Panda and I enjoyed some great fireworks in our nation’s capitol back on Independence Day.
Aww, cute heart-shaped ones.
heart fireworks from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
The planes taking off had to veer to the left pretty hard to make sure they stayed far away from the explosions.
fireworks and airplane from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Panda’s in town for a few precious days so I’ve been spending my time outside of work with him. It has been pretty tiring since we don’t get around to dinner until 8 or so, do by the time we eat and drive back, it’s nearly 10 and there isn’t that much time left in the night.
He’s leaving tomorrow morning and then I just need to get through one more day of work before I can rest! This week has gone by fast, but a lot has gone on and I’m drained. I can’t wait for the weekend to recover!
bear eating watermelon from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Do you see it too?
Wow, I’ve been pretty addicted to popsicles lately. Between the pure fruit bars and the creamsicle style ones, my fridge is pretty packed with sticks of frozen goodness. I go through at least two or three a night (and this has been going on for nearly a month)! I also have some ice cream and frozen yogurt, but it’s really the popsicles that draw me in. Perhaps because they are pre-proportioned and fruity, so they’re a lighter alternative to a couple of scoops of ice cream, which would fill me right up.
I’m not sure how it started, but one day I decided to go get groceries and when I went through the frozen aisle, I couldn’t resist a couple of boxes of popsicles. From then on I’ve been pigging out on them day in and day out, with no sign of stopping! At least this weekend I got watermelon ones, which are very light and refreshing. They remind me of the frozen watermelon juice my mom would make (aka watermelon ice cubes). Still, refreshing as they are, I certainly didn’t shy away from stocking up on the creamsicles as well.
Now I’ve got popsicle sticks all over the place, and I even started using one for scooping out my body butter. Those things can be pretty practical! Too bad I don’t need dozens of them though. Maybe I should look into making my own so I don’t waste all that plastic, cardboard, and wood. That would be fun!
robin feeding from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Gettin' a little sawdusty!
This smart one hid in the shade right below where most people stood so we wouldn't even notice.
I think this one was a wallaby. Quite flexible!
I’m so excited! My mom just told me this weekend that we can officially get a cat again! And not only that, we can get two! It’s something I only dared dream about lately, and I have certainly been pining for some feline friendship. It’s been a couple of years and I think I’m starting to feel a lack of companionship now that I am living on my own, no longer surrounded by college buddies and textbooks keeping me busy all the time. While I really enjoy being able to put work away once I leave and spend the night unwinding, it would be so much nicer if I had a pet, even if only on the weekends, to spend time playing with.
Awhile back, we had discussed how we could make raising a cat work, between the traveling my parents do and the uncertainty of where I will end up in the coming years. I reasoned that my job and life now is pretty stable, and my mom is around enough that we could pull it off. My apartment allows pets, so bringing a cat wouldn’t be a problem and my apartmentmate doesn’t mind since I’d keep the litter box in my own bathroom. With those ducks in order, it really just came down to my mom getting final approval from my dad.
My mom volunteers at a shelter when she has time, and there are often older cats that people don’t want to adopt. We’d be more than happy to take one of them home and away from the threat of being put down. My dad, on the other hand, wants a kitten or younger cat, so my parents actually decided to get one of each! I’m totally thrilled and I can’t wait to go to the shelter with my mom to find our future pets. It has been awhile since our last cat died and I have been telling Panda how important it is for me to have at least one cat in the future. I’m so glad I won’t have to wait as long as I feared I might.
