So tired in brain and body. Mom's move is complete, the closing's tomorrow. Saturday we moved her with the help of Old Baymeadows movers, Sunday I went back to the house to help her clean. My body's disowning me again. My brain is functioning from some faraway place where my reserve stores are kept. And our own apartment needs attention next. We inherited a rather large cabinet, whose use has yet to be fully determined, and a typewriter table which will become my sewing machine table. The stuff we've inherited also spreads out all over the dining area, and some remains in the car still. We have some work ahead, organizing, culling, purging...
I'm glad it's fall, just wish I lived elsewhere. I love that it's almost October already, and I'm getting the itch to bake stuff involving apples and pumpkin, squash and breads. Saying prayers that the temperature starts dropping...
Monday, September 29, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Super fast update
Mom's moving tomorrow (Saturday)...
Been kind of numb this week...hoping once we get past Saturday, I'll rally more.
Work's painfully slow, scary slow.
Barely been knitting...started reading Eragon tho'...really lovely writing.
More soon...
Been kind of numb this week...hoping once we get past Saturday, I'll rally more.
Work's painfully slow, scary slow.
Barely been knitting...started reading Eragon tho'...really lovely writing.
More soon...
Monday, September 22, 2008
Spent
...because the word exhausted just doesn't define it well enough...
At this point in "life post-Dad," the catharsis has past and been replaced with something else...I'm not sure what, but I experienced it this past weekend, as we set out our belongings for strangers to paw through and run off with, for pennies on the dollar. There was an initial feeling of violation, coupled with that fear of change feeling, because of course, we wouldn't be doing this if we didn't have to...in Lyons utopia, Dad's still with us and the garage isn't an issue. The misanthropy I felt had to be curbed fast though, because in spite of the early rain, folks showed up in droves Saturday morning and there was no time for emotion. We made enough on Saturday alone to almost fully finance Mom's move, and it's a good thing, because we learned that Southerners don't tag sale on Sunday. I guess between church and football season, driving around looking for deals takes a backseat. I wish we'd made more money of course, but I was so exhausted Sunday, it was hard to care.
The new owners of Mom's house want the cabinets that we couldn't unload, as well as the radial arm saw. That's a relief, as we'd rather that went to someone who'll use it, rather than donate it somewhere where it could be trashed for appearing obsolete. It's a 35 year old saw probably, but it still works. The pile of stuff we dragged down to the end of the driveway for the neighborhood vultures to pick over was remarkably small, though my car is stuffed with junk to go to Goodwill in the next day or two, plus some more stuff for Chamblin's.
I'm tired. Haven't knitted in a week and the apartment is trashed...will start picking through stuff in another day or two, creating my own piles for Goodwill.
At this point in "life post-Dad," the catharsis has past and been replaced with something else...I'm not sure what, but I experienced it this past weekend, as we set out our belongings for strangers to paw through and run off with, for pennies on the dollar. There was an initial feeling of violation, coupled with that fear of change feeling, because of course, we wouldn't be doing this if we didn't have to...in Lyons utopia, Dad's still with us and the garage isn't an issue. The misanthropy I felt had to be curbed fast though, because in spite of the early rain, folks showed up in droves Saturday morning and there was no time for emotion. We made enough on Saturday alone to almost fully finance Mom's move, and it's a good thing, because we learned that Southerners don't tag sale on Sunday. I guess between church and football season, driving around looking for deals takes a backseat. I wish we'd made more money of course, but I was so exhausted Sunday, it was hard to care.
The new owners of Mom's house want the cabinets that we couldn't unload, as well as the radial arm saw. That's a relief, as we'd rather that went to someone who'll use it, rather than donate it somewhere where it could be trashed for appearing obsolete. It's a 35 year old saw probably, but it still works. The pile of stuff we dragged down to the end of the driveway for the neighborhood vultures to pick over was remarkably small, though my car is stuffed with junk to go to Goodwill in the next day or two, plus some more stuff for Chamblin's.
I'm tired. Haven't knitted in a week and the apartment is trashed...will start picking through stuff in another day or two, creating my own piles for Goodwill.
Friday, September 19, 2008
An open letter
To the handful of Jacksonville locals who read this blog:
Hey gang!
So, you get done with Pagan Pride Day over at Riverside Park, or seeing Obama over at Met Park, and can't decide what to do next.....how 'bout a garage sale in Marietta!
We're garage sale-ing at my mom's Saturday and Sunday 9/20 & 21 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days. It's a pretty hilarious pile of stuff...if you have any interest in electrical work, plumbing, or hardware, you may be in heaven. There's also furniture, stuffed animals, and a serious "please take it off our hands" mentality, as Mom moves next weekend.
