I don't do Black Friday

It's not because I'm nobly fighting the urge to acquire more stuff. I don't do Black Friday because I don't do crowds. I once sent the hubs to Walmart for a Nintendo 64 on the darkest day. He came back with said item before I was even out of bed.

I'm spending today getting ready for some guests who are coming in on Tuesday. I may even get some Christmas up before they get here. I'm also doing a little bit of Christmas knitting; I'm on the last of the blasted Team Zissou hats. I will be very happy to have these finished.

Monkeying around

I know. I know. It's not a very original title, but I couldn't resist.

I also couldn't resist making this hat for my friend, Susan, when she posted a version of this on her FB and said she'd wear it.

It's winging its way to Canada as we speak. I guess one could say it's a flying monkey. :-(|)

I've had monkeys on the brain lately. It's not like I don't use the word in one context or another on a daily basis. You did notice the monkey background in the picture above right? That would be my shower curtain. But I'm considering a rework of this blog and moving my craftiness to another blog, solely because I like the name I have in mind. We'll see. We'll see.

WIP Wednesday - Team Zissou edition

Still working on those hats for the college gang. I knit 2, then took a break to knit some owlish fetchings. Wise of me, huh? Now, I'm working on hat number three. The best news is I can knit these hats while watching NCIS or reading.

Merry Christmas and Buy American!

My cousin, the eclectic one who used to build straw bale homes and lived on a self-sufficient farm (as opposed to my other eclectic cousins), shared this text she received in an email. I think the message is so very important that I'm sharing it on every outlet I can. This year I've been determined more than ever to not just give "stuff" for Christmas. The piece below hits me right where I live.

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year can be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!

It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper? Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber? Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement. Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plonking down the Benjamines on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course. There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes. Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre. Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip. When we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine. THIS is the new American Christmas tradition.

This is a revolution of caring about each other, remembering why we have Christmas This year, make it a priority to honor HIM first. Then look for ways to show your love for your family & friends by supporting Americans at the local level.

May you have a very blessed Christmas this year!

Today's Flash Fic: Swimming in Air

Elle plunged her face into the air, felt the dryness wash over her skin. She exhaled through her nose and heard the bubbles rise to the surface. For a few seconds, Elle pretended she could swim immersed in air for hours, but soon her lungs cried out for water. She grudgingly returned to the sea.

Based on Danielle Tunstall's photo.

It's Just a Rope

In lieu of NaNoWriMo this year, I've opted to participate in some flash fiction on G+. The prompts are photographs posted daily by the organizer. This prompt was Evelyn Lamprey's pic of a B/W of sweet rottweiler with a rope toy. Cute picture. Tough prompt. I ended up tossing Rory's Story Cubes in the mix to help me along. Without further ado, today's submission:

It's just a rope.

But at times like these nothing else will do. Not the squeaky rubber bee or the soft turtle toy Murray snuggled with when his real litter mates had been adopted. It had to be the rope. He locked his teeth into it and held it candy-apple firm—he wasn't letting go. If you could hold on tightly enough, you could swing Murray around by that rope. If you could hold on tightly enough. There was no doubt about Murray. He held a fortress-like grip, until he chose to let go, usually when you were off balance. If you didn't know better, you'd think he got a perverse pleasure in watching you teetering. Was that a glint in his eye?

It's just a rope: so much energy, and drama, and pleasure, tied into two slobbery knots.

It's just a rope. 

TARDIS and TeamZissou

I finished knitting my TARDIS socks and now I have a covey of college students clamoring for red beanies ala Steve Zissou and "Life Aquatic." I have lots of knitting to do, and the bright yarn might burn my retinas.

I Got the E-reader Blues.

I want an e-reader.

Just part of my collection.

It's stupid really. For the last several years I haven't read more than 2 books a year, and that might be stretching things. Never mind that I have 3 bookshelves filled with books, or that i have a history of being a voracious reader. I just don't read anymore.

I can't justify the purchase of an e-reader. At least not reasonably. I just upgraded my phone, and if I'd been wise, I could have gotten a much cheaper phone AND an e-reader for the same amount of money. Yet I try to rationalize the need for one.

