I couldn't think of what picture to take today, and its almost bedtime. Most nights I love going to bed. Its warm, soft, relaxing. I'm usually ready by 9 (I do try to make it up at 5 to work out). I don't like getting ready for bed though, brushing and flossing and removing contacts.

Anyway, since I can't think of what to photograph, and I need to feed my fish, I'll just combine the two. This is Caligula. He is my second Betta, and he is a little over a year old. My first fish was named Nero, after Nero Wolfe. I decided to go with Roman emperors after that. (So can you guess where Archie's name came from?)

I'm depressed tonight. I don't know why. Maybe I'm just very tired. This is my cat Archie. She's not the most affectionate of cats, so I really like it when she lays on me or next to me, or lets me hold and pet her. She has been getting more affectionate lately. I think she misses me when I'm at work or at my boyfriend's. Most people think she is evil, but I like her, and she likes me. She makes me feel better when I'm bleh.

Yes, this picture is staged. I went to a bar after work with some friends. This is notable because I usually just go home instead. I'm not good at being social, so today I made sure I went out. It was trivia night. I didn't know any of the answers. I had water, of course, because I never learned to like the taste of alcohol, I'm cheap, and I'm counting calories. I had to stage the pic because I can't take a camera to work, so I didn't have one handy. I think you get the idea.

So my friend Karyn is becoming a photographer, and she is working on this project where she takes a picture of herself every day for a year. I got a digital camera for Christmas, and I am discovering that I love taking pictures. So starting on my birthday, February 24, I am going to take a picture of myself everyday and document my 29th year. I think that Karyn will like that she has inspired me.

For my first pic, I thought of taking a picture of me carrying my books to class, because even though its my birthday, I was going to go to class. Then I decided to ditch class and go to dinner with my friends (relax, its only continuing education). I was going to take a picture of me with my boyfriend, but even though he is a big part of my life, and I hope he remains that way for a long, long time, this blog is about me.

So I took a picture of my face. It didn't turn out quite like I expected...I must have got a good angle. Most pictures of me say "cute enough, if she lost a few pounds." I don't want to be skinny, but I recently gained a lot of weight. Its bothering me all the more because less than a year and a half ago I was at my goal weight.

So this is me. I'm pretty happy, I smile a lot. I am a little heavy, but I like to work out and play sports, and I have decided to work on improving my diet. I love learning, and am taking Spanish classes at the community college. I have a wonderful boyfriend (you'll see him in later pics) and a precious kitty (you'll see her later too). I have a house I like to work on. I have a cool job in the field I went to college for. I have wonderful friends, and a wonderful family. Life is good.