99 Devoe Street....take I-10 West to the Marietta exit and bear left. Go straight at the Cahoon Street light. At the Beaver Street light, stay straight, go into Marietta Forrest development. We're the grey house on the right about 4 or 5 houses down with the crap laid out all over the driveway and the exhausted looks on our faces.
Coming from 295...exit at I-10 West and Marietta will be your first exit...may not even have to merge.
Looking forward to seeing y'all and completely understand if you closet cases steer clear ::wry grin::
Melanie
Hey gang!
So, you get done with Pagan Pride Day over at Riverside Park, or seeing Obama over at Met Park, and can't decide what to do next.....how 'bout a garage sale in Marietta!
We're garage sale-ing at my mom's Saturday and Sunday 9/20 & 21 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days. It's a pretty hilarious pile of stuff...if you have any interest in electrical work, plumbing, or hardware, you may be in heaven. There's also furniture, stuffed animals, and a serious "please take it off our hands" mentality, as Mom moves next weekend.
99 Devoe Street....take I-10 West to the Marietta exit and bear left. Go straight at the Cahoon Street light. At the Beaver Street light, stay straight, go into Marietta Forrest development. We're the grey house on the right about 4 or 5 houses down with the crap laid out all over the driveway and the exhausted looks on our faces.
Coming from 295...exit at I-10 West and Marietta will be your first exit...may not even have to merge.
Looking forward to seeing y'all and completely understand if you closet cases steer clear ::wry grin::
Melanie
Thursday, September 18, 2008
I'd like about a two-day nap...
Well, I'm back. SC is cool and pretty. You smell nature instead of cars.
The garage at Mom's feels like a frigging disaster area, but on Saturday and Sunday, it'll be garage sale time. I'm still a little tired from SC, so it's hard to think about the next 3 days. We just got back last night and there's several things I want to try to sell at the garage sale, that are currently in our apartment. This makes the next 2 evenings rather challenging. Thank goodness I don't have time to think about baking anything...
I like Aiken, I love getting away from Florida and driving up there and listening to critters and hugging trees...the cotton was up, and the air was missing the ole wet wool blanket of humidity. But this sure wasn't a pleasure cruise. We were there to help take care of Grandma, age 80-something, who recently underwent medical procedures, and our niece, age 2, who spends her days glued to the TV because her parents suck at parenting and have substance abuse issues. It was a very frustrating 2 days, where I managed to hold my tongue, but came away deeply angry at how they've already ruined our niece in some ways and are slowly killing themselves while manipulating everyone around them. I'd love to take that kid for about a month of reprogramming....the niece, not the sisinlaw...Sisinlaw definitely needs professionals. Ah, family...can't wait til Xmas...
So Husby and I are very glad to be home, but the next 2 weeks are kind of overwhelming...worst of it will be this weekend, the garage sales. Mom's hiring somebody for the actual move, so next weekend will be more about helping her settle in. Man, it'll be nice having her on my side of town!
The garage at Mom's feels like a frigging disaster area, but on Saturday and Sunday, it'll be garage sale time. I'm still a little tired from SC, so it's hard to think about the next 3 days. We just got back last night and there's several things I want to try to sell at the garage sale, that are currently in our apartment. This makes the next 2 evenings rather challenging. Thank goodness I don't have time to think about baking anything...
I like Aiken, I love getting away from Florida and driving up there and listening to critters and hugging trees...the cotton was up, and the air was missing the ole wet wool blanket of humidity. But this sure wasn't a pleasure cruise. We were there to help take care of Grandma, age 80-something, who recently underwent medical procedures, and our niece, age 2, who spends her days glued to the TV because her parents suck at parenting and have substance abuse issues. It was a very frustrating 2 days, where I managed to hold my tongue, but came away deeply angry at how they've already ruined our niece in some ways and are slowly killing themselves while manipulating everyone around them. I'd love to take that kid for about a month of reprogramming....the niece, not the sisinlaw...Sisinlaw definitely needs professionals. Ah, family...can't wait til Xmas...
So Husby and I are very glad to be home, but the next 2 weeks are kind of overwhelming...worst of it will be this weekend, the garage sales. Mom's hiring somebody for the actual move, so next weekend will be more about helping her settle in. Man, it'll be nice having her on my side of town!
Friday, September 12, 2008
I'm a rock star!
Well, not exactly, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night...
Just kidding. What I did do, through the highly skilled method of replying, was win Two Frog Home's Fall giveaway. How neat! And with the month I have ahead of me, it'll definitely be something to look forward to in the mail. Thank you, Kathie!!
Husby's off in SC (well, I'm assuming...haven't heard from him yet, as he's likely sleeping off the train orneries at his Lil Sis's)...
