Moving...

Well, I’ve spent the last several days moving stuff (A big Thanks to all of you who wished me well or helped!) and I hurt in places I’d forgotten I had. :)

Other than that, I am still here but have not had time to do much of anything worth writing about. I can tell you that many grocery stores are now refusing to give you the boxes their goods come in. I’ve been told “No, we recycle those” more than once in the past week. I am ALL FOR recycling, but couldn’t I use the boxes first if I promised to bring them back? Apparently not.

New Comic Blog

Just a quick thought:

Check out Shelly’s Comic Book Shelf at http://shellyscomics.blogspot.com/. I love reading intelligent female commentary on comics! (I like the look too.)

The "Right" to Know?

This whole VT massacre has been horrible. I feel so bad for the families and students and staff of VT. I can understand all the questions running through the minds of people in the rest of the country because I am right there asking the same questions:

How could this have happened?

How could anyone do such a thing?

Where were the parents?

We want to know everything about how that day happened. We want to know why this man decided to take 32 lives. We want to know why the police and campus security didn’t stop the second killing spree from happening. We want to know the names of those killed and the circumstances and whether they were brave or not. We want to know what kind of people they were and the kind of lives they lived before this maniac ended them. We want to know what they studied and how many siblings they had and WE JUST WANT TO KNOW!

But do we have the RIGHT to know?

Is it any of our business?

I am just as nosy and worried and concerned as the next person. I admit to tuning in when the news pipes out the very latest dramatic information. But just last night I was watching the nightly news and a reporter was interviewing the brother of one of the slain students. A single tear slid down his cheek and anyone could see that the poor guy was barely keeping it together, but the reporter held that microphone. The guy is gulping and can barely speak, but the reporter keeps asking questions about his dead sibling. “What were her goals? What did she want to be?” Finally, there was my favorite: “If she hadn’t been murdered, where do you think your sister wanted to be in ten years?” Finally, mercifully, the camera turned away.

And I had to wonder what kind of world we live in that this awful torture counted as news. Not just news, but entertainment. What right do we have to ask such obviously painful questions? Do we really have the right to know such personal, painful information? And what about the cost to those who should be allowed to grieve in peace?

What kind of people are we?

Yarn Stash and FlyLady Update

We’re getting ready to move, and I’m beginning the painful process of paring down the yarn stash. Each time I hold up a skein, I find myself visualizing a finished project that I could make. Now, in all truthfulness, many of these projects are not all that appealing to me. Most likely, they never will be. I know this, yet I have the hardest time admitting to myself that the yarn needs to go. Why should I hang on to yarn that I do not want to use? It’s a sickness I tell you, a sickness!

On the other hand, my lovely piles of recycled yarn are taking over what’s left of the living room. It has to end, but I am in no mood to try. I love looking over at the filled-to-the-brim baskets of lovely balled yarn. They make me happy! My husband has obviously decided that anything so cheap and incidental is not really worth the fight. He has given up and just rolls his eyes when I come home clutching yet another sweater. Poor guy hasn’t even bothered to ask what I’m going to make out of it yet.

FlyLady Update

On the FL front, I am really, really happy I found this site. The e-mails are still pretty extreme, but I find that just seeing my inbox all full and informative gives me a warm feeling. My DH has started making the bed most mornings. My bathroom looks clean and inviting with only a few seconds of work every other day from me. My kitchen is slowly coming around. Life is good and I am looking forward to the day when every part of my house only needs the upkeep needed by my bathroom. (Will it ever be perfect? No, but perfection is pretty boring really.)

The move seems far more doable since FL. I know that there will be stress and I am aware of the panic and chaos that will come. However, there is a new attitude in town. Progress not perfection and I deserve it! 

Eragon, the movie

We watched Eragon this weekend. It was pretty good, but I was glad that I hadn’t wasted money seeing it in the theater. The dragon and effects were good, and for the most part, I enjoyed the performances of the actors. However, it was a little strange seeing a combination of stories that are so familiar, yet just a bit different, on the screen. (For those of you that don’t know, Eragon is a pretty obvious mixture of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Dragon Riders of Pern.)

After watching the movie, I went back and did some research. I’m not the first person to note the similarities. Most reviewers seemed content to point out the derivative works and then praise the author highly for writing a book at such a young age. I am torn. I like fantasy stories, and I am well aware that there are few truly unique stories out there. However, I sort of wonder what we’d have if instead of rewarding and praising this young author so very much for giving us a remix of stories we’ve already read, he’d been told to go back and write something closer to original. If he’s this good at 15, what would he write with a firm hand and someone demanding better work?

I am not going to completely cross his name off my list of authors to watch, but I really hope that he gives us something of HIS next time. After all, I’ve already watched star wars and LOTR. If you love dragons, check out Anne McCaffrey’s Dragons of Pern series. The original is great.

FL Update

I’ve been a Flybaby (FlyLady newby to those of you that don’t know the lingo) a few days now, and I’ve noticed that a few things are beginning to change. Some aren’t, and I will have to work on that, but for the most part, I am pretty impressed with the system.

I tried the toilet cleaning trick, and I really, really like it. I get to get rid of old soap and shampoo that otherwise just fills up the cabinet under the sink till I move and throw it all away (oh the guilt that causes!), and I can quickly clean every few days. In AZ, where the toilet will grow noticeable mold if left unattended for just a couple of weeks, this is a wonderful development.

So the bathroom is starting to really shape up after only a few minutes every morning. Wonderful. The rest of the house…well, it’s going to be a long process. I am just trying to repeat the FL mantra: progress, not perfection…progress, not perfection…

After all, if the house is a tiny bit cleaner every night when I go to bed than it was when I woke up, isn’t that something? I need stickers. Gold stars for progress, or at least not sliding backwards, would be very helpful. And they’d make me feel good. 

Winter Soldier

So, last night we watched Winter Soldier. It was a really well done documentary that has obviously stood the test of time. (Click here to learn more about the Winter Soldier Investigation from Wikipedia.)

I wanted to cry when I saw the way that several of the soldiers were smiling in an effort to deal with what they'd seen and done. Several stories made this well-read, history-loving writer gasp and just sit slack-jawed as straight-faced veterans rattled off lists of atrocities they'd personally contributed to.

Anyone who thinks war (in Iran, maybe?) is a "good idea" should view this film before making any decisions about placing our soldiers in harm's way.

Peace.

Flylady newby

So, I’m trying something new.

I finally got tired of the mess in my apartment and decided to do something about it. Yesterday, I joined FlyLady.net and I’ve been receiving e-mail for about a day now. The website is right, it is a LOT to process when I check my e-mail first thing in the morning and there are 15 e-mails full of reminders and things to do in my inbox. I felt more than a bit hassled. Where, I wondered, was the peace and serenity that FL promised? But, I am attempting to ride out the first crazy wave and see what happens. I want to come home to a clean house. FL is right, I DESERVE it! Hopefully, I’ll be better at keeping up with this than I have been my blog…

Anyway, as this is the very first full day of my new and improved Flylady lifestyle…and so far I feel pretty positive. My DH (darling husband for those of you non FL people) was okay with the proposed cleaning of the sink every evening, but less than joyful at the prospect of making the bed every morning. Somehow, I have the feeling that I’ll be doing FL chores by myself…

I did appreciate the toilet cleaning tip. FL suggested that you get a crock for your toilet brush (my cutesy rubber duck holder is gross anyway) and put soap in the bottom. This way, you can quickly and easily clean the toilet. I found a little pot at Goodwill and am ready to try this. We’ll see how it goes.