my biggest PET peeve

My all time biggest pet peeve ever: dogs named Maggie

I don't know if you have ever spent time with a dog that shares your name but it happens to me all the time.  For some reason the name Maggie is generally reserved for dogs and maternal figures in 80's tv shows and movies.  And you probably haven't ever thought about it but when there is a dog in the house, the most common word to come out of anyone's mouth is that dog's name.  It's a constant: Maggie ...Maggie ...the ...Maggie ...ummm... Maggie ...like I was saying ...Maggie .....Maggie, No!..... Maaaaaaagie. And then there's the tone in which the dog's name is said.  While it often slips in to conversation about the dog in a calm conversational tones, every conversation seems to be punctuated with shrill exclamations and of my name.  And inevitably that dog is going to get in trouble and then I get to hear my name yelled throughout the house in tones of disgust or bellowed in low tones of disappointment.  Not to mention the baby talk and cheerful coaxing tones for which I find use of my name the most annoying.  I've learned to tune it out, but eventually someone will use it in reference to me and I look like an idiot - not responding to my own name.  As my sister Ashley would say, it's "annoying as hell"!  So, when I'm introduced a dog named Maggie and everyone laughs and thinks it's so funny, I laugh, but I really wanna crawl under a rock and die.   

If you have a dog named Maggie, I want you to know that I do not hate you and I do not hate your dog.  But I'm not so happy about your choice to name your dog Maggie.  And a little advice for all potential dog owners, consider carefully the name that you choose for your new pup, might I suggest Spot.  

       

my latest obsession

So I kind of have this thing for dark chocolate - I love it. 

I like chocolate to much to see it diluted with an excess of sugar and dairy.

I also enjoy a good kitkat bar from time to time. What's not to love?  They're crispy and fun to pull apart and have one of the best jingles in the candy world.  (And they share a name with the Kit Kat Club - notorious sex club in Berlin - which I find humorously ironic.)  

Until now I just put up with their sugary sweet milk chocolate, but not anymore.

kitkat dark

I'm sort of in heaven.  This may just be the best candy that you can buy in a gas station convenience store in Fairbanks, Ak.

I know that is a pretty high standard but this little guy is a worthy contender.

a girl with a plan*

I've been fielding questions lately about my plans.  As many of you may well already know, my job here in Fairbanks is just a 1 year sort of gig.  And that year is almost up. Though I had considered leaving sooner - every week or so I throw up my hands in frustration with my life and threaten to bust out of this joint - I have no reason to leave early.  My job is great and Fairbanks is really quite a pleasant place. (Note: it is pleasant in the summer, not so much once it turns cold and dark.)


My end date is scheduled for August 27 August 13, at which time I will pack my Marry Poppins bags, jump on a plane and head home (not to stay but for a visit).  I haven't been home since Christmas and I desperately miss our cat Zoey, my mama's flower garden, Sunday dinners and my cute sisters.  As an added perk I will travel back in time.  Just as the weather up here has turned drear, through the marvels of modern technology and meteorology,  I will be transported back to summer.  Though the days will be shorter, I am sure that they will be lovely.   

What's next? you may ask.  And this is where my plan gets outright adventurous.  After a few lovely weeks at home, I'm going to drive my little car across the country (never done that before) to our nation's capital.  That's right, I'm going to Washington DC.  I don't have a job lined up yet but I feel strangely confident that DC is where I should go and look.  DC is my most favoritest place I have ever lived and I've been pining to get back there ever since I left.  Thankfully I have a sweet and gracious Aunt who has offered to put me up for a bit while I look for a job.  

And if that doesn't work out, I have no shortage of relatives in interesting places.  So don't be surprised if you find me on your doorstep someday - I'll try and call first, but I make no promises.  

Wish me luck!


* all plans are subject to change at any time, because, above all  

I plan to be surprised.