Back to work :(
Just kidding. What I did do, through the highly skilled method of replying, was win Two Frog Home's Fall giveaway. How neat! And with the month I have ahead of me, it'll definitely be something to look forward to in the mail. Thank you, Kathie!!
Husby's off in SC (well, I'm assuming...haven't heard from him yet, as he's likely sleeping off the train orneries at his Lil Sis's)...
Back to work :(
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Busy...
Very small word, very large tasks ahead...
Lemme see if I've got this straight:
Tonight:
1. Shop for cell phone.
2. Hide little notes throughout Husby's luggage.
3. Drop Husby at train station.
4. Sigh repeatedly on drive back.
5. Bounce off the walls for an hour, then crash.
Friday:
1. Work (bleh!)
2. Wait for Aunt Flo to make an appearance. Significant mood shift anticipated depending on her punctuality.
3. Clean litter box.
4. Throw clothes together for weekend...drag laundry down to car tonight.
5. Quality time with Fig.
Saturday:
1. Over to Mom's early, talk lists, breakfast, organizing stuff...
2. Go out to garage, move crap around, and sweat copiously.
3. Haggle with Lil Bro about stuff going into storage.
4. More organizing, dragging stuff to store back into house, so it's not mixed in with potential garage sale stuff...
5. Talk signage, cash box, layout for next weekend.
6. Hang out with Mom and Lil Sis sleepover-style...pass out from exhaustion before movie is half over.
Sunday:
1. Repeat Saturday.
2. Go home to apartment, repack.
3. Top off food, water, place surprise cat treats around apartment.
4. Quality time with Fig, pass out.
Monday:
1. Up at the crack, drive to SC.
2. Reunite with Husby, big hugs to Grandma.
3. Play with niece, give her lots of outdoor time (because she doesn't get enough normally).
4. Keep mouth shut around difficult family members.
5. Count the days til Wednesday.
Lemme see if I've got this straight:
Tonight:
1. Shop for cell phone.
2. Hide little notes throughout Husby's luggage.
3. Drop Husby at train station.
4. Sigh repeatedly on drive back.
5. Bounce off the walls for an hour, then crash.
Friday:
1. Work (bleh!)
2. Wait for Aunt Flo to make an appearance. Significant mood shift anticipated depending on her punctuality.
3. Clean litter box.
4. Throw clothes together for weekend...drag laundry down to car tonight.
5. Quality time with Fig.
Saturday:
1. Over to Mom's early, talk lists, breakfast, organizing stuff...
2. Go out to garage, move crap around, and sweat copiously.
3. Haggle with Lil Bro about stuff going into storage.
4. More organizing, dragging stuff to store back into house, so it's not mixed in with potential garage sale stuff...
5. Talk signage, cash box, layout for next weekend.
6. Hang out with Mom and Lil Sis sleepover-style...pass out from exhaustion before movie is half over.
Sunday:
1. Repeat Saturday.
2. Go home to apartment, repack.
3. Top off food, water, place surprise cat treats around apartment.
4. Quality time with Fig, pass out.
Monday:
1. Up at the crack, drive to SC.
2. Reunite with Husby, big hugs to Grandma.
3. Play with niece, give her lots of outdoor time (because she doesn't get enough normally).
4. Keep mouth shut around difficult family members.
5. Count the days til Wednesday.
Monday, September 08, 2008
Relief and overwhelm-ment
My mom sold the house! Well, not quite...closing's not til 9/30. But they showed it on Saturday, the young couple fell in love with it on sight, and offered the asking price! Holy crap! And woohoo! Mom's so high, it ain't even funny. Actually, it's wonderful :)
Which means we can't put off the garage sale any longer, and we need to make some significant decisions. It means cutting the cord on a lot of big items. It means rearranging our apartment to accommodate the stuff I do want to take. It means rearranging our schedules, working full weekends for the next month at Mom's.
We're supposed to go to SC next weekend and into the following week to help out his family while Mom and Dad J go on a trip. That's up in the air now, and dependent on Grandma, who ended up in the hospital this past weekend with internal bleeding because a medical clamp somehow found its way into her stomach. I doubt the family will get a straight answer from the docs on how that happened; it could've been a necessary device left in from her gall bladder removal approximately 2 years ago, or it could've been a big oops. Kind of a non-issue, since Grandma's not the suing type according to family, but considering the pain she was in...
So she's still in the hospital, they endoscoped her to remove the clamp (breaking an endoscope in the process!), and her discharge from said hospital may dictate if Mom J goes on the trip. Grandma's 87ish, so any recovery will take awhile. We may have to send Husby up on the train, and then I'll follow him up that Monday.