• I'd read more if I had it.
• I could get rid of my real-book library and go digital
• I would have fewer possessions if I didn't own all these books
• What could be more minimalist that having e-books?

Go ahead and Gibbs slap me now. Truth of the matter is, I want another new toy. As if all the tech I already have isn't enough. 

I had a conversation with an online acquaintance about selling some of my books. I know that one or perhaps two are worth some real money. The rest are worth more as a tax write off when I donate them to the library. After talking with her, I looked at the shelves of unread books that I would sell and realized, I still want to read most of them. It makes no sense to replace them with e-books, especially if I have to purchase new ones. 

So here's the new plan:  I'm going to sort out the books that I know won't read and then I'll start reading what's left. When I can get this collection down to one bookshelf, I'll consider the possibility of buying an e-reader, but not before. 

This weekend I start our October tradition: Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury.

18 Minute Muscles

My body is still reshaping after my weight loss and, while I'm thrilled with losing this much weigh, I'm not completely thrilled with all the results. I know that my skin won't all bounce back. I'm hoping that adding some muscle will help. I'm also facing my 3rd winter of working out and I know just how hard that is. At one time I would have considered buying some workout equipment that I know I would ignore eventually. I have learned to like the free and the more organic workout. These suggestions I found in my Reader this weekend are right up my alley. The writer is talking about 18 minutes of bodyweight workout, and it's what I've been thinking of doing: adding push-ups, crunches, (more squats), etc. I like this plan.

I'm thinking of what Sean Murray said last year, "full on McMuscles." That's the new goal.

Coming Attractions

I've been AWOL this week and I'll have some things to share, but my youngest son has been home from college and I've been enjoying his company. Even if we weren't related I would want to hang with them. I haven't seen this one since January. Our visit has been long overdue.

Meanwhile, I've been giving some thought to upcoming posts on Occupy Wall Street, education (specifically college education), and the death of Steve Jobs. These three topics have merged in my mind. I'm going to have to share--after my son leaves.

I've also been working on my TARDIS  sock for Socktoberfest. I haven't done much color change work for a while. It's cool watch it happen, but for the first time I'm dreading the second sock. Maybe by the time I turn the heel that will pass. I have planned my second sock pattern for the month: Duckies, which is in my Ravelry queue only because of the NCIS reference in my mind.

One step at a time

In the fall of 2009, my life took a different path. After 5 years with a non-profit that I cared deeply about, I left to work for one of the vendors at their conferences. I still got to work in the same area of ministry, but the work I would be doing was more along the lines of what I wanted to be doing. And I could work from home. I don't think it was even a week before I realized that having an hour lunch break was going to create some bad habits if I didn't put the time to good use. I decided to go for a walk.

This is where I started.

When I started walking, I couldn't make it around the block without being winded. Eventually, as the pounds started to drop and my endurance started to rise, I walked farther and farther. As the following spring turned to summer, my daily walks were pushing the bounds of my lunch time, and the heat of the day was making longer walks impractical. If I wanted to walk farther, I'd need to start earlier. I started getting up earlier just so I could walk. I'd changed my habits one step at a time.

I've gotten a lot of comments from people about my weight loss. Most of it has been very encouraging, but I've discovered something interesting. At some point, a subset of the people who talk to me about my appearance and my walking now feel compelled to explain to me why they can't do what I have done. They can't walk 3 miles a day. They can't afford to eat healthy foods. They don't like low fat foods. What they don't realize is I told myself those same "can'ts" before I took that first step.

Finishing the 1/2 marathon.

I didn't get to this point overnight. It's taken 2 years to get here. In that 2 years I've learned to eat fresh foods when possible. I've learned that I wasted a lot of calories on fat, so I cut the fat where I could so I could still enjoy a piece of meat. I also learned that for me, lettuce is the delivery system for the salad dressing. If it weren't for the dressing, I wouldn't eat lettuce. I took a break from lettuce salads and started experimenting with other vegetables, and even fruit. The point of this, however, is not what I've done or what I eat but the fact that it took me a year to learn a lot of this and another year to get it firmly planted in my subconscious. But it never would have gotten there if I hadn't taken that first step.

