Oh how I love a good rant! Who doesn't? Well, it does help to agree with the rant and even more so to be said ranter, but there's something of an art to being a seasoned ranter, one like the late <sniffle> Andy Rooney.
He made everyone smile with his words, his perspective. He put simple things into plain terms and made us consider ourselves and the things we do on a regular basis a little differently. It wasn't meant to be philosophical I don't think, just an opinion worth mentioning and thinking about. Why do we have so many watches? Why do we pay for all the comforts of travel when the ride is only an hour, but still complain about the price? Why do we keep things we'll never need but can't quite throw them away. I can't do the man justice on ranting or even pointing out the simple things we might overlook in life, and I wonder if he ever even considered himself a ranter rather than an opinionated person or question-maker in some cases. I will, however, attempt my own blurb on my opinions, my qualms in life, and hope to somehow make someone think. I can't promise anything good.
I recently took a hiatus from the ever-popular Facebook having had enough of settings being changed without my permission, unwanted emails, constant 'image' changes, etc. I thought I really spend too much time reading statuses like "just fed the cat" or "traveling to sunny Cali again!" or "if you think your life is awful, just read below..." and such things. Really, I only joined to stay updated with friends and family, not to read about someone's inner thoughts or to hear about day-to-day activities. I don't care how often someone with a cold blows his or her nose. I don't want to repost your sentiments and I don't care to read your thought-provoking song lyrics. Now I'm not even going into the games notifications (most of which I had disabled although they spit out more games a week than the illegals spit out kids in America), but I'd say I only cared about 3% of what I read unless it was personally to my wall or in a Facebook email. I commented on some posts which were funny or Bruins related or weather related. I sent birthday or condolences or congratulations as appropriate. I began to realize, however, that I was no better. My posts went from dangerously depressing when I was totally bummed out on life and stressed (may I add that no one, except perhaps my husband, ever commented on those) to excitedly cheering on the Bruins (sometimes play-by-play) to cute or witty kid stories and/or pictures of the, er, cherubs of mine. I was indeed a hypocrite and I did not like it one bit!
So, after checking out the invite to Google+ from my brother, I decided to try just that. People I found interesting were on it and I liked the whole 'circles' thing where you could decide which group of people to read about. I posted a hiatus on Facebook and moved to Google+ and soon didn't spend more than a few minutes on the computer every couple days. People had my email which I get on my phone, and my phone number to call or text. If I was needed, or missed, I could be found. I'd like to say that people thought I fell off the face of the earth but really no one even noticed. I missed parties, general social news, and tons of pictures and gossip. Okay, I'll admit I didn't 'miss' any of it per se, but I was bummed that no one, not even a few good friends, ever noticed that I wasn't around.
Are we so plugged in that we're so impersonal? Does anyone ever pick up the phone anymore? What happened to, "Hey I haven't heard from So-and-so in a while..." Perhaps this is simply a kink in the computer age, but it's a pretty big one. It's like we've been dehumanized. I think if I stopped showing up to work people would miss me, some people would miss me not just because I wasn't pulling my weight at the office. I think if I stopped calling my mother, which sometimes there's been unintentional stretches, she'd call me to see what's up. I know my kids would care if I wasn't around; they'd be devastated! I sadly cannot say this of any online friends, which is what I'll call those I don't see daily, or even weekly, but with whom I still have some kind of connection. Dropping from the online world proved one solid point: I don't make a dent of a difference in it.
Well, I'm rechecking in with ole' Face Book again and this time, as with Google+, I'm not spending more than a few minutes every couple of days on it. If I need a friend, I'll call someone. If I need to express something unimportant but stressful at the time, I may post. If I'm needed by anyone, rare, I have a phone. I'm no longer slave to the online world. I'm also no longer relying on connections in that manner to find kinship in any way unless personally directed at me. What is it anyway that drives us to connect with a lit screen, a world in which we can both hide and express ourselves? Or is that all it is? The ability to hide and express at the same time? I'm not sure what Andy Rooney would have to say about all that, but I'm sure he'd have plenty of people listening. As for me, I just had to rant for Andy Rooney.