Garage sale's scheduled for Saturday, September 20 and probably Sunday, September 21. I'll post more about that as we get closer, for you local folks. In the meantime, we have to organize the garage for said sale, make all the decisions on what's staying and going, etc. Mom's moving the next weekend (27th), so it's definitely crunch time. She put down her (post-dated) deposit for an apartment up the road from me, and she's so frickin' happy and relieved, and can't wait to get a little dog...ironically, it's in the same complex I moved into when I first moved out of my parent's house 15 years ago. We've come full circle in some weird way.
My birthday's tomorrow...I told the gang at work I wasn't turning 39 until I was pregnant, so they could relax on the celebration. We're going to lunch Thursday anyway :(
Which means we can't put off the garage sale any longer, and we need to make some significant decisions. It means cutting the cord on a lot of big items. It means rearranging our apartment to accommodate the stuff I do want to take. It means rearranging our schedules, working full weekends for the next month at Mom's.
We're supposed to go to SC next weekend and into the following week to help out his family while Mom and Dad J go on a trip. That's up in the air now, and dependent on Grandma, who ended up in the hospital this past weekend with internal bleeding because a medical clamp somehow found its way into her stomach. I doubt the family will get a straight answer from the docs on how that happened; it could've been a necessary device left in from her gall bladder removal approximately 2 years ago, or it could've been a big oops. Kind of a non-issue, since Grandma's not the suing type according to family, but considering the pain she was in...
So she's still in the hospital, they endoscoped her to remove the clamp (breaking an endoscope in the process!), and her discharge from said hospital may dictate if Mom J goes on the trip. Grandma's 87ish, so any recovery will take awhile. We may have to send Husby up on the train, and then I'll follow him up that Monday.
Garage sale's scheduled for Saturday, September 20 and probably Sunday, September 21. I'll post more about that as we get closer, for you local folks. In the meantime, we have to organize the garage for said sale, make all the decisions on what's staying and going, etc. Mom's moving the next weekend (27th), so it's definitely crunch time. She put down her (post-dated) deposit for an apartment up the road from me, and she's so frickin' happy and relieved, and can't wait to get a little dog...ironically, it's in the same complex I moved into when I first moved out of my parent's house 15 years ago. We've come full circle in some weird way.
My birthday's tomorrow...I told the gang at work I wasn't turning 39 until I was pregnant, so they could relax on the celebration. We're going to lunch Thursday anyway :(
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Masochist
Not too much going on, but thought I'd touch base...holiday weekend was quite relaxing, though that brings with it the usual guilt because we still live in a clutterpile. Started a couple of new knitting projects, but my interest is relegated lately to a row here, a row there...still thinking about sewing, but too chicken to cut into any fabric...
The masochist subject line is because I made the mistake of watching House last night...I don't know that it can be called a mistake, because I enjoyed every minute of it and felt it was quite well-written and acted. But it was last year's season finale, where a character who had grown likeable dies of multi-system organ failure, and the "let's try this, no let's try this," nature of the storyline brings me back to Dad, and I had some good cries, which left me feeling drained today. And just when I'd like to turtle and just get my work done, we're having tours with a major partner today and I'll probably have one shadowing me, seeing how we do things...so I'm feeling a little stressed.
I'm such a pussy. One of the reasons my blogging has slacked is because I can't stand the diary/journal nature of it, would rather be informing the public in some way like Elements in Time or Soule Mama. I know I have something to say, but too often it gets muddled down by my mood swings. So if I'm sporadic for a piece, it's because I'm doing some thinking. Or because we're wringing out from TS Hanna...
The masochist subject line is because I made the mistake of watching House last night...I don't know that it can be called a mistake, because I enjoyed every minute of it and felt it was quite well-written and acted. But it was last year's season finale, where a character who had grown likeable dies of multi-system organ failure, and the "let's try this, no let's try this," nature of the storyline brings me back to Dad, and I had some good cries, which left me feeling drained today. And just when I'd like to turtle and just get my work done, we're having tours with a major partner today and I'll probably have one shadowing me, seeing how we do things...so I'm feeling a little stressed.
I'm such a pussy. One of the reasons my blogging has slacked is because I can't stand the diary/journal nature of it, would rather be informing the public in some way like Elements in Time or Soule Mama. I know I have something to say, but too often it gets muddled down by my mood swings. So if I'm sporadic for a piece, it's because I'm doing some thinking. Or because we're wringing out from TS Hanna...
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Bursting with ideas
In the past, couldn't understand how manic depressives enjoyed their condition, because back before I was medicated, I lived much more in the lows than the highs. Now that I've been properly medicated, and am currently living on about a third of my normal meds, I see the allure. The highs are nice; I feel happy and strong, and my brain turns on big-time.
Examples:
- Instead of cluttering the apartment with both of the garage cabinets I have my eye on, if just the bottom one is in good shape, bringing that to the apartment as a pantry, and placing the chopping block on top, will free up counter space in kitchen proper...