Enough with the dishes

Nothing like doing a little Wordle to find out what you're talking about. Thanks to a post by my coworker Alison, over at Mr. Ravioli I decided I had to do one of my own. After all, hers was about cake and yummy. Mine was, well, you'll see...

Death Cab Meets The Doctor

I had a geek moment during my walk this morning. I guess that proves I'm starting to get my head out of training mode and into just letting my mind wander. A song I've heard many times came up on my pod-thingy, but this time my brain heard the latter part of the song in the context of Doctor Who. If I had the inclination, I'd make a fan video.  If you haven't seen the current series, well, as River Song would say, "Spoilers."

Here's what I heard:

"Soul Meets Body"

I want to live where soul meets body
And let the sun wrap its arms around me
And bathe my skin in water cool and cleansing
And feel, feel what its like to be new

Cause in my head there’s a greyhound station
Where I send my thoughts to far off destinations
So they may have a chance of finding a place
where they’re far more suited than here

And I cannot guess what we'll discover
When we turn the dirt with our palms cupped like shovels
But I know our filthy hands can wash one another’s
And not one speck will remain

And I do believe it’s true
That there are roads left in both of our shoes
But if the silence takes you
Then I hope it takes me too
So brown eyes I hold you near
Cause you’re the only song I want to hear
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere

Where soul meets body
Where soul meets body
Where soul meets body

Thinning the Herd

In the past when I've gotten rid of things, for the most part, it was because we had to. There were several years when we had the obligatory garage sale, but other than that, whenever we moved we've dejunked. We downsized when we moved the the house before last because there was no real storage. The amount of stuff we found in the basement as we were moving was shocking. I swore never again. But nearly 12 years in this house, we've got it packed to the rafters. Or at least it feels that way.

Since I'm not in a panic of needing to have it gone by the time the moving truck arrives, I'm giving the process some thought, and I'm employing a couple strategies. The first is to attack an area and just dig in. I did that last week for the sewing cabinet and knitting supplies. The second is just to make a small change and watch it spread. When I decided to take a break from using the dishwasher, when I realized I was hoarding dishes, utensils, storage containers so I could fill a dishwasher and still have tools to use, I discovered just how full my cupboards were. It became easier to thin the herd when I had it all in one place.

One day I took about 15 minutes to go through my storage containers. I kept only the name brand ones that I prefer, and the disposable ones I used to take to work hit the recycling or the box for the cottage. I made sure I only kept the containers with matching lids. The rest are gone, and the cupboard I used to dread is now under control.

If you could thin the herd somewhere, which herd would it be? Can you focus on one small section, a cupboard, a drawer, a stack of paper for 15 minutes and see where it leads? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Alas, poor rice cooker

Alas, poor rice cooker, a photo by sandbar17 on Flickr.

Of all things to blog about, after 30-plus years I'm getting rid of my rice cooker. Actually, it hasn't been my rice cooker for 30-plus years. It came with the husband. The thing is, I could never cook a decent batch of rice with it. It was either too sticky or wasted half of it on the bottom of the pan, or sometimes it was both.

I now know how to make a decent pan of rice from this recipe. I'll never use a rice cooker again.

File this under "Obvious"

I went into the kitchen this morning to get a bowl of cereal and discovered that the only bowls that were clean were either the baby bear bowls or the the papa bear bowls. The former are little ones that I use mostly for late night snacks. Or I use them for a little fast breaker before a walk then have second breakfast once I'm home and showered. The latter are the ones that came with my dishes: the ones that were the selling point when hubby bought me those dishes for Christmas one year. BIG BOWLS. When it comes to everyday breakfast bowls it seems we both prefer Tupperware cereal bowls. Unfortunately, we only have 3. I'm not sure where the 4th one went. I suspect it melted somewhere along the way. Until recently, we filled the gap with some cheap GFS bowls we'd bought for salsa for our son's Chipotle-catered wedding rehearsal dinner. I tossed the last of those bowls last month.