Yards for Sale!
Well, I was going to add more photos but this one took about 25 minutes to load... hmmm, Network errors? Anyway, I spent my time perusing the yard sale tips and tricks articles on the web and feel a little more (and a little less) prepared for our big mom's group yard sale Saturday. Now since I've forgotten my original blogging intents, I'll yak about that. :)
I was and still am psyched to be doing this. (I pause to laugh because I typed 'psycho' at first.) I can't wait to get rid of all the baby stuff! And other random stuff too but mostly the big things like the two strollers taking up a chunk of the basement. It'll also be nice to make some $$$ but I'm not going to guess and figure this early on. I checked out those 'tips' sites and realized my to-do list needs shifting. Don't use a money box... so.... Yeah... I started making signs but as I saw a sight with images of good and bad yard sale signs and thought maybe doing all posterboard isn't the way to go. My next-door neighbor has some old shelves she's getting rid of... could use those boards...
Now I wonder if I have enough tables to share. I think my stuff might take up about 3 plus what I can get on the ground. I need to label things/prices and get a general inventory going so I know things were paid for and appropriately. I also might offer to share the dot stickers Jess picked up for me. They might help us know when something bog has been paid for.
My mind is walking through an imaginary yard sale and I'm already overwhelmed. I'm going to dedicate tomorrow night to getting a plan together. Tonight I need to dedicate to showering and sleeping... mostly the latter.
Catching up on catching up
It's been a little longer than I'd like since my last blog. It's like the old journal days... diary starts, going well, forgotten about; another starts, going okay, forgotten; year later another journal, soon forgotten as well. I've even forgotten about the letters to my kids I'd started. Really should get back to that. Seriously I've had a thousand journals and probably 8-10 currently on my desk. At least for now I have only one online log... for now...
Few things to mention. First, we've discovered our shack is the place all the cool cats want to be. Literally, all of Shadow's family keeps visiting this house looking for her and rubbing up against us and wondering what it's like inside. Kinda funny if you think about the cat conversation:
Shadow: Hey guys, you should see my pad. I have my own water fountain! Plus whenever I go inside, I get a kitty treat!
Elsie: I have to live with a dog!
Shadow's brother and sister are currently hanging out on our front steps while she sits by a window barely noticing. Is she a snob too?
She's the best cat, and that's saying something from me who happens to be a dog fan. I took the kids on a little jaunt around the small block across from our house. Shadow looked perplexed at the wondering of her lit'uns without a stroller or wagon. She followed us the whole way around!
Next Godin family fun fact: Jess and I are in love... with those little frozen pie shells! We've made quiche, chicken pot pies, and pumpkin pies, all single serving each. You better believe they'll be torts in our future this Christmas!
Further on the clean-up agenda: gate's gone from the laundry room for a few reasons. One, cat's getting bigger and got stuck a few times. Two, we're sick of tripping over/through it. Three, the kids are basically old enough to keep out of trouble, although VJ now has full access to the cheese balls. Also, rearranging toys and donating/selling baby stuff. Yard Sale Oct. 15th with the mom's group!!!Wish us money!!!
Now go figure that the ACs come out of the window and the temp rises with humidity. Hello Murphy? Get bent! Oh well, we survived a while with no ACs so a week or two now won't kill us. Think of the money saved on heat, not that we're currently paying the oil bill. <$$$ sux!>
Well, pumpkin and apple picking are complete, pictures uploaded for those on Google+ or who know our personal site. Can't wait to go through this fall/winter season with the kids older now! And I will try to keep blogging, but no promises! :)
Few things to mention. First, we've discovered our shack is the place all the cool cats want to be. Literally, all of Shadow's family keeps visiting this house looking for her and rubbing up against us and wondering what it's like inside. Kinda funny if you think about the cat conversation:
Shadow: Hey guys, you should see my pad. I have my own water fountain! Plus whenever I go inside, I get a kitty treat!
