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.

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! 

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.

Hear Me WHIMPER! (and yarn stuff...)

So…it’s been awhile. It seems like the blogsphere is littered with lightly updated and outdated blogs that whimper “Sorry I was gone for a while, but I am going to be better from now on!” And that was months ago. Looks like I’m whimpering too. Damn it.

Anyway, the world according to me has become the world of yarn. (Long yarn, soft yarn, pretty yarn, ugly yarn, natural yarn, vegan yarn and cheap yarn…) It’s everywhere! It’s everywhere! At least, that’s what my husband tells his friends.

I knew I had a real problem when I neglected to tell my husband about the latest, best find I bought last week. I’ve begun hiding bits and pieces of the stash in different rooms and locations of the apartment. This not only makes it hard to find anything, but keeps the stash from looking as big as it is. So far, I have managed to never gather all the yarn and various bits and projects into one place. Thus, I can say with an honest heart that I actually do not know how big the stash really is. Without that knowledge, I do not have to admit that, just maybe, I need to use some of the yarn I’ve stored before buying more.

Well, short as it is, this post is about done. I need to stop by the craft store on the way home. I heard they were having a yarn sale.

Just a thought...

Today at work, I was listening to the news and it was as depressing as usual. 12 GIs died in a helicopter crash in Iraq. Several more American's were killed in an attack of a military compound in Iraq that was carried out in broad daylight. Numerous Iraqi civilians have been killed or wounded in the last several days as the fighting and bombings escalate even further out of control. (The situation continues to NOT be a civil war...) On and on it goes, just getting sadder and more depressing with each passing minute. The number of soldiers killed in Iraq now totals more than 3,000. My mom lives in a town with a smaller population than that.

Meanwhile, at work, the commercial break comes on and I hear the same old bitching from customers and co-workers. Lately, its taxes and the strange cold snap we've been suffering through. Hardly anyone talks about the war our country continues to fight. If you hear someone talk about it, it has more to do with whether or not they support the president or if they think the dems are cut and runners. No one really seems to be thinking about the fact that every minute we sit here, obliviously living our lives, there is another 18 year old fresh out of high school carrying his M16 into danger for reasons none of us can agree on.

If we do stop and think about the war, it's in the most general and meaningless terms. We complain that Bush lied, or remind our neighbors that Saddam was a bad man. I can't tell you how many times I've heard the same two stupid lines repeated in some form or other. "We can't leave Iraq till we've cleaned it up." "We need to cut our losses and get the heck out of that place." What do either of those statements even mean? Do the people spouting them even know? Do they have any clue about the true situation?

Where is the guilt? Where is the understanding that we allowed our country to go to war against another country? Where is the knowledge that literally hundreds of thousands of people are dead from a war that we don't know why we're fighting?

Where is the god damned guilt?

Um...

This is my bunny. This is not a great picture (he's waaay cuter than this, but he refuses to allow me to prove it on film) of his royal highness, but you get the point. His ears are back because he's stuck in his cage and we were paying attention to him when he wanted to be free to run the apartment without our interference.

Anyway, on to business. (Or rather, pleasure...) I have been away for far too long. Just got busy over the holidays I guess. I know that the first rule of blogging is that one should blog often. Oops. Sorry. Will try to fix that in the coming days. I do plan on writing, it just never seems to happen. I will be at work and listening to the news and get angry and think "I should blog about that!" Unfortunately, by the time I could be blogging, it just doesn't seem to get done. I forget all my great ideas or something comes up.

I wonder how people who blog constantly manage. What is it about the act of blogging that keeps them coming back? I enjoy the form and I like being on the blogsphere, but I can't seem to demonstrate any staying power. Perhaps I lack initiative because I have no faces or names to go with the supposed audience I am writing to. Maybe I need a more personal touch to stay interested.

My husband doesn't seem to have this problem. He has real friends on the internet that he's never actually met. He knows what they do for a living, the video games and movies they enjoy, what they look like, and where they find themeselves on the political spectrum. I don't know that much about some of my "in person" friends.

