my new couch already has my butt imprint.

it's no surprise that once we have a temporary roommate who's addicted to her computer (as am i), it gives me a reason to hang out on it all night.  a plus for you that check my blog regularly -- if there's anybody that does -- but i'm quite certain that's unhealthy.  somehow.  oh well!

andrew's work computer was having difficulties, so he spent the day working from home.  ashley had her first day at the clinic and turns out she loved it, which was quite a relief!  pulling from her blog, she has fallen in love with certain aspects of california and says that she would be comfortable coming out here if something falls through with her placement in pheonix.  can't argue that!  i spent the day at the pool.  nothing new there.  i also completed some more paperwork for my upcoming job at the jr. museum & zoo, and stopped by there to say hello.

on the relocating front, i'm no closer to finding us a new apartment, but i've shortened one commuting problem that i was facing: tutoring.  i've been tutoring at least once a week up in walnut creek (45 minutes north of pleasanton), but one days where i go from the ymca in palo alto there, it can take over 2 hours to get there.  the student is annoyed that i'm late, i'm fuming from being stuck in traffic, and my wallet is "in the red" after being on the road so long.  so, i've taken my name off the roster and asked that my boss finds replacements for my current students.  it took a lot of pro & con lists, discussions with mom, and reasoning with andrew (who was completely supportive) for me to finally temporararily quit.  i will probably offer to come back after the move, but i'm not making any promises yet.  perhaps if they beg.  :)

that's really all for now.  oh, but i did make an interesting homemade salsa tonight!  it needs some work...i'll put my suggestions at the end, but i dare you to try it.  it makes about 3-4 cups worth and was delicious on already seasoned tacos.  here it is:

8 oz. cream cheese
1.5 cups chunky salsa
1/4 tbs red pepper sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
& i added an assortment of 1/2 cup to 1 cup worth of the following chopped vegetables:
   green pepper
   tomato
   green onion
   garlic
   celery
   jalapenos

my advice:
 1. mix the cream cheese, salsa, & hot sauce before you add the veggies. 
 2. add more salsa.
 3. if you have the tools, blend the whole mix for awhile.  we're going to try and put it through the "bullet" and see what happens.  there were so many chunks that we were tasting all the veggies individually instead of as  a whole mix.

good luck!

happy halloween!

we have a sister living with us!  ashley (mikey's wife) has arrived and is moved in for the month of november.  this is exciting for me for two reasons: i will officially have one friend around and 2. i will be forced out of my clothing rut into some normal and semi-fashionable duds.  working at the Y and living in a swim suit has made me accustomed to pulling on layers of cotton, non-fitted, stretchy-wasted wonders -- which doesn't help make me aware whether or not my waist has grown. 

other than that, i'm getting sick of commuting.  with andrew forced to be on the road going from clinic to clinic, and me going across the bay or north almost everyday, shell gasoline has been making bank on us.  i think the only thing keeping me sane is audio books, which i'm also becoming immune to for zoning out to.  for those that have never been in the car with me, i'm a road-raging fool.  andrew has the "fake break" on the passenger side and my dad grabbed the dashboard only twice while my parents were here.  something needs to change, and i imagine that i do not have the power to alter california traffic, so i am considering ways to shorten my commute. 

the apartment complex that we live in is one of many throughout northern california in the bay area, and we are allowed to move to another location within the terms of our lease.  so for the next 4 weeks i have put "looking at the other locations" on my to-do list.  my guess is that we will be living around palo alto again in the next 6 months.  my only requirement is that andrew has to be available this time for helping transport goods.  i did everything this last time, besides two trips, and ended up asking a friend to co-pilot with me in a u-haul to move the big stuff.  we ended up moving in matress, dressers, sofa, etc., in 107 degree weather, which is exactly when i vowed to never put myself in that situation again.  of course, through college and moving out to california i was used to packing and transporting everything independently; but isn't that what a husband is for?  ha!

updates on my apt option finds later -- have a safe and happy halloween!