Elsie: I have to live with a dog!
Shadow's brother and sister are currently hanging out on our front steps while she sits by a window barely noticing. Is she a snob too?
She's the best cat, and that's saying something from me who happens to be a dog fan. I took the kids on a little jaunt around the small block across from our house. Shadow looked perplexed at the wondering of her lit'uns without a stroller or wagon. She followed us the whole way around!
Next Godin family fun fact: Jess and I are in love... with those little frozen pie shells! We've made quiche, chicken pot pies, and pumpkin pies, all single serving each. You better believe they'll be torts in our future this Christmas!
Further on the clean-up agenda: gate's gone from the laundry room for a few reasons. One, cat's getting bigger and got stuck a few times. Two, we're sick of tripping over/through it. Three, the kids are basically old enough to keep out of trouble, although VJ now has full access to the cheese balls. Also, rearranging toys and donating/selling baby stuff. Yard Sale Oct. 15th with the mom's group!!!Wish us money!!!
Now go figure that the ACs come out of the window and the temp rises with humidity. Hello Murphy? Get bent! Oh well, we survived a while with no ACs so a week or two now won't kill us. Think of the money saved on heat, not that we're currently paying the oil bill. <$$$ sux!>
Well, pumpkin and apple picking are complete, pictures uploaded for those on Google+ or who know our personal site. Can't wait to go through this fall/winter season with the kids older now! And I will try to keep blogging, but no promises! :)
Moving on with Moving in
This weekend I found myself on my knees, surrounded in filth, bent into one of the lowest, unseen and unexplored regions... of my house. Yup, under the couch and in the basement. Under the couch I found enough toys to fill two plus buckets from their toy shelf, including three disgustingly dirty bugs (eyes missing on one but pipe-cleaners intact on all!) and several partial Easter eggs (the plastic kind), plus trucks, dolls, "doctor" kit stuff, Legos, and tons more I can't recall just now. As for the basement, well, let's just say it's like we hadn't been living here over 10 months yet.
So, shelves went up in the bedroom (and we now have printer access!), the bathroom (kitty's litter box no longer near her food), the laundry room, and basement which we were finally able to unpack. Now, it's a short basement so the shelf building and installation is another story, one for the BFF to tell I believe but it involved back-breaking feats of futility in part and eventual success. In other organizing news, we now have a portable closet downstairs to keep our dressy clothes as they literally hang over the shelves we have in the closet. So glad that's accessible now!
Where were the lit'uns in all this madness? With family! Yay! Time to do some clean-up, shelf-building, and organizing... and more cleaning! We're not even done but we did so much, including going out to dinner Friday night and bowling with a friend. We came home at 1AM Saturday morning for the first time in years, at least three! We did get to spend some time with them today, Labor Day, going to the zoo in Boston, so we didn't completely neglect them. ;)
We have so much more to do but who knows when the next opportunity will be? We can at least piece meal the rest as it doesn't involve as much up and down the dangerous stairs or pulling out a box of What-the-heck-is-that? or exposing ourselves to material that may or may not be hazardous. God only knows, we could get deathly ill in the next week or so. Did I mention previously that the house was built in 1929?
Be that as it may, we've come to a good resting place and I'm so grateful to the family who pitched in to watch the kids. They even slept over two of the nights which was a humongous help!! Plus they had an amazing time with their awesome aunt and uncle!!
Well, work never ceases and it's getting late. Back to laundry, dishes, baking, and whatever other chores we've set out to accomplish tonight. Mayhaps sleep will conclude? Tomorrow, it's back to the grime.
So, shelves went up in the bedroom (and we now have printer access!), the bathroom (kitty's litter box no longer near her food), the laundry room, and basement which we were finally able to unpack. Now, it's a short basement so the shelf building and installation is another story, one for the BFF to tell I believe but it involved back-breaking feats of futility in part and eventual success. In other organizing news, we now have a portable closet downstairs to keep our dressy clothes as they literally hang over the shelves we have in the closet. So glad that's accessible now!