Final Fantasy X

So, I've been playing Final Fantasy X. I know how it ends since I watched my husband beat it a little over a year ago, but I'm still addicted. I've beaten FFX2 already and paused in the process of beating it again (better ending if I get 100%) to come back and play the original. I love these games. The stories are an interesting mix of fighting, heroism, and romance that keep me coming back for more. I get to decide the ultimate limits of what my characters can do and how well. (Plus the art is really, really cool.)

So far, I've spent about 87 hours on FFX and well over 150 on FFX2. I guess thats why my husband laughs at me when I complain that I just do not have enough time to get the "real" things in my life done. You know, like paying bills, cleaning the apartment, and working on my art.


Still, I can't help but think that the world would be a much better place if everyone could spend a few hours a week in a world where injustice was easily fought with a couple of guns or a great big sword. Admit it, you'd want to live there too. :)

(These pictures, while really cool, are not mine. As near as I can figure, they were borrowed by others from the original art of the games. Enjoy!)

Letter to McCain

Dear Sen. McCain,

I just wanted to let you know that I will never vote for you in any election for any position. I am through with you.

I’ve lived in AZ for just under 3 years, but that time has provided me ample time to learn that you are not always the “independent Republican” you often claim. Still, I mostly excused your behavior as that of a "normal pol," and believed that the good accomplished outweighed the bad. All that is over now. Yesterday, I watched the TV in horror as you personally called voters in this state to “protect marriage” by making it legally a “union between one man and one woman.”

I am appalled that party politics was enough to get you to spout off such ridiculous nonsense. As a former citizen of Missouri, I watched in 2004 as this wedge issue was deftly used by Republicans to fire the ugly side of my neighbors’ hearts and fears and ultimately win the state for the Party. Now, I find it interesting that this issue has come to the forefront in an election that some believe the Democrats have a pretty good chance of winning.

Or worse, perhaps you actually believe that marriage needs “protecting” from those who would…what? Seek long-term, faithful commitments under the eyes of the law and their fellow citizens? As a Christian woman who spoke the vows of marriage more than two years ago, I can find no offense in others seeking the same state. Whether they look or think like me is really of no consequence. If two men or two women wish the same commitment and protection that I have, I can only further wish them the same happiness. Ultimately, no married gay couple can possibly reduce or destroy the sanctity of my marriage. Only my husband and I can do that.

I fully believe that you are a very intelligent and capable man who has done great things for this state and the nation. Please stop promoting politics of hate that can only cause division and make our hearts and minds ugly and less Christian.

Sincerely,

Spelunker

PS- I got the picture from Sen. McCain's website. The letter is a copy of one I sent to the Senator this morning.

My trip to the bank...

So I was at the bank the other day and I asked the teller for my balance. He smiled at me and said, “Are you signed up for online banking? It’s free, and-”

I cut him off. “No, and I’m not interested, thanks.”

Like every used car salesman you’ve ever hated, he didn’t get the hint. “It only takes a minute of your time-”

Getting annoyed, I cut him off again, “Listen, I’m not buying what you’re selling. Can I just get my balance please?”

He blinked, then he tried again. (It wasn’t like he couldn’t tell I was annoyed, I just think the bulletproof glass separating him and I made him feel safe.) “I’m not trying to sell you anything, ma’am, just save you time and effort.”

I looked at him. (Okay, I glared at the moron.) He wasn’t getting it. “Listen, I’m here, in the bank, trying to make a deposit. You are here, in the bank, taking my deposit. In what way does it save me time and effort to drive or bus to the library, log in, look up my account, and check the balance? I’m already here. Does it hurt you to give me my balance?!?”

After my admittedly venomous reply, he got me my balance. But the whole thing got me thinking. At what point did our society decide that everyone had access to the internet at home? More to the point, at what point did it become acceptable behavior to assume that because a technology was available, a person should be making use of it? (Or would, if they were smart enough to know it existed.) Nearly every time I ask for my balance, I get a sales pitch. What is wrong with walking into a bank and expecting service from the people behind the counter? Since when was that a bad thing?

So you think your job sucks...

