Updates

Snip now lives alone and in peace. He/she changes shells once or twice a day. Joe and I aren't sure if that's healthy or not, but since there aren't other crabs to bother him/her we don't really worry too much.

I threw out the worms and composting bin. The knats were getting to be too much for me. I'm not really sure what I did wrong but I will continue to plan an outdoor compost for the day we have our own yard.

I have started the Couch to 5k program (www.coolrunning.com). My knees were KILLING me after the first day. Second day was run successfully (modified a bit) and I'm pleased to announce I could walk normally the next day! I have signed up to run a 5k charity race the first weekend of October, so I must follow through with this program.

I am currently reading (still) Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China. I am learning a lot. I wish I had read this before traveling to Beijing for the Olympics last summer. I may have had a better understanding of where the Chinese people are coming from. There has been so much turmoil in the last century of Chinese history. Good book - I would recommend it highly to anyone wanting a non-fluff read. (Thanks Mrs. Wallace for the "fluff" term. - My next book might have to be "fluff".)

My current knitting project is a tank top or camisole thing-y. Just cast on yesterday. Will let you know how it turns out.

Home Improvements

My in-laws came to town this past weekend and stayed with us in our shoebox. Joe drove them to Ikea to pick up furniture (shelves!) on Friday afternoon. It took them about 5 hours to get there and back. They now understand why we've decided to live in a shoebox in the District instead of a house in the suburbs.

There is no amount of money that could convince me that commuting for hours each day was a worthwhile way to spend my life. I am quite happy in small place in the District where my longest commute is about 45 minutes (and I complain about that).

My father-in-law did SO MUCH work this weekend! I am so grateful. Together, he and Joe hung a screen door, blinds (on all six windows), and set-up & attached a huge bookshelf/pantry/study area in our dining room. They worked all day Saturday and half the day on Sunday, not to mention the hours that it took just to pick up the materials!

My mother-in-law and I did our best to stay out of the way and to not annoy them with too many "suggestions" of ways to do things. I did this by going to the library to study for 5 hours.

After studying for hours, I came home to find beautiful blinds in all my windows, a screen door and the guys working hard on the shelves. We chose Fogo de Chao for dinner and made reservations for the earliest time they had available - 9:30pm.

The food was great! The atmosphere fun and we all ate a bit more than we should have, but weren't regretting it the next day. Sunday, the guys got an early start on finishing the shelves and I grilled chicken for lunch. We ate, the in-laws left and we were left with an improved but dusty and disheveled house.

We spent the afternoon cleaning up, tidying up and getting things put into their new places. Its not all finished yet, but should be in the next few days.

I love my shelves! They look fantastic. And I love the blinds! So much better than the roller thing-ys we had before. And I love screen door! The breeze is wonderful.

Thanks "Dad"!

Worms

The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out. The worms are dying on my living room floor.

Haha! That wasn't the next line you were expecting I'll bet.

I started a compost bin (vermicomposting actually) in my condo living room. It's kind of big and the condo is kind of small, but we keep making room for the important things.

My cousin started vermicomposting in her small New York City apartment, so I thought "You know, I could do that too!"

So I convinced Joe that it would be a good idea and that we could use the dirt for his mint plant (to make mojitos of course). After he heard that it would help the mint, he was all in. I guess I forgot to tell him the bin would go in the living room. Opps. He's ok with it now, but did object a bit when the worms were escaping the bin through the air holes.

I got a text message just after I left for work that said, "You're going to need to figure something out for the worms. They're crawling out of the bin." So I texted back inquiring about how many? I had ordered 1,000 worms and was going to flip if they were all over my rug! Two hours later, I received his reply "5 or 6". That's not too bad, right?

I checked for escapees when I got home from work and found about 10 to 15 on the floor and in between the sheets of aluminum I was using as a floor protector. I had checked a few different web sites for advice and quickly found a great solution: put the bin (with worms and air holes) inside another bin with an egg carton between them for air. That way the bigger bin collects any liquid (and worms) that might drip from the bin with food-stuffs.

Yay! Worm situation resolved. Back to singing - Long slim slimy ones, short fat juicy ones, itsy, bitsy, fuzzy-wuzzy worms!

Death Notice

It is my sad duty to announce the passing of our dear little Snap.

Snap passed peacefully (we hope) in the comfort of his/her red shell around Christmas. We truly enjoyed Snap's adventurous spirit while he/she was with us for six months. Snap's life was filled with hermit crab-type activities such as digging in sand, climbing on shells, scratching at the aquarium, and throwing the water sponge when I forgot to keep it wet.

Snap is survived by Snip, partners in life and love. Snap is missed dearly by Snip, Joe and Anne.

I pledge to return to the beach and come home with another friend or two or three (however many I can convince Joe to let me bring home).