- If we can't afford to move in or out of town come baby-time, maybe moving to a new apartment within our current complex...
Man, these mood swings are a blast (she said sarcastically)...the politics of a flawed work system just made me look bad on the job and I'm livid, so I'll end this before I start ranting. Snuck both those pictures from other blogs for their calming influences...the pantry is from Two Frog Home, the green beans from Tiny Farm Blog. I aspire to both illustrations.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
New week
The debris has been cleared, and the retention ponds have been raised to their erosion lines...nice! Hard to think about the tropics as going through a drought, but we're in one half the time, so we're always grateful for the rains, even if they knock the crap out of us. Man, though, it's nice to see sun again!
Saturday was a wash, Sunday was half spent at Mom's...we're getting closer to garage sale time, so we invited Tom (Dad's LilBro) and Denyse up to go through the garage...which resulted in me bringing home some more clutter ::sigh:: so I played hookey on Monday and reorganized some of it. The dining area's still a disaster, but the bedroom's quite liveable...I stole SouleMama's idea of using vintage suitcases for storage, and reorganized my fabric stash, Craft garb, and some yarn into Mom's old suitcases. The result is easier access to key stuff, and a neat look to the bedroom. In the coming weeks, I'll be unpacking boxes with CDs, DVDs, and VHS tapes and reorganizing them shelf-style, switching out end tables, and weaning myself back off the worktable in the dining area, as I'm hoping to switch it with an old typewriter table that's buried in Mom's garage, for use as a sewing machine table. Trying to embrace the less-is-more concept, but after 10 years of collecting, it's slow going...
And we just ain't discussing the Buy Nothing Challenge yet, cuz I SUCK at it...
Basil's about the only herb that's rallying out front, and the tomatoes are still poking along...I put 2 little stakes in the tomatoes, but they still ain't flowering so I'm going to have to revisit the idea of putting them out back part of the day...
Saturday was a wash, Sunday was half spent at Mom's...we're getting closer to garage sale time, so we invited Tom (Dad's LilBro) and Denyse up to go through the garage...which resulted in me bringing home some more clutter ::sigh:: so I played hookey on Monday and reorganized some of it. The dining area's still a disaster, but the bedroom's quite liveable...I stole SouleMama's idea of using vintage suitcases for storage, and reorganized my fabric stash, Craft garb, and some yarn into Mom's old suitcases. The result is easier access to key stuff, and a neat look to the bedroom. In the coming weeks, I'll be unpacking boxes with CDs, DVDs, and VHS tapes and reorganizing them shelf-style, switching out end tables, and weaning myself back off the worktable in the dining area, as I'm hoping to switch it with an old typewriter table that's buried in Mom's garage, for use as a sewing machine table. Trying to embrace the less-is-more concept, but after 10 years of collecting, it's slow going...
And we just ain't discussing the Buy Nothing Challenge yet, cuz I SUCK at it...
Basil's about the only herb that's rallying out front, and the tomatoes are still poking along...I put 2 little stakes in the tomatoes, but they still ain't flowering so I'm going to have to revisit the idea of putting them out back part of the day...
Friday, August 22, 2008
August showers
Yeah, more like August deluge. August monsoon. Ever see The Perfect Storm? How 'bout Castaway, when the plane crashed? Yeah, try driving in it...
I'm so pissed to be at work today, this post will probably be one big vent. I drove through debris, flooding, dead traffic lights...it's not safe to be on the roads today. It's really got me thinking about this company I've given almost 9 years to...
We've postponed our weekend work at the house, and I'm glad, as I'll spend tomorrow assessing my career and replanting my aloes, which are drowning as we speak out on the porch. I woke up around 1 a.m. feeling some serious guilt about not moving those, as the winds and rain lashed against the apartment and my windows rattled. I took the herbs down from the ledge out front to be safe, and they're under enough cover where they haven't moved, but the aloe's taking a serious pummeling.
Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some hardcore sulking to catch up on...Happy friggin' Friday.
I'm so pissed to be at work today, this post will probably be one big vent. I drove through debris, flooding, dead traffic lights...it's not safe to be on the roads today. It's really got me thinking about this company I've given almost 9 years to...
We've postponed our weekend work at the house, and I'm glad, as I'll spend tomorrow assessing my career and replanting my aloes, which are drowning as we speak out on the porch. I woke up around 1 a.m. feeling some serious guilt about not moving those, as the winds and rain lashed against the apartment and my windows rattled. I took the herbs down from the ledge out front to be safe, and they're under enough cover where they haven't moved, but the aloe's taking a serious pummeling.
Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some hardcore sulking to catch up on...Happy friggin' Friday.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
I work for a very fancy meat market
BAH! My tight-assed company finally came to the conclusion that they needed to shut down operations this afternoon...
BUT...
They hate shutting down so much, they're a) making us use our own PTO if we do go home, and b) blackmailing people with time-and-a-half to stay on the phones...
Since a huge chunk of the phone folks are having to go home due to bridges closing, kids, etc., they're looking for folks who don't normally work the phones to do phone work too...
I haven't worked phones in 4 years. We can always use the money, but do I need 4 hours of solid stress to get it?
So now I feel like I'm not a team player because I'm electing to stay at work doing MY JOB!! 8½ years working for this sweatshop and I feel like my loyalty quotient just cut in half. Great.
Dumb-assed tropical storm.
Ahh...ok...vent over, moving on...
BUT...
They hate shutting down so much, they're a) making us use our own PTO if we do go home, and b) blackmailing people with time-and-a-half to stay on the phones...
Since a huge chunk of the phone folks are having to go home due to bridges closing, kids, etc., they're looking for folks who don't normally work the phones to do phone work too...
I haven't worked phones in 4 years. We can always use the money, but do I need 4 hours of solid stress to get it?
So now I feel like I'm not a team player because I'm electing to stay at work doing MY JOB!! 8½ years working for this sweatshop and I feel like my loyalty quotient just cut in half. Great.
Dumb-assed tropical storm.
Ahh...ok...vent over, moving on...
Ah, Florida...
Land of scattered hairstyles and fashion-unconscious footwear...
Thank goodness I got my hair trimmed up last week, cuz with these winds I'd be going out of my friggin' mind this week. It's nice having the wind blow your hair six ways to Sunday and know that it's probably falling back in place in a non-ugly fashion...
The footwear crack is cuz I'm wearing sneaks twice in a row this week to work, and while they may not go great or be my first choice with my slacks, they're comfy and handle the weather better than anything else in my closet right now. My company dress code is relaxed business casual, so I'm not breaking any rules, but being older and larger than a lot of the crowd here, I usually try to maintain some semblance of work fashion (I've mentioned before how I save my jeans for Fridays). Plus I tried wearing an old pair of shoes on Tuesday, and now I'm a poster child for blisters :(
This storm really pussed out on us here in Jacksonville..it could still turn, but I'm not worried personally, though I'm pretty sure I'm drowning my porch aloes, never got around to moving them...they haven't even closed the bridges, and the gusts only have to get up around 40 mph for that to happen. That basically shuts down the city, since the St. Johns River splits Jacksonville in half. Lucky me, my 10-minute commute goes nowhere near the river. Most folks who are ducking out on work have kids who are out of school...a good reminder to me of challenges to come (hopefully). We're trying again this month, and this time I'm armed with a triple-hormone regimen - so prayers to Husby if the mood swings kick in :)
Stay dry, y'all!
Thank goodness I got my hair trimmed up last week, cuz with these winds I'd be going out of my friggin' mind this week. It's nice having the wind blow your hair six ways to Sunday and know that it's probably falling back in place in a non-ugly fashion...
The footwear crack is cuz I'm wearing sneaks twice in a row this week to work, and while they may not go great or be my first choice with my slacks, they're comfy and handle the weather better than anything else in my closet right now. My company dress code is relaxed business casual, so I'm not breaking any rules, but being older and larger than a lot of the crowd here, I usually try to maintain some semblance of work fashion (I've mentioned before how I save my jeans for Fridays). Plus I tried wearing an old pair of shoes on Tuesday, and now I'm a poster child for blisters :(
This storm really pussed out on us here in Jacksonville..it could still turn, but I'm not worried personally, though I'm pretty sure I'm drowning my porch aloes, never got around to moving them...they haven't even closed the bridges, and the gusts only have to get up around 40 mph for that to happen. That basically shuts down the city, since the St. Johns River splits Jacksonville in half. Lucky me, my 10-minute commute goes nowhere near the river. Most folks who are ducking out on work have kids who are out of school...a good reminder to me of challenges to come (hopefully). We're trying again this month, and this time I'm armed with a triple-hormone regimen - so prayers to Husby if the mood swings kick in :)
Stay dry, y'all!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Soggy Wednesday
My reverse seasonal affective disorder kicks in with this weather...storms are exciting, so long as they behave themselves. And can you imagine being a kid in the Duval county school system, starting back to school on Monday only to have Wednesday and Thursday off for the storms...I mean, I enjoyed school for the most part, but I sure loved me a good snow day. I wish it were different for my nephew's sake though, as his autism means he desperately needs the structure of school back in his life, especially after moving to a new house this summer.