Here's where the obvious part comes in. I opened the cupboard this morning and the mama-sized bowls are gone. That means that yesterday DH and I each used one. He used one this morning, and now I'm stuck with just using a baby-sized bowl or a papa-sized bowl because the 3 mama-sized bowls are in the dishwasher waiting for a full load to run it. As I stood in front of the cupboard debating on the baby bowl or the papa bowl I realized that I could just hand wash one of the mama-sized bowls.

Now the light comes on. I need extra dishes, glasses, coffee mugs because I don't run the dishwasher every day. Of course we need to have enough dishes for guests if we have more than just the two of us for dinner. But even when the boys where home, we sometimes went 2 days before we ran the dishwasher. The ugly fact is, I'm storing dirty dishes. Not only that, but I'm storing dirty dishes until I have enough to wash them. *blink*

Suddenly using my dishwasher makes absolutely no sense, especially my dishes are coated with white junk since detergent companies removed the phosphates. If I hand wash my dishes, I need fewer dishes altogether because I don't need extras to use while I'm waiting for the dishes to be washed. Now I want to go through my cupboards and see what I have been keeping just so I have enough backup for what I've been storing in the dishwasher.

Obvious.

Finishing up and making room

Last year I swapped my craft room with my office. The former had been one of the boy's bedrooms, well actually each had been in that room at some point. It was bigger, yellow (I like yellow), and cooler in the summer. When I made the switch, I used our youngest son's bedroom as a staging area, and thus it remained until last weekend. We're getting a visit from him next month, so his room moved to the top of the to-do list.

What made working on his room a challenge was mostly what remained was drabble--flotsam and jetsam that really had no home until I created it or donated it.

• a plastic box of knitting needles and crochet hooks
• a plastic box of wood roving
• several photo albums
• a dismantled computer (pilfered for its hard drive)
• 2 monitors
• a computer keyboard with the letters worn off
• 2 stacks of books

The books are destined for the library book sale. I have another box that I'm going to fill with books that I have read and I've no intention of reading again. The electronics are headed for the local electronics recycler. That's already half the list. The photo albums are part of this winter's massive photo project (more on that later). The rest of the craft supplies are another matter.

Cleaned out and organized knitting supplies.

I have a wonderful antique sewing cabinet that my hubby bought me many moons ago. It's been in my craft room for the last several months. I think it took the trip upstairs over the holidays to make room for the tree, but since I hadn't been making good use of it, I didn't even miss it. This past weekend I cleaned the sewing stuff out and replaced it with the pile of knitting stuff that I had lying on the floor next to the recliner. I also sorted through the plastic bin and only kept the tools I would actually use. Turns out I'm pretty picky about my knitting needles. At this point, my sewing cabinet is now my knitting cabinet, and the only things in it are things I actually use.

Sterilizer cabinet houses thread.

The thread that I had in the top drawer of the cabinet has a new home in this antique sterilizer cabinet. I'd rather not think about how anything in this cabinet with its cardboard backing and wood sides could ever be considered sterilized. But I have organized my threads by color family and I can easily see what is there. Unlike the drawer in my sewing cabinet, everything fits.

The other sewing stuff that was in the cabinet found new homes as well. The actual sewing stuff for the most part went into my toolbox that I used to use for costuming shows. Most of my sewing tools were there anyway. This just put it all in one place. Other things, such as uncompleted cross stitch projects, hit the trash. I'm not likely to ever take up cross stitch again, and if I do, I won't want to finish those.

I'll need to spend another hour or so in my son's room corralling the dust bunnies and such, but the dejunking of my stuff in there is complete. Now if I can get him to dejunk his stuff when he's here.

Geeking out makes everything better

I was having a bit of a day earlier, but it all got better with a little geeking:

• Improved upon a bit of JavaScript written by Master Qui-Gon*
• Answered the question, "TOS, STNG, DS9, Voyager, Enterprise. Desert Island." My answer was DS9. The answer why deserves its own blog post. Hopefully before the end of the week.
• Answered a "pop quiz" from a customer who needed a quick answer to an unusual request, a work around of sorts, and made her day.