Where were the lit'uns in all this madness? With family! Yay! Time to do some clean-up, shelf-building, and organizing... and more cleaning! We're not even done but we did so much, including going out to dinner Friday night and bowling with a friend. We came home at 1AM Saturday morning for the first time in years, at least three! We did get to spend some time with them today, Labor Day, going to the zoo in Boston, so we didn't completely neglect them. ;)
We have so much more to do but who knows when the next opportunity will be? We can at least piece meal the rest as it doesn't involve as much up and down the dangerous stairs or pulling out a box of What-the-heck-is-that? or exposing ourselves to material that may or may not be hazardous. God only knows, we could get deathly ill in the next week or so. Did I mention previously that the house was built in 1929?
Be that as it may, we've come to a good resting place and I'm so grateful to the family who pitched in to watch the kids. They even slept over two of the nights which was a humongous help!! Plus they had an amazing time with their awesome aunt and uncle!!
Well, work never ceases and it's getting late. Back to laundry, dishes, baking, and whatever other chores we've set out to accomplish tonight. Mayhaps sleep will conclude? Tomorrow, it's back to the grime.
Ode to True Love: Happy Anniversary
Once upon a time... Actually about ten years ago, I went to a Christian festival called The Inside Out Soul Festival (now www.thesoulfest.com) on my own. I knew little to nothing about Christian Rock and had never worked a stage before in my life. God willing, entirely, I got on crew. I met so many people, two of whom have become family, many I still love today.
This was July 31, 2001, and on August 3rd, I declared I to my new friends that I, the aspiring photographer and adventurer that I was, would hike to the top of Loon Mountain at midnight and await the sunrise. Shockingly, no one wanted to come with me. Yet, behold! Jesse, mild-mannered (okay, thick-tempered at times) introvert, sees this foolishly outgoing girl ready to throw herself into the wilderness alone and speaks up, "I'll go." In hind-sight, I think the group may have smirked and taken an additional step back at the invitation. Honestly babe, in your head were saying, "WTF did I just agree to?!"
Well, the whole story is written out elsewhere, but that night Jess was my hero and still is today. We married five years later, August 12th, and I think we're more in love now than before. Cheesy yes, but true. I've already got my daughter saying that Daddy is Mama's best friend and that's the kind of person she should marry. My son, well, right now wants to marry either hockey or a motorcycle.
So buck up all you lonely-hearted! True Love still exists today! And buck up all you tiredly-married! It can still be what it was or something else, good and new and happy! And carry on all you Love Birds! I do have friends out there who are still in love years later! Raise your glass to True Love my friends! And I also raise mine to the love of my life, Jesse! No other guy could put up with me, nor could another have held my heart so long ;)
This was July 31, 2001, and on August 3rd, I declared I to my new friends that I, the aspiring photographer and adventurer that I was, would hike to the top of Loon Mountain at midnight and await the sunrise. Shockingly, no one wanted to come with me. Yet, behold! Jesse, mild-mannered (okay, thick-tempered at times) introvert, sees this foolishly outgoing girl ready to throw herself into the wilderness alone and speaks up, "I'll go." In hind-sight, I think the group may have smirked and taken an additional step back at the invitation. Honestly babe, in your head were saying, "WTF did I just agree to?!"
Well, the whole story is written out elsewhere, but that night Jess was my hero and still is today. We married five years later, August 12th, and I think we're more in love now than before. Cheesy yes, but true. I've already got my daughter saying that Daddy is Mama's best friend and that's the kind of person she should marry. My son, well, right now wants to marry either hockey or a motorcycle.
