairs while he was working late (which was true) and so I was enjoying having the king-sized bed to myself. Then my mom peeked her head in at 6:30, and it was funny to explain that A wasn't in there with me. I don't think she understood, and I'll have to call her. I also forgot to show her my new hair!!! Anyway, I didn't sleep much after that, and then got up at 7:30 to get to boulder.

So, as I said, off for a nap.

On Thanksgiving day, feasting was done. Brenda made carrot ginger soup, Eric made saag paneer (with home made paneer!) G made pears with a port-wine reduction (so yummy), my mom made chocolate cake and dressing and two other desserts, A made his infamous green bean casserole, and I made too much food - squash dishes and cranberry sauce and pumpkin pies and much much more. For dinner we had Laryl and her new housemate Chelsea, their three dogs (OMG!) my mom, Scott and Peri, G and Eric and Aaron, A and I and ... that's it for dinner, I think. We then had Tim and Holly over after dinner in time for a very fast game of trivial pursuit. The team of Eric, my mom and G kicked our butts (the two other teams didn't even get a single pie piece between us), and then we had a very long game of settlers. I like Laryl, but at this point, she was too ADD to pay attention to the game. Everyone left by then except Tim and Holly, and so we had a late movie (Swing Kids) with them in the basement. I think Tim and I slept thru most of it, but it was fun to snuggle with them all, nonetheless.

On friday, we took some of the kids from CYAR to a nuggets game. I can't really remember what happened during the day, except lots of eating. The game was made fun because of the kids, and we had ice cream at gunther toody's after. Then yesterday (saturday) we took the girls - Peri, Rosa (my mentee), and Salina (my mom's mentee) to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I really liked the movie, and seeing it twice in a week was a little crazy (I'd gone last friday with Mark to see it)

Last night, A and I had some interesting conversations about the enneagram. Every now and then, we pull out the books and talk about it. A is a 7 with an 8 wing, and I am a 2 with a 1 wing. Two's disentegrate into 8's, and integrate to 4's. We talked a lot about people in our lives and their 'types,' and it is always interesting to review things about my type to see what insights I can have about it.

For one thing, it's uncanny how strangely accurate the typing seems to be. A little scary, even, to have some of my most stubborn and crazy qualities talked about in a book like that. However, I'm always struck with how much I am reminded that I'm not alone; that despite my crazy behavior that makes me ashamed of myself, I'm not the only one who does such a thing. It gives me a little more patience with myself and more acceptance for all of my qualities.

It's not as if I use the enneagram to make excuses for things ("I'm a two, this is what I do, just get over it"), but it does often take out the mystery - "why the heck do I keep doing this over and over again?" I think overall it makes certain personality issues and conflicts a little less personal, and more in the realm of 'lessons we're here to learn.'

At Thanksgiving, Laryl was trying to argue that I'm actually an 8, but I am really convinced that is not the case. The aggression and anger of the 8 is expressed when I am not in a healthy state, and who I really strive to be (and feel deep in my heart), is the two. I am not sure how else to explain this. If you're reading and you have no idea what I'm talking about, then check out one of the books from the library and see what you think. Otherwise, thanks for listening to my random thoughts about it.

Last night, A and I got some amazing snuggle/intimate/love making time. It's amazing how freely we can connect when the 'space' is clear between us. That's so obvious, but easy to forget in the day to day stuff of being in a relationship. It's so nice to just LOVE and be loved, without any of the manipulation or fear.

I haven't worked on things this weekend at all - and I was planning to. Both last night and today A and I played settlers - the two of us playing two 'people' each, so it was a real four person game. I won tonight, which was a surprise. I've never actually won against A, and the game was well played all along.

That's enough of an update for now, I think. I am excited about the next week, and hope to get lots of work done. Yay!

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday!

An update on some of the coolest things that have happened recently:

A and I raked all the leaves in the backyard and most of the front yard yesterday, putting the leaves on the staked-out spot for next year's vegetable garden. We really have decided to move it to a sunnier location, and we need to build up the soil. Hoping the leaves will provide some good organic material to till under in the spring. Oops - was going to water it all down today so it doesn't just blow away, but I forgot.

We also emptied our compost bin for the winter, which was very very cool. Awesome to see kitchen scraps turn to black soil.

This morning I got up much too early to take A to the airport, and then fixed waffles for the housematies. G has a friend here, and Brenda stays over quite often, so we have not four of us, but 5 or 6.

I hung out with my mentee, Rosa, today. We talked about abortion rights, the holocaust, science fiction, and racism. She's a cool kid.

I finished setting up my room this afternoon - I moved the cabinet I was using for my altar and replaced it with a smaller one that I like much better. Now I just need some art on the walls.

I went to a movie with Mark the other night. We saw the new Harry Potter flick. It was strange because it was the most date-y like evening we've ever had, and I was a little awkward.

Now I have the entire evening to myself and a big empty house. I think I may take a bit of a nap, since I am quite tired....and then perhaps read a while before going to bed. I am spending a half-day at Jasper's tomorrow and getting paid for a full day.

I just watched a cherrios commercial with a family speaking spanish. I think that's cool.

I think this news clip is the saddest thing I've ever seen.

Apparently, a bus carrying a bunch of elderly folks and nursing home workers evacuating Houston before it's pummeled by hurricane rita exploded while sitting in traffic near Dallas. It's theorized that the fire was exacerbated by the number of oxygen tanks on board. 24 people died, and as you can see in the clip, there's not much left of the bus.

How utterly sad and revolting and silly.

In other, less important and crazy news, we finished watching the first disc of the first episode of West Wing tonight. I am so in love with this show, although I hate to even use those words about a TELEVISION show, but it's true. I think it allows me to pretend that there is some kind of morality, valor and virtue left in the American government. How SAD is it that I have to look to a TELEVISION show to do this??

A voice message left for my housemate I overheard: 'guess who I've been hanging out with? Frank Miller [of Sin City, etc graphic novel fame] and I'm trying to convince him to do a Jedi graphic novel, and I'd like some compelling plot ideas, 'cause Frank isnt' too keen on the light saber thing' (this is paraphrased, but I could probably transcribe it, since this particular housemate doesn't erase messages)

I live in a crazy house.