Got to see him this past weekend, growing like a weed (my gosh, is he! only going-on 8 and practically up to my shoulders!), and behavior wasn't bad at all considering he's on next to nothing medicinally right now...just gets wound up occasionally and needs the words of a family member he knows to respect. He wouldn't listen to me if I tried to direct him, but once his dad stepped in, he was good. Pretty much as it should be with any kid...
Got some nice inspiration from SouleMama today...it was a good reminder of how you have to set your mind to a task and just tuck away at it. I've been letting myself get overwhelmed by the apartment lately, and then nothing gets done in the evenings...I watch TV, knit, goof off, when I could be unpacking a box and going through it. One box at a time...and she just reminded me of some things, like the use of old suitcases for packing fabric or whatever (when we just came across some oldies in Mom's attic), and how the sewing machine doesn't have to have a huge area when the dining room table can double as a crafting space...
Now if this tropical storm would just increase to hurricane status so I could go home and get started....ah well, guess that's not enough of a reason to possibly endanger lives with nature....but getting started tonight is definitely in the cards :)
Got to see him this past weekend, growing like a weed (my gosh, is he! only going-on 8 and practically up to my shoulders!), and behavior wasn't bad at all considering he's on next to nothing medicinally right now...just gets wound up occasionally and needs the words of a family member he knows to respect. He wouldn't listen to me if I tried to direct him, but once his dad stepped in, he was good. Pretty much as it should be with any kid...
Got some nice inspiration from SouleMama today...it was a good reminder of how you have to set your mind to a task and just tuck away at it. I've been letting myself get overwhelmed by the apartment lately, and then nothing gets done in the evenings...I watch TV, knit, goof off, when I could be unpacking a box and going through it. One box at a time...and she just reminded me of some things, like the use of old suitcases for packing fabric or whatever (when we just came across some oldies in Mom's attic), and how the sewing machine doesn't have to have a huge area when the dining room table can double as a crafting space...
Now if this tropical storm would just increase to hurricane status so I could go home and get started....ah well, guess that's not enough of a reason to possibly endanger lives with nature....but getting started tonight is definitely in the cards :)
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Yup, there's a new badge on the blog...
Buy Nothing Challenge - August 2008
Very neat idea, and one I HAVE to embrace. I just spent the last week, stocking up on junk food we don't need, and trying to talk myself in and out of a new purse. We're barely making ends meet, and I'm thinking a new purse is in order. So today I'm catching up on One Green Generation and am inspired by her thoughts on redefining normal. And then I wander over to Crunchy Chicken (while checking out the APLS blog carnival posts) and find her Buy Nothing Challenge. Ah, another greenie epiphany at the ole lighthouse...my purse yearnings slide quickly into the "NO" column, and I'm into my bag stash for something that'll placate my itchiness for consumption.
Sure, it's easy to cheat or slip on any challenge, but if you don't have a plan at all, it's that much easier to spend willy-nilly. Having the procreation of small people become possibly real this month really shifted my thinking; I look at our apartment, our lives with new eyes.
Fairly straightforward goals (from Crunchy Chicken):
Very neat idea, and one I HAVE to embrace. I just spent the last week, stocking up on junk food we don't need, and trying to talk myself in and out of a new purse. We're barely making ends meet, and I'm thinking a new purse is in order. So today I'm catching up on One Green Generation and am inspired by her thoughts on redefining normal. And then I wander over to Crunchy Chicken (while checking out the APLS blog carnival posts) and find her Buy Nothing Challenge. Ah, another greenie epiphany at the ole lighthouse...my purse yearnings slide quickly into the "NO" column, and I'm into my bag stash for something that'll placate my itchiness for consumption.
Sure, it's easy to cheat or slip on any challenge, but if you don't have a plan at all, it's that much easier to spend willy-nilly. Having the procreation of small people become possibly real this month really shifted my thinking; I look at our apartment, our lives with new eyes.
Fairly straightforward goals (from Crunchy Chicken):
- No new clothes
- No new gadgets
- No new furniture or housewares
- No salon services (except haircuts) - heh, that's a cheat, just got mine cleaned up last week.
- No new makeup
- No new tools (also a cheat - any tools I need I'll be acquiring in the coming weeks from Mom's garage)
- No whatever the hell else people buy (gee, like purses?)
- No eating out
I've talked about that last one before, and nothing's changed since the last time I mentioned how badly we need to stop pissing away money on easy meals. So I'm looking forward to being hard on myself and Husby on this one. Wish us luck!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Midweek upswing
A short blurb about manic depression, and then we'll get to the update...
Chris Burke, that dear guy from the TV show "Life Goes On" said in an interview way back when, that he had Down's Syndrome, but just a mild case of it. That's how I treat my manic depression. It's tempered with age and medication, and I can deal with my mood swings now, for the most part, without spending us into bankruptcy or fantasizing about running cut glass on my skin.