So buck up all you lonely-hearted! True Love still exists today! And buck up all you tiredly-married! It can still be what it was or something else, good and new and happy! And carry on all you Love Birds! I do have friends out there who are still in love years later! Raise your glass to True Love my friends! And I also raise mine to the love of my life, Jesse! No other guy could put up with me, nor could another have held my heart so long ;)
Feeling the Beat
We all need a little more Tobymac and Peter Fuller in our lives. Take it from someone who knows the power of positive thought. I had some pretty nasty 'down' times (and still have them occasionally) but I came through with prayer and focus on the positive. No grubby little status post of how much life sucks helped (although it did feel good to vent that way) nor did stewing to myself and reminiscing on all my problems and stress. No, seriously the best thing to pick yourself out of a stoop (besides having an amazing BFF <3!) is to plug into some positivity! I like 108 and 90-whatever the frequency is now, but jamming to the upbeats of Christian Rock really gets me in the right place.
I was bummed when we couldn't even make it to Soulfest (www.thesoulfest.com) for even a day visit, but it was heartening to see everyone's updates through social networks through load-in, during, and through load-out. I saw some friends pick up their usual banter into positive words, others simply proclaimed the joy of being there, and yet others gave thanks to each other for the generous work that made the event happen. I must say Jess and I had an amazing experience at Creation with Ron, but Soulfest, no matter what life brings, will always be our alma mater. I hope someday our children can experience that.
Yet even when I'm far from those wonderful Christian events and people, the beat lives on when I simply plug in a CD with worship or praise or any message that strums Christian values. I need only sing along to Toby or Jars or Newsboys or Peter to feel what I need to feel which contrary to what's felt everywhere else in the world: I belong and it feels good!
The world of music has its ups and downs in terms of lyrics and messages. We can only pray our children find the positive beat in the roller coaster of sounds as they grow. We Christians don't belong to the world; we belong to Christ and we are only here to minister to those who will listen. Make a good sound my friends.
God Bless.
I was bummed when we couldn't even make it to Soulfest (www.thesoulfest.com) for even a day visit, but it was heartening to see everyone's updates through social networks through load-in, during, and through load-out. I saw some friends pick up their usual banter into positive words, others simply proclaimed the joy of being there, and yet others gave thanks to each other for the generous work that made the event happen. I must say Jess and I had an amazing experience at Creation with Ron, but Soulfest, no matter what life brings, will always be our alma mater. I hope someday our children can experience that.
Yet even when I'm far from those wonderful Christian events and people, the beat lives on when I simply plug in a CD with worship or praise or any message that strums Christian values. I need only sing along to Toby or Jars or Newsboys or Peter to feel what I need to feel which contrary to what's felt everywhere else in the world: I belong and it feels good!
The world of music has its ups and downs in terms of lyrics and messages. We can only pray our children find the positive beat in the roller coaster of sounds as they grow. We Christians don't belong to the world; we belong to Christ and we are only here to minister to those who will listen. Make a good sound my friends.
God Bless.
Size Matters... At Least Sometimes
We, as humans, generally like things to fit, right? From shoes to jobs, we like things to fit just right, or at least good enough. I've certainly bought of pair of sneakers I loved even though they didn't have my exact size. Of course sometimes we have to make do with what we've got. For example, I'm sitting at my desk (which is about 30" high) on a little ottoman from the living room which serves as the only chair I've got (that will fit) and it's only about a foot high. Hooray for laptops! Although uploading photos to the iMac does get a bit cramping as that doesn't fit on my lap.Well we haven't had the time to reconfigure the living room to fit the desk top to get it off my desk and there just isn't room for a computer chair in our bedroom. I just have to make do, which is fine.
I feel like I'm always making do or making adjustments. My husband and I are not the same size. He's a decent height and broad-shouldered while I'm rather average for a woman in terms of height. We always have to readjust the straps on backpacks and diaper bags. I can't stand it hanging down my butt while he can't get his arms in after I've used them. I also have a hard time readjusting the mirrors in the truck, which I seldom drive. I have to reach so I'm off the seat to adjust the mirror and by the time I'm settled again it may or may not be where I want it yet. I also have to lift my heel off the floor to press the break all the way, but I'd be too close to the steering wheel if I moved close enough to not have to do that. The truck is simply not my size. I love my little car, though I'll admit we could use a slightly larger vehicle given the two kids and all we do. If only our budget fit that size requirement.
