40 Before 40: An Update

Husband has access to clay and his favorite game to play is Let's Get Lena to Make Something. But I don't have an artistic bone in my. Crafty? Yes. Painty, drawy, doodly, sculpty? No. 

The previous week, he took Kidlette to throw some clay on the wheel and, in her words, make pott-er-ree. 

I just can't tell if she's having fun or not. 

No, I don't think she likes it.

It's just so dang messy. Ugh!

A week later and he asked me again if I wanted to do pot-er-ree and I finally relented. I figured I would try it out and just add it to my list. But then I started to get excited. Hoo doggie I decided I'd make myself a damn mug. And so he taught me how to shape it and then his fateful words were "you won't be able to make anything [taller] than a tuna can on your first try." 

Challenge fucking accepted. 

Ahem. I'm a great listener and I can work pretty damned good with my hands. I'm also kind of competitive. He went off doing his own things and I'd ask questions here and there and get back to doing. 

Look! It's not an unidentifiable art class junk project!

After it dried, I put a handle on it then we fired it. 

Then I glazed it and fired it again. 

And while I was at work, Husband picked it up and was thrilled for me. 

I mean look at this shit. I have made my own vessel that I can actually use. You're so damned jealous. I just know it. 

Garage KM

It doesn't look like much, but I've (we've) finally started tackling stuff in the garage. 

We emptied all but two bins and cleared some things from the shelves. I don't even know what it was, nor do I care to know. 

Currently, we are keeping the bins and they're back in that spot. Sadly, there are still bins to go through. 

KM "Progress"

I wouldn't consider this much progress. I procrastinate like nobody's business. So my closet clothes have been sitting next to my dresser since I pulled them out. Husband even added some of his own clothes to get rid of. I still haven't gotten to my clothes in my dresser. 

But this is what I DID do. 

I'm disappointed that it's just 3 bags. 

Konmari part 2

At this time, I still have not tackled the dresser.  The pile to the left is a large pile of what will be leaving. My husband has contributed to this pile too. 

The bottom left dresser drawer holds my t-shirts. I learned this trick years ago. Apparently this is one of the methods in the book. 

Even though I can't sit down and pile everything all at one time, I was able to clean out and reorganize my sock and underwear drawers. There are no before shots. Just a pile of everything. 

The Method does not recommend to roll the socks but I don't care. I don't get attacked to socks. They're not an issue. 

I do need to go through my shirt drawer and my pjs.

Konmari Part 1

So I heard about this book from a few sources. We have been wanting to live more simply with fewer things. 

The author talks about how she figured out the perfect method of getting rid of things: Pile all of a single category of items in one area, touch each thing and feel if it elicits happiness. If not, thank it for its use and discard it. If yes, store it properly. 

There are a few steps to this process that I won't list here. What I will start with is the first category, clothes. In all her examples, she explains how her clients all had closets or rooms that were packed. Full. Overflowing! 

Growing up and well into my adulthood, I had always had full closets, but nothing to wear. I frequently changed how I stored my clothes. Different dressers, hanging nearly everything, storing clothes in bins. But something finally got to me.  I had to stop living in the past and decided to get rid of the stuff I want wearing, didn't fit, or was "out of style" (whatever that means, because I'm not stylish/trendy).

So, my closet? I've got plenty of room. Dresser? There's still some room. I obviously don't have a problem letting go of clothes I don't like. Could I get rid of more? Sure. But I can't really afford to at the moment. Handbags, I don't have many of. Shoes have already been pared down. But I'm still going to do this. 

Here is a before of my closet. And granted, when we moved in, all my racks were fairly full. 

Upper-left I kept dressy/work attire. I have a few item that are sentimental. 

Bottom left is where I keep non-work clothes (but the work clothes made their way down there). The right rack has dresses and maxi skirts. Yes, luggage and tote bags are on the floor. 

A basket drawer tower, top to bottom:

- His shoes

- Plastic Easter (eggs which need an attic storage box home)

- Sentimental & Halloween stuff

- Summer stuff

- Underwear?