I have to say that if it weren't Speak Out with your Geek Out, I probably wouldn't have given much thought to how much my day improved just by figuring out that little bit of code. The average person's day is not improved by an if else statement.

*Not long after I started working at this job, I dubbed the coworker training me Master Qui-Gon. i was his padawan. Our CEO and Developer was Master Yoda. We have a couple droids, a Wookie, and the guy I trained went over to the Dark Side. That, of course makes me Obi-Wan.

SpeakOut with your GeekOut

This is SpeakOut with your GeekOut week, the week to let your geek shine. As I've read some of the blogs out there, I know that I'm not as geeky as some. I'm making up for lost time. The thing about my geek is that I refused to let mine come out to play for a long time. I was a closet geek.

I was raised in the 60's on comic books. When I was young, we would go to Lake Erie during the summer, and my brother and I were each allowed to get one comic book at the market on Catawba Peninsula. We read anything from Richie Rich and Little Lotta to Superman and Batman. When I think of the file cabinet filled with comics that disappeared when we moved, a little of me dies inside. I try not to think about it.

In my teen years, I was a Trekker. I owned the novelizations of the episodes. I had lists of the titles and the synopsis (typed, no less). I also was a huge fan of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. These are the things that shaped my perception of the world. These are the things I set aside when I "grew up."

I remember selling my Trek stuff and my LOTR books in a garage sale at our first house--a move I've come to regret. Looking back, it was like selling myself out to who everyone thought I should be. I have photographs of those years where I look every bit as much the insurance salesman's wife that I had become. No matter how much I tried to deny it, however, the geek lurked within.

When STNG appeared on the scene, I dodged it for the first year. We had a couple kids and we weren't big TV watchers beyond kids shows. The second year, though, I started watching with our middle son. We were hooked. His 12th birthday party was scheduled the day the last STNG episode aired and was Trek themed. By then, I didn't mind letting my geek show because my kids were joining me.

At this point in my life, I wear my geek colors proudly. After many years of working with computers in one capacity or another, I have a computer job I love. I telecommute to work daily. My job is to help organizations with their online fundraising using social media and our company's software. It's a perfect fit. When I'm training people on how to use our product, I have been known to have a mini geek out. I love this technology stuff, and I love sharing how to use it. Most of our clients aren't even sure what a browser is, but I admit to having an almost evangelical zeal regarding using computers and social media. It evens out.

I have regrets, though. I regret letting my brother talk me out of studying computers in college. As a young woman in the 70's, it was easy to allow myself to be talked out of a career requiring math and science. I've spent years teaching myself how to use computers out of necessity and interest (which has its benefits), and there were many years the locusts have eaten. I'll always be playing catch up.

I recently realized how out of touch I am with the comic book world as well. A friend of mine makes sure I see most of the comic book movies that come out and patiently fills in the gaps for me, but I recently had a TV writer reply to my tweet about a comic that appeared in a episode of NCIS last season. When I asked the significance of the issue, he replied, "You'd know if you'd read it." Ouch! He was kind enough to hint at the significance. I went to Ebay and bought a copy.

The point being, love your geek. Feed it. Care for it. This is who you are. Don't discover in the back half of your life that you've denied who you are because it was expected of you to conform.

Simplify September: Week 1

Depending on your point of view, I'm either early or late for this post. I'd been planning to do Minimizing Mondays, recording my attempts at scaling down my stuff and simplifying my life. However, this Monday I had to share my marathon story, and it's a pretty long post, so I'm moving this to Tuesday, kinda of.

In its own way finishing the 1/2 was one way I've simplified my life. I finally can get back to walking and be done with training. My walks can be more about clearing my head and staying healthy and less about distance and pace. I enjoyed my walk less when it was focused on results. I'm looking forward to not setting the timer on my phone and just walking.

When it comes to practical, physical scaling down, last week we got rid of an old freezer that we've been keeping plugged in even though it was usually empty. We'll be getting $50 back from AEP's appliance recycling program. They are only paying $35 right now; we got in on a special offer. But unplugging the freezer plus a $50 check is a pretty good start for the month.