As for fitting into things like situations, how many jobs do people hold before they find longevity? I lost count of my jobs from high school till now, but there were a fair amount of trades involved before I found my current job. Even with it, Jesse and I had several schedule changes before we found the right fit between the two of us (in order to not need daycare, which also didn't fit the budget). It still isn't what we wanted but it works for now.
I never would have imagined myself in a house as tiny as we have, but I love the Love Shack! I've been saying lately that it's a good thing the house isn't any bigger because I already lose things on a regular basis and have a hard time keeping it clean. It's simply the perfect fit for us. That's another thing: I thought I'd found a good fit in men a couple times but when I found Jesse I knew I didn't want to do any more shopping around. Awww... Isn't that romantic? In all seriousness, it's true. We're honest-to-God best friends and there's no better fit.
Sure there's times when I wish I could reach above the fridge, or that the trunk of my car fit the double stroller a little more easily, or that we didn't have to stretch the budget so thin just to take the kids on an outing to the beach. We need one of those portable zipper closets to keep our dress clothes in the basement since there's no room upstairs. We play around with ideas for the kids' room when they get too old to share a bedroom, whenever that will be. What if we don't have the ability to expand and add a floor with more bedrooms? For now, they love sharing. Besides, what can we do right now? We have to make do with what we have.
Well, I've expended my night and still haven't folded laundry. That's a job the size of which I wouldn't mind cutting down. I guess I'll have to put my little laptop aside, shut down the desktop, and get folding. Hopefully I'll get a long, restful sleep tonight, a good fit for what the day brings tomorrow.
I feel like I'm always making do or making adjustments. My husband and I are not the same size. He's a decent height and broad-shouldered while I'm rather average for a woman in terms of height. We always have to readjust the straps on backpacks and diaper bags. I can't stand it hanging down my butt while he can't get his arms in after I've used them. I also have a hard time readjusting the mirrors in the truck, which I seldom drive. I have to reach so I'm off the seat to adjust the mirror and by the time I'm settled again it may or may not be where I want it yet. I also have to lift my heel off the floor to press the break all the way, but I'd be too close to the steering wheel if I moved close enough to not have to do that. The truck is simply not my size. I love my little car, though I'll admit we could use a slightly larger vehicle given the two kids and all we do. If only our budget fit that size requirement.
As for fitting into things like situations, how many jobs do people hold before they find longevity? I lost count of my jobs from high school till now, but there were a fair amount of trades involved before I found my current job. Even with it, Jesse and I had several schedule changes before we found the right fit between the two of us (in order to not need daycare, which also didn't fit the budget). It still isn't what we wanted but it works for now.
I never would have imagined myself in a house as tiny as we have, but I love the Love Shack! I've been saying lately that it's a good thing the house isn't any bigger because I already lose things on a regular basis and have a hard time keeping it clean. It's simply the perfect fit for us. That's another thing: I thought I'd found a good fit in men a couple times but when I found Jesse I knew I didn't want to do any more shopping around. Awww... Isn't that romantic? In all seriousness, it's true. We're honest-to-God best friends and there's no better fit.
Sure there's times when I wish I could reach above the fridge, or that the trunk of my car fit the double stroller a little more easily, or that we didn't have to stretch the budget so thin just to take the kids on an outing to the beach. We need one of those portable zipper closets to keep our dress clothes in the basement since there's no room upstairs. We play around with ideas for the kids' room when they get too old to share a bedroom, whenever that will be. What if we don't have the ability to expand and add a floor with more bedrooms? For now, they love sharing. Besides, what can we do right now? We have to make do with what we have.
Well, I've expended my night and still haven't folded laundry. That's a job the size of which I wouldn't mind cutting down. I guess I'll have to put my little laptop aside, shut down the desktop, and get folding. Hopefully I'll get a long, restful sleep tonight, a good fit for what the day brings tomorrow.
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