That said, the downers still suck big time. I've mentioned I'm off my lithium and down to half my Paxil, because we're trying to have kids (and we're finally actually trying, so I'm being vigilant about keeping unnecessary meds out of my system...now if I could only do that with food too...). So when the downs take up residence, I'm a rather grumpy individual, not the funnest person to be around, and my time is spent accepting my misery and getting little accomplished, because the alternative, trying to fight it, really doesn't work and is self-defeating. Still, it's a frustrating cycle, because then you hit an upswing and think of all you'd like to have accomplished while you were being a whiny, self-absorbed mess (never mind that it's a medically justified whiny, self-absorbed mess), and then you scramble, trying to get things done before the next wave hits. Waa, waa, it ain't easy bein' me.
Anyhoo, that's where I've been...
About the cat, what an odd thing...Friday morning, this young male orange tabby shows up at our doorstep crying up a storm. Wants in so badly it's hard to get into the apartment at lunchtime. Still there in the evening, and cries all night. We gave him a food and water source, and he not only shut up, but disappeared, but I've been keeping the food plate filled at night, and it's licked clean the next morning. So we may have ourselves a cooperative outdoor cat, who was seriously dehydrated initially. I hope it's him eating the food, as I hate to think about the other critters that could be coming up our stairs, the not-so-friendly strays or worse, a nutria (we've got a bunch of those critters living with the ducks around our retention ponds - they look like beavers with possum tails). My herbs and tomatoes are still on the front landing, and they're no worse for the wear, but still...
So I'm feeling better and looking toward the weekend. Blogs are starting to talk about preparing for winter. Florida breeds laziness; we're lucky if we get weather cold enough to break out the wool, but there are so many other ways that we could be living simpler with just a little preparation. And autumn's my hands-down favorite season, so there's apple butter recipes to try, as well as more food storage ideas (freezing, canning, dehydrating), experimenting with squash and pumpkin recipes, and enjoying the break in the heat here, as Gaia gives us 2 days of rain. Enjoy the breeze!
Chris Burke, that dear guy from the TV show "Life Goes On" said in an interview way back when, that he had Down's Syndrome, but just a mild case of it. That's how I treat my manic depression. It's tempered with age and medication, and I can deal with my mood swings now, for the most part, without spending us into bankruptcy or fantasizing about running cut glass on my skin.
That said, the downers still suck big time. I've mentioned I'm off my lithium and down to half my Paxil, because we're trying to have kids (and we're finally actually trying, so I'm being vigilant about keeping unnecessary meds out of my system...now if I could only do that with food too...). So when the downs take up residence, I'm a rather grumpy individual, not the funnest person to be around, and my time is spent accepting my misery and getting little accomplished, because the alternative, trying to fight it, really doesn't work and is self-defeating. Still, it's a frustrating cycle, because then you hit an upswing and think of all you'd like to have accomplished while you were being a whiny, self-absorbed mess (never mind that it's a medically justified whiny, self-absorbed mess), and then you scramble, trying to get things done before the next wave hits. Waa, waa, it ain't easy bein' me.
Anyhoo, that's where I've been...
About the cat, what an odd thing...Friday morning, this young male orange tabby shows up at our doorstep crying up a storm. Wants in so badly it's hard to get into the apartment at lunchtime. Still there in the evening, and cries all night. We gave him a food and water source, and he not only shut up, but disappeared, but I've been keeping the food plate filled at night, and it's licked clean the next morning. So we may have ourselves a cooperative outdoor cat, who was seriously dehydrated initially. I hope it's him eating the food, as I hate to think about the other critters that could be coming up our stairs, the not-so-friendly strays or worse, a nutria (we've got a bunch of those critters living with the ducks around our retention ponds - they look like beavers with possum tails). My herbs and tomatoes are still on the front landing, and they're no worse for the wear, but still...
So I'm feeling better and looking toward the weekend. Blogs are starting to talk about preparing for winter. Florida breeds laziness; we're lucky if we get weather cold enough to break out the wool, but there are so many other ways that we could be living simpler with just a little preparation. And autumn's my hands-down favorite season, so there's apple butter recipes to try, as well as more food storage ideas (freezing, canning, dehydrating), experimenting with squash and pumpkin recipes, and enjoying the break in the heat here, as Gaia gives us 2 days of rain. Enjoy the breeze!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Ornery n' out of sorts
I'll do a proper post in a day or two (maybe even with pictures and a neat story about the outdoor cat that's sort of adopted us...), but I gotta shake off these orneries first. TTYS!
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Pensive Thursday
Seriously inside my own head today...check out SCMoving for the topics rolling around in there.
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