I was browsing in a chain bookstore one time and I came upon a book call something like "So you think your job sucks." (Probably not the real title.) Anyway, the book was all about some of the worst jobs in the world. The author was trying to make the point that no matter how bad your job may be, the ones listed were worse. The only problem with that was that I'd had more than two of those jobs. More than three. In my relatively short life span, I've held four of the worse jobs ever.

Want to know the bright side? I have stories. Lots and lots of stories. If you play your cards right, I may even be willing to share them.

For instance, the first time I was ever offered pot, I was riding bitch (center seat) in the front of a moving van between two co-workers. I'd just graduated from highschool and had never so much as smoked a cigarette, but these two guys were lighting up a joint and passing it back and forth in front of me like it was no big deal. I think I remained pretty calm on the outside, but inside I was totally freaking out. Especially when we got lost. Most especially when the stoners thought that the police car behind us was following the van. (I was trying desperately to think of a way to convince the nice police man that I really was an innocent victim in all of this when God smiled on me and the car turned.)

I learned more at that job than just how to pack antique china like nobody's business.

I just made my first Etsy sale!

For those of you who don't know, Etsy is a place online to buy and sell handmade items of every shape and size. As a crafty person, I have dreams of one day at least recouping at least a portion of the money I spend on tools and product by selling the items I make. I've been dreaming this particular dream for many years, but so far, this is as close as I've come. But now, the future looks bright! Today, a few sheets of handmade paper. Tomorrow, the world! :)

Anyway, check out Etsy if you feel like doing som online shopping that is a little different. Check out my shop. (AnDesignArts) Yes, that was a shameless plug. But seriously, check out Etsy. Really. Like, right now. :)

I took this picture on the drive back from San Diego. Perhaps because we so rarely see them here, I find myself obsessed with clouds. We had just left a small town (Something Pine...) in CA and drove up around a hill and there this magnificent cloud formation was, just waiting to be enjoyed. It never fails to amaze me that there is so much beauty in the world. Even in the desert.

After dark, we were caught in torrential rain from early monsoons. Though it made for slow travel, we were glad to get the moisture. Tonight, it is raining outside, and I find my mind, which is so used to the dry desert and so unused to hearing rain patter on sidewalks, wandering back to the midwest. I do occasionally miss those rainy, dreery days.

I still don't miss snow and ice storms, however.

San Diego Comicon

So, I spent the last several days in San Diego attending the world's largest comicon. It was truely awe inspiring! Bigger than anything I could possibly imagined only days before. San Diego (what little I saw outside of the Convention Center), is a beautiful, clean city that I plan to see in more detail some time in the future.

The San Diego Comicon is huge. Bigger than huge. I can't come up with the words to talk about how big this thing is. I saw more people in one place than lived in the entire town I grew up in. (No, I am not exaggerating - it was that big!) I could blog for pages about my life and times at the con, but if you are really interested in the con, there are plenty of others already doing it better than I could ever hope to.

So, I'll keep it short.

Best Costume: The really, really tall guy dressed as Supergirl.

Celeb I most wanted to meet: Gail Simone. (Thanks for signing my Birds of Prey comics!)

Celeb I most wanted to see and didn't: Kevin Smith. (We waited in line for an hour, then waited in the hall for another 2 hours, only to find out that he was stuck in traffic. Rosario Dawson is really cool though!)

Moment I most enjoyed: Watching my husband geek out after getting a photo with John Romita. (He was very friendly and gracious.)

Most painful Lesson Learned: Do not go into the Vender Hall on Saturday - it isn't worth life and limb!

Will we go again? You Bet!

Flowers in the Desert

This picture was taken at the Phoenix Zoo. When we first moved to the desert, I was amazed at all the gorgeous flowers and plants that grow here. To my Midwestern eyes, it was like a tropical paradise, not the sand and scrub that I’d foolishly expected. Of course, there are times that it does begin to look like I'd imagined. During the drought this spring and early summer, we didn't get all green we had last year. 130 days of no rain and counting was a very new, and not very fun experience for me. I could easily live without all those rainless days forever!