- Sweaters and running gear

- My shoes

- His sweaters

And to the right of that tower, stuff I've already been purging.

Sadly, I don't feel I can make the huge pile at one time for a huge laundry list of personal reasons, so I just did my closet. See what I did there? 

I know, not a huge pile. It's about what I had expected. 

And the current after. I moved my coats and sweaters from the downstairs coat closet to get them out of the way. 

All I can say now is that I dread the winter. I will have a need for long-sleeved tops and I just hate shopping for clothes. 

Bonnets of Blue

Does any other state, or do any other people, get ramped up about their state flower? 

Every spring, people find themselves stopping along highways and and roadways to take a picture of or with the flower of Texas. The bluebonnet. 

It got its name from the color (der) and the shape it seem to resemble, a bonnet. A specific type of bluebonnet was named the state flower in 1901. But us Texans preferred a different species and in 1971, the state declared that any bluebonnet was the state flower. 

Bluebonnets are Texas' cherry blossoms. They bloom from mid-March to early May. They are, in fact a wildflower. They grow where they want to grow, though some cultivate them. 

I grew up believing that it is illegal to pick the flowers. It's simply not the case. But people are encouraged to respect the flower. Land in rural areas is dwindling so there is less space for them to grow in the wild. 

I believe this is my first photo of myself in a field of one of my favorite flowers. Their perfume is divine. 

My favorite. 

The Universe Needs to STFU

Have you ever fully given up on something? Completely released it to the universe? 

I've done this several times within the year. And those 'things' are like boomerangs. They just keep coming back to me. Feigning opportunity and then playing trixies on me and scampering away like indecisive squirrels. 

I had three interviews for teaching positions and I wasn't able to take them. After the first one, I decided that I wasn't going to actively look for them. I was extremely disappointed and heartbroken. Then they started seeking me out. So I went on two more interviews, again, I wasn't offered positions. 

So I finally relinquish the thought of ever teaching again and get a job in another field. And, you guessed it, I got a call for another teaching position. 

Why, universe, are you teasing and taunting me?

I declined the position because it was pretty much a long-term sub situation that would lead me nowhere. No thanks, I've got a good thing going right now. 

A Grievance

Because I know you are really very interested in what pisses me off.

There is a young man who lives in our surrounding neighborhood with some of his bruhs. For the past few months, this little shit has been tearing through the neighborhood in his modified Cadillac hoopty at unforgivable hours of darkness. It is ridiculously loud and wakes us all up.

You know what? Be young. Have fun. But do that crap somewhere more appropriate. Not in a neighborhood of families.

We are loosing sleep by being shaken out of sleep anywhere between 4 and 6 am. And it scares the kidlet - not just wakes her up, but scares her. She is hesitant to go to bed because of that asshole. And she doesn't want to go back to bed when it wakes her up.

I left a voicemail with "code enforcers" and I hope there is something done. Can't really get a shot of his plates because it's "snore-WTF!-darkthirty-o'clock". I was able to catch a glimpse of his car one day and then we started scouring the neighborhood.

I know where he lives.

So, Those Goals

Do you remember my goals? I do. 

Lose weight.

RUN a 5K.

So I started the Couch to 5K. And everything was going really good. 

Well, with the exception that my knees and shins put up a fight. 

So I decided that I should try kinetic therapy (or KT) tape to help. 

I wasn't a large difference but it did help. 

The end of February and beginning of March brought on some new challenges. 

I got sick. Being sick and running = not happening. 

Financial situations also made it necessary that I obtain a job. 

By the way, I rocked that interview while still sick. 

And then we had a weird week of snow. 

Getting used to a work schedule made running difficult. 

And then wham! The Color Run was here!

While I didn't run the whole thing, I did several running spurts.  

Besides, I had Ivy (which I wasn't originally planning) and the whole point is to have fun at your own pace instead of a timed race. 

As far as the weight loss goes, I've lost 14 pounds so far. 

