I was hoping this weekend would be relaxing, especially since this past week has been busier than usual. Yesterday wasn’t too hectic — Lyse treated Karel, Anxiety, and I to a wonderful dinner at Applebee’s, and then we hung out watching Mythbusters for a while before I took Karel home. Once Geoffrey was home from work, we stayed up watching Blood Ties on the OnDemand.

This morning, I slept in (although Zadya did her very best to imitate a snooze alarm, and largely succeeded), and when we (Geoffrey, Lyse, Anxiety, & I) eventually all rolled out of bed, we headed out to get all the necessary errands done. I needed to get a pair of black slacks for work, but Freddy’s did not have any slacks for a reasonable price (I am not spending $40 for a pair of pants!!!). But we were able to pick up coffee creamer — and the cookies that Lyse & Geoffrey wanted — and grab some Starbucks coffee, too. I wanted to get my hair trimmed, but the first place I tried said it would be over a 3-hour wait — what a load of crap!!! I didn’t want a full shampoo, cut & style — just a trim! So I went to GreatClips and they put me in the chair as soon as I walked in. Now it’s all one length, and it didn’t require an appointment or cost a fortune.

A quick zip through the Toxic Hell drive-thru, and we were off to Payless, where I apparently set some kind of land-speed record for a woman doing shoe shopping, since I spent less than 90 seconds inside the store. (Seriously, people, what’s the big deal?! When you know exactly what pair you’re looking for, how much time does it take to try a shoe on one foot, just to make sure it fits, and then pay for the blasted shoes?! I’ll tell ya how much time it takes: 90 seconds!)

I hate clothes shopping almost as much as I hate shoe shopping, and Target was not only packed, but they had a large area cordoned off due to some kind of biohazard spill, so I had to walk most of the way around the whole store to get to the clothes section. Still, I only spent a whopping 15 minutes inside Target, but only because it took me 5 minutes to get through check-out, and 8 minutes to locate a suitable pair of slacks that weren’t outrageously priced. The first pair I tried on fit (I’m good at eyeballing sizes), and I was faster than usual in the dressing room because the only empty stall had a miasma of thick perfume cloud, so I had to hold my breath while I was changing. People’s perfume/cologne: the number one reason I hate shopping!!!

Finally, we went to a store where I could shop leisurely if I wanted to — PetCo — but I was in guerilla/commando-shopping mode, so I was pretty quick there, too. Lyse went bonkers over a baby ball python (it was about 8 or 9 inches long, just adorable) even though she’s normally skittish around snakes. I was mind-boggled by the smallest bearded dragon lizard babies I’ve ever seen in my life — about as big as my pinkie finger, in both length and circumference! They were probably half the size that Peyo was when we got him, and he was tiny! (And they cost 5 times what Angst paid for Peyo, too!)

We went a little nuts at PetCo, but then we’re kind of nuts about our pets! Anxiety wanted some goldfish, so she picked out 3, along with fish food & water conditioner. Fido needed snake chow, so we got 3 rat-sicles, as well as some conditioner that’s supposed to help her shed more easily (she always has trouble with that; I’m hoping this stuff will work better than the Vitamin E oil). Peyo needed new bedding, so I got ground walnut shells instead of sand (because it’s supposed to be cleaner and safer — and as a bonus, it’s cheaper!), as well as a larger water dish and some canned mealworms. Bun-Bun got new hay (both timothy & alfalfa), an adorable purple hay manger that attaches to the side of the cage, and a purple corner litter tray (which I can’t attach until Geoffrey brings me home some zip-ties).

The cats got nothing this time. They’re plenty spoiled already.

Geoffrey ooh’ed & ah’ed over a large blue-tongued skink, while I found the gold skink more appealing. However, they require high humidity and are more likely to inflict a nasty bite than most other small reptiles, so we’re not likely to get them for quite some time. Anyway, Geoffrey wants a fennec fox eventually, so I’m not inclined to get any other high-maintenance pets. The wonderful thing about the critters we have is that they’re largely low-maintenance — except for the snake (who only requires food a few times a month, and doesn’t foul his water or cage, so that only needs freshening about once a week), all our critters only need fresh food & water daily, and cleaning-out of the litter boxes, bunny cage, and lizard terrarium every other day or so.

Tomorrow is going to be busy, too. Angst is coming down from Seattle with her 2 roommates (and their 2-year-old son), to spend the night since they’re doing house-hunting in Portland on Monday. Geoffrey, Lyse, and I are going out to visit Geoffrey’s parents (Anxiety may come, or she may hang out with her sister; she hasn’t decided yet). And then Monday I start my new job…but I only have 3 shifts this week, so hopefully I can relax on Thursday!