(As always, I run for my dear Survivor Aunt)

My body hurts so much. A lot of things are telling me no not torture myself over running a 5K. My knees are telling me to just not do it. Running/jogging/training has not eased the pain in my legs. I'm disappointed that I had setbacks and didn't do what I set out to do for my deadline. But I'm also not mentally torturing myself. I'm ok with not meeting my goal. I can just try again. 

Burning Questions

Shhh, I think she's still sleeping.

A lot of stuff happened within the past two months. Due to last year's fiasco, I was granted unemployment benefits. I also had my student loans placed on 'economic hardship' so I wasn't making payments. And while I did send out resumes and go on interviews, I was not offered any teaching positions. Fine by me. This allowed me to stay at home with Ivy. 

But benefits only last so long. And my loans went back into payments. At. The. Same. Damn. Time.
This made it necessary for me to find something, and find it fast. So I started looking around and sending out My Awesome Resume. I got a response that same day and an interview for the following day. That had to be the best interview ever. I was offered the job but there were phone calls on their end to be made before it was official. I started work two days later.

But then we had to find childcare. We ended up signing Ivy up for preschool which has been for the best. Because that picky little eater has been expanding her palate as well as her mind. It's amazing! She'll start kindergarten in the fall and I think she'll do great because of this experience.

Back to the work thing. I now work at a public library. Besides finding books and helping people with the computers, I've also done some storytimes and it's been pretty fun. And let me tell you about the stress level... wait, what stress level? I’m now in a line of work in which I am directly involved with the public. And I can say a great and many things about working with the public.

And now I present to you: Burning Questions that just MUST be answered
Alternate subject title: Troubleshooting the Stupid
Alternate subject title: Stuck on stupid

I had the opportunity to assist a lovely woman with an internet query.
“Why is it that every time I get on Google Maps here, it’s in San Jose, California?” considering we are situated half a continent away. So I started off firing questions to troubleshoot. 
“Do you have a home location associated with your personal Google account?” 
"No."
“Have you signed in to Google?” 
"No."
"Do you have a Google account?"  
"No. I don't think so."
So my clever response is that “It’s Google.”

“Well, that’s not an answer. Why is it that every time I get on Google Maps here, it’s in San Jose, California?”
“Let me clarify. If you have not given any details such as signing into your account and creating a home location on Google Maps to Google [for memory purposes], Google will assign a starting point.”

“You’re still not answering me. Why is it that every time I get on Google Maps here, it’s in San Jose, California? And this is on other computers too.”
At this point, my internal monologue is using some choice language.
“Ma’am, I guarantee you that if anyone else opens Google Maps without their log-in information, it will also take them to San Jose, California.”

“But why San Jose?”
Let me help you “Have you entered your desired address y-“ My hands pause in mid-air, mid-type.
“I KNOW HOW TO USE GOOGLE MAPS.”

“Ma’am, it’s Google. They’re likely using their location as a starting point of reference if there are no credentials.”
“Well, that’s still not—“
“Ma’am, I’m sorry, I cannot help you any further in this matter. I am not a Google employee and we have closing procedures to complete at this moment.” Bye Felicia. 

It was made abundantly clear that this was not pertinent to her internet query. She just had a burning question and, as my supervisor said, was “stuck on stupid.” I guess she also felt the need to try to make me feel stupid which didn't work. I decided to go back to my own computer and, well, ask Google - something that any rational human being can do.

Uh oh!

Our computers are automatically cleared of browsing data after every person logs out. They’re like Alzheimer patients. If there is no data to start with, Google is going to do... Google.

Snow Bunny

Last week's snow, ice, and slush melted and we reached 70 degrees. We picked Ivy up from her grandparents and we made snow ice cream, like I had promised her. I even made a snow angel in her stead.

(You already saw this one).

She started preschool this week because I got a new job at a library. I've yet to work a full week because of our, ahem, interesting weather. 

And wham! We get hit again!

But this time, she got to play in it herself!

(Tracks of another kind: wabbit)

And we were finally able to build our very first ever snowman!

We can finally check those off our life list.